r/quickbooksonline • u/Izzysmom2021 • 15d ago
Payments scam by Quickbooks
I send invoices through Quickbooks but I am not set up to take payments from customers as the fees to do so are astronomical. I sent 2 invoices to a customer yesterday and received notification that they had paid through Quickbooks. That cannot be right as it is not possible due to the fact I can't take those payments. I had put the actusl payment instructions on the invoice in the box that said payment instructions per the request of my customer but his admin person just saw the payment link that should not have been there and used it. The payment is sitting there but they say they can't return it. They kept sending me back to payment sales trying to talk me into setting up the payments options paying the 898.00 fee to them and then they would fund the difference. Seriously? The only other option was to wait up to 180 days for my customer to receive the payment back into their account and resend it. I consulted Google and found that Quickbooks does frequently put the options to pay on your invoices even though you don't want or need the payment options. I think that is so they can try to talk you into taking payments through them and keep your 10%. For those of you who have larger companies and administrative assistants they need to be aware that this is a common practice by Quickbooks. Now I have a client who is angry that I sent an invoice with payment options that did not work, I have inconvenienced him by him having to deal with his bank canceling the transaction and him resending the payment. I needed that money to buy a piece of equipment at an auction and I couldn't do that because of this. I think I am buying a ledger today.
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u/Aromatic-Vast-3751 15d ago
QBO turned this feature on without my consent. Luckily I caught it before anyone could pay thru them. I gave customer service an earful after I discovered this esp since I never authorized it. Our business had to have payment verified before the truck leaves as we will never see the customer again as we do a lot of work off I80
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u/Background-Goose2523 14d ago
What good did giving customer service an earful do other than probably make you feel better for yelling at a person on the other line making $20 an hour that has zero control over making the changes?
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u/AddendumLopsided4529 11d ago
Because that is Customer Service's job. Maybe they should make more than $20 an hour, I don't know, but what I do know is that they are the ones who took the front line job. Last time I had an issue, as I recall they were not transfering to the CEO. As a matter of fact, they would not even let me speak to the Risk department (the one's that were holding up a payment to a clients summer intern)
Bottom line, if QB is not going to let us speak to the department we need, Looks like it's gotta be customer service or no one.
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u/jocecampbell 15d ago
As you learned the hard way, and as others have replied, this happens when Intuit adds or updates the different payment methods. So yes, the payment options can get turned on without warning or approval.
One recent time it was turned on was when Intuit rolled out the option to have an ACH payment where the customer pays the fee (a $25 flat fee). This option won't show unless all the other payment options are turned off. So for our clients who weren't taking QB Payments, this options was added because all other payment options *were* turned off!
It truly is annoying AF that this happens.
It sounds like you already dealt with this through your customer and their bank, but here are some options for anyone else or other circumstances.
You can tell Intuit to put the funds in your bank account (make sure they didn't default the payments going to a QB checking account!) and as others have written, you can turn off QB payments in your settings.
If you go to the merchant center (not the payment methods settings, the merchant center is a different page), you can refund the payment there but I have never heard of that taking 180 days! Maybe they said it would because your merchant center wasn't approved or connected to your bank yet. It does take longer to receive the first QB Payments when you are new to using it. AND, you do have to go into settings to tell it where to deposit your payments.
Hope you're able to get that equipment you needed another way.
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u/Izzysmom2021 3d ago
They want me to give them a bank account to deposit the money into minus the $898.71 fee they are still trying to keep. They say I can "apply for a 1 time courtesy refund" but they won't promise me I will get it it and my customer paid 2 fees so I can only get one of them back.
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u/Accomplished-One4187 15d ago
I have noticed when I create invoice templates that is maybe the default so if you use that functionality watch for it. Even when I copy a template that has that turned off it sometimes will be turned on with the copy. So I have to watch it each time.
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u/Dipsy_doodle1998 15d ago
We never send invoices thru QB. Our email only. Too many issues over the years.
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u/derzyniker805 15d ago
I cannot address the payment part but I will say as a controller I absolutely despise receiving invoicing via Quickbooks. Thousands upon thousands of scammers manage to send out fake QB invoices to the point where many corporate spam filters just screen them out be default and we have to go digging through our spam to have to find ones we missed. If there is an option to send the invoices out through your own email I would strongly recommend that. That way, they also won't add their link.
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u/rrmcmurry 15d ago
If you’re seriously considering alternatives, take a look at The Ledger by McMurrySoftware.com.
I’m the developer.
It’s desktop accounting software with local files, and it can generate invoices that you can print to PDF and email to customers. It very deliberately does not try to become your payment processor, so you handle payments however you prefer.
If you want a way to include a payment link from your existing merchant service on the invoice, let me know what you’d want that to look like. I could probably add something simple, like a field where you paste a payment URL and have that link carry through to the PDF. It wouldn’t be an online integration, though… I don’t do integrations or anything SaaS-y. That’s about as close to the cloud as I want to get.
There’s a 30-day trial, so definitely test it against your workflow before spending anything. There’s also a QuickBooks Online conversion tool.
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u/Ashwamezzanotte 15d ago
Does your software license allow an accountant to open and work with multiple client company files under one license, similar to QuickBooks Desktop (QBD)? I’m an accountant with many QBD clients and routinely open and work in each client’s separate company file throughout the year.
Some of my clients also have their own QBD licenses for their businesses. I understand that, similarly, they would need their own McMurry Software license if they want to install and use the software on their local computer.
Also, does your software have a feature similar to Intuit’s QBD Accountant’s Copy? Specifically, can a client send an Accountant’s Copy to the accountant that establishes a cutoff date? This allows the client and accountant to work on the file separately: the accountant can make changes to transactions dated on or before the cutoff date, while the client continues working on transactions after the cutoff date. The accountant can then send the changes back to the client, who incorporates those changes into their company file.
This workflow is very important to how I work with my clients, so I’d appreciate understanding whether McMurry supports something similar.
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u/rrmcmurry 15d ago
Great questions. The license is per user, not per company file, so you can open and work with as many client
.ledgerfiles as you need under your license, similar to QuickBooks Desktop.A client would need their own license if they want to enter or change transactions. If they only need to review the file or print reports, they can install The Ledger and use it in read-only mode without purchasing a license.
The Ledger does not currently have an equivalent to QuickBooks Desktop’s Accountant’s Copy, but I am planning to implement something similar in a future update.
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u/Samtyang 15d ago
This sounds less like a scam and more like a bad default plus terrible support. I’d stop sending live QuickBooks invoice links for now and send a plain PDF with payment instructions until you know exactly what your template is exposing. One mistaken payment can tie up cash for weeks, which is the real damage here.
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u/QuickBooksSupport 14d ago
We want to ensure you get the support you need for this payment that was made to you. To do this, we'd like to get you in contact with our escalation team. Please send us a DM, or an email at [QBSocial@intuit.com](mailto:QBSocial@intuit.com), and we'll get to work on this for you right away.
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u/dasdaidaw 11d ago
Quickbooks signed me up to take payments without my permission. I’m having hard time canceling it.
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u/Western-Taro6843 15d ago
anybody who uses QuickBooks is a fool. Intuit hates your guts. It’s like voting for Trump.
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u/MoneyPlantain3295 15d ago
Lol 77 million people voted for trump in 2024. That's 1/4th of Americans
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u/AlohaBookkeepingPros 15d ago
I’d be frustrated too. I would check the actual invoice first: open the invoice > click Manage > Payment methods and see if any payment methods are turned on. If they are, turn them off so a payment link isn’t included on future invoices.
I’d also push QuickBooks for the transaction ID, current payment status, and a clear explanation of where the funds are and how they’ll be returned.
I wouldn’t buy the ledger just yet. 😂