URGENT TOAST PAYROLL HELP

[JohnAH2]

I am hoping someone high up in Toast Payroll's technical escalation department will read this and can help.  I'll try to make it as brief as possible even though it has been anything but.

BACKGROUND--We used Toast Payroll for about a year, ending it in February of this year.  Switched to QuickBooks (self-prepared) then now starting up with ADP, who require current year employee information from Toast Payroll before we can onboard.  A little over a month ago we requested access to our (now deactivated) Toast Payroll account, only to learn we had a past-due balance so were denied it until it was paid off.  We asked what the amount was and was told we would hear back.  Never did.  Weeks went by until it became crunch time to activate ADP last week.

CURRENT ISSUE:  On Monday, August 14th, both the President & COO of our company decided to get involved due to the urgency of the next payroll coming up so began doubling up efforts in attempts to get ahold of someone within Toast Payroll who could assist.  Over the next three days (14th-16th), they spoke to several Customer Care Specialists (Renaldo, Karen, Andrew, Allison, just to name a few) all who said an escalation supervisor would be calling back, that the issue was stuck solely within Toast Banking.  None ever did although finally, on Wed the 16th, we were able to discover what we owed, paid it, and sent proof of wire transfer to Toast late morning.  But... still no access and no call back from any supervisor.

By Thur the 17th, William (who should get an award for Toast CSX Specialist of the Year, got involved and started escalating the escalation).  We finally received a call from a supervisor and mentioned to him we still needed access.  At 5:39pm on the 17th, we received an email from Customer Care Advisor II Mary Galis stating we had access.  However, that access did not work.  We have now spent from Thursday afternoon until present trying to communicate back to Mary that not only did the access not work, but attempts to reset our password, via mobile and desktop--even receiving a link from William, have failed.  We spoke with another CSX Specialist, Deb, on Friday who communicated with Mary while we were on the phone, only to first be told by Mary she was "in a meeting" ...then that she "was going to lunch" and would call us back later...but Mary never did (this, even after our weeks long efforts, half dozen escalations, and messages regarding the 9-1-1 urgency so that we could get our team members paid).  It is now Tuesday the 22nd, a full month+ after we began this ordeal, a week since it's escalation, and 5 days since its escalated escalation...and still we have not heard back from Mary Galis and do not have access...to our own information on Toast Payroll.

Yesterday, Mon the 21st, William (who has been an absolute champion through it all) stated that he got his Manager involved (unfortunately he was unable to last week as she was out on an emergency), and that she was "on it"...but couldn't promise she could get to it same day (Monday), that it would likely be today, Tue the 22nd.  **I pondered to William that I shuddered to think of what other items could be ahead of our escalation, having been inexplicably dismissed for nearly a week now**

SO, I IMPLORE ANYONE WITH ANY ABILITY AT TOAST WHO CAN HELP US TO PLEASE GET INVOLVED.

As a post-script...I have these deep concerns, not only over Toast Payroll in general, but how Toast--one of the largest POS companies in the world and one that touts the best Customer Support of all the brands--could abuse a customer in this way:

1) This is the very worst (best?) example of how technology companies, in the interest of efficiency, have made it virtually impossible--even internally--to effectively communicate and resolve anomalous situations (aka: crises).  Gone are the days of "speaking to a supervisor" and even Levels within Toast themselves have their hands tied having to follow strict, limited SOPs

2) The inability of Toast Banking who not only couldn't even tell us how much we owed, for weeks (likely caught in the same bureaucratic mess that Customer Support is caught in), but at one point, held our entire issue in the balance--with noone other than that department able to move the process forward until they resolved it

3) We all know Toast has been struggling to find Customer Support solutions for years now.  It has been  3 years last May that I sat in on a national Zoom call with the Executive VP of Customer Support recognizing their shortcomings and promising to fix them.  39 months later...still waiting.

4) Mary Galis:  Who has now officially been taken off our Holiday Greeting Card List...I am calling you out, Ms. Galis.  Please let us know in what world you feel it is acceptable to not only, apparently, be the only one who can fix our issue...but then refuse to respond back since the original notification that we "had access" five days ago.  Unacceptable.

5) Toast Payroll vs ADP:  This is just one of many reasons why we have opted to go with ADP over Toast Payroll.  Whereas ADP has only strengthened over the years in staying in their lane (doing what they do best yet only partnering or acquiring additional features  that still stay in that lane of Human Resources), Toast has weakened their brand by going outside of their lane...and trying to be too much to too many.   You (Toast) are not a Payroll company, yet by taking on too much water outside of your POS strength, you are even weakening that which used to be your wheelhouse (as I am sure most of other operators out there have seen this take a step backward in Customer Support over the years).

6) It's sad.  Because, all of my clients I've either had start with Toast or converted them over from Square, Revel, Clover.  I'd gone all in.  A true believer and ambassador, because I got what Toast was trying to do (be an all-in-one POS solution) and was willing to ride the wave with you while you tried.  I'm not so sure now as this incident has the infamous distinction of being the worst customer support experience I have had in my nearly 40 years of restaurant life.

[Rob]

Hey @JohnAH2, I'm sorry for the unpleasant experience you've had. Thank you for sharing your frustrations. I've taken action by escalating your case and reaching out to my team for additional assistance! I will be reaching out to you via DM's just to verify your restaurant information. 

[JohnAH2]

I deeply appreciate this Rob.  Hope you have better results than your dozen predecessors!  (as of this moment, 1:25pm CDT, STILL haven't heard from Mary and/or escalation supervisor).

Thanks again.

John

[Rmckinney]

Toast payroll is horrible at returning calls, all they want to do is email you.  I am currently getting ready to cancel my toast payroll as well.  We have been charged $100 every month for not having the tax information in the system when I was told to not put it in because I have my own accountant that does my taxes every month for me. and now 4 months later they are saying that I can't do they and they have to file them for me. while I don't trust just anyone to do my taxes. My accountant knows my business and has been doing them since the bringing and I'm not changing now just to make toast happy. We have only had the toast system since March 1 2023 and it has been nothing but problems. Very few people are knowledgeable and can help you fix your problem 

[JohnAH2]

Thanks R.  I completely get everything you are saying.  Misery loves company as they say. 

I don't know if there's a way to PM me here but I'm happy to share my suggestions on a solution.