Cube is a recently developed cloud-based point of sale system by two founders, Charlie Pinto and Charlie Christner. It is an attached merchant account POS system launched into the market after a private yearlong beta testing. Businesses selected for its beta testing critically analyzed it to eliminate any chance of bugs and potential issues before the app was first released in 2012 on iTunes. Cube POS has its head office is located in Sterling Heights, MI.
The cofounders introduced this system as a modified and complete backend solution for businesses. It offers the same essential services as its other mobile payment competitors, Square and GoPayment. However, because of some advancements in its framework, it has made headway.
This Cube POS review will report how Cube has competed with the well-established legacy POS systems running in most modern businesses. The adaptability of the Cube app to modify features as the business grows is its most salient feature because it does not work only as a mobile checkout app.
Cube POS Pricing
Two different pricing structures are available to cater to various business sizes. The first pricing plan is selected for small businesses and is called the “Per Swipe” plan. According to the per swipe plan, every swiped transaction deducts 2.5%, and a keyed-in transaction deducts 3.5%. The other plan is the “Enterprise Plan,” which has different quotes depending on the business size. However, the per swipe and enterprise Plan is on a month-to-month basis. You can upgrade your subscription from the per swipe plan to the enterprise plan, but unfortunately, the modification of plans is one-sided. You may not have the liberty to return from the enterprise plan to the per swipe plan.
Per Swipe plan
There is a 2.5% swiped transaction fee and a 3.5% keyed-in transaction for the per swipe plan, and no hidden fees are applied. Cube rules out any interchange fees, license, upgrade, fixed, and maintenance fees. You can process as many transactions as needed with unlimited users and terminals. Attaching a separate merchant account is unnecessary as it comes with the per swipe plan. For customer support, email and chat support is provided to the merchants.
Although Cube works on a more straightforward process and directly deposits money to the merchant’s bank account after deducting the processing fee, some limitations are associated with the per swipe plan. This plan has a daily limit of $5,000 per day and a limit of $30,000 per week for swiped-in transactions. For keyed-in transactions, it has a daily limit of $500 and a weekly limit of $300. Furthermore, this plan only supports a single location.
Enterprise Plan
The second pricing plan offered by Cube POS is the enterprise plan. Merchants willing to work with their previous merchant account can review the enterprise Plan. Enterprise plan is an advanced version of the per swipe plan that allows handling multiple locations and provides live customer support. It offers customized hosting, custom pricing, and personalized setup at the cost of a monthly fee. Processing fees can vary according to the daily and weekly transaction limits. Merchants with the enterprise plan are free to choose Cube Processing or a third-party payment processor.
Cube POS Rates Compared to Square Rates
The per swipe plan offered by Cube has the same essential features you get from Square’s standard pricing plan. However, Cube offers a 2.5% processing fee, while Square provides its plan with a 2.75% processing fee for card present transactions.
Other factors like processing limits and fee structure are comparable to Square’s. Considering its market experience, you can expect Cube to be as stable as other renowned names in the POS market. Below in this Cube POS review, the company’s positive points, such as the transparency in disclosing fee structure and live customer support, are covered. Considering all the factors, it needs improvement to compete with reliable POS systems in the industry.
Software & Hardware Requirements
Cube POS is compatible with IOS and operates with industry-standard hardware. It is currently limited to iPads of the 2nd and 3rd generation; however, testing is in progress to expand its compatibility with iPhone and iPod. Here’s the review of the hardware prices you’ll need to operate Cube POS. It is recommended to check the compatibility of your existing hardware if you don’t want to buy a new one.
iPad
Apple offers its iPads at variable prices based on their generation and model. The compatible generation 2 of iPads range from $399 to $599. But if you look for 3rd gen iPads, it can go up to $799 based on the device’s features.
Printers
Two different variants of Star Thermal Printer, TSP 100 and TSP 143, are compatible with Cube POS, and their price ranges from $200 to $250.
Cash Drawer
APG cash drawers are usually used with cube POS, and their prices fluctuate from $100 to $150.
Credit Card Swiper
A credit card swiper is unnecessary for the enterprise Plan; however, the per swipe users are demanded to work with Cube’s provided hardware. The other option is to use the Magtek iDynamo processor that comes for around $150 and is connected through the phone’s audio jack.
iPad Enclosure
iPad enclosures protect the iPad in the retail work settings, and you can find an affordable stand roughly in the $200 range.
Customer Support
There are different ways to get customer support with the Cube POS, and a merchant can access these resources depending on the package availed. In the per swipe plan, merchants do not have access to live support. They can contact customer care through email and chat support, while enterprise plan buyers can contact Cube POS via email, chat, and live phone support.
Here you can review how Cube customer representatives facilitate their users;
Phone
Cube has a dedicated number on its website for live chat support. Clients can contact a customer care representative through this number whenever they need to.
The given email address on the Cube website for customer support is [email protected].
Merchants who encounter a basic query can email them at the address. However, it is uncertain how much time it takes to get a response.
Live Support
Besides email, Cube POS has a live chat option on its website. But you cannot expect 24/7 staff availability at the live support center. Enterprise plan users can contact live chat support, but the response time and activity depend on the staff’s availability.
Support Center
After the account creation with Cube POS, an option of the Cube support center is provided on the app dashboard. Merchants can submit their problems through the app once the account is created.
Social Media
Cube POS has its profile on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
Cube has taken initiatives to provide stable customer support for the merchants. Some methods to contact customer support are unique compared to other POS systems, like live support and phone support.
However, like other areas of Cube POS, customer support is not yet fully developed. Merchants cannot access manual pdfs to help them understand the system, and there are no video guides uploaded by Cube on YouTube either. You can find articles on their website, but they have limited and incomplete information. Merchants’ experience with customer support comes in a mixed bag of positive and negative instances. The quality of customer support depends greatly on the complexity of the client’s query, and customer support is ineffective in handling more complicated ones.
Marketing Strategies
Cube solely depends on its website marketing strategies to promote its services; it has an in-house marketing team and does not hire independent sales agents. The pricing information disclosed on the website is not deceptive, and users have not submitted a negative review against it. Terms and conditions applicable to merchant accounts are also publicly displayed on the website, and merchants are encouraged to read them thoroughly before opening an account.
The sales strategies used by Cube POS are up to the mark and comparable with efficient POS system providers in the market.
Cube POS Complaints
Cube POS has a comparatively low complaint level on various online platforms. It is justifiable because it is new in the industry and is not as established as other POS systems that have been providing their service for ages. On the Apple App Store, Cube POS has a rating near five stars. A few complaints can be found accusing the system of glitches and substandard customer support. You can find the common complaints against Cube later in this Cube POS review.
Lawsuits
No collective legal action has been taken against Cube POS till now. As it has not been a considerable time since the release of the POS system, it is consistent with its rivals in this regard.
BBB Rating
Cube POS has neither been accredited to Better Business Bureau nor has any profile. Having said that, it is difficult to give a solid evaluation of the system considering a lack of time in the industry and less customer feedback.
Cube POS Setbacks
Although Cube POS claims to strive for stable POS and merchant account support for businesses, it needs practice and a specific orientation to get as effective as other established POS providers. That being said, below are the areas where it needs improvement.
System Glitches
The application designed for the Cube POS is not reliable enough to conduct effective transactions. Users have reviewed system glitches during processing, voiding their transactions or causing unexpected delays in receiving payments.
Customer Support
Although Cube POS assists its users with live customer support, it has not excelled in this department. It lacks professionalism and, considering negative reviews from the merchants, needs improvement in its customer support strategy and staff.
Underdeveloped System
The Cube application looks like an outline of a POS interface rather than a finalized and effective product. The initiative and its motive are applaudable in theory, but it has not achieved practicality yet, so it does not make much difference. One of the significant issues merchants face is data handling because the Cube application does not allow the import and export of data. This includes essential information like the whereabouts of the customer and accounting reports. Inventory management and stock handling are impossible without a proper file that holds the track.
Business management is exceedingly complicated with Cube POS as its interface is not built as a user-friendly system. It is impossible to channel a customer’s data into marketing options, an essential requirement of a business selling strategy.
Along with having underdeveloped management options, Cube cannot support kitchen and restaurant industry business on a significant level. The options available in its restaurant business are simple and limited to a basic setup such as a small cafe or a truck shop.
Conclusion
There were not enough reasons to recommend Cube POS as a reliable payment system in this Cube POS review. Undoubtedly, it offers excellent initiatives with affordable prices, but there is a need to fill the gaps and re-work the system into a practical, all-around POS solution for businesses. Considering the number of reviews available online and its lack of presence on the BBB website, it is difficult to award it a good rating.
The company needs to improve its system based on customer feedback before it can be re-evaluated with a better overall review. Cube has the potential to manage merchant accounts and provide a cloud-based POS to small businesses at affordable prices, but it cannot be recommended against its rivals. Until all the system’s rough edges are better designed and refined, it cannot compete with the more popular techniques in the market. There are several more effective and reliable POS solutions in the market that you can choose from, so settling for an incomplete system would be a poor business decision.
