Additional Complaint Information
BBB’s business profile for Giftly was created in February 2013. A review of Giftly complaints was completed in October 2023. Complaints on file state issue with establishments that do not accept gift cards.
BBB encourages consumers to review the “How it Works and “See an Example Gift” on the home page that explains you are only making a suggestion for where the recipient may want to use their gift.
For information regarding how giftly works and how to redeem gifts received BBB encourages consumers review the link below.
BBB also encourages business owners review the support link below in the FAQ’s section for an explanation as to how Giftly works.
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Complaint Details
Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. See details.
Initial Complaint
08/02/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I was given a Giftly gift card. I tried to use it and it was declined. The card was for 50 dollars. I attempted to contact Giftly but they have no phone and their bot kept running me in a circle. It verified that the card has 50 dollars on it, but it kept being declined.Business response
08/07/2024
Dear ********,
Were so sorry to hear of the trouble with your gift card. The physical gift card you received is a generic pre-paid gift card that should be able to be used anywhere that accepts **** as payment.
In looking at your transaction history, it appears as though the card was run for more than what was available on it. Unfortunately, this will cause a pre-paid gift card to decline. However, if the cashier runs the card for the same amount or below, the transaction should go through. Your most recent transaction of $50.00 at MINDO CHOCOLATE looks to have been successful and on our end, we see a remaining balance of $0.00.
Our Support team is always happy to answer any questions and/or help troubleshoot when were contacted. Please reach out to us at ******************************** with any further concerns.
Sincerely,
Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
08/02/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
If you want to buy a Giftly for a family member or a relative for their birthday DONT. They will literally ruin your day like they did mines. I got a text from my mom saying Happy early ************* was a $100 giftly. I was super excited & went through all the steps to claim my $100 because I can finally spend a little money on myself. A few days later after redeeming I check my *********** says refund & canceled. MY EARLY BIRTHDAY GIFTLY CANCELED. You want to know the reason? The reason was unauthorized transaction which is weird because my mom clearly authorized it and sent it to me and all. So if you want to surprise someone with a giftly.. just do them a favor & do it somewhere else because thisll only get their hopes up and potential crush their heart knowing they cant receive their gift. I hope that im able to receive my funds otherwise i suggest not using them.Business response
08/07/2024
Dear ******,
Were very sorry for the disappointment. We have a robust system in place to recognize and cancel potentially fraudulent or suspicious purchases or redemptions. There are a variety of factors that go into the determination of whether to cancel a gift, including previous purchase data and signals from our payment processor and the card issuer.
We attempt to be vigilant in protecting our customers and limiting fraud on our website. The order was cancelled and refunded back to the cardholder. If your gifter has any questions, they are welcome to contact us at ********************************.
Sincerely,
Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
07/23/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Purchased an online gift card for Wal'mart through Giftly, due to my credit card company not accepting the vendor and locking my card five separate times.Upon receiving the email, I read the fine print where it stated the purchase was in fact, not a gift card but money being sent and would be deposited into my bank account. After entering my information, I hesitated on submitting the order. I exited the page and went into the email that was sent for the purchaser. There was a cancel option. However, the website had proceeded with redeeming the purchase and stated I could no longer cancel. I attempted to contact the company to have them rectify the situation. To which I received emails from "*******" stating that the order could not be canceled. And despite the fact that their website does not show the funds have been sent, she continued to state they had been sent and she could not cancel.Business response
07/25/2024
Hi ******,
Were so sorry for the frustration.
To clarify, there were several steps you completed in order to initiate a redemption request. You completed your bank information and checked off a box confirming it was correct. After the redemption was submitted, you received an email to your inbox containing a link to verify your email address and complete your redemption. This link was clicked as well. Furthermore, our fraud review team sent a request for additional information to ensure the redemption was authorized. This form was completed, so the redemption was approved.
Were very sorry if this wasnt what you intended. We track all click activity on our website and our records do indicate that the submission button was clicked after filling in the bank information.
Unfortunately, because the redemption was already processed, were not able to issue a regular refund. If you have questions or concerns, we can be reached at ********************************.
- Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
07/18/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Sales and Advertising Issues
- Status:
- Answered
I bought a $50 gift card to Lavender in *********, *********. They would not take it and said giftly was a scam. So my sister in law had to pay for it herself.Business response
07/19/2024
Hi ******,
Were very sorry to hear of the trouble.
To clarify, Giftly is a bit different from a traditional gift card. As described in a few places on our website, Giftly is a way of sending money with a spending suggestion while allowing the recipient to select how they receive their money. Giftly gifts are not intended to be used directly as payment with the merchant. Recipients open their gift on our website and choose from three redemption options: a physical gift card, bank transfer or PayPal transfer. Once the funds are received from Giftly, they will use a normal payment method when they go to make your desired purchase.
Please know that the cancellation option has been available to you through your purchase receipt and our support team is happy to assist with cancellations when were contacted directly. Per your request, your order has been cancelled and a full refund initiated back to your card. Refunds typically take 3-5 business days for your card issuer to process.
If you have questions or concerns, we can be reached at ********************************.
- Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
07/16/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Sales and Advertising Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Giftly is selling gift certificates for our company. They have also done this several times, even after I had them remove my company on multiple occasions. They are unauthorized to do so and we will never accept their gift certificates. This is a complete scam. I want my company and name removed permanently from giftly website and mailing list.***********************************************************************Business response
07/17/2024
Dear *******,
Were so sorry for any frustration or confusion. To confirm, Magic Meridian Massage has been removed from the Giftly listings.
Did your staff accept a Giftly gift as payment? If so, it was being used by the customer incorrectly and we will reimburse you.
To clarify, when someone receives a Giftly, they are receiving a monetary gift with a spending suggestion. Giftly pulls listings of local businesses from publicly available directories so gift givers can suggest a business like yours that they love or a business thats local to a faraway recipient.
Giftly recipients are instructed to visit the Giftly website where they select a method to receive their money, which we then send them directly. When a Giftly recipient comes to your business, they pay you the full amount for their purchase using a normal payment method and shouldnt be presenting anything Giftly-related to you.
Nonetheless, we are more than happy to remove a business that prefers not to be listed and to confirm once again, yours has been removed.
If you have questions or concerns, we can be reached at **********************************.
Sincerely,
Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
07/14/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Resolved
i recently ordered a $50 gift card from a bogus gift csrd company named GIFTLY. I had called ************** Thrift shop to see if they sold gift cards, the recording suggested that i use GIFTLY bc they did not sell gift cards iI looked them up on ****** but did not see your review & I completed what appeared to be a birthday card gv GIFTLY my debit card # and they did send my aunt **** an email saying Happy Birthday aunt *********************** I just learned of theit scam when approached by my aunt who said no retailer wld accept the card she got in the mail. I researched and my aunt was right...scammers! I learned that the company was a scam so my 87 year old aunt has no ******** lost $50 to a company that does not exist. I have no money to blow, I do good to buy groceries I want my $50 BACK or be refunded PERIOD. I have no gift for my old aunt, can't afford to buy another gift costing $50, and she thinks badly of me. I hv exhausted all means to get my hard earned money back to no avail. Is there anything I can do to get my $50 credited or refunded? I am sick to my stomach that these companies still exist & are operating as we speak. I WANT MY $50 RETURNED TO **. THANK YOU FOR ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE. THERE WAS NO ACCOUNT # GIVEN. ONLY A NAME, ADDRESS AND A TELEPHONE # WAS REQUIRED TO PURCHASE GIFT CARD. PLEASE HELP ME, I AM DISABLED & ON ************************************ *****. MY DEBIT CARD WAS USED TO PURCHASE GIFT CARD FROM GIFTLYBusiness response
07/15/2024
Hi ***,
We are so sorry for any frustration.
When you give a gift with Giftly, you are sending money with a spending suggestion. In several places on our website, including the checkout screen, we describe how the product works and that there is a step for the recipient to choose how to receive their gifted funds. We intend for this to be a convenient and flexible way to receive a gift and we do apologize if this was not the case for your recipient this time.
Please note that the cancellation option was available to you through your purchase receipt. As requested, we have refunded your gift to the card you used to purchase. You can expect to see that back on your card within 3-5 business days.
-Giftly SupportCustomer response
07/17/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference tocomplaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*****************Initial Complaint
07/13/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
Company claimed it was a gift card to Draftkings, when received it asks to be deposited to bank account, ****** or receive a blank gift card in 14 days. This is false advertisement and a scam. I will be in touch with counsel on the matter and moved forward with a lawsuit.Business response
07/15/2024
Hi Sean,
We are so sorry for any frustration.
When you give a gift with Giftly, you are sending money with a spending suggestion. In several places on our website, including the checkout screen, we describe how the product works and that there is a step for the recipient to choose how to receive their gifted funds.
We intend for this to be a convenient and flexible way to receive a gift and do apologize if this was not the case for your recipient this time.
Your refund was initiated immediately upon your request on July 13. Refunds typically take 3-5 business days for your card issuer to process and post back to your account.
Please contact us directly at ****************** with any further questions or concerns.
-Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
07/09/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Product Issues
- Status:
- Answered
My daughter gave me a gift certificate for $125 FOR LA HACIENDA RANCH using Giftly.The website told me i needed to file and get a **** gift card mailed to me.After many months the gift card has never showed up and they tell me my gift code is invalid.My gift code is FXXKRU I believe this is a fraudulent organization as there are no phone numbers.Business response
07/10/2024
Hi ****,
Were so sorry to hear your physical gift card has not been received.
Please know our Support team is always happy to help and is best reached by email at ********************************* We can certainly send you a replacement card if the first one was not received. A member of our team has reached out to you directly so we can confirm we have the correct mailing information on file. As soon as we receive your confirmation, a new card will be processed and should take 5-10 days to arrive.
- Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
06/28/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Order Issues
- Status:
- Answered
This company is selling gift certificates to our company. They are unauthorized and we will never accept them. This is a complete scam. I want my name removed from this company base.Business response
07/01/2024
Hi ***,
Were so sorry for any frustration or confusion. To confirm, Out of Sight Alpacas has been removed from the Giftly listings. If a Giftly was presented as payment at your business, it was being used by the customer incorrectly.
To clarify, when someone receives a Giftly, they are receiving a monetary gift with a spending suggestion. Giftly pulls listings of local businesses from publicly available directories so gift givers can suggest a business like yours that they love or a business thats local to a faraway recipient.
Giftly recipients are instructed to visit the Giftly website where they select a method to receive their money, which we then send them directly. When a Giftly recipient comes to your business, they pay you the full amount for their purchase using a normal payment method and shouldnt be presenting anything Giftly-related to you.
Nonetheless, we are happy to remove a business that prefers not to be listed and to confirm once again, yours has been removed.
If you have questions or concerns, we can be reached at **********************************.
- Giftly SupportInitial Complaint
06/27/2024
- Complaint Type:
- Service or Repair Issues
- Status:
- Answered
My retired mother sent my wife an Amazon gift card she saw on ****** which ended up being from giftly.com. When I looked into it, it said that it was an Amazon gift card but the only way to redeem it was to provide my bank information. I investigated it and found that the website has had a long past of fake gift cards. My mothers bank was called to stop payment and to try to protect her account.Business response
07/01/2024
Hi ******,
Were so sorry to hear of the trouble. Were unable to locate an order based on the information provided. May you please contact us directly at ******************************** with order details so we can best assist with a refund? Additionally, the option to cancel an order is available through the purchase receipt. Disputing the charge is not necessary.
To clarify, when you are given a gift through Giftly, you are receiving money with a suggestion for spending. The recipient is to redeem the gift at giftly.com to receive the funds - either on a **** gift card in the mail or directly to a bank account or PayPal account. Once the funds are received from Giftly, the recipient can then use a normal payment method when making a purchase at the suggested merchant (or anywhere else as desired).
Our product is described in several places on our website, including the How It Works page and within the disclosure on the checkout screen. We intend for this to be a convenient and flexible way to receive a gift and do apologize if this was not the case.
Once again, please contact us at ******************************** so we can directly assist.
- Giftly Support
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Customer Complaints Summary
109 total complaints in the last 3 years.
44 complaints closed in the last 12 months.