PayFast: A Decline in Service That Hurts Merchants

We have been long-standing customers of PayFast for many years, utilizing their services across three of our online stores. However, our recent experience with their customer support has been nothing short of appalling.

In mid-October, the new owners of our store initiated contact with PayFast to resolve a critical matter. I personally followed up on October 22, expecting timely assistance, especially given our history with the company. Unfortunately, 5 weeks later, the issue remains unresolved, despite repeated follow-ups.

This level of neglect is completely unacceptable for any service provider, let alone one entrusted with handling online transactions. It’s deeply disappointing to see the significant decline in the quality of PayFast's customer service.

What’s most frustrating is the lack of urgency or accountability shown by their team (Ishraq, Monique & co). As a business, we rely on our payment processor to be responsive and efficient, yet PayFast has failed to deliver on even the most basic expectations.

This delay is not just frustrating - it's harmful. Many of the negative reviews about PayFast echo similar experiences, particularly from smaller merchants who are already struggling to get by. These businesses often rely on timely payouts to cover operating costs, yet are left waiting for weeks, sometimes months, due to inefficiencies like the ones we’ve encountered.

For a payment processor, this is unacceptable. Merchants place their trust in PayFast to ensure their funds are accessible when needed, not held up indefinitely due to poor service and lack of responsiveness.

We will be actively seeking alternative payment solutions and cannot, in good conscience, recommend PayFast to anyone. If you're considering PayFast, be warned: delays and poor communication seem to have become the norm, not the exception.

It’s time for PayFast to take these issues seriously and prioritize the needs of the merchants who rely on them. Until then, their service risks causing more harm than good.