Cashrewards Site Misled Me about Amazon Cashback, Is There Anything I Can Do about It?

LPKBeam on 04/01/2021 - 16:46
Last edited 05/01/2021 - 15:44

On December 27, I bought some headphones from Amazon.
Their product page clearly classifies it under the Musical Instruments category, which (at the time) was listed for 4% cashback on the Cashrewards site.

I made the purchase and shortly after, Cashrewards declined the cashback.

I sent an enquiry and the CS rep said to me (paraphrasing here) that, sorry, Amazon says it's actually Electronics so we can't help you.
I sent off a reply with a screenshot attached, pointing out that the Amazon site shows the category is obviously not Electronics. It has been 7 days without a reply.

The only Amazon category exclusion that I've seen listed on Cashreward's site is smartwatches.
The site says "Category product inclusions & exclusions are solely at the discretion of Amazon, not Cashrewards", but I would expect that Amazon's discretion should be reflected on their website. That is, if the headphones were actually Electronics, then Amazon's store page should not have said Musical Instruments.

I find this to be very misleading. Is there anything I can do to get my $25 back?

EDIT: I've messaged TA, who has been very helpful and assured me that they'd try and talk with Amazon about these confusing categories.
Thanks for the advice, everyone.

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Comments

  • bobbified on 04/01/2021 - 16:52
    +16

    Send it back to Amazon and get a refund.

  • skido on 04/01/2021 - 17:04
    +8

    pm @tightarse

    • bohn on 04/01/2021 - 17:53
      +3

      agreed. I find the CR responses sometimes miss the mark but tightarse is great to deal with.

  • DashCam AKA Rolts on 04/01/2021 - 18:52
    +6

    Headphones, musical instrument? Did I miss something?

    • avoidfullprice on 04/01/2021 - 18:53
      +8

      A flute is also a toy when used at a band camp.

    • rompastompa on 04/01/2021 - 19:39
      +4

      I ordered a frypan and a wooden spoon.. together, they're musical instruments!

    • perhaps on 04/01/2021 - 19:46
      -1

      OP doesn't check terms and conditions. Also OP complains when it tracked as Electronics.

    • PKBeam on 05/01/2021 - 04:48
      +1

      So Amazon's "Musical Instruments" category doesn't literally mean "everything in this category is used to create sound", it encompasses many other related products.
      A music stand is certainly not a conventional musical instrument (unless you really like experimenting with percussion), but it's nonetheless classed under this category because it's highly relevant. Likewise for microphones, cables, acoustic foam and digital tuners.

      (Take a look for yourself - most of the items you see in this category are not ones you would expect to see an orchestra playing.)

      So in this sense the DT 1990 Pro can certainly be considered to belong to the "Musical Instruments" category, being marketed by Beyerdynamic themselves for music/studio production and mixing/mastering recordings.

      • perhaps on 05/01/2021 - 09:28
        +1

        I can see where your coming from, yet Amazon still hasn't rectified the product page or category. I also find most of my Amazon cashbacks getting declined recently. But then again I see cashback as a bonus if it does work, and not a big deal if it doesn't.

  • Store Reptightarse @ Cashrewards on 04/01/2021 - 19:56
    +16

    Hi and thanks for the post. Firstly, please let me assure you we are not in the business of misleading or deceiving our members in any way. In fact, we have no idea what you purchase and whether Amazon will honour or decline any purchase you make. The whole process is automated by Amazon and our categories are set up exactly as they have requested. Maybe the seller categorised them incorrectly (see here), but they are certainly not meant to be 'musical instruments'. If anything, they fall under 'electronics' as per the description below. Personally I'd suggest cancelling if possible so you're not out of pocket, but more than happy to take this up with you directly if you care to PM me. Thank you.

    Electronics category description:

    Electronics includes (but not limited to) Bluetooth Speakers, Bluetooth Head & Earphones, Stereo Components, Speakers and Other Electronics. It excludes (but not limited to) TVs, PCs & Accessories, Printers, Projectors, Musical/Recording Equipment, Blu-ray Players, Game Consoles, Mobile Phones & Accessories, Soundbars (which may fall under different categories).

    Edit: Just fyi, we ran 12% cashback on all categories for two hours the day before your purchase and these would have been eligible then.

    • This Guy on 04/01/2021 - 20:51
      +2

      That is excellent customer service. But that edit might be rubbing a little salt.

      • Store Reptightarse @ Cashrewards on 04/01/2021 - 20:56
        +5

        Certainly not intended as such. Hopefully not misconstrued :)

        • PKBeam on 05/01/2021 - 04:50
          +1

          No offense taken - I saw the 12% off email as it was delivered to my inbox, but it was capped at $25 (which is less than 4% of $650), so I ignored it and instead decided to wait for the price on the headphones to drop.

          • This Guy on 06/01/2021 - 18:17

            @PKBeam: Are you the world's best customer? Buy stuff off me :p

        • Simoneee on 05/01/2021 - 09:31

          Are you going to have a Amazon cashback for computers section soon?

    • FlipCrank on 04/01/2021 - 21:14
      +1

      The fact that this can happen in the first place is idiotic. The process of doubling checking all these categories is already tedious enough.

  • Willco88 on 04/01/2021 - 21:17
    +1

    Omg obviously electronics

    • PKBeam on 05/01/2021 - 05:05
      +1

      Which is the first thing I would have said too, had Amazon’s website not clearly listed this product under Musical Instruments in several places.

      Would it be unreasonable to assume that there’s consistency between what Amazon shows you on their site and what counts for cashback?

  • Almost Banned on 04/01/2021 - 21:38
    +2

    Practically all of the cashbacks in my listing that are declined are Amazon.
    It is a massive PITA that some categories are eligible, some not, and it is not immediately clear whether any given purchase will or will not qualify.

    • avoidfullprice on 04/01/2021 - 23:00

      Agree. And that's for both CR and SB.

    • Quantumcat on 05/01/2021 - 08:54

      Yeah, this is why I never bother using cashback. Always end up disappointed.

  • sgltech on 05/01/2021 - 01:05
    +1

    I also find it very frustrating how difficult it is to check up on category cash back rates, both in CR and SB.

    The CR browser extension's headline of 'up to' rate might be technically correct, but 'up to' rates aren't useful most of the time.

    For example, if I'm on amazon.com.au and see something I might want to buy, I want the CR browser extension to make it much easier to get reliable cashback rate information specific to the thing I'm currently looking at. Currently, the CR browser extension simply boasts 'up to 7% cash back'. Unfortunately, not only is this information probably not relevant to what I'm considering buying, the CR browser extension doesn't help me get the accurate information either.

    I would like the CR chrome browser extension to:
    1) give me direct feedback on cashback rate for the item I'm looking at, or failing that,
    2) turn the 'up to rate' message into a hyperlink that takes me directly to the full list of rates, offers and coupons at https://www.cashrewards.com.au/amazon-australia. This would save me having to go find this page the hard way every time.

    Thanks @Tightarse.

  • PKBeam on 05/01/2021 - 15:47
    +2

    Update - I've messaged TA, who has been very helpful and assured me that they'd try and talk with Amazon about these confusing categories.
    Thanks for the advice, everyone.

    • knobbs on 06/01/2021 - 21:28
      +1

      Yeah we really need a way to definitely say what category items are in. Amazon categories aren't straight forward with the multiple ways/pages to view the items.

  • Yaeshia on 06/03/2021 - 23:58
    Merged from Cashback Eligibility Fail?

    How does Cashrewards and ShopBack determine item category on Amazon for cashback eligibility?

    I am very careful to do things right when it comes to cashbacks because the criteria is cluttered with so much confusion not even scientist with a PhD in cashbackology would be able to figure this out. So I decided I would play it safe by being extremely diligent with my purchases by buying items listed within the same category m-m-multiple times.

    Take this item for example: https://imgur.com/a/X1UEfGc

    It is listed as Electronics several times so I was sure these purchases would have been a guaranteed eligible cashback categorised as "Electronics" (4.0% cashback at the time).

    But I was shocked to find multiple cashbacks declined resulting in bonus cashbacks failing despite all my efforts to ensure I stay within the correct criteria. I had completely wasted my entire time (I am disappointed and ashamed at the amount of time I have invested in this).

    I contacted support, they claimed the items were classified as either "Home Improvement" or "Personal Computing". They also said I should be checking for eligibility before purchasing (wow, a little insulting to be honest).

    It's already very strenuous with the amount of precautions taken to ensure purchases get tracked but how do we overcome the next hurdle? How are we suppose to correctly identify item eligibility?

    • SF3 on 07/03/2021 - 00:13
      +8

      Boycott.

      General consensus on OzB is, only buy an item that is genuinely discounted, and not rely on a “cash back” to get a discount. Yes, this sucks and people here hate this… you are amongst many before you that have posted here upset about these same problems. Some people don’t seem to have issues, but many also do.

    • Hybroid on 07/03/2021 - 00:19

      Sounds like a lot of effort and stress for very little gain. Maybe move on and forget about cashback lottery.

    • spackbace on 07/03/2021 - 00:34

      What was the item, and what category is it listed in now?

      It's common for them to be in the wrong category, and if that happens then you won't get cashback. If common-sense dictates that you knew it was categorised wrong, then you wasted your time

      • Yaeshia on 07/03/2021 - 23:59

        HDMI cables were some of the declined items. I checked that it was listed as Electronics before purchasing (and I agree this is the appropriate category) however the cashback was rejected because they claimed it is categorised as Personal Computing but the cables are still listed under Electronics.

    • ihbh on 07/03/2021 - 08:37
      -1

      How does Cashrewards and ShopBack determine item category on Amazon for cashback eligibility?

      Amazon of course - they pay middle man who pay you.

      If you're not happy with this arrangement, set up your own affiliate business.

    • vikvance on 07/03/2021 - 11:15
      +1

      I always think of cashbacks as a 'nice bonus' rather than a 'reason to buy'.

      That is, I will only buy if the item looks reasonably priced, excluding the cashback. Then, if I get the cashback on top, then it's a nice additional bonus.

    • rompastompa on 07/03/2021 - 11:33
      +4

      This is regularly a forum topic. It's Amazon's categories that cause the issues, not the cash back sites as they have no visibility on Amazon's categories etc. As you've highlighted, Amazon have multiple categories and just because you're in an Electronics category, it doesn't mean you're in Amazon's Cash back affiliate Electronics category ;) It's possible that the stores puts the categories in and Amazon don't police it (until it's too late).

      tightarse mentioned here that:

      The whole process is automated by Amazon and our categories are set up exactly as they have requested. - Source

      and

      cashback categories can & will change without notice. - Source

      To me, I'm only buying if it's the cheapest available and cash backs are icing on the cake (and hopefully an all time low price reached due to it! ;))

      • Yaeshia on 08/03/2021 - 00:14

        Disheartening to see it is a regular forum topic and yet there are no solutions to this issue and no reliable way to identify item eligibility.

        • SimbaGirl on 14/05/2021 - 14:53

          Yes it is disheartening. I’ve just had a cashback declined (on a bonus cashback offer) for an Amazon product that I checked, double-checked and triple-checked was in a eligible category (Premium Beauty). I’ve logged an enquiry with CR, but after reading this thread, don’t hold out much hope. Amazon will probably insist it’s under general “Beauty” or something similar, even though the screenshot I took before placing my order shows Amazon list it under the Premium Beauty category.

          • SimbaGirl on 14/05/2021 - 18:06
            +1

            @SimbaGirl: Many thanks to TA - great service as always, he has sorted this all out for me :).

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