Raise Marketplace Inc

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2014/12/09) */
In Response to Revdex.com complaint # [redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted]
I have read your complaint in its entirety and explored all details to ensure I understand the issue you have dealt with. I'm sorry you had to experience this situation. I...

sincerely apologize, and ultimately I was glad to come to a great resolution with you.
We do ask that when Members purchase [redacted] gift cards, that the Members don't merge them with any other cards or accounts. This is because due to the secondary nature of our marketplace, there is always a small chance an issue may arise with a gift card. If it does, keeping cards separate help resolve any issue quickly and simply. I am sorry that [redacted] refused to give you your funds back, but I was happy to be able to help restore the funds you lost from them.
Again I am very sorry about this, but I am glad in the end we could help resolve it.
Sincerely,
[redacted]Member Services Manager

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:The card on file is not my correct card number. Them putting money back onto that card will do nothing for me. I request they mail me a check in order to make sure it comes back to me. I have ZERO access to that card anymore as it has been closed.  Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/02/19) */
Response to Revdex.com complaint # XXXXXXXX
Dear[redacted]
Thanks for taking the time to contact us through the Revdex.com. I have reviewed your complaint in its entirety. I am very sorry you have had this issue concerning the...

Home Depot gift card, but I am glad in the end we could resolve it.
Our Gift Card Support Team is equipped to research and identify specific situations with gift cards from all different types of merchants. This can take some time depending on the events and subsequent information gathered. By far, the average time for processing a complaint is less than 48 hours. In your case it took longer. I apologize for that. We also initially came to a conclusion we didn't feel comfortable committing to. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this instance.
I was glad to make sure a check for $220.12 was sent out to you as a refund for the gift card in the order RXXXXXXXXX.
If there is anything else we can do for you please let me know.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Raise Member Services

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
If I understand correctly, Raise feels that the 100 day policy should relieve them of any responsibility to their consumer.  So effectively, a product that does not have an expiration date is only good for 100 days if purchased through this site and should be advertised as such.  
Where did the $481.76 go?
Respectfully,
[redacted]

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order in question.On November 13, 2016, the customer purchased a Tractor Supply Company electronic gift card valued at $400.00 with a purchase price of $354.56. The customer then called Raise Member Services on November 14,...

2016 expressing that they were not aware that the card was electronic, and therefore, good for online use only. As a courtesy to the customer, the serving agent reached out to the original seller of the card to see if it was possible for the actual physical card to be sent to the customer.The physical card was then shipped the next day, November 15, 2016 and was successfully delivered on November 17, 2016, per the [redacted] website. The customer contacted Raise for the second time via phone call on November 27, 2016 stating that he misplaced the card and requested for a replacement. Per The Raise Guarantee (https://www.raise.com/return-policy), Raise is unable to cover a card that is lost or misplaced by the buyer. The serving agent was able to provide the customer with the serial number as well as the PIN, so the customer would be able to reach out to the brand to have this card redeemed.Later that same day, the customer reached out to Raise for the third time via phone, explaining that his wife who checks the mail every day, informed him that the card never arrived, rather than the card being misplaced. The customer also stated that the card information would not work without the actual physical card being present in store, as it was initially electronic and could only be redeemed online. The call was then escalated to a supervisor, who explained to the customer that Raise is unable to refund, as the card was marked as delivered by the [redacted]. The supervisor did inform the customer however, that this request would be sent to Gift Card Support team for further review.On November 28, 2016, the customer reached out to Raise for a fourth time, asking about the status of the refund request. The customer was informed that a supervisor would call him back with the status later that day. The supervisor called the member back on that same day, informing the customer that due to the card number being read, as well as the card showing as delivered, we were unable to refund. The supervisor also suggested that the customer reach out to [redacted] and file a claim with them. The customer then called back for the fifth time on November 30, 2016 requesting a supervisor. The new supervisor then informed the member that he could not overrule the decision from the previous supervisor, based on the information that we had. As a courtesy, Raise reached out to the member on December 1, 2016 via email, expressing that although Raise cannot refund as lost in the mail, we would be able to convert the card back to it’s original form, which is an egift, so the member could redeem the card successfully online as originally intended as listed on our marketplace. The customer then called Raise that day informing Raise that this solution was acceptable.On December 2, 2016 the customer reached out to Raise via phone call for the sixth time, informing the serving supervisor that the brand would not accept any gift cards online. The brand confirmed that their gift card systems were down at the moment, but they would be back up within a couple of hours.The brand’s gift card system is currently functioning and we are happy to confirm that the gift card in question was successfully redeemed by the buyer.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. We would be more than happy to address any follow up questions with the customer via email.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order and offer a different resolution to the customer.On November 20, 2015 the customer placed an order on Raise for a Five Guys gift card with a balance of $100.00 for a purchase price of $75.00. The customer then contacted...

Raise Member Services on June 6, 2016 and expressed to the serving agent that the gift card did not work on attempted redemption. At this time the agent informed the customer that the order fell outside of the Raise Guarantee and for that reason, no further action could be taken on the order. At that time the customer was provided a promotional code as recompense. The Raise Guarantee is in place to protect the member’s purchase price for the first 100 days from the date of purchase. After that strict time frame has passed we are unable to provide a refund or replacement card in the same way that we would within the first 100 days. While the order does fall outside of the Raise Guarantee, we would like to offer the customer a courtesy refund for the full purchase price. Unfortunately, the customer has opened a dispute on this order. This being the case, Raise is unable to go ahead and refund the purchase at this time, as all activity on an order is suspended while a dispute is open. Disputes can take up to three months to complete, but we will be happy to follow up to make sure that the customer receives the requested resolution. If the dispute is not closed in the customer’s favor when it has been completed, we will be happy to follow up with a refund directly through Raise.We hope that the customer finds the promise of a refund of the $75.00 purchase price a reasonable resolution and would like to consider the issue resolved at this time.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/09/19) */
In response to Revdex.com complaint #XXXXXXXX
Dear Mr. [redacted],
I have read this inquiry in full and gone over every detail concerning this issue. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I am happy to report we were able to...

resolve this issue promptly.
I am glad to read our Member Service agent was polite and prompt. However I am sorry to hear the gift card you purchased did not hold its value. Due to the secondary nature of our marketplace it is possible that this gift card had either lost all or part of its balance for differing reasons. This is why we have our 60-day guarantee. Any balance issues within the first 60 days is covered by Raise, so you can rest assured that what you have purchased will save you money in the marketplace. I appreciate your patience and understanding in this situation.
In the end I am glad we were able to refund the full purchase price of $184.49, after your -$5.00 discount using a promotional code was used. A full refund has been issued.
If there is anything else we can address for you please contact us at [redacted]@Raise.com. It would be our pleasure to serve you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Manager of Member Services

First off let me say I have spent 1000's of $$ with Raise.com. They started sending merchandise vouchers instead of the actual gift cards. The last card I bought was a $195 gift card for lowes. I received it in a merchandise credit as mentioned above. Lowe's changed their policy and would not accept the merchandise credit without the actual gift card. I contacted Raise and they said that I was outside of my 100 day guarantee. How did I know I needed to spend this credit otherwise it would be no good within a month of purchasing it??? They refuse to give me a refund or replace the card. Never again. These guys are scamming. Please do not buy if it's a merchandise credit. [redacted] said people are stealing from stores and selling their credits on Raise. Once the store traces back the stolen merchandise to the return, they void the card/credit. Raise could have prevented this by not accepting merchandise credits in the first place. This along with the fact they are a scam will be the downfall of their company...

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2015/09/08) */
Dear Ms. [redacted],
I was able to fully review your case regarding your J. [redacted] card. After further communication with both you and the brand, I am pleased to say we have come to a conclusion.
The J. [redacted] card you purchased was indeed a...

merchandise credit. We have since established that these are nontransferable and therefore will not be offered on our marketplace in the future. As a secondhand marketplace, all of the cards on our site are listed by other members. The cards are always verified before they're approved for the marketplace and again before your order is processed.
We were able to issue a full refund of $140 back to your original payment source. An additional credit has been notated on your account as well. We thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and overall we are glad to have resolved this for you.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions. We would be happy to help in any way we can.
Kindest regards,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 8, 2015/09/10) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  I understand Raise has a 100 day guarantee, but the circumstance of this situation falls outside of a normal circumstance.  Raise should have informed all buyers of the fact that Lowe's was no longer accepting these vouchers thus making them void and that it is imperative that they take action to receive the physical card or BETTER yet Raise should have retrieved the physical card and send it out to the buyer themselves.   It should not be the responsibility of the buyer to "figure" this out by themselves.THe fact of the matter is the voucher I purchased is void due to Raise not informing me that I must contact them immediately to get the physical card.  This is negligence on Raise's fault as they went into my account and changed the voucher status to a physical gift card.  Why would they do that?  What right do they having changing the type of merchandise I purchased?  I don't even have access to the worthless voucher I received now because they deleted it.  Why?  This is fraud and I want to be refunded the purchase price of the voucher
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  There was no expiration date on the gift voucher neither was there a statement of 100 day guarantee on the gift voucher by raise.com.  I went to the the [redacted] website and it said: [redacted] Gift Cards don't have expiration dates or additional fees. Raise.com states they have a 100 day guarantee, but what that means is hidden in their website.  On the voucher itself, there is no statement that says there is a 100 date guarantee so how is one to know that such a thing exists and what it means.  Raise.com uses deceptive business practices.  
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Raise's 100 day protection policy is illegal.In 2009, Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which set consumer protections for gift cards based on many state laws. The law provides that gift cards cannot expire within five years from the date they were activated.Particularly, in Illinois where Raise's headquarter locates, per §505/2SS(c) The face value of a gift certificate issued on or after Jan. 1, 2008, may not be reduced in value and the holder of a gift certificate issued after Jan. 1, 2008, may not be penalized in any way for non-use or untimely redemption of the gift certificate.That being said, Raise is obligated to protect the card they sold in five years. Furthermore, Raise forces their customers to use the gift card in 100 days, otherwise penalizes the customers by cutting off the protection of the gift cards. Such action is neither responsible nor illegal.I insist on my initial request --- get my money back.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This customer's account has been credited $5 for the referral credit lost on her order [redacted] This credit along with her previous referral earnings will automatically apply to her next order. At this point, the customer has been refunded to her original payment source and the credit she has earned is ready to be used. Again, we apologize for the inconvenience she has experienced, but we are pleased to have met all of her requests.

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. I disagree completely with their account of the situation but realize that they will continue to stonewall no matter what. They also failed to mention their hefty 15% fee to re-list a card that they sold with misleading advertising, which is completely outrageous and only adds insult to injury. I expect the card to be immediately unlocked now that both this complaint and my dispute with my credit card have been closed. I will NEVER buy anything from Raise.com again and will discourage everyone I know from using them. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

After receiving and further reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] , we are, unfortunately, unable to offer the customer a different resolution, at this moment.
As mentioned previously, when a dispute is received on an order, the ability to complete a refund is taken out of the hands of Raise and placed solely into the hands of the credit card provider. Typically, this process may take up to an estimated 60 days, a time-frame determined by the banking system, for it to be resolved between the financial institutions. There should be an update in regards to this dispute by or before Sunday, February 5, 2017.
At this very moment, Raise is unable to apply the refund due to the dispute still showing through our payment processor.
We would like to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible for the customer. Therefore, once our system updates to see the end result of the dispute, we’d be happy to move forward from there. As previously stated, if their credit card processor does not resolve the dispute in their favor, Raise will be more than happy to provide the customer with their deserved refund.
Any further questions or follow-ups can be sent to [redacted] and we’d be happy to resolve the situation once the dispute has been cleared from both parties.

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number, it appears that the current resolution is warranted.On February 15, 2016 the customer purchased a [redacted] Subs gift card from Raise.com with a balance of $100.00 for a purchase price of $80.00. The...

customer then contacted Raise Member Services on June 13, 2016. At that time, the serving agent escalated the case to the Gift Card Support Team. This team addressed all orders outside of the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee to assess if we are able to offer any further assistance on the order. Regrettably, our Gift Card Support Team was unable to respond in a timely fashion and this inquiry was resolved and the customer was notified via email on July 25, 2016. The customer was not offered a refund as the request for review was brought to the attention of Raise outside of the Raise Guarantee. The Raise Guarantee is in place to protect the purchase price of all gift cards for the first 100 days from the purchase date. After that time, Raise is happy to look into the issue, but a refund or replacement card is only guaranteed for the first 100 days. The Raise Guarantee does abide by a strict time frame, so we encourage members to use the gift cards within the Raise Guarantee period so that if an issue does occur, we are able to fully cover the purchase. We understand that the customer waited an unacceptable time frame for a resolution, and we are actively working to minimize our response times for the Gift Card Support Team. Our sincerest apologies go out to the member for this inconvenience, and we would like to consider the issue resolved at this time.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:If I understand correctly, Raise feels that the 100 day policy should relieve them of any responsibility to their consumer.  So effectively, a product that does not have an expiration date is only good for 100 days if purchased through this site and should be advertised as such.  Where did the $481.76 go?Respectfully,
[redacted]

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order in question and offer a solution to the customer.On May 5, 2017, the customer purchased two [redacted] gift cards valued at $25.00 each for a final purchase price of $46.58.On May 6, 2017, the customer contacted Raise...

via live chat informing the supporting agent that these cards were coming up as “zero balance or invalid”. The member had also requested a refund via Raise.com’s self service tool via the customer’s order history. Due to this card coming from a trusted seller, the refund request would have to be sent to our Gift Card Support team for further review. The supporting agent informed the customer that this process will take anywhere from 7-10 business days.On May 19, 2017, our Member Services team reached back out to the customer with an update after hearing back from both our Gift Card Support Team and the brand. The brand had informed us that both of these cards were merged onto a 3rd party card on May 6, 2017, and then redeemed on May 8, 2017. The brand’s redemption restrictions state that only one gift card may be used on an online booking.In addition, our terms for this brand state that “Raise is not liable for the value of [redacted] cards once their funds have been consolidated and/or fully redeemed.” Because of the information that was provided directly from the brand, and these cards being sold directly to this buyer from a trusted seller, we are unable to provide a refund for successful redemption at this time.We encourage the customer to reach out to the brand directly for more information regarding these cards. We are unable to gather more information due to privacy concerns. At this time, we would like to consider the issue resolved as the brand has informed us that these cards were successfully redeemed after they were merged into one. If any other information is obtained by the customer, we would be happy to work with all parties to ensure this gets resolved if there was any miscommunication. Any follow up can be sent via email to [redacted]@raise.com and we’d be happy to review further.

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number, it appears that the current resolution is warranted.On June 16, 2016 the customer purchased a [redacted] Coffee eGift/voucher through the Raise marketplace with a balance of $97.69, for a purchase price of...

$92.06. The customer then contacted Raise Member Services on the same date and expressed to the serving agent that he was unable to add the gift card to his [redacted] account. At that time, the serving agent informed the customer that the gift card did, and still does hold the full $97.69 balance. The Delivery & Redemption information for the [redacted] Coffee gift card listing does state not to transfer the gift card balance to an already existing [redacted] Coffee account. This is a precautionary instruction as Raise can no longer look into gift card details and information once a card has been transferred to an existing [redacted] account.The Delivery and Redemption information is available before a purchase is made, on the gift card’s listing page. Every gift card listed on the marketplace does have specific Delivery and Redemption information available for customers to view before making a purchase. While we do ask customers not to add their [redacted] Coffee gift cards into their pre existing [redacted] account the cards can still be used directly through the Raise app or through the printed voucher from Raise. We do understand that this can be an inconvenience for some customers and this is why the Delivery Information is available for customers before, as well as after, they complete their purchase. In this particular case, the [redacted] Coffee gift card does still contain the full and valid balance of $97.69, and as the Raise Guarantee does not honor returns on gift cards with full active balances, we are unfortunately, unable to honor a refund for this gift card. As that is the case, the customer was also encouraged to resell the gift card on the Raise marketplace if he no longer wishes to keep the card, as a true return cannot be made.The customer has also opened a dispute with his banking institution against this order, and as that is the case, the resolution that the customer receives will be coming through his bank dependent upon their findings at the conclusion of the dispute.At this time we would like to consider the issue resolved, but if there is anything further we can do for the customer while the dispute is resolved, we would like the customer to feel free to reach out to us at [redacted]

After receiving Revdex.com complaint [redacted] we were able to review the Raise account and order in question, and provide a resolution to the customer.On December 14th, 2015, the customer, [redacted] submitted an order on the [redacted] version of the Raise mobile application.  This order was...

placed at 1:01 AM CST and was automatically completed less than a minute later, then delivered to the customer's Raise account.  This order was for a [redacted] eGift card with a value of $16.13.  The listed price of this card was $15.48, but with an additional $5 discount with a “Reward” applied.  The ending cost of $10.48 was charged to the customer’s [redacted] credit card.[redacted] contacted Raise Member Services via email on December 14th, claiming that she had purchased this gift card through the mobile application accidentally.  The customer was attempting to apply a promotional code, but had inadvertently submitted the order instead of applying the discount code first.The customer emailed once again on December 18th, frustrated with the time it was taking to receive a response from our team.  An agent responded to her request on December 22nd in hopes of resolving her issue.  [redacted] responded several hours later with the promotional code that she had failed to apply to her order.  Unfortunately, this promotional code never would have applied to the order in question, as it had recently expired.  The order also did not meet the minimum requirements, which was a $15 order total, for this expired promotional code.  We apologize for any technical issues the member had while using her [redacted] app to place this order, as well as the delay in response.  [redacted] was informed of other promotional codes that are still valid, but demanded a refund instead.  Regrettably, this situation would not warrant a refund under the Raise 100 Day Guarantee.  This 100% money-back guarantee protects customers that are unable to use a gift card because of specific issues with the gift card itself, and states that “Neglecting to apply a promotional code before a purchase” would not be covered.The customer was also informed that a Raise agent would gladly guide her through relisting the gift card on her account to recoup the amount spent, as well as profit from the $5 Reward that had applied to her order.  The fee for selling a gift card would have also been offset by adding credit to her Raise account for an order in the future.  The customer refused and continued to demand a refund.As a courtesy, Raise permitted the return of this [redacted] gift card and offer a full refund to the customer.  At this time, $10.48 was refunded to the member’s original payment source.  The $5 reward that had been applied to this order was also credited back to the customer’s Raise account to be used on an order in the future, should the customer choose to place another.  We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused, but overall we believe we have met this member’s needs.