I rarely leave negative reviews
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I think other business owners should know about my experience with Shift4. One of the main reasons I decided to cancel my account was the instability of the system. Too often the POS would freeze, the PIN pad would stop working, or I simply couldn't process credit card payments. Many times I had to reboot the POS, and if that didn't fix the problem, the only option was to call Customer Support. Unfortunately, calling support was another frustrating experience. In my case, I frequently waited 40 minutes or more before reaching someone who could help. When you're running a restaurant or food business, being unable to process customer payments while waiting on hold is simply unacceptable. Every minute that a payment system is down means lost sales, frustrated customers, and damage to a small business's reputation. A payment processor should be one of the most reliable parts of a business—not one of its biggest sources of stress. As a business owner, I chose Shift4 expecting a reliable payment system. Instead, I experienced repeated system instability that disrupted my day-to-day operations and affected my ability to serve customers. I also followed the required cancellation process and provided my notice within the timeframe required by my agreement. Even though Shift4 knew my account would be closing within days, they still charged me the full Annual Service & Maintenance (AS&M) fee for an entire year—$1,225 in my case. I requested a refund, or at least a prorated refund, because I would not receive a full year of service. My request was denied, and even after asking to speak with a supervisor, the decision remained the same. What concerns me most is that, after reviewing the merchant agreement, I realized it gives Shift4 broad authority to change certain fees and charge them without obtaining additional approval from the merchant. Once you sign the agreement, you may have very little ability to object to new or increased fees. I strongly encourage every business owner to carefully read the merchant agreement before signing—especially the sections covering fees, annual charges, billing changes, renewals, and cancellation. Don't assume the fees you start with will be the same fees you'll have later. After this experience, I will definitely be taking my business elsewhere. This review reflects my personal experience, and I hope Shift4 improves both the reliability of its system and the way it treats customers who follow the cancellation process correctly.