Raise

You can get a little extra discount with Raise for a purchase you KNOW you will not return, but NEVER buy a card to give as a gift or to save for later. I have had too many situations where the seller continues to use the card and it is $0 when you get around to using it. Do you want your father to ask why you gave him a blank gift card for Father's day? Was your childhood that terrible!?! There is a 'guarantee' but it is a short window. A 5% extra savings is not worth the hassle of filing a ticket and proving you didn't use the card. I learned the hard way so you could learn the easy way.

I ordered Lowe's gift cards and the order was 9 separate cards. These were sent from 3 separate sellers, 2 of whom sent them right away. The third waited almost 10 days to ship which caused me to miss the chance to use the cards for the intended purchase. :/

Frustrated that no where on the Raise.com website, does it indicate that a Visa Debit card is not an acceptable form of payment. I called my bank and registered the card and spent a lengthy period of time with both the bank and raise representative trying to use the card only to learn that it is notable acceptable form of payment.

I purchased an Ebay card, which turned out to be bad. Raise was very quick to correct the problem when I get to speak with their reps. However, it takes several hours before even getting to a rep. The reps are polite and willing to help. Also, it takes almost a week for the fund to finally arrive my credit card account. Rep Patience was very good to follow up. I appreciate her attitude!

Logging into account is a menace! Conformation codes come hours after requested if you login in from a new computer, and then the codes say that they are expired! Calling customer services takes a lot of time and on-hold music is enough to drive you insane.

While we were very disappointed not to receive the KFC gift card we ordered due to the shipper not sending it, we were very pleased with Josiah's settling of the matter when I called Raise. Our refund was issued quickly with no hassle. It's good to have a go-to company to buy gift cards at discounted prices.

Buying from Raise (or any of these card resellers for that matter) is a huge gamble unless you use the card quickly.

I bought a couple of $50 Panera Bread egift cards and confirmed both were valid when they first arrived. First one worked fine but I didn't get to use the 2nd one until after the "100-day guarantee", only to find it had just 1cent left on it. The Panera Bread gift card site indicated that the card had been emptied (at the same location where it was originally created) 61 days after it was sold.

After several months of calls, Raise finally said "tough luck, not our problem" and blew me off. This despite the fact that the card was loaded (and subsequently unloaded) at an apparently non-retail Panera Bread location. This makes it likely that this card was sold by Panera Bread to Raise at a discount, and implies that Panera Bread cancelled the card for some reason (the only one that comes to mind is non-payment). Of course, Raise would not confirm/deny any of this other than to say that "things can go wrong and vendors do sometimes cancel cards" (like I said, no doubt for non-payment). At best this is a scam nicely packaged with a "100-day guarantee" that Raise marketers know most people will forget to use until it's too late.

So be aware that, when you buy a card from one of these resellers, you don't actually own it (ever).
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Update: Well, despite a categorical rejection of my request for a refund, one actually came through shortly after this review was posted. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not, but at least they did finally (after 4 months of calls) refund the original cost of the egift card.

So my advice remains the same (if you buy, verify the value then use it quickly), but it's only fair that my opinion of the business improves (from 1 to 3 stars)!

This is the 5th or 6th time I have had a card rejected when I when to use it, They refund your money for the card which is fine but the inconvenience is almost not worth it anymore. Why should the end user have to suffer because the card is no good. The seller should be held accountable

After being informed that I would be credited the amount remaining on a Lowe's card ($232.88), I was sent an email indicating a different amount would be refunded. When I asked the reason for the discrepancy, I received no response. The original amount was $295.25, but there was $232.88 remaining on the card per Lowe's.

Up until that time, I was pleased with the Raise follow-up to two digital cards that didn't work. Should I expect a response?

Purchased a $100 Legal Seafood EGift card for $75 & a $5 credit and then just today I received a email from them stating:

"Thank you for contacting Raise Member Services. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you, but rest assured, every purchase on Raise is backed by our Raise Guarantee.

I have issued a refund for the total amount of $80.00 for the Legal Sea Foods gift card(s) in order R*******. The refund will be credited to your original payment method within 1-3 business days."

Well, first of all I never contacted them so I'm confused as to why my order was cancelled.

Update: Today I received an email with an explanation of why I received the refund.

"We are reaching out to you today from Raise is regards to your recent SiteJabber review. We are so sorry that no information was included as to the reason that your order was canceled.

An issue was found with the potential redemption of the gift card after it had been purchased, so a refund was completed for the order. Your purchase was refunded to ensure that you did not lose out on your money and you were not put out at the restaurant.

The promotional code that you used toward the order has been returned to your Raise account and will automatically apply to the next order that you place.

We apologize again for the confusion and are happy to answer any questions you may have."

I guess it could have worse and I had tried to use the gift card which I was planning to do this weekend.

Nancy

I bought a lot of cards doing a home remodel, one card I received I paid 300.00 it had. 30cents on it, so apparently they don't check all of the cards. Then I placed a large order they put it on hold, made me send in a picture of my ID, this is after I've been doing a lot with them? Now my order is on hold and I need to order my cabinets and I have no certificates. Placed on hold for a total of 1.5 hours, if youre willing to go through the hassle sure you'll save money but it is a headache

Tried three times to contact the company to resolve an undelivered order. Two times via the '*******@raise.com' email address with never an answer over a period of several days. Third time I used the 'Help?" floating button and got the issue resolved the same day. In all fairness, once they realized I was having a problem the issue was resolve quickly. I would suggest better monitoring of their email 'support' service or add a search algorithm that looks for embedded order numbers that would automatically trigger a 'support ticket'. The difficulty in contacting the company is the reason for my average rating.

Waiting time is typically 45 minutes to 1.5 hour nowadays. Good selection of discounted gift cards though

Worked hard at trying to help me.

**EDIT** Despite what they told me on the phone, they issued a full refund for the amount I paid. A representative who followed up with me was great and seemed to reiterate their policies as found online, which would be buyer protection. Perhaps the representative I reached the first time was mistaken, but the inconsistency is a bit worrisome. They resolved my situation but not without significant time and effort on my part.

Bought two $25 gift cards to Smashburger and was able to confirm the balance upon arrival. Used them each once; went back a second time and the balance was $0 on each!

Raise will neither refund the amount I paid NOR the remaining balance (less than what I paid). They say they will process a refund on a percentage of the balance...

No protection for consumers if someone keeps the gift card information; therefore, I will NOT be using this company again. Haven't had any trouble with another company, I'll stick with them in the future.

Had to call customer service due to an issue with ecard. Wait time was very long, which is why I rated it a 3. The rep that helped me, Fiona, was excellent! She promptly fixed the problem, was very pleasant and made sure the code worked for me.

I had a question about a restaurant gift card that I was unable to use. I was disappointed because I only went to the restaurant because of the gift card. The waitress said it had been listed as lost and we couldn't use it. I contacted Raise following the visit and explained I bought a gift card that was void. I was told I missed the 100 day guarantee by three days. I said there was a disconnect between "never expires," which my order said and the guarantee. The first response explained I was out of the guarantee window but they would further review the situation. I was later sent a note that I would receive a refund (I bought a $50 gift certificate for a few bucks off). Had I not received a refund, I would not use the site again because a loss of $46 or $47 bucks would be a total waste as the whole idea is to save a few bucks here and there. My question of what does "not expire" mean was not answered until I sent another note asking for an explanation. So, would have expected a response without having to inquire again but ultumately got one. A strong note of caution, don't buy a gift card - even when it says it does not expire - unless you are going to use it within the 100 day guarantee window.

Bought several, 50% of them had problems. My guess is that people sell the cards to Raise but keep the gift card # and PIN for later usage. Once Raise buys the card and the seller receives the $$, they then use the stashed GC # and PIN to use the funds on the card they just sold. Buyer beware. When they work, its great. When they don't, its time and stress to get $$ back. Stay on top of balances and USE THEM QUICK!

I still don't know how my complaint will be resolved - you sold me a $200 gift certificate that the retailer says is invalid - and your representative said she had to refer it to customer service and didn't know what would happen. I'm afraid you made $200 off me for which I received nothing in return.

Over the years I have bought gift cards from Raise. Most of the times they work OK but numerous times they have stopped working. I have been able to get refund. The key is the 90 days guarantee for refund. People who want to buy gift cards from raise should only buy them if they are ready to use them and not buy them for later use. You loose out the money while trying to save some bucks.

When signing up, make sure you it is during normal business hours as they will have a series of questions for you to prove that you are yourself. Customer service is always helpful and friendly but when buying from this website, make sure you allow at least a 2 hour window for delivery of the giftcard(s). I have experienced delivery times from 12 mins-3 hours even when ordering the same card repeatedly. Although, your money will be taken from your bank immediately.

UPDATED: 10/15: Raise.com discovered an extra account opened by my spouse which was the reason ALL of the accounts were suspended. My problem is they could have just suspended one account, or at least contacted me for clarification before suspending every account with absolutely no notice. After leaving a phone message I was contacted later that day by a friendly rep who cleared up the matter, but it should never have been handled this way in the first place. I'm bumping them up one star because of the CSR.

After placing about our sixth order (for a $200 Kmart gift card) Raise.com suddenly suspended my account as well as my spouse's account (with no warning to either), despite having built up at least a two month order history with multiple orders having no ordering or payment issues, as well as initial phone verifications.

We have been attempting to call to clear this up but only run into very long hold times and eventually you are sent to voicemail with no answer.

Several things disturb me about this:

1) Nobody bothered to call or write to inquire if they had concerns about the account(s) and nobody failed any security questions;
2) Both accounts have placed several orders with no problems whatsoever, and Raise.com decided to suddenly suspend accounts after we both placed several valid orders?
3) You cannot reach them by phone to clear up any issues (perhaps they mass-suspended accounts and now everyone is trying to reach them).
4) You don't find out your account is suspended until you place an order.

I find this extremely unprofessional behavior and it has seriously damaged the relationship and trust we have with this company. I can certainly understand fraud protection measures, but after reading the reviews here, they seem to spending far too much time hassling their paying customers and not enough dealing with the numerous examples of fraudulent sellers peddling gift cards bought with stolen credit card numbers that buyers find have been closed by the merchant.

We do business with at least five competitors of Raise.com, and none of them have proven to be a nuisance like Raise.com.

RAISE a SCAM? Run Run Run! This company has to be the worse at customer service and satisfaction in the history of customer service. I ordered a Zales voucher for my wife's approaching birthday. I had to deal with the suspicious support team at RAISE. I received an email telling me that due to the expense of the order I had to go through verification. I was asked four personal questions about former addresses and such which I answered correctly including the last two digits of my social security (all sensitive information). Then the support tech asks me to send in photo ID. I thought this was kind of strange as I order online often and have never been prompted to do such a thing. She wanted me to attach a snapshot of my drivers license to the email which I did and send it back in to them. Which I did. After no response in an hours time and not receiving a call or email confirmation within that hours time, I called RAISE at the 1065ext. I was promptly disconnected three consecutive times. Very unusual I thought. My concerns were confirmed when I called the general support number gave them my order and the support tech once again put me on hold for close to a half an hour. When she came back she said she would need me to resubmit my photo ID. What kind of service is this? I cancelled my order. This has to be one of the worst customer service departments in the history of customer service. Raise seems more like a scam than anything else. I conclude that RAISE may have some great offers but based on my experience, it is definitely NOT a customer friendly entity.