My Square Register Stopped Working

[prideandjoy]

Last Friday, Oct 29th my Square Register stopped working (saying it can't connect to the network, even though it is connected to the internet) and I am wondering if anyone is having a similar problem.

To start off, my internet is fully functional.  I've had sporadic problems with my register ever since I bought it last spring (upgraded from a square stand) but nothing this serious or problematic.

In an email last Friday, square support did acknowledge that they are having this same problem with some registers, but after three emails back to them asking for answers and solutions, I received nothing back.  I have had to purchase backup square equipment in order to process transactions, and now have to get my old square stand back up and running again in order to run my business. It's been a very embarrassing week in front of customers, with difficulty processing transactions, providing receipts, etc.

Yesterday, I called support again and went through a very lengthy process of trying to solve the problem, which did not work.  They asked my questions about my router, internet speed security, etc.  They also asked me to restore my register to factory settings.  Doing that made the problem worse, as I cannot even log into the register anymore.  Despite it being connected to the internet, when I go to the login page and try to login, it tells me it can't connect to the network, and that i need to try again later.

The square rep told me that they have no fix for this problem, and no idea what the time frame will be to get it resolved.  I don't understand why they haven't offered to send me a new register, or compensate me for the equipment I had to buy, although I have asked them to do both.

I am wondering if anyone else is dealing with this.  I have always been happy with square, in the 6 or so years that I have used them, but this is making me think that I need to switch to another POS system and processor.  With the holidays coming up, I simply cannot risk problems like this, and I find it even worse that it is happening with their proprietary hardware.

Thanks for any help.

[VanKalkerFarms]

networks are complicated things for sure, we take them for granted but so much is happening and so many points it can go wrong from the ethernet cord to the switch to the router to settings and so much more.

Hardware does fail occasionally and Square does offer a 1-year warranty.  Hardware Policies and Limited Warranty

I assume you have tried swapping the ethernet cable.  I don't have a Square Register, just many Square stands, so I don't know what connection options you have or if you can try resetting again.

Having a piece of hardware fail doesn't seem like a reason to go to a different company where they could have a piece of hardware fail also.  I know it's aggravating for sure as we went thru all kinds of printer issues this spring.  Hopefully, you get your new hardware setup and can get your old issues straightened out over time.

[prideandjoy]

Thanks so much for your reply, there's definitely a lot that can go wrong, but the register has had more problems than my simple square stand ever did.  And I paid a lot of money for it.

I agree that switching would not be ideal, but it's been 8 days with no solution and a serious lack of customer service support, which is why I am asking myself if switching is necessary.  I need to be able to process transactions without constant problems in order to stay in business. 

It's been a very disappointing and frustrating situation, as I am really at their mercy while paying them for their services and equipment.