Podium

Signed up one year and one month ago, immediately had problems with porting phones over to their service, and our phones actually went down for a few days, as you can imagine, this was catastrophic for our business. Podium were almost impossible to contact (which became the normal situation moving forward). We had three different account managers… Read more

over the year and with each one we had to start again. We initiated every contact and conversation, except when it came to renewing the contract. We were really willing to give Podium a try all the way up to the end (even with our reservations around AI and its wasteful, undeveloped nature), until predictably, we were billed after the cancellation of our contract. I would take positive reviews on here with a grain of salt, as everyone I've spoken too has had similar interactions. This business is the very definition of over promise and underdeliver.

★☆☆☆☆ Apparently, “cancelled and paid out in full” means something completely different at Podium. We were sold an AI service on the promise that it would integrate with ServiceTitan. In our experience, it did not work as promised. We even have an email from one of their account managers saying we could exit the contract because of those… Read more

misrepresentations. Despite that, they still wouldn’t let us out.

Eventually, we decided to pay out the contract just to be finished with the whole experience. Fine. Take the payout, close the account, and let everyone move on.

Except apparently that was too much to ask.

They subsequently took another $58 that they shouldn’t have taken, which they refunded. Now, months later, they’ve taken approximately another $2,500, and I have absolutely no idea what this charge is supposed to be for.

So we had a service that didn’t work as promised, written confirmation that we could leave, a refusal to honour that, and then further charges after we paid out the contract anyway. An absolute embarrassment.

It’s remarkable how difficult it has been to get the product working or the contract closed, yet taking more money from our account seems effortless.

Before signing anything with Podium, read the independent reviews and Reddit discussions carefully. Based on our experience, I would not recommend this company to anyone.

If only the product worked as reliably as the billing.

Rocky start but they are now trying to assist with the issues – The sales staff need to unform you more detail, The payment system does not accept eftpos only Credit cards. Account Managers have been slow but this has been addressed. We have been dealing with the manager of the accounts team in Australia and he… Read more

has been trying to find an accounts manager that fits our needs. Technical assistance have been great but informed us of many things the sales team did not. Very rocky start but hoping they will now continue with the support we need

1. Serious breaches of Australian privacy and recording laws, The system records and transcribes everything! (Class action waiting to happen) 2. Cannot delete anything! 3. Cannot stop recording! 4. Cannot delete contact! 5. Podium has access to all… Read more

the information recorded 6. Calls keep ringing on your system even when you are already on a call 7. The system call speaker system does not work properly either not playing through the selected speaker for calls instead using the system default or not playing the ring tone through the selected speaker. 8. Cannot see if someone is on a call when you want to transfer 9. Cannot talk to the recipient you want to transfer to first 10. Call phone book lookup is a Joke 11. Contact search is terrible 12. No private call function 13. No call shortcut list per user 14. If you use online chat its recorded with your details forever! 15. Too many other issues to list Make sure you ask any company you call to not record you call and details if you value privacy! Stay away from businesses that use Podium or you will be recorded forever! My workplace uses it and feel very uneasy about all the data being collected.

Luke is our account manager and always goes above & beyond for us. We've very happy with Podium - most importantly it's helped us earn the trust of our customers by offering transparency at each stage of servicing and repairs.

Recently got a switch replaced by D Squared Electricals. Daniel explained the issue well and replaced the switch. The people were very friendly and did the job very professionally.

Elisha and Lorenzo were AMAZING. Five star service from both of them. Show reply

I would strongly caution any small business before signing with Podium. My experience with Podium has been extremely disappointing and financially damaging. I signed up after being approached by a Podium representative at a jewellery trade fair. At the time, I clearly explained that I was travelling overseas and would not be in a position to use… Read more

the platform or complete training straight away. I was told, as I understood it, that I would not be charged until I had been trained and was ready to use the service.

That is not what happened.

In my experience, I was charged before the service was properly onboarded, before I had been properly trained, and before I was actually able to use the platform in any meaningful way. The onboarding and training did not happen properly. Podium later acknowledged issues by discussing credits and further training, but the core problem was never properly fixed.

The most concerning part was the billing and cancellation experience. Even after I made it clear that I wanted the account cancelled and that no further amounts should be taken, Podium continued to treat me as locked into the contract. I was told the agreement had auto-renewed even added 1 more year of misery and that I remained liable for further charges. From my perspective, this was completely unreasonable because I had not received the proper training or support that was central to why I agreed to the service in the first place.

This was not a situation where I used the platform successfully and then simply changed my mind. My issue is that I did not receive the proper onboarding, did not get meaningful use of the platform, repeatedly raised the problem, repeatedly asked for cancellation and refund action, and still faced ongoing charges.

When I later spoke with Podium again, I explained the previous experience and was led to believe they would try to resolve the matter, provide proper onboarding, and move forward on a better basis. A new offer was discussed, including onboarding within two business days, a free month, and a lower monthly package. After I agreed, the same type of issue appeared to happen again. I was still asking when training would occur, and instead of the previous dispute being properly resolved, I was faced with further billing issues and references to prior amounts allegedly owing. 

IN TOTAL THEY CHARGED ME ON DD AROUND $13,000 FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS AND DID NOT ALLOW ME TO CANCEL THE SERVICE.

For a small business, this sort of experience is incredibly stressful. The financial impact was significant, but the bigger issue was the lack of accountability. I felt passed around, given promises of credits or support, and then left dealing with ongoing charges and contract terms instead of a proper resolution.

Based on my experience, I would strongly not recommend Podium to even my enemies. In my view, the sales, onboarding, billing and cancellation process was handled very poorly and they only cared that i was stuck in a DD that they took money out every month, and I am now pursuing the matter formally.

Worst experience ever encountered in over 40 years of Business , Has cost us well over 1/4 of a million dollars in lost revenue in ten months . Never worked from day 1 ,, repeated requests, then demands to exit the system fall on deaf ears . I begged them , please , I don't care , Keep charging me , just get me off your system , its killing me… Read more

financially . What did Podium do ?. Nothing , Totally Ignored all my requests and then demands . Ten Months and they have been unable to get our phones working properly. Ten Months, then eleven they have Blamed us for their systems errors. When pressed they start to [Content Removed] . Like hey Buddy, we are the ones losing Money here , we are the ones lying dying from massive financial losses , literally bleeding to death from ( revenue ) losses in one of the hardest financial times for small business in our country in decades . What do Podium do ?. Any sympathy ?, mate we are really sorry , lets get this fixed . They Blame us ?, Treat and speak to us with contempt. Like a broken record over and over . our systems are testing fine, it must be you, they even stated my secretary can use the phones , it must be you . Our secretary couldn't use the phones and was complaining to Podium daily. Our revenue dropped by a quarter of a million dollars over ten months , that's all our fault ?... We went from between 30 to 50 phone calls a day to near ZERO , our clients can't call us , its that simple Podium keep insisting the system has been Tested and its fine, nothing wrong . We have customers coming In daily complaining we aren't answering our phones or they cant get through < our phones don't work , podium keeps insisting they do Basically they are saying we are liars , refuse to believe us , when pressed they come up with bleak excuses . Podium asks us to make changes to the settings, we do this time after time after time, none of it works , it changes nothing, our phones still don't work after doing as they tell us ,Yet its still our fault.

Someone in America is testing our system with Zero local knowledge , zero personal interactions and apparently zero talent and or care or the systems wouldn't be testing OK. When we attempt to redial customers from Podium the phones call back to our own reception , why would anyone want to call themselves ?. If you are happy to pay Thousands to have someone destroy your client base , your customer contact ability and force your business into losses, podium is the perfect company to join. Worst business experience I have ever had in forty five years of being in business and when the hard questions or demands are delivered, the silence is deafening, much like our phones ,Total silence . Just a shrill harsh deafening silence that says it all. They Podium apparently had no Idea how to fix it, they had zero idea of what to do , the best form of defence is attack or hide in the bunker which is exactly what podium did in alternating patterns of their own desire . So far as providing any genuine or notable assistance that was of any use or help , Zero. Another disturbing fact , your original carrier may drop or pass your phone number onto another customer . If and when you get out of podium , your number possibly may not be available to you again. If that occurred Imagine the potential thousands of dollars in printing , advertising costs and lost clients , It could be incalculable . We are in that Boat right Now , we applied to Telstra to give us our old phone number back ( Telstra is the only carrier in our location , our phone number ( which we have had for over 40 years ). We begged and begged , no way, its been with another carrier and we wont transfer for at least six months while it sits in quarantine and at the end of that time we wont reinstate into your building Telstra refused us our old number so we lost it .

What did podium do to help?. Did podium contact us to discuss this most serious of matters?. Did podium give any response whatsoever when advised Telstra refused to re instate our phone number What did Podium do ?. PODIUM cut off our Phone, that's what Podium did . Had all our Invoices been paid and up to date?, Yes they had. Did we owe Podium any Money ?, no we didn't. Did podium offer to help in any way at all ?, Extend the contract for a short time while you check more if you are able to reinstate your number . No they didn't Has Podium made good on any of its promises to re imburse us , Ha Ha, that's a [Content Removed] joke . Has Podium spoken to us about the issues we had ?. Apart from Blaming us , saying it was all our fault , No They haven't. Despite the Manager of podium Insisting to Capricorn Society he would look in to the issues we had experienced, did we get any contact from him ?, Nothing, Total silence . If someone was saying your system was not working and that person complaining had lodged a Major complaint to the Company that endorsed Podium through its sales programs ,In this case Capricorn Society Wouldn't you as the Manager of Podium , If you know that complaint not to be true or accurate , wouldn't you speak to the complainant ?., Wouldn't you want to be able to advise Capricorn of a positive result or outcome ?. As a state manager wouldn't you attempt to get to the bottom of things ?. As a state manager wouldn't you have a duty to attempt some sort of bridge building or repair ?. Apparently Podium and or its state manager feel they don't. What did Podium say to Capricorn Society In relation to my Complaint ?.Podiums response to Capricorn was . It was my fault, they were willing to work with me but I chose to leave . The settings were wrong and we didn't change them. We did change the settings , repeatedly all the while with Podium on the line telling us what to change . After 10 months of going Broke what would you do ? If they haven't been able to fix their system in 10 months how much longer was I supposed to wait ?. I think their total lack of response , the total absence of any apparent empathy for a small business that has lost at that count $250,000 dollars , now considerably more , the Blame, Lying and [Content Removed] when it was deemed appropriate to speak to us mere mortals, says everything that is required to know and understand about Podium and its operations, Podiums dedication to customer service and the care factor involved within their organisation when things do go wrong is zero.

Be Warned, Podium was the worst experience and business decision I have had and made in over forty years . Use at your own risk.

Extremely misleading billing practice Tricked us into signing 12 months contract by confirming free trial. Account manager acts like this was done by marketing. After completing 12 months, we are still getting invoices even after confirming. You can get 6 times cheaper and better services from other companies. Stay away from them. Auto ON Mechanics Grovedale

We recently transitioned our clinic over to Podium, and while changing practice management systems is always a big undertaking, we’ve been really impressed with the platform and the support we’ve received. Having our phones, messaging, payments and patient communication all in one place has streamlined so many of our day-to-day processes. The AI… Read more ·  1

features are exciting, and we’re looking forward to incorporating more of them into our workflow as we continue to learn the system.

A special mention to Lloyd and the team, who have been incredibly responsive, patient and genuinely invested in helping us get the most out of the platform. They listened to our feedback, kept us updated, and have made the transition as smooth as possible.

No software is perfect, and there have been a few things we’ve suggested along the way, but what has stood out is Podium’s willingness to listen and continue improving the product.

If you’re looking for a modern communication platform that can help bring together multiple aspects of your practice, Podium is definitely worth considering.

Elisha from Podium has been a world of knowledge. He has gone over and above to help us create and execute successful bulk sms campaigns and education around the benefits of podium. He has been very responsive and easily contactable. Show reply

Our family had a friendly, professional and informative experience with David Shaw a Sales Representative of Eastern Honda dealership. He was transparent, easy to communicate with and ready to assist with any queries we had about the vehicle . As a customer I would highly recommend David and the dealership, felt no pressure to purchase so we sealed the deal with our CR-V. TRUSTWORTHY and PROFESSIONAL

One of the worst businesses I have ever dealt with. Predatory contracts and account managers turning over every few weeks who are only there to upsell and not assist. I have been waiting for a follow up call for 6 months regarding an on-going issue and have had no responses. At $600+ a month with no support it's been very disappointing.

The VOIP system works well enough if you make calls through computer. Podium has been very good for tracking/logging calls and making sure our calls get answered/called back. However, the sales process was deceptive /inaccurate. We use Hubspot for our CRM. The very slick podium salesperson was avoidant in the limitations of the integration. Our… Read more

account manager and support are very responsive however actually getting resolution is not easy. Inflexibility with marketing SMS means you cannot support a large campaign to send a marketing SMS in a month, there is no rollover. Good for if they want to maximise money from customers, but not practical for us as customers, as we don't want to send out campaigns of the same size each month. It means we still have to use a secondary SMS marketing software. Very annoying for our tech stack. The UX is okay, simple but not intuitive. Podium management seems more interested in gaining new customers than listening to/retaining the ones they have. Overall I regret making the switch to podium. No solution is perfect, I wonder if we'd done more research if we could've found something that ticked a few more boxes.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support and shout out to Elisha Chikuhwa for his super clear explanations of digital marketing, the latest changes and how it all works. Thank you Elisha, you have been super helpful and I'm excited for 2026! Show reply

Rowan has been an absolute Godsend throughout our whole experience. I am feeling really overwhelmed with the amount of support and help throughout the onboarding of Podium. Show reply

Podium has been a game changer for our small business in the way we interact and communicate with our customers. We do not have full time office staff to answer phones so calls going un answered meant jobs being lost. With Podium we now make sure every call that goes un answered is followed up straight away giving customers clear communication… Read more ·  1

and giving them confidence that we value them as a customer. The transition to Podium has been seamless and our personal coach has been there to help us through every part of the process. I couldn’t recommend this more for any business

Have been a Podium member for many years to obtain reviews for our clients, which was great however in trying to cancel Podium is another thing. I have emailed them several times wishing to cancel and had to speak with my account manager to give them a reason why I am cancelling, yet monthly direct debit continues. Such a problem. Have had to… Read more

contact my Bank to obtain a refund of the last payment and to stop all future direct debits. So be wary when signing up, the difficulties in stopping the product. SO many message on deaf ears!!

We have only just started using Podium, but it is really helpful in my business. No more missed calls and frustrated customers. The team is great, and the training from Elisha has made the transition smooth. Show reply

We moved from Aircall to Podium and its been the best decision for you. Our account manager Eli is amazing and has been so helpful with all our automations and setting up the system. - we would be lost without him! Show reply

We’ve had a great experience with Podium so far. The platform is easy to use and makes it simple to manage customer reviews and messages in one place. Our account manager Luke and Ry has been fantastic — super responsive, friendly, and always helpful. Thanks for the great service! Show reply

The best APP to use is very security for your money. Banking is very easy to use with payment. Some CUSTOMER get scared to give the car details. You can just send link to the CUSTOMER and CUSTOMER can make payment without giving you card details. Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Show reply