ShopBack Won't Give Me My Cashback

Homr on 20/12/2021 - 21:35

G'day bargainers,

need some advice here.

I made a large purchase on groupon for $4704 with 15% shopback. Got screenshot and everything but shopback has denied my cashback. I have escalated it but shopback got back to me with the reason "the cashback was rejected by the merchant because it was not attributed to ShopBack"

15% from $4704 is a large amount for me to just forget and I wouldn't of made the purchase if it wasn't for the 15%. Is there anything I can do to claim my cashback? Shopback is claiming that groupon rejected it so there's nothing they can do on their end.

many thanks.

General Discussion

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Comments

  • ebemc on 22/12/2021 - 20:06

    Can someone MSPaint this problem so we can figure this out?

  • cooni on 22/12/2021 - 21:19
    +3

    Why would you go out of your way to defend ShopBack? Even if it's ultimately Groupon's fault, Groupon aren't the ones advertising you get a cashback.

    You used an intermediary whose entire business model is providing cashback offers to customers for going through them. This is entirely ShopBack's business. Obviously you have no personal ability to chase up with Groupon nor the affiliate networks.

    If ShopBack is having troubles squeezing money out of either their affiliate network or Groupon, they should be the ones taking a serious look at no longer doing business with them.

    You used ShopBack, going above and beyond documenting the sale, yet were denied by them. The buck stops with ShopBack as far as you're concerned.

    • May4th on 22/12/2021 - 22:55

      Exactly, it really doesn't matter whose fault it is, it is up to SB to ensure the cashback is paid if the terms are satisfied. And for those who think you 'get something for nothing' remember when something is 'free' YOU are the product

  • burningrage on 22/12/2021 - 22:06

    I am not sure whether it is statistically true that CR provides a better cashback experience (ie: less refusal than SB, less untracked purchases than SB, etc) but I would ask the question if this perception is true (that CR does a better a job), then why can't SB? Better process? Better software? Better accountability arrangement? Better sweeteners?

    Recall SB is global. I am not sure CR is even global so you would have thought SB has more clout and be able to kick out allegedly "crook" merchants but even I have to say, why don't they just do that.

    Personally I would agree that CR DOES provide a better tracking and overall experience but their overall payback holds me back from using them (if we set aside the data breach saga which was unfortunate)

  • DrScavenger on 23/12/2021 - 00:23
    +5

    I think you guys are doing gyb injustice. He is just here to help clear the picture and give information on how this process works. He cannot magically give hundreds of cashback. From what gyb says it looks like it's on Groupon. SB doesn't even have to personally reply here. Dont downvote the poor guy.

    • cooni on 23/12/2021 - 09:53

      Yes it's nice to hear what's going on behind the scenes but it still doesn't excuse ShopBack. I can't think of many other businesses where it's acceptable to let them off the hook for not giving what was promised.

      • DrScavenger on 23/12/2021 - 10:11

        Yea. They shouldn't allow Groupon to get away with this.

    • May4th on 23/12/2021 - 12:51
      +3

      It's nothing personal but SB need to get their act together. If he's posting as rep I thinl the negs are justified

      • DrScavenger on 23/12/2021 - 15:01

        Would you prefer sb being completely silent or nothing except useless corporate trash talk? I am glad gyb is explaining stuff here even if it's something people don't like.

        • May4th on 23/12/2021 - 15:09

          neither, all the explanation is great and all but doesn't help the OP with the missing cashbacks in any way. if gyb is representing SB as a rep the negs are a good reflection of what we think of SB's policies. i expect shopback to honour the terms and be accountable for missing cashbacks. it's no good to say 'oh well it's not our fault tough luck' when their whole business model is based cashbacks from the said retailers. if they pander to the retailers who decline legitimate cashbacks then expect to lose customers, as they already have with their less than stellar reputation here

  • lakers1222 on 23/12/2021 - 02:08
    +1

    I've been down the same road as OP before. Now i take screenshots on every page starting with Activating The Cashback through to Purchasing The Item. I had to show the shopback rep the screenshots last time because he argued I never activated the cashback. I eventually got my cashback but it was a headache.

    • MeesusEff on 23/12/2021 - 04:13
      +1

      Screenshots don't mean anything to them. I took a whole screen recording from start to finish and they didn't even bother looking at it, and just sent me multiple cut and paste rejection emails. I was like BRUH AM I EVEN SPEAKING TO A REAL PERSON. Bought it through their app as well, didn't even track.

  • bashar20 on 23/12/2021 - 06:53

    Simply don’t use ShopBack. They will use every copy and paste response to avoid paying your cashback. It’s like Russian roulette.

    Just stick to cashrewards.

  • imcold on 23/12/2021 - 08:17
    +1

    For any big purchases I recommend recording yourself installing the browser from an installer that way U have no tracking cookies, extensions/plugins.

    • bohn on 23/12/2021 - 09:50
      +2

      Groupon could still probably deny it..
      I just don't count on groupon working, they're very unreliable.
      I'm sick of these types of 'deals' - they should just provide a coupon that reduces the overall purchase price..

    • Davo1111 on 23/12/2021 - 10:01
      +4

      Irrispective, if the cash back company don't get paid, they aren't going to pass it onto you

      • 7ekn00 on 23/12/2021 - 13:42
        +2

        Which is a direct violation of ACCC guidelines of false advertising!

        • Davo1111 on 23/12/2021 - 16:23
          +1

          "false advertising" is the modern day "i want to speak to the manager"

          It appears you didnt read the terms and conditions of the agreement on the website.

          Additionally, if you notice, all the "advertising" has an asterisk, or say "up to"

          • Baysew on 24/12/2021 - 12:07

            @Davo1111: The modern day, when we can have "alternative facts".

  • star-ggg on 23/12/2021 - 12:39
    +4

    This thread tells me I should avoid Groupon not Shopback

    • May4th on 23/12/2021 - 13:08
      +9

      it tells you to avoid both..

  • zombrex on 23/12/2021 - 13:22
    +1

    Both cash rewards and shop back are rorters in my opinion.
    I have had both arbitrarily deny cashback without reason and funny enough it's always on large purchases.
    That's money they can keep for themselves. And there are no oversights so they can do what they like.
    There are more than enough people who have experienced the same here to back this up.
    Best is to avoid these companies for large purchases, they don't deserve our money.

    • Dabbler68 on 23/12/2021 - 15:07

      If the hit rate of approval vs declines is poor, then I agree with not feeding them. But that is not my experience.

      If you have a large purchase, and would make that purchase anyway, why not use a cashback system? Nothing to lose other than a few more clicks and being careful to comply with rules.

      • May4th on 23/12/2021 - 15:44
        +1

        nothing to lose apart from your personal information being leaked

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/568593

        • SpotTheOzzie on 25/12/2021 - 08:58

          And my phone has been ringing with scammers ever since.

      • zombrex on 23/12/2021 - 16:43
        +1

        Loss of dignity on relying on these companies to throw us plebs a coin.
        And it is not worth the mental stress either.
        You see it all the time with people very upset their cashback has not gone through.
        There is nothing worse than the feeling of unfairness.
        These companies have no respect for us at all.

    • Godric on 23/12/2021 - 19:26
      +3

      Yeah i'm done with both CR and SB, both don't honor their advertised deals even when you have an item tracked in their system it ends up kicked back no matter the abundance of evidence provided.

      I use them now but without expectation of getting anything back

  • r3volt on 23/12/2021 - 17:57
    +4

    Mods should ban their "deals" being advertised.

  • batrarobin on 23/12/2021 - 19:22
    +9

    Ok talking about Shopback, I have a referral credit of $30 that I was supposed to receive for referring my sister to Shopback. They rejected the claim saying their 'compliance team' have detected a self-referral and have invalidated it. I wrote back saying I can provide any proof they want to prove that it was not a self referral, it belongs to my sister and theirs is a separate household than ours etc etc. Shopback did not accept and just responded with their generic response pretty much saying they are unable to help.

    Now going by Rep's responses in above comments I can accept that if merchant refuses the claim Shopback have no say in it but in my scenario there was no merchant involved, wouldn't this be double standards?

  • Mysterious Laptop on 23/12/2021 - 19:34
    +2

    This is why I never use Shopback. I tried it once and had to wait 3months for my cashback (not an exaggeration)… I bought a couple shirts in March and had to wait until June.

    Why do people like these 'cashback' places?

    • EnALup on 24/12/2021 - 13:14

      Most dont. People purchase if the price is good and cashback is just icing on the cake. There are chances your cashback claim can be missed.

  • Sidog on 23/12/2021 - 20:12
    +1

    What a complete disgrace this shop back thing is! I've never trusted these systems and I never will now!

  • lainey13 on 23/12/2021 - 23:55
    +1

    Groupon should just be honest and state the cap or max allowed transaction if they are just going to reject all large transactions. Shopback should also be honest and state if all transactions above a certain amount are going to be rejected. I blame both!

    • EnALup on 24/12/2021 - 13:12
      +1

      I agree. Groupon shd explain which network cashback went.

  • lostn on 24/12/2021 - 00:40

    i never expect to be paid with them. To be fair, their partners may be to blame not them, but still, don't make the discount be the reason why you made the purchase.

    I expect to not get paid, and if I do get paid, it's a bonus.

    i got canned rejection emails from the Amazon flash sale on BF myself.

    Thank you for submitting a missing cashback claim.

    We have appealed this missing cashback claim with the merchant and found that the merchant has deemed ShopBack ineligible to earn commissions on this transaction which results in us being unable to pass the cashback along to you.

    ShopBack awards cashback on your transactions on the basis that the merchant attributes your order to ShopBack and pays us a commission, they are the deciding party on a sale being attributed to ShopBack.

    There are quite a few reasons why these orders may not be attributed to ShopBack. This includes:

    1. If a user clicks on a Honey, Cashrewards, or another chrome extension after clicking from ShopBack
    2. If other web pages (including search sites, social media, store sites, promotional/discount sites) or web browsers are opened after clicking through ShopBack
    3. Clicking through to another page from a banner, pop-up, or advertisement on the store’s webpage whilst shopping
    4. Antivirus/Cleanup or Adblocker applications block or disrupt cashback tracking (Tracking cookies are required to track transaction)
    5. When the order falls under the merchant’s exclusions, including the use of promo codes not listed on ShopBack.

    In the meantime, do let me know if there is anything I can do to help or share my best advice on earning cashback. I’d be here to support whenever you need it.

    Regards,
    Team ShopBack

  • STE on 24/12/2021 - 09:23
    +1

    typical behaviour by these people. hit and miss. smaller purchases approved, but larger purchases on same day to same retailer mysteriously rejected.
    my advice to you is keep emailing them and dont let up.

  • baskinghobo on 24/12/2021 - 10:27
    +3

    Part of me thinks that cashbacks are just a scheme used by big companies to promote sales but they will use every opportunity to avoid honoring them when it hurts their bottom line. They know it's a grey area and the ACCC won't do jack since it is seen as a "bonus" more than anything. The only way to combat these sorts of behaviours is to not use them in favour of instant discounts that you can actually cancel if something goes wrong.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 24/12/2021 - 11:49
    +1

    (profanity) Groupon and (profanity) ShopBack honestly. Both crap companies that should be avoided.

  • MrBillions on 24/12/2021 - 12:21
    +1

    ive given up on shopback years ago…. always some excuses or takes literally 6 months to get a few pennies ,
    cashrewards a bit better and more consistent

  • EnALup on 24/12/2021 - 13:10

    I use both SB and CR and rarely got any issues of tracking. I make sure I dont have both cashback pages open from CR or SB before I buy.
    I dont use any web tracking extensions or adblock along with VPN. I also dont add items in the cart before I click on the cashback sites and open retailer site nor I click it from google taken google tracks them too if you open the link of a retailer from their.

    Wondering for people when Cashback fails from either SB or CR, what else they have in their browser. Do they use VPN, any extension ( SB or CR, adblock or coupons)? If user used SB website to track, but had CR extension, what will happen?

    Now in this case, if SB tracked the sale and merchant is advising it was tracked under different network, OP has a right to know which network of cashback site was that else someone down the line is not telling the truth.

    • lostn on 24/12/2021 - 14:47

      no to all of the above

  • TKC1984 on 24/12/2021 - 14:38
    +1

    I also use both SB & CR, and have received about $1000 in cashback combined. I mainly go thru their app and generally don't have any issues with tracking or approval. The only time cashback was denied was when I brought a mobile phone with Banggood which I half expected. The one difference between the two that i have observed is their processing of withdrawals. SB is much quicker, typically i received funds after 36-48 hours, whereas CB take a minimum full week.

  • Uncle Roger on 24/12/2021 - 15:53
    -1

    Haiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

  • Homr on 24/12/2021 - 16:43
    +2

    Thank you for the comments and advice, I really appreciate it. I'm currently away from home spending Xmas with family, but will definitely fight this when I get back home.

    • Sidog on 24/12/2021 - 18:59

      Fight is all the way to the high court mate!

      These ShopBack cowboys need to be reeled in a bit.

      Need clear confirmation for the consumer to let them know what's going on before any transaction is made.

    • 42 on 24/12/2021 - 21:46

      Fight is all the way to the high court mate!

      Yeah, it's the vibe of it, it's the Constitution.

  • Javery on 24/12/2021 - 16:44

    Thanks to this thread, it reminded me to delete my Shopback account. Stopped using them after they pulled the same trick on OP but for a much lower cashback amount.

  • aerona on 24/12/2021 - 20:32
    +1

    If shopback were to give compensation to every customer, then any customer who didn't even try to get cash back can pretend the tracking didn't work after a sale.

    Although the system can be improved somehow but im not a techie but something like reassuring its being tracked or a partnered website neg system would be good to remove the bad merchants giving customers the cashback.

    Also, i would consider not buying anything that doesn't have return policy incase cashback doesn't track

  • Homr on 30/12/2021 - 15:24

    So I asked shopback to re-appeal my cashback 2 weeks ago and today i got this response.

    Hi Homr,

    Thanks for your patience.

    We looked into our partner's system and found the reason your claim was rejected is that your orders were not attributed to ShopBack. There are a few reasons this could happen, you may have clicked on banners in the merchant site or you have opened another affiliate link after clicking from ShopBack.

    Here is some other reason that causes your Cashback was rejected:

    1) Do not open other web pages (including search sites, social media, store sites, promotional/discount sites) or web browsers after clicking through ShopBack

    2) Do not click through to another page from a banner or advertisement on the store’s webpage whilst shopping

    3) Please disable Antivirus/cleanup or Adblocker application completely as it may remove tracking cookie or disrupt with the Cashback tracking (Tracking cookies are required to track transaction)

    4) Clear your shopping cart before you click through to ShopBack.

    5) Use an incognito window (This would prevent the storing of corrupted cookies)

    With this in mind, ShopBack will not receive any commission from the merchant for this order, which means we are not able to pay Cashback for this purchase.

    Your kind understanding in this matter is highly appreciated.

    Please let me know if you have anything to share. Have a good day.

    Regards,

    Shopback

    • lgacb08 on 31/12/2021 - 09:50
      +1

      Yeah, blaming the merchant is very convenient way to get your way out of paying. Ultimately you're at the mercy of both doing their honesty bits and if one pulls their trick then you lose. I sometimes got stung on both CR and SB but it's part of the game so know your chance, don't gamble on any cashback that's too big.

  • Homr on 30/12/2021 - 15:24
    -2

    What should or can I do next?

  • Homr on 23/01/2022 - 22:47

    Just an update for everyone

    Shopback has given me another generic response but this time they are offering $10 for goodwill

    Hi Homr,

    Thanks for your patience.

    As checked, we noticed that the merchant has tracked the order has been credited to another Groupon marketing channel. I understand that this is not the outcome we were hoping for. I’ve gone ahead and placed a $10 bonus into your account out of goodwill. You can see the amount credited into one transaction.

    Please let me know if you have any other queries as I will be more than happy to assist. Have a good day ahead :)
    Regards,

    Of course I'm not going to accept this because $10 is nothing compared to what I should be getting back.

    • bluesky on 23/03/2022 - 16:52

      As checked, we noticed that the merchant has tracked the order has been credited to another Groupon marketing channel

      Perhaps request info as to which Groupon marketing channel it was attributed to. That way, at least you can see if it is reasonable, plausible or simply hogwash (if you have nothing to do with the channel).

  • Homr on 23/01/2022 - 22:47

    I responded back and it seems I'm back at square one with a generic response.

    Hey Homr,

    Thanks for your prompt response.

    Rest assured, I will be re-escalating this matter and have our team check for this particular order. Hence, we would seek your kind patience on this.

    Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you in the meantime :)
    Regards,

  • Homr on 23/03/2022 - 10:56

    Hi All,

    just opening this thread again as now I need to escalate this matter since Shopback has closed my case. Can anyone guide on who I should notify to escalate this??

    thanks.

    • popsiee on 23/03/2022 - 11:02

      Don't you know by now . You should have taken your $10 and don't buy anything with cashbacks unless you are happy with the price getting 0 from them .
      You are just wasting your `^ing time now .

      • Homr on 23/03/2022 - 11:34

        My cashback should've been around $705, hard to ignore that.

        • popsiee on 23/03/2022 - 11:36

          I'm aware . Spend 7 times that on a legal team and you will still have only one winner the legal team .

  • gdozbargain on 21/05/2022 - 12:12
    +1

    I just had the same experience as @Homr here with Shopback @gotyourback. Booked accommodation with Booking.com for pure and simple reason that it was offering a good Shopback rebate. I would have used another site if not for this. Due to the size of the order total, a bit over $2k, I meticulously made sure all of the Shopback criteria was met, shut down the browser, turned of blockers, opened it all again, turned on the Shopback plugin green icon and then went through the whole order as expected. The clicks were registered on Shopback, I checked as soon as I was done. I watched at and nothing had changed after the initial period so I lodged an enquiry as soon as I could. It has sat there for a month and a half with no action until today in which Shopback has denied the claim. Something is surely going one here with the theme of larger value deals being denied, when clearly all the $0.20 and $1 work perfectly when I use them. I have previously had another mid size claim knocked back by Shopback saying 'the merchant has denied the claim' but then after contacting the merchant (someone I know and deal with often) he told me they had had no contact whatsoever with Shopback and said the claim was actually approved by them. Kindly he went in to bat for me and it was approved. For my current issue, all the ducks were lined up by me when doing the right thing by Shopback and Booking.com due to past experience. I am waiting for a reply to my appeal and will keep this thread updated.

    • Homr on 06/09/2023 - 15:46

      any updates?

      • gdozbargain on 12/09/2023 - 11:38

        I kept at them but to no avail. They never paid. I have had another similar experience since and it seems then it happens with 'larger' amount only. Smaller amounts track spectacularly well and are paid but the few times when a large amount ($50+) is owed they have never paid up. For this one, they blamed booking.com and vice versa and then they blamed me for doing something wrong.

        I no longer use them and stick with Cashrewards most of the time and I have not had any problems with them.

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