Raise Marketplace Inc

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number, it appears that...

the current resolution is warranted, however, we are happy to provide the customer with a one time courtesy.
On June 2, 2016 the customer made a purchase for five Lowe’s gift cards with varying purchase prices and values, on Raise.com. During the verification process the customer was asked to call in and verify some information before the order could be processed. While orders should process quickly, all orders can take up to 24 hours to fully process into the customer’s Raise account. As this information in readily available on the Raise Return Policy, this information may not have been reiterated on the phone with the customer.
A few hours after the phone conversation with an agent in the Order Processing Team, the customer sent an email asking for the order to be canceled if it did not process by 3pm that day. Once an order has been placed, Raise is unable to cancel the purchase. It is true that all sales are final. As the agent the email was sent to was out of the office for the day, the customer’s reply was not seen until after the order had already been processed.
The customer had been planning a specific purchase, and we do understand that it has been an inconvenience waiting for the gift cards and receiving them after the fact when all of the information may not have been clearly expressed over the phone. We are happy to provide the customer with a one time refund for the already processed and valid order.
We would like to advise the customer that the refund will take place within the week and a confirmation email will be sent once the process has been completed. An initial email of the process start has been sent as of today June 21, 2016.
We would like to apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to better serving this customer in the future.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Raise.com offer " 1 year money back guarantee" is good for check a card invalid or inaccurate balance: I got e-gift card via email and shown no expired date---that's a not relevant.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number, it appears that...

the resolution offered to the customer by our Member Services Team, is the warranted resolution.
On November 9, 2015 and November 14, 2015 the customer placed orders for [redacted] gift cards. The customer then contacted Raise Member Services June 17, 2016, via email, to express that the gift cards were not accepted at the store. A response was sent by the serving agent explaining to the customer that we are, unfortunately, unable to offer a refund or replacement for these gift cards as they fall outside of the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee.
While we are unsure why [redacted] would have told the customer that all of the gift cards were stolen. We do know that [redacted] had a recent change in their gift card policy and will only accept physical gift cards and not the voucher version of the card. This was a change in policy made by [redacted] and not by Raise.
As the order falls so far outside of the Raise Guarantee, regrettably we are unable to offer the customer a refund or replacement for these gift cards. Had the issue been brought to Raise before the Raise Guarantee had lapsed for these order, we would have been able to offer further assistance.
We would like to sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and look forward to serving this 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.
It should be noted though that the card was not accepted by the merchant and Raise did acknolewdlge it was an old card which could have resulted in issues. I offered to send them proof I left a cash payment that day to cover the owing balance and other information. This was not a case of me changing my mind but a card they sold being refused by the merchant. It should not be noted as an exception to policy to refund but as a card that was not good being sold. I will still never use Raise again as I personally believe they attempted to commit fraud and are an unethical company in terms of leadership. Asking me to resell a card on the marketplace they know there is an issue on would be me taking a very small loss (in reseller fees) to then have another community member experience the same issue.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order in question. The customer placed an order on Raise.com for a [redacted] gift card with a value of $20.32 and purchase price of $18.02 on September 27, 2015. On March 3, 2016 the customer contacted Raise Member Services...

having redemption trouble with the gift card. It was resolved by Raise and the customer was notified via email on March 5, 2016 that a refund would not be provided because the guarantee period had since passed. All gift card purchases on the Raise Marketplace are covered 100% for the first 100 days after the date of purchase per the Raise 100 Day Guarantee. As this purchase was made on September 27, 2015 the 100 day period ended as of January 5, 2016. While we understand this is a frustrating situation, Raise is unable to provide further action on the customer’s order as the date of purchase now falls so far outside of the Raise 100 Day Guarantee period. The gift cards sold on the marketplace do not have any kind of expiration, but as the situation that occurred with the [redacted] gift card involved a status change on the side of [redacted] and this specific issue was brought to the attention of Raise by the customer outside of the guarantee period, while we would like to extend our sincerest apologies, Raise will be unable to provide a different resolution than initially offered.We would like to consider this issue resolved at this time and hope to serve this customer again in the future.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: They are enablers to a new form of business fraud. They enable individuals with criminal intent to seemingly legitimize their behavior. Their business model calls for them to make money off of these illegal transactions. Simply saying afterwards that we just "connect" people together in a marketplace is dishonest at a minimum and may be illegal. If this company really wanted to help the "marketplace" they would take physical ownership of the gift cards and age them so they are legitimate. I also bought another egift card earlier from Raise. Because the "seller" continued to hold the physical card they eventually used/stole the balance I had not used. In other words, I refunded the "seller" the cost of their gift card which they continued to use. All of this information is verifiable from the retailer I contacted. Raise also prominently displays the phrase on their egift cards something to the effect "VALUE NEVER EXPIRES". They should also have printed "VALUE MAY NOT EXIST OR MAY BE STOLEN".
Sincerely,
[redacted]

After again reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we are, unfortunately, unable to provide the customer with a different resolution.We apologize for the mistake in the original response, and do see that the purchase was made on February 18, 2016 and not on February 2 ,2016 and hope this did not cause any confusion. This does, however, not change the resolution.Our records indicate that this first contact made by the customer to Raise regarding trouble with these gift cards, was on June 3, 2016, at which time the customer spoke with an agent as well as a supervisor on the Member Services Team. They did relay, at that time, that the order could not be refunded and a replacement could not be offered, due to the time that had lapsed since the Raise Guarantee had passed for the order.We do understand that the customer had declined the Raise credit when it had been offered. It was placed into the account in the case that the customer would like to utilize it at any time.The Raise Guarantee is located on the Raise homepage main screen and, it is also on the bottom of the Raise Order Delivery Receipt right below the order total. There is also a full page devoted to the Raise Return Policy that can be accessed through the menu on the Raise homepage. We hope that this information has been helpful and again apologize for the inconvenience.

My experience is as a seller only.
I listed several gift cards after the holidays. Most sold within a couple days of being listed. The payments were releasable to my [redacted] account right away. Up til this point, I was pleased. Then Raise sent an e-mail demanding all sorts of info about the gift cards, including uploaded photos. I didn't have the cards with me and when I didn't respond immediately, they reversed payment for my gift cards. BIG RED FLAG. That they can and will take money out of my account after selling my cards is not professional or respectful at all. If they had asked for that information prior to listing, I would have been fine with providing it.
I responded with answers and expressed my displeasure. The money was not credited to my account. I requested again that they act honorably and pay. The response stated I needed to call. After ten minutes with customer service, a snarky and defensive agent told me I could request the money again. I had to ask her 4 times before she would give me a straight answer about why this had happened. She finally told me it's because I listed 5 cards at once and apparently at 5, they flag a seller. That could be a fantastic way to protect buyers if handed in a more appropriate manner.
Bottom line: sellers should not have to fight and invest all the communication time to get the promised payment. They've already made 12% for hosting the listing.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order in question and offer a solution to the member.On January 25, 2017, the customer purchased a [redacted] Pharmacy gift card valued at $156.56 with a purchase price of $139.71. The card purchased was a physical card meaning it...

would be delivered to the customer in 3-14 business days.The customer contacted Raise via phone call on February 3, 2017, stating that they had experienced troubles redeeming this card in store. The customer explained that the card could not be redeemed by the magnetic strip and when the cashier attempted to enter the card manually, the register froze. The supporting agent then proceeded to the check the balance of the card and confirmed that the gift card still had the full active balance.Because the gift card was showing and still holds the full balance, Raise is unable to refund at the initial point of contact. However, the supporting agent informed the customer that we would be sending a prepaid return shipping label via email to have that card sent back to us. Once that card was received back in our office, we would be more than happy to refund the customer for the full purchase price of the card.We suspect there may have been a potential issue at checkout with the register malfunctioning, and we understand this is an unfavorable experience. Because of this, we wanted to provide the customer a resolution in accordance with our 1 Year Money-Back Guarantee.Unfortunately, the customer submitted a dispute for the order through his credit provider on February 6, 2017. As a dispute has been issued on this order, the customer’s account has been placed on a hold until the dispute has been resolved, and while we are happy to offer the customer a refund for the purchase price once the card was received, we are unable to apply a refund due to the dispute.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. The customer is eligible for a refund but we will be unable to process one until the dispute has either been resolved by the customer’s bank or dropped by the customer. If the customer does not receive a refund from the bank at the time the dispute is resolved, we would be happy to complete a refund through Raise. Once the dispute is resolved or dropped, the customer is welcome to contact us at [redacted] and we would be happy to help have the issue resolved from our end.At this time, we would like to consider the issue resolved and look forward to better serving the customer again in the future.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: The reason I could not use the card that I purchased this time is because the last card I used there purchased from Raise was reported STOLEN. Because I was sold a stolen card, I'm barred from making purchases at the store for which I bought the card. Because of Raise selling me a stolen card, I'm being treated like the criminal when they are doing criminal things and getting away with it. I was automatically given the money for the card back in the form of a new card because I can no longer EVER purchase anything again BECAUSE OF RAISE. They are disgusting cheaters selling stolen cards and ruining the lives of those using them by pinning the blame for theft on their victims. They cannot get away with this. Now they're trying to PROFIT from victimizing me because I have no choice but to sell it at a loss if they don't refund my money.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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. However, please inquire as to when the funds will becomeavailable.  I'm hoping I don't have to wait to March 19th after all is said and done for the Finance Department to waive the fee and release my funds.Please advise.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

After receiving and reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and the corresponding order number, it appears that...

the current resolution is warranted.
On October 19, 2015 the customer placed two orders for [redacted] gift cards from Raise.com. The customer then contacted Raise on July 14, 2016 and expressed to the serving agent that the gift cards would no longer work at [redacted]. At that time, the buyer was notified by the serving agent that the orders fell outside of the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee, so no further action could be taken on the orders. The customer was offered a Raise Rewards credit of $10 and a promotional code as recompense for this issue.
The customer did also express to the serving agent that [redacted] suggested that Raise give a call directly to them to have the issue resolved. While we are happy to speak with [redacted], the member was asked to call in with [redacted] on the line as these gift cards are already processed into their account, thus making them the owner of the gift card.
As it stands, we are, unfortunately, unable to offer the customer a replacement or refund for the gift cards as it is so far outside of the Raise Guarantee at this point in time. At the time of the change, any and all physical gift cards that were available to send out as a replacement, were, and any issue that was brought to Raise attention while the Raise Guarantee was still active for the order, was resolved.
Raise is still more than happy to assist the customer in contact with [redacted]. As previously mentioned, we would just need the customer to contact Raise and have a conference call with all three parties on the line.
We want to apologize as this is an unfavorable situation to be in for the customer, and are available to take the next steps that they have asked with [redacted].

After receiving Revdex.com complaint 11015731, we were able to review the Raise account and order in question.The customer placed an order (R881450369) on December 14th, 2015 for two ebay eGift cards.  The card in question had a value of $500 for which the customer paid $493.25.  Raise...

Member Services was contacted via email and phone that same day after the customer had unfortunately encountered an issue placing an order on ebay.com with the aformentioned gift card.The agent that spoke with the customer informed him that he would receive a refund once our gift card support team was able to look further into the issue with the card, as it was showing a valid balance of $500.  Higher value cards require further investigation, and this was a situation that warranted that process in order to refund the customer.  This should typically require 3-5 business days to resolve.Regrettably, our support team was unable to provide a resolution within that timeframe.  The customer emailed for an update on December 21st and 22nd, but did not receive a prompt response.  We apologize that this was not dealt with within our typical time allotment, and are working to ensure resolutions within the time promised. The full purchase price of $493.25 was refunded to the member’s credit card on January 6th, 2016.  A complimentary credit of $10 was also added to the member’s Raise account for use towards a future order; should he choose to shop with Raise again.As our team indicated a resolution would be offered within 3-5 business days, we understand that it is unacceptable to not provide the customer with an update and/or refund for much longer than stated.  We sincerely apologize for the delay in resolution, as well as the initial trouble with the purchased gift card.  We would like to consider this issue resolved and hope that the customer finds a refund and complimentary credit a suitable settlement.

We were able to further review Revdex.com complaint number 11018641 filed by the customer in order to offer an explanation of our verification process.The customer placed on order [redacted]) at 12:18 PM CST on December 30th, 2015 for two Walmart electronic gift cards with an order total of $241.00....

 She was notified via email eight minutes later that in order to complete her order and have the gift cards electronically delivered to her account, our Processing Team would need her to call in for further verification.Shortly after, the customer phoned in and spoke to a processing agent.  As a standard procedure, the first-time customer was asked selected questions that are generated from public domain information.  This information is kept secure and is used strictly to verify the information of the customer, as well as protect the integrity of the Raise marketplace.As a member to member marketplace, the security of our users’ information is of utmost importance. For this reason, our verification process is used to ensure high value orders are indeed placed by the member. Raise will use commercially reasonable efforts to limit access to your personal information to employees, agents, and officers of Raise, and only provide what is required to perform their job duties.  When the customer was asked to confirm the last four digits of her social security number, the agent was not allowed access to her full number, only the last four. As stated by the Terms & Conditions: “Raise reserves the right, but has no obligation, to verify your information through whatever means it may deem reasonable.”We respect a customer’s decision to refuse completion of the verification process and wish to let the customer know that we sincerely apologize that we could not process her order.  At the customer’s request, her account has been closed. As previously stated, the verification process is used to protect the integrity of the member and the marketplace. We would be happy to serve this member in the future, as she is more than welcome to open a new account at any time.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] and reviewing the customer’s order and Raise account, we are happy to offer the customer a resolution. On May 3, 2016 the customer purchased a [redacted] gift card from Raise.com. Shortly after the order processed, the customer reached out...

to Raise Member Services and expressed that she had not meant to make the purchase. The Raise 100 Day Guarantee, unfortunately, does not cover buyer’s remorse or change of mind. We would like to extend a one time courtesy for the customer to have the gift card relisted onto the marketplace and then refunded once the gift card sells. The gift card must sell before the the refund is processed as we are a member to member marketplace, and the funds that came from the buyer’s purchase are subsequently paid out to the seller. If the gift card takes longer than the end of the week to sell, we will expedite that process for the customer. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause the customer and hope to serve her again in the future.

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.

In response to Revdex.com Complaint number [redacted], we were able to further review the Raise account and order in question. The customer placed her order...

([redacted] on 11/26. The order contained a $50 [redacted] gift card and after a promo code, the order total was $6.95. This order was processed automatically and delivered within 3 minutes. The customer did email our Member Services Team about returning her gift card. Regrettably, the customer did not receive a response in a timely manner. However, as stated on our website, our return policy does not cover buyer’s remorse or change of mind. This means we cannot refund or return a valid gift card once the order has been processed and the customer has been given access to the card’s information. This was explained to the customer in an email from a Member Services agent. The agent also offered a promo code for the inconvenience. If the customer no longer wants the card, we encourage them to sell it on the marketplace and we will gladly offset commission costs with Raise credit. A $10 credit has been added to the customer’s account and is available now for use. Because she used a $10 off promo code for this order originally, the customer would actually make a profit by reselling this gift card. We sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and the lack of communication after the initial support ticket was submitted. We are constantly working to grow our support staff to return our response times to a level we find appropriate.

After again reviewing Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] we are, unfortunately, unable to offer the customer a different resolution.
The Raise Guarantee covers gift cards that are not active, gift cards with an inaccurate balance, gift cards received as a different brand than ordered, and gift cards not received within 30 days from the purchase date. Unfortunately, the Raise Guarantee does not cover buyer’s remorse or change of mind.
As the customer reviewed the order and chose to submit it, Raise cannot offer a refund for the purchase. The gift cards do not fall under any of the four reasons refunds are offered under the Raise Guarantee. We understand that the customer did not intend to purchase the amount that he ended up submitting, but unfortunately, a list of the gift cards being purchased alongside their purchase prices and values, was presented to the customer twice during the checkout process. This being the case, and cancellation requests not being covered in the Raise Guarantee or Raise terms and conditions, we are unable to offer the options of cancellation or refund. We apologize for the inconvenience in this.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order in question.  This order,...

placed on October 11, 2015, included a [redacted] eGift card with a value of $200.  A total of $160 was charged to the customer’s credit card.
On January 10, 2016, the customer called Raise Member Services from the restaurant, stating that he is unable to redeem his gift card to pay his bill.  Although the $200 balance had been verified before being placed on the marketplace, the handling agent was able to confirm that there was an issue with the gift card’s balance at the time of the call.
The customer was told that this incident would be completely covered by the Raise 100 day 100% moneyback guarantee, and he was refunded the same day for his $160.00 purchase.
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer the customer the additional $40 requested.  As he had paid $160 for this $200 gift card, we cannot refund more than the purchase price.  We sincerely apologize for the confusion regarding the stated issue with this gift card.  While reviewing the details of the card, it initially appeared as though there was an activation issue. However, upon further review our Support team did determine that the card had been used elsewhere. Regardless, either issue would be covered by the 100 Day Guarantee of the purchase price.
As a member to member marketplace , Raise verifies all sellers, buyers, and gift cards to protect the integrity of the marketplace.  The customer is typically not the first person to have access to the gift card number purchased.  A verified seller, someone just like the customer, lists an unwanted gift card at a price of their choosing.  Any gift card may be listed only once on Raise to ensure successful redemption by the buyer.  We can assure the customer that the card was listed once and only sold in his order.  
Should any issue arise with a gift card, Raise steps in to protect the customer and offer a full refund of the purchase price.  Our Seller Support team is notified of any continued issues with a particular seller to take any necessary action.
We sincerely apologize for the trouble the customer experienced with his gift card.   Although we are not able to refund the additional amount requested by the customer, we were happy to offer a refund as well as a complimentary $5 credit to his account for the inconvenience. We would like to consider this issue resolved at this time and hope that the customer finds a refund and complimentary credit a suitable settlement.  We look forward to serving him again in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint number
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[redacted]  we were able to review the order in question.
On August 15, 2015 the customer purchased from Raise.com a [redacted] gift card with a value of $250.00 for a purchase price of $225.00 which was paid for by credit card.
Raise Member Services was contacted by the customer on January 5, 2016 and informed the serving agent that $16.07 from the gift card had been used by her and that the remaining balance of $233.93 had been compromised. At that time the order was already outside of the 100 Day Guarantee period so the order had to be escalated to the Gift Card Support Team for further review.
Regrettably, our Gift Card Support Team was unable to respond in a timely fashion and the customer called in again on February 12, 2016. During that phone conversation the customer was informed by the serving agent as well as a supervisor that because the order falls so far outside of the 100 Day Guarantee, Raise would be unable to provide a refund. The supervisor offered to continue to have it reviewed in the case that anything would change, and the customer was ultimately still given the same resolution that Raise would be unable to assist as the order is outside of the guarantee range.
During further review completed by the Gift Card Support Team it was again determined that no refund could be provided outside of the 100 Day Guarantee and the customer has been notified via email. We understand that this is an unacceptable time frame for a customer to wait for a resolution and we are actively working to minimize our response times for the Gift Card Support Team.
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.