# Problem with Square Credit card reader



## Dewey (Feb 1, 2010)

I have a Android phone ... I got the Square Reader for cards set up and it worked great..... I replaced my phone so now I have to Download the App on the new phone.. Got that done, OF course now I can't remember my password !!! I went to the Website to have the link sent to me to change the password they sent it but it won't open !!!!

Do they have people that you can talk to ,to help out ,or is it only done by messages.....
I have sent two Requests for help yesterday and one today and have not heard from [email protected]!#[email protected]#$^%$....

This Modern technology stresses me out LOL


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

SAN FRANCISCO — Square came in handy for Camilla Barry in accepting payments at her bed-and-breakfast in the Northern California town of Rumsey — until a guest disputed a room charge in May.

That's when Barry discovered that Square Inc., which enables merchants to accept credit cards using a smartphone or a tablet, doesn't take phone calls from its customers.

Callers are greeted with an automated message, directing them to an online help center or to email their questions, and then they are disconnected.

Barry said she grew so frustrated exchanging emails with customer service representatives that she drove two hours to the company's San Francisco headquarters to get some help in person.

Instead, she cooled her heels in the lobby for a couple of hours. No one would speak to her, she said, and the security guards threatened to call the police. Then Square deactivated her account, saying "high-risk activity was detected."

"I got a laugh out of that," Barry said. "They meant I was a high-risk person because I showed up demanding service."

Square isn't the only tech company that is more self-service than customer service. But growing complaints from merchants come at an inopportune time for one of the tech industry's hottest companies.

The San Francisco start-up, led by Twitter Inc. co-founder Jack Dorsey, is weighing an initial public offering of stock as soon as this year. Its value hit $5 billion this month when investors privately bought shares from employees and shareholders, according to a person familiar with the transactions but not authorized to comment publicly.

Silicon Valley likes to pat itself on the back for coming up with innovative products and services that the world often falls in love with.

Customer service, though, usually consists of offering online help tools, not staffers sitting by the phone. That cuts costs and is usually enough to resolve an issue — until users encounter a major problem, such as their Facebook account being hacked or their funds being frozen.

The volume of rancor has been cranking up in recent months as one unhappy Square merchant after another has turned to the Web to gripe about not being able to reach a live human being and warned fellow merchants to steer clear of the company.

On Phillip Parker's website CardPaymentOptions.com, there are more than 1,100 comments, many of which are negative.

"Square actively does not want people to call," Parker said. Yet, he said, the company doesn't make its policy on freezing funds clear enough to merchants.

What's confusing to merchants is that Square is an aggregator, not a credit card processor, and as such offers less service to customers, said Ben Dwyer, founder of CardFellow, an online marketplace where credit card processors compete for merchants' business. An aggregator routes transactions to processors, enabling merchants to accept credit cards without setting up accounts with the card firms.

"You pay for what you get, and in the case of Square, you usually pay too much," Dwyer said.

Square defends its customer service, saying it responds quickly by email, typically within 24 hours and, during business hours, frequently within six hours.

Square also has a Twitter support feed that takes questions from users. If it freezes someone's funds because a transaction appears suspicious or a buyer has disputed a charge, Square says in "many instances" it gives small-business owners a phone number to call.

"Our goal is fast, efficient customer service that gets people immediate answers to their questions whenever and however possible," the company said in an emailed statement. "In addition to email and real-time Twitter support, we have a robust online help center that customers can visit any time. We also provide phone support for some issues and continue to test new ways to help our customers as quickly and efficiently as we can."

Is that enough? Not always, said Micah Solomon, a customer service speaker and author.

"Good customer service is good customer service. If you answer emails promptly, that's different than if you make people wait," Solomon said. "But you should be available by the channels your customers are asking you to be available by. Not everything can be resolved by email and certainly not by social media."

Before Square and other mobile payments companies came along, merchants had to fork over hefty fees to accept credit cards.

With Square, small businesses fill out a form, download the app and plug a reader into a smartphone or tablet. There are no long-term commitments or monthly fees, just a flat rate of 2.75% for swiped transactions and 3.5% plus 15 cents for each transaction that is manually entered.

That has been a stroke of good fortune for Ruth Jenkins, who runs a shopping service in Oxford, Pa. She says Square has helped her small business stay afloat.

Her credit card fees used to add up to about 30% of her annual sales. With Square, she estimates she saves an average of $300 a month.


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## Dewey (Feb 1, 2010)

Well that just about sums it up .... I wonder what other type of Gizmos like this that may be more customer friendly ?????


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Dewey;1739051 said:


> Well that just about sums it up .... I wonder what other type of Gizmos like this that may be more customer friendly ?????


I have Go payment ,works the same way and you can talk to a real person.


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## SnowGuy73 (Apr 7, 2003)

Interesting.


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## Dewey (Feb 1, 2010)

Do You mean Intuit Go Payment ???


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Dewey;1739325 said:


> Do You mean Intuit Go Payment ???


Yes that one


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## locqus (Dec 13, 2013)

I had no idea Square was that bad! I just called and totally got an automated message lol. Locqus was sort of built with Square in mind (We offer free field service management and take payments with the same rate as Square). Our customer service rep just doubled in value hearing that one!


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## Bandit (Jan 5, 2005)

I had researched square for when we do flea markets ( Mostly for Brimfield ) and found the same review grandview posted , plus a LOT more Negative reviews of there seizing cash in customers accounts for no reason ( they sound worse then Prey Pal ) and the hoops and long wait time customers had to go through to get there held funds back .


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## deicepro (Mar 24, 2009)

I've used square for the last 6 years and never had an issue...


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## Bill Grey (Oct 9, 2014)

Square is complete garbage. If you have a lemonade stand maybe you can use it. I guarantee you as soon as you try and put through any type of real charge, say over $1000, it won't go through. You will have to fill out a bunch of forms, jump through hoops, only to have it ultimately declined. I use a company call Flagship Merchant Services. They're excellent. I can take every card. Never a hassle.


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## Laszlo Almasi (Feb 11, 2006)

I've been using Square for several years now and for the most part I've had no problems. That is until this year when I sold a part to a customer about 2 hours away. I got paid, took the card info over the phone, paid the higher percentage, sent the part and it was received and then the customer presented a dispute even though he received the exact item he ordered. Square folded right over, yanked the funds out of my account and left it in the hands of the cardholders bank and did nothing to defend my position. They told me I have to take it up with the customer. Really?

So, I'm researching other alternatives to the Square program. There are others out there with a lower interest rate anyway and I doubt it'll be that much of an issue.

I only received e-mails too. However, lack of support and not standing up for their customer is not acceptable in my personal opinion.


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## Laszlo Almasi (Feb 11, 2006)

Ok, I just looked at the Intuit offering. Higher rates and a per transaction fee? What's up with that? And they have one program that has a monthly fee of $19.95 to get a lower rate? I'll keep them on the "potentials" list but not at the top.


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## Bill Grey (Oct 9, 2014)

Most merchant providers will do that. I've only had 2 disputes in 12 years. Lost the first one, (All my ducks were in a row). Never even fought the second one. You have to have your return policy fully disclosed on the credit card authorization that they sign. If someone can't sign something because they are a state away, use a company called Docusign to have stuff signed. The can sign it on an Android or Apple phone. I have stuff signed like this all the time and it's legally accepted as an actual signature.


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## Broncslefty7 (Jul 14, 2014)

ive had the same issues. square does take phone calls you just have to have a dealer code. if you log on to their website and go to support and then contact by phone it will give you a 17 digit code. you call and enter that code and someone instantly picks up. i have some direct emails to support people there if you still need some help.

PM me.


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## Bill Grey (Oct 9, 2014)

I appreciate that. I got rid of them a long time ago. Use a real company now. No problems ever.


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## Broncslefty7 (Jul 14, 2014)

we put about a million a year through our square reader so our rates are extremely low. once we got the bank verified we havnt had any issues.


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## Whiffyspark (Dec 23, 2009)

I use stripe


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## Bill Grey (Oct 9, 2014)

I use Flagship Merchant Services. my rate is under 2% for all 3 except AMEX. if you want one of those card readers you can get one. I process everything online through Authorize.net. If you want a terminal you can get one. It can't always be about price. If you need to waste 2 days of your life getting stuff resolved when it happens, all that money you 'saved' is gone. My time is valuable to me. Trust me, if Square is so good why don't you see them in supermarkets and Walmarts, etc?


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

Bill Grey;1842522 said:


> Square is complete garbage. If you have a lemonade stand maybe you can use it. *I guarantee you as soon as you try and put through any type of real charge, say over $1000*,* it won't go* *through.* You will have to fill out a bunch of forms, jump through hoops, only to have it ultimately declined. I use a company call Flagship Merchant Services. They're excellent. I can take every card. Never a hassle.


So...ummm...what kind of guarantee is this? 

I process thousands through my Square account every month and most of the swipes are in excess of $1k. The only time I ever had a problem is when a customer asked to swipe for $100 more and I made a comment about it in the description which sent off some red flags. You're apparently not allowed to give anyone cash back from a card purchase....who knew??

Anyway, aside from the card reader being a little touchy from time to time Square has been a great tool for me.


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## maxwellp (Feb 16, 2013)

Had one never used it, after reading this thread I canceled mine ---Your Square account has been deactivated


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## Broncslefty7 (Jul 14, 2014)

yeah i ran over 10k yesterday on one transaction over the phone and it was no problem. i am paying 1.85% on all cards amex included for swipes and 2.15% + 15 cents for key ins. i guess its just preference.


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## tuney443 (Jun 25, 2006)

I used mine for the first time Thursday doing a manual over the phone transaction,then programmed in the info to Square,saw my funds in my bank 10 minutes ago.I also was able to reach them by phone fairly easy for the how-to.I had the client pay for their fees which is only fair.


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## lilweeds (Aug 3, 2007)

tuney443;1843759 said:


> I used mine for the first time Thursday doing a manual over the phone transaction,then programmed in the info to Square,saw my funds in my bank 10 minutes ago.I also was able to reach them by phone fairly easy for the how-to.I had the client pay for their fees which is only fair.


Having the client pay the fees violates the agreement to take cards for any service provider. Legally you can not charge any fee to take a card, not that that stops people.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

lilweeds;1843843 said:


> Having the client pay the fees violates the agreement to take cards for any service provider. Legally you can not charge any fee to take a card, not that that stops people.


True,but you can offer a cash/check discount though


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## lilweeds (Aug 3, 2007)

^^^ Very true, it all comes down to wording. BTW I've noticed over the years you seem to have what appears to be an unhealthy obsession with a certain celebrity chef......


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

lilweeds;1844095 said:


> ^^^ Very true, it all comes down to wording. BTW I've noticed over the years you seem to have what appears to be an unhealthy obsession with a certain celebrity chef......


Not me:salute:


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