Square keeps "reviewing my account"

[techyogi]

I noticed this am that a recurring invoice with a card on file from a good client of mine (i sell services) was paid but didn't otherwise show up in my account. I've been on the square account for the last hour, and see no indication there are any issues with my account, transactions, or anything else so i asked chat support (first mistake).

They are claiming the transaction isn't available as my account is "under review". There is ZERO indication this is true on my account.

The first month, they "closed my account" for no reason, telling me they'd hold my money (thousands of dollars) for up to 3 months, and then suddenly all was good, and i got an email telling me my account and plans for how i use it were all good. I assumed the matter was closed. That was all of 3-4 weeks ago.

Here's my question - Square has done this twice in as many months now. Is this normal? It feels like a black box. I can't talk to anyone, and all chat or other support does is punt to a back office team we can't access, discuss with, or even contact.

the only "Fraud" here is how square conducts business.

Setup was convenient, but i'm about to pull my business over to a competitor and suggest my entire consortium of professional CTOs do the same. 

They are not trustworthy. Am i missing something here? I don't want to overreact but i don't trust them or what i'm told either.

[MayaP · Accepted solution]

Hello @techyogi ,

We understand how frustrating this situation is, and we truly appreciate your patience. It sounds like you've been through a challenging experience, especially with your account being under review and the lack of clarity from support.

To address your concerns, account reviews can happen periodically as part of Square's compliance measures to ensure the safety and security of all users. However, we recognize that the process can feel very vague, particularly when you aren't given clear communication about the status of your account.

While we cannot discuss account-specific issues publicly in this thread, we understand that experiencing this repeatedly can be disappointing. We're happy to investigate further and assist as much as possible

[Abby206]

Who can I reach out to in an attempt to get my account out of review? I've owned my business for 13 years, and never had a dispute. I just updated my phone number, and then my account went under review,

[MayaP]

Apologies—I’m not sure why I’m just now seeing the replies in this thread. That does seem odd. If you still need any assistance, let me know. @Abby206 

[pctechwill]

I have this same issue, same indicators, too apparently. 

I have one regular customer with whom I have a contract that is paid weekly. Same amount, same customer every week. The only answer I have gotten is the same one you just quoted, "We understand how frustrating..." 

That's fine and dandy, the question that nobody will answer for me is, "Why am I throwing flags EVERY week for the SAME transaction amount to the SAME customer??  I know for a fact he has no chargebacks, very reliable business owner himself. So, "regularly review" sounds like an excuse. There is not really anything different about the transactions, so why are the constantly drawing review? How can I avoid throwing this flags if you won't tell me what they are? Why are you secretive about why you keep holding customers' money? 

It's almost sounding like Square is "robbing Peter to pay Paul" when they have an enigmatic, unexplainable review process that is "randomly triggered" almost every week... Please help me to trust you so I don't have to find another processor. 

[MayaP]

Hello @pctechwill - Thanks for sharing your feedback. That sounds like a frustrating experience, and I’d feel the same way in your position.

To clarify, the only team with deeper insight into why your account is continuously flagged is Account Services. Unfortunately, due to compliance policies, they don’t share additional details with us, so I don’t have any more information than you do.

That said, based on what I’ve seen before (and again, this is not official guidance from Account Services), frequent declines or charging similar amounts repeatedly can sometimes trigger additional reviews—especially for newer businesses. In those cases, Square may request more information as part of its risk assessment process.

I understand how disruptive this is for both you and your customers. If you have any other questions, let me know, and I’ll do my best to assist.

[Hails78]

This is happening to me to second time for no reason no information can be given can’t speak to people with the answers . Cant access your own money . Ive only used the banking 3 times and its been locked and reviewed twice . Its locked right now. Cant call because what is a customer code . Nobody knows . Im filing complaint and i wont use this if this is what my experience will be 

[Wadebart]

It’s infuriating!  Every time I do any sort of transaction, transfer, and look at the app cross eyed it gets flagged for review. I’m a small part time business owner trying to make it my full time job and this isn’t what I expected for struggles while on my own. I get the sale and then can’t take the payment. The sale should be the harder part!  Unbelievable how many times this happens and I just left another payment vendor due to not all cards being accepted. Shouldn’t have done that clearly. Hopefully my account isn’t completely closed out there. Adios square joke support and your undisclosed reasons. Shady practices and then some.