Reader Damaged 2 in less than a week

[Hub01]

Hi, just reaching out to see if anyone is having trouble with readers being damaged.  I have had to replace 3 of them just after warranty period and square have been less than helpful.  Is there any workaround to actually fix these that anyone is aware of.  It's driving me mad.  Cheers

[Seamus]

Hey @Hub01,

Thanks for getting in touch and sorry to hear you're having trouble with your readers! Repeated failures like this generally tend to indicate there may be something in your operating environment that is causing the readers to fail. It may be difficult to determine exactly what may be the cause, but are you able to let me know more about the nature of your business and how you are using the readers?

Some of the things I've heard of that have caused repeated issues like this in the past include:

- Having the reader plugged into a faulty power board to charge

- Cheap USB car chargers

- Having the reader sit on a pie warmer all day (the readers can be sensitive to heat)

- Close proximity to a coffee grinder or other machinery that can emit electro-magnetic interference 

[Hub01]

Thanks for the reply Seamus.  It is used in a cafe, well away from the grinder, we tend to only charge when we are down to 1 green dot.  The charger is an apple genuine and we have also used a samsung one in the past as well as plugging into a usb on a notebook.  Does not seem to matter which charger is used.  Has happened randomly during the day

[Seamus]

Hey @Hub01,

I'm not sure what the exact cause of the issues here are, other than that we do tend to see more of this in cafes than many other businesses as the readers tend to be more susceptible to heat, moisture, debris in the slot etc. We're happy to keep replacing them under warranty, though ideally you'd not want to have to do this often and repeatedly!

It may also just be bad luck that you saw a couple damaged in short time. I'd see how you go with the new readers, and if you're still seeing issues possibly try charging from a different point - are they being charged using a power board or directly into the mains?

[Hub01]

Directly into the mains.  We have just purchased a terminal and hope this does not keep occuring.

[realMisguidedSp]

I'm surprised to see ours fail today without warning. It was purchased Jan. 22 2020 and died today, May 29, 2021. Was hoping for a much longer operating life than 16 months. Very frustrating to arrive at the farmers market and have no contactless way to process CC payments. Now we fork over another $60 for ... another 16 months of use??

[ashc]

Hi @realMisguidedSp,

Thank you for reaching out, and sorry to hear you've had trouble with your Square Reader!

Our support team would be happy to look into this further with you. Unfortunately, we're unable to troubleshoot this further via our community forum. To contact us, click here.

[Joedyg]

I have the same problem, used the reader for 1 day for a garage sale in 2019, put it back in the box and put it away in the filing drawer, just took it out to use for the 2nd time and its coming up damaged. Did the hard reset several times, it did come up on my phone it was updating but that failed and it says the reader is broken. Really needed to use it this weekend and super disappointing these readers seem so flimsy and prone to these issues, especially seeing it was probably only used for payment about 10 times in its entire useage. 

[Laurie_]

Hi there @Joedyg,

Sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue with your reader! It's worthwhile reaching out to our Support Team as the first step, as they'll be able to confirm whether this issue is a hardware or software fault and respond accordingly. Unfortunately, we're unable to access your Square Account information via public platforms, such as the Seller Community.

You can call support on 1800 760 137 (Mon - Fri, 9 am - 5 pm Melbourne time).

The Square Hardware Warranty is limited to manufacturer defects within the first year of use of your Square Reader. You can also purchase a new reader from the online Square Shop which will arrive within 2-7 business days or you can opt-in for paid expedited shipping.

If you need a reader urgently, you can Buy a Square Reader from our Retail partners.

[GrahamB]

While I am generally a Square reader fan, I too have been disapointed with unexpected sudden failures. 

Have been using Square since Oct 2016 & from memory have purchased 3 or 4 readers plus had 2 more replaced under warranty.  About 12 months on average before failure.

My reader is used in a "walk around" application & is either in my hand or pocket. Charged by a quality USB outlet on a power point or by a Samsung charger.

I've sometimes wondered if muck or moisture gets into the slot but can't figure out any way to protect it. ( I very rarely insert a card & would be happy to forgoe the card insertion feature.)

12 months is not a very good life.

[Coastsnax]

We have 7 vans with square. One of the vans has had 5 readers "damaged" in th elast 4 weeks. We have been catious to not mishandle the readers and avoiud heat, moisture and knocks. Has anyone had these troubles lately?

[Arie]

Hey @Coastsnax,

Thanks for writing in! I understand your frustration. Is there any other electrical equipment you can think of in your vans that may impact the Square Readers? 

[ausworkshop]

They are obviously a very badly designed electronic device if they fail that easily. Have the electronics engineers ever heard of shielding from electrical noise? I think it's appalling that Square are allowed to continue making such a poorly designed device and get away with it. Taking our hard earned money and providing nothing but headaches for struggling businesses owners then coming up with poor excuses for such dodgy products and service!

[Arie]

Hi @ausworkshop,

Thank you for sharing your candid feedback about your experience with the Square Reader with us. 

I hear your frustration with having to replace readers and understand how inconvenient this would be for your business. We designed the Square Reader to be portable, affordable and easy to use, but like any electronic product, it has its limitations. Multiple factors in your environment that are listed in this thread could lead to the issues you're describing here. I've personally used the same Square Reader at weekend markets for 3 years without having to do more than updating its software, for example. 

If your reader is still within warranty, you can order a free replacement here. 

[ausworkshop]

Thanks Arie,

I've ordered another one, it was out of warranty and they don't make the small ones anymore. I spoke to Joanna in Square support and she was nice enough to help me out and quick to reply so I'm happy for now.  Here's hoping the new one works and lasts in storage for when I need it.