Square Review

Name: Square Review
Item: Square
Rating: 3.5
Author: Phillip Parker

Credit Card Processors
July 16, 2021
2199 User Reviews

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Square Overview

Urgent Update Due to recent industry changes, we have made important updates to our processor recommendations for 2021. Please review them here to make sure you are taking advantage of the lowest rates.

Rating

 3.5/5

Website

(855) 351-2274

Most Recent Comment

Earl: says:

July 26, 2021

"This company should be investigated and the ones running it put in prison! They basically stole my money! Been a year and still can't get my money.

Reply Leave Your Own Comment

See All User Comments

See The Processors That Rock!

Rating:

 3.5/5

View Rates & Fees

(855) 351-2274

Most Recent Comment

Earl: says:

July 26, 2021

"This company should be investigated and the ones running it put in prison! They basically stole my money! Been a year and still can't get my money.

Reply Leave Your Own Comment

Got an Opinion? Leave a Review.

Focusing on Square for Small Business Owners

Unlike most Square (squareup.com) reviews, this review primarily covers the topics that matter to most merchants and small business owners rather than Square’s technology. Square is often called “Square up” or “Squareup” because of the domain that Square uses for its website; however, the official name for this company is “Square.” For the purposes of this review, the two names will be used interchangeably.

Is Square Holding Your Funds Right Now?

Thousands of merchants have had their payments frozen by Square. If you’re one of them, then you might find these resources helpful:

Started by the Twitter Guy

Founded in February of 2009 by Jack Dorsey, who is also the founder of Twitter, Square has grown into a large, publicly-owned company (NYSE: SQ) in a very small amount of time and spawned tons of competitors. Much of the company’s success can be attributed to the fact that this payment service provider has ingeniously broken the mold of mobile credit card processing by removing the traditional barriers that restricted processing services to actual businesses, thereby bringing credit card acceptance to everyone.

How Square Makes Money

Quick Sign-up and Intuitive Design

Signing up for the company’s payment processing service is simple: simply visit Square’s website to sign up. The credit card readers plug into the headphone jack (aka Square swiper) or charging port, or it can connect via Bluetooth to a contactless card reader thereby turning it into a mobile credit card machine. In fact, the app has been so successful that it has inspired numerous competitors, including both big-name competitors and fledgling startups.

Other Square Services

Since the launch of its card reader and mobile app, Square has rolled out several other payment services for both business and personal use.
Square Register is a point-of-sale (POS) device that is intended as an all-in-one payment terminal for retail businesses. The product — which can be purchased for $999 upfront or $49 per month for 24 months — also comes with a lower transaction fee. Users can also purchase the older “Square Stand” which acts as an iPad mount and card reader in one unit.
Square Terminal is a wireless point-of-sale (POS) device that is designed to replace your conventional countertop credit card terminal. Square Terminal costs $399 upfront or $37 per month for 12 months and comes with a swiped fee of 2.6% plus $0.10. It can accept EMV and NFC payments and has a built-in printer.
Square Online Store is an online store builder for selling products over the internet. The platform is simple to use and quick to set up with the only cost of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction and no monthly fees.

Square for Retail is a point-of-sale system specifically designed for brick-and-mortar retailers. The service is similar to Register but includes a revamped checkout process as well as additional features such as enhanced inventory management, employee accounts, cost of goods sold, purchase orders, vendor lists, and more.
Square Cash is a direct peer-to-peer cash transfer service that is linked to a user’s debit card. Cash sends payments via email and smartphone and allows for free transfers of funds between users. The service is not targeted at business owners, but they may use it to make payments outside of a business setting.
Square Capital is a merchant cash advance program that can be activated from the dashboard in the Square Register. Square Capital allows merchants to receive a large upfront cash amount and then pay that total back over time with a fixed percentage of their daily credit card sales.

Additional Square Offerings

Square has also recently launched a virtual terminal, an order-ahead app called “Square Order,” an online invoicing feature called “Square Invoices,” an online scheduler called “Square Appointments,” and an offline processing mode that enables merchants to capture payments even when their internet is down.

Costs & Contract: Square charges only 2.75% per swiped transaction or 3.15% per keyed-in transaction with no monthly fees, annual fees, or long-term contracts and offers lower rates to users based on their business type or the proprietary hardware they use to host the payment processing platform.
Complaints & Service: Square has received more than 2,300 public complaints and offers only limited phone support.
BBB Rating: Square has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 5,023 complaints and 381 reviews in the past 3 years.
Sales & Marketing: Square is extremely transparent about its simple pricing model, but merchants may not receive proper advance warning during the signup process that they are at risk of having their funds held.
Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Square

Square Rates, Fees, and Costs

Cost Summary

Swiped Rate	2.60% + $0.10
Keyed-in Rate	3.5% + $0.15
Square Terminal Rate	2.60% + $0.10
Square for Restaurants Rate	2.60% + $0.10
Square for Retail Rate	2.50% + $0.10
Square Register Rate	2.50% + $0.10
Square Online Store	2.90% + $0.30
Early Termination Fee	$0
Monthly Minimum	$0
Instant Deposit	1%

Square’s Fees are Simple

One of the most appealing aspects of Square is that, unlike traditional credit card processors, Square credit card processing has only one fee: a per-transaction processing fee. The company does not charge any other fees that are typical of credit card processing, such as activation fees, monthly fees, gateway fees, PCI Compliance fees, downgrade fees, and early termination fees. Square has no additional monthly fees whatsoever as well as no monthly minimum processing fees or requirements.

Fees for Square Reader and Square Stand

Square used to offer a very competitively priced magnetic stripe card reader, but following the switch to chip cards in the U.S., users are encouraged to purchase the new chip card reader at a still-low cost of only $49. The company offers a single processing fee option for all merchants using Square Reader or Square Stand, its two flagship pieces of hardware: a flat rate of 2.60% plus $0.10 for swiped transactions and 3.5% + $0.15 for keyed-in transactions. Alternatively, the company provides other rates for merchants from businesses in different industries. Square for Restaurant’s rate is also 2.60% plus $0.10 while Square for Retail charges 2.5% plus $0.10. Invoice payments are processed at a rate of 2.75%. The company allows merchants to deposit into their bank accounts on the next day for free or instantly for 1% of the amount being transferred.

Square formerly offered a plan that included a flat monthly fee of $275 and 0% on swiped transactions up to $250,000 in processing per year, but this plan was discontinued as of February 2014.

Square Register Costs and Fees

The revamped Square Register that Square launched in October 2017 comes with a lower per-transaction rate of 2.5% plus $0.10. In order to receive this lower rate, merchants need to purchase the Square Register itself for either $799 upfront or 24 payments of $39. It will take a long time before the savings most merchants experience on a per-transaction basis will offset the cost of the equipment, so merchants should be sure that they have a need for the Square Register hardware before buying it.

Square Terminal Costs and Fees

Merchants can buy Square Terminal outright for $399 or pay 12 monthly installments of $37. Square also offers a $300 statement credit for new Square users, which is intended to bring the effective cost of the terminal down to $99. Transactions processed through Square Terminal are cheaper than normal Square transactions but more expensive than Square Register transactions, coming in at 2.6% plus $0.10. Manually entered credit card payments will be charged Square’s keyed-in rate of 3.5% plus $0.15.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, the company also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services, the Square Online Store. Merchants making transactions through this e-commerce portal are charged a flat fee of 2.90% plus $0.30.

How Square’s Fees Compare

Although the company’s standard transaction rate is higher than the “Qualified” and debit rates of most traditional merchant accounts, it is comparable to the “Mid-Qualified” and “Non-Qualified” downgrade surcharges that about 80% of most transactions experience with a traditional merchant account anyway. The 2.75% rate is, however, much more expensive than a competitive Interchange Pass-through rate pricing plan.

Some Things You Need to Watch Out For

Square does not verify the credit history of its customers prior to approving an account, so it sets a few limitations to avoid potential losses to fraud.

Square states that there is no limit to the amount of money that can be accepted per transaction or per month through its service – which is only partially true. Instead of setting processing limitations and denying transactions once a user reaches a limit (a tactic used by most other providers), the company relies on other methods to mitigate potential losses due to fraud. These methods allow merchants to accept an “unlimited” single transaction amount as well as “unlimited” monthly sales volumes, but with a catch.

Square’s Policies on Holding Your Money

Until November 2013, Square placed holds on funds of card-not-present sales for 30 days if more than $2,002 was charged within any rolling seven-day period. This meant that if a merchant keyed in $2,100 in sales within a seven-day period (either in a single transaction or in multiple transactions), the extra $98 ($2,100 – $2,002 = $98) would be held by Square for 30 days. This policy generated a lot of confusion among users because Square did not provide any warning before the $2,002 limit was reached. Square now claims that merchants can process transactions of any type and any size without having to worry about a processing limit, but this claim is not entirely accurate.

Square’s Fraud Triggers Can Be Scary

The primary tactic Square currently uses to limit fraud is much less transparent than its previous rolling reserve policy and is the reason for the company’s low score in this section. Square appears to rely on undisclosed algorithmic “risk factors” to place automatic holds on transactions that it deems suspicious. The system appears to flag a high number of legitimate transactions and can cause serious problems for some merchants. Numerous complaints have surfaced stating that Square has randomly and without explanation, or notification, placed lengthy holds (exceeding 30 days) on their funds—even those that were swiped in person. When a transaction is flagged, Square will either contact the merchant to obtain additional information about the merchant or the transaction, or it will simply deactivate the merchant’s account.

More Transparency Needed For Risky Transactions

This protocol allows Square to publicly claim that it does not hold its merchants’ funds because the withheld funds technically belong to “deactivated” Square merchants rather than “active” Square merchants. Square’s policies regarding fund holding and risk mitigation are very murky and make the service quite risky for higher volume merchants. It appears that the company needs to do a much better job of educating merchants about the types of transactions that could result in account deactivation. Potential steps that the company could take include issuing a warning prior to processing transactions that will be held, notifying merchants immediately once transactions have been held, and communicating with merchants through the hold process.

Some Minor Improvements Could Raise Square’s Rating

In most respects, Square has very favorable pricing and contract terms for merchants. It has a simple signup process, affordable equipment costs, no monthly fees or long-term contracts, and easy-to-understand pricing. However, sudden account deactivation can greatly impact a merchant’s operations, so the grade for this section will not enter “A” territory until Square improves its risk mitigation procedure.

Square Complaints & Customer Reviews

Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints	2,300+
Live Customer Support	Active Merchants Only
Most Common Complaint	Fund Holds

Where Square Falls Short

Another area that Square comes up short in this review is its customer service. For a company that has only been around for a few years, Square is racking up a lot of complaints (more than 2,300 just in our comment section below). The majority of the complaints fall into three areas: virtually nonexistent phone support, confusion regarding its hold policy, and reports of random fund-holding or account deactivation exceeding 30 days with no explanation or communication from Square.

Square Lawsuits

In 2018, Square settled a class-action lawsuit filed against its food delivery service “Caviar”. The company was alleged to have withheld money from delivery workers left by customers as gratuities from 2012 to 2015 and agreed to pay $2.2 million dollars under the settlement.

We have found evidence of multiple other lawsuits from the last few years. In 2019 Square was accused of mishandling the way it dealt with information concerning payments for medical procedures. The suit was dismissed with prejudice later that year.

In another class-action suit, Square faces charges of holding large amounts of funds from merchants that it deemed high risk. Square has received numerous complaints relating to these charges over the years, and this case is ongoing.

A 2021 class-action suit has been brought against Square and other major credit card processing companies over what the complainants call price-fixing over the use of the interchange fee.

A potentially major suit was brought against Square CEO Jack Dorsey in 2021, in which a Twitter shareholder claims that Twitter gives “broad access” to user data to advertisers and that Square, Dorsey’s other company, has “benefitted wildly from this disregard for privacy.” The suit has wide-ranging implications for Square if it succeeds, as it seeks to remove Dorsey from Twitter and force both companies to undergo major reforms.

Square Customer Support Options

The company appears to rely too heavily on customer service provided by email, its support forum, and social media. This is a big drawback for many business owners, especially for those who are not willing to wait for a response through email, Twitter, or other social media channels. The company does have a customer support phone number that operates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PDT (see How to Contact Square), but merchants must request and receive a code from the Square website in order to actually reach a representative.

Only Active Accounts Get Real-time Help

Phone support codes are only provided to active Square merchants, meaning that any Square user who has had his or her account deactivated will still be unable to reach the company by phone. It is our position that deactivated merchants are the merchants who have the greatest need for phone support, so this customer support line is only a minor step forward for Square. Business owners who prefer to have access to full-time, in-house support staff are better off choosing a conventional merchant account provider.

Long Wait Times

Regardless of whether they contacted the company by phone or email, merchants are reporting wait times of up to several days before getting a response from Square. Numerous users have also reported that Square has failed to respond to their support requests in a satisfactory manner. For many reviewers, it seems inexcusable for a financial services company this large to not have readily available live support for all of its users.

Beware Square Phishing Scams

At the time of a previous update, we heard from a number of non-Square users who claimed to receive emails from Square regarding non-existent accounts. These emails typically state that Square is having trouble depositing some amount into the user’s account and that the user will need to supply account details to receive their payment. These emails are very likely to be Square phishing scams.

These scams are designed to trick you into providing personal information, and they do not have any connection to the actual company Square. If you receive an email regarding your Square account, and you are sure that you do not have a Square account, forward that email to [email protected] so that the company can investigate the source of the scam.

Square could greatly improve its rating in this section by allowing all merchants to access its customer support phone line and by better communicating its hold policies.

Square BBB Rating Summary

BBB Summary

Product & Service Complaints	3,626
Billing & Collection Complaints	1,115
Advertising & Sales Complaints	65
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints	18
Delivery Complaints	199

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.

Square’s BBB Complaints on the Rise

As of this update, the Better Business Bureau is reporting an “A+” rating for Square despite 5,023 complaints filed in the last 36 months. The Square complaint total has skyrocketed from just a few dozen complaints since we first published this review in April of 2011. Surprisingly, the BBB has also raised Square’s grade from a “B+” in July of 2013 to an “A+” despite the rising complaint volume.

How the Complaints Break Down

Of the 5,023 total complaints, 3,626 are regarding problems with service, 1,115 with billing and collection disputes, 199 with delivery problems, 65 with advertising and sales issues, and 18 due to guarantee or warranty issues. The BBB previously added a note stating that it has received many complaints regarding Square’s fund-withholding procedures. Square responded by quoting its Terms of Use policies and referring to the help section of its website. It does not seem to have made any tangible change to its fund-holding policy in response to this notice. Square has successfully resolved 1,773 complaints, while the remaining 3,250 either were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant. It should be noted that this is a major decline in closed complaints, as at the time of our last update, Square was closing about half of their complaints.

What Merchants Say

Square has also received 381 informal reviews to its BBB profile, with only 6 positive in tone and 375 negative. The most recent review describes potentially fraudulent charges and a lack of customer service:

********************** took money from our new business account. A recent new startup business. They claimed it was from a different business that was closed long ago, that was in someone else’s name. It had nothing to do with us. We provided them with all the documentation they requested yet they kept trying to debit the account, costing us a lot of money in fees. We were eventually forced to close the account just to stop them from debiting. Fortunately the bank manager had been through this with customers who use ********************** before and sided with us. The ********************** “Customer Success” team was absolutely horrific. It literally took weeks to speak to a real person. They lied to us multiple times, on recorded calls. Even telling us, more than once, that the “Recovery Team” doesn’t have phones (yes, they actually said that)They have done nothing to resolve the costs they incurred us. They cannot give us any details of the supposed transaction(s), dates, company, customer or any other information on why they fraudulently (in my opinion) took money to begin with. We have, to date, spent over 40 hours trying to resolve this issue with **********************. Finally, after nearly two months a real person called. The end result was they still refuse to pay us back for what they cost us and still insist we owed them money. They offered to issue us a “******” for the amount!. The thing is, we DON’T owe them. Never have.

This merchant would be better served by one of our top-rated processors.

A “C” Performance

Due to the company’s high complaint count compared, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “C” for the purposes of this review.

Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers	No
Advertises Deceptive Rates	No
Discloses All Important Terms	No

How Square is Different

Square differs greatly from traditional credit card processors in terms of how it markets and sells its service. While most merchant account providers utilize poorly trained outside independent agents who are focused on setting high fees in exchange for big commissions, Square relies on online marketing and partnerships with retailers. Nearly all of Square’s users sign up directly through the homepage of the company’s website or by purchasing a reader at a store. Square has also benefited from an enormous amount of online buzz and word-of-mouth promotion.

Beware of Processing Limitations

Square markets its pricing with a straightforward and easy-to-understand message (covered later in this review); however, the company fails to mention anything about its account cancellation and risk mitigation policies in its marketing materials and advertising placements. These policies have caused significant problems for many merchants, and some business owners have even complained of large financial losses. Many merchants who find themselves in the crosshairs of Square’s underwriting department would be better served by a high-risk specialist or high-volume merchant account provider. Due to the risk posed by Square’s fund holding policies, and the fact that Square allows merchants to run transactions that may trigger account cancellation without any prior warning, many merchants have complained of misleading marketing by the company. Hence, we have lowered Square’s grade in this section to a “B” rating.

Sales & Marketing Example

Our Opinion Of Square

Good for Entry-Level, Questionable for Real Businesses

Square is definitely on the right track with providing an easy credit card processing solution with no long-term commitments and no monthly fees. However, the service is proving to have some major drawbacks for higher volume merchants because of murky fund holding policies and poor customer support. It appears that Square is best suited for individuals who have an occasional need to accept a credit card payment, such as babysitters, flea market vendors, or small retail and restaurant businesses. The service does not appear to be a good fit for merchants that either have a high volume of credit card sales or that sell high-ticket items.

About Phillip Parker

Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

I’m a small business owner who previously worked in the credit card processing industry. I started this blog in 2009 to help other business owners by exposing credit card processors that engage in unethical marketing, rate and fee trickery, and fine-print-contract schemes. Over the last decade, I’ve reviewed hundreds of merchant services providers which has helped to educate over 5 million businesses on the nuances of credit and debit card acceptance. I’ve appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Inc. Magazine and a host of other publications to offer insight on the subject of card acceptance.

Need expert help? Learn how we can assist you here.

I offer merchant account and credit card processing consultation for the following needs:

Selecting the right credit card processing services for your business.
Reducing credit card processing fees with your current merchant account provider.
Negotiating credit card processing fees when changing merchant accounts.
Strategies for reducing and recovering funding holds and chargebacks.

Schedule a call with me today!

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Leave Your Review For Square

2,199 Responses

Earl says:

July 27, 2021 at 2:18 am

My taxi
This company should be investigated and the ones running it put in prison! They basically stole my money! Been a year and still can’t get my money.

Reply
Earl says:

July 26, 2021 at 4:25 pm

My taxi
Been holding my money for a year. Won’t let me talk to anyone. Stay away.

Reply
ANONYMUS says:

July 22, 2021 at 1:12 pm

anonymus
Beware…..if you want your money do not i repeat do not use square or square up
Company business practices should be investigated……..class action lawsuit should be
made

Beware beware beware

Reply
Elijah says:

July 14, 2021 at 3:21 pm

Doesn't matter. I probably have to shut my business down now
Same as everyone else. They have witheld funds multiple times. But today in the middle of 3 projects I’m starting they froze the payments I took and the money in the square account and I was on E about 50 miles from home. I couldn’t pay my workers and I couldn’t finish buying supplies. This might actually ruin my business and reputation that I worked hard to build. They are withholding over $9k from me. Today was the last strand with them. I am beyond upset and tired of their bad business practice. I’m not sure if I’ll get the funds back. Just when I finally got ahead of things I probably have to refund these owners and still will owe my workers. Square ruins your business, it doesn’t help it. They should seriously be sued and shut down.

Reply
graham mueller says:

July 14, 2021 at 1:10 pm

holistic human hemp
Square is hiding in the bushes waiting to rip businesses off just when they get some momentum; they hold funds for no reason, don’t have customer service and turn a blind eye to small business. Square is bad for small business.

Reply
Paradise says:

July 13, 2021 at 5:15 pm

Jumoke planned it
Square has took money from my business, and refuses to tell me what account they have sent my funds too! They won’t even acknowledge that they have charged me a fee to instant deposit and still haven’t given
Me my funds,

Reply
Dr. John W. Radke M.S. PhD. says:

July 13, 2021 at 3:26 pm

Buffalo Valley Counseling Center
Square is a bad company. They took money out of my customers Credit Card $805.00 and put it my Bank. Then I had to refund the money and they charged me a transfer fee for their mistake. I emailed them 20 times and they never answered. I called them with a customer code and they said it was not vallid. What a rip off Company. If your thinking about them forget it. Go with Pay pal.

Reply
mickey L koelling says:

July 12, 2021 at 6:10 pm

Commercial Recovery Specialist
Very poor customer service real clowns for what they charge. Beware they are a horrible company to be involved in your finances

Reply
Thomas McEniry says:

July 12, 2021 at 2:24 pm

All Pro Roadside
Square took money from our new business…
Square took money from our new business account. A recent new startup business. They claimed it was from a different business that was closed long ago, that was in someone else’s name. It had nothing to do with us. We provided them with all the documentation they requested yet they kept trying to debit the account, costing us a lot of money in fees. We were eventually forced to close the account just to stop them from attempting to debit it. Fortunately the bank manager had been through this with customers who use Square before and sided with us.

The Square “Customer Success” team was absolutely horrific. It literally took weeks to speak to a real person. They lied to us multiple times, on recorded calls. Even telling us, more than once, that the “Recovery Team” doesn’t have phones (yes, they actually said that) So, were have never been allowed to talk to anyone who knows why they are taking money.

We have, to date, spent over 40 hours trying to resolve this issue with Square. Finally, after nearly two months a real person called. He, even said that the “Recovery Team” doesn’t have phones. Ridiculous!
The end result of the conversation was they still refuse to pay us back what they cost us and still insist we somehow owe them money, but they’d give us a credit and forgive us our debt.
The thing is, we DON’T owe them. Never have. Quite the opposite.

Square refuses to square up with us.

Reply
J dynak says:

July 12, 2021 at 10:25 am

Justin tyme
Have had square for years and had fraudulent charges on my account and they knew about them and they still let it happen and now they said sorry your out the money

Reply
Victoria says:

July 10, 2021 at 6:32 pm

Closing soon after square messed my money up
Square is a rip off I’ve been selling mask and now more apparel. They freez my account 2 weeks now. Unlock it 5 hrs. Then freeze it because of a 200 sale. Money is missing from my account. Dont use them!!! No way to call in without there fake code that doesn’t exist…

Reply
Mohammad zakzok says:

July 8, 2021 at 1:35 pm

S & M Towing, LLC
The worst processor I’ve ever used in my life. It seems like they just want to make quick money off of their customers and then kick you to the curb and hold your money for months after working with them for years.

Reply
Nathaniel Pownell says:

June 8, 2021 at 11:44 am

Withholding $2,000 for “possible fraud”. Trying to get my business started but they’re screwing up my operation.

Reply
Robert says:

June 3, 2021 at 5:00 am

Their withholding 20 k

Reply
Claudette Pagano says:

May 27, 2021 at 6:19 pm

Square have been the most misleading, professional and illusive company that I have ever attempted to work with. Against my better judgement I gave them an opportunity and I sincerely regret it. Unacceptable and unethical business practices.

Reply
Samuel Cipolloni says:

May 17, 2021 at 11:17 am

They are the worst company that I have ever dealt with. Impossible to get a live person on the phone. They hold your money for no reason

Reply
Amanda says:

May 11, 2021 at 3:47 pm

Sold a car to a lady. $2500. Square is holding my funds. I’ve submitted everything they ask me for and they keep coming back saying they need more info. So I submit it and 2 days later they can’t verify the Info. What they can’t verify the xustomers address. Bull crap. Don’t use them. They will just take your money

Reply
Jeff N says:

April 22, 2021 at 11:06 am

Let’s be frank. When one business has another business handling > 90% of its revenue processing, it’s a business partnership. More-so when it’s been on-going for more than two years.
For one of the partners to declare, without any warning or advance notice, that the business relationship is immediately ended, no further discussion permitted, our decision is final, is scurrilous behavior. The Small Business Community shouldn’t tolerate it. It’s unacceptable.

During the 30-months or so I used Square for processing credit card payments to my small business, I received frequent e-mail and phone call solicitations from other payment processors. “Let’s talk!” they’d say. “We can save you money.”
“No, Thanks.” I’d always reply. “I’m happy with Square.”

Then, on April 20th, I was taking payment from a customer who had already received our service. I couldn’t get the card reader work. I tried again, and noticed the app was asking for my business address and banking info – as if I was just starting with Square. This was how I learned Square had deactivated my account. I still don’t know why.

Square Customer Service says “Refer to the email we sent to the business email address on file with Square.” I looked in every folder of that email address. I was never sent an email regarding a violation of terms or deactivation of my account.
The abrupt halt to my company’s ability to accept card payments has caused real, but probably short term, harm to my small business. Shame on you, Square. You should be ashamed.

Reply
Virginia Quade says:

April 20, 2021 at 11:27 am

We are a brand new business and Square has held our funds on our first transaction for over 2 weeks! We are an active account ( I assume since they accepted the payment from our customer), but I cannot get a customer code to contact support! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. How do I get this resolved?

Reply
Tonka Varga says:

April 14, 2021 at 11:51 am

I get maximum satisfaction any time I use kloviactools
They are simply the best and reliable

Reply
loannroe says:

April 7, 2021 at 2:04 pm

I have a terrible time trying to file sales tax for 2 years. The numbers does not match. Sales tax percent does not match. And customer service doesn’t know either. I have a hard time proving my numbers to the IRS because it is all wrong. Does anyone have this problem.?

Reply
Brian says:

March 26, 2021 at 6:11 pm

Signed up with Square thinking it was a simple and less costly option than my traditional card processor. The virtual terminal looked simple and first transaction when as expected – funds transferred to bank account just fine. The very next day processed $700 of charges – bad news as I was informed our account was disabled and funds would be held for a minimum of 90 days. It’s a hopeless situation as they don’t have customer service. I hope I get the funds after the 90 days, but after reading the reviews, I don’t know. I guess I’ll contact my representatives and senators to alert them of the bad business behavior of this company. Don’t be lured by the simplicity, and simple fees – DO NOT USE SQUARE FOR YOUR CREDIT CARD PROCESSING!

Reply
ROCKY ALAN BURGESS says:

March 9, 2021 at 4:18 pm

Square got me. I used them for years and now they want info they already process and keep asking for it over and over. Holding nearly 4k. They are thieves. I called 855-700-600 put in my customer code( a problem in itself) and was put through to account services only to be insulted and accused of being a possible criminal. If you have them leave now. Your turn is coming. This company is a ripoff. Time for a class action.

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Bill says:

March 9, 2021 at 1:47 pm

Back in October I enabled Square Payments on my Big Commerce website. Everything was fine the 1st two months, then in December I sold an item to someone who used Square Pay (mind you, this is THEIR OWN application). Before I had a chance to pack and ship it out I got an email from Square requesting all sorts of verification information…

Hello William,

Our system noticed some unusual activity on your Square account. To make sure we’re keeping Square a safe and transparent payment system for everyone—buyers and sellers alike—we’re suspending transfers to your bank account until we can confirm some of your information.

1. Please provide a copy of the customer(s) credit card processed for the transaction listed below:
• $96.50 MasterCard 2352 on 12/9/20, 12:10 pm

2. Please provide your customer’s state or government-issued identification. We’re able to accept these types of IDs: Driver’s License, Passport, Passport Card, State-issued Identification Card
• $96.50 MasterCard 2352 on 12/9/20, 12:10 pm

Again, this was an ONLINE sale, on my own website, using Square’s plug-in app for the Big Commerce platform… how would I have access to any of this information?! I emailed with someone from support named “Paris” but they never responded to my email after answering thier questions.

I sent them a follow-up email a few days later:

Hello Paris,

Due to this experience I have disabled Square as a payment method on our website. I may re-enable it, it depends upon the outcome of this horrible ordeal. Why did Square approve the transaction, then act like I am the one doing something wrong? It was a website payment for a toy using the Square integration with Big Commerce. I’ve never had anything like this happen with PayPal, whom we’ve been using for 15 years! Invoice is attached, it is now 8 DAYS OLD!!

I never received a response, but the next day I got this email from “Joseph”:

Hi William,

Your account is currently under review due to some changes in your activity. While under review, we place a temporary hold on your Square funds to ensure that everything is safe. To release this hold, we’ll just need you to confirm a few account details for us.

They wanted the same 2 pieces of information that I do not have access to as it is an eCommerce website!

My response:

Hello Joseph,

This is RIDICULOUS! It was a website order, therefore I do not have a copy of the customer’s credit card or identification! I’ve submitted the invoice online and also via email yesterday to ‘Paris’. WHY is Square harassing me about a transaction approved and authorized via the Square integration for my Big Commerce website?! I have been using PayPal on our website for 15 years without one single problem. I enable Square a couple of months ago, and now my funds are frozen!!!!

His response:

Hi William,

Thank you for taking the time to reply my email. We are more than happy to help!

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fully confirm your account details with the information you provided. Until we receive a completed request form from you, we cannot transfer funds to your linked bank account.

That was on Dec. 18th with no further communication either way.

I received this email today:

Hello William,

We’re sorry to inform you that we’ve had to deactivate your account. Based on the information you provided about your business, we’re not able to support your business needs right now. You won’t be able to process payments with Square. Unfortunately, this decision is final.

Is this some sort of sick joke?!

I disabled your platform over 3 months ago, and now you’re dropping me? As the owner of a physical retail store and a successful eCommerce website, I had already determined that your system cannot be trusted. LMAO

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Everett L WALLER says:

March 9, 2021 at 11:31 am

We have been square customers for over 6 years and today they cancelled or service without any notice. The email they sent at 9am this morning said we were not compliant with section 3 and some other section. We tried to call them and find out what we did or what we can do we couldn’t even get connected. As soon as you enter your customer code they tell you your account has been deactivated. This has got to be the worse company I have ever dealt with. I advise no one to do business with them . Now we are having to scramble to find a vendor so we can continue to operate. If I had the money to spare I would sue the hell out of them.

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Hazel C. Andrews says:

March 3, 2021 at 6:23 am

DON’T USE SQUARE,

AFTER PROCESSING WITH SQUARE FOR SOMETIME – MY ACCOUNT WAS DEACTIVATED, AN EMAIL WAS SENT STATING THAT THEY WONT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT MY ACCOUNT ANY FURTHER. AT THAT POINT I HAD A LITTLE OVER 2,500.00 IN MY SQUARE ACCOUNT. THEY NEEDED 90DAYS TO VERIFY CHARGEBACKS. THE 90DAYS WAS TODAY, I GOT AN EMAIL FROM THEM STATING THAT THEY WILL NEED AN ADDITIONAL 45DAYS TO RELEASE THE FUNDS DUE TO THE CHARGE BACKS. I HAVE NEVER HAD A CHARGE BACK, AS THE CLIENTS THAT INITIALLY PAID FOR THE SERVICE HAS CONTINUED WITH OUR SERVICE. THE RECORD ALSO DOES NOT REFLECT NEITHER WAS I MADE AWARE FROM SQUARE THAT ANY CUSTOMER HAS REQUESTED TO A REFUND, OR BANK RETURN. IF YOU ARE WANTING TO LOSE MONEY DURING THIS TIME AND HAVE A COMPANY TURN YOU OFF AND HOLD ON TO WHAT IS YOURS, GO FOR IT – OTHERWISE SEEK ANOTHER PAYMENT GATEWAY.

Reply
Thomas Tetreault says:

February 26, 2021 at 5:12 am

Why in the world have you not made a compatible reader for Samsung galaxy note 20. This phone has been out for over a year now get with it people. Apple sux

Reply
Elizabeth says:

February 22, 2021 at 11:09 am

Square is the WORST credit card processor. I would not walk but run far away from them. After processing around 10-20K/month for 6+ months and purchasing their POS system, they placed a rolling reserve on our account at 20% of our processed sales for 120 days and a payment processing limit of 20K – so not only are they holding 8K worth of our sales for 4 months, we cannot process anymore credit cards this month. This was with ZERO chargebacks and submitting all the supporting docts for their review which was approved. We are a storefront retail business, and not on their prohibited list either. When I called their support line, their response was literally to find another processor which is what we did. Square is a complete scam and should be held accountable for the strangehold they are placing on small businesses during a pandemic.

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Keith Thomas says:

February 19, 2021 at 6:41 pm

Today I received a email telling me we were not in compliance with section 3 of there terms of service. Also telling us they were terminating our service. We have been with Square for 6 years and really enjoyed working with them. Never a problem. They terminated my service on a Friday without warning leaving my company I one hell of a mess. The mental anguish was the most difficult to swallow because we have been operating our business the same way for 6 years. And….you can’t call them and ask questions about their reasoning. One of the worst days of my life…..thanks Square!

Reply
1. Jeff N says:
  
  April 22, 2021 at 11:13 am
  
  Your story sounds just like mine. You stated it very well.
  
  Reply
Ruth says:

February 17, 2021 at 8:30 pm

They have kept our first sale from October 26, 2020. They initially said they would release the funds after January 25, 2021. Now they came up with another excuse not to release the funds. I am in the process of reporting them to every governing site available. It really sucks because the customer received the goods but we have not been able to receive our payment.

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Darren McKee says:

February 13, 2021 at 12:23 pm

Let’s get a class action suit against square foe unfair processing fees and holding money for 120 days. They are only holing cash to increase their cash on hand for shareholders! I’ve attempted to close my account and get my money out and they refuse. They are holding over 10k of my money and not even paying interest!!

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Annoyed says:

February 4, 2021 at 7:25 am

Just want to remove my name from their mail list. You go round and round on their website. I do not want to provide them with my email address. You can not talk to anyone on the phone.

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Michael woods says:

January 26, 2021 at 7:36 am

This company is the worst they steal money from your account took a card payment they Rev the charges then I get a email saying it came out in my favor and would be putting it back in my account well that’s been a month and they just keep changing the release date. In the mean time they closed my account said they couldn’t handle my business to many large card payment. This is after being a customer for 5 years with no complaints or refund.

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Mukul Agarwal says:

January 14, 2021 at 6:47 pm

Square issue funds to an unauthorize activity without any consent from card holder. Merchant make hand entry to system and gets the funds based on fraudulent invoice. No driver license verification. I am surprised to see this crime is happening every day and Square is participating.

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AMM says:

January 14, 2021 at 6:51 am

Square allowed a customer to charge back $700 a month after service render. The customer Gregory Jackson a REal estate broker in cobb county ga. Hired movers for 12 hrs. A month later. Submit a charge back to square and said they had no knowledge of charge…. And guess what. After 3 months of dispute…. Square send a email saying the customer bank award them the money. $700. How . This company allow customer to take your hard earn money and DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO FIGHT. EVEN WHEN CUSTOMER SIGN ON SQUARE APP. THEY DO NOT BACK THEIR OWN APP AS PROOF. THEY ALLOWED SEVERAL OF MY CUSTOMER WHO PAID WITH AMEX TO COMMIT FRAUD AND DO CHARGE BACK. MAKE UP AMY BS AND THEY WILL GIVE THEM THEIR MONEY BACK. NO MATTER WHAT PROOF YOU SUBMIT.

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Charles says:

December 31, 2020 at 10:22 am

All I can say is RUN, RUN AND RUN FAR AWAY! This company is a joke. In fact, they should be shut down IMMEDIATLEY! They shut my account down for NO REASON! And they have held my $2,000.00 for 4 months now. And the worst part is, you can not speak to a live person about it. I really believe this company may be ran by one guy out of his basement. I will be taking my issue with them to the attorney general.

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1. Joe Ryan says:
  
  January 22, 2021 at 7:29 pm
  
  Yes they are doing the same thing to my accounts but it’s over $20,000 and they will not release any funds. We have contacted our attorney.
  
  Reply
  1. Jeanine Carlton says:
    
    February 4, 2021 at 11:52 pm
    
    Who is your lawyer
    
    Reply
    1. Hazel C. Andrews says:
      
      March 3, 2021 at 6:24 am
      
      I WANT IN ON THIS – THIS IS A JOKE
      
      Reply
2. Jeanine Carlton says:
  
  February 4, 2021 at 11:50 pm
  
  Me too I am suing them leave me ur nfo if u want to join in on this law suit I’m trying to contact CNN about them
  
  Reply
  1. Nina says:
    
    March 5, 2021 at 10:48 am
    
    They are doing the same thing to me. I’d like to get in on this.
    
    Reply
  2. Dorrean Grant says:
    
    April 6, 2021 at 7:10 pm
    
    I am going through the same thing!!!
    
    Reply
3. ROCKY ALAN BURGESS says:
  
  March 9, 2021 at 4:19 pm
  
  After 6 years they got me too. Basically stole my money. I am contacting customers to dispute charges so I can get paid.
  
  Reply
4. Laura D'elia says:
  
  May 12, 2021 at 6:15 am
  
  Did the Attorney General Help? Here in GA, it seems we have no recourse. No one to help. And The have held all my transfers for past month.
  
  Reply
terry Sipes says:

December 9, 2020 at 10:44 am

SQ, squareup a Jack Dorsey company is a business support company let down in biblical proportions. Don’t just take my word for it…you can read 10’s of thousands of complaints. The BBB of San Fran only list 1 out of 8 complaints on SQUARE and are more than a month behind , lawsuits are filed, the SEC is looking into a fintech Interpol of sorts… I am working on day 253 of held funds by SQ…I have a landscape construction business in Denver, Co …never had a issue until “We need more information”, then deactivated my business account, never had a complaint on any of my business practices, until SQ. I’ll take a trade for every $38.00 of my money (SQ stock price on day of seizure) Ill take a share (per $38.00) at today’s market price of $218.00…that return works for me…the rest is just a joke, JD your not God, nor do you play one (false god) on TV or in the movies…ATS-Denver

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Greg R says:

October 8, 2020 at 10:48 pm

For all those who use the Square device for payment systems

!!! BEWARE !!!

I am now looking for another payment solution as Square no longer works on any of my phones!!!

Having used Square devices for several years, they have now stopped working on all phones.

Square have told me that my devices are not compatible. Hmmm.

Having worked for several years if I choose to use this payment system into the future I have to upgrade all three of my phones.

Most likely a software update by Square has stopped the app from connecting to my device – Square won’t be trying to solve the problem, leaving me without a payment system!

Outrageous!!

Be very careful if you choose to purchase this device, if it is not on the compatibility list it may stop working unexpectedly if they change their software.

Don’t expect any support to solve the problem from Square either.

Disgraceful customer service and problem solving.

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Paul says:

October 8, 2020 at 8:19 am

WORST customer service ever….especially during these COVID times when people need online services (AND SUPPORT) now more than ever.

Signed up to Square this year, did one (ONE) transaction. They have now held my $230 since Aug 27th and will not allow it to be transfered to my bank. I have gone through multiple attempts to resolve this, via their chat system (terrible) and on phone with at least two reps who tried to help. It ends up I need to work with their account service department (who you cannot contact via phone, only email). I finally got this yesterday…..actual words. WTF?

“Upon review of your account there were ref flags that appeared to be fraud activity, and so the account was closed. Square will hold any funds debited for a period of 60 days from the time we stop facilitating your account. If you’d like to receive the funds sooner, please reach out to your financial institution for their funds return policy.”

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Mim Jorrison says:

September 30, 2020 at 1:48 pm

He’s right they do suck…I used to work there…we would hold your money so we get a free loan off you, make a quick market buy, stall on paying…..A real Piece of S**t business, and the people that work there know it, .

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Leslie Yankaway says:

November 27, 2019 at 5:53 pm

this is the worst service i have ever had they held my money and would not release it because i had all of my money being instantly deposited into my bank, then when i asked could i use my square card to get the funds off i was told no the blocked card to because they put under review, now its my money and i couldn’t even get my own money i will never use square again

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Ruth Lucero says:

November 19, 2019 at 8:54 pm

I was sent an email saying that I requested $1000 refund to a customer with the card ending in numbers that were 7772 I thought it was a scam the next day I see that my bank account has been deducted $964 with the charge of over $35 all was only viewed in my checking account never did it show up in my transactions on Square I spoke to square today but did not realize that my bank account had been deducted I am now at a negative balance.

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lee says:

November 19, 2019 at 4:01 pm

Will never ever deal with square again.. costumer service is the worse. I called and try to explain to some dude and he straight up said dude if u don’t shut up im gone hang the phone up on u out of nowhere..

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Floridian says:

November 19, 2019 at 3:45 pm

WORST COMPANY EVER! They will steal your money. They are a bunch of scammers. They will put your account on hold for a fraud review and then lock you out without having access to your funds. They need to be SUED

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Scott says:

November 12, 2019 at 8:38 am

I had a simple misunderstanding, or I suppose problem, with the square app on my phone. For some reason, somehow same day deposit was turned on, even though I was sure it was turned off. When I got a large payment this week, to my surprise not only did I have my processing fee removed but there is an extra large fee removed because of the same day deposit.

I got on a chat with customer support to see if I could get that fee reversed, due to the issue with the app. I found absolutely no assistance their customer service. And a lot of hot air.

I’m very disappointed with this company solely because of the customer service. Instead of refunding the misunderstanding, a small amount of money in comparison to my sales fees.. I have now decided to steer most of my sales to a different and more reliable company.

Moral of the story here. It would have cost them a small amount make the customer happy if they had done that they would have been earning thousands of more dollars, that they are now loosing.

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Ernest Bustos says:

November 10, 2019 at 8:07 am

I had a Square account for over 6 years without any complaints or issues, on Friday I received an email informing me that my account was deactivated claiming transactions prohibited by “Section 35 of the Payment Terms” which are vague to say the lest. With no customer it was impossible to find out why transactions that have been approved over the last 6 years have now been deemed prohibited. The email states that I will no longer be able to process transactions using square, it appears that my account has been closed without notice or explanation…. for this I would rate them as an “F”

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C. Susan Keen, Esq. says:

November 8, 2019 at 3:00 pm

I had Square for two years. Sudddnly, they intercepted a payment of a deposit and I found the experience a nightmare trying to get them to pay me. I think they hsve changed drasically to become a predatoy financial service. I have filed a Complaint with the Office of Business Oversight in Cslifornia for their unscrupulous conduct. Square plans to move into banking next. Heaven help us if they are approved by the FDIC.

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Michael Mann says:

October 23, 2019 at 11:03 pm

I own a recording studio/online retailer and used Square as my credit card processor briefly. Some of the products I sell are digital downloadable software serial numbers. The customer purchases a serial number ONLY which is displayed immediately after the transaction completes. They use this serial to unlock software which is downloaded from the manufacturer. There is NO chance to catch fraudulent purchases before it is too late. These are not physical goods.

Only problem is Square allowed multiple fraudulent purchases to clear for software serials. When I called about the disputes I got, ‘Well, we cannot verify the identity of the cardholder. You need to take additional steps to verify proper credit card usage.’ So… What am I paying for then? Exactly how the [email protected] am I supposed to do that via eCommerce? What Earthly good as a company are you if you can’t do the ONE THING I NEED YOU TO DO? I mean, I can close my eyes and pray every eCommerce transaction is legit cheaper than it costs me to pay Square to do it. How is it the merchant is responsible for this fraud? I’ve built the marketplace, advertised it, provide customer support, and maintain it. Might as well make verifying credit card payments my job, too? What am I paying for? This business model may be legal, but it is NOT RIGHT.

Now I’m stuck paying for Aashir Stokes (lives in Manhattan – @shiirsoul Twitter & Instagram profiles if you’re curious to know what a criminal looks like) to use 2 pieces of software to ‘make sick beats bro’ on my dime because Square couldn’t protect me and offers ZERO fraud protection. Not only that, but they couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. Of course they couldn’t. How could they? They don’t even know what happened this time.

Customer service rep (took 45 minutes) got noticeably less helpful after I told him I wouldn’t be using Square any longer. Also, don’t believe Square will fight for the merchant. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. They simply remit your dispute evidence to the customer’s bank and wipe their hands of it. It’s not worth your time to even think about it. You’d be better off spending your energies getting a prostate exam. Same results but at least you’d feel the touch of a human during the procedure instead of the cold imagery of a multi-million dollar company using the same rules to govern transactions from a small business as they would for CostCo or Home Depot.

I looked into it and I think Stripe offers fraud/chargeback protection for .4% + $.02 per transaction on top of the standard 2.9% + $.30 per transaction. If that’s true, I’ll be going with them. I’ll pay the extra to never worry about this happening again.

Here’s a direct quote from Stripe’s website “Defend your business from the unpredictability of disputes. With Chargeback Protection, Stripe will cover both the disputed amount and any dispute fees—no evidence submission required.”

Sounds too good to be true, but then again all credit card processors are criminals as far as I’m concerned anyway.

Reply
David says:

October 22, 2019 at 6:30 pm

Square took my money and has been saying they are “ reviewing” my account for more than 2 weeks but keep making excuses as why they haven’t done or completed the review, I would never do business with square, I currently have to wait for who knows how ling to continue my business until it is completed but never will I do business with square

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Jason woods says:

October 10, 2019 at 7:33 am

This company has no support for it’s clients whatsoever. You WILL NOT be able to speak to a person about your money or your acct. I’ve been trying for 6 months to get my money after a dispute was ruled in my favor, they are still holding my money for no apparent reason. I am So frustrated with this company I almost want to tell them to keep my $1000!!

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Andrea Nochez says:

September 23, 2019 at 1:35 pm

I just want to say that we use this service for several things within our company and that system is kind of coos as you get to know it. The problem is customer services. There hasn’t been a time where I call in and I don’t get super upset. they never answer the phone, they are rude, they have no willingness to help and it’s overall just a pain in the *** to call. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.

This post will help: Best Payment Processors for Great Customer Service

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Amanda says:

September 18, 2019 at 5:29 am

THIS COMPANY DISGUSTS ME!!!! THEY SHUT DOWN MY ACCOUNT WITHOUT EVEN GIVING ME A REASON WHY!!! Then to top it all off they claimed my money would be paid out according to the normal pay schedule and yet 78 days have gone by now and my money is still being held. I’m a single mother of 2 and this put a big hurt on my family for the first few weeks as I was unable to even provide anything. They say in the phone recordings to reply to the email with any questions and that your funds will be released in the date specified in said email and yet there is not date in the email, responses to the email get ignored, phone support is completely blocked, and here we are after 78 days with me now filing suit against them as I have ben advised to do for the full amount PLUS interest as what they have done is illegal. I sell jewelry ffs how is any of that a “liability” enough for them to hold my money?!? It isn’t!

This post will help: Best Jewelry Merchant Accounts

-Phillip

Reply
1. Kimberly says:
  
  September 21, 2019 at 4:30 am
  
  It’s been 5 years for me.
  Bankrupted business of 20+ years
  You can not sue them.
  You meditate 1st (per contract)
  It’s a nightmare and I’ve lost EVERYTHING
  
  I’m considered a THIEF now, and in 2014 NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON believed this was happening, not ONE. I called every newspaper, television station, 20/20, Good Morning America, FBI, FTC you think of it I tried it.
  
  SPENCER SOPER, BLOOMBERG NEWS
  Spoke with me (2014/15) wanted to do a story about Square holding funds. I really thought he would be on the consumer’s side but the article, in my opinion, was bias.
  
  Good luck – I gave up after 5 years, it was consuming my entire life.
  
  Reply
  1. Alexandra says:
    
    October 30, 2019 at 7:47 am
    
    Honey you can’t give up…. Darkness, tiredness, name it mean you will win. You can’t give up darling. Be a business person take time and all your strength on your body yo build one and see some people just take all that away. Even if your last dollar you will have to spend to win the fight you have to keep pushing. Sometimes those companies and maybe the judges getting pay to back off. But you know what there won’t be a greedy judge/lawyer because there is still some good people out there who have sympathy for others situation.
    I wanted to be a judge, but rather to be a judge you must be a lawyer. I wasn’t afraid because I feel like I can do it, it’s just naturally in me but couldn’t go for it after I was a law magnet student see is not a joke, but it’s not because is hard I didn’t go after my heart desired for. I didn’t do it because at the time didn’t speak enough English. I speak it better but haven’t problem with my grammar and sometimes struggle with pronunciations.
    Dear I am soon to be a nurse and just now going to launch my website soon.
    I’m glad I happen to read lots of review for me to back off, but your situation really touch my heart. And I do believe the same way it touch me will be the same way some lawyers/judge will touch them as well.
    
    Reply
ELISHA WRIGHT says:

September 12, 2019 at 2:57 pm

I was just hacked by this junk several $10 charges as well as $15 amounting to 100’s. This is disgusting! I work 2 jobs full time to barely get by and for them to take my money and have to wait for it to slowly trickle back into my account…..

This post will help: Watch Out For These Square Cash Customer Support Scams

Reply
Barbara Bachmeier says:

September 10, 2019 at 5:33 pm

I have spent five hours today trying to speak with somebody in customer service or sales at Square. I waited 20 minutes on hold at 11:30 a.m. this morning and at 4:30 p.m. I am still waiting to speak to somebody. I leave my call back number and when it is my turn I wait on hold again until I am prompted to leave my call back number AGAIN! What kind of stupid company is this? A fraudulent one? It seems that way to me.

This post will help: How to Contact Square

Reply
Tim says:

September 4, 2019 at 7:27 am

No customer service they lie about deposits that they have held for over 90 days. Its definitely the worst company ive ever dealt with. Im gonna take them to small claims court to get money that was mine in the first place

This post will help: How to Make Square Release Your Money

Reply
Saian Tirado says:

September 3, 2019 at 12:42 pm

I received a letter from the IRS in July 2019, stating that I had an additional $44k in unreported income for the 2017 tax year through a Square account that I never even heard of. The IRS was able to show that I received all these deposits from Square over the course of that year.

As Square’s phone number is useless, I’ve resorted to Twitter DMs and Emails to get responses. The ultimate run around! They continue to bounce around providing any sort of supporting documents to let the IRS know this was not me. After 2 months, Square said I needed to file a FTC report and police report just for them to continue on with my case!

I’ve filed Identity Theft w/ the IRS, and they’re case came back inconclusive.

Square is useless! All I need is for them to show proof of these accounts and deposits, but they refuse to share it!

This post will help: How to Contact Square

Reply
emily catherine marks says:

August 29, 2019 at 5:23 pm

In July I discovered that Square submitted 5 years of 1099’s totaling over 100k of income that was not mine leaving me liable for IRS taxes and putting a hault on my healthcare. I contacted them to let them know and to correct immediately. I discovered that an organization I used to work for used my social for their square ticket sales.

Square said there was nothing they can do until the org corrected this. I contacted the organization and notified them and they immediately corrected the situation providing square with bank records to prove the account was not mine. Square said once they had this they would immediately report to the IRS

As of yesterday, the IRS is still reporting that square has not corrected this information.
My Marketplace healthcare can not be reinstated until this is corrected!!!! This is really serious as I need my healthcare.

The way this has been handled is shameful and has the potential to cost me thousands of dollars in legal fees.
I have spent hours trying to rectify a mistake They have caused.

I contacted them again and they keep sending me form reponses with instructions that I already completed.
NO way to get anyone on a phone to give me info because the account is not mine and I don’t have access to it.
When a person does contact me via email there is no follow up and they keep repeating things that were already done. I am so frustrated.

This post will help: How to Contact Square

Reply
Paul says:

August 24, 2019 at 4:55 am

Horrible company canceled my account and several friends accounts with no warning for mystery violations? Reported me on match list now unable to get processing. They have no one to talk to no customer service and impossible to appeal thier horrible policies!!!! Do not use have official complaint in with BBB!! still no resolution after 5 months.

This post will help: Best MATCH Merchant Accounts

-Phillip

Reply
Eric says:

August 23, 2019 at 10:57 am

Well, I think this review going to go in line with a lot that are already posted. This one pertains to taxes and a levy. If you have a levy against your funds, you have 21 days to resolve the levy in order to have your funds returned or paid to the IRS. Square conveniently, makes it impossible to resolve this. They don’t have a phone number for the tax specialists, they only email brief sentences, and want nothing to do with actually helping you. This kind of response to a tax issue should have civil consequences at a minimum. The regular cs reps do not know anything, and after one or two times, supervisors will ignore your requests. It is a very frustrating situation and is unacceptable. So, this review is warning of sorts for people that might have a tax issue, erroneous or not, Square will do everything in it’s power to not speak with you or the IRS about it. I had to demand for almost 6 days a copy of the levy. My levy is erroneous, but I have funds that are being held because of it and the IRS cannot even speak with them. Think about that for a second. Hope no one has to deal with what I have had to deal with.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

Reply
Rhonda Durr says:

August 23, 2019 at 10:23 am

Square deposited $1,200. of my money in a deferred account and never has released my monies to me.
No replies to my emails and no reply from my bank.
This is fraud on Square POS.
Next step is turning them in to the attorney general.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

-Phillip

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tony patterson says:

August 22, 2019 at 4:46 pm

Square absolutely sucks as a credit card processor I have a construction business that takes high deposits they suspended my deposit even with customer verification that the charge was legitimate there a better options out there than this substandard service

This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Construction

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burning light says:

August 11, 2019 at 2:22 am

These guys sell themselves as easy to use. I signed up, verified myself, verified my bank account, issued an invoice for $2,500, which got paid, released the product. A couple of days later these shocks tell me that not only will they not release the funds to me, they also want to refund to the buyer! If you use these fly-by-night cowboys and get robbed, then you are not real clever.

This post will help: How to Make Square Release Your Money

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Kenneth says:

August 9, 2019 at 5:03 am

I’ve been using Square for a long time with my business I will no longer be using Square the communication with Square is ridiculous I have all my paperwork my contracts my completion sheets and we do work for some customers and we do the work at the time of the sale every now and then we run into a nutcase And they want to get their money back and Square gives them my money no communication with Square I think if you’re using Square you need to quit and find someone else I have no respect for this company I do not like this company and I will be hiring a lawyer to sue this company. I hope Square loses every dime they have

This post will help: Best Mobile Payment Processors

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Sara says:

August 8, 2019 at 12:00 pm

Worst customer service EVER! You can’t contact a person. They are holding a payment for 3 months after making us run circles for 2 weeks already! Do NOT USE THIS MERCHANT!!!

This post will help: How to Contact Square

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Janice says:

August 6, 2019 at 3:45 pm

Square has holds our business credit cards fund since Feb 2017 until now! Total over $19,000.00!

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

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S Cooper says:

August 5, 2019 at 3:14 pm

If you think you have found a great tool for your business like advertised! Think again!
We went with Squareup did a trail payment from our own account all went well. The first payment from a customer and they locked our account saying the customer tried different cards and postcodes.. This is totally false as the customer is a regular and friend. Squareup just seem to run a company by holding others money for up to 90 days. Avoid at all costs!! I wish I had looked into this further as they have so many bad reviews stating the same

This post will help: Why Credit Card Processors Hold Funds

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Andrew Walker says:

August 1, 2019 at 4:26 pm

They are holding money from a legit transaction not allowing to pay my employees and have provided proof and verified all information. They have now blocked me from calling the customer service center and do not have supervisors who can take phone calls. DO NOT GO WITH THEM.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

-Phillip

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Jessica Myers says:

July 22, 2019 at 9:57 pm

I am a simple Tupperware consultant and new to accepting cards! I collected 502.00 in orders and placed these orders on Tupperware with my personal funds while waiting on the deposit. I received a message stating a verification was needed! I sent in everything requested including government ID, bank statements, tupperware ordered placed from those sales and more! I just received a message stating it was not approved and account is being closed. What? Makes no sense when a lot of the chicks on my team run the same business using square! These orders are placed and already on their way to customers found on Facebook. Yet it seems square is holding the funds for 90 days!? What 502.00 is a lot of money why would they not do a verification process first if they didn’t want to issue the funds to the business? Why would they accept 502.00 in payments and then decide after to refund customers or hold the funds! Their items are already mailed and now I have no access to the funds which is completely nuts! Really 90 days that is a bit overboard, especially when proof of there orders was in the verification. There is no excuse for the issue at hand or to close my account without warning not to count holding the funds after the orders are already sent. I can understand a verification process and I actually appreciate it as a customer but really if consultants aren’t allowed to use square then why not complete a verification process before taking the payments to confirm the business is allowed to use their service! Not to count to close someone’s account with that much money in there and refuse any type of phone communication is 100 times more nuts. Absolutely not allowed to speak with a representative to ask simple questions wow. What type of business is this obvious something is very wrong here! How do I speak to a rep if the code for my account refuses to allow me to contact anyone by phone? Why would you offer services and the list of businesses not allowed to use it is not only every kind of business out there? Apparently they pick who to do this to and it’s crazy so how do I get the funds released sooner to pay myself back the money spent on the customers orders!!??!! As a new business this is a huge hit? I started Tupperware to make up for losing my job so when they say the deposit is instant I expect that it is especially with the proof of the orders plainly provided. The worst part is I’m just out 502 dollars with out any customer service to speak to or a way to get answers. That’s not only unprofessional it should Be illegal

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Daniel You says:

July 22, 2019 at 2:45 pm

Terrible merchant service. Our company account has deactivated after submitting a required statement and the supporting documents, but they permanently deactivate my account. Square up also do not provide a fair chance to explain. They will not talk to you in person. Very unfair and insincere. I would not recommend this company.

This post will help: Best Mobile Payment Processing Apps

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Michael Summers says:

July 11, 2019 at 2:01 pm

I’m a agent for one of the largest processors in the World and I was looking for something for my wife to process because she loves selling items. So rather than setting up an account through me I found square and set up her account. The first transaction for 2250.00 went through with no problems. The next (The nightmare) the transaction was for 6400.00 it was actually from a very good friend of ours no illegal products. They immediately deactivated the account. So I asked them through emails of course just refund back to customer. They said all transactions are deactivated. The money will be held for 120 days then released to us. My buddy in Georgia feels so bad about the situation he says I wish I would of just sent a check.. But that being said everybody gripes about square the processor. One they are not the processor they are a hardware division that uses one of four platforms in the US to process the cards. The key is find the platform and squeeze them that will put the hurt on square. I’m getting with some friends from our platform and have them do some searching and when I find it I will plaster it here. I have a good Idea who it is. *****d*t*.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

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Wilene C Dunn says:

July 11, 2019 at 5:16 am

I’m not sure how they have a B rating. Square can hold your money with zero explanation, question your account at any time, I’ve asked for the corporate contact for legal and they will provide no information. They can hold your money and keep you completely in the dark. A client paid on June 28 and it’s July 11 and they still have not released fund and still cannot tell me why and won’t give me any contact that can tell me why. I agree with all the reviews that say there should be a class action against this company.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

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Joe Marsh says:

June 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm

Square “deauthorized” my account. After several days of futile phone calls and emails, Square finally responded that they classified my business as either illegal, fraudulent, or banned. After reading the terms of service, I learned that insurance is a banned industry. No explanation as to why and I’ve given up trying to reach a human on their phones. Lousy customer support.

This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Insurance Agencies

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Marc Chomel says:

June 22, 2019 at 4:15 am

Square has misrouted $2400. of my business receipts to the wrong bank account and failed to diligently assist the bank in doing a timely search. They failed to follow up with my pleas for help and now I have lost the money. I will be joining them with the Bank of America in an upcoming lawsuit. Beware they’ll make money on every one of your transactions but fail to help you when they send it to the wrong account.

This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Great Customer Service

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Max says:

June 17, 2019 at 11:49 am

Square has been horrible. I had a client reverse a charge of $2500 and square will not stick up for you. We even have emails from the client saying she loved the work.

This post will help: How to Fight Chargebacks and Win

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Cheryl says:

June 4, 2019 at 9:38 pm

I have never heard of square up before I had a fraud charge of $10.00 taken out of my account under a SQC with a name I had never heard. I do not know how this person got my bank card number.

This post will help: Beware These Square Cash Customer Support Scams

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Charles Brittain says:

May 28, 2019 at 5:22 pm

Square took my information and I started doing business. After my first day using square and making a few transactions square froze my account and then deactivated because of high risk activity. Why did they approve me in the first place then? Of course you cant call and talk to support as they don’t actually have customer support just ai so they now have all the money that i made and are holding it ransom for 90 days. ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS
Why approve people and businesses your just going to screw?

This post will help: How to Avoid Fund Holds With Square

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Matthew Kern says:

May 27, 2019 at 2:08 pm

I began using Square because of their multi-faceted product offerings which seemed ideally suited for a small business such as mine (www.thegrowthfactory.org). I used Stripe with little incident in the past and was attracted to Square because they integrated payroll, insurance, payments, benefits and tax forms in a single app that has proven extremely user-friendly. If this review were concerning their program, app, web platform, ease of use and net efficiency, I would rate them 5 stars with no hesitation. Their digital product is easily the highest quality on the market.

If their customer service and account “specialists” matched their digital products quality by 50%, Square would join the ranks of multi-billion dollar empires and become a household name overnight. Unfortunately, this is not the case. After processing the first 3 payments, a restriction was placed on my account pending additional verification via document upload. I uploaded a total of 1.3 GB of data including my state filing documents, IRS tax forms, Texas Workforce Comission data, internal operating guides, terms and conditions, property lease agreements, personal identity documents for myself and assistant (Drivers license and passports for both) along with statements and invoices from that customers who had made payments. I also provided them with social media links (25,000+ followers on our verified Instagram and Facebook accounts), advertisements and an interview series we did with CBS recently and have continued providing them updated documentation as we went along. The hold was lifted after about 6 days (during which time they requested the same documents they already marked as received which proves their reviews are 100% algorithm based) and I was assured that these reviews only occur once. I had no problems for 3 months, no disputes or complaints or rejected/returned payments and the highest security rating possible.

Two days ago, my account was restricted again pending review of “how we do business” and requested the same documents I had been providing unprompted. Those documents were received by them and there is a green check mark verifying their receipt. I submitted the documents again and the system informed me that they had what they needed and would get back to me after review. I spoke to a customer service person today who told me that I should learn how to read and look through the terms and conditions and understand that they reserve the right to suspend an account at any time, for any reason. I asked what the metrics where in determining this review process and was told that she has no control over the process and that there isnt any way for me to continue providing them with data to ensure that my account not be restricted again in the future. Her attitude was beyond condesending and was told that “you need to face the fact that (The Growth Factory) is a small company that isnt very relevant to us from a business relationship standpoint” and that Square has little interest in the efficiency of our operations.

To summarize, I have been forthcoming with all documents requested and many that were not. I have never had a chargeback, complaint or issue with any payments (we average around $15,000 per month) and have volunteered on many occasions to provide them with additional data but was told (on a recorded phone call on my end) that my organization’s business relationship with them wasn’t a priority for them and to expect more account restrictions in the future. They have collected a total $2,500 in processing fees over a 45 day period and seem to make an extra effort to be as rude, condescending, and unhelpful as possible. If you ask them what you can do to ensure a smooth relationship moving forward, their response is “nothing, you’re not that important to us.”

This post will help: Best Healthcare Merchant Accounts

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1. Craig says:
  
  July 23, 2019 at 7:36 am
  
  I had noticed that my square app was missing from my screen, so I reinstalled it. The new version wanted access to my location, all of my data as well as access to my camera. This alone set me off, then I noticed my account was suspended just like yours. This taking hostage of your information is not worth the risk. They claim they are protecting your information? By asking for access to everything? Way too fishy for me. I’m deleting the app.
  
  This post will help: Best Mobile Card Processing Apps
  
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Keavan says:

May 27, 2019 at 5:03 am

There was a dispute to my account through Square in June 2018, even though the dispute it was based erroneously on an unrecognized charge, because it was a chip card and I only had a stripe reader it was automatically an EMV dispute and immediately found in their favor. Funds were taken from my Square account funded by my credit union, shortly thereafter the client realized the mistake end canceled the dispute before the funds were deposited back in their account. The bank that received the refund then reversed it and transfered it back to Squares bank. However, Square denied any evidence of the refund, the bank sent documentation and Square claimed it wasnt what was required. Then the bankcalled Square directly, but they were unable to convince Square of the reversal or aquire a statement of what they DID need from them. I was finally told i needed a letter from the bank, which i sent email, that wasn’t good enough, they needed tangible affirmation that the dispute was canceled and required I phisically go to a branch of the bank and retrieve a printed letter stating reversal. I did that also, then they said I would see the funds 5-7 business days later. After 2 weeks I contacted Square again, now I would have to wait up to 4 months for the reversal. I waited 9, months and contacted Square yet again, only to start from scratch again.
After several dozens of frustrating emails claiming they had received nothing from the bank, and blatant disregard for the documents I submitted again, I was able to get them to acknowledge the info I sent, denied it was what they previously accepted as proof, yet couldn’t tel me what it WAS, saying. I was told that Square and their aquiring,bank were waiting for return of funds from the bank. They told me I had to wait until they got the funds back. It’s been almost a full year since the bank assures me the funds were sent to Square, so clearly unless I can make headway in this debacle, I will never be refunded. ANY insight would be greatly appreciated.

The bank provided me with a screenshot of the reversal of dspute ahas to dnthenfclaimed to have returned the funds to squares acquiring Bank this was after 2 months of exhausting running back and forth and physically having to go to several Banks to acquire actual pieces of paper with information on them to prove to square even though the bank had called Square directly and told them that the entire thing of the canceled but I needed physical proof which I provided in July of 2018 still going back and forth I finally got supposedly the correct information they needed in the correct format they needed and I was told 5 to 7 business days and I would receive my money after 2 weeks and no money I contacted Square the story changed to it could take up to four months I waited nine. Ambien contacting them again which turned into more back and forth between for financial institutions none of who would help me in any way the bank that return the funds it’s still sticking to and confirming that they return the funds October of 2018 get square claims there is no record of Return of funds and I have to wait until that funds appear yet there is nothing to imply that anything is going to change at this point because the bank get paid as far as they’re concerned they did so October 2018 and the issue is over the bank that was supposed to receive those funds claims they have not yet clearly they are not going to the square will do nothing to help me despite the fact that I write or call every single day for the last 2 and 1/2 months I don’t know who to turn to at this point the two Banks involved will not speak to me directly because this is not about anything any account that belongs to me they all say that square has to handle it and square claims they can’t

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

-Phillip

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Katy Goodman says:

May 21, 2019 at 11:58 pm

After using square who I thought was a great investment to my business until today I am thinking is also a scammer, I would never image that they would take money from a small business instead of helping them make money, but today I have come to that conclusion, or make me out wrong by removing the freeze off of my bank account and giving me a good phone# to call you about your false accusations that you accused me of, of which all my clients denied that they accused me of: 2523473258 please consider your reputation and good name and do the right thing contact me and stop robbing poor small businesses.

This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money

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James says:

May 17, 2019 at 8:05 am

I had an online store selling computers and related equipment. Someone made a purchase with a stolen credit card and Square permanently closed my account because of it. It’s the payment gateway that approves or denies card transactions, not the merchant. So FYI, Square does NOT have your back if you are a merchant.

This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for E-Commerce

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Katey Rene de Cotret says:

May 15, 2019 at 4:16 am

I was very much enjoying my square reader. It came free with a small amount of processing fees, but it made it so at the one small convention I sell artwork at, I could accept a few more sales I normally couldn’t have gotten.
Which means I’ve used it probably less than 10 times.
So it was baffling to me, mid convention, when they decided to deactivate my account and after “comprehensive review,” made their decision final. They cited sections 11 and 12 of their general Terms of Service, which basically say they can terminate your account at any given time as long as they give you notice.
Which I did not receive by the by. I had to bother them on twitter for an answer.

If you have an alternative, use that. I’m not the only one this has happened to

This post will help:

Square Review

Square Overview

Rating

Most Recent Comment

Most Recent Comment

Focusing on Square for Small Business Owners

Is Square Holding Your Funds Right Now?

Started by the Twitter Guy

How Square Makes Money

Quick Sign-up and Intuitive Design

Other Square Services

Additional Square Offerings

Table of Contents

Square Rates, Fees, and Costs

Square Rates, Fees, and Costs

Cost Summary

Square’s Fees are Simple

Fees for Square Reader and Square Stand

Square Register Costs and Fees

Square Terminal Costs and Fees

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

How Square’s Fees Compare

Some Things You Need to Watch Out For

Square’s Policies on Holding Your Money

Square’s Fraud Triggers Can Be Scary

More Transparency Needed For Risky Transactions

Some Minor Improvements Could Raise Square’s Rating

Square Complaints & Customer Reviews

Complaint Summary

Where Square Falls Short

Square Lawsuits

Square Customer Support Options

Only Active Accounts Get Real-time Help

Long Wait Times

Beware Square Phishing Scams

Square BBB Rating Summary

BBB Summary

Square’s BBB Complaints on the Rise

How the Complaints Break Down

What Merchants Say

A “C” Performance

Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

How Square is Different

Beware of Processing Limitations

Sales & Marketing Example

Our Opinion Of Square

Good for Entry-Level, Questionable for Real Businesses

About Phillip Parker

Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

Small Business Processing Updates

How To Sync Payments With QuickBooks

Where To Report Bad Credit Card Processors

Don’t Switch. Instead, Renegotiate.

Leave Your Review For Square

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