1st American Card Service Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Last Updated: July 13th, 2010.
Overview:
1st American Card Service is based out of Murrieta, California and has been in business since 1985. Most of the good info about them will be listed throughout the rest of this review, but I'll give you a quick rundown right here.
They have a high number of BBB complaints (46 as of this review), but a pretty low amount of negative reviews elsewhere on the web.
I couldn't find any testimonials or case studies listed on their site, which would definitely help with their credibility.
I'd like them to show a bit more transparency as a company too. Who's behind the company? What kind of experience do they have? As of now, they're operating from a P.O Box, which is fine with me, but I think they should compensate for the lack of a physical office by telling us a bit more about themselves. How about a Facebook page? Or a Twitter account? Can we communicate with you publicly?
I'm sure 1st American Card Service has plenty of money, so how about spending some of that cash on a blog or some other educational resources for their merchants. As of now, their site is lacking in that department.
Finally, something to keep in mind is that 1st American Card Service is a reseller for iPayment. I was told that you will not be charged an early termination fee by 1st American Card Service, but an iPayment contract carries with it a 3-year term and $350 cancellation (termination) fee. 1st American Card Service might be waiving that fee for their merchants, but be sure to verify that with them before you sign up.
1st American Card Service gets a 3.5 out of 5 for now.
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Date Established:
1986.
Location:
Murrieta, California.
Domain Name(s):
- www.1stamericancardservice.com.
- www.iacceptcreditcards.com.
- www.1stworldcardservice.com.
Parent/Partner Company:
The Visa ISO list places Avalon America Corporation as the parent company of 1st American Card Service.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP.
Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Westmerica Bancorporation and Wells Fargo (through iPayment).
Payment Processor(s):
I was told by a rep that they are a direct processor, but based on the contracts that I've seen, it seems that 1st American Card Service uses iPayment to process their transactions.
It's important to know which other companies will be playing a part in the operation of your merchant account, so you can do your research on them as well. If iPayment will be handling the processing of your credit card transactions, then that's another layer of bureaucracy that you might have to deal with.
On top of that, iPayment has its own risk/underwriting department, so they'll probably have some level of control over your account. They can probably shut you down if they suspect anything, without authorization from 1st American Card Service. That's even more important to know.
Payment Gateway(s):
I was told that they can set you up with pretty much any gateway, but they prefer Authorize.Net or eProcessing Network.
Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.
Trust Symbols:
The 1st American Card Service BBB profile has an "A+" rating as of this review, with 46 complaints in the last 36-months. They're also part of the BBB's TrustLink program.
Negative Reviews/Complaints:
You'll find an average amount of complaints on the usual sites like RipOffReport, Complaints Board and MeasuredUp. Not too out of control though.
Common Complaints:
I couldn't find enough complaints to really nail down anything in particular, so I'm going to leave this part open for now.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
I couldn't find any verifiable testimonials (as of this review) on the 1st American Card Service website. Get some good testimonials up guys! Case studies would be even better.
Security/Privacy:
Their website states that they are secured by Verisign, but if you navigate to one of their online applications, you'll notice that that page isn't "HTTPS" secured. The application is sitting on a subdomain (secure.1stamericancardservice.com), but HTTPS is the only way you can send SSL encrypted data over a network. So unless I'm missing something, your personal data is probably not encrypted when it is sent through that online app. It would be nice to see their SSL certificate too.
Customer Service:
Have you worked with 1st American Card Service? Feel free to leave us your review. Don't forget to read the user review and comment policy.
Contract Duration:
I was told that there is no long-term contract, but as always, be sure to clarify that on your merchant agreement/contract.
Cancellation Fee:
Same thing applies here. They said there is no early termination fee, and as long as you verify that with them, then you should be good.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus is offered by 1st American Card Service, but unless you ask for it specifically, you may not be setup with it. Be sure to ask.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered by 1st American Card Service.
Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Online/e-Commerce Payments, Virtual Terminal, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), Wireless, Quickbooks Integration, Check Processing, Yahoo Stores.
Product/Service Specialty:
None.
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October 12th, 2010 - 16:22
I applied to 1st American Card Service and canceled the service before I ever used it due to lack of Customer Service. ie: they don’t even answer their phone. I just learned from your website that they are a reseller for IPayment!
I am so glad I canceled! I payment is the company that I manages 1st National Processing and charges many fees without knowledge. I did complain to the BBB but received no compensation. I am still searching but will not do business with IPayment if I can help it.
January 24th, 2011 - 13:26
We tried switching to 1st American from another processor. They promised lower rates and no contracts or cancellation fees, which seemed fail proof. From the beginning we had troubles with this company. The rep did not do her due diligence in making sure she understood our company needs and did not relay all pertinent information to us, which would have allowed for us to make an informed decision. They made it seem as though all of our needs could be met easily, but it took nearly 2 months of trying to completely switch over to this company before the first partial bill came in and it was over $300 more than our previous merchants. In the course of all this we were left unable to process debit transactions for weeks. When I called them wanting to know why our first partial bill from them was over $300 more than a full month bill from our previous merchants were, I was told the same thing I was always told by them “We will call you back.” They never did. I called informing them we would be cancelling and switching back to our old merchants if I did not receive a call back, and they still never returned my call. All in all, this endeavor will have costed my company upwards of $1000. I think this company needs to be exposed.
March 24th, 2011 - 14:24
I agree wholeheartedly with Cindy. After searching and searching for a processing company, I chose 1st American based on all the great information I was told by my sales rep [name removed]…such as no cancellation fee, no annual fee, etc., etc., etc. Unfortunately, it appears none of that information was correct and every month it seems there is a new “Other Fee” added to the bill. When you call iPayment, you get to hold for a very long time before talking to a rep who 9 times out of 10 either won’t be able to help you or really couldn’t care less about your problem. I could go on and on about iPayment and their cluster of an operation, but suffice it to say, I’d advise anyone out there to look elsewhere or count on losing several hours of your time on the phone with them and years off your life in stress they cause when you see your bill with the “Other Fee” almost every month for one thing or another that you can only find out about by calling. I’m a very small merchant and an extra $30+ a month really adds up and hurts when you are just starting out. This last bill from February 2011 indicated they will be charging a $25 fee plus $4.95 per month for the Housing Act compliance paperwork they are now required to do. I’m fed up and am currently looking for a new processor that is not a 3rd party so there is no middle man to fumble or intentionally alter the information causing surprises later down the road when the statements start arriving. Even if the rates turn out to be a bit higher from someone else, better customer service and no ongoing surprise fees would be well worth it.
June 16th, 2011 - 17:59
Thx Helen Cindy & Cheri, & of course the Merchant Maverick. I was headed in their direction before I read ur review. ty ty ty InventingJoy
June 22nd, 2011 - 18:38
[name removed] has the ability to present in a calm, competent & trustworthy manner. After committing to the service, I realized promptly that he and his wife, [name removed], are very skilled liars.
Promised maximum fees were regularly exceeded. The initial excess fee assessment was acknowledged by [name removed] and she assured me that there would be a credit for the excess. It Never happened and when I attempted to follow up by call and NUMEROUS emails, all were never responded to. I was forced to call [name removed] as a result of [name removed] ‘tucking tail’ and avoiding me, and he did not return calls. I finally got him on a call and he made promises, all unfulfilled. At that point, MANY calls & emails all went unanswered. I gave these folks EVERY benefit of the doubt all to no avail. Again, THESE FOLKS ARE SKILLED LIARS! I have EVERY email communication archived so when/if they challenge my claims, I’m anxious to rebut. *****STAY AWAY FROM THIS HUSBAND & WIFE SCAMMER TEAM*****!!!!
October 19th, 2011 - 08:48
These people are high pressure sellers. They will bombard you with phone calls and telephone calls promising everything in the world. One thing I have learned is, high pressure sellers always have an inferior product or service – I WOULD NOT under any circumstances, use these people if they were the last cc processor in the world.