Shift4 Payments acquired three POS companies in 2018. They acquired Merchant Link, 3dcart, and VenueNext, and will likely rebrand as Shift4 in the future.
The company offers a 1-year contract with no early termination fee, and has received over 10 public complaints regarding customer service.
Shift4 Payments’ terms and conditions were criticized by merchants for having a three-year contract term with a costly early termination fee.
Shift4 Payments’ terms and conditions convey a one-year contract with a tiered pricing structure that costs 1.39% plus $0.10 for swiped transactions and 1.79% plus $0.10 for keyed-in transactions, and there’s no early termination fee.
Shift4 Payments is the owner of several different POS companies, providing tailormade options for merchants across different industries.
Harbortouch, a Shift4 Payments company, previously provided 2 different POS systems to their merchants. Both systems had a $29 monthly fee, but the Onyx POS system has a $39 monthly fee.
Each POS agreement details monthly fees for products and services, in addition to one-time purchase costs for less expensive items.
Although the company’s official terms are listed below, the language in the contract may vary from sales agent to sales agent and the terms and conditions may not reflect the verbal agreements of the sales agent.
Shift4 Payments’ approach to POS sales has received mixed reviews. The company’s revised terms and conditions have mitigated the expense of the company’s previous policies.
Shift4 Payments is a relatively new company and there are few positive reviews at this time.
Although Shift4 has been active since 1994, it has received few complaints. The few complaints mention minor technical issues and software glitches.
Harbortouch’s corporate advocacy program appears to allow them to reach out to dissatisfied complainants and flood Ripoff Report with many identical testimonials that obscure the details of complainants’ complaints.
Harbortouch’s CEO and sales reps have addressed merchant complaints in the company’s own comments, stating that the company’s large early termination fee is justified by the company’s upfront expense.
Harbortouch is an active participant in CPO’s complaint resolution program and tries to resolve complaints of their merchants.
In 2019, Shift4 Payments was sued for monopolizing the payment interface and merchant account services market for mid-sized table service restaurants, but the case was terminated in 2019.
Shift4 offers chat and phone support on its website and a manual. Customers who are concerned about the company’s customer support should consider working with a top-rated provider.
Shift4 Payments, LLC, a company that handled payments for businesses using Harbortouch, has been an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau since 2013 and has received 70 of 145 complaints resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant.
Harbortouch hires ISAs to resell its merchant account services, resulting in a standard practice for unregulated or unsupervised agents to resell provider’s services without effectively disclosing contract terms.
Harbortouch’s heavily promoted free equipment deals require the merchant to sign an automatic 3-year service commitment, which may seem indistinguishable from having a long-term equipment lease.
Merchants who cancel before the install date are only responsible for a $250 restocking fee, whereas merchants canceling after the install date are responsible for the full cost of the service agreement.
A smaller number of merchants claim that they are not aware that they are responsible for full cost of service agreement.
Harbortouch offers rigorous agent training to its sales agents and has procedures in place to discipline agents that act unethically. However, despite these efforts, many merchants are still having negative experiences with Harbortouch’s sales team.
Despite its acquisition by Harbortouch, Shift4 Payments should maintain a low complaint total. If you believe that you were deceived about the terms of your contract, a third-party statement audit can remove hidden fees.
Harbortouch’s ownership group acquired Shift4 Corporation, but that ownership group remains in charge of the company. Shift4 Payments sells the same products as Harbortouch.
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