Rakuten Canada (f.k.a Ebates Canada, Inc.)

CASHBACK SCAM: I want to share my recent experience so others don’t end up in the same situation. I made an online purchase via Decathlon.ca after activating a cashback offer through Rakuten. I followed every step carefully — I even opened a fresh tab, went back to Rakuten, and re-clicked the merchant link immediately before checking out, just to make sure everything tracked correctly. Yet despite doing everything exactly as required, the cashback didn’t show up. When I contacted customer service, I was given explanations that had nothing to do with how I actually made the purchase. None of their reasons applied to my situation, and this wasn’t the first time something like this happened. The cashback offer was the main reason I chose to shop with this retailer. Without it, I wouldn’t have placed the order at all. After getting no meaningful help and no acknowledgement of the issue, I decided to cancel the entire order. I’m sharing this because this is not an isolated incident, but rather a repeated conducts. When cashback is advertised but consistently not honored, it is no different from a bait of scam. I’ll also be reaching out to provincial consumer protection authorities so they’re aware of the pattern. Just a heads up to anyone thinking of buying from this retailer or relying on their cashback offers — make sure you know what you’re getting into

Lately, to receive cash back has been very difficult and quite annoying. Even after providing copies of my order and delivery, they still refuse to add the cash back. This isn't the first time. They have no issue with quickly adding cash back under $1, but for ANY order $1, they have delay tactics. They state they require confirmation from the store, but no where online does it state "cash back will be withheld pending confirmation from the store". I've provided numerous copies of my order, yet they still require confirmation...I understand there are fraud transactions out there but when a customer is cooperating and providing legitimate copies of their purchases to support their order, Rakuten should be respectful of this and honor the cash back in a timely manner. Not delaying for months without a resolution...

It’s interesting how my 12% cash back order suddenly isn’t registered by their system despite following the same process as always and getting the message that the offer was active. Screen shot orders and offer activations or they’ll claim they aren’t valid.

For a FREE cash back service it is a great option. I have been using it since it was Ebates and have gotten 100's of dollars back. Never had an issue with customer service, but I don't need to contact them very often. If you are using their partner sites often, it is a great option to get some money back on your purchases. It is paid our every 3 months (when you hit the minimum) and it is easier now that you can link paypal and get paid directly instead of waiting for a cheque.

It used to be a good cash back provider a couple of years ago but their service and quality has gone down a lot. Better options like Coupert, Karma and Capital One available. Since these new coupon and cash back extensions have entered market I have noticed that Rakuten shows offers like 10%, 15% or even above in some cases to attract clients and once you have purchased the item they never give cash back but instead send you a generic email stating thousands reasons why you haven't been given the cashback they advertised. Its really sad to see once a great client focused company has turned into a Spam Bot extension.

This company that used to be EBates was once wonderful, well run, had excellent customer service and a great and quick turn around for cashback from purchases. Now since it's be Rakuten, is it nothing but a scam. They promise cashback immediately, and it goes to PENDING and never goes to confirmed. They owe me probably $100 or $150 in cashback from all of my purchases over the last year. Every time you contact them, which is difficult, you get the exact same answer, it just takes time, up to 100 days to see the cash actually go to your account . But it never does. And sometimes they just suddenly make your purchases ineligible for cashback without any information. Avoid this company at all costs. It used to be so wonderful and gave me a nice side income every three months. I really miss that. Oh well, new and improved and doesn't work at all.

I recently had a frustrating experience with Rakuten. We made a big purchase when we saw a 30% cash back with Temu. However, this time Rakuten disappointed us. In their first reply, they passed the buck, claiming it was Temu's offer, while Temu denied any involvement when I directly contacted them. The second time, they said that my purchase didn’t have Rakuten link but I used Rakuten to buy from Temu. My husband and I have been using the Rakuten link for nearly 2 years and we know what I am doing. I think it was their technical error and Rakuten should honour the advertised deal. The whole ordeal left a bad taste, and I'm questioning their trustworthiness. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Rakuten?"

I don't know what happened with other people here, but I've never had any issues with Rakuten, I always got either check or e-transfer via Pay-Pal, now that I use Pay-Pal I even get my cashback earlier! I've been using Rakuten since since Dec. 2013 and got more than 1k in cash back till now! I love it!