Crescent Processing Company Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3 out of 5)
Last Updated: February 5th, 2010.
Overview:
Things don't look too great for Crescent Processing Company (CPC) based on what I've found online. Although they've only been around since 2005, they've managed to rack up a decent amount of complaints and negative reviews. I give a full explanation of my opinion about those complaints down in the "Negative Reviews" and "Common Complaints" section below. I highly recommend you read both of them, otherwise you won't get the full story.
Besides that, I there are some other things aren't too great about CPC. I wasn't able to find any testimonials on their site, which would do wonders in helping to counter the online complaints. They charge a $495 early-termination fee, which is a bit high considering there are other ISO's that don't even charge a fee, and the 4-year contract is also a bit long.
Like I said above, you need to read this review in full to get an idea of why CPC has so many complaints against it. I don't think they're a bad company, but I do think that it would be wise of you to do your due diligence before signing up. Which is something I would expect a good business owner to do anyway.
I can't give them anything better than a 3 out of 5 for now.
Date Established:
2005.
Parent/Partner Company:
No parent corporation here. They do partner with Authorize.Net for their payment gateway needs, and TSYS (Vital) for their payment processing needs.
They also operate the following domain: www.atriumprocessing.com
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Columbus Bank & Trust.
Trust Symbols:
You can find the Crescent Proceesing BBB profile here. It has a "C-" rating as of this review, with 161 complaints in the last 36 months.
Security/Privacy:
Their online application is secured via Security Metrics.
Customer Service:
I haven't dealt with them, so your input would be appreciated.
Contract Duration:
There is a 4-year contract that you have to sign, but I heard they're willing to negotiate.
Cancellation Fee:
Cancellation fee is $495.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered, but depends on your business profile and processing volume.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is not offered by CPC, but I was told that they do keep costs down during down months (be sure to read your contract).
Negative Reviews:
You'll find quite a few negatives on RipOffReport, Scam.com, ComplaintsBoard.com and MeasuredUp.
There may be some overlap on a few of the above sites, as some folks like to leave the same complaint in multiple locations.
Common Complaints:
If you take some time to read the complaints, you'll notice that quite a few of them are from ex-sales reps of the company. It seems that Crescent relies heavily on independent sales agents for their business, much like Central Payment Corporation. The problem that that causes for you and I is that our experience with the company as a whole becomes based on our experience with our particular sales reps. Especially if the ISO doesn't have a good handle on they way their reps get the business.
With that said, quite a few merchants complained about "hidden" fees that they believe their sales rep didn't tell them about, or terms and conditions that they were presented with after signing an initial contract. A great deal of those complaints could have been prevented if only the merchants were a bit more vigilant. So, I'm telling you right now, don't take your sales reps word for everything. Verify EVERYTHING! There are ethical reps and unethical ones, but unfortunately, you have to have some level of distrust for all of them if you plan on uncovering the unexpected.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No testimonials found on the Crescent Processing site.
Locality:
Dallas, Texas.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Gift & Loyalty, Check Conversion, Check Guarantee.
Specialty:
None.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section. 
Gotmerchant.com Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (5 out of 5)
Last Updated: February 1st, 2010.
Overview:
I'm very happy that I found Gotmerchant.com (not to be confused with GoEmerchant). It's another great company that I can refer you guys to. You all know that my goal with this site is to cut through the clutter, and hopefully guide you into a great relationship with a great merchant service provider. Some of the companies that I review fall short of the mark, but based on the research I've done, Gotmerchant.com is a perfect candidate.
The first thing I want to point out is the awesome testimonials section that they have on their site. If you haven't seen it, please take some time to check it out. There are three pages (and counting) of real testimonials from real people that are happy with the service delivered by Gotmerchant.com. I've said it before and I'll say it again, a few good testimonials or case studies can go a long way. As a merchant, if I'm researching a company and all I see are complaints, then I'm going to need some good testimonials to counter them, otherwise, I'm going to assume that that company does bad business....Gotmerchant.com understands that.
They recently added a blog to their site with a ton of great information, not only about the merchant account industry, but also eCommerce in general. The blog is another value added service that Gotmerchant.com didn't really have to have, but chose to include anyway.
I couldn't find a single negative review online, and for a company that's been around since 98', I'd say that's a pretty good track record. I did, however, find some positive reviews on the TransFS directory if you want to take a look, go here.
I'm not too happy about the contract term (2-year) and the cancellation fee ($250), but I heard they are flexible in that regard, so you may want to put on your negotiating hat...just a thought. 
No reason not to give these guys a 5 out of 5.
Date Established:
1998.
Parent/Partner Company:
Looks like Gotmerchant.com is a solo operation. They do partner with Authorize.Net for their payment gateway, and either Global Payments, First Data, Chase Paymentech or TSYS (Vital) for their credit card processing.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of HSBC Bank.
Trust Symbols:
You can find the Gotmerchant.com BBB profile here. It has an "A-" rating as of this review, with only 2 complaints in the last 36 months.
You can find the Gotmerchant.com corporate info here.
Security/Privacy:
Their online application is secured via "HTTPS", though I'm not sure which company it's through.
Customer Service:
Judging by the great testimonials, the excellent response I received from their rep and the lack of online complaints, I would say their customer service is great.
Contract Duration:
There is a 2-year contract that you have to sign, but I heard they are flexible in this regard, so feel free to negotiate.
Cancellation Fee:
Cancellation fee is $250.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered, but you do have to be a merchant that processes a minimum of $25K per month.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is offered, but it does depend on how long you want your account inactive. This will obviously vary from business to business.
Negative Reviews:
None found...excellent!
Common Complaints:
None.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
I have to say that Gotmerchant.com has the BEST testimonials section that I've seen thus far...HANDS DOWN! Three pages worth of solid testimonials. They also give you the opportunity to submit your own comments directly on their site...I couldn't ask for anything more. If I was you, I'd spend a little time contacting those merchants to learn a bit more about Gotmerchant.com.
Locality:
Denton, Texas.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), eCommerce, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Cash Advance, Cashless ATM, Quickbooks Processing.
Specialty:
Most of their merchants are in the eCommerce realm, but they do have some retail customers as well.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
The Transaction Group Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (5 out of 5)
Last Updated: January 26th, 2010.
Overview:
As an independent agent of Applied Merchant Systems, I would expect The Transaction Group (TTG) to be a top performer, and I'm glad to say that they didn't let me down. Everything looks good with these guys, which verifies the fact that Capital Payments, LLC is making very smart decisions in which ISOs it gobbles up. If you didn't know, Capital Payments (CP) purchased Applied Merchant Systems (AMS) back in November of 2009, and since TTG is an agent of AMS, you can pretty much assume that TTG is part of the CP conglomerate.
Moving on...
I didn't find a BBB profile for TTG, but it's not that big of a deal, we have other ways to check them out, which brings me to negative reviews. I was unable to find any negative reviews about The Transaction Group, matter of fact, I've only heard good things about them so far.
They have plenty of testimonials listed on their site, so feel free to contact them yourself, and I'm sure they'll give you some references if you ask for them. They have a decent blog with some great articles as well. I always like it when a merchant service provider takes the time to educate its merchants, especially if the information is actually valuable, and not cookie cutter garbage. That time investment alone shows a great deal about TTG.
No contract terms, no cancellation fee (be sure to verify), seasonal downtime offered, along with interchange-plus pricing...I don't know what else you could want.
I know I gave TTG's parent companies (Applied Merchant Systems and Capital Payments) a lower rating, but The Transaction Group is going to get a 5 out of 5 in my book. And, when the next update comes around for both AMS and CP, they're going to get a bump up as well. These guys are solid!
Date Established:
2003.
Parent/Partner Company:
The Transaction Group is an independent agent of Applied Merchant Systems, and AMS was recently purchased by Capital Payments, LLC.
Type:
Registered Agent of Applied Merchant Systems.
Trust Symbols:
The Transaction Group doesn't have a BBB account as of this review, however, you may want to check out the Applied Merchant Systems BBB profile, and the Capital Payments BBB profile. TTG is an agent of AMS, and CP just recently purchased AMS, so these guys all tie in together in one way or another.
Security/Privacy:
Since you are redirected through Applied Merchants application process, the same security features apply here. McAfee and TRUSTe secured.
Customer Service:
Judging by the great testimonials, the excellent response I received from their rep and the lack of online complaints, I would say their customer service isn't too shabby.
Contract Duration:
No contract terms. Your merchant account will be month-to-month.
Cancellation Fee:
No cancellation fee either.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered, but will depend on your business profile. You may have to send in some previous processing statements.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is offered. Your account will be frozen, per your request, for up to three months, if necessary.
Negative Reviews:
Zero negative reviews found for The Transaction Group. Keep up the great work!
Common Complaints:
None.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
You'll find quite a few testimonials on the TTG site, all with both full names and company references. I contacted all but one of them (one of the site's is dead), and have received three responses so far. Three very very positive responses, I might add.
Locality:
Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), eCommerce, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, High Risk/International.
Specialty:
None.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
Capital Payments Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4 out of 5)
Last Updated: January 21st, 2010.
Overview:
I really like what I've seen from Capital Payments thus far. They're a relatively young company, but they're definitely in this for the long haul. They recently acquired Applied Merchant Systems, which is another great ISO. They have solid management, so I'd expect to see smart decisions coming out of Capital Payments in the future. Any ISO, partner or agent that falls under the Capital Payments umbrella is most likely going to be a great company to deal with.
They have a good BBB score, although their profile has only been active since 2008, and they have a decent blog on their site as well. Seasonal downtime and interchange-plus pricing are offered for those of you that are interested, and I am yet to find a single complaint about these guys anywhere on the web. I'd love to see some testimonials or case studies listed on their site, but until then...4 out of 5.
Date Established:
2007.
Parent/Partner Company:
Capital Payments acquired Applied Merchant Systems in November of 2009. They partner with FirstData, TSYS and Merrick Bank to process transactions, and Authorize.Net, NMI (Network Merchants, Inc.) and USA ePay as their payment gateways.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Merrick Bank.
Trust Symbols:
The Capital Payments BBB profile can be found here. It has an "A-" rating as of this review, and is without complaints thus far.
Capital Payments, LLC corporate info can be found here.
Security/Privacy:
Godaddy secured.
Customer Service:
Feel free to let us know what your experience with their customer service has been like. From the brief interaction that I had with them, the rep was very helpful in answering all of my questions.
Contract Duration:
Capital Payments teams up with a few credit card processors, including FirstData, TSYS and Merrick Bank. From what I was told, Merrick Bank does not bind merchants into a contract. So, it really depends on which processor they put you under. To learn more about how ISO's and processors work together, see this article.
Cancellation Fee:
Again, it depends on which processor they set you up with.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered, and is actually Capital Payments preferred method.
Seasonal Downtime:
CP also accommodates seasonal merchants.
Negative Reviews:
I couldn't find any negative reviews or complaints about Capital Payments, but according to their corporate info, they've only been around since 2007. Let's see how they fair as they mature.
Common Complaints:
None.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No testimonials on the site.
Locality:
Melville, New York .
Product Offering:
Credit/Debit, Wireless, Restaurant, Lodging, MOTO, eCommerce.
Specialty:
None.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
ProPay Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4 out of 5)
Last Updated: January 21st, 2009
Overview:
Most of the good info on this review is listed in the sections below, but I'll give it a quick rundown anyway.
ProPay has been around since 1997, so that's always a good thing. If you didn't know, they're a U.S. company with a Canadian branch. These guys are a big outfit, especially since they've partnered with eBay.
They have a great BBB rating, but their complaint count is very high at 57 (as of this review).
They only have a few negative reviews floating around on the web, and they actively work towards rebutting to them. Considering they've been around for over a decade, that's not bad. However, a larger number of their merchants were victims of some sort of data breach a couple years ago. A breach that ProPay says was not their fault.
If you want to see some testimonials, you'll have plenty to look at. ProPay also has a Twitter account, just in case you want to publicly say something positive or complain about them.
I'll give 'em a 4 out of 5 for now.
Date Established:
1997.
Parent/Partner Company:
No parent company here, however, the original ProPay is based in Canada. They use TSYS (Vital) as their go to credit card processor, and they offer their own payment gateway along with any other third-party gateway like Authorize.net.
They've also partnered with Hosted Concepts to create ProPay CartLite, which is a shopping cart solution for all of you eCommerce merchants.
They operate the following sites:
- www.propayments.com
- www.propaymentnetwork.com
- www.propay.ca
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank and MetaBank.
Trust Symbols:
Here's the ProPay BBB profile. It has a "A+" rating as of this review, with 57 complaints in the last 36 months.
ProPay corporate info can be found here.
Security/Privacy:
ProPay is secured by TRUSTe.
Customer Service:
I've never had an account with ProPay. Any of your input would be great.
Contract Duration:
ProPay doesn't lock you into a contract from what I was told. They do, however, charge an annual fee that seems to make up for it (see below).
Cancellation Fee:
There is no early-termination fee, but rather an annual fee. Depending on which merchant account you choose, you'll be charged anywhere between $34.95 and $299.95 every year. When you first sign-up, you have 30 days to cancel without repercussions. After that, your annual fee will not be refunded.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered, but depends on your business profile (i.e. monthly volume, risk profile etc...).
Seasonal Downtime:
Based on their value proposition, ProPay says that they don't charge you any monthly fees, so whether you're seasonal or not, you won't be getting charged during your down months.
Negative Reviews:
You can find a few complaints on RipOffReport, ConsumerAffairs and ComplaintsBoard.
A few of them are worthless, written by merchants who either don't understand how transaction fees work, or because they just feel like ripping into someone...anyone.
It also seems like some ProPay customers were victims of a data breach back in '08, but as the rep from ProPay explains in this WebmasterWorld thread, apparently the breach wasn't within the ProPay ranks. So, if you see any complaints about fraudulent charges by "XYZ Subscriptions" in the amount of $24.95 to $39.99, it's most likely in regards to this breach.
The rest seem pretty legit in my book, and most of them have one thing in common (see below).
Common Complaints:
It seems that ProPay has a tendency to hold funds and cancel accounts without warning, especially if you have a few chargebacks. I would assume they're being excessively paranoid, but it's a tactic that is, unfortunately necessary, at times. Just keep in mind that if you have a business where chargebacks are normal, you might end up getting canned by ProPay, leaving you without a way to process credit cards.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
There are a ton of testimonials on the site, all including audio snippets of the "actual" merchant's voices. It would be nice to see the full name and business information of the merchant to verify them though. That way I could remove the quotes around "actual."
If you visit the "News and Events" page, you'll also find some customer case studies as well...pretty cool.
Locality:
Lehi, Utah.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), eBay payments, eCommerce..
Specialty:
None.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
CardAccept.com Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Last Updated: December 11th, 2009
Overview:
Coming into this review, I thought CardAccept.com was gonna be another average company...main reason...they're owned by Pipeline Data, Inc.
If you haven't read my reviews of Charge.com, Paynet Systems and SecurePay, you might want to do so because all are subsidiaries of Pipeline as well.
Parent company aside, CardAccept.com seems like a pretty good MSP. They wouldn't be my first choice, but I wouldn't rule them out either. Focus on the provider's in the top half of this comparison chart, then work your way down. If all those other companies deny you service, then try CardAccept.com.
Date Established:
1998.
Parent/Partner Company:
CardAccept.com is another subsidiary of Pipeline Data, much like Charge.com and Paynet Systems. I can't say that I love Pipeline, as you've probably already read, but I'm not going to hold that against CardAccept.com...too much.
They use Authorize.net as their payment gateway.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Meridian Bank.
Trust Symbols:
Here's the CardAccept.com BBB profile. It has a "B-" rating as of this review, with 7 complaints in the last 36 months.
I wasn't able to find the corporate information for Card Accept, Inc., so I'm assuming that it was merged into Pipeline Data, Inc. You can see that Pipeline is the owner of the domain here.
Security/Privacy:
CardAccept.com is secured by McAfee.
Customer Service:
I've never had an account with CardAccept.com, so I haven't personally dealt with their customer service.
Contract Duration:
The CardAccept.com contract is month-to-month, but be sure to read your contract as their have been a couple complaints of contract terms.
Cancellation Fee:
I was told there is no early-cancellation fee, but the same level of diligence on your part should be applied here as well.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
They do offer interchange-plus.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by CardAccept.com.
Negative Reviews:
I was only able to find a few complaints on RipOffReport.com, which isn't bad at all for a company that's been around since 1998.
Common Complaints:
Couldn't find any common complaints, but the only thing that I'd watch out for is "contract terms" that you might not have known existed. I'm not accusing them of anything, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Read your contract, scrutinize it, and make sure it's all on the up and up.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No testimonials on the CardAccept.com site.
Locality:
Quincy, Massachusetts.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Internet (eCommerce), Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless.
Specialty:
None.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
Central Payment Corporation Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4 out of 5)
Last Updated: December 10th, 2009
Overview:
Central Payment Corporation is based out of Larkspur, California.
Here's their review...
Obviously the lack of testimonials is an issue for me. I can't imagine that a large company like CPC doesn't have any satisfied customers. Actually, I'm sure there are probably a bunch of 'em, but unless I can contact them myself, I can't really be sure. So get some legit testimonials posted up on the site guys, case studies would be great, and if you offer references as well, then even better.
I don't like the 3-year contract term or early-cancellation fee (see below), but from what I was told...they're both negotiable.
That's pretty much it for the downside. I mean, 69 BBB complaints (as of this review) is definitely on the high side, but I'll tell you why I didn't hold that against them very much.
Even though they have quite a few complaints on the BBB, they don't have very many negative reviews (from merchants) on sites like RipOffReport or ComplaintsBoard. The negatives that they do have on those third-party sites are mainly from past salespeople that are disgruntled because they either got fired or think they were treated unfairly. Although that's good information to know, negatives from past sales reps don't really speak for how CPC treats their merchants, and that's what really matters to us...right?
Most MSP's that have a high complaint count on the BBB, also have a lot of negative reviews, but that's not really the case with CPC...at least not from merchants. Which makes me wonder how many of those BBB complaints are from former sales reps rather than actual customers of Central Payment Corporation...something to keep in mind.
I obviously like the Facebook page and Twitter accounts (don't know if it's the official one), which shows me that they operate like they don't have anything to hide.
And, the fact that they offer both interchange-plus pricing and seasonal downtime helped out their score a bit.
I gave them a 4 out of 5 for now, but that score could easily go up with a few additions to their site. So long as I don't see a bunch of negative reviews in the next month or so.
Keep reading to learn more about Central Payment Corp.
Date Established:
2006.
Parent/Partner Company:
Central Payment Corporation operates alone, but has some backing from iPayment.
After a noncompetition agreement expired, they started Central Payment with backing from iPayment.
They use either PayJunction (Trinity) or Authorize.net as their payment gateway.
Other Domain Names:
- www.centralpayment.org
- www.cpcwestmichigan.com
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo and First National Bank.
Trust Symbols:
The CPC BBB profile is sporting an "A-" rating with about 69 complaints as of this review.
Security/Privacy:
The site is "https" secured.
Customer Service:
The rep that I spoke with was extremely professional and helpful. She answered all of my questions truthfully (I hope), and she didn't try to pull a "hard-sell." She acted more like a consultant than anything. Those are the kind of reps you want to get your hands on.
Contract Duration:
The Central Payment Corporation contract length is 3-years.
Cancellation Fee:
Their cancellation fee operates on a sliding scale starting at $500 if you cancel within the first year, and dropping by $100 each year thereafter. I was told that both the contract length and cancellation fee are negotiable, so don't forget to put on your bargaining hat.
Seasonal Downtime:
They do offer seasonal downtime, but be sure to specify up-front which months you need to deactivate the account for.
Negative Reviews:
They have 9 complaints on RipOffReport (as of this review), but I'd say 80% are from past employees who for one reason or another are no longer happy with CPC.
Personally, I could care less about the company's internal beef's. My concern is with the merchant and how they're being treated, and as of now, I don't have any reason to believe that past merchants aren't happy with their service.
I do like the way CPC has taken the time to respond to any complaints made against them. Most of those negative ROR reviews are followed by a rebuttal from CPC, and usually it's the company's owner who's doing the responding.
Common Complaints:
Most of the BBB complaints are in the "Billing, Collection and Contract Term" categories. A good solution to that would be to scrutinize your contract early and often. It might be a pain in the ass, but it'll save you from any surprises.
The negative reviews on ROR don't have much in common except for the fact that most are from ex-employees.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
I was a little surprised that I didn't see any testimonials on their site, but I'll keep you posted if any go up.
Locality:
Larkspur, California.
Product Offering:
Check Guaranty, Check Conversion, eCommerce/Internet, Wireless, Gift Cards, ATM, POS, PCI Compliance.
Specialty:
None in particular.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
Mercury Payment Systems Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (5 out of 5)
Last Updated: November 25th, 2009
Overview:
Another perfect score in the same month...now that's rare! But, I honestly couldn't find any reason not to give Mercury Payment Systems a 5 out of 5. They're doing pretty much everything right.
They have the BBB profile with a great rating, on-site data security and great customer service. They don't charge you an early-termination fee so long as you give them a 30-day written notice, and they offer both interchange-plus pricing and seasonal downtime to their merchants.
MPS has both a Twitter account and Blog, giving you a place to socialize with them and voice your opinion.
The only negative reviews or complaints that I found against them were from a couple lazy merchants who didn't take the time to read their contract...don't be one of those lazy merchants.
Given that they've been around for almost a decade and the fact that they're a decent sized company, yet they still hardly have any complaints...a perfect score it is.
Date Established:
2001.
Parent/Partner Company:
No parent company for Mercury Payment Systems, but they do partner with Global Payments for their transaction processing. They also use Authorize.Net and PlugNPlay as payment gateway options.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of HSBC Bank.
Trust Symbols:
The MPS BBB profile has an "A-" rating as of this review, with just 2 complaints in the last 36 months. They're also a part of the BBB TrustLink program, so feel free to check back for reviews.
Here is the MPS corporate info.
Security/Privacy:
Their site is "https" secured, but not sure if they have an SSL certificate through a third-party provider (i.e. McAfee, Verisign etc...).
Customer Service:
I've dealt with Mercury Payment Systems in the past, and I have to admit that I've never had a problem with their customer service. Every rep that I've chatted with has been very consultative, patient and polite. And, this is after I signed up with them.
Contract Duration:
The MPS contract is month-to-month.
Cancellation Fee:
No cancellation fee so long as you give them a 30-day written notice.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
They do offer interchange-plus.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by MPS.
Negative Reviews:
I was able to find the following complaint on RipOffReport. Which happens to have been posted by the same person that complained to the BBB here. Finally, there's one more complaint in that same BBB profile, so be sure to check it out as well, but be sure to read the "Common Complaints" section below.
Common Complaints:
There is a commonality amongst all the above mentioned complaints, but for the first time, it's not the ISOs (Mercury Payment Systems') fault.
Most people think that I'm only here to call out ISOs on their BS, but that's not always the case...merchants can get it too.
With that said, both of those merchant's are complaining about being charged a cancellation fee ($295) that they didn't know existed. My advice to them...READ YOUR CONTRACT!!! It took me five minutes to find out that there is, in fact, a $295 early-cancellation fee charged by MPS if you do not give them a 30-day notice. Wanna know how I found that out?...I asked. It's that simple.
It really bugs me to hear people complain about a company when they're the ones at fault. It makes my job harder, because I have to filter through their crap to find the REAL complaints.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
They have several video testimonials spread across their site. Very, very cool!!
Locality:
Durango, Colorado.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Gift & Loyalty, Check Conversion, Check Guarantee, eCommerce, MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order).
Specialty:
Grocery Stores, Retail Merchants, Restaurants, Quick Serve.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
Damar Merchant Services Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Last Updated: November 25th, 2009
Overview:
Not much to talk about here...either good or bad. Damar Merchant Services has been around since 2002. Not to be confused with Dharma Merchant Serivces.
I wasn't able to find any complaints on them, so that's a good thing. It seems like they're a smaller company which is never bad, but it's always harder to find negative reviews when the ISO is small. Not enough of a merchant base.
They don't have a BBB profile, so I'm assuming that since they've been around for almost a decade now, they don't plan on getting one anytime soon.
No testimonials, no on-site data security and no social media platforms (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Blog etc...).
They also have a 3-year contract term with a $300 early-cancellation fee, but I was told that the terms are negotiable. Most ISOs will negotiate with you, especially if you tell them you have a better offer from another company.
I can't justify giving them more than a 3.5 out of 5 for now. Maybe when they meet some of my other criteria, I'll bump 'em up.
Date Established:
2002.
Parent/Partner Company:
Doesn't look like DMS has a parent company, but they do partner with the following processor's: First Data, Buypass, TSYS (Vital) and Concord. They also partner with Authorize.Net for their payment gateway.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank.
Trust Symbols:
Damar Merchant Services doesn't have a BBB profile as of yet.
Here is the DMS corporate info.
Security/Privacy:
No on-site security features (i.e. McAfee, Security Metrics etc...).
Customer Service:
I've never had an account with DMS, so I don't really know how their post-approval customer service is. Please help us out if you've worked with them before.
Contract Duration:
3-years, but the contract is negotiable, so feel free to bargain with 'em.
Cancellation Fee:
$300 (also negotiable).
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
They do offer interchange-plus.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by DMS.
Negative Reviews:
None found.
Common Complaints:
None.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
The DMS site has a page dedicated to testimonials, but the sad thing is that there aren't any on it. 
Locality:
Gardnerville, Nevada.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Gift & Loyalty, Check Conversion, Check Guarantee, eCommerce, Terminals.
Specialty:
None in particular.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
Banctek Solutions Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4 out of 5)
Last Updated: November 19th, 2009
Overview:
Banctek Solutions looks great in most areas, but they're missing just a few things that could easily bump up their score.
They don't have a blog, Facebook account, Twitter account or a forum. As you all know, I'm a big advocate of those platforms, because they give us merchant's the ability to publicly voice our opinion directly to the company.
They're also missing some on-site data security features (i.e. McAfee). Not a huge problem, but I'd like to know that any information I provide them on their site, will be secure.
They've been around since 2002, and not a single complaint on either the BBB or any other negative review type website. That says a ton!
They offer seasonal downtime and interchange-plus pricing, and they're even willing to negotiate their contract terms and cancellation fee.
Finally, they have the names of actual existing clients posted directly on their front page, which basically says; "We really do have happy clients, so feel free to join them."
Until I find any reason to increase or decrease their rating, a 4 out of 5 it is.
Date Established:
2002.
Parent/Partner Company:
Banctek Solutions partners with Harris Bank for their transaction processing. They have their own payment gateway by the name "Banctek Gateway," but they are also a reseller for Authorize.Net.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP of Harris Bank.
Trust Symbols:
The Banctek BBB profile is sporting an "A+" as of this review, with 0 complaints in the last 36 months.
Here is the Banctek corporate info.
Security/Privacy:
No on-site security features (i.e. McAfee, Security Metrics etc...).
Customer Service:
I've never had an account with Banctek, so I don't really know how their post-approval customer service is. Please help us out if you've worked with them before.
Contract Duration:
3-years.
Cancellation Fee:
Undisclosed. Be sure to ask what their early-cancellation fee is before you sign up.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
They do offer interchange-plus, but they normally opt for tiered-pricing.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by Banctek.
Negative Reviews:
None found.
Common Complaints:
None.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
Banctek has a list of its clients posted directly on the homepage. Some nice clientele, I might add. I went ahead and emailed them all, so let's see what kind of response I get from them.
Locality:
Denver, Colorado.
Product Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), eCommerce, POS, Terminals.
Specialty:
None in particular.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
