Squarespace Credit Card Processing 2023: Reviews & Complaints
Company Overview
Squarespace is a website builder with a focus on e-commerce businesses, although it also provides hosting for blogs or occasion-specific websites. Like BigCommerce or Volusion, Squarespace allows users to design, build, and launch a functional web store that can accept credit card payments online using the merchant account services of Stripe or PayPal.
Location & Ownership
Squarespace has been in operation since 2004 and is headquartered at 8 Clarkson St New York, NY 10014. The company also has offices in Portland, Oregon, and Dublin, Ireland. Anthony Casalena is listed as the founder and CEO of Squarespace.
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers month-to-month pricing plans with payment processing through…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than…
- BBB Rating: Has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not hire independent sales representatives and has not received…
Squarespace Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | 15+ |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Customer Service |
Low-to-Moderate Complaint Total
Since Squarespace primarily competes with content-focused sites like blogs, most information about the company focuses on its web hosting capabilities rather than its e-commerce offering. As a result, there aren’t many negative Squarespace reviews outside of the BBB that accuse the company of scamming or ripping off merchants, and the majority of reviews about the company are from non-merchants. However, the company seems to have amassed more negative feedback over the last year. Common complaints cite poor customer service, technical issues, unexpected charges, SEO difficulties, and poor website integration. Another complainant suggests that an advertised $100 Google AdWords credit is not actually available.
Squarespace Lawsuits and Fines
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Squarespace. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Squarespace Customer Service Options
Squarespace, like Stripe, does not offer live phone support, although it does provide live chat and email ticketing. This could be a problem for business owners who require access to phone support in order to feel comfortable signing up for a service. Since Squarespace is showing an increased number of complaints that specifically mention customer service issues, we have lowered its score in this section to a “B” for the time being. Squarespace’s customer service department has room for improvement if it hopes to match service levels offered by top-rated providers for customer service.
Squarespace Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Product & Service Complaints | 59 |
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 31 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 3 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 5 |
Nearly 100 Complaints
Squarespace is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau and currently shows an “A+” rating based on 98 complaints filed in the last 36 months. 59 of the complaints were due to a problem with a product or service, 31 were billing or collections issues, 3 were due to advertising or sales problems, and 5 were issues with delivery. Only 26 of these 98 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 72 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Merchants Say
In addition to the 96 complaints posted to Squarespace’s BBB profile, the company has also received 22 informal reviews. All of those reviews are negative in tone. One unanswered review filed against the company expresses concern about Squarespace’s lack of customer support:
Horrible customer service! I’ve been emailing all day because they won’t call you because squarespace can’t find my email account. They dont care if you pay them for services. They won’t help at all and they don’t care if your locked out of your account. Pretty much happy to make you pay for an account that they won’t let you back in and they will run you around all day and do nothing. Worse that calling insurance companies.
Merchants in this situation would benefit from learning how to cancel their service without paying a fee. Early Termination fees are typically the most expensive term in a merchant agreement.
A “D” Rating
In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, and the lack of any dedicated customer support number, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “D” for our purposes.
Squarespace Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Item | Result | >
|---|---|
| Flat Rate | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Squarespace Transaction Fee | 3.00% |
| Personal Website Plan | $16 Per Month |
| Business Website Plan | $26 Per Month |
| Basic Commerce Plan | $30 Per Month |
| Advanced Commerce Plan | $46 Per Month |
| Early Termination Fee | $0 |
| PCI Compliance Fee | $0 |
| Equipment Lease Terms | None |
Stripe and PayPal Integration
Squarespace is integrated with Stripe and PayPal for its online payment processing, so from a merchant’s perspective, Squarespace’s contract terms are identical to those of Stripe and PayPal, who each offer a flat rate of 2.9% plus $0.30 on all transactions regardless of card type and locality, which is a simple, transparent solution for any merchant. Squarespace also adds a transaction fee of 3% under its website plan for businesses. Squarespace’s Online Store plans for e-commerce do not include any transaction fees for customers. It should be noted that a major risk of Stripe is the company’s hold policy. The majority of Stripe complaints cite sudden, unexpected fund-holds placed on transactions and no quick way to resolve these issues. Stripe does not offer live customer support to all merchants, compounding the issue.
Squarespace Pricing Plans
Squarespace offers monthly plans that can be bought for a discount if paid annually. Its plans are divided into two categories: “Websites” and “Online Stores.” Website plans are basic website plans, while Online Store plans include more advanced features, such as inventory management and accounting integration. The Website plans are divided into “Personal” and “Business” packages, while the Commerce plans are divided into “Basic” and “Advanced” packages. The Personal Website plan costs $16 per month ($12 if billed annually), the Business Website plan costs $26 per month ($18 if billed annually), the Basic Commerce plan costs $30 per month ($26 if billed annually), and the Advanced Commerce plan costs $46 per month ($40 if billed annually).
Additional Plan Features
Despite Stripe’s difficulties with customer support and fund-holds, Squarespace scores reasonably well in this section due to the added features it provides above and beyond simple payment processing. Depending on their plan, merchants could have access to a custom online store with hosting services, SEO management, customer tracking, inventory management, shipping assistance, integrated accounting, and a large number of other website functions for a reasonable price. The plans start with a free trial and then runs from month to month, and merchants can cancel their Squarespace stores at any time. Given the low cost per month and the value returned, Squarespace rates much higher than Stripe in this section.
Squarespace Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Employs Independent Resellers | No |
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | Yes |
No Widespread Sales Issue
Squarespace appears to primarily market its services through its website and traditional advertising methods. There is no indication at this time that the company employs independent sales agents or engages in telemarketing, and we are currently unable to locate any negative Squarespace reviews that accuse the company’s sales staff of deceptive or aggressive tactics. One complaint filed against Squarespace cited confusion over the company’s 14-day free trial offer, claiming that it was deceptively promoted, but this appears to be an isolated incident.
This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
No Deceptive Marketing
Additionally, the Squarespace website does not appear to quote misleading rates or selectively disclose terms. That said, we always recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate any hidden fees that are suspected.
Our Squarespace Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Decent All-In-One E-Commerce Platform
Squarespace rates as a reliable e-commerce solution for merchants. The company’s use of Stripe has not impacted its rating too harshly, and the low-commitment, low-cost service Squarespace provides boosts its rating even in the face of rising complaint totals filed against the company. Squarespace’s rating may change as we continue to receive comments on this review, but for now, it compares favorably to the top overall e-commerce platforms.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
About The Author
Your Comments & Reviews
How Did Squarespace Treat You?1 Responses
Leave a reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Copyright
Copyright © 2023 CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. (Digital Fingerprint: 0d38c6720f0d78a701b74d58653af608). Getting paid to re-write this page? Click here to earn a reward.
Any unauthorized copying and reproduction of the content of this page, including all meta data and computer code, is strictly prohibited. While the information in the above article is believed to be accurate as of its publish date, the author and publisher make no representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the contents. The author and publisher shall in no event be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of this material, which is provided “as is,” and without warranties. Any and all use of trade names and/or marks are for identification purposes only and shall not be construed as a claim of affiliation, or otherwise, with CardPaymentOptions.com, Inc. ("CPO") in any form. The sole purpose of the material presented herein is to alert, educate, and inform readers. It is not intended as legal or financial advice. We may earn revenue if you obtain services from a provider that we recommend. See this page to learn how we support our operations.
MM
Caution! Scam! Squarespce web site didn’t give you the 100$ Google Adwords credit you sign for when you purposing a year subscription. You enter your “credit code” on the Google Adword site and they will charge you anyway the amount in your credit card!! You haven’t any change to get a refound!!
Attention!! Fraude! Le site web de Scarespace ne donne pas réellement le crédit de 100$ de Google Adwords prévu dans le contrat d’un an. Vous entrez le code dans Google et ils vous chargent quand même sur votre carte de credit. Vous avez aucune chance d’avoir un remboursement après!!
—
Are you with SquareSpace? Learn how to resolve this complaint.