SumUp Credit Card Processing 2023: Reviews & Complaints
(888) 250-2164 Company Overview
SumUp is a European mobile credit card processing application for iPhone and Android users that launched in mid-2012. The service is similar to its U.S. predecessor Square. It includes an EMV-compatible card reader for £19.00/$19, a phone app, account setup, and a flat processing fee of 1.69% (2.75% U.S.) for all card types and transactions with no additional fees. In October of 2018, the company introduced a 3G-powered card reader allowing merchants to complete wireless transactions without wi-fi or Bluetooth. It should be noted that there appears to be a different set of card readers available for European merchants versus those in the United States. Merchants will not incur any data costs while using this reader. In 2021, SumUp released the SumUp Card, which claims to give merchants access to their payments “even on weekends”.
SumUp Merger and Expansion
In April 2016, SumUp merged with Payleven, but the newly formed entity retained the SumUp brand. Currently, SumUp is available in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. For the purposes of this review, SumUp will be considered a UK company, but we will include both U.S. and UK pricing information. In February of 2019, the company announced its acquisition of the e-commerce company Shoplo in an effort to expand the company’s e-commerce offerings for merchants. 2021 saw a further acquisition, with SumUp acquiring payments and marketing company Fivestars for $317 million.
Article Summary
Before we dive in, here’s a short summary of what we’ll cover:
- SumUp’s various payment processing services.
- SumUp has received a consistent amount of complaints about everything from its customer service to its app and hardware.
- SumUp is good for international needs but is outdone by the best US processors.
Payment Processing Solutions
SumUp offers a variety of payment processing solutions that can be customized to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. They provide credit and debit card processing, as well as contactless payment options and online payments.
Card Readers for Small Businesses
SumUp provides card readers that allow small businesses to accept credit and debit card payments. The card readers are designed to offer basic functionality at a cost of less than $100.
No Monthly Charges
The company does not impose monthly charges for using its card readers. This is aimed at offering a low-cost payment solution for businesses.
Transaction Fees
SumUp charges a transaction fee of 2.75% per payment. This fee is considered to be one of the lowest in the industry.
Third-Party Integration
Through its open platform, SumUp allows third parties to offer card acceptance via their native or browser-based applications. The company provides SDKs and APIs for this purpose.
POS Cash Advances
SumUp introduced a new financial product in 2023 called SumUp Cash Advance, aimed at providing merchants with cash advances of up to £20,000. These advances are based on the client’s payment history and are repaid through transactions processed via SumUp’s card readers. The company has secured a $100 million credit facility from Victory Park Capital to support this new offering. The service is initially launching in the UK and plans to expand to other European countries soon.
Location & Ownership
SumUp can be seen as a direct competitor to iZettle, another similar service that entered the European market around the same time as SumUp. SumUp is a registered Payment Facilitator of Fifth Third Bank SumUp is headquartered at 32-34 Great Marlborough St, Soho, London W1F 7JD, UK, and Daniel Klein is listed as the CEO of SumUp, while Michael Schrezenmaier is currently SumUp CEO Europe. Marc-Alexander Christ is a co-founder of SumUp. SumUp’s website mentions it is registered at 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801, while its BBB profile lists an American office located at 2000 Central Ave Ste 100, Boulder, CO 80301.
Video Summary
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers a month-to-month agreement with a…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 100 public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: Has a “B” rating with the Better Business Bureau but has…
- Sales & Marketing: SumUp does not appear to hire independent…
SumUp Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | 100+ |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Account Suspension |
| Recent Lawsuits | Yes |
Rising Complaint Total
We are currently able to locate more than 130 SumUp reviews, some of which allege that the company is a ripoff or a scam. Common issues for businesses include poor customer support, confusing pricing and promotions, device malfunctions, and withholding or late delivery of funds. The complaints about late payment or withholding of funds have increased since our last update, which suggests that SumUp is beginning to encounter the difficulties faced by other mobile merchant account aggregators. If you have your own SumUp review to make, please do so in the comments below.
SumUp Lawsuits and Fines
A British court has granted anonymity to an escort, referred to as “Anna,” who is challenging SumUp’s decision to ban sex workers from using its payment services. Anna had purchased a contactless card machine from SumUp to facilitate payments for her escort services while maintaining her anonymity. However, SumUp later removed Anna from its platform, citing its policy against sex workers. Anna is now seeking to reverse SumUp’s decision, arguing that the ban is discriminatory towards women under the Equality Act 2010. The court’s decision allows Anna to proceed with the case while retaining her anonymity.
Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
SumUp Customer Support Options
Much like Square and Stripe, SumUp primarily offers customer support via email, an online help center, and live chat, which appears to have caused problems for some clients. Unlike its main competitors, though, SumUp maintains a direct customer support phone number during business hours. This support channel has received mixed reviews from businesses, but its mere existence places the company slightly ahead of mobile payment processors that offer no phone support at all.
SumUp Customer Service Numbers
- (888) 250-2164 – Toll-Free Customer Support
Other Support Options
- [email protected] – General Customer Support
- [email protected] – Press Inquiries
- [email protected] – Data Privacy Queries
- [email protected] – Legal Requests
SumUp still falls short of the standard we expect from top merchant accounts for great customer service, but it is outperforming its peers thus far.
SumUp Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
Online Ratings Summary |
|
|---|---|
| BBB Reports | 29 |
A Recent Rise in BBB Complaints
The Better Business Bureau currently maintains a profile for SumUp’s U.S. operation headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. This profile does not cover the company as a whole and is not representative of SumUp’s overall level of service, only focusing on its U.S. market. At this time, the BBB assigns SumUp a “B” rating, though it has not granted BBB accreditation to the company. SumUp has received 19 complaints on its BBB profile in the last 36 months. Only 9 of these 19 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 10 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Merchants Say
In addition to 19 complaints, SumUp has acquired 10 informal reviews on its BBB profile in the last 3 years, all of which are negative in tone. One recent review details an alleged inability to take payments:
STAY AWAY FROM SUMUP! Wow!!! This company are very unethical and borderline thieves!! They told me I would have no issue accepting cards using their pos. But now they have after 3 times of saying that I can accept after reviewing then saying I couldn’t after reviewing then saying I could after reviewing then saying I couldn’t after reviewing – Although I spent money on their point of sale terminals after they said I could accept money. They are beyond corrupt and I can guarantee they’ve done this 1000’s of times. They say you can accept money using their POS terminals then when you buy them they say that you are actually unable to use their services so now how you have terminals that are absolutely useless!!!!I’ll sum up SUMUP in one sentence. Criminals with legalese to protect them.
Clients in this situation would benefit from our list of the best high-risk processors.
A “B” Performance
We agree with the BBB’s rating of a “B” due to rising complaints and lack of resolution by the company.
SumUp Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Cancellation Penalties | No |
| Processing Rates | Variable |
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Unclear |
| Equipment Leasing | Yes |
Simple, Predictable Rates
SumUp appears to offer a very transparent pricing model of 1.69% for all chip-and-PIN transactions (2.75% U.S.), 2.5% (3.25% + $0.15 US) for all virtual terminal and SMS transactions, and an upfront cost of £19 ($19 + 20% VAT and shipping) for its Bluetooth-compatible card reader protected under a 30-day money-back guarantee. There are also larger format wireless readers available in both the UK (£79 or £119 with printer) and US ($59). The company’s terms and conditions state that businesses may cancel service at any time, and they also outline the company’s cash reserve policy. Under this policy, the company may withhold portions of payments in order to establish a reserve account as a fraud prevention measure. This policy is similar to those used by other mobile/smartphone processors.
SumUp Fund Withholding Policy
Some clients have expressed frustration that SumUp does not make it clear that its default reader cannot accept payments over the phone or accept certain currencies from outside a SumUp client’s country. A growing number of complainants also express frustration with sudden account cancellations and fund-holds, which is similar to the feedback Square has received. In SumUp’s case, however, these complaints are far less common, and some appear to be authentic violations. Business owners are encouraged to review the company’s prohibited business types, which are outlined on its website. They should also follow the same rules with SumUp that they would follow to avoid Square fund-holds.
Solid Pricing but Some Growing Pains
Generally speaking, the company’s contract terms are competitive with other mobile processors, and in some cases, SumUp may even compete with the cheapest merchant accounts. However, the service is not a perfect fit for all business types, and potential clients should be sure that their needs fall within SumUp’s capabilities. We also encourage business owners to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
SumUp offers a variety of point-of-sale swipers and card readers
SumUp Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Uses Independent Resellers | No |
| Telemarketing | Unclear |
| Misleading Marketing | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | Yes |
Internal Sales Team
SumUp appears to primarily market its services through its website and through traditional advertising. The company’s website advertises simple, fixed-rate pricing on all transactions, and this rate does not appear to be contested by business owners. We were able to locate one SumUp review in which the client felt they had been misled as to what kind of card reader they would receive, but this appears to have been a shipping error rather than false advertisement. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
Different Pricing for Different Markets
Some complaints mention confusion about the service’s availability in certain countries as well as the way its pricing varies depending on the country of the user. These are minor concerns that don’t indicate any deception on the part of SumUp. Overall, the company does not seem to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. If you feel you have been misled by SumUp, however, you could benefit from a third-party statement audit.
Our SumUp Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
According to all available information, SumUp rates as a worthy alternative to its credit card processing competitors in Europe and the US. The company is showing a relatively low number of complaints at this time and appears to offer transparent, affordable contract terms. The major drawback of SumUp at this time appears to be its risk mitigation policies, but its phone support line helps to keep this issue under control. The SumUp app is still expanding into new territories, and its overall rating is therefore subject to change as its use spreads. If you are based in the U.S., we recommend seeking a top U.S.-based mobile payment processor rather than one based overseas at this time.
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How Did SumUp Treat You?78 Responses
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Low Cost Processor of 2023
Helcim Payments
No Monthly or Annual Fees
Super Low Processing Rates
POS, Mobile, and Online Payments
Sales & Support: (888) 506-7812
Teddy
New download locked out waiting for verification from company and still waiting, losing money 24/7 back takings not payed to bank account so would not recommend sumup at all
Seth hambrick
Incredibly frustrating and time consuming to set up, and if you need to type in someone’s card that has a bad strip you have to call in and open a case with the company that takes 24 hours to complete just to get paid. I can’t believe I wasted money buying the card reader, from now on I’m just going with paypal
Dave Johnson
I have been a SumUp customer for over 8 years. A few weeks ago realised that they have been overcharging me on every transaction; 2.75 percent instead of 1.69 percent. I contacted them several times by email and received no reply. After 2 weeks I managed to use their Chat facility and explained the problem. I was informed that there is a problem and they would sort it out. another 2 weeks went by with no response. I Chatted with them again, and the day after I received an email that said if I replied to the email and mentioned that I wanted the 1.69 percent they would change it. There was no apology, no offer of recompense for the years of overpayment, it was as though all this was my fault. Nowhere on the whole site does it mention 2.75 percent being a transaction fee. This complaint isn’t about being overcharged by 1.06 percent on each transaction over the years, it’s about the terrible customer service that I have received.
Theo Matthews
Sum up Customer Services is appalling.
They do not resolve your issues, instead fob you off with generic messages. There is no one you can actually talk to resolve your issues.
They have illegally withheld my money and not provided a reason.
Steven Cole
Awful company all my money was taken out my account over 6 weeks ago. I have filled out over 100 claim forms and send them in twice. When I call they say my account is not registered and they cant talk to me so now I’m having to report this to the police as Iv been patient for 6 weeks and still no action has been taken by Sumup. Deffinatly 100% avoid this company like the plague.
BRANDON KEERRY
APPAULING BUISNESS !!!!
NO CARE FOR THE CUSTOMERS… GOT TOLD DIFRRENT TIME SCARES FOR MY MONEY TO REACH MY BANK…….. I STILL HAVENT RECIVED IT FROM DIRECT TERANSFER FOR OVER A WEEK!!!
RING UP TO EXPLAIN YOUR PROBLEMS AND THEY JUST FEED YOU BULLCRAP!!!!
NO MANAGER WILL ACCEPT CALLS OR PHONE BACK? SO STUCK TALKING TO USELSSS PEOPLE.
HAD THIS ACCOUNT 2 WEEKS AND ALREADY CLOSING THE FUCKING THING DOWN!!! NEVER IN MY LIFE HAVE I EXPERIANCED ANY BANK STEELING MY FUNDS NOR THE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE…..
YOU PUT PHONE DOWN ON A RUDE ADVISOR TO RING BACK AND THEY MAKE YOU WAIT IN HOLD FOR THE SAME PERSAON TO ANSWEER!!! BUT REFUS TOI TRANSFER THE CLLAS???????
SUM UP OWE ME £300 AND ACT CLUELESS!!!!!!!
Peter Hargreaves
We’ve had a SumUp device for several months. Because of their ineptitude we have NEVER been able to use it.
I have just given my verdict on this disgraceful Organisation. I have taken my SumUp device outside and ‘caressed’ it with a lump hammer.
I recommend that you stay away from this Organisation and device
Rosalyne
They play games with people. I received my card reader yesterday then got an email saying they couldn’t extend their services to me. They couldn’t explain why they couldn’t. They were saying due to their license but when I looked at the list of reasons why you would be declined, none of the reasons applied to me. Then I was told they couldn’t verify something but they wouldn’t tell me what even though I put all my correct business information in. They are a load of crap.
Pankaj
Very bad customer service try to have a live chat waiting waiting waiting nobody comes tried to call in London number waited 10 minutes and then response was no one is there to take your call please try to email or call
Back later absolutely disgusting I’m about to buy the machine just wants to ask some question and now I’m sure I’m not gonna buy it because if I stuck there is no One to sort you out
Mark Paice
Con artist company they are holding payment for a made up charge back 90 yes 90 days after a transaction absolutely rubbish DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY
John O Connor
No customer service.
Terrible connection. Extremely slow.
Always getting stuck / unable to connect/transfer data.
Do not answer to queries by email.
Do not return calls as promised.
Useless
Kash
They are fukn ripping people off bad customer service will hold payment without no reason
Sonya spicer
Do not use this company. I’m devastated by what they’ve done to me. I buy and sell liquidation items. After I shipped the merchandise out they then refunded $1,500 worth of items. The people who bought from me were from marketplace and Craigslist. I wasn’t able to get a dime back. So my family is now out $1,500. $500 of it was deposited into my account then taken out. I did not know this until I tried buying my sons senior pictures. Which he could not get because I didn’t have the money. There was no reason given for my account closure and they don’t give a damn the financial burden they’ve put on this single mom. I feel like I’ve let my oldest son down. He now gets to be the odd man out of his senior class. I’m in a deep depression because of them. Do not risk your money on this company. They are truly monsters.
Ianloynes
Never use sum up haven’t given me my money they own me a lot , when you contact them they tell you different reasons then it’s a technical issue so no payment
Franco magagnoli
This is absolutely the worst app for accepting credit cards. I’ve had nothing but problems and service reps who don’t have a clue. I was even told by a representative when dealing with my issues that it was a Friday and she’s tired… wth? They claim next day pay outs, but they have been consistently late up to 5 to 7 days. That’s unacceptable for a small business waiting for funds. My advice, find another company
Sanj
Sum up customer service is very poor. They don’t answer your questions accurately and you are always left wondering.
Always having problems with the card reader. I wouldn’t use them. Rip of scams. They customer service agents are very well trained to suit the company.
Stay away.
No stars for there service.
Herbert
A warning – SumUp have a long list of transactions which they say they are not allowed to take payment for (in the UK at least) for “regulatory” reasons, including “vehicles” and “subscriptions” and “not-for-profits” and “charities” (except for a number of unspecified charities for whom they have made an exception!!!)
The list of such “forbidden” transactions is on their website, but they make no attempt to point it out durig the signup procedure, so it is very easy to miss it.
Michael Connolly
Yes, got blocked for remote transactions and informed by an email —-
Michael Connolly
I have been with SumUp for over 2 years now and only lately I noticed they took one withdrawal of €36.90, from my company’s bank account, for 2 years in a row around February each year. The bank statement says “SUMUP PAYMENTS LIM Auditor Reports”. I queried this through their help desk about 2 weeks ago and they said they didn’t know what the charge was but were passing the query on. They requested a copy of a bank statement where the charge was so I sent it on. While waiting on their response, has anyone any experience of such a charge?
Mark Harrington
Sold my classic car on a Sunday,the buyer didn’t have all the money so asked any other way to pay
I give him my sum up machine it took 3000pound
Sum up have not transfer my money yet
Very disappointed as more than 40 drivers have sum up still waiting for someone to phone back to sort out problem
Anthony George
lets you down when needed – 50% success rate in last few weeks.
unreliable.
server goes down to often.
When a customer asks do you take card -you get that horrible feeling.
Too often asks for a password at inconvienent times, it will send a link to reset but sends email far to late “doh – wheres my customer gone”?
you constantly have to reset password so many times you have no idea what the password is.
why ask for a password when you are trying to take money from a customer ??
in short USELESS.
When the server is down, – Why give the PASSWORD is wrong message instead of SERVER DOWN? (it would save traders so much time messing around with password protucalls?????
ive been with them too many years, it was so simple, shame.
customer service a joke.
Mark Turner
I work in the industry and understand the business very well.
Sum-up have extremely bad customer service and follow-up. They suspend an account without letting me know to research a €10 euro transaction (made by myself to check their speed of processing).
Promises made over the phone are never followed-up. Calls/emails/chats never get the attention of the ‘dept’ concerned.
I am still waiting a reply sum-up.
John
For some reason, I had to return the card-reader.
I returned the card-reader as instructed by SumUp.
The delivery was successful, and SumUp customer service team were corresponding well until the stage when the refund should be made.
Give me back the money please, is my review at the moment.
Jan
I am a small retail merchant and after using SumUp for just 1 month my account was suddenly terminated, with no explanation! Buyer beware: it is in their bylaws that they can refuse service at their discretion, without notice and without recourse. I was concerned that my account may have been hacked and asked to know what they were concerned about, but they were completely unhelpful and gave me no information. I find this to be outrageous and insulting, and would recommend not doing business with this company.
PD
FRAUD! I bought a POS on October 30th and also made an account. Billing email never came, also no POS and they have never activated my account. Since then I have sent 3 emails and no one has responded. I have requested a refund and also tried to contact via messenger without any response. I do not recommend to anyone this company.
Ahmad
Unfortunately delays of the fund
While there is not a zero percent issue
From the costumer.
Sumup hold a large payment for over
9 days with any answer to the lots of emails.
It caused a great concern about the company
Reputation for such an action???
Jordan Brown
This is the worst experience I have ever had in my entire life with the customer service reps on the phone that claims to be supervisors they close your account via section 15 and will not tell you or give any information on why they are extremely rude they are extremely disrespectful and I refuse to represent sumup
This post will help: Best Payment Processors for Great Customer Service
-Phillip
David Brason
New Business Startup.
Started taking cards with SumUp. The 1st payments were then subjected to queries, but paid over after submitting the requested documentation.
Carried on taking payments, but did not notice that they had NOT been passed to the bank.
Then get short email stating that they were relying on their terms and conditions, particularly term 15, which gives them the right to do just about anything.
Whilst I accept that they have terms one would have thought that ‘reasonable’ notice would have been required, not a curt emails stating we will either hold these payments for 6 months or return them, YOUR choice!
Ended with Thanks for usiing SumUp a better way to get paid! Talk about salt in the wound……
My advice avoid at all costs!
This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for New Businesses
-Phillip
M Awais
Recently ordered sumup terminal so i can start taking card payments for business services i am providing since 2015 under same company name.
After ordering terminal and making account on their website, i received email from security team to ask few questions like what is nature of my business? What kind of products i sell? etc.
“Which i answered helping and explained nature of my business providing gas and boiler services. I do not sell any products.”
Security team did not ask any proof of business not even company registration number in their email.
Later that evening i could not login in to sumup account and when i rang i was told over the phone i could not give proof of my business so they have closed the account but they never asked any proof.
So my wild guess is they closed my account because i do not sell products which mean less transactions and less commission for sumup.
Very poor customer service. They should have asked all the business details upfront before even you can order their card terminal.
This post will help: Why Your Merchant Account Application Was Denied
-Phillip
Maja
Worst service provided ever ! They have closed my account without giving any notice that they will do it . 2 days before they closed it was talking to one of their customer support representatives and was told that the SumUp account has no time limit .
This post will help: Best UK Mobile Payment Processing Apps
-Phillip
Pat Apps
I bought goods at the Ideal Home Exhibition in London. Vendors were using SumUp. One purchase was for £70.00 but the card reader did not ask me to enter my PIN number. The payment went straight through. Nothing bad happened but if my card had been stolen and the thief used it for purchases above the contact limit then I could have potentially lost a lot of money.
Is this supposed to happen with SumUp?
This post will help: Best UK Mobile Payment Apps
-Phillip
Zoe
Terrible service, without any explanation, they canceled our account even though we had been in communication with them for many weeks prior to our upcoming market. Now left with 2 days before our market, we do not have an account even though they send us a card-reader etc. they just decided to cancel it without further explanation. Hugely disappointing! I don’t recommend using them.
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best UK Mobile Credit Card Processors
david roberts
Disgraceful company, accepted a £5000 final payment for a kitchen design & refit but sumup refused to put the money into my account after 8days of emails and phone calls they said they will refund my customer the £5000, obviously they keep the interest, now I have to wait for my customer to get there money back before they pay it to me, I am a one man band company and this could bankrupt me, I would advise staying away from Sumup they are an absolute disgrace and should be shut down, I and my customer are putting an official complaint into the Financial Ombudsman
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best UK Mobile Card Processing Apps
Ashleigh Pow
Rubbish wouldn’t like me take large payments e an tho it was 4 my business so they closed my account don’t use them
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best UK Mobile Credit Card Processing Apps
clint
They apparently offer a VIRTUAL TERMINAL but good luck ever trying to get it approved on your account!
you must REQUEST IT, otherwise it does not show up on your account at all.
I asked about it in early Jan of 2018, they replied with steps on how to request the virtual terminal to be activated. however the steps they provided were 100% wrong. For example they told me to go to a certain part of my account and submit some info, none of which was actually on my account. Literally the section they said to submit the info to request the virtual terminal did not exist lol.
so then i wrote customer support and informed them that the info they provided was wrong. and i heard nothing from them for 5 days. then i submitted another ticket asking why it was taking so long to respond, and what could i do to get the virtual terminal to be activated…
I finally got a reply saying i never requested the virtual terminal to be activated.
so on my second attempt (after they were ‘REALLY’ requested) I sent them all kinds of personal information and…. DECLINED. We’ve had a business for close to 30 years, so there should be no problems. So I was understandable vexed, but customer support said to try back in a few months.
And so a few days ago, after using this terrible company for close to 4 months, I tried again. Guess what? Declined! But I was also given a link to their massive TOS and told i didn’t meet something in it. WHAT? they NEVER SAID. I tried to read through it, but honestly that thing is MASSIVE and I’m done with this company.
Also, on a side note, their apple app is straight up garbage. I don’t think when these reviews are made that the apps get tested or are part of the review process.
Anyway, I am done with this amateur company
Xiaoxia LIn
NEVER use Sumup. They defraud small businesses and you have no power to fight them, because their Terms & Conditions are written to give them total power to exploit you. Check other reviews and you’ll see we are the norm and not the exception.
Read their terms and conditions here.” – In Term 15, it said: “We may at any time suspend or terminate and close your Account for any or No REASON at ANY TIME”. What they don’t tell you is that they will wait until there is at least €2,000 in your account first before they suspend you. AND “following the effective termination of your Account you shall immediately pay SumUp all amounts owed by you under these Terms and we shall equally pay you all amounts owed by us under these Terms. Notwithstanding the aforementioned provision, we are entitled to withhold the Reserve until the Account is finally settled, including any potential Chargebacks, but in any case not exceeding thirteen (13) months after effective termination. Translated : this means they will withhold YOUR money for between 6 -13 MONTHS and that’s exactly what they did to us.
Here’s my story, and you can find hundreds like me. We are a new, small Irish-based business that sells paintings – we just launched after investing substantial to purchase the paintings up front ie. cash is critical to us. Sumup approved our application, sold us the card reader, processed the €1 test transactions and sent us the money within 24 hours as we selected daily settlement . Over the space of a week we made sales totally €2,200. As no payments appeared in our account, we contacted Sumup multiple times and were told *everything is fine – keep using the card reader – the payment will appear shortly”. Then, disaster – we have been rejected as our business model does not meet their Terms & Conditions and we need to stop using the card reader. Massive inconvenience as we obviously don’t have a backup solution. Now here is the unbelievable piece. Not only have they completely failed us as a supplier, but they refuse to give us OUR money for 6 months. I verified with them and they admitted that every single one of our card transactions were fully and successfully processed. This in my language is FRAUD. Where a large company bullies a startup is the worst form of malpractice. No doubt they will post a reply to this – but read around and you’ll see this is common practice for them. Do not use Sumup.
My next stop is to bring this to the UK Financial Regulator – I will do my utmost to have their banking license reconsidered so that they can’t passport it across Europe committing this fraud.
Jamie
Can I ask you what has happened since this? They have done exactly the same to me. I have provided them with everything they have asked for, numerous times and they still say that they will send my money in 6 months time or return it to the customer.
This I feel is fraud and I don’t understand how they can do this to small businesses trying to make a living.
peter horton
i placed an order ,
they took my money wheres my machine .
how do i speak to some one ????????
John vernon
Lots of marketing on Facebook so I have them a try. I work in communications and sometimes they decline this sector. I emailed them and was told it was ok they’d take my business.
As the Facebook advert said start taking payments instantly, and to be honest that’s direct. As a regulated market they hide beside this all the time and they do stretch the truth. I have 23 recorded calls of information that was not correct.
They ask for ID and I provided. Bank statement, invoice , core business. They wanted to know why I didn’t have a Facebook page. My business would generate no ROI via Facebook.
Then the conversations got more heated and I emailed Gareth Walsh a director, sure he’ll never read it but I will get it served on him.
For quick cash flow stay away from this company. I have today closed my account and 1 Out of 23 staff actually did what he said he would do so thank you Devlin.
I’ve created a twitter page summedup1 please feel free to leave any comments. Face book page up next few weeks with the operators lying on the calls .
They have a ok rating but we make our own judgements.
Mine is clearly you are in acquisition mode and doing well but your back office can’t deal with it so they tell lies.
Great they are regulated as I will be complaining to the Financial,ombudsman.
clint
I’d watch out, they can cancel your account at any time for whatever reason. Or no reason. I was using them for 4 months, and requested they enable their virtual terminal. I was a perfect customer throughout that time, then WHAM they sent me a generic message about completely cancelling my account
Garrath Mckinley
If you want to their “virtual terminal” which means being able to take payments over the phone, then forget about! They refused me because they say i’m not a trusted business! This is one of the main reasons i chose sumup since this is what they advertise. Well sum this up……..BYE!
James
Do not use this company. We purchased this product from a well known beauty suppliers. We opened the box only to find it was empty, so we returned it. We then purchased the product directly from sumup. On the surface the product looks great. We opened the online account and the product looked very easy to use. Then a week later we received an email from sumup explaining that we were on there excluded business model companies. WE ARE NOT and considering we originally purchached this product from a beauty wholesalers and we run a beauty business we found this very strange. The customer service team were absolutely useless. They can not give you any infomation as to why your account is canceled. They explained to me that the security team can cancel accounts when they want to and dont have to give a reason. It was explained to me that this team do not have phones and they cant be contacted. REALLY! Oh and this is a perfectly acceptable way to treat your customers as its in the terms and conditions. I cant review the product its self as we never got to use it. Stay well clear of these guys.
MICHAEL RODEN
Absolute appalling customer service, and very very stupid. Closed my account without notice and for no reason. Customer service was rude and curt, worse than a robot. No reason to close my account, DISGUSTING!
Susan/Crowns & Gowns
Disgusted, I bought a Payleven reader when i opened my Business almost 3 years ago and on the whole have been really quite happy with it. Then a couple of months ago the account was changed to Sumup, everything has changed the app the account etc etc etc except how much I pay for the service, if I continue to use my Payleven reader I continue to pay 2.75% on my transactions instead of the 1.95% that Sumup advertises as its processing rate. In order to get the 1.95% rate I now have to buy another machine that is not needed. So Sumup if you are going to take my account and not give my company the same rate as others whose Accounts you hold or offer me a huge Discount on your reader, Then i am not going to give you My Business BYE BYE
Eric
The pricing is really confusing. On the US page it says special offer, get the reader for FREE, order for $69 and get this amount in credits. On the Swiss-German page it says get it for free until June 30 but there when going to order nothing further is mentioned about the discount. No vocher name is provided. This way I have no confidence that the promise is actually kept :-(
Helena
I have been with Payleven for a while and perfectly happy with their product. Their customer service desk was easy to contact and very efficient and competent.
They have now seemed to have become SumUp, I have to use their app instead with no contact number on the site! But the most annoying thing and most noticeable is that ordinary Visa payments taken on, say, Friday, for which I would have received an email Monday and payment by Wednesday are now two days later?? I’ve queried this and was told that it was still within
the 4-7 day time slot and that there
must have been something wrong
with the customer account etc….
None of this bodes well and I’m thinking about finding a new provider.
I’ve tried calling my old Payleven customer care number today, which I can still use and which would have connected me within a couple of minutes until the switch over. I gave up after eight. Very sad.
Charmaine
I was very disappointed with Sumup but stuck it out for 6 months before changing to iZettle. I wish I had done it months ago because the losses due to faulty terminals (5 in 6 months) and a system that needed constant battery changes (3-4 times a week). I lost a ton of business.
Learner2Advanced
I bought the Pin+ machine in May this year (2016) and I am VERY satisfied so far. I don’t have large volume card sales (driving instructor) but thought it would be convenient for my customers. I only take payment in GBP and don’t need advance payments (customer/card not present). The payment process is simple and payments appear in my account usually within a week. The 1.95% fee is more than acceptable. The review and accounting options available from the web site are more than sufficient for me. E-mails from SumUp detailing weekly/monthly payments and invoices (charges) are regular and detailed.
I recently had a problem where the card unit became blocked (I was changing batteries!). A phone call to support had a new unit on its way to me and a (free) return postage slip was e-mailed to me to return the blocked unit.
Experience so far? Excellent.
Go for it. Can’t fault it.
Telephone support number is 020 3510 0160
Brendan Docherty
Beware the marketing for Sum-Up which suggests that their service allows you to take payments in many other countries. We ordered their system in the belief that we could accept payments in UK, and with just a simple phone call, also in France. Reality, we now discover, is that we can only accept payments in GBP, not Euros. What customer is going to accept that happening in France? Complaints to Sum-Up now being ignored about their misleading marketing. You have been warned!
Mf
Unreliable product, terrible customer support. Avoid at all costs!
kev
this company is a disgrace.they took payment on item i sold next email i got was to send my passport and the registration of my business and the nature of my business what i do..which i gave all information they need..one day later i got another email to send a copy of the receipt i gave the customer..i did..a day later again.i got another email to give the name and the phone number of the customer..i did…a day later i got email that my account with sumup is close and they have refund the customer..due to irregularities in the transaction.with no reason giving to me.when i even contacted the customer he told that sumup contacted him to ask if he has purchase or use the card in my shop..he said he told them yes no cause to worry..the customer did not ask for refund..sumup choose to refund the money because the guy name was on the receipt and not is wife.when both of them was at the shop during the purchase(HAVE CCTV PROOF)..i ask which name and telephone number you want on the receipt..the husband said put mine…like what every other man will do..no MAN want is wife to be bother by some shop.on a short note.SUMUP have refunded €1250 to a customer that i don’t no there were about…PLEASE AVOID THIS COMPANY OR ASK A LOT QUESTION BEFORE JOINING THEM…am now taking legal action against them..I EVEN SEND THEM PICTURE OF FRONT AND INSID THE SHOP..when i ask why they did not contact all other transaction that i have been carrying in the shop no answer from them anymore..TRUST ME THEY WILL ANSWER TO THE LAW,
Colette
Got a card reader and didn’t know it didn’t accept over the phone payments..sent them many emails
And as they don’t have a contact number there no one to answer too…I would say to anyone steer clear of this company…If anything goes wrong theres no one to on the other side of the phone or email.
I have sent my machine back to them and am awaiting a refund..but will have to go the legal route as they only want your money and that’s it..no back up what so ever..Their a disgrace to call them selves a co.
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Ravin Mehta
Hi everybody please avoid Sumup like the plague this company has no concept of customer service ordered a machine still not received three weeks after after numerous emails they said the order was cancelled I sent a screenshot of the payment I have lost over €800 as I was unable to take card payments when asked for compensation they keep on avoiding the issue.
It’s better to pay a higher rate of interest with a company that has a phone number
Carmela Esposito Faraone
I am in the UK. I took the chip+pin device with me this weekend for the first time and didn’t work! The message on the display said ‘device blocked, please contact support centre’. No telephone number provided, I sent them two e-mails yesterday (Sun) and one this morning, which haven’t even been acknowledged. I lost some sales for this and I am really not happy for the total lack of support. What a waste of money and time!
Mark Kennerley
My problem is that my card reader, once setup, did & does not work. It just says Sumup in the window when it is turned on & nothing else happens no matter what I do. Have emailed them & even responded to their email to me asking if something is wrong because I have not used it. Needless to say, I responded to this & they have not replied. After reading the other posts here, I am glad it has not worked because I could be chasing payment from them instead of help. I think I will just write it off to experience & use someone else. (Why don`t they provide a UK contact number?
Dr vlok
Can anyone help with Sumup uk telephone number?,
I took a large payment from a client nine days ago and i cant seem to get the money out of sumup. They were good for a year, not sure what has gone wrong now.
eric
This service is absolutely poor. I have been waiting for a refund for the last 2 weeks for 2 card machines that were sent to me blocked.
I have contacted customer service a number of times. They have LIED to me and said that the payment has been transfered but it hasn’t. My bank has also confirmed this several times.
The customer service people are extremely rude. Your are no better than a thief. Please can you return my money.
Avoid Sum app!!!!
J-Bo
Ordered and received my card reader with absolutely no problems or delays.
Set up the account and made a test payment before going to an event where I needed to take a lot of credit card payments.
Whilst taking payments I received a notification from SumUp that they needed more documents. Luckily I had this info so emailed it to them. Then got another request, this time for more company info as well as invoices and customer contact details for transactions already taken! I thought that the point of using the system was that it generated receipts by email or text if the customer wanted it so I didn’t have to print out invoices!
My account stopped taking payments during the peak period of my sales during the weekend so I tried calling customer support but of course they’re closed at the weekend!
When I got home I sent all the documents requested, then wait and wait. Still no payment into my account so I call them and they ask all the same info over the phone that I’ve provided by email.
They ask for one more document concerning my business registration to be sent to them so I send it.
Then I receive another email asking for proof of address which I have already sent them!
Over a month since the event and my money is still stuck with them.
I’m starting to think that all these delay tactics are just to keep a large balance of their clients money in their bank account which they’re earning interest from.
Why did they not ask for all this info before they allowed my initial test transaction to go through? I wouldn’t have several thousand stuck in their account now.
Not sure if I would use them again but perhaps they’re the best of a bad bunch?
Linda
I purchased sumup on the 10th of June and still I have not recieved my card terminal. I have emailed them numerous times and got 1 reply to provide them with proof of purchase as it did not show up on their records that I had paid. I sent them proof and have not heard anything since that was 11 days ago and I am getting really frustrated.
I paid €94.00 in total and still nothing I also have since sent them about 10 emails and no reply. Their customer service is appalling and it’s really frustrating that there is no phone number to call.
I don’t really know where to go from here and I want a refund!
Brian
SumUp looks like an exceptionally attractive option for a small business where they may opt to accept credit cards when out and about for products or services. Even the simple rates of a standard 1.95% across the board is fine, but when you read comments like these from 2012 up to date in 2015, without any improvement over the 3 year period, you can’t help but feeling that there is a non-existent customer service behind this company and when you are a small business looking to offer a payment method to your customers so that you can get paid, this really is vital. It’s such a shame. I have emailed their customer service’s email address a few times with a couple of pre-purchase queries with no answers – Hardly instills confidence in them. I’ve decided not to go ahead with a SumUp account, but I am genuinely disappointed by this as it looks like it could have been great. Their loss and not mine I suspect, as more and more options become available.
Darren
I used sumup for the first time with a customer yesterday 11 June 2015 – process of taking a payment hassle free, however, today I receive an email asking for a copy of the customer invoice and some further details about my business – none of which I had a problem providing. I emailed the document to sumup with an explanation about my business – I then followed the email up with a phone call – which was answered very politely and asked if my email had been received – it hadn’t which is a bit concerning – nevertheless the agent taking my call asked me to forward to her direct – which I did. I then had to take a photo of the invoice I supplied to my customer and send that off (via email again) as the scan wasn’t clear. No problem – however when I followed that email up with a phone call, I just kept getting a message stating that their offices were closed and to call back during office hours – (this was midday and their office hours are 8am to 5pm.
So now I don’t know if they have received my email (the second one) and if it is acceptable and that the payment process to my bank account can be completed.
It’s a real shame as the process of getting the sumup hardware, setting up the software and actually using the thing is really quite good,
Jeannette
On 28 May I ordered a SumUp card reader (in the Netherlands), with the knowledge that it would be delivered in a few working days. So far I have not received the card reader. On 1 June I received an (automatic) mail from the Dutch office that they are awaiting my payment, whereas I have paid the card reader on 28 May. I informed them accordingly (with a screenshot of the payment) through an email to [email protected], but got no response. On 5 June I received an email from the German office that payment was received. But no info on delivery. On 8 June I received another automatic email from the Dutch office that they were awaiting payment. I replied again explaining the situation, but got no response again…
As I will need the card reader tomorrow (Thursday 11 June) I would very much appreciate communication from any Support Office that my card reader will indeed be delivered soon!
Hope very much to hear from you.
Richard Parker
I have had a card reader for around 10 days now, I have been emailing customer support alomst daily for the last 7 DAYS trying to find out if I can take pre-authorisations (also know as deferred payments) on my reader. The main reason I got the reader is to take pre-authorisations as damage deposits for the camper hire business I run. I have sent 6 messages in total through both my account support form and email direct to sum up support – not a SINGLE ONE has been answered. You cannot call them, so I am now in limbo I’ve spent £70 on a reader which may be useles for my purposes – please somebody get in TOUCH! I am appalled with the level of customer service, the rates might be good but there is a reason for that.
shervin
They keep asking for the same documentation after i sent it and told them i sent it.
Not sure if they are confused or lack intelligence, now looking for alternative option
Nick
The verification process is ridiculously long winded and they do not understand UK business law.
They are based in Germany and are very German centric.
They have £500 of our that they let us take and are now threatening to never allow us access to this money.
I think they may be a scam where they make their money from merchants who get sick of jumping through their hoops and give up.
They never return calls and just keep asking for further documentation. Some of which does not exist in the UK.
SCAM or just not very good I’m not sure but they have £500 of ours and we need the money.
Paul clancy
This company have taken payments and not moved them into my account.
they are not answering there phones, all very worrying
SB
Hi Paul,
I am having the same trouble with them. No one answering the phone or email really worried. Might stop taking payments through them to be on the safe side. Let us know if you had a luck getting through
Nicky fuller
I have had the same thing
Rob Palmer
Waste of time for me too unless it takes VISA via the reader. As a London taxi driver I need AMEX as well.
Shame all the instructions were not clear at the beginning.
Chris Campana
Hello Rob,
As I mentioned in my comments below, we are continuing to work with Visa Europe to allow acceptance of Visa cards also through a card reader in the future. Also, we have recently announced that we will be accepting American Express as well in the near future ).
Regards,
Chris
Gemma h
My problem with sum up is the time it is still taking for me to receive the money I took nearly 3 weeks ago now. In the faqs sum up says it will make ‘daily deposits’ once you’ve met the threshold and your account is verified – both of these I had met.
It then goes onto say it may take 7-10 working days for you to receive your money. In fact what i’ve established from emails to/from sum up support is that deposits are made 7-10 working days with an email sent confirming the same (infuriatingly this hasn’t happened in my case), with a further 2-3 working days possibly needed for the money to show in your account.
Factoring in the long bank holiday 11 working days have nearly passed and I’ve still not received the money. Having chased support I’ve now been told the bank details they’d used were incorrect and it could take another 7-10 working days for me to receive my money. Given that I had sent them a copy of a letter from my bank (certified by a solicitor) that confirmed my account details I find it hard to see how a mistake has been made and why I have to wait potentially a further two weeks for my money. As a small business this is not feasible and causes a lot of problems.
Even more infuriating is that when I initially queried where my money was I asked to check the bank details they had – I received no response to this particular question which is a shame because the problem I am now faced with could have been avoided.
As a side note, when I initially discovered it could take up to 10 working days for me to receive my money I looked elsewhere for another card reader and found intuitpay – it had just been released and they were giving them away for free. I subsequently ordered one, received it, took a test payment which arrived in my account yesterday! Needless to say I’ll be using this one instead of sum up from now on.
Chris Campana
Hello Gemma,
I’m sorry you experienced delays in your deposits. If you can email me your email address and/or merchant ID, I will investigate the problem personally. [email protected]
Best,
Chris
Victoria Peters
I feel like Ive been mis sold or mislead. The card reader I received wasn’t the card reader I signed up for. Isn’t that false advertisement, shouldnt it be illegal to do that. I am severely disappointed I was really excited at the prospect of this product but that has been a big let down. Most of my customers will probably Debit card owners so a chip reader is what I need not a swipe..thingy.
Sigh Rant over.
Chris Campana
Hi Victoria,
Not a problem. Send an email to [email protected] and they will get a chip reader out to you immediately.
Thanks,
Chris
firebird_uk
Signed up for this a week or so ago. Whilst the account set-up went well, it’s just been a disappointment since then.
I did not receive a chip and pin reader as shown on their website, but a mag stripe reader. Most people in the UK are wary of their card being swiped nowadays (as it has associations with card skimming), so that’s a major negative.
Secondly, from looking at their site you’d believe you can accept Visa & Mastercard. Here’s the process for accepting a Visa card as provided by their customer service staff:
· When you want to accept a Visa card, simply select “Visa” from the choice of payment methods and enter your customer’s mobile phone number.
· Your customer immediately receives a text message with a unique link to a secure website that opens on the customer’s mobile phone browser.
· On this website, your customer enters the Visa card’s details and completes the transaction.
So, if your customer doesn’t have a smart phone or can’t remember all their account access details then the transaction will fail.
This is not currently a card solution for small businesses, it is a halfway house that will leave customers and businesses frustrated. At lease it doesn’t cost anything to sign up!
Christopher Campana
Hi firebird_uk,
Chris Campana here from SumUp.
Different card associations (such as Visa and MasterCard) have different rules regarding how transactions can be accepted through mobile devices. Because of Visa Europe’s rules, Visa card acceptance is currently not possible via the SumUp card reader, but can be completed by manually entering the Visa card’s details on your customer’s phone.
We are working together with Visa Europe to allow acceptance of Visa cards also through a card reader in the future.
If you need further assistance, feel free to contact me at [email protected].
Best,
Chris
Biran
Can we enter the card number manually to all credit card types or just Visa? Thanks.
Alasdair H
Customer service does not answer emails and no phone number provided. Visa payments only work on a smart phone as the swipe doesn’t work on Visa cards. Takes Mastercard OK … Sorry waste of time at present.