"Bottom line: while I was disappointed that my REI $400 gift card has zero value, I could not have been more pleased with the professional courtesy and service I received OVER THE PHONE from Leonardo, a Raise representative. He took a few minutes to look into the issue and then told me that a credit would be issued to my credit card within a few days. And it was.
Leonardo was polite, friendly, and sympathetic. He answered my questions fairly, and sent me an email to let me know that the refund was being processed.
Tips:
1. Check the balance of gift cards/codes when you receive them, to avoid last-minute panic when shopping sales.
2. Call customer service if there is a problem, don't wait for emails.
3. Have your order number and certificate number available before you call.
A year ago I had one of my Barnes& Noble cards declined for zero value, and Raise handled it well. I am happy that their service has remained top-notch and will use them again, often. Thank you. "
"THE CUSTOMER SERVICE WILL NOT HELP YOU, THEY WILL LIE TO YOU. GIFT CARD DID NOT WORK. Now IM OUT $40.00."
"Last October I purchased over $2700 in Lowe's eGift Cards. After making my purchases I still had over $600 in eGifts left (the item I was purchasing went on sale after I finished purchasing my cards) and since the eGift cards are computer printed and have no expiration dates I thought I would use them on a project I was going to do this summer. Today I went to make a purchase using them and was told they were no longer valid. Called Lowe's and they said they had discontinued accepting the eGift card in Jan 2016 due to the large amount of fraud they had been experiencing, particularly with unauthorized resellers like Raise. I called (and then emailed) with Raise regarding this and they said (as others have pointed out) that it was beyond the 100 day limit and oh well, sorry.
My bigger concern is that since they have every bit of your personal information (including exactly what you have purchased, your contact info, etc) AND they list, on their site, the phone numbers for the customer/gift card balance checks for every company they sell cards of, they certainly could have informed the affected customers of this development and perhaps even offered to compensate the customers to some degree.
Yes, if you make a purchase through a third party there are risks, but Raise advertises that your purchase is basically risk free. I would have been happy to accept a partial reimbursement but the inability of their 'customer service' reps to do absolutely nothing other that repeat their 100 day policy demonstrates the lack of regard they have for their customers. Lesson learned! I will not be making any purchases from Raise in the future."
"They gave me an extra $5 off when I had a small issue. Great customer service!"
"Great customer service experience!
I contacted raise customer service because I did not receive a Giftcard that I had ordered. The representative was very responsive and followed up with me after resolving the issue."
"Sheila was able to answer all of my questions. She was very polite and easy to talk to."
"I've had multiple bad experiences with Raise. The first time they gave me a refund for my gift card because it didn't work, so I gave them an extra chance. This time I bought a gift card labeled as "delivered to your wallet" (meaning it gets sent to your phone for immediate use). I read ALL the fine print shown and then bought it. I go to use it 5 mins later and only THEN does it tell me that this gift card has to be printed out to use! I was clearly ticked - I had to go ahead and pay without my gift card - and then asked for a refund. They're claiming I "misunderstood" the use of the card so it's my fault and they won't give me my money back. No misunderstanding here! They did a bait and switch! Con artists. I have NO respect for this company and will never use them again!!!"
"I happened to purchase a $200 eGift certificate for the Olive Garden restaurant from Raise.com. Before attempting to use it I checked its balance and learned it was $0.00. I called the parent company Darden and learned the card had been cancelled by their corporate office ten days after it was issued because it was a fraudulent transaction. Because it was now over 100 days, they said there was nothing they could do. I protested and they said they would reimburse me $25 and that I could take $5.00 off a future purchase of $50.00 or more. I said they could keep their generous offer as I planned to spend my time sharing my experience with others. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!
Here's their response:
Maxwell (Raise Support)
May 6, 11:28
Hello Louis,
Thank you for contacting us in regards to your Olive Garden gift card in order R374372016. We received a request to look further into the Olive Garden gift card, but we regret to inform you that your order falls outside of our 100 Day Money-Back Guarantee. Due to the amount of time that has passed since the order was placed, we are unable to issue a refund or replacement card.
Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, and we would like to offer you a discount on your next purchase. Enter code 5ONRAISE for $5.00 off your next order over $50.00.
Our protection policy has been established to cover all gift cards for 100 days from their date of purchase, and as such, our members are encouraged to redeem the card within this time-frame. We appreciate your understanding in advance and welcome any questions you may have about our policies.
Sincerely,
Maxwell
Raise Member Services
****@****"
"Fawn explained the situation, said what Raise did (much more than the notification email did), and I left the call a very happy customer after Fawn's help!"
"I cannot say enough about the Raise support agent, Wren. She provided me with customer service that was not simply thorough and efficient, but also with such care. Wren truly made me feel as though my business is important to Raise. I felt as though she was truly invested in making sure that my stressful situation was completely handled. She was professional, patient and kept letting me know throughout the conversation that she wanted to make sure that this would taken care of. Wren is truly an asset to Raise and it's customers."
"After watching my mom save $$$ with cards from raise on a rug and a refrigerator, I tried raise out. I'd heard of it, but wasn't aware of the option for e-gift cards to use online immediately. This was a huge selling point for me.
It was simple to find and order gift cards. I hit a minor bump when my e-gift card number wasn't the right amount of digits for the store I was using it for, but email customer service replied quickly with the answer (i.e., combine the gift card number and the pin raise provided into one number on the store site).
Happily their response was quick (despite their automated response saying it would be 2-3 days!) and answer accurate. It was great to save 20% on the gift card to be able to stack it on top of the 30% store sale. Wow, I'm going to use raise a lot more!"
"Love saving money. Love Raise. Customer support is Excellent. Keep up the good work and I will be a customer for life!"
"I love shopping and raise has been the best friend whenever I shop. I can always find the gift card for the store I want to shop in. And numbers can't lie. I have saved $2000 in half a year! And their customer service solved every problem I had."
"I placed an order on Sunday evening for a $200 gift card that was 'processing' until Monday morning when I received an email from their customer service saying that the order was cancelled because they were unable to verify the funds on the gift card I ordered. That would be disappointing on it's own but it's unacceptable as they have FOUR other $200 gift cards from that same retailer they could have sent me but chose not to. Poor service. I wish I would have looked at ResellerRatings first and avoided them all together.
I would not use Raise again and will make sure to tell anyone looking for a gift card explicitly to NOT use them too."
"I ordered a $100 gift card. When I went to use it--130 days after getting it --it would not work. The card looked very normal and who would know it was empty. They assured me it was good when they mailed it, but cards do not empty themselves. They sent a bad card and would not stand behind it. There are numerous complaints just like mine as I notice. Unfortunately, I am a trusting person and thought things were as they should be in this business. I will never use them again and advise against anyone using them. If the card was good--it would still be good after 100 days!!"