Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Rakuten's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Rakuten has 3 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Rakuten

  800 Concar Dr San Mateo, CA 94402-7044

  
• 

  Rakuten Marketing LLC

  215 Park Avenue South, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10003-1622

  
• 

  Rakuten

  800 Concar Dr San Mateo, CA 94402-7044

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for Rakuten for a couple months now and I have been a active user, couple weeks pass I was using the app, they advertised that I could get $40.00 referral and my friend would get a $40.00 bonus as well.I did refer ****************************** he did the steps necessary to qualify for the $40.00 who complete on 5/5/2025. My friend had to involve bbb as well in order to fix this situation which thanks to you he received the $40.00 but not me I contact Rakuten contact service and they have not give any respond

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2025

  Hi ******,

  Our system periodically removes the bonus on ineligible referral accounts. Each member is allowed one account, must pay for their own purchases, and receive their own payments to be eligible for the bonus programs.  We identified 3 accounts associated with you.  Our accounts team sent you an email to offer consolidation.  It looks like they reached out to you today, 6/6/2025.  Once you reply confirming which account you wish to keep active, we can reinstate your account.

  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/06/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/04/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Member ID: ********* I'm a long time member of Rakuten and expecting payments and pending shopping trips on my Rakuten ********** account became unable to login a few days ago. I tried to contact with customer service a few times but no progress.Expected results:1. Restore my Rakuten account 2. Restore all credits in my account. Member ID: *********. Email: *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/05/2025

  Hi Pengqian,

  We noticed some unusual account activity on your account.  Our accounts team will be contacting you shortly to verify your information and get your account reinstated.  We apologize for the delay as we are experiencing higher than normal volume.  You can expect to hear back within the next 72 hours.

  Thank you for your patience.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/05/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is promising to me at this moment. However, they promised to reinstate my account and followup with me in 72 hours. So this case might be reopen (or new case will be filed) if the business didn't follow through and actually reinstate my account.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Pengqian **

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/03/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am a professional photographer and long-time Rakuten user. On May 6, 2025, I made a large purchase of camera equipment from the ***** website, using Rakutens advertised 15% cashback offer. The purchase was entirely legitimate, personal, and made by following Rakutens standard process through their portal.After accumulating over $1,200 in cashback, I was suddenly locked out of my account. When I contacted Rakuten support, I was informed that my account had been terminated due to "ineligible orders." However, I was not provided with any specific details or evidence to support this claim. Instead, I was directed to a generic ****************** link.This decision was made without any prior warning, without a chance to respond, and with no transparency. I have made valid, compliant purchases and have not violated any known terms. Rakuten is now withholding the cashback I rightfully earned, and I consider this an unethical and deceptive business practice.I am requesting:* A full payout of the $1,200+ cashback * A detailed explanation of their findings * Immediate restoration of transparency and fair handling of member accounts

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Hi ********,
  
  We have reactivated your account.  We were notified of ineleigble account activiety as a result of cancelled orders. At this time, we have reinstated your account and reversed the Cash Back earned for the following orders:
  
  Dell  2008365215871 Cancelled:Oct 10, 2024.  This was paid to you on your 12/12/2024 payments and has not been deducted from your current account balance.
  Canon ********** Item returned and refunded.  The Cash Back for the returned item as been deducted from your current Cash Back balance.  Your current Cash Back balance is $579.17.
  
  Please let us know if you have any questions.
  
  Thank you.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/03/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Rakuten requires you sign up with them and when shopping online to go through their website in order to receive Cashback on your purchases.Sounds simple, however, they routinely deny earned cashback for either no apparent reason or they make up one. Most of the time, there is no contact or explanation and it shows up under "Cashback Activity" as "denied". There is an option to follow up via their website under "Missing Cashback" where you have to provide all details about the transaction and with any luck, meaning getting the right person on the other side, you will get the cashback you have earned.The latest scheme is to deny transactions due to "using a coupon that is not on Rakuten website". This is completely impossible when a store ON RAKUTEN offers a discount that is automatically applied and as the customer you have no saying in it. So for example, a transaction of $140 that would have earned you 20 % cashback, which comes out to $28, is denied due to a $4 store applied discount that was automatic.On top of that, Petsmart is on Rakuten Website, but purchases through them NEVER show up on Cashback Activity. Everytime I make a Purchase, I have to follow up, input all the details about every singel transaction, then wait for a response from Rakuten and it either goes through and is applied or I have to wrangle with them when they come up with inventive reasons to not grant cashback. Every other Business transaction shows up right away after making the purchase as it is supposed to be. This has been going on for a very long time now and I would like to know once and for all why they make a seemingly easy process so unnecessarily hard.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Hi ********,
  I'm so sorry to hear about the trouble you're experiencing.I want to assure you that if Cash Back wasn't earned on your order, it also means Rakuten did not receive commission from the store.
  When a store doesnt report an order to us, we need your order confirmation to investigate further. Even if a shopping trip is logged,there are cases where something causes the order to become ineligible for Cash Back, and unfortunately, without the stores report, we dont receive any details.
  I took a quick look at your account and can see several orders that were successfully reported and earned you Cash Back. However, there are also some that werent reported by the store, meaning they didnt award commission on their end.
  I'll be reaching out via email through our Help Team shortly. If you could please reply with 3 or 4 of your most recent order confirmations, well take a closer look and do everything we can to resolve this for you.
  Additionally, please note that some stores may not award commissionand therefore Cash Backwhen additional coupon codes are applied. If a discount was automatically added at checkout, we're happy to investigate that as well.
  Looking forward to getting this sorted out for you!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 23412211
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have already sent you copies of the order details in question. I no longer have the order confirmations as that was a while ago and I routinely delete them after I pick up the order. I will be happy to send those copies again. And it is very interesting that you are now claiming that it is ******** that decides which orders receive Cashback? Basically you are saying that they apply the store coupon automatically so that the customer can be denied the Cashback? Well, that would really warrant looking into. And I don't think that is true, since I order from ******** a lot and have had Store coupon discounts applied automatically before and still received the Cashback. You have really given me the whole run of excuses to deny cashback for a while now. They run from "only allowed to place one order a day" to now "unallowed automatically applied store coupon credits" and they do keep it interesting but they are also annoying after a while and completely unnecessary. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** **********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2025

  Hi ********,
  
  We have found that by reach out to the merchants, they will provide you a copy of your order confirmations. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist any further without those details.
  Once you have obtained them, please submit a help request here *********************************************************
  
  Thank you

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/09/2025

   
  Complaint: 23412211
  
  I am rejecting this response because: This Business is being ridiculous. They receive all the information from the Merchants and in the past have accepted when provided copies of the orders. They don't even give you the cashback until a certain time has passed to cover themselves for possible returns etc. Just trying to weasel out of giving you the service which they promise you ie go through our website and we give you cashback for it. Much easier to shop with someone else who gives you the promised cashback immediately without any run around or giving you attitude. You can take your "we can't help you any further" and keep it and I will stop recommending your company to people because you are crooks.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** **********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've been using this site for years, but this time I'm accumulating more earnings. Well, my earnings are confirmed and have already been paid to them. They simply canceled the payment, and when I asked them why they canceled my account, they kept all the money. You can end the relationship, but you must pay the money that was already confirmed. They stole $1,995 in rewards from **** have delivery confirmation for every purchase I made on this site, bank statements showing that I paid for each of them! And these gentlemen from Rakuten, despite the fact that I was the one who contacted them because they had an error when making the payment and the money was returned and changed to the next date, what they did was close my account claiming that my account abused ineligible orders, but how can that be possible if all the earnings were confirmed and they had already made the payment? They simply chose to keep my money and I have photos that they changed the terms for certain earnings by adding some supposedly special terms that did not exist at the time of making my purchases, just at the time of paying, something that is totally illegal! I want to reach an agreement that they pay me my earnings or a part of them and reactivate my account

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hi ****,
   
  Thank you for your reply. In order to receive a payment your account must be active. However, given the high level of abuse your account(s) will remain deactivated.
   
  Per our terms:
   
  "Any failure to comply with this Program Agreement, any fraud or abuse relating to the accrual or receipt of cash back rewards, or any misrepresentation of any information furnished to Rakuten or its affiliates by you or anyone acting on your behalf may result in the termination of your membership in the Program and forfeiture of your accrued Cash Back rewards."
   
  *This is an excerpt from the "Program Limitations, Qualifications & Disclaimers" section of our Terms and Conditions. You can read the full Terms & Conditions here: *****************************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 23404949
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  I do not accept that answer, it is not a solution. I have been a member for more than 5 years. I do not know what they call abuse. I have not done anything illegal. I simply bought several times in one place, legitimate and confirmed purchases. That is why I was the one who contacted you in the first place because I was sure it was a mistake. Here the only ones who applied unfair tactics were you who, by stealing my money, changed the terms to have an excuse not to pay. I have proof that you modified the terms which were different when I made my purchases and were changed when you decided to keep the money. I am asking you in a good way for a solution for both parties. One of them is to pay my confirmed earnings and terminate the relationship or reactivate my account and the payment of at least 60% of my earnings. Otherwise, I will go to the ***. The messages of confirmed purchases, statements of my earnings, photos of the modification they made to their terms in an unfair manner, bank statements, proof of delivery of the contracted service and I will formalize the legal dispute in court. I may have to wait much longer to receive my money or maybe I won't receive it at all, but I'm sure you'll end up losing more money in the process!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Hi ****,
  
  After a thorough review of your account and the violations of our Terms of Service, we have made a final decision to uphold the closure of your account. 
  
  This decision is in line with our policies, which are in place to ensure a safe and fair environment for all members. We have communicated with you regarding this matter previously, and no further discussion will be entered into. 
  
  You can view the terms of membership on our site here:
   ******************************************************************************* appreciate your understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They were charging me maintenance fees on my account and taking back credits I rightfully earned. I want a full refund of my $48 back immediately. They even charged me 3 times in the month of Februrary. Like what is this a joke? I want a full refund of my $48 back immediately!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hello *******,
   
  Your fees were reversed as a courtesy just a few hours after your wrote in to customer service.  We also sent you an email confirming this.  
   
  If a member's account is inactive for more than 12 months, Rakuten applies an Account Maintenance Fee to keep the account open. The fees are incurred until the account becomes active by the member logging in and creating Shopping Trips or updating account information. This information can be found at our Terms & Conditions page located at the following link: ****************************************************************
   
  We regret any confusion this may have caused. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/01/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Complaint Title: Request to Review and Reactivate Rakuten Account *********************** Business: Rakuten, ********************************** Complaint Description: My Rakuten account under the email *********************** was closed due to a misunderstanding involving a shared ****** account. At the time of account creation, I did not have a ****** of my own. My friend, Swapnamithra ********* ****************************** briefly linked his ****** to my account to help me understand how the payout process works on Rakuten. No purchases were made by him, and he did not receive any referral bonuses through my account.I created and used my Rakuten account independently. The ****** link was temporary and purely for instructional purposes. Since then, I have opened my own ****** account and am willing to verify my identity with a government-issued ID. Despite multiple emails to Rakuten support explaining the situation, I have not received a *********** friends account has already been reviewed and reactivated (Case #********), and I respectfully request the same opportunity to resolve this misunderstanding.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hi Vijaya,

  Thank you for reaching out.  We see you sent an email in on Friday, 5/30.  We are experiencing higher than normal volume but out account team will get back with your shortly.  Once you are able to verify your information, we will be happy to get this reinstated for you.

  Thank you for your patience.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/31/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My household have 4 people using Rakutens ***************** we all have our separate accounts, they currently suspended all our accounts says we abused their program and took our cashback money totally $1200. We tried to contact them to see how can we resolve the problem, but they dont response our email now, please help

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hello Yejian,
   
  Thank you for your inquiry.
   
  In order to participate in the program each member is allowed one account. A member may not create or manage additional accounts for themselves or others, and receive bonuses or payments from each account as this is considered abuse of our program.
   
  We have found a number of accounts in violation of our site's terms related to yours. As a result, our risk department has suspended membership for all related accounts.
   
  Please review our terms and conditions: *****************************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/02/2025

   
  Complaint: 23400614
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  Those accounts are belong to my family members , I didnt created and managing those accounts for them, we are  live in the same house so our IP address are same and sometimes we share devices 
  Sincerely,
  
  Yejian *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/04/2025

  Hello Yejian,
  
  After a thorough review of your account and the violations of our Terms of Service, we have made a final decision to uphold the closure of your account.
  This decision is in line with our policies, which are in place to ensure a safe and fair environment for all members.  
  
  We have communicated with you regarding this matter previously, and no further discussion will be entered into. You can view the terms of membership on our site here:
   *****************************************************************************
  
  We appreciate your understanding.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 23400614
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Rakuten can close our accounts but you should return the rewards we earned. weve earned rewards from opened new bank accounts and new credit cards and finished the banks requirements legally .The banks have already deposited the rewards in our Rakuten accounts, those rewards money belongs to us not Rakuten. Rakuten shouldnt keep it and Rakuten should give us a warning first says one household cant have second Rakuten account instead close our accounts directly 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Yejian *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/30/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Good Day BBB,I participate in the Rakuten cash back program. I was due $193.10 on May 15, 2025 for the previous quarter purchases. However, I did not receive payment as Rakuten said my purchases are still pending. I have not made any returns and am seeking payment for the purchases made as follows:2/12/25, ****** at $3.85; 2/24/25, Sephora at $5.60; 3/4/25, ********* at $0.10; 3/30/25, Bloomingdales at $172.13 and 3/31/25, ****** at $11.42. = $193.10. I appreciate your help.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2025

  Hi *********,
  
  
  It looks like you did not qualify to receive a payment in May since your confirmed Cash Back amount was not greater than $5.00.
   
  The time it takes for Cash Back to be confirmed depends on several factors,including the store, store policy, reporting schedule, exclusions and returns.  Rakuten has always sent payments four times a year in February, May, August, and November. Your Cash Back must be eligible for payment in order to be included in the following check.  Clicking on the purple arrow next to your order in my account view will show you when the order will become eligible for payment and the date of the payment it will be included on.  The orders you mentioned below will be included in your August 2025 payment. 
  
  
  As a courtesy to a valued long time member, we are happy to request a one time early payment for the purchases prior to 4/1/2025.  This includes:
  
  Macys 3/31/2025 $11.42
  Bloomingdales 3/30/2025 $172.13
  
  The other purchases were included in your May check which is check #******** sent on 5/29/2025
  
   
  Find more information about payments at *****************************************************************************************************************
   
  Thanks for your patience, and please reach out if you have any additional questions.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2025

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/29/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On May 5, 2025, I made a purchase at *****************, totaling $5050, after activating a 15% cashback offer through the Rakuten platform. The purchase was initiated by clicking directly through the Rakuten link, as is required to earn *********** Rakuten account ******************** currently shows this specific purchase as "ineligible" for cashback, despite meeting all stated terms and conditions. I anticipated receiving $757.50 in cashback, which has not been applied.I have already contacted Rakuten directly on May 27, 2025, regarding this issue. I provided them with my ***************** order number ********* and details of the transaction. They responded by stating the purchase was not tracked correctly.I am seeking the application of the promised 15% cashback totaling $757.50 to my Rakuten account for this purchase.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2025

  Hi Kairui,

  
  We are sorry that happened. This means the store did not award Rakuten commission due to an ineligible purchase.  When this happens, we are unable to award Cash Back.  We know sometimes mistakes happen so we are happy to reach out to the store for you.
  
  Please submit a Missing Cash Back inquiry through our help form here:  *********************************************************
  
  Copy/paste your full order confirmation. Make sure your order confirmation includes the following:
  
  Order date
  Order number
  Products purchased
  Price breakdown (purchase total, any discounts applied, shipping, taxes, fees, and method of payment)
  
  Once we receive this info, we can continue working on your request.  We are unable to take any action without this information to our team.
  
  
  Thank you for your understanding.