Raise Marketplace Inc

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] we were able to review the customer’s account and offer a solution.On November 6, 2017, the customer listed two Walmart gift cards for sale on Raise. One with a value of $35.95 and the other with a value of $5.00. Typically, cards listed on Raise are...

live on the marketplace within 24 hours after our Trust & Safety team verifies the balance. Both cards were verified and live on the marketplace that same day. The card valued at $35.95, sold in Raise Order Number [redacted], while the card valued at $5.00, sold in Raise Order Number [redacted], respectfully. In total, the customer was owed $35.50 for the cards after the 12% commission that Raise takes for selling a card.The customer contacted our Member Services team later that day due to issues they were having with requesting payment. The customer was receiving an error message stating that they were unable to withdraw funds at that time. This is caused when a user is attempting to access Raise outside of the United States or is using a VPN that may disguise the user’s location. These security measures are in place in order to best protect both the buyers and the sellers on our marketplace. The customer informed the supporting agent that they were using a work computer, which was preventing the customer to withdraw funds. The supporting agent informed the customer why they were receiving the error message and suggested alternatives that they may use in order to request funds, such as using a mobile browser or a different computer, such as the nearest library.The customer was not able to access the mobile browser to request funds during the chat. Unfortunately, the supporting agent did not provide other specifics as to where to locate the option to request funds via the mobile browser. We would like to apologize to the customer for the interaction and we have sent the case to the appropriate parties in order to provide the proper coaching in order to effectively resolve the issue. Due to the VPN present, the funds were not able to be requested but we do acknowledge there could have been a better way to handle this interaction. We would like to apologize to the customer once more for the frustration this has caused.We have sent the customer an email via [redacted]@raise.com further explaining why our system does not allow the use of VPN. The customer has also successfully requested payment via [redacted] on November 8, 2017. The customer should see the full amount of $35.50 in their [redacted] account in 2-3 business days.At this time, we would like to consider this case closed as the customer has successfully requested their funds for the cards sold. As mentioned, we will provide the supporting agent with the proper coaching in order to best assist our customers. We will also provide our Dev Team with this information so our website can provide proper messaging when a member is attempting to access the site either through a VPN or outside of the United States. Improving member communication and the total member experience is a major priority for us, and we would like to apologize to the customer for the inconsistency and troubles throughout this process. We are happy to answer any further questions via email at [redacted]@raise.com.

After receiving and reviewing the customer’s response to Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] we are, unfortunately, unable to offer the customer a different resolution.All customers, buyers and sellers, agree to the Raise Guarantee when they accept the Terms and Conditions upon signing up to use the Raise website. In this case, this specific order fell outside of the Raise guarantee as of November 1, 2015. Had the customer contacted Raise before November 1, 2015, we would have been able to assist further on the order. As the order fell outside of the guarantee period by so much time when the customer contacted Raise on May 7,2016 we were unable to offer any further action. We would also like to assure the member that the phone number that he called initially is the only phone number to contact Raise. That phone number is [redacted]. If the customer would like to call in again, he is more than welcome, but will still be given the same resolution.We would again like to apologize for any inconvenience that the customer has experienced regarding this order and look forward to serving him again in the future.

After receiving a rejection response for Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] we have again been able to review the orders in question, and Raise is unable to provide a different resolution for the member.
Raise has a 100 Day Guarantee during which any issue with a gift card will be looked into and resolved. When an issue arises outside of the 100 day period the issue can still be given a review, but a refund or resolution cannot be guaranteed.
All of the orders brought to the attention of Raise in the original complaint have been reviewed by the Gift Card Support Team, but as they were all purchased so far outside of the 100 Day Guarantee period, no further action can be taken by Raise.
The most recently purchased of the orders in question, all purchased on April 21, 2015 were outside of the guarantee period as of July 30, 2015. The other two older orders were outside of the guarantee period as of May 9 and 11, 2015. This being the case, Raise was unable to take further action on the orders because of the length of time that had passed since the guarantee period came to a close.
We feel that this complaint has been resolved following the Raise guarantee and apologize for any inconvenience. We hope to better serve this customer again in the future.

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number ([redacted]), it appears that the current resolution is warranted.On February 2, 2017, the customer purchased a $50 valued AMC Theatres egift/voucher (with a listing price of $42.00) along with a $12.06...

valued [redacted] gift card (with a listing price of $11.33)  for a total of $53.33. The customer also used a first time user promotional code on this order that was good for $10 off a $50 or more purchase. The final purchase price for this order was $43.33 after the promotional code was deducted.On March 24, 2017, the customer contacted Raise via live chat informing the supporting agent that the AMC Theatres gift card they had purchased was not working properly. The customer had informed to the supporting agent that she had added this egift/voucher into her “AMC Stubs Account” and the card was removed, along with the remaining balance as it was marked as invalid by the brand. The supporting agent interpreted that the customer was able to use $39.00 of the card which explained the adjusted refund amount that was initially offered, which was $7.50. In addition, because the brand had also requested the funds back from the customer, the supporting agent had requested documentation from the brand stating this for our records. This information was requested by our Gift Card Support Team so they could follow up with the brand with more details about what happened to this card. The supporting agent had informed the customer once that documentation had been received, we would be able to move forward with the refund.The customer also reached out to Raise via [redacted] on 3/24 requesting a resolution to this issue as well.After further review into this case, the customer is indeed protected by our 1 Year Money-Back Guarantee as this is an invalid card. We will be processing this refund for the total of $34.12, which takes into account the first time promotional code that the member used. This refund takes into account both the promo code and the [redacted] card that was purchased on this order. This refund will also be sent in the form of a physical check, as requested by the customer. This will be sent the billing address on file to the customer and it should arrive in 3-14 days. We also kindly ask the customer to send us an image of any documentation they receive from the brand at their earliest convenience.Overall, we are pleased to have resolved this issue and we also want to extend our sincerest apology to the customer for the delay in a resolution, as well as the inconvenience this whole experience has caused. In addition to the refund, we have added $10 in Raise Rewards to the customer’s account as an extension of our apologies. If the customer would like to use us again, those rewards will be there to use at her earliest convenience. We hope to better serve this customer in the future and any further questions or concerns can be sent to [redacted].

After receiving and further reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] , we are, unfortunately, unable to offer the customer a different resolution at this time.As mentioned in the initial response, all refunds are processed back to the original payment method. After taking a closer look at the refund through our payment processor, the refund was processed on March 16, 2018. When a refund is processed, it can take anywhere from 3-5 business days for the funds to appear back on the customer’s original payment method.Our Voice of Customer team reached out to the customer via email on March 20, 2018 to discuss this situation and to provide the customer with further information about this refund, and where the funds may have gone. If the customer’s card number has changed, but the account is still active, the funds will automatically reroute to the customer’s bank account. The refund is processed back to the account, not the actual card number. If that account is completely closed, the funds will either bounce back to Raise (typically within 30 days), or the customer may need to contact their bank in order to help locate those funds.At this time, we would like to consider this issue resolved due to the refund being processed. However, we would like to maintain open communication with the member in order to verify that the funds were successfully received. We will be reaching out to our payment processor as well to confirm that the refund went through. If the funds are bounced, then we are more than happy to provide the customer with a check refund. We would like to once more apologize to the customer for the delay in receiving this refund, as well as the troubles in actually receiving the refund. Our Voice of Customer team has followed up with the customer via email on March 23, 2018. Any further questions or concerns can be answered by responding to that email.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2014/08/06) */
In response to Revdex.com complaint # XXXXXXXX
Dear Mr. [redacted],
I have read your complaint in its entirety and reviewed your concerns in detail. I am truly sorry that Home Depot may have identified the gift cards you used as...

part of fraudulent activities.
Here at Raise we take security very seriously. We cooperate with federal and local police agencies to make sure that fraudulent activities are appropriately prosecuted. In no way do we encourage or facilitate criminal activity, but instead protect against it and report it in its entirety to the correct government agencies.
If you have any further questions or concerns about how Raise handles unlawful activity please contact us.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Manager of Customer Service

After receiving complaint number
rgb(255, 255, 255);">[redacted], we were able to review the order and offer a solution to the customer.
The customer purchased five [redacted] eGift cards from Raise.com on February 27th 2016. One of the eGift cards, that the customer was able to successfully redeem, was purchased with a value of $500 at a purchase price of $492.50. The other four gift cards in this order were each purchased with a value of $25 for a purchase price of $24.50 which the customer paid for by credit card.
On February 29th 2016 the customer contacted Raise Member Services via phone call and notified the serving agent that the four $25 gift cards were not applying to her order. At that time the agent requested, per Raise policy, a screenshot of the error message the customer was receiving to confirm what the issue may be. Unfortunately for some brands we are unable to see the issue from our end as we do not have access to the customer’s [redacted], or other brand, account. The screenshots provide us with exactly what the customer is seeing so we can take the correct following steps. The customer did not want to comply, so that agent followed up but was unable to take further action until the screenshots had been received. Again, the customer contacted Raise, this time via email, to report the same issue, and was again asked for the error message which was also refused. On the customer’s third contact the screenshot of the error message was provided.
Unfortunately, once this message was received the follow up steps were not completed in a timely manner and the resolution to this inquiry was not offered to the customer until today, March 4th 2016. The customer has received a refund confirmation for all of the $25 [redacted] gift cards totaling a refund amount of $98. The full refund process can take up to 1-3 business days to complete on the side of the bank but has already been fully processed by Raise.
Overall, we are pleased to have resolved this issue and we also want to extend our sincerest apology to the customer for the delay in communication. Raise is actively working to minimize our response times across the board. We look forward to serving this customer again in the future.

After receiving and further reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] , we are pleased that the resolution is satisfactory and would like to address the concerns the customer presented.
Based on the information from our Trust & Safety team, the [redacted] gift card had a unique set of numbers, which indicated that it was indeed an older card. Raise suggested to the customer to relist the gift card as we believed there was the possibility of a redemption issue at that specific location. Raise would never suggest that option to a member if the gift card was inactive or showed an inaccurate balance. In this particular case, if the member were to relist, we would be happy to issue Raise Rewards to help offset the commission.
As mentioned, the Raise Guarantee protects the customer’s purchase price if a card is showing as inactive, or an inaccurate balance. As that was not the case in this instance, we were unable to resolve the situation at the first point of contact, but after further review, we were able to provide the customer with the desired resolution. We feel that this issue has been resolved in accordance with the Raise Guarantee and apologize for any inconvenience. We would be happy to address any further questions from the customer via email.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order and a solution has been...

provided.
On May 12, 2016 the customer purchased four [redacted] gift cards from Raise.com. Then on May 13, 2016 the customer contacted Raise and expressed that he canceled his order with [redacted] because he could not pick up his items in store. Upon the cancellation he was informed that the funds would not be returned because the gift cards were procured initially through an unauthorized transaction.
The issue was escalated to the Gift Card Support Team for further review due to the nature of the concern with the gift cards. Upon further review it was presented to the Gift Card Support Team, by the brand, that when an order is canceled the funds are returned by check. That being the case, the refund was canceled at that time and not issued to the customer. Upon further contact with the customer, we were able to confirm that the funds had not been returned via check, but had been wiped out due to the nature of the initial purchase.
Once this information had been confirmed, the customer was refunded for the full purchase price of $2772.00. The customer was notified via email and should see the refund fully processed to his original payment source in 1-3 business days.
We would like to sincerely apologize to the customer for the inconvenience and hope to better serve him again in the future.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
As I have stated several times for each time you have reached out to me, this is not what your guarantee is.  When I said that I had used "about $20", I have no idea how accurate that is.  Since the card was reported fraudulent (JITB's words, not mine), I should be refunded the entire amount of my purchase, as it clearly states in your 100-day guarantee: For 100 days from the date of purchase, the Raise Guarantee covers:Gift cards that are not activeGift cards with an inaccurate balanceGift cards received as a different brand than orderedGift cards not received within 30 days from the date of purchaseandThe Raise Guarantee covers the purchase price of the gift card, not any savings or discount the buyer received. As I had explained to one of your customer support agents, if you had, even in good faith, sold me car that turned out to be stolen (which is tantamount to what happened here), would I be expected to pay a "rental fee" for the time I used it?  That idea is preposterous, but that is what you are expecting here.  You cannot rewrite a contract that you failed to follow through on after the fact.At the end of the day, I just do not want to buy from a company that sells stolen gift cards and then does not honor the guarantee that is sets forth before purchase.  You can "spin" it however you want to but those are the facts of this situation.  
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Raise should make customers aware that this is an issue with their business. It appears that there is some sort of criminal element that is selling gift cards on their site.  It appears as though people post these gift cards on their site-hold onto the gift card numbers, wait until it is exactly 100 days after the purchase and then utilize the gift card number for a purchase of their own.  Essentially stealing from the purchaser.  Raise.com should be pressing charges against the seller and warning people who buy cards front them that this could occur.  They must know this is an issue.  Shame on them from withholding this info.  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Bought a card from Raise they lost it during processing. Now they say they will not refund my money. They did it few times and rely on customer to just forget about it and later they will give excuse not to refund money.
Never going to use them again. Will post complain any social place I can.
Disgusted.

After receiving and reviewing complaint number [redacted] and the order number in question, it appears that the current resolution is warranted.On February 1, 2016 the customer purchased two [redacted] Chicago Grill gift cards each with a value of $25 at a purchase price of $21.15 for a total purchase of...

$42.30, which was charged to the customer’s credit card.The customer contacted Raise Member Services on February 8, 2016 and notified the serving agent that the two [redacted] Chicago Grill gift cards in the order were purchased out of error. As the Raise Guarantee does not cover buyer’s remorse the serving agent offered the customer a $5 Raise Reward credit in her account to alleviate some of the seller cost if she did want to list the gift cards on the marketplace herself as a way of getting her money back. Again the customer contacted Raise Member Services on February 27, 2016 and expressed that she was upset that the $5 was given as Raise Rewards and not a refund. During this phone call the customer spoke with a supervisor and it was reiterated to the customer that the Raise Guarantee does not cover buyer’s remorse and Raise would not be able to refund for this reason. It has been confirmed with the Raise Development Team that orders do not complete without permission from the customer. The customer must select the button “Submit Order” for an order to be placed. The customer has listed the gift cards on the Raise Marketplace, both have since sold, and the customer been paid for both of the sales. The Raise Rewards credit of $5 has also been applied to the customer’s Raise account to use toward a future purchase of $6 or more. We will continue to ensure that Raise policy is adhered to and properly communicated.  We feel that this issue has been resolved in accordance with the Raise guarantee and apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to serving this customer again in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we have reviewed the corresponding order number in conjunction with the complaint.On October 5, 2015 the customer purchased 11 [redacted] eGift/vouchers from Raise.com. The customer then contacted Raise Member Services on May 12, 2016 and expressed to the...

serving agent that she was no longer able to redeem the gift cards that still have had remaining balances. At that time, the serving agent informed the customer that [redacted] changed their policy, earlier this year, regarding merchandise credits in the form of eGift/vouchers and they were no longer accepted in that format. The serving agent also explained to the customer that the Raise Guarantee had lapsed after 100 days from the purchase date and that no further action could be taken on this specific order. Upon this policy change made by [redacted] Raise reached out to the sellers of the gift cards for orders within the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee to have the physical cards sent out to the buyers. Orders that fell outside of the 100 day period at that time were not requested as they were already outside of the policy time frame.When the customer contacted Raise, the serving agent reached out to see if the seller did have the gift card available to send in. Sellers, like buyer’s, have a 100 day time frame, and they are required to hold the physical gift cards that are converted to eGift/vouchers on the marketplace for a minimum of 100 days.  That being the case, the sellers of these particular gift cards were no longer required to hold onto the physical gift cards at the time of the [redacted] policy change and may have destroyed or discarded the physical cards. We regret to inform the customer that we were unable to retrieve the physical gift cards from the sellers, as the order does fall outside of the Raise Guarantee. For this we would like to offer our sincerest apologies, as we are unable to offer a refund or replacement card as this order falls so far outside of the guarantee period. We would, however, like to offer the customer $50.00 in Raise Credit as recompense for this inconvenience.We feel that this issue has been resolved in accordance with the Raise guarantee and hope to better serve this customer in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order and offer a solution to the customer.On July 27, 2017, the customer purchased four [redacted] gift cards each valued at $10.00. The total purchase price for all four cards was $38.00. These were all delivered to the...

customer electronically as vouchers. As with every card that is sold on our marketplace, the balance is verified twice, once at the initial listing, and once at the time of purchase to ensure a valid card.The customer contacted Raise via live chat on August 1, 2017 stating the funds were removed from the cards and the order was canceled by the brand. The supporting agent informed the customer that this would be sent to our Gift Card Support Team for further review. This review typically takes between 7-10 business days, depending on the situation.On August 7, 2017, our Gift Card Support Team reached out to the customer via email stating they were unable to refund due to the brand informing us that the order was completed and delivered. The customer reached back out via chat stating that the order was returned back to the brand and it was never received. The customer also stated that the brand had informed them that these were all “rewards” cards, and only one could be used per order.After a second review by our Gift Card Support Team, they were able to confirm that the cards were indeed “reward” cards from [redacted]’s Anniversary Sale. The buyer’s order was refunded by the brand but the funds would not be restored to the cards due to note abuse.The customer was officially refunded by Raise on August 8, 2017, for the full purchase price amount of $38.00 after this information was obtained. Raise does not sell gift cards that expire or promotional cards such as these, so the customer was and is deserving of this refund. We would like to apologize to the customer for the confusion, and we have added an additional $10 in Raise Rewards to the customer’s account. These can be used at the customer’s earliest convenience.At this time, we would like to consider the issue resolved and hope that the customer finds a refund and complimentary credit a suitable settlement. Any other questions or concerns can be sent via email to [redacted]@raise.com. We look forward to continue serving this customer in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order and offer a solution to the customer.On December 13, 2015 the customer purchased an On the [redacted] gift card on Raise with a balance of $100.00 for a purchase price of $81.00, for which the customer paid $76.00 out of...

pocket after a promotional code had been applied. The customer had not previously contacted Raise, so before now we did not have the opportunity to further assist the customer. As this issue has now been brought to our attention, we are more than happy to assist. While the order does fall outside of the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee, as a courtesy, we are happy to offer the customer a full refund of the out of pocket cost, $76.00.Raise is a member to member marketplace, so all gift cards are coming across the marketplace as previously owned and sometimes partially used. Just like all previously owned products, occasionally an unforeseen issue may arise, but that is why we have the Raise Guarantee, and encourage customers to use the balance within that time frame so that we are fully able to assist in those instances. The refund of $76.00 has been returned to the customer’s original payment source and will be reflected there within 3-5 business days. We are happy to have been able to provide a resolution to the customer and look forward to serving him again in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we have obtained the necessary order numbers and been able to...

provide the customer with resolutions for each.
The customer originally contacted Raise Member Services regarding the five orders in question outside of the 100 Day Guarantee; we are happy to look into any gift card that does have a problem sometimes even outside of the guarantee period. In this case we have been happy to provide the customer with refunds for all of the applicable orders.
During correspondence with the customer through a support ticket we confirmed five orders had gift cards that were no longer valid. All five orders have been refunded for a grand total of $626.17. We are still currently waiting to hear back from the customer regarding further information for two gift card numbers that did not have cards connected to them on Raise, for which also an order number was not provided by the customer. We do believe that these two gift cards have been refunded in part of the grand total we provided but want to make sure that all of the customer’s needs have been met.
We are happy to continue to resolve this for the customer and process any necessary refunds within the Raise 100 Day Guarantee if there is still anything outstanding. The customer is welcome to respond to our support ticket with the necessary information to continue to resolve the inquiry.
Until we have the necessary information, we would like to consider this issue resolved and look forward to working with this customer in the future.

We were able to further review Revdex.com case
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[redacted]n addition to the customer’s order and Raise account.
 
The customer placed order [redacted] on November 17, 2015. This order contained one [redacted] eGift card with a value of $43.55.
 
A support ticket was opened on January 29, the same day the customer filed her complaint.
Our Member Services Team responded to this ticket on February 4, and confirmed that this [redacted] card had an inaccurate balance. Per our refund
policy, the Member Services agent then submitted a partial refund for what the customer was unable to use. The same discount that she initially
received on this card was applied to the balance she was not able to use. Therefore, a refund of $19.57 was credited to the original payment source.
In addition, the customer was given a promo code for the inconvenience she experienced with this order. This was communicated via email.
Overall, we are pleased to have resolved this issue and look forward to serving the customer again in the future.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
First, I never saw there is a 100 guarantee rule mentioned anywhere on the website, or in my order confirmation email, at least it's not something that obvious to see. You might include it somewhere in a fine fine print to trap the customer on purpose. Secondly, the two times you mentioned are totally wrong. My order happened at 11:16PM on 2/18/2016, and my first phone call with you was around 5/20/2016, which was still within 100 days. I think I made myself pretty clear during the phone call that I refused to accept your $35 credit as a compensation, which is nothing comparing to $170 loss that incurred to me. As a customer, I just want to let you know that cheating customer is not the right way to do business. It is FRAUD. It will hurt your business on a long run. Be smart please. It's okay that I lose my money for this time, but I need to let other customers know what happened to me, and hope that this will not happen to anyone else any more.
Sincerely,
[redacted]