Last May I signed up for an account with RebatesMe.com due to a very lucrative referral offer. The requirements were simple: I had to get $10 in cash back via purchases within a year, and $45 bonus would be mine. Sounds simple, right? Well, I should have yielded at least $20 in cash back by now, which in turn would trigger the bonus.
However, out of three purchases, only one actually tracked. In fact, it’s pending as of now, so the jury is out whether I will be allowed to keep it. And of course, it’s less than $10. My very first purchase from Perfume.com did track initially, but then the $5 was clawed back. This is the message I received:
I have no clue what they are referring to, as I know I haven’t violated any rules. And of course, I’m now approaching the deadline of one year, and it looks like that $45 bonus will elude me after all. Not one to give up easily, I sent an inquiry to RebatesMe listing the shopping trips that didn’t track. To their credit, I got a response right away.
The rep wanted me to send her the email store receipts, which I did. She then told me that they don’t actually offer cash back on Perfume.com, only coupons. Hmm, how did I initially end up with $5 then? Not to mention, I specifically remember 8% cash back listed at the time of my purchase last May. Why else would I go through your ridiculous portal? Of course, I didn’t take the screenshot.
The rep did promise to look into my tire purchase from last year, but that was three weeks ago, and I still haven’t heard back. This whole experience has been an annoyance, but I intend to see it through. It’s a matter of principle. I also plan to tag RebatesMe Twitter account after this post goes live. Something tells me I’m not the only one who has had issues. If there is no favorable resolution, a complaint to BBB is next. No, I don’t plan to sue RebatesMe. I’m not that spiteful.
Somebody may say that I should have known that this is too good to be true. I mean, get $10 in cash back and collect $45 on top of it? Come on! Perhaps. But in that case, this company should not promise something they don’t intend to deliver. It’s sleazy. Plus, I could have used other portals for my purchases instead.
It’s true that other portals sometimes have similar issues as well, though normally I don’t have $45 on the line. Still, I don’t think companies should get away with this type of behavior, hence this post. I can tell you that some websites are definitely better than others. For example, I’ve had excellent success with Capital One shopping portal, though YMMV
For now, I recommend you avoid RebatesMe and don’t fall for their promos. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Don’t waste your time or energy.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
Hi Lena!
Payouts are processed within 60 days from purchase as we have to wait for merchant authorization. This waiting time is standard with any cash back site. Our customer service team emailed you to assist you with your questions. We understand that sometimes it gets very confusing. You can always reach out to us to help you navigate our terms. You can also find our terms here: https://www.rebatesme.com/cms/terms-conditions/
If you do not see your cash back by 4/16/23 please email us so we can manually add your funds for you.
Wishing you all the best,
Charity
@Charity Thanks for stopping by! Actually, just a few days ago, I got a notification from your company saying my cash back claim was denied. We did purchase almost $200 worth of tires through your portal, and I was told there is no record of it. So, obviously, something is off. It may not be intentional, but I’m very leery of sending any more business your way.
Ditto what Jon said.
@Justin That stinks.
My experience was different but I still arrive at “avoid” as you. I found their bonus was consistently inferior compared to other sites, (TopCash, Rakuten) but I used them anyway to get the eventual bonus payout. Was still trying but now have given up.
@DonzDover Congrats on actually cashing in on the elusive bonus! I feel like there is no point for me to even use the portal now, as the cash back will likely not post in time to get that $45. And they are refusing to credit what they owe. Oh well, you win some and you lose some, I guess.
Agreed. Rebatesme sucks. Never any issues with Rakuten.
Dealing with them is an annoyance, too. I just got an email response saying I didn’t send them the receipt they requested. Not true. What a ridiculous company.
They also will claw back your referral bonus (and new member’s bonus) if you refer a household member as it’s against their T&Cs… this happened to me recently.
@Jon Ouch! That sounds harsh. I’m sorry to hear it.
I haven’t done that, though it wouldn’t surprise me if the company claimed I did just to weasel out of paying the bonus.