Myths About Square

This post seems half-hearted to me. It reads something like "Myth: Square is more expensive. Truth: No, we're not". If you want to be convincing, show me some numbers or at least give me some details. Even then, I am not sure I would ever post something like this. I was not aware that Square is fighting all these myths until now. I think I would have chosen "response" blog posts linking to specific, false, articles.

I can't believe how bad Square PR is especially with such a media darling at the top. How did it manage to lose so many large PR episodes such as Rabois, Starbucks, IPO, it's general health, as a workplace, etc (all the myths, I guess)?

It's on track for $30b+ in payment volume which blows away all other payments startups. It's one of the fastest growing payments companies ever. It's opened up a whole new merchant category.

And this blog post is so defensive.

Weird.

I'm not a PR person, but if you're going to do a "Top 10 Myths Dispelled" list, here's a recommendation:

These lists follow a standard format. You list the myth, and you list the counter-claim.

But why make the most prominent things on your page a bunch of untrue, negative things about your company?

Some people avoid this by not even listing the myth directly. For instance, for #1, they might just title it, "Square is NOT more expensive."

But if you do list the myth directly, I would put it in body type, but then make the counter-claim big and bold.

These responses are obviously biased, and the language they use tends to make the responses even seem 'fixed'. An analogy is the Philip Morris CEO in 1994 famously saying he did not believe that cigarettes are addictive and killing people.

For example: "...the reports that we tried to sell the company, or of a delayed IPO? False. We're here for the long-term."

Is that really true though? Isn't it well established and known that Square postponed their IPO?

    If your Wi-Fi goes out or you’re off the grid, just use Offline Mode.

Run WiFi jammer, use junk credit-card, profit?

If Square has to publish a blog post to clarify what they do/who their customers are, it means their marketing needs to step up its game.

I remember square going down one weekend and having to try and contact support. It was a nightmare. I tell everyone to avoid square if possible if taking transactions during critical times is a must.

I simply couldn't get through to them.

I'm not so sure I completely agree with #9. The service itself is quite solid, and I do enjoy that part of it. However...

My reader was totally unreliable, taking many swipes to read a card, and then up and died on me. Never dropped it, never got it wet, nothing. All it took to kill it was letting it sit in its box on my for a couple months.

Aside from the odd lists of "myth-busting". My issue with square is the one fee system you're based on. Major merchant systems have an extremely reduced amount for debit card purchases, which for many, if not most business account for the lion's share of their transactions.

In my research of Square versus the company I ultimately went with, a $1500 debit transaction was 10 times(no hyperbole) more expensive with Square.

Could you address that "Myth"?

The major way Square is struggling is in keeping up the myth that Jack Dorsey is the new Steve Jobs.

Can anyone explain why Square has recently been under scrutiny?