Coffee vendor out $14,000 after using Square

The owners of a Toronto coffee stand say Square Canada has told them they can no longer use the popular payment technology because they are selling beverages made from Cuban coffee beans.
To read more: www.cbc.ca/1.5...
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[@timothylouis2684]

Only reason they are giving her her money back is cause they’re in hot water now

[@reyjeff4297]

Joe Buck you know it, put them on blast

[@VeddieFonnie]

Nolo Kobo why would they pay interest exactly?

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

Hot water, ho ho ho ho

[@integr8er66]

@Nolo Kobo Uhm, unless you are the Government, state or federal. Not unless they are over 90 days late do they have to pay

[@Chicago48]

@@integr8er66 Yeh, unless you're the US Govt.

[@Kriojenic]

"refund her 14000 dollars" that was her money to begin with, what the heck??

[@kevin6293]

Bad choice of words. Can’t believe this comment has so many likes. 🤦‍♂️

[@Kriojenic]

Kevin Ellington and I pray you're right and it was just a poor choice of words, then again you're probably right, I think we can all think of a couple times when the news channels have completely botched their reporting 😂

[@roxcyn]

Will refund. Did she even get her money back?!

[@kenny8221]

Cant trust banks lol, it isnt your money when it's with the bank, it is credit you have with the bank. It is their money, it is really messed up how it works. They can lose all of your money and there is nothing you can do about it.

[@masterticcu]

From what I understood, they didn't have her money, the bank refused to process it in the first place because its illegal for them to do that. So the company is indeed refunding her money out of their own pocket

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

I am DELETING my Square account!! Absolutely terrible, and for them to not provide and explanation?? This woman should be compensated!!!

[@entropic7768]

Did you watch the whole video

[@NathanChisholm041]

She was!

[@nitishkannan2919]

Tom Tom use circlepluspay.com much better

[@kevingliebe5607]

@@entropic7768 the problem is they didn't let her know until it was too late, and the money was already lost. Extremely unprofessional. They owed her a phone call or letter regarding her account before letting tons of payments go missing. Other than that, yes, the bank is within their right to not process Cuban payments.

[@xkeepersvk]

PayPal is known to do the same.

[@chillinebony]

She should sue them, I pray she gets her money back.

[@PatrickBaptist]

That takes money for lawyers, it's not so simple as just filling a claim.

[@trx4ang3l44]

If you really paid some attention they said square space Canada is going to refund her the 14k

[@Treyk901]

TRX4ANG3L it doesn’t change the fact she wasn’t getting paid and that she had to go cash only which hurt sales. She could sue for lost revenue and distress to her and her family.

[@rockstarofredondo]

Patrick Baptist In the US you can sue in small claims court without a lawyer and it is almost that simple.

[@subsWithoutcontent-lg2im]

chillinebony you can get a lawyer that you can sign a document that’s says the lawyer gets like 30% of the winnings and none if you lose.

[@skywalker5936]

So square stayed quiet while the money was coming in.

[@berri5769]

Sky Walker I think what happens is that they don’t verify some details. I’ve worked in the business before and when a new client would come in they had to submit a lot of documentation on their business, their product, etc to the bank. The bank then would decide if they wanted them as a client and therefore our client. The bank had a long list of the types of business and products that we were allowed to process. Not to mention any rules visa, Amex etc have.

[@MrJamberee]

Square had to know there was a problem. It’s not possible they were not aware pretty quickly, when early payments were rejected.

[@jonflippen9061]

Square Canada should be sunk for this they knew it early on why did they allow $14,000 Worth to build up

[@shadow_of_thoth]

Duh, why would they tell her, when they were making thousands off of her?

[@mimimena1127]

Exactly!! Because the customers were being debited and they was keeping the money... and no one said anything to the client.

[@TotallyLA]

Banks have completely forgotten that the money we earn and that passes through them is OUR money, not theirs. This needs to change.

[@bsgvlog5640]

Which is fine as long as "your" money that passes through "our" banks complies with US laws.

[@stevenfinney6480]

Exactly. All deposits are you lending the bank money

[@robertkelley2520]

No they changed the laws it's theirs you are a unsecured creditor.never keep more money than you mind losing in a bank!!!

[@architecture.w]

Cash is king.

[@robertkelley2520]

@@architecture.w spend fiat currency save silver eagles or gold eagles

[@jamesl9371]

This is the most ridiculous story I have seen in a long time. Banks should not question where your product comes from if you’re operating a legal business

[@incipidsigninsetup]

It's the reality of US currency and banking. The US strong arms the entire world because they are the worlds currency they get to decide who gets their money and if you committed a crime giving that currency to nations on their list of sanctioned nations. Most people still don't understand why anyone would use Bitcoin but this is a prime example why. Bitcoin would give near instant payments directly into your wallet and because it's decentralized you own and control the funds. No bank or nation state can hold it, transfer it, steal it or track it. All this with no service fees, no exchange rates and no banks or institutions of any kind. Peer to peer, person to person transfer of wealth. That's the future and it's coming sooner then you think.

[@Maurazio]

well the bank has to protect itself against gov't sanctions, the problem is the service that is not doing their job and finding an alternative IMMEDIATELY and putting up the money in the meanwhile

[@temujinkhan6326]

@@Maurazio Don't you think the bank should have told her the reason when she first inquired? The bank was stealing the money as it was allowing the transactions to go thru instead of notifying her they can provide her any business.... Embargo? Should we talked about all the Presidents that smoked Cuban cigars

[@Maurazio]

@@temujinkhan6326 the bank is a vendor of the square POS service, I don't think the square client inquired to them directly (or indeed be able to)

[@integr8er66]

@@incipidsigninsetup And no bank or nation backs it, so when a Mt Gogc happens your money is simply gone forever, and there is the strong likelihood that people will just move to another crypto currency and bit coin will be worthless

[@cc3184]

So they were so concerned about the source of her product that they stole her money ?

[@user-dx8nj7qj2g]

she decided to work with a business that works with a US bank, and the US has a trade embargo on cuba, and her beans were cuban, so its her own fault for not being aware of this, because if she read fine print, contracts, she probably would've been made aware of this. its not the companies job to inform you of the law. they didnt steal her money, they didnt HAVE her money, the bank refused to process it because its ILLEGAL for them to.

[@mayaw.4013]

X When something is called “Square Canada”, I expect them to use a Canadian bank. She used a Canadian bank. She does NOT sell coffee in the US. & She also had her coffee beans LEGALLY imported to Canada. There is no reason why this would be her fault. It’s 100% on the company for using a US bank. Edit: Plus, they lied to her about it being a “glitch”, so they’re shady a’f.

[@user-dx8nj7qj2g]

@@mayaw.4013 well the fact that its owned by an american company should make it obvious that it might include an american bank, this video is a perfect example of why it is your job to research what banks the company had used, and do the required research to figure out if that country has any trade embargos that would affect you. although I do agree it is shady they lied about the glitch

[@blacklite911]

X you make a BIG assumption that this was in the contract/user agreement. It could be just as well that square Canada didn’t think of it either

[@masterticcu]

@@blacklite911 A company that size will most likely know. And even if they didn't it still wouldn't be their fault

[@redtankgirl5]

Screw that. We need laws to assure that any company working in the parameters of our country follows our policies and laws. That money belongs to her and square should have to pay regardless of them receiving it from the American bank or not.

[@Kurtos25]

100% lets start with all the social media companies and get them to follow our laws and pay taxes.

[@thinkabout602]

Andrew Yang will get the huge multinationals to pay up with a vat tax, then give it back to US citizens with a UBI called the freedom dividend of 1k a month to all over 18. Trickle up economy.

[@sinisterminister6478]

@@thinkabout602 This Canada. Try and keep up.

[@thehALomolov2]

She chose a foreign service that to handle her transactions and she lost her money because of her choice,no one else's. If you are violating a trade embargo, maybe don't rely on your transactions being processed in a country that outlaws your products source. This is how international law works. If I chose to open a store that sells products produced by North Korean slave labour, it would 100% be my fault for violating international sanctions in order to run my business. Then if I use a middle man that processes my payments, it's my fault that the financial service I use rightfully follows the law instead of blindly paying me for my illegal business.

[@thinkabout602]

@@sinisterminister6478 US watches CBC also born in Detroit now in Fl. we always loved going over to Canada

[@deucessoto]

Stop investing in the company square, there rip offs

[@CH-zw7ti]

deuces2119 soto agreed

[@nitishkannan2919]

deuces2119 soto agree use circlepluspay.com they use sumup much better terminals always pay out

[@codycast]

Vincent T. Cash

[@fitrianhidayat]

@Vincent T. wework

[@scarfase]

Vincent T. Moneris. Owned by RBC and BMO. Payments processed with Canadian banks all employees are Canadian no outsourcing. 100% Canadian company.

[@LOADING...o.o.o]

Look she is a honest hard working woman and she deserves her money back. Just sue them

[@lonerhappy]

LOADING... -suing is a lot of work. So it's easy to say.

[@clemfandango5908]

I will never use square cause of this ...

[@socabwai]

This has got to be the most foolish thing I have ever heard.

[@Tim-57]

Sure is.

[@SandStormXII]

Lmao 💯

[@midol4you]

@@ethanallen2889 were you dropped on your head as a child, multiple times?

[@joaovicente575]

What, @@ethanallen2889? So you you don't know what you're talking about? You're the one who seems anti-Canadian. Canada does not have a problem with Cuba. Move to the US if you want to be pissed off at everyone all the time.

[@LadyRubyEye]

@@ethanallen2889 Cuba isn't an enemy of the United States... All trade embargo's were lifted from our previous President... The orange dipshit put them back on for no reason. Regardless, Square doesn't have the right to steal money from businesses.

[@jdbrisebois8732]

From this point on, i will cease using Square. Being a small business owner is brutal enough, last thing i need is risking my hard earned income. Thank you @CBCNews for shedding some light on this. #Square

[@ghr67]

You should consider accepting Bitcoin.

[@AuRowe]

@@ghr67 NWO cashless society seed is BTC

[@Killius]

You should accept bitcoin

[@Killius]

@Qrispy in that case why is it worth 7k for one btc?

[@sarahdell4042]

Same here. Cancelled two of my accounts with them, from two businesses I have. Adios

[@jimda4910]

How did Square know where she buys her beans? Square has her customers paying her, was she using Square to buy her beans?

[@sylverlightz]

This is the real question +1

[@dovaiS]

Nolo Kobo Yeah, we still are exporting from Cuba, I never knew about this embargo because you can’t export stuff from embargoed countries. So its really just not enforced enough..

[@truthtimetv4575]

Because the story is made up obviously

[@jimda4910]

@@truthtimetv4575 why?

[@truthtimetv4575]

Jim Da because they only recently as in the last 60 days have a payment solution for square merchants and it’s only available in the US. She’s clearly in Canada and has no way to spend from square so the story is false. She would know well ahead of failure to transfer if her money wouldn’t get sent to her bank and certainly not accept 14 grand in payments wondering about it just selling coffee. This is all soooo far fetched are we really to believe she had employees and all that to pay for and didn’t see a penny of 14k?? None of it adds up. I’ve used square for my business for years and I’m familiar with the verification process as well as international policies and what’s said in this story just doesn’t add up.

[@DirtCheapMeals]

"What about my Cubans?" "We ARE the Cubans."

[@symetik9625]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL I hope im not the only one that remembers this joke. "Its just a cigar made out of bisquik"

[@mrtonywu]

They’re Dominicans

[@jhova187]

Tony Wu anymore Cuban Castro would of smoked em himself

[@maddiesgamingchannel8163]

You know damn well the banks kept the money, regardless where it’s from.

[@brendonrookes1151]

the issue is that the client didnt sign up with a bank she signed up with square its squares responsiblity to refund her the money she didnt break canadian law and if it went to court it could end up costing them more then 14 k

[@affiliatewireless8435]

Square is a rip-off. Run far away from Square payment processing.

[@TheEdmonstro88]

Affiliate Wireless what should I use instead

[@affiliatewireless8435]

ed monstro Venmo

[@Ta2dRose]

Affiliate Wireless Venmo is a product of PayPal who is notorious for ripping people off as well.🙃

[@wileecoyote5749]

All of them have fees. It's just the way it is. Avoid issues, use cash

[@affiliatewireless8435]

Try Dwolla as well.

[@jaymorpheus11]

Starbucks should try selling a Cuban ‘cigar’ latte just for fun.

[@NDBit]

They won't have the same problem - they're whitewashed, brainwashed morons - but it might call some small amount of attention to it, yeah

[@ascott2168]

Haaaa !!! It would be a best seller

[@jaymorpheus11]

A Scott with Cuban beans since im pretty sure there’s normalized relations already

[@ascott2168]

@@jaymorpheus11 Starbucks will be able to get away with a lot of shizz !!! But I'm all for supporting Cuba as the US is no angel whatsoever ! Every country has dirty hands !!

[@jaymorpheus11]

A Scott I’d like to get my hands dirty on some of those cuban coffee beans!

[@dasaini]

How the hell did they find out the beans are Cuban.

[@shawnlee664]

Her mobile phone. Say "hey Google " to your phone.

[@718EngrCo]

A lot of banks have security departments that do background checks on their customers. It’s not just Cuba that they concern themselves with. I read an article about some strippers who got their accounts closed and their money seized by the banks because the money was earned in an “Adult” business. Nothing illegal, but they were shut down anyway. Weed businesses have the same problem.

[@SgtTNTDemonTechGames]

@@718EngrCo eh the weed thing is a different story

[@philipthomas6808]

@@718EngrCo Right, that's what they do. It's these companies and their damn lawyers who are always trying to justify every little legal possibility and the implications that could be a problem for them.

[@0530628416]

It is just a fancy way of saying we are holding your money

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

This makes me mad that hard working people are having their livelihoods affected.

[@davenicolas6908]

Dany’el buddy, it’s the law... period. Has nothing to do with the banks period. Unfortunately it’s the law and this business owner sells a product that is banned in the states.

[@acriticalvegan6164]

@@davenicolas6908 We are in Canada. Just like all americans trying to tell everybody else what to do. and you wonder why you're becoming more hated around the world.

[@Dan_Ben_Michael]

D-Block Sheek Louch mate what has a lady living and working in Canada, selling a product in Canada, got to do with the United States....period!

[@geminigirl5400]

ACriticalVegan interesting, we’re being hated? However, she chose to use a US bank, in Canada that has PLENTY of banks and services, yet you hate us based on her (Canadian) decision? 🤔 And people always say American are dumb. Your logic funny😂😂😂

[@springbloom5940]

@@acriticalvegan6164 You moron. No, its an *American* payment processor and by *American* law they are prohibited from brokering those transactions. Now, lets just reverse this and say an American sporting goods store, were using a Canadian payment processor, for 'assault weapon' sales...

[@one4allall4one91]

Only when the news station intervene did they decide to refund her money. Crooks.

[@Spintechfilms]

Lady: i want my money Bank: you cant have it Lady: why? Bank: beans

[@seanbatchelder6046]

Square is not a bank they just process the transactions.

[@Spintechfilms]

@@seanbatchelder6046 im not talking about square im talking about the bank that wont give them the money

[@blixx87]

Bitcoin solves this

[@masterticcu]

@@Spintechfilms Looking through the comments and I'm pretty sure you're the only person here who understands whats actually going on. I see people with hundreds of likes saying she should sue the company haha

[@Spintechfilms]

@@masterticcu i just know how the swines at american banks work is all

[@rafaelalvarado1683]

Them people is on some bullcrap... they always find ways to screw people over huh....

[@scsclassics]

" Them people is "

[@test40323]

Wow, good to know. Small businesses can’t afford this kind of cash flow disruption.

[@thehALomolov2]

She used square to try circumventing transaction fees from domestic financial institutions and instead routed money through Square for lower transaction fees, without realizing that the USA financial institution middlemen would have to flag her business transactions for her business dealings with Cuba. Guess that extra few percent would have been worth the fees instead of her finances going through foreign countries and being subject to their laws.

[@whitehawk45]

@@thehALomolov2 are you dumb?

[@MrDavidPartida]

Good job CBC NEWS!!! Thank you for running the story and helping this lady get her money back! 👏🏼

[@Oscar-mb2oe]

No one: Reporter: This story needs more puns

[@Henrik46]

Surely you mean: "Everyone: "

[@Henrik46]

@@TheAmishGamer I get it was a joke. I just corrected the illogical pronoun.

[@konradfitzgerald]

To be fair: they need to square up.

[@hectochango5831]

Finance business is probably the douchiest, ever.

[@freakshow8252]

Wow that’s bs someone needs to answer WHERE IS THAT MONEY

[@thehALomolov2]

Siezed... She violated US law and her money was routed through the USA.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Frozen in the US.

[@user-yg2up4lg3r]

@@thehALomolov2 Did either of y'all watch the end of the video? Square Canada is refunding her.

[@maddiesgamingchannel8163]

FREAKSHOW In the banks pockets.

[@be4unvme]

@MegaSkilla this ain't Somalia fool

[@deanwilliam459]

what kind of company has the time to figure out if ur ingrediants are illegal? I think CBC needs to dig a little deeper for the truth.

[@beatleme2]

Only if you run a business while being WHITE

[@kcav1255]

I work for a major payment network. This a common problem when dealing with cross border funds. Good on CBC for bringing it to light. Definitely a blind spot in Square’s business model, and they are rightfully compensating the merchant.

[@brendonrookes1151]

hopefully they get a new bank if the american bank isnt willing to work with international then square needs to either get a new bank or only sell there devices in usa

[@tyrannyterminator4179]

While not the dumbest thing I have ever or will ever hear, but definitely close.

[@celsius418]

That must be some good coffee.

[@veracitynorth2860]

The Canadian government should step in and help with this. I will not pay by square or use it.

[@italiaskate25]

Veracity North Agreed! I usually wouldn’t advise going to the federal government if it’s not required but in this case I would try if I was in her shoes.

[@MarksTech]

imagine a country being so self consious that theyre afraid of beans. welcome to america, land of the dreams - only when youre sleeping.

[@Yungmillah]

Mark's Tech nah we just don’t support communists

[@andrewj4426]

@@Yungmillah So square rips offs mom and pop shops in Canada? The American way I guess. That's why the entire world loves our warmongering country.

[@symetik9625]

You do realize that HUGE amounts of cocaine are imported by CUBA right? not everything comes from mexico... that's kinda the point. Not to mention COFFEE is what was historically used to hide the drugs..... so I mean, Its kinda a red flag.

[@MarksTech]

Andrew Miller lol so you ruin a LOCAL mom & pop cafe? Hahahah too funny

[@brookroberson6084]

Wow not cool at all! Taking advantage of people.

[@PatrickFisher1]

Yeah those coffee farmers are really getting screwed over by their government and its fixed pricing scheme.

[@nicevideomancanada]

I have a Square account. yesterday I received an email from them stating there would be a rate change. then I got another email telling me I wouldn't be getting a new rate after all. Did they change banks already?

[@TimothyLeow]

Peter Hall hi Peter, you can read more about the square rate change here: www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-24/square-s-pricing-shift-raises-costs-for-smaller-transactions I have had dozens of business use my service in the past few months that were previously using square. I’d love to maybe help you get a fair rate with no contracts, if you’re interested feel free to DM me at Instagram.com/TimothyLeow

[@SuccessforLifester]

That is why I am quite hesitant to use technology when it comes to money

[@IDemonstrateVelocity26]

Sue those MFs

[@flawaii-pines6858]

Sue whom and for what? Square is giving her the $14k. Didnt you hear then end of the report?

[@bintab8615]

I hope she gets her money back.

[@lesliea.7174]

@Anthony Stewart a statement are words. Talk is cheap. I really hope they did act on returning this small business it’s rightfully, hard earned money.

[@lesliea.7174]

@Anthony Stewart Square “has suggested they’ll refund her $14,000.” - min 1:55 ‘suggested.’ Last time I checked ‘suggested’ is defined as a proposition. Therefore it doesn’t mean they will 💯 do it, but keep trusting / believing in the banks. If that’s what let’s you sleep at night. People like you stir and confuse the other dumb sheep that lack knowledge into stupidity. If Square really wanted to have returned this coffee owner her rightfully earned money they could have written her a check which they ‘suggested’ they would, but didn’t. This is how people of your tiny caliper need to be fed information, unfortunately. Sad but true. Also this is exactly how rumors begin. When you think you heard something that actually was never 💯 said. It was implied (suggested) but not actually said. @Bunker Sieben this guys is a fool. Unable to read between the lines.

[@danielmartinez7047]

@@anthonystewart8959 share the link please, so we can believe it.

[@penguin5597]

Banks are crooks...

[@juniorballs6025]

This is utterly stoooooopid, and borderline theft

[@MrJohneblaze822]

It is theft, just like taxation.

[@rifkyhusein1389]

I was thinking about selling Iranian coffee. I’ll put the idea on hold.

[@zioncommand]

Advertise it to your customers as Iranian coffee... set it up in the pay system as "generic coffee"

[@glengraham7080]

Dammit, so my Ayatollah Khomeni themed cafe will be a flop too 😂

[@rifkyhusein1389]

@@glengraham7080 very bad idea I suppose

[@fitrianhidayat]

I've heard that American pistachio Farmers are lobying for a war with Iran because their pistachios tastefar better. Don't just believe me though, Google it up

[@swicheroo1]

I don't think the USA has an embargo against Iran. I live in LA, where there are many Iranians, and they come and go as they please. There are also tons of Iranian stores that sell Iranian products. An embargo is the highest level economic sanction. I know because I was born in Vietnam and, after the was, there was an embargo that lasted for 20 years. It made it entirely difficult to do things for family left behind.

[@MichelleFrets]

Good to know. This is nonsense I would not like to deal with.

[@rajo741]

Perhaps All other Canadian small business should consider an act of solidarity and mail their little card readers back to Square. Time for a full embargo on this company until they figure out their U.S. nonsense

[@geminigirl5400]

R J that makes sense. As a US citizen, I’m sure Canada has an alternative and you wouldn’t have to deal with the nuances of the US sanctions. And it’s not just Cuba, it would be the same as she was getting stuff from North Korea.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

What do expect square to do? Ignore US sanctions and risk their business being shut down?

[@Gizziiusa]

contact Tony Montana, he has a little friend that will take care of those squares.

[@giggertmcbabby5140]

This is off topic, but her espresso is pouring way too quick. She needs to dial in more often.

[@MrMiD.Life.Crisis]

Thats not off topic at all. Quality counts Sir. Bravo to you.

[@emilyinfp704]

Maybe she likes it that way?

[@riverolson2989]

@@emilyinfp704 it's not a preference thing. Theres a right speed and a wrong speed. For a double shot it should take between 25-30 seconds if it takes longer then the espresso will be bitter if it takes less time then it will generally be overly acidic.

[@CIOOfficial]

@@riverolson2989 you wanker

[@darganx]

Maybe she got money worries..

[@sporttrolling837]

I almost bought the square... I surely won't now!!!

[@michramgoolam5829]

Square is not the issue, it seems like the US processor is the issue.

[@davenicolas6908]

Buddy. It’s the law in America period.... can you not understand that?

[@scottblack8134]

So all them American with off shore banks should not get their money back Americans should only use American banks lol what a dumb argument

[@geminigirl5400]

Scott black most people have offshore accounts are hoarding the money, if an American bank is blocking your Canadian business but a Canadian bank won’t, I would say go with the Canadian bank. 🙄 she needs to get her money back, and not use an American bank since there is an embargo with Cuba.

[@geminigirl5400]

You seem to get it. She should get her money back and use something other than square

[@springbloom5940]

No, Square is definitely the issue, because it is using foreign banks, that are bound by different laws and regulations. It is also, to a slightly lesser degree, the fault of the proprietor for not knowing what bank their money goes through and understanding the consequences of using a foreign bank. Business ownership and management is hard work, its not the same as being a barista.

[@thewayofthemasseuse2697]

So weird I was thinking of using this the other day and boom... Its on my feed... You tube and google please stay out of my thoughts lolll

[@bernardblack6116]

America ruined coffee then ruined any means to acquire good coffee.

[@roger6672]

America didn't do it, maybe a select few in it did

[@Quicksilver_Cookie]

Any means? You think only good coffee comes from Cuba? I mean...I get what you are saying, but don't you think it's a bit of a generalization? Just go to any decent coffee retailer and you will find literally hundreds of coffee blends from all over the world.

[@MilesBellas]

Awful..... Cuba should not suffer any embargo, same with Venezuela.

[@johnnyfavorite1194]

Cash is King

[@billionairebychoice8436]

All the comments on here, it's obvious no one knows how payment processing works. Square is the merchant of record, they are not the processor. When you use Square as a business, you are a "sub merchant". This means Square didn't get paid, so they couldn't pay the merchant. The fact that they are going to refund her the 14k proves that Square is a good company; they're taking the hit for their customer. Did the coffee shop owner read the T&C's and all the other requirements? Probably not, apparently. Sounds like these were settlement rejects due to risk factors, so not Square's fault, and not the bank's fault. Again, if Square is willing to reimburse the full 14k that shows integrity on Square's end. I've dealt with thousands of merchants and developers, as well as acquirerers and issuers. I can tell you that this is either the merchant's fault, or some joe schmoe in risk or underwriting made a mistake. So again, not Square's fault.

[@LittleWhoreRecords]

The pitfalls where Globalism and politics collide.

[@lisapalmer4725]

Just because her customers use American banks

[@hellothere-us7iw]

No because square uses US banks.

[@tekanatoken]

Thanks for the heads up!

[@ShakespeareCafe]

CASH ONLY---in Chinatown they only take cash, every store

[@Ms.MD7]

Asians don't play with their money

[@josephbrown8984]

They stole over 3k from my small business for over 120 days. No plea option, no way to talk to a live human, cut off from the money with no way to challenge the hold. It’s CRIMINAL! They need to be sued

[@sarahgoettge3033]

Anyone operating an international business knows there is different laws in every country. This is just insane! The fact that they made a big stink about her beans tells me they are either very ignorant or were just using the excuse to steal from her. There is no trade embargo in Canada. Everyone knows that. There are legitimate businesses in Cuba. If they had a problem they should have ended her business professionally instead of just withholding her money and hoping she didn't notice. I would be reporting this business to the proper authorities and than sue them. They preyed on her because she is a small business. It makes me so crazy. But, thanks to this, I know never to use square.

[@dayspoiler4608]

game over for any app basically.

[@TheRisky9]

This is when a payment company tries to play moral police.

[@tallchicknvegas]

I just watched a video warning you Square is good for small type businesses only! Why would you keep using their platform if they weren't paying you. I can only empathize with them holding on to a LARGE purchase while they investigate. The video suggested only use Square if only charging $2k or less a month.

[@phammcast]

I was considering using Square for my startup, but now I'll look elsewhere. I don't support predatory and shady people, let alone companies!

[@livylu6287]

Sounds like square is just a big old scam!

[@davysmith8569]

so they stole 14k from her? Nice square.

[@subliminallyinc]

The fact that her business is called "little havana cafe" doesn't help her situation regarding JP morgan releasing funds to her given that there's a trade embargo between USA and CUBA.

[@jamesdewey3259]

But she is in 🇨🇦. Not 🇺🇸. Funds should not cross border. This is done so that they can invest in us make more money off flow and then screw 🇨🇦 by using exchange rate. Crooks.

[@subliminallyinc]

@@jamesdewey3259 i think the lesson here is that if she is to continue doing business selling Cuban products then she needs to move away from Square. The issue is bigger than a simple Point of sale mishap. Blame is on cold war policies that haunt the world to this day.

[@BrentsCardsAndCoins]

So the issue isn’t with Square, but the bank that processed the payments. I have been using Square for almost 7 years without a single issue.

[@amayatreasureluckie7582]

Just open a cash app account or Venmo. And wow. That’s cold they stole her money.

[@nurrakugy5126]

This is exactly why i have a problem with a cashless society

[@scottwpilgrim]

This is concerning. Time to get rid of Square!

[@Nocutasmr]

Our business stopped using Square because they just keep thinking of new ways to raise the fees.

[@abrmodshopperformance478]

As A business owner, and Active Square user, this worries me. Will be paying more attention to this.

[@Sylverlea1]

I can help you switch over if you want peace of mind Payvida Solutions Inc www.getPayvida.com is a Canadian company we have better rates then square and personal service.

[@alterartgn]

thinking about using them now..how is it? //.

[@michaelwtm]

As a US citizen, I love to show these kinds of videos to people I know who still think that there is any kind of good reason to still have a trade embargo with Cuba. Does nothing for us, and only hurts our ability to do business internationally.

[@markrushton8131]

Square's adherence to the U.S. embargo of Cuba is *already illegal under Canadian law* - it's called the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA, not the US disaster relief version). It was amended in 1996 specifically to ensure that Canadian subsidiaries of US corporations do not implement the embargo. BUT the Canadian government has only acted on a very (VERY) few instances to 'warn' these companies, and insofar as I'm aware, has *never* prosecuted. A law that is not enforced isn't much of a law... and successive Canadian governments have continued to allow the USA to dictate the limits of Canadian sovereignty.

[@flawaii-pines6858]

Im guessing this is an issue because the banks that wont endorse trading with Cuba in any way are the same banks who got US Govt bailout money.

[@turgeo2004]

What is wrong with cuban beans? To hell with the trade embargo too, just keep up the good work and keep on smuggling them in, I will buy them.

[@separeed4721]

Please sue them!! How do they know you’re using Colombian beans anyway?! Like don’t they just charge a fee, they research every transaction?? Omg 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@separeed4721]

Oh ha! Touché

[@SgtTNTDemonTechGames]

They're allowed to and if she sued them she'd get no money and have to pay legal fees

[@dmrc43]

I guess she's... *puts on sunglasses* ..."back to square one EEEEYYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAH

[@iamkoopa22]

After you dont recieve the first 20$ , 40$ 100$, something is obviously wrong. why let it accumulate to 14,000

[@keeblerelmcookies]

There are thousands of merchant processors to choose from simply cancel your Square account and take your business elsewhere and you’ll still be able to have your customers pay with card.

[@PatrickPierceBateman]

Just evil corporations doing evil things, as usual. I guarantee nobody goes to jail for this.

[@steveo89]

I smell a big lawsuit. Get a good lawyer

[@flawaii-pines6858]

Sue whom and for what? Square is giving her the $14k. Didnt you hear then end of the report?

[@roxcyn]

Did she get her money? Give her the money! 😠

[@HuffDaddyYT]

Why doesn't she take it up with the company? And I thought the Cuban-US embargo was lifted?

[@RageUnchained]

Yes, yes it has. I smoked a Cuban cigar legally a few months after they became common in the US again

[@atheistnotion]

*outrageous*

[@LazyCrazyGuy]

I hope anyone who has a business account with Square closes it because of this.

[@masterticcu]

I don't see why as this isn't even their fault...

[@carlospulpo4205]

It wasn't the beans that was the trigger, it was likely the name of the merchant that triggered the US bank to hold the transactions. Square should have made good on the money while the banks worked on the glitch. Almost any USA based company operating in Canada will use an American bank to process payments, Square is not a Canadian company, so any transactions will be subject to the law governing the USA. This brings up a major issue when you use "third party processing" instead of applying to be a merchant directly with a bank. You loose a LOT of control for that cheap processing. The trade off for taking a company like Square or PayPal to process payments on your behalf is that your business income is at the whim of that processing company and these very obscure rules or regulations. However for small businesses they are often cheaper and less "red tape" then dealing with the banks to obtain credit card processing merchant ID and terminal as these are like applying for a bank loan, lots of paperwork and PayPal i/Square are easy don't ask too many questions.

[@Strommunism]

As an American, Square needs to do the right thing. This should not affect a Canadian. Also, I have no problem with Cubans or how they want to live. This embargo is bunk and always has been.

[@bobyschneidee515]

About a year ago. I was trying that company to square and they were messing around with me as well. But I also believe the United States is going for a recession. They are broke.

[@spongebob358]

Just Another banking scam. Nothing to see here! please move along.

[@shadako2]

All digital products are like this. Because you have no hard copy, the numbers can change. A certain percentage of customers will not notice this stuff! Then when they do, it's blamed on a technical glitch...

[@russcastella]

Thank you for investigating. Give that lady her money asap *with interest.*

[@TheRealKendrick]

In God we trust, everyone else must pay cash. Plastic cards are one of the many problems in modern society. You pay fees to use your own money, that amount is more than any interest you may have earned from your money. Using credit cards, you don’t track how much you’re spending because you can’t see it coming out of your wallet.

[@rontheoracle]

Don't worry. If Square doesn't work out for her, there are always Triangle, Rectangle and Circle.

[@geminigirl5400]

Ronny Japutra lol

[@Tim-57]

😄

[@goldenstar_1007]

Square and Stripe need to be sued.

[@miroenriquez5473]

if she was doing something wrong, then why did it have to reach 14k? Square should have stopped the machine from working to minimize the damage...

[@jahbay]

Okay Square I hope you're listening. I here by do boycott Square. I hope others will do the same. I will either pay cash or not use the vendor. I encourage others to follow suit.

[@thehALomolov2]

She used Square (A USA company) to try circumventing transaction fees from domestic financial institutions and instead routed money through Square for lower transaction fees, without realizing that the USA financial institution middlemen would have to flag her business transactions for her business dealings with Cuba. Guess that extra few percent would have been worth the fees instead of her finances going through foreign countries and being subject to their laws.

[@thehALomolov2]

@Rick's World the whole business model of Square is their cheaper fees...

[@superswingtrader5388]

Refund? I smell a Cuban lawsuit brewing.. I'm shorting square stock!

[@JOSHOCEANS]

Thanks for the heads up. I’m canceling my square account now.

[@masterticcu]

I don't see why as this doesn't affect you at all and isn't even their fault...

[@monas.6839]

The only thing about this that shocks me is that Square has not blamed Trump yet. SMDH