In this article of Poynt, we'll take a close look at this innovative POS provider known for its smart payment terminals and wide range of services. We'll cover key features of Poynt's systems, including EMV reading and NFC capabilities, and their mobile payment solutions suitable for various businesses. Our discussion will include an analysis of the pros and cons, focusing on areas such as data security and potential system failures. We'll also touch on Poynt's acquisition by GoDaddy and what it means for the company.
We'll examine Poynt's rates, fees, and customer support options, offering insights into the real experiences of users and employees. This includes a look at online ratings and customer feedback to provide a thorough understanding of the company's market reputation. Finally, we'll wrap up with an overall assessment of Poynt, considering its place in the competitive world of payment processing.
About Poynt
Originally created to sell the “world’s first smart payment terminal,” Poynt is a POS provider that offers credit card processing software and hardware for merchants. Poynt was launched in late 2014 by the former head of Google Wallet to promote a single piece of hardware with pre-installed POS software as well as a built-in register, scanner, and printer. The company started shipping its first orders in September 2015 and has since expanded its service offering to include a proprietary operating system, business management tools, and an app marketplace.
In December 2020, GoDaddy announced its intention to acquire Poynt for $320 million cash at closing, with an additional $45 million in deferred cash payments due over the next three years. GoDaddy plans to integrate Poynt payment systems into its existing hosting platform.
Poynt Products and Services
Point of Sale
Poynt offers its proprietary point-of-sale (POS) system, available in mobile and tabletop versions, using their own software. These systems support EMV reading, NFC, mag stripe swiping, gift card reading, EBT, cash payments, PIN on glass, and all major debit and credit cards. They include built-in PCI compliance and can handle MOTO and virtual terminal transactions. Poynt also provides accessories such as USB and wireless printers, paper rolls, cash drawers, and USB/HID barcode scanners. The system is compatible with all major credit card processors, so clients can continue using their existing processors.
Mobile Payment Solutions
Poynt’s mobile payment solutions enable businesses to process payments on the go via the Poynt Mobile app. This is particularly beneficial for businesses operating outside traditional locations, like food trucks, pop-up shops, and service providers.
Robust Reporting and Analytics
Poynt provides reporting and analytics tools that offer insights into sales trends, customer behavior, and overall performance. These data-driven insights help businesses make informed decisions about their strategies and identify areas for improvement.
Poynt sells its own point-of-sale hardware and software combo
Poynt Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints
30+
Live Customer Support
No
Most Common Complaint
Product Malfunctions
Recent Lawsuits
No
Evaluation of Poynt Reviews
Our research has identified over 30 negative Poynt reviews on various consumer protection platforms. While no reviews categorically label the company as a scam or ripoff, common concerns include software and hardware issues, inadequate customer service, and setup difficulties. Users frequently express frustration with devices that exhibit consistent glitches, slow performance, or hardware failures shortly after purchase. We encourage you to share your personal experiences with Poynt in the comments below for a comprehensive perspective.
Legal Challenges Involving Poynt
No significant class-action lawsuits or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints have been recorded against Poynt. A notable legal challenge came in 2016 when Verifone sued Poynt for trademark infringement after acquiring Point International AB, but the lawsuit did not directly relate to Poynt’s merchant services. The federal court ruled in favor of Poynt, dismissing the lawsuit. Clients seeking non-litigious resolutions are advised to report their concerns to appropriate supervisory bodies.
Poynt Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
Online Ratings Summary
BBB Report
6
Under 5 Complaints
Poynt currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and does not receive BBB accreditation. The company has received 4 complaints in the last 36 months.
What Merchants Say
Poynt has also received 2 informal reviews, which are negative in tone. It should be noted that these reviews are not subject to authentication by the BBB. The most recent review describes faulty equipment and a poor response from customer service:
Very bad service, we got our machine on 4-28 , we start using it, then we called them because there is no option to do settlement and the guy told us it will do it automatically, the next day we is it and still no settlement and on the 3d day the machine stopped working and all the transactions still in the machine none of then went to our account made our checks pounced, I been calling and send them emails and all I get from them the same answer which is the issue been escalated to our team , it is been over a week now , what kind of company is this , and the funny thing is they have more 3 phone numbers and every time I call different number the same guy answer,
Merchants should review the best providers for customer service before entering into any contract as well as the reputation of a company’s sales tactics.
An “A” Overall
In light of the company’s low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s rating of an “A.” Merchants should note, however, that there are reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s rating system.
Poynt Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
Cost & Fees Summary
Cancellation Penalties
No
Monthly & Annual Fees
No
Processing Rates
1.00% - 4.99%
Equipment Leasing
Possible through resellers
No Contract Terms
Poynt can be purchased at a variable cost from a business’ current provider and does not come with a linked merchant account. This means that Poynt does not charge any per-transaction fees, monthly fees, or cancellation fees, and there are no contract terms associated with its use. Poynt is simply a piece of equipment that connects to a client’s chosen credit card processor or existing POS system. Any additional fees that a business pays on a per-transaction or monthly basis will be charged by that business’ processor.
Avoid Equipment Leases
Similar to other smart terminals, Poynt may have a higher upfront cost compared to conventional credit card swipers. However, the versatility of the product may justify the one-time purchase cost. If businesses are offered a lease option for Poynt, it’s crucial to carefully review the lease terms. Equipment leases are typically opportunities for providers to bind merchants to long-term contracts that end up being more expensive than the equipment’s actual value. While a Poynt terminal may have a higher value than a conventional one, it’s still not worth paying thousands of dollars over several years just to acquire it. In fact, most credit card terminals can be bought for under $500.
Poynt Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
Jobs & Marketing Summary
Uses Independent Resellers
No
Telemarketing
No
Misleading Marketing
No
Discloses All Important Terms
Yes
Removed From Sales Process
Poynt does not market directly to businesses. Instead, business owners can purchase Poynt through one of its partner processors if they wish. This means that Poynt is generally removed from the sales process. We therefore will assign the company a rating of “A” unless information emerges to suggest that the company is complicit in deceptive sales tactics.
Our Poynt Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Poynt is recognized as a high-quality point-of-sale (POS) system well-suited for modern credit card processing needs, according to comprehensive evaluations from various sources. However, despite its strong performance in many areas, Poynt has encountered some criticisms particularly centered around its initial setup process, ongoing device reliability issues, and less-than-satisfactory customer service. These complaints highlight some potential challenges that users may face, suggesting that the system’s advanced features and functionality might not seamlessly translate into user experience for every business.
For business owners considering investing in Poynt’s POS system, it is crucial to carefully evaluate the practical application of its versatile features against its cost, which is reported to be higher than many other competing POS systems in the market. The decision to purchase should be informed by a clear understanding of how Poynt’s specific functionalities align with the unique needs and operational demands of their business. Ensuring that the system’s capabilities are a necessary and beneficial addition to their operations will help justify the investment and mitigate any dissatisfaction with the product’s cost relative to its performance in their specific commercial environment.
Contact Poynt
Support & Contact Information
CEO
Osama Bedier
Address
4151 Middlefield Rd Floor 1, Palo Alto, California 94303
Contact Support
Online Contact Form
Testimonials & Complaints
How Did Poynt Treat You?
16 User Reviews
JoeDes
Ancient City Art Gallery LLC
Absolutely the WORST decision I made when opening my business. I got caught up in the “GoDaddy” name and regret not understanding enough about possible issues. AMAZING how limited is the reporting! Updating the terminal doesn’t take. You have to delete an item and reenter rather than just trying to edit the one that already exists. YOU CAN’T RUN A REPORT TO EXPORT CLIENTS TO A LIST! The lack of a cohesive report to show products sold is ridiculous! You can’t run a report to show SKU’s sold! AVOID THIS PRODUCT LIKE THE PLAGUE!
Timothy Hughes
I do not recommend poynt, I overlooked the bad reviews, due to the good ratings for equipment. This company has been nothing short of a nightmare. They are quick to take the customer’s money but very slow on returning funds.
Brian Heavens
I’ve been dealing with poynt for 2 months regarding a tax issue. My state and city retail taxes are set at 13.5. Poynt is not collecting the proper amount. This leads me to Paying the gap out of pocket. For every ten thousand dollars they fail to collect about 500 dollars. I’ve talked to poynt four separate times. Each time I get a ticket number and I’m told it’s been elevated to urgent, the engineers are working on it.. I’ve yet to hear from anyone. I’ve lost money and more time than I care to admit. This is absolutely crazy. It has taken their engineers 2 months to give me no answer. Avoid this company if you can.
Phet Bouaravong
I have bought a poynt smart terminal last month. Since then I had nothing but problem with it. It will process payment only half the time. I talk to there support technician, they seem clueless. They keep saying it has poor wifi connection, even though i got fiber optic and full bars. I even connected straight using Ethernet wire and still the same. I took the poynt terminal home and try it at my house, still they say the same thing, poor connection. I spoken to 5 tech spend hours on the phone with them and all of them don’t know what else they can do. They send me another one to replace it, and the new one wont even process any card at all. Call there support team, again no help. They are sending me another one to replace the other two. haha…
This will be my last try, if the 3rd one dont work, I will try to get my money back. Because what good is a poynt terminal, if it cant process payment.
George DuBois Jenkins
We are apparently locked into a 4 year lease for the Poynt Terminal. We were never informed that it was indeed that long! Now that Quickbooks is able to process cards the next day, having the Poynt is an unnecessary expense for our business.
This system is Garbage! It fails constantly and does not come back up for hours or even days! Thank God we have a backup or we would be out of business! Avoid at all costs!
Who did you get it through? Whenever any of my clients had any issues with it, Elavon replaced it free of charge.
Jaron Rice
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m a Poynt reseller through Elavon. I have a number of them in the field and have seen some of them fail. The ones that have had issues thus far have been the 3G models. I’ve never had an issues with the WiFi models or the Poynt 5 handheld. I think the entire undertaking was ambitious and they probably launched a years sooner than they should have. That said, they recognized early on the issues they were having and have authorized Elavon to replace any failing units no questions asked. My clients were overnighted new devices. Elavon recently invested $100 million into Poynt and I’m confident that the investment will pay huge dividends. The best thing about the device in my opinion is the options you get. You can use it’s native register app, you can use eHopper POS, Lightning Register, Silver Fox POS, eThor, talech and a bunch of other POS softwares through this single device. Ultimately, it gives you freedom and flexibility unlike anything I’ve seen. I’m excited to see where it’s going.
Steve Rinehart
If you value your time and sanity, plus your business and customers…. do not come near this company. I regret ever purchasing them and so will you! It does have an BBB rating…. FAILING!!!
This is the worst device I’ve ever used. It can’t do the simple things it’s designed to do. Imagine buying a car and then finding out it comes with half a steering wheel. Then they tell you if you want to use it you have to spend hundreds of dollars per month to rent the other half from some third party developer. To make things worse the other half of the steering wheel has its own issues and never quite works correctly. I’m sorry to be so harsh but this company and its products are complete garbage. I have spent $1000s on multiple devices and none of them work. They will reboot randomly or simply crash while you are trying to make a charge. The worst is when an entire customer order doesn’t print in the kitchen and the staff looks around while the customer gets ready to walk out. I think I have spent more time fighting to keep customers while using this device than actually managing and running my business. There is also no customer support. I’m in the middle of getting a lawyer to null this contract and then go to Square Register as soon as possible. I would recommend you stay away from Poynt before you end up like all the rest of the reviews.
I’ve had fairly good success with my terminal, and for a “small” merchant this system is a good option, although a bit pricey. My biggest complaint of the terminal is the customer facing pinpad screen. It does not resemble your typical pinpads with the associated letters on the numbered keypad – only numbers. I find many of my customers use a 4 letter word to remember their pin and are stumped when they don’t see the letters. I have sent the suggestion to Poynt several times and each time get the same scripted response saying “this would be a great improvement and will escalate my request to the appropriate team”. So far no improvement (7 months later).
I am sure the machine has potential but the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. Horrible Service thru both Elavon and Poynt. I don’t believe it is ready to be launched. I am having the same problems as everyone else. It works, it doesn’t work, it takes cards it doesn’t take cards. Terribly disappointed in all of the companies involved. They all just pass the problems off to someone else. Nothing but stress.
Ty
DO NOT BUY!! It is cute but it sucks. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt. It says card error, I call customer service they say reboot the machine. Then it declines cards. Customer service advised me ,it only takes cards with chips. That’s news to me it has been taking cards without chips for over 5 months. Second customer service person,(slightly better English )” We repaired a glitch”. It will take chipless cards now. Numerous other problems like dropping prices, modifiers, changing taxes. Now my BIGGEST problem I just looked at my bank account. Poynt made no deposits into my account for 14 days. Nothing new, everything else was deposited for months. It just stopped! Then I am told by very nice people, it was a Poynt software problem. They its fixed “it will not happen again “. Can you do without 14 days of business, I can’t. That is the only thing they got right. It will not happen again! Dont walk away from Poynt, RUN!!!!
Julia Park
Very bad service. We have been told incorrect information by the people at POYNT, and we have had to figure things out ourselves. There are many things we still are trying to figure out, and we have been given incorrect answers, or no answers. There are serious problems with the functions and the design of the machine, and the worst part is they themselves cannot give any help. And the sales people don’t know how to use the machine at all.
Susan
This was honestly a disappointment. I have had this terminal for less than month, and it’s no longer working properly. I called customer service, and spent roughly an hour looking for the solution to this problem, but they were no help. I tried asking for a refund, and they also didn’t accept that. It was the biggest mistake to get this. Take this review as a warning to never get this.
Mindy
This system is very limited in what kind kind of storefront it can serve.
It doesn’t have unit pricing programming options unless you pay for one of their TERRIBLE 3rd party apps they partnered with.
If there are any connection errors, the system stalls and makes the checkout process even longer because they are sourcing all of your products from their website, rather than the device itself.
If you have a large inventory of product items in one category, it is not able to scroll through them on the register app.
This device need more development! I would suggest looking into another POS system that has been on the market longer, unless you like paying to work out the kinks.
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JoeDes
Absolutely the WORST decision I made when opening my business. I got caught up in the “GoDaddy” name and regret not understanding enough about possible issues. AMAZING how limited is the reporting! Updating the terminal doesn’t take. You have to delete an item and reenter rather than just trying to edit the one that already exists. YOU CAN’T RUN A REPORT TO EXPORT CLIENTS TO A LIST! The lack of a cohesive report to show products sold is ridiculous! You can’t run a report to show SKU’s sold! AVOID THIS PRODUCT LIKE THE PLAGUE!
Timothy Hughes
I do not recommend poynt, I overlooked the bad reviews, due to the good ratings for equipment. This company has been nothing short of a nightmare. They are quick to take the customer’s money but very slow on returning funds.
Brian Heavens
I’ve been dealing with poynt for 2 months regarding a tax issue. My state and city retail taxes are set at 13.5. Poynt is not collecting the proper amount. This leads me to Paying the gap out of pocket. For every ten thousand dollars they fail to collect about 500 dollars. I’ve talked to poynt four separate times. Each time I get a ticket number and I’m told it’s been elevated to urgent, the engineers are working on it.. I’ve yet to hear from anyone. I’ve lost money and more time than I care to admit. This is absolutely crazy. It has taken their engineers 2 months to give me no answer. Avoid this company if you can.
Phet Bouaravong
I have bought a poynt smart terminal last month. Since then I had nothing but problem with it. It will process payment only half the time. I talk to there support technician, they seem clueless. They keep saying it has poor wifi connection, even though i got fiber optic and full bars. I even connected straight using Ethernet wire and still the same. I took the poynt terminal home and try it at my house, still they say the same thing, poor connection. I spoken to 5 tech spend hours on the phone with them and all of them don’t know what else they can do. They send me another one to replace it, and the new one wont even process any card at all. Call there support team, again no help. They are sending me another one to replace the other two. haha…
This will be my last try, if the 3rd one dont work, I will try to get my money back. Because what good is a poynt terminal, if it cant process payment.
George DuBois Jenkins
We are apparently locked into a 4 year lease for the Poynt Terminal. We were never informed that it was indeed that long! Now that Quickbooks is able to process cards the next day, having the Poynt is an unnecessary expense for our business.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Matt Automotive Kraus
This system is Garbage! It fails constantly and does not come back up for hours or even days! Thank God we have a backup or we would be out of business! Avoid at all costs!
This post will help: Best EMV Terminals
-Phillip
Jaron Rice
Who did you get it through? Whenever any of my clients had any issues with it, Elavon replaced it free of charge.
Jaron Rice
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m a Poynt reseller through Elavon. I have a number of them in the field and have seen some of them fail. The ones that have had issues thus far have been the 3G models. I’ve never had an issues with the WiFi models or the Poynt 5 handheld. I think the entire undertaking was ambitious and they probably launched a years sooner than they should have. That said, they recognized early on the issues they were having and have authorized Elavon to replace any failing units no questions asked. My clients were overnighted new devices. Elavon recently invested $100 million into Poynt and I’m confident that the investment will pay huge dividends. The best thing about the device in my opinion is the options you get. You can use it’s native register app, you can use eHopper POS, Lightning Register, Silver Fox POS, eThor, talech and a bunch of other POS softwares through this single device. Ultimately, it gives you freedom and flexibility unlike anything I’ve seen. I’m excited to see where it’s going.
Steve Rinehart
If you value your time and sanity, plus your business and customers…. do not come near this company. I regret ever purchasing them and so will you! It does have an BBB rating…. FAILING!!!
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best EMV Terminals
Rebecca Sermon
This is the worst device I’ve ever used. It can’t do the simple things it’s designed to do. Imagine buying a car and then finding out it comes with half a steering wheel. Then they tell you if you want to use it you have to spend hundreds of dollars per month to rent the other half from some third party developer. To make things worse the other half of the steering wheel has its own issues and never quite works correctly. I’m sorry to be so harsh but this company and its products are complete garbage. I have spent $1000s on multiple devices and none of them work. They will reboot randomly or simply crash while you are trying to make a charge. The worst is when an entire customer order doesn’t print in the kitchen and the staff looks around while the customer gets ready to walk out. I think I have spent more time fighting to keep customers while using this device than actually managing and running my business. There is also no customer support. I’m in the middle of getting a lawyer to null this contract and then go to Square Register as soon as possible. I would recommend you stay away from Poynt before you end up like all the rest of the reviews.
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best Merchant Accounts for Restaurants
Karen
I’ve had fairly good success with my terminal, and for a “small” merchant this system is a good option, although a bit pricey. My biggest complaint of the terminal is the customer facing pinpad screen. It does not resemble your typical pinpads with the associated letters on the numbered keypad – only numbers. I find many of my customers use a 4 letter word to remember their pin and are stumped when they don’t see the letters. I have sent the suggestion to Poynt several times and each time get the same scripted response saying “this would be a great improvement and will escalate my request to the appropriate team”. So far no improvement (7 months later).
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best EMV Terminals
Kerri Bauer
I am sure the machine has potential but the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. Horrible Service thru both Elavon and Poynt. I don’t believe it is ready to be launched. I am having the same problems as everyone else. It works, it doesn’t work, it takes cards it doesn’t take cards. Terribly disappointed in all of the companies involved. They all just pass the problems off to someone else. Nothing but stress.
Ty
DO NOT BUY!! It is cute but it sucks. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt. It says card error, I call customer service they say reboot the machine. Then it declines cards. Customer service advised me ,it only takes cards with chips. That’s news to me it has been taking cards without chips for over 5 months. Second customer service person,(slightly better English )” We repaired a glitch”. It will take chipless cards now. Numerous other problems like dropping prices, modifiers, changing taxes. Now my BIGGEST problem I just looked at my bank account. Poynt made no deposits into my account for 14 days. Nothing new, everything else was deposited for months. It just stopped! Then I am told by very nice people, it was a Poynt software problem. They its fixed “it will not happen again “. Can you do without 14 days of business, I can’t. That is the only thing they got right. It will not happen again! Dont walk away from Poynt, RUN!!!!
Julia Park
Very bad service. We have been told incorrect information by the people at POYNT, and we have had to figure things out ourselves. There are many things we still are trying to figure out, and we have been given incorrect answers, or no answers. There are serious problems with the functions and the design of the machine, and the worst part is they themselves cannot give any help. And the sales people don’t know how to use the machine at all.
Susan
This was honestly a disappointment. I have had this terminal for less than month, and it’s no longer working properly. I called customer service, and spent roughly an hour looking for the solution to this problem, but they were no help. I tried asking for a refund, and they also didn’t accept that. It was the biggest mistake to get this. Take this review as a warning to never get this.
Mindy
This system is very limited in what kind kind of storefront it can serve.
It doesn’t have unit pricing programming options unless you pay for one of their TERRIBLE 3rd party apps they partnered with.
If there are any connection errors, the system stalls and makes the checkout process even longer because they are sourcing all of your products from their website, rather than the device itself.
If you have a large inventory of product items in one category, it is not able to scroll through them on the register app.
This device need more development! I would suggest looking into another POS system that has been on the market longer, unless you like paying to work out the kinks.