Shift4 Payments 2023: Card Processing Reviews & Complaints
(888) 276-2108 Company Overview
Shift4 Payments is a merchant account provider that currently functions as the parent company of Harbortouch. Shift4 Payments was created in January 2018 when Lighthouse Network (Harbortouch’s former parent organization) acquired Shift4 Corporation, a payment gateway provider based in Nevada. In February 2018, Shift4 Payments proceeded to acquire three POS providers focused on the hospitality industry: Restaurant Manager, POSitouch, and Future POS. Shift4 Payments added Merchant Link to their stable in 2019, 3dcart in 2020, and VenueNext in 2021. It appears that all of these products will be absorbed into the Shift4 brand. In fact, it’s possible that Harbortouch itself could rebrand as Shift4 in the future. In 2022/2023 Shift4 acquired Online Payments Group, The Giving Block, and Finaro.
Shift4 Payments Payment Processing
Shift4 Payments processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include end-to-end processing, their own payment gateway, gift and loyalty programs, PCI-validated encryption, contactless pay, the SkyTab restaurant ordering and mobile payment system, e-commerce solutions, QR codes, and multiple POS solutions, including HarborTouch.
Payment Gateway Services
Shift4 Payments’ payment gateway services enable businesses to accept credit and debit card payments securely and easily via their website. The payment gateway is fully customizable and integrates with major e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and more.
Virtual Terminal Services
Shift4 Payments’ virtual terminal services allow businesses to process credit and debit card payments over the phone or via email, without the need for a physical card reader. This is ideal for businesses that don’t have a storefront or need to process payments remotely.
POS Systems
Shift4 Payments offers a variety of POS systems that are designed to meet the needs of businesses in various industries. Whether you’re looking for a traditional countertop terminal or a mobile POS, Shift4 Payments has a solution that can help you process payments quickly and securely.
Mobile Payment Solutions
Shift4 Payments’ mobile payment solutions allow businesses to accept payments on-the-go using a smartphone or tablet. This is ideal for businesses that operate in remote locations or attend trade shows, farmers markets, or other events.
Gift and Loyalty Card Programs
Shift4 Payments offers gift and loyalty card programs that can help businesses increase customer loyalty and drive sales. These programs are fully customizable and can be integrated with POS systems and e-commerce platforms.
Online Ordering and Delivery
Shift4 Payments offers online ordering and delivery services that enable businesses to accept orders online and deliver products or services to customers. This includes restaurant ordering and delivery, as well as online ordering for retail businesses.
Fraud Prevention Services
Shift4 Payments offers a suite of fraud prevention services that can help businesses reduce the risk of fraud and chargebacks. These services include address verification, card security code (CVV2) verification, and fraud screening.
Shift4 Mergers & Acquisitions
Shift4 has been acquiring several companies in the last few years. Often, the company has stated that it will move the merchant clients of the the acquired companies to Shift4’s own processing and POS services, such as Harbortouch POS and SkyTab. As of our last update of this review, we are aware of Shift4 buying the following companies:
Shift4 Acquired Companies
- Focus POS
- Finaro
- CurvePay
- 3Dcart
- The Giving Block
- VenueNext
- Restaurant Management POS
- POSitouch
- FuturePOS
- Lighthouse Network
- Online Payments Group
If you have any further information regarding any mergers or acquisitions, please leave it in the comment section below.
Location & Ownership
Shift4 Payments is headquartered at 2202 N. Irving St., Allentown, PA. Shift4 Payments is a registered ISO/MSP of Citizens Bank, N.A., Providence, RI, and Merrick Bank, South Jordan, UT., and Jared Isaacman is the CEO and Don Isaacman is the president of Shift4 Payment and of Harbortouch.
Video Summary
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers a one-year contract with no early termination fee and options between interchange-plus, tiered pricing and…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 10 public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: Has been accredited since 2013 and has an “A+” but has received 173 complaints and 22 reviews in regards to…
- Sales & Marketing: Hires independent sales agents and has received a moderate number of complaints about its…
Shift4 Payments Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | 10+ |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Long-Term Contracts |
| Recent Lawsuits | Yes |
New Name, Clean Record
We can locate nearly 15 negative Shift4 Payments reviews at this time. Shift4 Payments is a relatively new organization, so it’s to be expected that there isn’t much positive or negative feedback about it on the usual forums. It is more useful at this time to consult client reviews of Shift4’s constituent companies.
Shift4 Corporation Complaints
Shift4 Corporation has a very low complaint total despite the fact that it has been active since 1994. This is common for payment gateway providers, as they typically do not receive the blame for issues with the merchant accounts that are linked to their product. Predictably, the few complaints that we have found about Shift4 Corporation mention minor technical issues and software glitches.
Harbortouch Complaints
Harbortouch, on the other hand, is showing a moderate-to-high number of online complaints for a company of its size, most of which cite deceptive sales tactics, equipment issues, exorbitant cancellation fees, or poor customer support. It appears that Harbortouch has paid Ripoff Report to be a part of that site’s corporate advocacy program, which allows Harbortouch to reach out to dissatisfied complainants. This program also allows Harbortouch to flood Ripoff Report with dozens of identical testimonials that obscure the details of business owners’ complaints. Researchers should note that the actual content of these Ripoff Report reviews can be found below each of Harbortouch’s testimonials.
False Review Allegations
A blog post on the Harbortouch website authored by the company’s CEO addresses the growing number of negative reviews that have been posted about Harbortouch. This post speculates that a significant number of negative Harbortouch merchant reviews are actually “from competitors that are unhappy with our free POS business model,” adding that “[i]t is not surprising that many of them would go online to write these anonymous and frankly false representations of our service. It is important to note that most of the complaints do not have any real contact information associated with them.” By our own independent assessment, the majority of public complaints filed against Harbortouch do indeed seem to come from actual merchants. It does not reflect positively on the company that its official stance appears to be dismissive of negative reviews in general.
Direct Harbortouch Replies
It should also be noted that two representatives of Harbortouch (including the company’s CEO) have directly addressed merchant complaints in the comment section of that company’s review. Both representatives disputed clients’ claims regarding nondisclosure of contract terms, stating that the company’s cancellation policy is clearly disclosed by Harbortouch sales reps and documentation at multiple points during the signup process. These representatives also stated that the company’s large early termination fee is justified by the upfront expense associated with providing POS equipment to businesses.
Complaint Resolution Efforts
Harbortouch is currently an active participant in CPO’s complaint resolution program. This program enables merchant account providers to directly contact business owners who post negative comments beneath their review in an attempt to resolve their complaints. The company’s participation in this program is a positive indication that Harbortouch is interested in providing a satisfactory outcome for dissatisfied clients.
Shift4 Payments Lawsuits and Fines
In 2018, Shift4 Payments became the target of an antitrust lawsuit that accuses the company of monopolizing the payment interface and merchant account services market for mid-sized table service restaurants by cutting out other independent payment processors. It appears this case was terminated in 2019, but was shortly after reopened with few details going forward. This case is yet to reach a resolution.
In 2021, Labaton Sucharow announced it was looking into Shift4 for potential breaches of duty and security violations.
2022 saw Smelson v. Shift4 Payments LLC, which was a class-action lawsuit filed against Shift4 Payments LLC, a payment processing company. The lawsuit alleged that Shift4 Payments LLC violated California law by charging businesses unauthorized fees for credit card transactions. The plaintiffs claimed that Shift4 Payments LLC misled them about the fees and failed to disclose the additional charges. The lawsuit sought damages and injunctive relief on behalf of the class of businesses affected. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount, with Shift4 Payments LLC agreeing to refund the unauthorized fees and improve its disclosures and billing practices in the future.
Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Shift4 Payments Customer Support Options
Shift4 offers chat and phone support on its website in addition to equipment and software manuals. Although Harbortouch is taking steps to improve its reputation among business owners, its complaint rate has been consistent since its last review. In addition, the content of these complaints has remained more or less unchanged. We do not have any reason to believe that this will change now that the company operates under the Shift4 Payments brand. Merchants who are concerned about quality customer support should consider working with a top-rated provider for great customer service.
Shift4 Payments Customer Service Number
- (888) 276-2108 – Toll-Free Customer Service
Other Support Options
- Customer support form
- Chat support on its website
Shift4 Payments Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
Online Ratings Summary |
|
|---|---|
| Product & Service Complaints | 79 |
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 64 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 1 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.
Over 140 Complaints
The Better Business Bureau has changed Harbortouch’s name to Shift4 Payments, LLC and is using the same profile it previously used for Harbortouch. As a result, Shift4 Payments has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2013. As of this review, the company currently holds an “A+“ rating with the BBB and has had 145 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. 64 of these complaints had to do with a billing or collections issue, 79 were problems with a product or service, and 1 was an issue with advertising or sales. Only 70 of these 145 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 75 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Merchants Say
Shift4 has also received 27 informal reviews to its BBB profile. All of the reviews are negative. One recent review describes issues with equipment and expensive rates:
Whatever you do, do NOT sign up with Shift4 or ***********. They are a total nightmare from A to Z! Shop around and get plenty of quotes; you will find many other companies that give better service for much cheaper rates; this type of service does not have to be local to get great service. I also used ************* POS system; again, a nightmare and had to return it. I don’t know how they stay in business. Seriously… take my advice and save yourself a lot of money and a lot of headaches.
Merchants looking for a cheap option should take a look at our guide to the cheapest providers in the industry.
A “C” Performance
Taking into account the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “C.”
Shift4 Payments Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Cancellation Penalties | No |
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Yes |
| Processing Rates | Interchange-plus or variable |
| Equipment Leasing | Yes |
New Contract Terms in Response to Client Dissatisfaction
At the time of previous reviews, Shift4 Payments’ terms and conditions imposed a three-year contract term with a costly early termination fee. This was the basis of most of the Shift4 Payments reviews left by businesses on this and many other consumer review websites. However, Shift4 Payments has revised its terms and conditions in response to this outcry from clients.
Shift4 Payments’ current terms and conditions convey a one-year contract with a tiered pricing structure. Businesses are charged either an interchange-plus model or tiered rates of 1.39% plus $0.10 for swiped transactions, while keyed-in transactions are charged 1.79% plus $0.10. Shift4 Payments does not charge an early termination fee any longer, which was the most costly fee from its old contract terms. However, Shift4 Payments does require businesses to return equipment within 15 days of the end of a contract, or else it imposes costly equipment fees. Businesses that do not return standard credit card terminals within that period are charged $200, contactless terminals are charged a $300 fee, and POS systems are charged a $500 fee. However, the lack of an early termination fee provides clients with much more flexible contract terms, and its transaction rates are much more affordable as well.
POS Pricing
Shift4 Payments is also the owner of a handful of different POS system companies: Harbortouch, Restuarant Manager, Future POS, VenueNext, 3dcart, Merchant Link, and POSitouch. The company also serves as a partner to over 300 other POS and PMS companies, providing businesses across different industries with tailor-made options for the unique needs of their business.
One of Shift4 Payments’ more notable companies, Harbortouch, previously provided clients with the option between 2 different POS systems: Echo POS and Elite POS, though it appears they are shifting to the new Onyx model and each merchant agreement conveys some pretty basic pricing. Echo POS charges a monthly fee of $29 per system, while Elite POS has a $39 monthly fee for each. Echo POS charges an installation fee of $150 for the first system and $100 for any additional system. While the Elite POS merchant agreement does not include an installation fee per se, there is a $250 fee for additional wiring needed to install a POS system. Though neither agreement includes an early termination fee, clients that cancel their contracts must return any POS equipment within the prescribed period in their merchant agreement or risk being charged an equipment return fee of $500.
In addition to those fees, each POS agreement details a range of products and services and their additional monthly costs. These products and services are categorized as optional add-ons and come with additional monthly fees, though they can be purchased outright at a one-time cost as well. Other, less expensive items — from employee authorization cards to printers and scanners — are billed as one-time purchases.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Shift4 Payments’ terms and conditions also disclose the cost of its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. Shift4 Payments charges 1.79% plus $0.10 per transaction and a batch fee of $0.35.
Your Agent’s Word Is Not The Final Word
Although these are the company’s official terms, the company’s use of independent sales agents means that transaction rates and fees may vary from agent to agent. A representative of the company confirmed in the comment section of this review that any verbal guarantees made by sales agents will not overrule the language in the company’s contract, so clients are advised to trust the documentation above an agent’s word. Multiple business owners have described a situation in which a sales agent verbally agreed to waive or alter certain fees and then failed to follow through on those changes. There are also multiple claims that agents failed to disclose the contract length and early termination fee associated with the company’s POS agreement. If you suspect that you may be paying too many hidden fees, we recommend obtaining a cost analysis from an independent fee reduction service.
A New Grade for New Contract Terms
Shift4 Payments’ approach to POS sales has received mixed reviews. The basis of most complaints concerns issues with the company’s previous terms and conditions; primarily the costly early termination fees. Since Shift4 Payments has revised its terms and conditions for its merchant agreements and POS systems, we award the company a “B” in this category. Though there are many monthly charges and some one-time fees that come with the Echo and Elite POS systems, the flexibility clients have with no early termination fees and shorter one-year contracts mitigates the expense of those costs drastically from the company’s previous policies. We always encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Shift4 Payments Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Uses Independent Resellers | Yes |
| Telemarketing | Likely |
| Misleading Marketing | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Same Organization As Harbortouch
Shift4 is simply a combination of Harbortouch, Shift4 Corporation, and a few smaller POS companies. As a result, the sales experience for businesses that sell their products should be similar to the standard Harbortouch experience.
Independent Sales Team
Harbortouch hires independently contracted sales agents (ISAs) to resell its merchant account services. This is a standard practice within the industry that often results in unregulated or unsupervised agents reselling a provider’s services without effectively disclosing contract terms. On this website and elsewhere, reports are common of a Harbortouch sales representative promising to waive fees or provide month-to-month contracts only to fail to follow through, leaving the client on the hook for some unfavorable contract terms. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
“Free” Equipment Promises
Online Shift4 Payments reviews seem to indicate that a common point of miscommunication has to do with Harbortouch’s heavily promoted deals for free equipment or a free POS system. Harbortouch likes to phrase its promotion so that the equipment itself is technically free, but it requires the business to sign an automatically renewing, three-year service commitment so that Harbortouch can recover its upfront costs. In this way, the business owner still has to pay for at least three years of access to the equipment, which to some clients may seem indistinguishable from having a long-term equipment lease.
30-Day Trial Period
Some clients also report that they agreed to receive free equipment or software but canceled before receiving or implementing these services, only to be charged with a cancellation fee in the amount of the remaining cost of the multiyear contract. Business owners who cancel before the install date should only owe a $250 restocking fee. After the install date, Harbortouch offers a 30-day trial period. If clients cancel after this 30-day period has concluded, then they will be responsible for the full cost of the service agreement, despite the claims of any sales agent. If clients cancel within the trial period, they are still responsible for fees incurred during the trial period as well as the costs of shipping equipment back to Harbortouch.
Contract Survives Your Business
A smaller number of businesses claim that they were not made aware of the fact that they are responsible for the full cost of the service agreement regardless of whether or not their business closes permanently. It appears to be Harbortouch’s policy to enforce the terms of its agreement even in the event that a business goes out of business.
Continued Complaints Despite Training
A Harbortouch representative has stated on multiple occasions that the company offers rigorous agent training and has procedures in place to discipline ISOs that act unethically. The company also clearly discloses its service agreement terms in its paperwork and requires follow-up communication with merchants after they open an account. However, Harbortouch still routinely receives complaints that describe misrepresentation or nondisclosure by its independent sales agents. This indicates that despite the company’s admirable efforts, a significant number of clients are still having a negative experience with Harbortouch’s sales team.
A Precautionary “C”
Shift4 Corporation enjoyed a very low complaint total before its acquisition by the Harbortouch team. It’s therefore possible that Shift4 Payments will adopt the practices that minimized complaints at Shift4 Corporation. However, Harbortouch’s management team is still at the helm. As a cautionary measure, we will therefore assign Shift4 Payments the average grade of “C” that we assign Harbortouch in this category. If you believe that you were deceived about the terms of your Shift4 Payments contract, you can find and eliminate hidden fees with a third-party statement audit.
Shift4 Payments offers Harbortouch as well as other POS systems
Our Shift4 Payments Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Shift4 Payments receives the same rating as a credit card processing provider as Harbortouch at this time, for a few reasons: The company was created when Harbortouch’s ownership group acquired Shift4 Corporation, and that ownership group remains in charge of the organization. Shift4 sells Harbortouch’s entire lineup of products, with no change to Harbortouch’s contract terms. Even the BBB considers Shift4 Payments to be Harbortouch’s new name at this time. We will be sure to monitor client feedback about this company to see if it differentiates itself from Harbortouch in any meaningful way, but for now, businesses are likely to obtain a better deal from a top-rated payment processor.
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Jason Dailey
In accordance with their contract we tried for months to find a solution before going to arbitration. All they ever did was shift blame. Now, they are simply trying to run out the clock on a small business they crushed hoping the lawyer fees alone will make us go away. A classic example of big business stomping out the little guy.
Here’s where we are: Until June 2023 I was a small business owner in Kansas for nearly five years. During that time my business survived the unimaginable, a global pandemic. Despite this catastrophic event, my business survived. The ultimate demise of my business is the direct result of our credit card processing company, Shift4, and their egregious errors that resulted in my business closing, costing the livelihoods of six employees and myself.
In late October 2022 the credit card machine provided by Shift4 began to error out. The date on the machine began resetting to December 31, 1969. Shortly thereafter, I noticed our daily batch totals were not “tying” we were not receiving money for all transactions. I reached out to my local contact to bring this to his attention and was initially assured, though the batch totals were inconsistent as posting, the money was being collected and applied; we were receiving full payments.
In mid-November 2022 I reached out to my local contact to address the issue again. The credit card slips again read 12/31/1969. It was during our annual holiday sale; our most prosperous time of the year, and we did not receive full payments. I also made several calls to technical support (which is in their call log and my emails). The “customer service” would temporarily fix the problem by resetting the date, but no one would admit any correlation between the incorrect dates and missing money despite my suggesting one was impacting the other. Onus has been completely on me from discovery, to follow through, to proof the machine was reverting back dates by providing individual, original receipts and daily batch settlements. I’ve spent countless hours (daily for 8 months) working on the grievous errors that ruined my business. I have been unable to accurately balance my account since November of 2022 until the date I had to shutter my dreams. My business was making a profit, but since it was not being collected, my cash flow dried up. Then the catastrophic mass reconciliation, supposedly “fixing” the problem, that was done on April 11th, 2023 was not only too little far too late, but the proverbial nail that finished off my business.
The reality is that between October, 2022 and April, 2023, approximately $9500 (around $2000/month) was not deposited into the business account from transactions processed by Shift4 Payments. I had already been scrambling to “make up” the money that should have been in my account all along. I was trying to run the business with a severe deficit. The mass reconciliation noted above, executed by Cassandra Funk and Shawn Brice, was done without any prior warning to me or my clients. Suddenly, my team and I were inundated with angry calls from our guests who were charged six months late for services, often for multiple visits. Shawn Brice provided a letter addressed to only me as a “non-apology” apology, after the fact of enraging our clientele. In this letter Shawn Brice stated, “we took immediate action to correct the issue”. If this was the case, why did it take nearly 6 months and rack up back charges of over $9,000? And after all this, Shawn suggested we use the letter to show our guests to alleviate their concerns. And, yes, Shift4 did have the right to push through these payments. However, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should without any forethought. These actions of Shift4 and its representatives caused enormous reputational harm and severely damaged the goodwill of my business.
During the period between 10/15/22 and 4/18/23, to keep our business running with these deficits Shift4 incurred we had to come up with about $22,000 on our own to fill in the gaps Shift4 caused. These are monies the business was left without that should have been available to secure a strong business; i.e. – tangible damages. Furthermore, finishing out our obligations under the lease amount to $44,000. Any and all future revenue of my business is gone through no fault of my own. I expected our business profits to exceed $70,000 in 2023, $100,000 for the next five years at least.
I have also well documented severe, treatment-resistant depression that lasted months and has required twice weekly treatments since December, and is still ongoing.
Ultimately due to these issues, I was forced to close this business that I have poured my heart and soul into. Not only that, my family has put every additional cent from our savings into this as well as ask family for financial help for the business. Leaving us with an SBA loan of $150,000.
Shift4 seems to be under the impression their only culpability is reconciling the actual financial aspect. I don’t believe this to be the case. This business was to be a future I had been building towards for years.
I can’t properly convey the distress this situation has caused over the last eight months. I am as upset as some of our (former) guests though I would like to settle this as fairly and amicably as possible.
They continue to ignore this situation and, as stated above, are hoping to run out the clock.
Tony
I am happy to say, Shift 4 does have a few decent people working in their company. It just took getting to the right person. My issues with Shift 4 have all be resolved.
Kai
Shift4 took over another payment system I’d signed up for years ago and never used. I signed up for a system that charged a minimal % fee per transaction, because I do very few transactions per year. When Shift4 took over they, without my knowledge or consent, started charging me a monthly fee and did so for years before I noticed it. When I finally requested a cancellation and refund they said they can only refund the last three months. THIS COMPANY LITERALLY TOOK MONEY FROM MY ACCOUNT EVERY MONTH FOR YEARS WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT AND REFUSED TO RETURN IT. THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST UNETHICAL UNCONSCIONABLE BUSINESS PRACTICES I’VE EVER EXPERIENCED.
Tony Ecker
Worst Customer Service EVER
Hidden Fees, Unannounced contract changes!
During COVID, to protect themselves they implemented an Autorenewal one year contract. However, I was in the middle of a three-year contract. When I asked about being notified about this contract change, they said I needed to refer to their website.
I have cancelled all there services yet they are still charging my bank account. and I can not get anyone on the phone who will take responsibility for this???
S
Are they still charging your bank? Can’t you tell your bank to remove them from auto charging? Is there not a way to block their ability through your bank?
Tracy
STOP PAYMENTS through your bank immediately! AND get a ticket # if you call them. I sold 2 business (with equipment that they transferred to new owner) and they still deduct money from my account every month despite dozens of calls to various departments. It’s been 2 years. I would have done earlier but I didn’t check that bank account very often. Everytime I called someone was taking care of it, but they would tell me there was no ticket #. Someone actually started a new account under my closed one!
Richard
We have been in business for almost 20 years and this company is, by far, the most untrustworthy payment processor company we’ve encountered. We were “advised” to switch to their service at no charges and no contract. Right after we switched over, we found out we have to pay for their integration software (along with is annual fee). When we tried to cancel, they told us the hardware they sent us has a CONTRACT. How deceptive! Now we’re stuck with a credit card processing company that tries to swindle us at every turn. That’s terrible.
Their customer service is very bad also. Once they manage to get you to sign the contract, that’s it. No more help.
raymond piacquadio
100% worst company on the planet. Do not trust these people. They mess with your statements and combine them so you can’t tell what you are being charged for in a batch. We also had charges come into our account for 4 months prior. Customers calling and screaming that they were illegally charged.
This company has the worst customer service and policies. They make it extremely difficult to get out of contract and even when it’s expired they automatically renew it without a formal/courtesy call.
WORST COMPANY EVER LIES AFTER LIES DONT TRUST AND GET IN THIS MESS!!!
Tony Ecker
A long hard stretch it’s been But Shift 4 has made good on all their promises and have fixed 95% of all the problems we have had. I have used Future POS for a long time and believe it to be one of the best POS software’s. DBS is our dealer and they have been through a lot to make good on our system.
Kristine Hill
I too have been continuously charged monthly, although I have not used them since 2018. I will be blocking them through my bank. I had cancelled them when I moved my business and used square. I contacted them again and cancelled. I ended up with them through the acquisition of my previous company. I would love to participate in a class action lawsuit against them. They are thieves and prey on businesses whose resources are spread thinly. I can’t even get anyone on the phone. I waited for “the next available representative” for 25 minutes before I hung up.
Horrid business!!!
woody adam
I was just inquiring about the service. Now, I keep getting a DocuSign forcing us to sign.
I don’t know how to get rid of this company.
the rep is from Southfield Michigan I would not ever give any information.
be careful it is not a good company to do business with.
DG
3dCart and Shift4 payments …. what a joke. I never had an issue with 3dCart until Shift4Shop took over and changed payment processing. Free website if you use Shift4 payments .. okay, sounds good. NO. They decided I didn’t meet their criteria for card processing and closed my account, in closing they also said they refunded every credit card I processed through them. Not only did my customers receive their product but they also received it for free. This has been a NIGHTMARE and getting my money back seems to be impossible. Stay away, use someone else. I’m using Square again and not having any problems.
Mike
100% worst company on the planet. Do not trust these people. They mess with your statements and combine them so you can’t tell what you are being charged for in a batch. We also had charges come into our account for 4 months prior. Customers calling and screaming that they were illegally charged. Good luck explaining to tech support that speaks in broken English. We sold our company and they gave all of our data to the new owners and then locked us out. We cannot do quarterly tax payments nor end of year processing because they dropped our database. I contacted the State Attorney Generals office so hopefully they will get sued.
MIchelle Foyt
I switched companies because shift4 is corrupt. when we switched (which is now 2 years and 4 cancellations later) they never topped charging us! we still pay $500 a month even though its been 2 years!!!! Even though we returned everything right away!!! Two years later and a million phone calls later which they right out lie to you on each call! you don’t think any company would do that right? No, they are soooo overly nice, say you have done everything right, say they owe you $money and they are returning it to you now…NOPE…they just repeat that you never cancelled, even though you have done it 4 times already and they LIE! Save yourself a major heartache…DO NOT TRUST SHIFT4.
Tony Ecker
Unbelievably incompetent!!!
I have been a Future user and support for 10 years. After being purchased by Shift 4 and being forced to switch hardware the past 4 years have been the most frustrating and stressfull of my life. And non of it has been Covid related… In one instance they direct shipped me three seperate stations, three weeks in a row, with No Hard drives. This was to replace a station they had just installed one month earlier… Follow that up with the EMV devices only working half of the time. Then they sent me four different sets of replacements, non of which worked. Most recently I was sent yet Another station to replace an on going issue, and they station they sent me doesnt fit and I was told by the dealer I should just buy my own because shift 4 can’t help.
I could go on and on. Please at all cost avoid dealing with this company, at least in the North East.
Sean
My company has been using Shift4 the entire time ive been with them(5 Years). I worked in Business department so i dealt with Shift4 all the time. The biggest blessing of quit my job is literally not having to deal with Shift4 anymore. Straight up WORST Company EVER!!!
1) EVERY INVOICE HAD A PRICE INCREASE. Yes over the 5 years every single invoice the price went up ( we have many merchants) so the prices didnt increase just a little it was terrible, idk how its not price gouging.
2) ISSUES ON ISSUES. The support is the absolute worst, id have to call back again and again cuz either the person on the phone didnt know how to do anything, they would LIE and tell me they cant help(which they could, they just passing it off), or they would just say theyll look into it and reach back to me which a phone call would never come.
3) we had BIG ISSUES like when our monthly list needs to run, we have automatic charges that run (for example everyone that pays on the 1st of month the CC runs automatically totaling near $200K).. a Couple times our monthly billing straight DID NOT Run and we were out HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of dollars because of shift4, the worst time this issue didnt get fixed for a near week we were just out $200K.
4) hardly ever got someone that spoke English, sounded like i was calling the heart of India..
I wouldnt do business with Shift4 again after the personal terrible experience with them for 5 years.
JOHN E PETZINGER
My first and only experience with Shift4 Payments was 8/21/21 at Petco Park, San Diego, where it is the only payment processor for all merchants. During the entire game, NOONE COULD BUY ANY FOOD OR DRINKS because ShiftyShit was “down” the entire time. I read later that this was a nationwide problem for them. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. Furthermore, I will not attend another Padres game until they are replaced!
Lisa Fredrickson
Not worth the free website. These guys are holding a deposit 5 days = not 48 hours – they suck and I am ready to go back to paying for my site and using Square which posts payments the same day.
Michelle
I haven’t used shift four since October of last year but they are still charging me every month up to $200 for no transactions! The messed thing is it varies as if I have different transaction totals each month! Horrible company! Not an intelligent one, I can see the lawsuits!
Michael
Have you had any success with this? I’m having the same issue. This is a class action lawsuit waiting to happen. Anyone involved with this company should be ashamed.
Ezzat
Bad service for my business restaurant
Ivonne
Horrible experience with this company!! Never go with them. The worse customer service.
K Hazaveh
Shift 4 took over my merchant card services in 2020 and their sweet talking lies about GREAT rates signed me into a contract which auto renews your obligation every year for another year. I was lied to and told I am only obligated for first year.
Then they told me to sign up for harbor light online access to get reports and statements emailed. I did but didn’t get any statements for a year. Also he conveniently failed to mention that it costs $17/ mo for something that should be included in all their other B S monthly fees
Well the rate he promised was a lie. I got charged 2.5 times that. And every 3-4 months they raised their fees. They again lie and blame the CC companies for all of them.
I called this year before my renewal and complained and wanted to renegotiate and lower rates but they again lied and said we’ll call you right back. They didn’t. I called a couple of more times and finally they said it’s too late to cancel as your contract auto-renewed!
I left these crooks and went to my local banks that appreciate my business and are not i e cold thieves. I have to pay their monthly fees for 11 more months but it’s worth it just to get rid of them and stopping the $$ hemorrhage. STAY AWAY OR CUT TGEM LOOSE.
Al Want
Shift AWAY from Shift4. Since 2018 acquisition of Shift4 by HarborTouch processing, customer service has dropped significantly. When Covid slowed the economy, Shift4 was quick to start removing THEIR fee from every daily deposit (instead of previous monthly debit) but when there are issues on their end causing ‘funding delays’, they’re slow to act causing 24 hour delays in deposits into merchant accounts. We’re moving to a new processor ASAP.
Patty Hart
Shift 4 payments SUCKS!! Don’t ever ever never use Harbortouch because of shift 4 payments!!!!!!!🤯😕
Paul Shelton
I was lured to Shift 4. From day one it was a disaster, they just called and changed me over and no one even talked to me. Then I kept getting tips declined. I spent hours on the phone everyday. Then they were getting some of the tips , but I spent more time trying to track which tips were paid and which weren’t. I was finally after 2 weeks told they had a maximum tip and if it was over 20% it would decline. They tried to blame the banks at first. I said in 7 years I have never had a tip decline on an approved sale. Then they said they fixed the problem. Yet I still had the problem, everyday 5 to7 tips declining. Then I called them on the phone one day to fix a tip, and they voided an approved sale of $50. I called back and they said they tried to rerun it and it declined. I said you were at fault not me. They refused to pay it. Tips kept declining. I finally after 4 weeks switched back to my old processor. Now they want to hold me to a contract, which they failed to live up to and charge me $60 a month for a year. Worst company, worst customer service and most incompetent people I have ever worked with. BEWARE. They prey on small businesses..
Anthony Saglimbene
I recently switched to shit4 payments as they acquired 3dcart. I was excited to try them, what a mistake. They stole $600 out of my business account and claimed to have returned it to my customers. They cancelled my CC processing account without explanation. I had to email CS for an explanation.
Now I’m getting the run around. After reading everything here I am not hopeful I will see this money again. STAY AWAY FROM THEM. It’s not worth it.
Scott Christy
I have been with Shift4/Harbortouch for 4 years due to a signed contract. Every part of Shift4 is a horror story. They are totally incompetent and over charge bigtime. They have a unwritten policy of ripping you off for the duration of your contract and then they know they will lose you; but make a huge profit from you until you can get out of the contract… which will of course cost you. I wish I could post who I am going to next because I am going to be saving a ton of money.
Bob Steele
Shift4 or HarboutTouch
In February of 2020 I signed an agreement to get a new POS system from HarbourTouch systems
In March Covid-19 hit and killed the bar and restaurant business. Luckily I had not taken delivery of ANY equipment, absolutely NONE. So Shift4 was really not vested in anything. It would be really simple for them to just cancel.
I called and explained that I am closed and losing money and that they have no equipment here and nothing really invested. I asked them to please cancel all the paperwork and that I may be going out of business and have lost my life savings.
Shift4’s response to that was: but Sir, you signed the paperwork, you can cancel after one year.
I explained again that you have done ZERO processing and have ZERO equipment here, please cancel everything. Again the reply was Sir you signed the paperwork.
WHAT A HORRIBLE HEARTLESS COMPANY. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH SHIFT4
Shift4 or HarboutTouch
Christian F
Feeling your pain. They are unreal. Been with HarborTouch since 2014… having 6 yrs of data for forecasting is the only thing keeping me with them. At this point and the continued endless hours of emails, texts, and working with tech support… I’m ready to request that they send me a paycheck. Do Not Do Business With These crooks. … I’ve been dealing with their crap for too long now. Square For Resturants is looking better and better every day. Might be worth biting the bullet and losing the data at this point and start fresh again. Run… do not walk away from HarborTouch/ Shift4Payments…. RUN!!!!
kim gray
i am a business owner. shift 4 has owed me money since August 2020 584.50 to be exact.
it has been 3 months now and several calls to them every week. shift 4 keeps telling the money will be in my account in 7-10 business days several times. I am now on the phone again with Shift 4, have been on hold for over a hour while they look into my account again.
do not use this company. If nothing is done today i am getting a lawyer.
kasey kenley
Harbortouch and shift 4 customer service is horrible the system has went down 4 times in less than a month and has cost me to lose more than $557.00 in revenue. You call for Tech support can’t get anyone to answer the phone. This is the worst system I’ve seen.
amoroma
Example of their SCAM marketing::
(actual email)
Hello,
My name is Jimmy Navarro and I am the Channel Sales Manager with Shift4 Payments. We have recently acquired Merchant Link who integrates with Oracle/Micros for your Credit Card processing Gateway Services. Your existing Gateway will be SHUT DOWN December 31, 2019. As such, if you do not upgrade your payments Gateway with Micros, you will not be able to process credit cards as of the aforementioned date.
I fully understand this may come as distressing news, however rest assured this change is taking place to support your business from a security and technological standpoint, of which I will be happy to explain via telephone.
Also, here are some of the Major Benefits of switching to the the PCI compliant Gateway:
NO Gateway Fees – (All Merchant Link Fees will be waived on the Gateway)
FREE EMV Chip Card Readers (Includes Lifetime Replacement Warranty & Upgrades)
FREE Pay at the Table EMV Devices (Retail for $699)
Point to Point Encryption – PCI Validated Processing – $0 PCI Fees
Offline Payment Mode (Accept PCI Validated Payments with no Internet Connection)
Match Existing Processing Rates (Your rates will not increase)
Please call or email as soon as possible to get your paperwork submitted before December 31, 2019 to avoid loss of services.
Jimmy Navarro
Channel Sales Manager
Office: 702.597.2480 x3204 / 702.506.6269
1551 Hillshire Drive | Las Vegas, NV 89134
This post will help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors
-Phillip
Bobby B
How is this a scam? I went to Merchant Links Website and it looks like Shift4 purchased them.
Matt Bruno
Merchant Link was purchased by Shift4 ~9/2019 and have announced they are shutting down parts of the gateway which include specific connections that do not support EMV processing. If you are using EMV, from my understanding, you’d be able to continue using that solution – however there will very likely be some changes to that service due to the purchase (which is to be expected in any purchase).
It’s very important anyone using Micros (or any other POS using Merchant Link as the gateway) understand there are multiple options to continue using Micros. Some options include Paygistix, Freedom Pay, and Elavon – but there’s others. I highly recommend talking with your Micros support person and doing your own internet searches to understand all the options available.
Jason Permenter
We had our account compromised where are deposits are made. Harbortouch sent me paperwork to change my account info but they were also going to charge me for the account change. I talked to them about better pricing and not charging me for the routing number change. They were not helpful. I then changed to a new merchant and bank. It has now been a month and Shift4 and Harbortouch still has not released the $4000 they owe me.
This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money
-Phillip
Steve Barbey
Horrible nightmare company.
CPO
Hi Steve,
Could you please elaborate on your experience to give other merchants an idea of how it went?
Aaron
Phillip,
This is not the place for me to share this specifically, but:
The “no ETF” are really just a fancy way of saying “NON-cancellable…” I am saying this from experience, on the phone with HT. Not only that, but they seem to attempt to take advantage of you, by spouting misinformation(contrary to company letters, or contracts) about the amount you will owe them monthly for not processing. I would not recommend, at all.
Mary
This company force you to use your cell phone. I do not have a company cell phone, as I have no need for it, and I will not use my private cell phone for company work. I cannot do some items, because Shift 4 (I do not work for them) force me to use a cell phone. My job is not going to provide me a cell phone for ONE company! Shift 4 since you are having these demands, are you going to provide me a cell phone to work with YOUR product?
This post will help: Top-Rated Merchant Account Providers
-Phillip
benjamin adams
Avoid at all cost. Do not get roped in with their promises of super low processing fees. This processing company does not have consistent processing fees, the come up with new ways to add fees monthly. When you finally talk to the right customer service rep. they say they will remove some of the fees which you shouldnt have been charged but they never credit you. Terminating your account is an absolute nightmare and will cost an exuberant mount. Scam artist at their finest with this processing company
This post will help: Find and Eliminate Fees From Your Monthly Statement
– Phillip
Brent
Shift4 is easily the slowest credit card reader on the market since the invention of the cc reader. If you would rather play with an Atari instead of a PS4, then by all means Shift4 is just for you. Average time per credit card transactions are 26-32 seconds. Most machines average 5-8 seconds so think about that if you work in high volume retail and how much production you will lose. I work with this junk equipment everyday and everyday I make less money because of this slow generic equipment. And feel free to check out their aweful BBB reviews from merchants about Shift4/Harbortouch. Trust me, you don’t want these machines anywhere near your business!
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best High Volume Merchant Accounts
Henry
This company has the worst customer service and policies. They make it extremely difficult to get out of contract and even when it’s expired they automatically renew it without a formal/courtesy call. So we returned 1 of the 2 equipment they sent us (cause I could not find the second one) then when we found the second one they said they never even received the first one! Luckily I kept the tracking number but even with that they could not verify what we returned. So they withdrew $200 from our account until they verify what was returned. WORST COMPANY EVER LIES AFTER LIES DONT TRUST AND GET IN THIS MESS!!!
Edward Burris
From what we’re seeing in the field, Positouch, FuturePOS, Restaurant Manager are telling merchants to either switch to Shift4 Payments or pay an additional $89.00 per month for using their provider of choice. They’re not correcting anything. I’ll get a correspondence between merchant and Shift4 Payments/Harbortouch
mike
Plus a per transaction fee starting at 3 cents
Alex
I was working with a customer who has a FuturePOS. When he went to switch processors for a better deal, they said it would cost an additional $100 per month plus $0.05 per transaction. I was surprised by this high transaction cost.