Lavu Review: Fees, Complaints, Comparisons & Lawsuits

By Phillip Parker

Last Updated: December 2, 2022

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Lavu

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(855) 767-5288 View Pricing

Lavu Point of Sale

Founded in 2010, Lavu is a cloud-based, mobile point-of-sale product intended for restaurants and bars. Lavu is currently only available for the iPad. The company offers its own merchant account solution called LavuPay as well as integrations with Heartland, Moneris, Square, PayPal, Vantiv, and EVO Snap. Lavu also offers management features, kiosks, and a loyalty app. 2019 saw Lavu acquire MenuDrive and Sourcery. In 2022, Lavu partnered with Verifone.

Lavu Location & Ownership

Lavu is headquartered at 2632 Pennsylvania St NE, Suite D, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110. Saleem S. Khatri is the CEO of Lavu.

Lavu Review Table of Contents

Costs & Contract: Lavu offers each terminal for $69 per month alongside integrated payment processing.
Complaints & Service: Lavu complaints number more than 30 on public complaints forums.
BBB Rating: Lavu currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 7 complaints and 6 reviews in the last 3 years.
Sales & Marketing: Lavu does not appear to hire independent sales agents and has not received any complaints about its sales practices.

Lavu offers an iPad-based POS solution

these processors announce that they now sync with quickbooks

Lavu Reviews and Complaints

Here's What Their Clients Say

Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints

30+

Live Customer Support

Yes

Most Common Complaint

Product Malfunctions

Low-to-Moderate Complaint Volume

We are currently able to locate over 30 negative Lavu reviews, some of which describe the company as a scam or ripoff. The company currently has a rating of 3.6 out of 5 on the Apple App Store based on 27 ratings. Common themes among complainants include inconsistent software performance, unreliable customer support, limited features, and a higher monthly cost than the product justifies. Positive reviewers praise Lavu’s suitability for restaurants and reliability, which may indicate that its success is highly dependent on the payment environment. If you have your own Lavu review to make, please do so in the comments below.

Lavu Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Lavu. Lavu was involved in a suit over rent for its former offices, but as this isn’t related to its merchant services, we won’t count it toward this review. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Lavu Customer Service Options

Lavu offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email support to its merchants, but some merchants report that these channels are slow to resolve most issues.

We have located a single Lavu customer service number:

(855) 767-5288 – Toll-Free General Customer Service

Lavu does not offer a dedicated email support address, however it does offer live chat support and a support form through its website.

This level of support technically meets our expectations of the top-rated payment processors for customer service, but it does not appear to provide top-notch coverage for all merchant issues.

Lavu BBB Rating and Report

Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment

BBB Summary

Total Complaints

Resolved Complaints

Under 10 Complaints

Lavu has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2015 and its profile is showing an “A+” rating. The company has received 7 complaints in the past 36 months. 1 of these 7 complaints was resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 6 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.

What Merchants Say

Lavu has also received 6 negative informal reviews through the BBB. The most recent review describes unexpected charges and poor customer service:

Jan 2021, prepaid for a year of software at two locations. Starting February, got charged ~$80 monthly software at both locations. Called, emailed, refunded, made clear to remove my payment info, etc. Happened again in March. (Added a 3% processing fee with no prior disclosure too!) Then every month thru July. Called and emailed them every time, eventually refunded with slower and slower responses.In Aug, I just started disputing transactions as threatened. Random multiple terminal fees now popping up, still charging monthly. (We only have one terminal.) Also a random $50/mth per location charge for using PayPal for processing was added in July; that was never disclosed to or approved by me. I implemented a credit card stop-pay from the merchant. They have multiple merchant accounts; kept charging. Literally put Lavu on an unnecessary card and closed it just to get them to stop charging me random amounts. Now, Dec 2021, switching back to our former POS and processor now that our year is over despite the extra cost per month because Lavu cannot be trusted with credit card information and does not disclose their charges. Do not ever provide Lavu your credit card information.

Merchants may be able to avoid these situations by seeking top-rated payment processors with excellent customer service.

An “A” Performance Overall

In light of the company’s time in business and complaint rate, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time, but merchants should be aware that there are good reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s reviews.

Lavu Fees and Rates

A Closer Look at the Contract

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Cost Summary

Terminal Fee $69 Per Month	Swipe Rate 1.00% - 4.99%	Early Termination Fee Variable
PCI Compliance Fee Variable	Equipment Lease Terms 12 Month

Lavu POS Pricing

Lavu offers three pricing plans for its POS systems: single terminal, multiple terminal, and enterprise. The single terminal plan costs $69 per month per terminal billed annually. The other two plans charge less per terminal depending on the number of locations and devices required. We would encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant services.

LavuPay Pricing

Lavu’s in-house payment processing, LavuPay, appears to come with custom rates based on each merchant’s business type and processing history. Lavu also offers integrated payment processing through Heartland, Moneris, PayPal, Square, Vantiv, and EVO Snap. Merchants can expect the pricing offered by each of these partners to be similar or identical to that company’s standard merchant account pricing. If you have any knowledge of Lavu’s rates, please share it in the comment section below this review.

No Red Flags

We are unable to locate any Lavu complaints that describe excessive fees or unreasonable pricing. To minimize costs, merchants should first secure a merchant account from a restaurant-friendly merchant account provider and then inquire as to whether Lavu can offer a custom integration for that provider.

Lavu’s advertised pricing tiers

Lavu Jobs and Employment

Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment

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Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers

Yes

Advertises Deceptive Rates

Discloses All Important Terms

Lavu Features

Lavu offers multiple features optimized for all restaurant operations:

Front of house – Layout and menu customization, menu item hotkeys, hold and fire, offline orders, order status updates, custom discounts, and preauthorized drink tabs
Back of house – iPad kitchen displays, integrated ticket printing, paid and unpaid identifiers, and order timers
Management – Shift scheduling, QuickBooks integration, labor and sales reporting, customer database, multi-language support, access levels, and a pizza-building module
Inventory – Consolidated vendor relationship management, real-time menu integration, location transfer, and warehouse management
Tracking – Real-time reporting of earnings, labor, inventory, and long-term trends

No Deceptive Advertising

Like most other POS providers, Lavu markets itself primarily through an in-house sales staff, a referral program, and resellers. The company does not publicly list any promotions or rate quotes that we consider to be deceptive. We have found no Lavu reviews that mention deceptive sales techniques. This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors. If you suspect that Lavu has misrepresented your rates and fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate billing errors.

Lavu Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts and Opinions

A Solid Point-of-Sale System

Lavu rates as a reliable point-of-sale system for restaurants at this time. The company does not appear to engage in predatory sales tactics or offer unfair contract terms, but it has received a moderate number of public complaints related to the product itself. Merchants will need to scrutinize the terms of their agreement through Lavu and compare with top iPad POS options in order to obtain the best deal.

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About The Author

Phillip Parker

Phillip Parker is an independent card payment expert specializing U.S. and Canadian point-of-sale, e-commerce, and mobile payment acceptance. He has nearly two decades of experience in credit card processing as a journalist and consultant. Phillip is the creator of this website and has written over 1,500 articles covering numerous payment acceptance topics. He has also published critical reviews about most merchant services providers currently in operation.

Expert Guidance

Phillip has consulted businesses of all sizes from mom-and-pop shops processing $10K per month to enterprise level organizations processing in excess of $300MM annually. His specialties include:

– Merchant Account Statement Auditing

– Rate & Fee Negotiation

– Processor & POS Selection

– Software Integrations

– Risk Assessment

– Fraud Prevention

– General Processing Advice

Schedule a Consultation Here

Phillip’s Top Picks

Phillip has researched and reviewed over 1,000 merchant services providers over the last 15 years. He also owns multiple businesses that accept credit card payments. If you are looking for an ethical credit card processor that doesn’t hide fees or lock you into expensive contracts, see Phillip’s merchant account picks here.

In The Media

In addition his contributions on CPO, Phillip has also been quoted in several major publications such as The Los Angeles Times, INC Magazine, Miami Herald, Computer World, and numerous others. If you would like to interview Phillip for your story or podcast, please reach out here.

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Customer & Employee Reviews

What Others Are Saying About Lavu

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Copyright

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.

FTC & Advertising Disclosure

We take great pride in providing one of the only objective an unbiased merchant account review websites on the internet. To support this enormous responsibility we earn some of our revenue through affiliate fees and advertising. These revenues in no way influence our ratings or reviews. Learn more about our monetization policies here.

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Tags

4-Star EVO Snap Heartland MenuDrive Moneris PayPal Saleem S. Khatri Sourcery Square Vantiv Verifone

Phillip Parker is the creator and author behind this website. He has over 15 years of experience in the credit card processing industry as a journalist, consultant, and former merchant account sales professional. He started this project as a blog to expose merchant services providers that engage in predatory business practices, such as deceptive marketing, misleading pricing, and high-pressure sales tactics. His goal is to help business owners find merchant account providers who serve their industry well while offering fair rates with no junk fees and no long-term commitments.

Phillip has researched over 1,000 payment processors and been quoted in numerous high-profile publications, including the Los Angeles Time, INC Magazine, The Atlantic, and the Miami Herald among others.

Need advice on card acceptance? Schedule a consultation with Phillip.

Phillip’s Top Processor Picks:
Retail, restaurant, e-commerce, mobile, professional services, and invoicing, Phillip recommends Helcim and CDG Commerce.

High-risk businesses, Phillip recommends PaymentCloud and Host Merchant Services.

Please note that our rating system was overhauled on April 26th, 2023. Reviews dated before this date may not score in accordance with the following.

Star Rating Criteria:

At the start of our research, all processors are awarded five stars. We deduct stars if the processor engages in any of the following:

– One star deduction if the processor has any junk fees.

– One star deduction if the processor does not post its pricing clearly on its website.

– One Star deduction if the processor is suffering from moderate client complaints.

– Multiple Star deductions if a processor is suffering from severe complaints, imposes unjust cancellation fees, markets non-cancellable equipment leases, engages in predatory rate pricing, or may be engaged in illegal activities.

Get all of the details regarding out rating criteria here.