How to complain about your card machine provider
A complaint to a card payments provider gets taken seriously when it is written, specific, and addressed to the firm’s formal complaints process rather than a support chat. Acquirers and payment institutions are FCA-regulated, they operate documented complaints procedures, and many small businesses can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service if the answer is unsatisfactory.
A log wins complaints. Dates, what failed, how long it lasted, what support said, what it cost you in lost trading — a complaint built on a log reads completely differently from one built on frustration.
The complaint route, step by step
The sequence that works is the same across providers, because regulated payment firms are required to operate a complaints process.
- Find the provider’s formal complaints procedure — it is published on their website, usually under "complaints" in the footer. Use the word "complaint": it triggers the formal process in a way a support ticket does not.
- Put it in writing: what happened (with dates), what it cost you, what resolution you want. Attach your incident log.
- The firm should acknowledge the complaint and give you a final response. If eight weeks pass without a final response, or the final response does not resolve it, eligible businesses can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
- Keep everything: their acknowledgment, reference numbers, and every reply. The paper trail is the case.
Can my business use the Financial Ombudsman?
Since 1 April 2019 the Financial Ombudsman Service has covered small businesses, not just consumers. A business is eligible if its annual turnover is under £6.5 million and it either has fewer than 50 employees or a balance sheet total under £5 million — which covers the overwhelming majority of independent shops, cafes, pubs and salons. The service is free to use, and the firm being complained about must be an FCA-regulated financial or payment services firm, which acquirers and payment institutions are.
The Ombudsman looks at what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances, not just the strict contract terms, which is precisely why documented service failures matter. Details and the complaint form are at financial-ombudsman.org.uk.
The terminal-lease trap: who you complain to matters
Many card machine setups are really two contracts: payment processing with an acquirer, and terminal hire, which is sometimes a separate lease with a leasing company. A complaint about payment processing goes to the acquirer and can reach the Ombudsman. A complaint about a terminal lease may be against a different company entirely, and equipment leasing does not sit inside the same regulatory regime as payment services — so check which company each part of your problem belongs to before writing. Your contract paperwork, or a written request to the provider, will confirm who holds what.
What outcomes are realistic?
Complaints resolve into refunds of specific charges, goodwill payments for documented outages, fee reductions, early release from agreements where service failure is evidenced, and, at minimum, a written final response you can take to the Ombudsman. What a complaint rarely does is fix a relationship you already want out of — which is why many businesses run the complaint and the switching comparison at the same time. If the complaint succeeds, you have redress; if it fails, the final response letter has value at the Ombudsman and the comparison is ready anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Can a small business take a card machine complaint to the Financial Ombudsman?
Yes, if it meets the size test: annual turnover under £6.5 million, plus either fewer than 50 employees or a balance sheet under £5 million. The complaint must be about an FCA-regulated firm (acquirers and payment institutions are), and you generally go to the Ombudsman after the firm’s final response or after eight weeks with no final response. The service is free.
How long does a card machine provider have to answer a complaint?
For most complaints to regulated payment firms, the firm should issue a final response within eight weeks — many resolve faster, and payment-service-specific complaints often carry shorter expected timescales. If eight weeks pass without a final response, eligible complainants can escalate to the Financial Ombudsman without waiting longer.
Can I complain my way out of a card machine contract?
Sometimes. Documented, repeated service failures that the provider does not fix can support early release, either through the complaint itself or negotiated on the back of it. The evidence standard is the log: dates, incidents, support contacts and losses. Without documentation, providers usually point at the contract term.
Who do I complain to about a leased card terminal?
Check who the lease is actually with — terminal hire is often a separate agreement with a leasing company rather than the payment provider, and leasing sits outside the payment-services complaint regime. Your paperwork or a written request to the provider will confirm who holds each agreement, and each company gets its own complaint.
Running the complaint and the comparison in parallel?
Send one statement and we will prepare the like-for-like comparison while your complaint runs.
CapExpand Ltd (Company No. 14433858) is an authorised Dojo partner, not a card machine manufacturer. We are not currently authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Card machine pricing and availability are subject to change. All information on this page is for general guidance only.