Customer paid invoice, charge is showing up on another Square customer’s account

[Glasskatz]

I am the customer in this case, although I’ve been a Square customer for over a decade.  

I was sent an email invoice by a landscaping company for $1,650.80, and I clicked the link and paid with ApplePay.  However, the confirmation I got after paying the invoice showed a DIFFERENT merchant, a massage therapist I’ve used in the past…another merchant who also uses Square.

I assumed that these were pending transactions, but now here we are three days later, and my card app is showing FOUR transactions…two each for both merchants.  TWO of them have CLEARED. 

I can’t reach Square support.  I called into the 1-800 number, and it said there were no agents available to take the call, and that they would text me with a link to chat with someone.  That never happened.  

I have no idea what’s happening.  Goldman Sachs only sees one transaction, to Great Pines, but my card balance and my app reflects TWO payments.  They also show two payments to the massage therapist…I haven’t been to her since April 2022. 

Anyone ever see this?

[Donnie-M]

@Glasskatz You did the right thing by contacting your bank.  Ultimately your bank is the final arbiter in this situation.  If your bank says it only sees 1 transaction, then it is on them to resolve the discrepancy on your app.  It sounds like those are still pending transactions, but they should be able to see.  I would call them back and have them run you a printout or go by a branch, etc.  Ultimately, if you do get charged twice, you can dispute the 2nd charge and they will reverse it and you will win any dispute since this is a card not present transaction and you didn't authorize it.  So I wouldn't stress, it will get worked out.

[Glasskatz]

The problem is now way worse.  If you call Square support, it runs you through the phone tree, and on the last one, it says “press 3 to speak with an agent.”  It then tells you it will send a text message so you can chat with support.  SQUARE NEVER SENDS THE TEXT MESSAGE.  I was finally able to chat with an agent, and that was completely useless, because they say I’m not the “merchant,” so they can’t tell me anything about the transactions that are affecting MY CREDIT CARD BALANCE.  

I’ve spoken with Apple/Apple Pay and Goldman Sachs.  They are telling me that SQUARE processed the payment, then processed a second pending payment.  SQUARE should be able to go in and remove the pending payment, but they refuse.  The merchants don’t understand the issue, so there’s no way they can call in and explain it, and they don’t have time to spend the 8 hours I’ve spent on the phone.  The charge has NOT fallen off, and on my Apple Card it’s still showing a total of FOUR PAYMENTS.  Two cleared, and two pending.  

As if that isn’t bad enough, Apple Card/Goldman Sachs is telling me that I can’t even dispute a pending charge…that we have to wait until it posts to dispute it.  But my card balance is reflecting the extra payment of $1650.80, and at the end of the month, the only way to clear that off my card to protect my credit rating is to PAY that extra amount, then wait for it to be credited back.

The only thing Square is telling me is to dispute the charges, but if I do that, I’m afraid that I’ll give the merchant a “black mark” on their record for having a dispute.  I’m so angry about this.  And even angrier that Square refuses to help in any way.

[Donnie-M]

@Glasskatz Pending charges do not affect your credit rating in any way.  They are just deducted from the available credit but there is no interest/no penalty on a "pending" charge.  Pending is also known as a pre-authorization.  They do in fact fall off after so many days, but I am telling you from decades of experience with this, your bank is giving you a run around.

A pending charge is that..pending...not POSTED. Posted charges are the only thing you would have to pay at the end of the month, and it is true, you can't dispute a pending charge because it hasn't posted yet.  I have seen pending payments fall off after as much as 10 days, but that was 1 time.  

But until that second "pending" transaction posts, there is nothing that can be done on any end.  I would actually suggest you contact your bank again and ask to speak with a branch manager and ask it like this  "how long will you allow the pending transaction to sit there before it falls off?"  Also, here is the best info I can find from square on a developer side:

"An authorized transaction will automatically be voided after 6 days, but it is a best practice to void the payment as soon as you know you won’t be capturing the funds so your customer can regain access to their money or credit."

I understand the frustration, but I want to reassure you from a place of experience, not the seat of my pants.