How to buy from a chatbot on Rakuten Viber - FAQ

Start paying your bills and more using chatbots on Rakuten Viber!

1. Open Rakuten Viber on your phone
2. In the Chats screen tap on Search at the top of the screen
3. Type in the name of the chatbot you are looking for (make sure it's been Verified )
4. Begin chatting with the chatbot by entering the details of what you would like to buy/pay for
5. Once you find the product that you are looking for, confirm with the chatbot that you would like to buy
6. After reviewing the Order details, tap Continue to checkout
7. Tap on the payment method you wish to use in the Order summary
8. You will be redirected to either Google Pay or Apple Pay to complete the order
   • You may also receive an SMS from your bank asking you to authorize the payment
9. If the payment is successful, you will see a confirmation screen and a receipt that you can download

Chatbots are developed by third-parties who decide which words the chatbot will understand to trigger the correct response. Try to keep your request clear and free of spelling errors to avoid miscommunication. If a chatbot is not working in a way you would expect it to, please contact the seller directly.

You have 15 minutes once you reach the Order details stage (step 6). During this time, you can leave the chatbot/close Rakuten Viber without affecting your order. After 15 minutes pass, your order will be timed out and you will need to restart the transaction.

Google Pay and Apple Pay.

No, you can only buy from a chatbot on your phone.

You can interact with the chatbot on your desktop, however, you will not be able to complete the transaction or view the receipt there.

A seller may add a service fee to a successful transaction. If the seller adds a service fee, you will see it in your bank statement (the amount charged will be higher than the amount displayed in the Order summary).

Please contact the seller directly if you have further questions regarding service fees or extra charges.

Some of the reasons why your payment isn't going through could be due to the following:

• You don’t have the latest version of Rakuten Viber installed
  • Please update Rakuten Viber and try buying again
• Google Pay or Apple Pay isn’t set up correctly on your phone
  • Please follow the instructions in Google’s support article or Apple's support article
• Your phone number is from a country where payments to chatbots are not supported yet
  • You will not be able to buy from a chatbot
• You have insufficient funds in your bank account
  • Please contact your bank if this is incorrect
• Your bank doesn’t support Google Pay or Apple Pay
  • Please refer to Google Pay or Apple Pay for a complete list of participating banks, or contact your bank for more information

Please ask the seller via email.

The seller operating the chatbot.

Contact the seller via email, and explain the situation. If you do not receive a satisfactory response, you can file a complaint against the seller.

As long as you haven’t deleted the chat with the chatbot, the transaction details will remain in the chat. To quickly locate the transaction, you can look for the chatbot by using the Search bar in the chats screen.

If you deleted the chat, please contact the seller via email.

Please contact the seller via email.

Please contact the seller via email.

If you find a chatbot that has violated Rakuten Viber’s Terms of Service, please take a screenshot of the offense and report the chatbot to us.

Rakuten Viber is not responsible for the products sold through chatbots. If you see a product that you feel is offensive or dangerous, please take a screenshot and report the chatbot to us.

There are 2 ways to recognize an authorized chatbot:

1. You will see Rakuten Viber’s ‘Verified’ icon next to the bot’s name
2. After you tap Continue to checkout you will arrive at the Checkout screen, which will state Transaction is authorized by Google Pay or Transaction is authorized by Apple Pay at the bottom. You will also see the official Google Pay or Apple Pay logo:

Google Pay:

Apple Pay:

Partner with Rakuten Viber and start selling your products using your very own chatbot. For more information, please refer to:

• List of authorized chatbot developers
• Documentation for existing chatbot owners and developers