Square, Inc.

square decided it needed more information before it could send our latest transactions to our bank account. We supplied square with all the information it requested and more. We have a physical location, have marketing material, a website and a Facebook page, are registered with the State and the IRS, and a signed contract with the client in question. The next day, we received the same \"high risk\" email so many others have with no explanation as to why. Not sure how they decided we were a high risk business - we do marketing and business development.
In addition, they have no system for review or give you an opportunity to respond. They just decide you're guilty and cancel your account. Would never recommend square to any one in business. Do not use square!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/07/01) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon further investigation, I see that Square has been in contact with both you and your family member regarding this transaction. On June 28, Square received an email from your family member (the recipient)...

confirming that Square had sent the deposit to their bank account but that the customer's bank was responsible for holding the funds. At this point, it appears as though your family member has been in touch with Square regarding this transaction and that the funds have been located and released into their bank account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2014/07/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
The response was correct. Thank you.

Hello [redacted],We're sorry to inform you that we are deactivating your account. We reviewed your account and found that your business is prohibited by Section 3 of the Payment Terms and/or Section 4 of the General Terms, which means we cannot accept payments related to your business.We regret...

that, starting today, you will no longer be able to process transactions using Square.Your outstanding Square balance will be paid out per our normal payment schedule.We appreciate your having chosen Square and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.Sincerely,Square Compliance TeamThis is a non-commercial message sent to you by Square, Inc.Email preferences: Please note that you may receive non-commercial email in accordance with your Square Seller Agreement, whether or not you elect to receive promotional email.FAQ: If you have any questions about Square, please see our help center at: https://squareup.com/helpPrivacy and security: Keeping your personal information secure is one of our most important responsibilities. For an explanation of how Square protects your personal information, please visit the Square website to read our Privacy Policy.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/12) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon further investigation, I see that member of Square's Account Services team reviewed your account and elected to terminate the account in accordance with Article 42 of the Square Seller Agreement: "We may terminate...

this Agreement and close your Square Account for any reason or no reason at any time upon notice to you. We may also suspend the Services and access to your Square Account (including the funds in your Square Account) if you (a) have violated the terms of this Agreement, any other agreement you have with Square, or Square's policies, (b) pose an unacceptable credit or fraud risk to us, or (c) provide any false, incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information or otherwise engage in fraudulent or illegal conduct."
Article 43 further states that: "We will not be liable to you for compensation, reimbursement, or damages in connection with your use of the Services, or in connection with any termination or suspension of the Services. Any termination of this Agreement does not relieve you of any obligations to pay any Fees or costs accrued prior to the termination and any other amounts owed by you to us as provided in this Agreement."
On June 12, Square sent you an email stating the terms of your deactivation. If you choose to not refund this payment and request an alternate method of payment from your customer, Square will deposit the pending funds into your linked bank account on September 8.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2014/06/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2014/06/16) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon signing up with Square, you agree to Square's Seller Agreement. This agreement details Square's right to request some additional information about your business in order to verify what is being sold through Square's system. Upon reviewing the information that you submitted, Square elected to deactivate your account because it found that it could not support your business. Due to security reasons and the obligations of Square's agreements with card networks and other financial institutions, Square is unable to provide additional details regarding your account deactivation.
In accordance with Square's emails, your pending deposits will be released into your linked bank account 90 days from the date of deactivation.
Final Consumer Response /* (3000, 9, 2014/06/13) */
Yes they said they will deposit $$$ in 90 days..I just opened the acct and this was my very first transaction!! Does it not sound suspicious? Closing an acct after a transaction and then holding that transaction for 90,days? It took them all but a day to clear transaction and they are now keeping my money hostage ..My beef with this company is there is no live person to speak with unless ur acct is active and open..they told me this via email..the phone numbers are all recordings... Sounds like they are juggling the money someway for there own use...

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
 
Do you people know how to read? THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! I don't care what your email said I am telling you right now that you are going to deposit the funds into my bank account. If your company does not do so you acknowledge that you are committing theft and I will move forward with liti**tion.Sincerely,[redacted]

Square "scams" small businesses by placing 90 day holds on large transactions. It doesn't matter if you have verified that your a legitimate business. They use their terms of use policy to get away with their fraud.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2015/03/18) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon further investigation I see that you do not have a Square Account associated with this email address. If the reader was mistakenly mailed to your address, you may elect to either discard or utilize the card reader at...

your discretion. It is not required to send the card reader back to Square. If you have further general questions regarding Square, you may contact them via their website.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 17, 2015/03/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Mailed back to the with receipt requested and have gotten receipt. Still can't understand how they can mail that sort of item unsolicitated.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/11/02) */
Hello,
Upon further investigation, a member from Square's Disputes Services Team has been in communication with you regarding this matter. The message that was sent to you states: "I have looked into this and I can confirm that the...

payment in question has already been paid out to your recipient. For security purposes, we review all Square Cash activity. Occasionally, this can result in a 1-2 business day delay in settlement of funds."
If you have additional questions regarding this payment please reply directly to the message sent to you by the member of Square's Disputes Services team as instructed in the email for further assistance.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/11/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The monies may have been paid but they were not paid into my daughters account. I have a letter from the recipient bank (TD Bank) that states the monies were never received in my daughter's account. The bank searched my daughter's account back to March, 2015 and there is no $2,000 deposit. The bank needs to know what account number SQUARE used for deposit. They cannot search any further without the account number. I can provide a copy of the bank's response along with my daughter's bank statement. TD Bank representative is also willing to speak with SQUARE by phone.
[redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/11/20) */
Please reply directly to the message sent to you by the member of Square's Disputes Services team on 11/16/15 as instructed in the email for further assistance.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/11/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
There should be a yes, no, and maybe option.
I contacted Square's press office on Friday, November 28, 2015. Within a few hours, I received a call from Square's dispute office. They said they discovered the error and were refunding the money to me. I received it in my account today, November 23, 205.
Unfortunately, so much time passed [redacted] I retained an attorney to help me file a small claim. The attorney cost was $325.
I have requested that Square refund the attorney fees.
I do not expect that they will. Therefore, I received a net of $1,775.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/06/12) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon further investigation, I see that Square deposited the held funds from the billing dispute on June 9. At this time, there are currently no pending deposits for this account. Please note that the dispute process...

takes time, and Square was unable to close the case until it received an official resolution from your customer's credit-issuing bank. At that point, Square released the funds into your linked bank account.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/06/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Very frustrating to communicate via email only. Takes 3 t o 4 days for a response.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/06/16) */
Hello [redacted],
After further investigation, I see that Square sent you an email on June 12 confirming that your account has been disabled per your request. At this time there are currently no other updates regarding this account.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2014/06/19) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Pretty sad way for square to conducted business....my money was released back to me "after" I contacted the Revdex.com. Not to mention no way to talk to a live person for instant concerns.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
There was still no explanation offered as to specifically what was deemed a "fraudulent transaction" as Square stated in there original message to me. All they offer is a statement from there terms stating that they can terminate at any time for any reason?  Furthermore the young lady I spoke with at square told me she would escalate our issue over a week ago now and said someone would contact us and no one has done so.
I find Square as being fraudulent by withholding our funds without offering any specifics what-so-ever.  Furthermore the funds that they are holding when released after 90 days should include the prevailing interest rate!  This is totally unacceptable!
This is there specific explanation?
36. Termination of Payment Services
Square may Terminate your use of the Payment Services at any time for any reason. Any termination of these terms does not relieve you of obligations to pay Fees or costs accrued prior to the termination, Chargebacks, and any other amounts owed to us as provided in these Payment Terms or the Terms of Service. If your access to Payment Services has been terminated, you may still be permitted to use Square’s other products, subject to our discretion.
Sincerely,[redacted]

Beware of false advertising and unethical sales tactics. I chose Square for my business due to 2.75% flat rate NO SURPRISE and NO HIDDEN COST advertised right on their pricing page - [redacted] - mind you with no fine prints. This is how they lure new customers. I got in touch with Sales person and she quoted me more. I obviously decided to not go with the sales rep because the pricing on their website was lower. I went with my older account from back in 2012. Sales rep some how found out that I started using my old account and without my knowledge or permission went and bumped up the rates!! I called in and spent hours to get the rate back down and they promised to look into the matter and refund additional money that was charged but so far it hasn't been refunded. If there are any lawyers reading this, happy to lead class action lawsuit against this company as the rates advertised are not what you pay - there are hidden costs.

The worst business mistake I have ever. If you are a flea market vendor or a kid mowing lawns square is fine. Need my warning....if you are a business that makes regular transactions that are over $2000 then just go through your bank. They will take your money and freeze your account that THEY VERIFIED and make you give confidential business information that is not their business such as your process orders receipts from other clients. One of these clowns told me to just draft up an invoice that they had already invoiced to my customer. That is fraud.. They claim 24/7 service but under that it says 6am-6pm Mon - Fri and in another spot it says 9am-5pm (all times PST). I asked for a customer code 19 times and only after the complaint filed to the Consumer Financial Protection Board did I finally get one....then of course their system did not recognize my code or it was invalid.I finally sent the stuff they wanted and filed a complaint with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They terminated my account and told me they were holding my money for 90 days. I am starting a suit against them because this delay lost me a lot of business from a client that has 180 stores and is a national chain.
IF YOU WANT SOMEONE TO TAKE YOUR MONEY AND THEN USE DECIETFUL TACTICS TO PHISH YOUR CORPORATION USE SQUARE. Oh well to the lawyer I go. They are going to largely fund my early retirement when I'm done with them. GET A POS READER FROM YOUR LEGITIMATE BANK , SQUARE IS CROOKED LYING FRAUDULENT SM. Square people when you read this....karma stinks. I'm taking you to court. There is NO resolution for this except in court. I will also be sending a bill for time and lost and for the loss of future contracts. If not paid that will also go to litigation.
Thanks have a nice day! ??

Square sent me an email my account was deactivated and they will not release funds until after 90 days I believe square is using business money that they are holding to make money off the interests every 3 months I have read several reviews from people in Nov.2016 about square holding their funds. THERE NEEDS TO BE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS, SURE DEACTIVATE THE ACCOUNT BUT SEND PEOPLE THEIR MONEY!!!!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/10/12) */
Hello,
Upon further review, a member from Square's Support team reached out to you on September 28, 2015 through email to assist you with this matter. The email states: "I see that your bank account was recently verified and you can...

now expect to see deposits according to our standard deposit schedule. If you've selected a custom close of day time, deposits will be sent according to your set schedule. No further action is required on your part."
If you have any additional questions please reply directly to the last message sent to you by Square's Support team. Square strives to respond to all inquiries within 24 hours. If you have additional questions about your Square account, Square recommends searching the online Help Center, found at: squareup.com/help . The Help Center contains many troubleshooting tips as well as detailed articles that explain policies and procedures.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/10/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Hello,
Yes accept their response, I received all my money.
Thank you,
[redacted]

Please refer to the email sent on [redacted]:  Hello [redacted], We're happy to report that after reviewing your responses, we've returned your account to active status and resumed regular deposits to your linked bank account. Thank you for your patience and cooperation throughout this process....

We understand it can be a frustrating experience and apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. Please note however, that you are always responsible for any disputes or fraudulent payments taken on your account. Depending on your bank's policies, you should see your remaining Square balance in your linked bank account in one to two business days. We value the security of your Square account, and the verification process helps us keep your account safe. Due to higher risks associated with these types of payments, we would like to give you some tips to help protect yourself and your business against fraud or disputes. Never wire or send money to a third party at your customer's request (including [redacted], [redacted], bank transfer, etc.). Double check the billing zip code with the shipping zip code provided. Be cautious if they are not near each other or in different states. Never use a shipping company that you are unfamiliar with at your customer's request. Request a copy of the driver's license and card to verify that the name of your customer matches the name on the card. For more information on potential scams and how to protect yourself, please visit Merchant Protection. If you have any questions, or suspect you may have a suspicious buyer, please reply to this email. Sincerely,
Square Account Services

I am a small business owner. My business is in construction. I deal in very large transactions. I have never used credit cards with my customers until recently. I have had more requests to be able to use credit cards. I bought the square, set it up, followed all the instructions, did the test charge on a card of my own and read over the fees and the 2 days that it takes to move money to your account. I agreed to all of it. I then let my first customer charge on their card. In the sum of 10,200.00. And the money was never deposited to my account. After the 4th day of waiting, I found a customer service number to call. Once connected, I was told because the amount is so high and I am a business, they need copies of my bank statements and my license and EIN number. More information then I feel they should need! And information that was never asked for or discussed while I set up the "Square." They told me I had to download copies of it all through their app On my phone. So I tried and it would not download. Now the 5th day I call back and explain their app won't except my information and I need the customers money released ASAP so I can begin the construction project. I was told they would email me so I could send copies through email back to them. I was then promised that if I got them this information they would release my funds in less then 24 hours. And they were very apologetic for the wait. So I did everything they wanted sent them all they needed and got an immediate email stating my information will be under review for 2 business days which at that time they will contact me through email regarding my account.
this was a Friday. I immediately emailed the person I was working with, back. Explaining how I feel lied to, tricked and manipulated and that I will be taking my credit card transactions some place else if the matter is not resolved in the 24 hours promised. I received no reply. I also tried calling them and was directed to an answering machine stating they were now closed till Monday. Now 8 days after my deposit, my funds have still not been released and they have not contacted me. I thought this was an easy way to move customer money from their credit card to my bank account. I agreed to the absurd charge amount of 2% no matter how high the charge amount is. I agreed to wait 2 days for the transfer, I agreed to send all my private information to them and still my funds are on hold.
I do not recommend this business if you deal in large transactions. It seems they make up their rules as they go. They will lie and mislead to get what they want. I am uneasy about the fact that they have 10,200.00 they will now not communicate with me about and lied as to when they would release it. If I do not have the funds released Monday, my customer will cancel their transaction and file fraud with their credit card company.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:I am not worried about the person who said they were not there on the night of [redacted] , I am wanting to know where rest of the money is.  I did a benefit for a ** year old boy who has had a bone marrow transplant on Friday [redacted]th.  The first complaint I made to you was because they were holding funds for 90 days. The total was $[redacted]  minus what square takes plus the $[redacted] that the person disputed.  So somewhere there is $[redacted] that should of been in my account on [redacted]th which was 90 days.  If this money is not dispersed by this Friday I will get in touch with my lawyer.  I do not want to do that if I don't have to as it just takes more money from a family who are struggling to pay their bills. Please help me get this taken care of. How can a business be run like this?  I gave them all the information they asked for and still held these funds. Sincerely,[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 6, 2014/08/29) */
Hello [redacted],
Upon further investigation, Square was unable to locate a Square account associated with this name and email address. If you could provide the name and email address on the account of which you are inquiring, Square can...

further assist you.
Based on the information provided, please note that according to Square's Merchant User Agreement Article 42. Suspension or Termination by Us: "We may terminate this Agreement and close your Square Account for any reason or no reason at any time upon notice to you. We may also suspend the Services and access to your Square Account (including the funds in your Square Account) if you (a) have violated the terms of this Agreement, any other agreement you have with Square, or Square's policies, (b) pose an unacceptable credit or fraud risk to us, or (c) provide any false, incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information or otherwise engage in fraudulent or illegal conduct."
In accordance with Square's email, your funds will be released 90 days from the date of your deactivation. If you do not wish to wait 90 days, we recommend that you refund your customer and request an alternate method of payment.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 8, 2014/09/03) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I do not accept this response, because it is a copy and paste one.
They need to change their policy or let businesses know they aren't made for all types of businesses, especially ones who processes large sums because they will be ridiculously labeled as high risk,have their accounts wrongly deactivated, funds held and customers lost, even after ONE attempted transaction. If you have thousands of complaints of the same thing, one would think maybe this isn't right.
You lied and said my funds would be released and then hours later, changed your mind just because. TERRIBLE. I don't need this resolved because I have already refunded the customer and loss their business. Hope Square, Inc is happy.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 10, 2014/09/16) */
Hello [redacted],
As stated in Square's previous response, Square was unable to locate a Square account associated with this name and email address. If you could provide the name and email address on the account of which you are inquiring, Square can further assist you.
Unfortunately, without being able to locate your account, Square won't be able to find or provide any details. Please feel free to respond with the aforementioned information or email Square directly by going to https://squareup.com/.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 12, 2014/09/17) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
So over this company. I don't wish to give you my name and email because what will you do then? You've already deactivated my account and I've already refunded my ex-client's money, so I don't see the point in you asking for this information. So you can pretend like you're being helpful? I don't want anymore copy & paste responses.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2016/01/05) */
Square sent an email on 4/14/15 requesting information, but they did not receive a response. The message states: "To ensure the financial security of both you and your customers, we need to verify some information about your account....

Unfortunately, we cannot deposit funds to your bank account until we verify this information, although you will still be able to accept payments using Square during this period. Our goal is to resume deposits to your bank account as quickly as possible."
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2016/01/06) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Please tell me why you haven't responded to my multiple emails to customer service for months after that date, including at least two in December? Please email me at the email address on my account or tell me how else I can get in touch with you. I would love to provide you with any and all information you need regarding the company so that you can release the funds. I have tried to email you multiple times and tried getting a passcode ** call you but neve can. Please call or email me ASAP and resolve this.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2016/01/20) */
Square has credited your account $2844.46 on 1/7/16. Please refer to your latest email correspondence between you and Square for additional questions or concerns.
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 11, 2016/01/21) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
Thank you for finally doing what your company is supposed to do after almost 1 year of holding my funds.

I have been using Square since September 2015 and never had any problems, they transfer money from transaction to my bank next morning. No extra fees.
I will give them 5 STARS.