• Rakuten

Rakuten

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Overview

Rakuten has a rating of 2.7 stars from 2,123 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Rakuten most frequently mention credit card, referral bonus, and family member problems. Rakuten ranks 4th among Cash Back sites.

  • Service
    186
  • Value
    150
  • Returns
    63
  • Quality
    120

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 13.3%
Positive
2
Neutral
0
Negative
13
61
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How would you rate Rakuten?
Top Positive Review

“Amazing Rakuten! Thanks so much Susan!”

Tetiana K.
5/7/24

Rakuten team are the best service I've come across in the US. We are refugees from Ukraine and we are very grateful to Rakuten for such joy as excellent service, impeccable work, patience, respect for the client and professionalism. I will be happy to buy everything only through the Rakuten service. This is a great savings and a great pleasure to know them! Thank you Susan!

Top Critical Review

“Dishonest and unreliable”

J W.
5/21/24

They boast a 25% cashback if I buy something from Temu, which I did. I was sure the system activated this cashback just before purchase. However, they never sent me this cashback, despite my multiple attempts to claim it. First they tried to play stupid by simply repeating the info I already submitted a few times, then they didn't even bother to reply in the end. I will let both Temu and other customers know how dishonest and unreliable they are.

Reviews (2,123)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

customer service (796) customer care (55) shopping trip (51) customer support (36) response time (19) credit card (31) gift card (35)
Thumbnail of user patrickl144
Georgia
2 reviews
12 helpful votes
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May 5th, 2019

Rakuten is a fraudulent company. They sell used items as refurbished that have not been serviced at all. I purchased a surround sound speaker system from them that hadn't even been factory reset. It had someone else's WIFI information and name. Additionally, the speaker system was made up of different speakers from different systems and was completely useless. When I contacted them, they refused to pay return shipping. They wanted me to pay to ship the 26lb speaker system back at a cost that was more than what I actually paid for the system in the first place. When I filed a complaint with the BBB, Rakuten immediately offered me a refund. After two months without any additional contact and no refund, I contacted the BBB again. Rakuten then decided that they weren't going to refund my money anymore.

Thumbnail of user sheddieh
Georgia
1 review
4 helpful votes
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March 1st, 2014

Ebates used to be OK. Recently, I've had to scour, copy and paste orders and invoices to handle Ebates appeals for 'trips' I shopped and did not get the rebate. I think it's getting close to deceptive advertising -- the %rebate is clear, you click and shop. Later, you find out the store has made a deal with Ebates and come up with various and shifty rules and regulations to NOT fulfill the Ebate per cent clearly promoted. STOP THIS, Ebates -- keep it plain, simple and scam-free! As Members, we are providing personal shopping data which profits Ebates -- PAY US our proper ebates with no hidden/fine print disrespect and disloyalty to members!

Thumbnail of user elainej8
GB
3 reviews
6 helpful votes
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November 19th, 2012

I thought it was buying the item from buy.com, so when i contacted them to find out where my item was they told me it was a 3rd party who had sold me it. Wtf? Why do they not make this clearer? The item did arrive, although it took 18days from when i originally ordered it! It was only a $20 charger, but not the point :( only use this place if it's buy themselves selling you the item.

Thumbnail of user arlener7
New York
4 reviews
1 helpful vote
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November 1st, 2019

Rakuten is a GREAT money saving site. When you connect to Rakuten and click on the store you want, you immediately get to that store's internet site. From there, whatever you buy, you make money just from clicking through the Rakuten site, or by having the extension in Chrome.

I've almost made $1,000 with this great site.

Their customer service department is great, too.

It's a TOTAL WIN-WIN SITUATION!

:)

Thumbnail of user interlimited
Ukraine
1 review
2 helpful votes
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May 13th, 2023

As soon as you accumulate an amount above $20, your account will be blocked without explanation. I have been using the account for over a year. And as soon as I collected the amount, the account was blocked. NEVER USE THIS SERVICE. This is a scam.

Tip for consumers:
As soon as you accumulate an amount above $20, your account will be blocked without explanation. I have been using the account for over a year. And as soon as I collected the amount, the account was blocked. NEVER USE THIS SERVICE. This is a scam.

Products used:
cacheback

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user samm36
Illinois
7 reviews
11 helpful votes
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April 20th, 2011

It has been over a year, but I still don't like it. There was a great price on their site for movies. I ordered a couple of them, received a confirmation that the order went through, and waited. And waited. And waited. Upon contacting them, they rudely told me that the price was a mistake, and that they had canceled my order. The price wasn't so far out of whack that they couldn't honor the price quoted and complete the transaction. If not, they should have at least contacted me about it. I consider it somewhat dishonest and their phone staff were rude about it.

Thumbnail of user loisk8
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 28th, 2015
Verified purchase

Recently I placed an order through EBates and Kohls. I did not receive notice that my EBates account was credited, I inturn contacted customer service.
I received a quick response to my inquiry who requested information on my order to verify my purchase. EBates Customer sales representative was quick to respond and submit the request for my credit.
This was a very easy, hassle free experience.
I plan to be a long time customer and would reccomend them to all of my friends.

Thumbnail of user dianaa12
California
1 review
7 helpful votes
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May 30th, 2014

CONSUMER BEWARE!
I purchased a Canon T3 rebel from Rakuten, for $401.72, just the camera and lens nothing else included. The day I got the camera I went online to buy a bag for it and found the same camera with the lens, and a plethora of other things such as, battery, battery backup, 16g storage, the carrying bag, a tripod and a bunch of there tools and cleaning supplies for only $309! WTF! I emailed Rakuten because they have a "low price guarantee policy" they then refused to honor it because they said that Amazon Market place was not considered one of their competitors because it was third party selling. Are you kidding me? SO IS RAKUTEN! My camera was actually shipped from ZeeMo! Also a third party vendor!

They are liars and their products are over priced, wish I would have done more research and read these reviews before purchasing from them! By the way, none of this additional information was posted on their site!

Thumbnail of user andrewm142
New Jersey
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2015
Verified purchase

I had a prompt response from customer service at ebates. They have many relevant retailers who have partnered and the discounts are wonderful. Great website.

Service
Value
Shipping
Thumbnail of user amberw26
Washington
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 9th, 2015
Verified purchase

My check expired while it was lost and I asked what could be done about it via their contact us site and got a quick response, no problem, we'll take care of you action oriented help.

Thumbnail of user jenniferp66
Rhode Island
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 20th, 2015
Verified purchase

For whatever reason, my shopping trip never showed up but they still credited my cash back... and also responded to me within 24 hours. Excellent customer service!

Thumbnail of user stevenf70
Georgia
1 review
3 helpful votes
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May 30th, 2017

Had an issue where a check was lost and they sent a replacement, no questions asked with awesome customer service. You're already shopping online, you'd be an idiot to not get paid for it.

Thumbnail of user murrayb34
New Jersey
6 reviews
13 helpful votes
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July 1st, 2017

Consistently saves me money...
Not only do I get cash back, but customer service is superb, they work out any issues quickly and in favor of the customer if at all possible
Highest recommendation

Thumbnail of user louisew94
Louisiana
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 10th, 2019
Verified purchase

I've found many great things on this site. Love the free shipping and return policy. My only caution is to make sure you pay attention when something is non-returnable.

Thumbnail of user patriciam649
Florida
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I don't know why anyone would shop online without using Ebates/Rakuten! I have, on many occasions, shopped elsewhere if the site didn't partner with Ebates.

Thumbnail of user glendas57
New Jersey
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

I have Rakuten/Ebates at the top of my screen and it reminds me to look for deals anytime I access a shopping page. The cash return isn't much, but these days, every penny helps!

Thumbnail of user caseyd46
South Dakota
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 6th, 2019
Verified purchase

It appears that cash back rates are overall lower than they used to be while other similar websites have stayed the same or increased their rates. For this reason I use Rakuten less then Ebates.

Thumbnail of user erikj45
Washington
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 5th, 2019
Verified purchase

Promised many things that just don't seem to happen. Agents promise and then one can never reach them again or get fulfillment on their promised actions. Typical and really not worth the trouble.

Thumbnail of user steveny22
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
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April 28th, 2019
Verified purchase

So far color me impressed. I have had a great experience especially with built in browser support. The ability to shop my favorite sites and be notified of savings is great.

Thumbnail of user annc318
Pennsylvania
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

Who can complain about getting extra cash for something your going to buy anyway. Love getting them checks in the mail... Pleasant surprise when I do. Thank you Rakuten

Thumbnail of user leet142
Florida
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

I am not sure what changed other than the name, but seemed to work better when you were Ebates. Since the change it sees as tough there are less stores/offers relevant to me

Thumbnail of user cindyr206
Texas
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

Great to be able to receive discounts and get a refund on sites i shop all the time. Wish some more of my regular places were covered more often like amazon, etc but its an added bonus when they are.

Thumbnail of user carlab135
Connecticut
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 31st, 2019
Verified purchase

I've been a long time user and have never had anything but a positive experience. If you shop online, or now even in brick & mortar stores, using Rakuten is a very easy money saving tool.

Thumbnail of user mariec26
Alaska
7 reviews
17 helpful votes
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September 7th, 2018

Super easy to shop and save. I've been using this for a few years and have received over $1000. 00 back. Additionally there are other money saving offers.

Thumbnail of user jw75
Indiana
1 review
0 helpful votes
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August 1st, 2014
Verified purchase

Excellent customer service! They were so patient and accommodating in dealing with cash back misunderstandings. A++ experience and will definitely be online shopping through EBATES!

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From the business

Rakuten is the new Ebates! Rakuten is the premier Cash Back shopping site that pays you. Join today and start earning Cash Back at your favorite stores. How does it work? We pay members Cash Back when they shop at over 2,500 stores, plus find them the best deals and coupons. With over 12 million members and $1 billion in Cash Back paid out, Rakuten is the easiest and most rewarding way to shop. Become a member today and start shopping smarter. Follow us for the latest sales, member-exclusive offers and more.

Business History

Ebates is the pioneer and leader of online Cash Back Shopping. The company was founded in 1998 by two Deputy District Attorneys in Silicon Valley who used to prosecute online fraud & identity theft before starting Ebates (so you can be sure we are very into secure online transactions!). So go ahead, sign up and start shopping now. Joining Ebates is always free - you'll never pay us anything. And four times a year or more, we'll mail you a Big Fat Check, or transfer the money to your PayPal account if you'd prefer. We can even send the money to your favorite charity. All 100% free.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user ebatess
Ebates S.
Typically does not respond to reviews

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