Lavu Review: Fees, Complaints, Comparisons & Lawsuits
(855) 767-5288 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. (picklelicious.com) 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
Lavu Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| 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 Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Complaints | 7 |
| Resolved Complaints | 1 |
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, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Item | Result | >
|---|---|
| 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 Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
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.
Our Lavu Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
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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Thiago Debbie
I am thrilled to share my amazing experience with Lavu! This innovative restaurant management system has truly revolutionized the way we run our business. The seamless integration of ordering, payments, and inventory management has boosted our efficiency and eliminated any operational hiccups.
With Lavu’s user-friendly interface and robust features, our staff quickly adapted to the system, resulting in improved order accuracy and faster table turnover. The real-time analytics and reporting tools have given us valuable insights into customer preferences and sales trends, allowing us to make data-driven decisions that have positively impacted our bottom line.
Beyond the excellent software, Lavu’s customer support team has been outstanding. Their prompt and knowledgeable assistance ensured a smooth transition during the setup process and continued to provide timely support whenever needed.
Lavu is undoubtedly a game-changer for any restaurant looking to streamline operations and enhance customer experience. Kudos to the team for creating such a fantastic product!