Raise Marketplace Inc

After receiving complaint number [redacted] we were able to review the order and offer a solution to the...

customer.
On December 11th, 2015 the customer placed an order on Raise.com for a [redacted] Cinemas eGift card.  This is an electronically delivered gift card with a value of $100.00, for which the customer paid $79.95.  The order was completed automatically and delivered to the customer’s Raise account immediately.  
The customer emailed Raise Member Services on December 19th, 2015 to request a refund for this card, as it can be used online only.  The customer was not aware that the gift card purchased would not be a physical card delivered via [redacted], nor could be printed to use at a theater location.  
She proceeded to send multiple emails, and eventually contacted us by calling in on January 3, 2016.  An agent explained our policy regarding returns, which does not cover “Misinterpretation of gift card delivery method or timing of delivery.”  This guarantee covers the purchase price of a gift card that is either not received or if an issue should arise that would prevent the card from being redeemed.  At this time, we cannot provide refunds for gift cards with a valid balance once delivered to a member’s account.  We would like to sincerely apologize for the delay in response time that we are actively working to bring to a more acceptable timeframe.  
The customer was contacted via email on January 8th, 2016 in order to prevent any confusion regarding online only gift cards in the future.  She was also offered assistance in relisting a gift card on Raise.com.  A credit to her account was also offered to offset the selling fee associated with reselling her card on the site.
While we appreciate the customer’s business, we are unfortunately unable to provide a refund for this [redacted] Cinemas gift card that she has already been given access to. The customer is welcome to respond to the most recent email sent in order to proceed with relisting her card and crediting her account.   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 guarantee and apologize for any inconvenience.

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 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.

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.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:As Raise insisted, I tried to set up the three-way meeting with Raise and [redacted] 20 minutes ago. I called Raise first and then add [redacted] in, but the [redacted] side needs us to hold. Then the Raise agent said he had to disconnect because he cannot wait for that long. He also suggested that I could call [redacted] first and then add Raise in. But the fact is, I called Raise yesterday, after waiting for about 18 minutes, I still couldn't get through, and then I gave up. I believe the [redacted] customer service won't want to wait for that long, either. Therefore it's almost impossible for me to bring both Raise and [redacted] at the same table.In addition, I cannot accept Raise's explanation that they didn't send me the notification because they were not notified about [redacted] Food's policy change. Because when I first called Raise and asked why I didn't get the notification, the agent told me they should already send me email about the policy change. Then I asked him to provide the proof of sending me notification. He said he cannot. The second agent told me that they won't send me the notification and it's my responsibility to use the gift cards within 100 days. (I already successfully used the gift cards within 100 days, and the [redacted] also changed the policy within my 100-day protection.) I think both the two agents already admitted that they knew the policy change. They just had different opinions that whether they should send or already sent me the notification.I hope Raise could contact [redacted] on behalf of me. And I am willing to give Raise the privilege to contact [redacted] as my representative. I cannot just accept the $10 credit Raise already put in my account (I didn't touch it and feel insecure to shop on Raise again). All I want is, Raise could contact [redacted] and have my gift cards reissued. And I am more than happy to give Raise the right to do that on behalf of me. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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.

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 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 Revdex.com complaint number [redacted], we were able to review the order and offer a different solution to the...

customer.
On October 28, 2015 the customer placed an order Raise for a [redacted] eGift card with a value of $200.00 and a purchase price of $149.60. The customer contacted Raise Member Services on June 6, 2016 and expressed that the gift card had not worked when placing an order. At that time, the serving agent informed the customer that the order fell outside of the 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee and no further action could be taken on the order. The customer was also offered a promotional code to use toward a future purchase at that time.
The Raise Guarantee is in place to protect the purchase price of all orders for the first 100 days from the date of purchase. After that time, we are happy to look into an order but are unable to guarantee a refund or replacement card in the same way we would within the first 100 days.
As a courtesy, we would like to offer the customer a refund of the full purchase price, $149.60. The refund will be processed back to the customer’s original payment source in 3-5 business days. This being a courtesy, we want to remind the customer that we may not be able to make the same kind of exception on a future order brought to our attention outside of the Raise Guarantee.
At this time we are happy to have been able to provide the customer with the requested resolution and look forward to serving them again in the future.

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]

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]

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 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.

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]

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.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: their is a lie.  Can they send proof that it was a valid card?  I have proof that it was never activated and therefore never has any value. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

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 contacted Raise Member Services via email on March 16, 2016 and received a response from a Member Services Agent on March 17, 2016. The inquiry was regarding an order placed on Raise.com for an [redacted] gift card valued at $50.00 purchased at a $47.70 price. A screenshot of the error message was provided on the initial email, however it was blurry so the serving agent asked the customer to send in another image of the error that was more clear.
As asked, the customer did provide the new screenshot of the error message. Regrettably, the Member Services Team was unable to respond in a timely manner. As of March 24, 2016 the customer was refunded the full $47.70 purchase price and notified via email.
We would like to sincerely apologize to the customer for the wait time on a resolution. At this time we would like to consider this issue resolved and hope to better serve this customer again in the future.

After receiving Revdex.com complaint
rgb(255, 255, 255);">[redacted] and reviewing the order in question, it seems that the desired resolution has been provided to the customer.
The customer purchased a [redacted] gift card from Raise.com on January 11, 2016 with a value of $172.68 and a purchase price of $153.69. Raise Member Services was contacted by the customer on February 27, 2016 to express that the gift card held a $0 balance, at which time the order was escalated to the Gift Card Support Team.
Regrettably, the Gift Card Support Team could not respond in a timely manner and the customer contacted Raise Member Serviced again on March 23, 2016. At that time, the serving agent requested that the customer return the gift card to the Raise office before the refund could be issued.
The gift card arrived in the office on April 3, 2016 and the refund for the gift card was completed in the amount of $153.69 on April 4, 2016. It may take up to 3 business days for the refund amount to be reflected on the customer’s original payment source.
We would like to sincerely apologize for the delay in the customer’s refund, and are overall glad that we were able to get this resolved. We look forward to serving this customer again in the future.

We were able to further review Revdex.com complaint number [redacted] filed by [redacted]s as well as the order in question. The orde[redacted] contained four Lucky Brand gift cards and the order total was $765.35. This order was placed on 12/8/15 at 3:49 p.m. CST and was immediately processed and delivered...

to his Raise account. [redacted] called our Member Services department on 12/9/15 and initially spoke to one of our agents. He explained that he no longer needed these gift cards because he had missed a sale at Lucky Brand. The agent explained that our return policy does not cover buyer’s remorse or misinterpretation of timing. Our 100 Day Guarantee clearly states a purchase will be refunded if an issue arises with the redemption of a gift card purchased from Raise. At this point, [redacted] asked to speak to a supervisor and was connected with [redacted], the Member Services supervisor on duty.. [redacted] reiterated our policy and explained that we would not be able to refund the $765.35 to [redacted] The necessary individuals have reviewed this phone call, and [redacted] acted fairly and within Raise policy. While we fully understand that [redacted] is a repeat customer and his business is very much appreciated, we are unable to refund him for completely valid gift cards that he has already been given access to. We will continue to ensure policy is appropriately communicated and all members are treated with the utmost respect. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

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.