Shift4 Australia

Once again Shift4 have FAiLED to contact me when they have promised to do so. 1. They have not paid the settlement correctly for Wednesday 6 May and Phil from Shift4 tried to tell me the settlement number was from the previous day when they know the terminals reset at the end of every day. They have provided incorrect information to me and will… Read more

not pay my settlement. 2. I was told an account representative, [Name Removed] would contact me Friday 8 May to discuss issues regarding lost sales from terminals not working and I received no call.

I wish never started using SmartPay. Now shift 4. Dishonest muppets. Supposedly they have no or low cost eftpos machines. Absolute garbage they charge you left right and centre all the while surcharging all your customers. STAY AWAY. Do some research before making any kind of decision about eftpos. If it sounds too good to be true then it is.

Rip off stole $600 from my account won't give it back ,DO NOt USE THEM PLEASE LISTEN,I can't put no stars had to put one to put this review up so no stars.wort company ever it was formally known as smartpay. Worst pay

Review – Smartpay (Now Operating as Shift4) Case ID: 779619 We were charged two Low Threshold Fees of $438.90 each in January and February 2026, totalling $877.80. After contacting Smartpay, we were advised that an email had been sent in December… Read more

regarding a “fee change” under the Master Merchant Terms & Conditions. The email states that terminals transacting under $999 per month would incur a $399 + GST monthly Low Transaction Fee beginning January 2026, and that continuing to use the facility would be deemed acceptance of the change.

We did not receive this email.

When we requested a copy of the original December notice (including timestamp and delivery details), we were sent a newly generated email from a consultant rather than a forwarded original showing proof of when and where it was actually sent.

We asked:

• What exact email address was the December notice sent to? • Can the original email with full timestamp headers be provided? • Was it marked important? • Was any delivery confirmation or read receipt recorded?

We were also informed that fees will continue to be charged until the terminal is returned and that previously charged fees are unlikely to be refunded.

During a follow-up call seeking clarification on the original email, the call was disconnected while we were discussing the matter, which was disappointing given we were attempting to resolve the issue constructively.

As a small business operating seven days a week, we would not knowingly allow nearly $900 in avoidable fees to accumulate. If we had clearly received notice of a recurring $399 + GST monthly fee, we would have returned the terminal immediately.

We are not disputing contractual terms. We are questioning whether reasonable and verifiable notice was properly provided before recurring direct debits were applied.

Given the circumstances, we will also be lodging this matter with Consumer Affairs for independent review.

We hope this issue can still be resolved fairly under Case ID 779619.

Small business owners should carefully monitor minimum thresholds and confirm how fee changes are formally communicated and documented.

Unprofessional, Unreliable, and Costly - A Warning to Other Businesses I feel compelled to share my extremely frustrating experience with SmartPay after being a customer for two years, hoping to prevent other small businesses from facing the same… Read more

ordeal.

My issues began when I needed to cancel my terminal contract after losing the machine. My first cancellation call was surprisingly smooth; the agent assured me it was "not a problem" and confirmed there would be no fee for the lost device.

However, a month later, I discovered my account was still active. I called again, and a different agent informed me that I was, in fact, liable for a $500 lost machine fee, completely contradicting the first agent. To close the matter, I reluctantly agreed to pay this fee.

The agreement to pay the $500 did nothing. SmartPay continued to charge me the monthly fee of $38.45. This began a vicious cycle: I have called their customer service numerous times. Each time, I am told they will "investigate," "escalate," or "send a confirmation email." But nothing ever happens. No email arrives, no callback is received, and the unauthorized charges continue.

To date, since my initial cancellation request, SmartPay has wrongfully deducted over $230 from my account. It feels like I have to call and fight the same battle every single month, with no resolution in sight.

This company demonstrates a complete lack of procedural consistency, internal communication, and respect for its customers. The service is unreliable, and the billing practices are opaque and predatory. I strongly advise any business owner to look elsewhere for a payment provider. The hassle and financial loss are not worth it.

NEVER NEVER NEVER sign up to this crowd of lying salespeople and over charging thieves! Actuall minus 5 stars, it's no wonder they have rebranded to SHIF$ because their reputation is in the toilet. I only wish I did my research beforehand with these scammers.

Smartpay charged us $438.90 for not reaching their $990 minimum transaction, despite us paying the $38.45 monthly fee on time every month. This happened while my wife was overseas due to a serious family illness and a death, which understandably affected our business. The charge was made without notice or authorisation. When we contacted… Read more

customer service, the response was simply “no, we can’t help” — no empathy, no flexibility, no solution.

Very disappointing lack of customer care. I would not recommend Smartpay.

Disgusting service, they are the worst company to do business with, they charged me 6 times in one week, i called and emailed numerous times no one answeres, the ladies on the phone talk over you and has a disgusting attitude, do not go with this company they will rip you off without you guys knowing

On 17 October 2025, a payment totalling $2970 was processed for plumbing services rendered. This payment was conducted using a debit card via a tap-and-pay method, requiring a pin number to finalise. Without knowledge and after the plumber left, I noticed a surcharge of $49.01 (representing 1.65% of the transaction value). This surcharge was… Read more

unauthorised and potentially a breach of the relevant consumer protection legislation regarding adequate disclosure, excessive fees and a lack of transparency by both the plumber (merchant) and SmartPay.

Lack of disclosure and express consent - absence of notice (written or verbal) by the plumber prior to the initiation of the payment process.

Implied Consent Violation - given the payment terminal did not display a clear and prominent notification of surcharges, nor was I prompted to explicitly accept the surcharge before confirming the PIN entry.

Justification of Surcharge Rate (1.65%) on PIN debit transaction - please justify applying a 1.65% surcharge to a domestic debit card requiring a PIN. The rate appears disproportionate and unjustified given the lower processing cost generally associated with PIN-verified debit transactions compared to unverified credit transactions.

A refund has been requested in writing from the plumber and following two discussions with SmartPay, the initial request for a refund within a 7-day resolution period has now passed. Failure to process the refund will necessitate the lodgment of a formal complaint with ACCC or financial regulatory body in relation to the unauthorised charge.

Whilst the plumber (merchant) has primary responsibility, SmartPay has secondary liability/administrative role and also need to be cooperative with the refund of $49.01 as they took the money out of my account and hold the data. The matter will be referred to the ACCC to determine who set the excessive 1.65% rate on a debit transaction on SmartPay's terminal.

UPDATE: 29 October 2025 - plumber refunded the $49.01

Incompetent and liars are the words. Terrible experience. Dealt with Brendan, all sweet talk but zero workmanship. This company have charged me three times even though I’ve made it very clear that I do not want to use their services and they should take their machines back. A certain rate was set for all transactions, lowest being eftpos/savings.… Read more

Very quickly realised that even with paypass option (which is the most common in todays day and age) eftpos payments came through as mastercard/visa as opposed to the current one I am using (provided by bank). When questioned they said they’d get back and never did but continued charging monthly. Have been disputing the two previous direct debits for months now and they keep promising to have it refunded by a certain daye but it never actually happens. If you don’t want extra headaches, stay away from SmartPay. The name suggests Smart but the employees working their seem far from that.

DO NOT USE THESE GUYS AT ALL - INEPT I decided to try them but it wasn't working for my business and customers (the 1.5% on average bills was a big deterrent) I went back to bank and got a better deal. Now I can't cancel. I made contact with intent to cancel May 7. They finally processed it in July and I told them I expect all fees since initial… Read more

cancellation refunded or taken off the contract breaking fee. Just got another bill this morning for July. Now I can spend another hour of my business time talking to them... Hey Smartpay, where do I send the $140 invoice for my time?

Into my 2nd year of using smart pay. Can highly recommend! Best decision i have made for small business. So nice to put money back into my business that's saved from eftpos fees. A no fuss product that has amazing tech/help and support Thank you Smart Pay. Show reply

We’ve been using Smartpay for 12 months now and I honestly wish we’d switched sooner. We’re not paying thousands in transaction fees anymore, and our customers are totally supportive of our decision. The onboarding process was quick and smooth, and the customer support team is always super responsive. Our terminal is reliable and integrates… Read more

perfectly into our daily operations. Highly recommend Smartpay to any small business looking to cut costs without compromising service!

Cancelled my subsxription and returned the eftpos device in the reply paid envelope, 7 months later I still getting charged a monthly fee. every month I call, every month i get told i will receive a call back and the next month i get charged again for a monthly fee on a device i returned 7 months ago!!

⭐ 1 Star Review Very disappointing experience with Smartpay. Despite multiple calls and emails over several weeks, I was repeatedly promised a return box for a handheld terminal I no longer use. To date, I had to collect a return envelope from the business I recently sold and not my personal address as had been notified. Now they are withholding… Read more

my credit even though I’ve done everything on my part and have been waiting on them. This level of poor communication and delay is unacceptable. I would strongly caution others before signing up. Still hoping this gets resolved, but it shouldn’t take threats of a bad review to get action.

Fantastic – Fantastic!! So much better than competitors. Surcharge price is better, set up is easier. New machines are user friendly and work. The old machines were awful. Had left to go to an opposition and after 2 months I’m so glad to have them back. Kevin called to check in on us and he went above and beyond. His customer service is impeccable. Kevin… Read more

cleared up any issues we had, solved any problems and made us feel like we can go back at anytime. I’d write Kevin a reference any time. We then spoke with Charles who set everything back up. Charles answers the phone as soon as we call and has awesome customer service. Thanks for helping us

Good and Bad – Have used Smartpay for a number of years and have saved a lot on bank fees and charges, new terminals are great except of where you have to tap customers can't see the amount because the tap area is on the back of the terminal and has to face me instead of the customer. Also their share prices have dropped a considerable amount which gets me thinking is the company in trouble or their managerial department need to be sacked.

I'm so tiered of waiting for the refund – Terrible customer service, I signed up last June, they said there is no cancellation fee, and risk free and all that, the fee they charge clients are too expensive for credit card, and debit card, unless clients has physical card with them. so I cancelled this merchant system, they charged me $99, and monthly fee after I already return the machine… Read more

to them. it's been over 3 months since I am waiting for my refund, their customer service is terrible, I'm so tiered of waiting for the refund.

Use old tech - plenty of drop outs – I give them a 2. 3G terminals with Dongle. Unstable. Terminals drop out mid transaction, even approving transaction with tick only to get a decline print out minutes later. They blame Telstra, which is probably 99% correct, but the 1% is their old tech. Called them, was informed that they actually now have new 4G/5G compatible terminals...but… Read more

rather than get them to me asap, they waited for the pain/losses to accrue enough for me to call them. Fortunately my business is golf practice and beers so customers aren't walking out with diamond rings - this critical factor should weigh in to your decision to choose them. Lured by the 'free', but you'll end up paying due to the cheaper tech and small scale I'll stick with them because I admire the entrepreneurship and banks make enough, but I'm counting the losses and the impact to my brand.

Very very poor customer service – Initially, very helpful and attentive until I signed up. Cannot fault the customer support team, but when it came to speaking with a consultant...... never returned promised call backs. Tried numerous times to contact someone to give new direct debit details with no success. Eventually had enough so cancelled my subscription (none contract).… Read more

Couldn't understand why it took 2 weeks to post out a return postal bag, then I discovered I still have to pay rent on the machine until it is delivered. Also used a courier that doesn't collect from my township, so further delays as it needed to be taken to the post office. Very very disappointing personal experience. Yes, I've been told that it would be looked into, but once again no response/feedback given, hence time for a review from me. I have found plenty more companies that are able to help and after sales customer service is their priority

Be aware – I had my car serviced today. I had to pay $1113.00. I have no problem about that amount. My gripe is this Garage used SmartPay and I had to pay $18.36 as SURCHARGE because I used the Credit Card. The bill ultimately came to $1,131.36. I just want to make people aware about this SmartPay how much surcharge one has to pay.

product unhappy customer – definitely not recommended as the pay out options are really crap specially from Friday to Monday there are no weekend service to them. the rate is also too high when you cancel the plan they charge 134$ which sucks.

Rip off – Don't use them stay with the bank at least you know what you get.... And to be honest my customers don't like the extra charges and they don't come back because of the fees that get passed onto them.... Stay away is my opinion

Soooo easy – Such a easy transition , Blake at smartpay was so attentive at sorting everything out for me, highly recommend this company

Experience and knowledge was great – My sales manager was so helpful and got me approved within 2 hours.

Refund – Still waiting on refund they took out 3 installments. Call them everyday they reckon take 2 weeks to get refund. Don't use this service.