Do Cashback Sites have a Future?
Greengage
Forumite 39 Posts
Interested to know subscribers' views about the evolution of TopCashback, Quidco and others:
Having used one or more of these sites for some years I have noticed a trend - the cashback is taking longer and longer to become payable (6 months+ is no longer unusual); claims for missing, incorrect or declined cashback are similarly taking much longer than they used to. Generally retailers are applying more and more restrictive Ts & Cs which in turn lead to more instances of declined cashback and so on.
With these sites having been in operation now for so long, I find it frustrating that this is still unregulated space. For example, there's nobody to arbitrate if you disagree with a cashback "operator" and a legitimate complaint can't be resolved.
To some extent the same time delay and restriction frustrations apply to loyalty schemes but at least with most of these you have a parent organisation to revert to if you are unhappy.
My sense is that the long honeymoon period is ending and that consumers are beginning to tire of the whole business of cashback. Quite literally, too little (or nothing at all), too late.
Having used one or more of these sites for some years I have noticed a trend - the cashback is taking longer and longer to become payable (6 months+ is no longer unusual); claims for missing, incorrect or declined cashback are similarly taking much longer than they used to. Generally retailers are applying more and more restrictive Ts & Cs which in turn lead to more instances of declined cashback and so on.
With these sites having been in operation now for so long, I find it frustrating that this is still unregulated space. For example, there's nobody to arbitrate if you disagree with a cashback "operator" and a legitimate complaint can't be resolved.
To some extent the same time delay and restriction frustrations apply to loyalty schemes but at least with most of these you have a parent organisation to revert to if you are unhappy.
My sense is that the long honeymoon period is ending and that consumers are beginning to tire of the whole business of cashback. Quite literally, too little (or nothing at all), too late.
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Replies
I agree - if you've already decided to buy from a particular online retailer then any cashback which follows is just a bonus. The problem comes when the cashback offered is part of your decision what, where and when to buy. This is where the entire concept falls over since the retailers themselves play judge and jury and are ultimately accountable to no-one.
I notice the amount of cashback paid to existing customers is low and sometimes declined but if a retailer needs more custom they will remain available on the site.
I used to love the no purchase offers in the old days, in particular "paid clicks" but they have all but dried up leaving offers which you need to jump through lots of hoops for in order to earn a dime.
How they keep winning awards is beyond me. Helps being in a market of 2 I guess and would have been 1 had their merger not been called off. Signs of a toughening market.
Only use if you nickel and dime the odd £1 of cashback. Better search on the coupon sites for the odd % off.
I am certainly coming round to the same thinking. I suspect the policy of some retailers to decline larger cashback claims is entirely premeditated and comes with very little risk since they don't have to give a specific reason and the consumer has no access to the technical data that would prove/disprove eligibility. Thus, for retailers, the cashback sites present a low-cost or free advertising service which they are bound to exploit.
This will surely change when the various regulatory bodies have decided whose court this ball sits in (Advertising Standards, Trading Standards or Financial Services) and come up with measures to protect the consumer.