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

  • horice on 20/12/2021 - 21:41
    +56

    Sounds like Groupon standard operating procedure !

    • dmbminaret on 21/12/2021 - 13:56
      +51

      And shopback's…

  • Dlw on 20/12/2021 - 21:42
    +39

    My advice, stick to CW

    • horice on 20/12/2021 - 21:44
      +19

      Funnily enough
      The only multiple failures i have had is with Cashrewards and Groupon

      • serpserpserp on 22/12/2021 - 19:17
        +8

        Sounds like Groupon is the common denominator here…

    • Stopback on 21/12/2021 - 07:28
      +1

      Tight arse us reAlly good

    • supersabroso on 21/12/2021 - 20:17
      +11

      Agreed, first time I tried shop back, bought about $100 worth of stuff. Cash back didn't register, I emailed them and they basically said haha sucked in bad luck. That was the end of that. Never went with them ever again.

    • plastererJazz on 22/12/2021 - 09:35
      +3

      True, less hassle with CW, too many rules and restrictions with Shopback, I got like $100 there and 80% is pending and there is even an expiry date on it.

    • drprox on 22/12/2021 - 14:00
      +1

      Yep I honestly only use Shopback now if I'm happy at full price. Cashrewards is life!

    • [Deactivated] on 22/12/2021 - 17:05
      +2

      what is CW??

      • nickj on 22/12/2021 - 17:16
        +7

        I am pretty sure they mean Cashrewards, although I thought that would logically be shortened to CR, I mean it's not like people call it CashreWards…

        • [Deactivated] on 22/12/2021 - 17:18
          +3

          That's what I thought as well, but there are others keep referencing to CW in this thread, so maybe it's another cashback service we are unaware of?

      • jonow83 on 22/12/2021 - 17:26
        +6

        chemist Warehouse :D

        • zathras on 22/12/2021 - 18:36
          +1

          My first thought for CW was Chemist Warehouse too :-)
          Great minds…

      • serpserpserp on 22/12/2021 - 19:18
        +1

        Coles Woolworths

  • jv on 20/12/2021 - 21:50
    +14

    I never buy from Groupon, so haven't come across this problem.

    Maybe you should do the same.

    • serpserpserp on 22/12/2021 - 19:19
      +5

      Well you haven't come across this problem, because you have never bought from Groupon.

  • SF3 on 20/12/2021 - 21:53
    +6

    OP’s user pic checks out.

  • CyberMurning on 20/12/2021 - 21:53
    -4

    Bikies

  • USER DC on 20/12/2021 - 21:55
    +4

    groupon for $4704 with 15% shopback

    That's the problem right there

    And you didn't even do a screen recording

    • Homr on 20/12/2021 - 21:56
      +5

      Doh

      I didn't know screen recording was a thing, I took a screenshot though

  • buckethat on 20/12/2021 - 22:01
    +3

    Ouch, dont think there's much you can do mate.

    If Groupon is refusing to play ball, then neither you nor ShopBack is getting any money.

    • Homr on 20/12/2021 - 22:06
      +8

      But That is so unfair, 15% of $4704 is a large amount for me just to forget.

      • buckethat on 20/12/2021 - 22:09
        +4

        Yeah I feel you mate, $705 is a big chunk of change.

        I just don't think there'll be much you can do about it as based on Groupon's response. It sounds like they're not paying ShopBack anything either, and I really doubt ShopBack will be fronting the money to keep you happy.

      • TilacVIP on 21/12/2021 - 08:00
        +4

        It's a case of Buyer Beware.

        I wouldn't commit to purchased based on a cashback promo, especially such a large amount as this. That's a nice $700 cash back, but this is what can happen unfortunately.

        It happened to me once on a small purchase [shopback/Aliexpress] and was told the seller rejected the claim, and that was the end of it, didn't worry too much for a few $$$$

  • nephilim on 20/12/2021 - 22:11
    -1

    Charge back? Tell your bank your meant to get a cash back and they refused.

    • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 00:09
      +9

      HAHA, Charge Back doesn't work like that

      There is no signs of unauthorized charge, nor any signs that groupon did not honor the Card holder the purchased item.

      Cashback from Shopback has nothing to do with the Bank's charge

      • truetypezk on 21/12/2021 - 18:52
        +9

        Chargeback reasons include goods or services not received/fully received. If a cashback is promised during the purchase and not fulfilled, that is absolutely a legitimate reason for a chargeback. However the thing with chargebacks is it is arbitrated first by the issuing bank and then (if contested) by the card network, which can be rather capricious. As the consumer it never hurts to give chargeback a try as it doesn't not cost you anything and will certainly give unscrupulous merchants some good headaches.

        • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 20:29
          +3

          Just saying there was no cashback promise at time of sale in the transaction that was done using bank card.

          The cashback promise was from ShopBack instead, aka has nothing to do with the merchant transaction.
          Cashback is usually paid by merchant to the cashback provider then passed onto the consumer not by merchant directly, and certainly not the transaction.

          How am i saying this because the receipt that the customer gets has no mention of cashback. Hence cashback is totally separate from original transaction.
          Hence
          You cant charge back something like this

          • truetypezk on 21/12/2021 - 22:10

            @USER DC: If what GYB said was true regarding the merchant being the one responsible for deciding whether to grant the cashback, I would say chargeback is reasonable. However, none of these actually matter as it is basically up to your bank to decide whether your chargeback is successful. Merchants rarely contest an issuing bank's decision and take it to the card network arbitration due to the high arbitration cost should they lose.

            • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 23:01
              +2

              @truetypezk: Merchant is not directly responsible for cashback. Merchant is indirectly responsible for cashback. This responsibility has absolutely nothing to with the contract agreement of sale of a item/service from Groupon for $4704 (which is what was sold, and should be on the receipt)

      • meowsers on 22/12/2021 - 08:44
        +3

        Amex does. Literally never had a chargeback declined.

        For this one you'll have to be very particular with how you word your issues. In any case it's worth a try, wastes the merchants' time whic is always a plus.

        • ChillBro on 22/12/2021 - 19:54

          Out of curiosity, have you ever tried to chargeback an eBay order via Amex? I was told by Amex to piss off which led to me cancelling it.

          • meowsers on 22/12/2021 - 22:26
            +2

            @ChillBro: Yeah when an order never arrived and ebay's buyer protection thing was "pending review" for weeks. Amex didn't care and took care of it.

            I think you have to be very specific in how you word things using keywords like "not as described" "did not arrive" etc.

            • ChillBro on 22/12/2021 - 22:34

              @meowsers: Jeez, you must be a black card holder or something! There was a scam posted on OzBargain a few months ago for a Boost Mobile sim and Amex wouldn't lift a single finger for me.

    • pulpfiction on 22/12/2021 - 13:45
      +1

      Most people saying you can't do this are just unable to articulate why the merchant failed on the agreement. You simply tell your institution you purchased on the basis that the third party they advertise with provisions a cash back as part of a purchase.

      You'll want to state you followed the guidelines (hopefully with some proof, even if the click through registered should be enough), however the merchant declined the cashback without evidence or cause. You'd therefore like a partial refund.

      This is overkill, but it'll get you the difference back. Anyone who says this is not possible is best to live in the little bubble and avoid this facility. The fewer people doing this the better. Enjoy your cashback!

  • screensaver on 20/12/2021 - 22:13

    what sort of item was it? Maybe you can return it for a refund stating you only bought because of promised cashback

    • Homr on 20/12/2021 - 22:17

      Already claimed the product and using it

      • SF3 on 20/12/2021 - 22:22
        +2

        Do'h!

      • FLICKIT on 20/12/2021 - 22:37
        +14

        It sounds like false advertising so maybe a complaint to the ACCC…

        • Store Repgotyourback @ ShopBack AU on 20/12/2021 - 23:33
          -47

          Please refer to this comment.

          • FLICKIT on 20/12/2021 - 23:36
            +48

            @gotyourback: That makes no difference… you're advertising the cashback and you're not supplying it…

            If Groupon are not playing by the rules why are you partnered with them????, You're as guilty as they are…

            • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 00:12
              +1

              @FLICKIT: They probably would have had done that but at that large amount i dont think anyone would do that. Neither the case I'd still say OP didn't do enough from his end, like screen recording etc. Groupon is bichy as usually, can't do much about that other than not using groupon at all.
              That kinda cashback is like average teen's fortnightly pay, or like an adult's weekly pay

            • Store Repgotyourback @ ShopBack AU on 21/12/2021 - 00:14
              +5

              @FLICKIT: Nobody said Groupon isn't playing by the rules.
              The order wasn't attributed to ShopBack.

              If the customer clicked through Cashrewards/Honey/Edge Shopping/Coupon Sites/Price Comparison Sites or any other Loyalty/Rewards site before/during the transaction, the sale is likely to be attributed to them.
              Just because you click our ShopBack button right before checkout, it doesn't mean we'll get paid.
              The tracking links/cookies embedded in your browser prior to clicking our extension may be attributed the sale over ours.

              We have no way of knowing what you've done, we only have visibility of your clicks from our Site/App.
              Hence why it's 100% up to the discretion of the merchant who has full visibility of this attribution data.

              • morse on 21/12/2021 - 03:20
                +45

                @gotyourback: Given that it seems in this case OPs purchase was attributed to ShopBack, maybe ShopBack and Groupon can reconsider their position. Your replies make both brands look dishonest, it’s definitely put me off.

                • pharkurnell on 22/12/2021 - 13:57
                  +3

                  @morse: I've never heard a good story about any of these "cashback" shit systems… No intention of ever bothering or trying to get anus probed by them.

                  • serpserpserp on 22/12/2021 - 19:21

                    @pharkurnell: You should because you get a fair bit of money back over the long run for essentially doing squat.

                    I never buy because of cashback offers, but if I am going to buy something I always click through and hope for the best.

              • Drakesy on 21/12/2021 - 13:04
                +1

                @gotyourback: So the OP has provided the evidence that the sale has gone through and Shopback is pointing fingers at groupon when it's obviously been a failure on Shopback's side of things?

                If you advertise the offer, the user provides evidence that they've complied with the offer and you still deny them, then i'm sorry but that's not a good look.
                Either don't advertise that you provide 15% cashback with Groupon or give the OP his money.

                  • ESEMCE on 21/12/2021 - 15:41
                    +15

                    @gotyourback:

                    Whenever there is a Cashback error on our end, we've always corrected it and will continue to do so.

                    Ha!
                    Tell us another one!

                  • DonWilson on 21/12/2021 - 19:23
                    +15

                    @gotyourback: Are you seriously saying the Shopback add on is pretty much useless and there's really no practical way to be sure a sale will be attributed to Shopback?

                    I guess maybe have a virtual machine that you only ever use for this. And of course if you reject it with the same explanation there's still no recourse. Neat.

                    • ensanguined on 22/12/2021 - 15:43
                      +1

                      @DonWilson: So true. Isn't the whole point of these cashback schemes for the business to reward the cashback provider with funds for helping to source the client/advertise their products, and the cashback provider then passes a percentage of that to the client? If Groupon is shown proof via the screenshot that the client used Shopback to facilitate the purchase then they should be bloody paying up. I bet the other advertiser is not receiving any commission, so there is no double-up.

                  • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 23:04
                    +3

                    @gotyourback: Clear indication just a simple screen recording should have been able to disprove this mentioned statement.
                    Can't stress enough on screen recordings
                    its so easy on windows (Windows Key + G (xbox game bar)), and android (built in screen recorder)

                    • connorlo on 22/12/2021 - 11:07
                      +1

                      @USER DC: @User DC, thank you for the recording tip ;)

          • cashless on 22/12/2021 - 09:37
            +2

            @gotyourback: One thing we can say with certainty about Shopback.
            They have not got your back

      • gr70 on 21/12/2021 - 08:11

        Out of interest, did you “clicked through Cashrewards/Honey/Edge Shopping/Coupon Sites/Price Comparison Sites or any other Loyalty/Rewards site before/during the transaction” (see below)?

        • Homr on 21/12/2021 - 09:44
          +15

          No I didn't

          I went to groupon directly from the shopback website and also click "activate" on shopback extension to double ensure.

          I have a screenshot showing ""Hurray, your shopback purchase has been recorded"

          • drfuzzy on 21/12/2021 - 11:49

            @Homr: Do you have any other shopping extensions installed in your browser? If so, there's your culprit.

            • knitwear on 21/12/2021 - 14:04
              +2

              @drfuzzy: Adblock and Pi-hole will interfere with the "attribution" as well.

              • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 23:07
                +3

                @knitwear: If they were to interfere, then the transaction would not even had been tracked to begin with

                It seems in this case, that transaction was tracked but not approved.

                So I'd suggest that is not the case here.

            • EnALup on 24/12/2021 - 13:02

              @drfuzzy: I dont see OP answered that question. Wondering if they had anything other extensions or sites they normally refer to.
              In the past if you had ebay item already sitting in the cart, it wont get tracked even you close everything and open ebay from SB or CR.

  • raptormesh on 20/12/2021 - 22:18
    -1

    Was it uncapped? Nothing you could do really if the merchant rejects it.

    • Homr on 20/12/2021 - 22:37

      Uncapped??

      • bmerigan on 20/12/2021 - 23:25

        Uncapped meaning no maximum for cashback

        • Homr on 20/12/2021 - 23:28

          Yes uncapped

    • bmerigan on 20/12/2021 - 23:24

      Good point.

  • Youfah Mizzum on 20/12/2021 - 22:37
    +21

    I experienced the same with Shopback so i don't use them any more. In my case, I made an accommodation booking via one of the major booking portals, (Wotif, Booking.com, Expedia etc ….can't recall now which one it was). I think the deal was around the same, roughly 15%. Spend a few thou on the booking so hoping for decent coin back via ShopBack.
    Waited for the confirmation email but it never came.
    Contacted Shopback to see whatsup.

    Couple of weeks later I got a similar response "the cashback was rejected by the merchant blah blah blah".
    I was pretty pissed off - still am and it was several months ago.

    So, what can I do? Not much except deny them my patronage.

    I now use Cashrewards. Don't think Cashrewards have ever denied me a claim.

      • Slippery Fish on 21/12/2021 - 07:56
        +12

        Did you fix it just then? No point being apologetic if you could fix it instead

      • [Deactivated] on 21/12/2021 - 07:59
        +17

        Either customer (profanity) up tracking/Lux Escape has tracking issues.

        Lux Escapes not responding within the 45-day timeframe we give them.

        Maybe you should hold Lux Escapes to more accountability. If you rejected it because Lux Escapes didn't respond wouldn't that be Lux Escapes fault?

        • ihbh on 21/12/2021 - 08:14

          wouldn't that be Lux Escapes fault?

          Yes, Lux Escape's fault, who doesn't pay SB, who doesn't pay OP.

          Maybe you should hold Lux Escapes to more accountability

          Like ditch them? What other way is there?

        • Youfah Mizzum on 21/12/2021 - 09:00
          +2

          Either customer (profanity) up tracking

          Nope. Def didn't stuff up tracking.

          I know because I was planning all along to use Shopback for this transaction so made doubly sure to check all the requisite software requirements. i.e. clickthrough from Shopback site, ad blockers disabled, cookie saving and all the other requirements to ensure a successful transaction.

          I really think it was declined because it wasn't just a few small dollars. It would've been a decent whack of coin.

          • [Deactivated] on 21/12/2021 - 09:10
            +6

            @Youfah Mizzum: Yup.

            Lux Escape's a bitch.

            Shopback rejecting your cashback since Lux Escape didn't respond within 45 days is a lame loophole for Lux Escape to exploit and not pay cash back.

            Bad response from SB as it should be their duty to follow up/make sure they respond. But unfortunately Lux Escape is just being shit here.

            • weezlebub on 21/12/2021 - 10:44
              +2

              @[Deactivated]: yeah, maybe SB could work with their vendors & instead of an opt-in model, make it an opt-out (auto deduction, unless they flag it as an error) … difficult to get vendors on board for that though

      • Youfah Mizzum on 21/12/2021 - 08:55
        +4

        Well actually gotyourback, you tried to assist personally by investigating further.
        There was some back-end goings on between Shopback and Lux Escapes (thx for reminding me who it was - you must've remembered from when it happened) and Lux Escapes as I understood got back to Shopback with their response.
        I never knew anything about any 45 day time frame.

        Anyway, it's happened now & left a sour taste. I do appreciate your response and the action taken but it amounts to nought if the merchant can't honour the deal.

    • USER DC on 21/12/2021 - 00:15

      CR also dont exclude certain users from OzBargain perks promos (which are meant to open to everyone on this site), they certain target a lot less people though however.

    • neonlight on 25/12/2021 - 09:02

      Agree I always skip all the shopback deals and I closed my account. That company also mishandled your details. My recommendation is not to use them. Don't get fooled by their cashback

  • BeamMeUp on 20/12/2021 - 22:44
    +4

    Don’t let it go badger and harass them about it. After that if no joy tell them you are lodging a complaint with the ACCC and do it. Yes the ACCC won’t do anything but it will make you feel better.
    These companies stink when it comes to decent cash back amounts, it always seems they have this get out of jail nothing response to claim rejection.

    • pharkurnell on 22/12/2021 - 15:20

      Yes the ACCC won’t do anything but it will make you feel better.

      WTF?

  • DASHCAM NOW DUDE on 20/12/2021 - 22:46
    +17

    I never buy anything when the only discount is a cashback. It's got to be at least a price reduction. Cashbacks are cherry on top.

    • Quantumcat on 20/12/2021 - 23:03
      +4

      Me too. Too many disappointments. It is like gambling…. The bigger the payout the less likely you'll receive it. Always some excuse.

    • Stopback on 21/12/2021 - 07:30

      Def use the browser add on.

      So many products don't apply for cash back you never know

    • nickj on 22/12/2021 - 17:24
      +1

      I think exactly this when I see a mobile telco doing $30 starter packs with $30 cashback (or similar). I just ignore those, I would MUCH rather they charged $1 with no cashback, that way I know for sure I am going to get a discount.

  • garetz on 20/12/2021 - 22:59
    +1

    Don't let cashback keep the money, charge it back.

      • bobbified on 20/12/2021 - 23:41
        +73

        Username: gotyourback

        …. please take it up with the ACCC(accc.gov.au).

        False advertising right there - you ain't got our backs! 😋

        • danlovescomps on 20/12/2021 - 23:42
          +1

          Curious what you're expecting though? The issue isn't with this company.

          • FLICKIT on 20/12/2021 - 23:46
            +13

            @danlovescomps: They're not supplying what they're advertising, how is that not an issue with them?…

          • bobbified on 20/12/2021 - 23:49
            +13

            @danlovescomps:

            Curious what you're expecting though?

            I'm not expecting anything because I don't use this stuff.

            However, I would expect that the company (SB) would at least have some sort of process to be able to look at individual claims instead of just palming off a customer back to the retailer because "everything is automatic" and so "it must be correct".

            They really shouldn't, but some people do make their purchase decisions based on the cashback amount (like OP has) and SB are making money from this. They're not doing what they do for free!

            • Store Repgotyourback @ ShopBack AU on 21/12/2021 - 00:04

              @bobbified: Firstly, fair play on the first comment lol.

              With regards to your comment about a process, I can confirm we have one.
              If Cashback is incorrect/fails to track, we ask them to submit a Missing Cashback Claim.

              Once this is done, we will pass on the information to the Affiliate Network in charge of the brand's advertising.
              This is done through a TQ (Transaction Query).
              The Affiliate Network / Brand will investigate the order and come back to us with a response.

              If they reject it, we have 0 say in the matter.
              We don't have data on where sales are attributed to outside of ShopBack.

              Hence why I was saying that if you are 100% confident that nothing was done wrong, feel free to take it up with the ACCC.
              We don't have a leg to stand on if they reject the claim.

              • Hoofee on 21/12/2021 - 09:07
                +3

                @gotyourback: If the Affiliate Network / Brand rejects the order, do they have to provide a reason and include details? E.g. "It was not affiliated with SB, it was affiliated with Cashrewards" or "there was no affiliation" etc.

                It would be helpful and build trust if there was a way to show who is affiliated before completing the purchase. Although, I guess this could be quite difficult because each Affiliate network / Brand would need to have the ability in their website. Maybe something like being able to enter a coupon code to mark the affiliation would be a better solution, most companies have the ability to enter coupon codes. No mistaking it that way.

                • Store Repgotyourback @ ShopBack AU on 21/12/2021 - 09:16
                  +1

                  @Hoofee: They do provide a reason, but they're very generic.
                  If the sale was attributed to another marketing channel, they never specify which one it is.
                  We've asked for this to be changed so we can provide full transparency to our customers but from what I understand, the request was denied.

                  We've considered tracking through coupon codes but there are a few reasons why we opted against it.
                  One of the main ones being that websites typically don't allow coupon stacking.
                  This becomes an issue when customers want to use a promo code for a discount offered by the store, it can't be added to the order if a ShopBack code is applied for tracking.

                  • weezlebub on 21/12/2021 - 10:50
                    +14

                    @gotyourback: it's an interesting model …

                    basically,:
                    - vendor opts into shop back, reducing their profit margin in the hopes of getting more sales (cash back instead of direct discount)
                    - SB manage the discount / cash back function as a middle person with a commission
                    - customer makes a purchase

                    problem is, SB needs to be nice to the vendor, otherwise the vendors won't want to work with them and if vendors drop off, less vendors will get on board … the middle person with all of the headaches with zero control or push back if the vendor doesn't want to play fair …

                    if the vendor doesn't pay, the consumer goes to ACCC, the vendor claims to sell a product and that SB is responsible for the cash back, ACCC goes to SB who advise they never received the commission and it bounces back and forth, over and over again …

                    I don't envy your job GYB

                  • trapper on 21/12/2021 - 12:49
                    +4

                    @gotyourback: Do you keep stats on which companies reject which claims and of what value etc?

                    It should be possible to determine statically if anything suspicious is going on, ie higher value claims more likely to be rejected etc

                    • Store Repgotyourback @ ShopBack AU on 21/12/2021 - 13:27
                      +5

                      @trapper: Absolutely, we always monitor these things.
                      If a brand spikes in Missing Cashback Claims/Rejections, it'll be flagged right away for our team to look into with the network.

                      • misterpotatomato on 21/12/2021 - 13:56
                        +36

                        @gotyourback: So what you're saying is that ShopBack bears zero responsibility for the expected amount of cashback. You can promise, or relay an expected % cashback, but if a customer does all the things they are supposed to do and the business says they are ineligible, there's literally nothing you can do about it?

                        It sounds like the risk is entirely on the customer, and ShopBack and the vendor bears zero percent of the risk. So a company could use ShopBack to get free advertising or get more purchases, and then just deny cashback claims as they want to, and there's nothing anyone can do about that.

                        So, sending it to your team to look at is a waste of everyone's time, because as you've said you can't compel a business to pay out the cashback and you can't prove anything either. You also only ever get vague responses from the business that don't help you to ascertain why a cashback was denied.

                        You have to consider - if ShopBack advertised an amount of money back, and then didn't deliver on the amount that was promised, in a court of law which way would that argument go? If I was OP I would take this to QCAT and show the advertisement, and prove it with his screenshots. I'm not sure your approach of "but we just do what the vendor tells us to do" would hold up, and I would think there would be a good chance that money would come out of ShopBack's back pocket.

                        TL;DR: Do better, and realize that companies would have a good reason to spuriously deny cashbacks. This is the exact reason why I don't use ShopBack.

                        • darxtorm on 21/12/2021 - 16:37
                          -4

                          @misterpotatomato: yes, the risk of we, the customers, getting free money is not going to be carried by them. that would be actual madness.

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