EVO Merchant Services Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Last Updated: April 30th, 2010.
Overview:
EVO Merchant Services kind of reminds me of Charge.com, except in a cleaner package. 
I gave EVO a 3 out of 5 because of two main factors:
- No legitimate testimonials.
- The high number of negative reviews and BBB complaints.
Everybody already knows how I feel about testimonials, so I won't get into that whole schpiel again. I will, however, chat about the complaints.
There was a complaint on ROR that made quite the impression on me. It was filed by a former employee supposedly spilling the beans on some pushy, and sometimes illegal, sales tactics that EVO uses to get contracts signed at all costs.
THEY WOULD COPY AND PASTE INFORMATION, 'ESPECIALLY SIGNATURES' ONTO A SIGNED CONTRACT, TO KEEP UNDERWRITING FROM PENDING THE DEAL, OR SENDING IT BACK. ALL MANAGERS WERE A PARTY TO THS ACT, BECAUSE THEY KNEW OF IT TAKING PLACE, AT THE TIME IT WAS INITIATED.
I usually take the rants of former employees with a grain of salt, and this one isn't the exception, but it's still a bit of info that all merchant's should be aware of. The possibility of it being true is all that matters, so keep your guard up if you plan on dealing with them.
You might want to take a look at my credit card processor comparison chart, to weigh your other options.
Click Here If You Need Help Choosing a Provider
Date Established:
1990.
Location:
Headquartered in Long Island, New York.
Domain Name(s):
- www.goevo.com.
- www.theplatinumservicesgroup.com.
- www.evoplatinumservices.com.
- www.evotracmerchant.com.
Parent/Partner Company:
EVO doesn't have a parent company. They've been known to lease out terminals through their affiliate company Northern Leasing Systems Inc.
Back in 2006, EVO was in the process of acquiring Cynergy Data, but that deal must've fell through, and now that Cynergy has declared bankruptcy, I'm pretty sure any lingering possibility of an acquisition is long gone.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP.
Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
HSBC Bank.
Payment Processor(s):
EVO is a direct payment processor.
Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net.
Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.
Trust Symbols:
There are over half a dozen listings for EVO Merchant Services on the BBB, that reflect the multiple locations of the company. I would pay most attention to this listing, which is for their New York office, and has most likely been around the longest. As of this review, they don't have a rating, but you can see that there've been about 38 complaints filed against them in the last 36 months.
Negative Reviews:
Here are 13 complaints on RipOffReport (as of this review), but I think the two most important ones are here and here. Both are seemingly written by former employees of EVO and EVO's affiliate company Merchant Cooperative Inc.
Common Complaints:
The common thread I found between all of these negative reviews and complaints was the whole "deceptive sales practices" issue. EVO is a large company with hundreds, if not, thousands of independent sales reps. When you're that big, it's hard to keep tabs on all your troops, as everyone is trying to do whatever they can to make a buck.
If this post on RipOffReport is correct, then EVO not only accepted those unethical practices, they may have even promoted it, which obviously doesn't bode well for us merchant's.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
No legitimate testimonials listed on the EVO site.
Security/Privacy:
The EVO site is HTTPS secured, but I'm not sure which company it's through.
Customer Service:
I haven't had any experience with EVO's customer service, so if you have, please let us know. Don't forget to read the user-reviews in the comments section at the bottom.
Contract Duration:
EVO has a three-year contract term.
Cancellation Fee:
The cost for early cancellation is $250.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
EVO does offer interchange-pass-through/interchange-plus pricing.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is not offered at this time.
Product/Service Offering:
Credit/Debit, EBT, Internet/e-Commerce, eCheck, Gift & Loyalty Card, Wireless/Portable, Terminal Leasing.
Product/Service Specialty:
None in particular.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section.
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October 5th, 2009 - 06:02
THe complaint in this listing are not currently valid. EVO has multiple on-site security features, including VeriSign. They are fully PCI DSS compliant. They have multiply disavowed the INDEPENDET offices listed in the above complaints, and none of the people involved are associated with the company in any way.
It is interesting that the most serious complaint listed above is 19 years old, within weeks of the gonvernmental de-regulation of the credit industry. As one of the very first independent acquirers, of course they have the longest track record, the most former associates, and the most potential for early mistakes.
If 1% of all of EVO’s 200,000 current merchant clients were unhappy, that would still leave 2,000 unhappy merchants. Do the rest of your homework, gentlemen. EVO is not perfect, but is rated A or higher by the BBB in 35 states. They have the lowest merchant attrition in the country. And they are not affiliated with any bank involved in a bailout.
No, I don’t work for EVO. I do work in the industry, and have for 7 years. If they were hiring in my area, I’d be on it like white on rice. When I go to a merchant and try to get their business, if they are with EVO, they never change. These guys must be doing something right.
October 5th, 2009 - 10:08
Elisabeth,
Thank you!! This is what I was waiting for. Someone with constructive criticism about my reviews. See, if I review a company poorly, and then that company fixes some of their issues, I get to increase their score, praise them, etc…, etc…
However, although you’ve put up a valiant effort, I still don’t see much that would change the EVO score. Which complaint is 19 years old? From the dates shown on ROR, they look newer to me. Also, did you read this part?:
That’s why EVO received a 3, because if I were to take that complaint about them as 100% accurate, then EVO would’ve received a ZERO. Not a 3…a ZERO.
Clean up the 9 different BBB company listings, so I know which one has the “A” rating…as you claim. I chose the listing in New York, because from what I’ve read, that is where EVO is headquartered.
As for the on-site security; You’re right about that one…congrats!
It would be nice for it to be displayed more prominently on the application page (that’s where it matters most), but you’re right nonetheless. That’ll bump you up an extra .5.
For someone who doesn’t work for the company, you added quite a bit of zeal behind that little rant. In my book, a 3 out of 5 is average, aka not below-average…that’s not too bad. So, even though you “don’t” work for EVO, can you relay a message for me? Tell them to plaster their whole site with tons of tesimonials, so they can prove me even more wrong.
Have a great day.
April 12th, 2010 - 13:06
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH EVO. They should be called EVIL Merchant Services. They are a major rip off. I own a small smoothie / frozen yogurt shop called naked Swirl in Raleigh NC. I was with First Data and switched over to Evo.
naked Swirl batched a total of $262.71 on dates Feb 1 – 4, 2010 with Evo, and the TOTAL charges was $33.32 which calculates to be a staggering 12.68% rate. Of course, we’ve closed our bank account so that Evo could no longer bilk us any further.
In comparison, naked Swirl batched a total of $925.20 on dates Feb 5 – 28, 2010, and the TOTAL charges was $36.44 which calculates to be 3.93% rate.
The sales person said Evo could cut our costs anywhere from 35% to 60%. The truth was that our cost doubled…even quadrupled depending on how much we batched in a month.
After the sale, the salesperson [name removed] repeatedly dodged my phone calls. The only person who kept badgering me was her regional sales manager, [name removed]. He was like a used car salesperson. Every fact that I presented to him, he would counter with something else with a spin that Evo offered better services than my current processor First Data. First Data’s rates were fair, but not great. Evo’s rates were lower than First Data by haft a percentage, but what drove my costs up were the hidden fees never mentioned to me when I sign a 3 year contract. The hidden fees where a $20 minimum charge and the MC/Visa interchange charges. The $20 minimum charge would add up to be $240 / year — that’s ridiculous.
When I called to cancel, [name removed] was quick to threaten me that if I didn’t pay the $395 fee, my account would be turned over to a collections agency. I said bring it on. I even told him that naked Swirl would be happy to resolve the whole ordeal in court.
The bottom line is that they created so much headache than savings for naked Swirl. If any of their sales rep walks through your business doors, just send them right out the door. Don’t waste your time. Otherwise, you will waste more time fighting and bickering with them down the road. Their salesperson will provide to you a very general quote on how their rates can be better than your current provider. This is the first indication that you are dealing with a sham company. The quote will not be detailed….it will be VERY generic….just basic rates, but what I will make their money is on the hidden charges….monthly minimums and charge back fees. They will nickle and dime you to death.
June 10th, 2010 - 12:29
To Tommy Truong from Naked Swirl,
Your processing charges was always over $25 with First Data so the monthly minimum surcharge never kicked in. After Evo lowered your rate, the processing charges was less than $25 and the monthly minimum surcharge applied.
With 99% of credit card processors, there is a monthly minimum around $25. That means, the total processing fee have to be greater than $25. Looks like your credit card volume for Feb 2010 was only $925.20 for the entire month. $925.20 divided by 23 days in Feb=$40.22. So you’re only doing an avg of $40 in credit card sale a day. With most credit card processor, there is a monthly minimum around $25. The only problem I see here, is you’re not meeting the monthly minimum.
If you have Naked Swirl shops in all 50 states, and a customer post a negative review online pertaining to your New York store & to never buy anything from Naked Swirl, would that be fair to you? It’s possible the employee was not properly trained, right?. The sales rep should’ve warned you about the monthly minimum when analyzing your credit sales volume.
If you had a bad experience with a doctor at a hospital, it doesn’t mean ALL the doctor working in that hospital are bad.
April 21st, 2010 - 03:48
The above story from North Carolina is almost exactly as it happened here in Kissimmee Florida, with a salesman, [name removed], making fantastic claims about cost savings rates, that when billed, were anything BUT “saving”. For one month, I had only a $ 100 charge, and when I received my statement after Evo took out all their “reduced” fees and charges, the disocunt rate ended up being 35%! Three months of incorrect billing and non-contracted rates, calls to salesman, home base promising to take care of the problems, prompted me to cancel my account for Breach of Contract on their part. They then had the gall to charge my bank account $ 417 for the cancellation. Not only was that fraudulant charges, but a felony. Do NOT do business with this merchant servicing company. Nothing but problems and incorrect billing issues from day one. I have contacted the Better Business Bureau to get a resolution on this and hopefully keep others from becoming a victim.
June 10th, 2010 - 12:30
TO Mark Scrivani
With 99% of credit card processors, there is a monthly minimum around $25. That means, the total processing fee have to be greater than $25. Looks like your credit card volume for the ENTIRE month was only $100. With most credit card processor, there is a monthly minimum around $25. The 35% is probably the $25 minimum surcharge & $10 monthly statement fee. The only problem I see here, is you’re not meeting the monthly minimum. The sales rep should’ve warned you about the monthly minimum when analyzing your credit sales volume.
June 8th, 2010 - 17:55
I signed a contract after continued visits by an EVO Rep. which finally agreed to a flat $50 statement fee plus interchange rates. Everything on my contract shows “0″. No other fees agreed on or shown. I did agree on a 15 cent per batch fee and a $5 electronic access fee. I expected to pay standard retail interchange fees as everybody pays and only a $50 statement fee. This was an exciting new twist to having me switch my processor out, never seen or heard of. The twist was on me, I got my first statement that had all these IP fees and minimum charge fees and everything was just wrong. I called my Rep and EVO. The Rep called EVO, and then took a copy of my statement with him. I called EVO again and they said my contract they have doesn’t match the one I signed. Now they are talking BS to me. I fax my contract, than I fax my previous merchant statement showing my low rates I had before I switched. I wanted the $50 flat statement fee as I signed. EVO tried to redo my contract and I said no. They said they can’t honor my signed contract because my salesman was not allowed to do that. Now I asked to cancel and faxed a letter not to be billed a cancel fee. It took awhile for a response and I didn’t sit on this. I mailed a letter and it took another 30 days to wait for the next statement where I was supposed to get credits for all the wrongful fees. I did not get my credit and I got billed again for the exact same fees which made me even madder because I canceled and went back to my old merchant half into the second month. EVO did nothing. No credits issued outrageous fees. It has been 4 months now and still haven’t seen my wrongful charges refunded back to me. I do not recommend EVO at all and I advise anyone thinking of switching merchants to keep your old one as I did until your happy with the new one. I never canceled my old one and I had 2 merchant company machines in my store. I knew that if EVO did not come thru as promised because I been down this path before, I can easily stop using EVO and swipe thru my original processor still plugged in live. Do not get fooled into lowest rates guarantee or calls about promising money if they can’t beat your current rate. This is all fake. They just don’t get back with you if they can’t beat the rate.
June 17th, 2010 - 19:10
I dont care what fees any company is charging, high or low. Do you read what you sign? Even if they had a rep that didnt explain every line to you (which I hardly believe they didnt do their job), why didnt you read what you signed? If I am wrong on this, can EVO please respond to these last 3 complaints. All 3 seem to be irresponsible and unprofessional business owners. All 3 of you type like high schoolers.
June 17th, 2010 - 22:32
I think what Mike is trying to say (in so many words) is that it always pays off to do your due diligence before you sign into any agreement, especially when it comes to such an important, and potentially expensive, business endeavor.
For the record…
This was an unnecessary addition to your comment. I’m trying to keep this place free of flame wars that can boil up due to these kinds of comments, so for future reference, please keep that stuff out. It doesn’t belong on MerchantMaverick.com.
July 7th, 2010 - 09:00
I am a sales rep for EVO and I have been for 10 years. While I would not doubt that a rep wouldn’t tell you the whole truth, I find it hard to believe that you would sign a contract not knowing about a monthly minimum.. it is right there on the fee schedule part of the contract. It isn’t some fine print or anything like that (which I have seen on other companies contracts) it is really right there in front of you.
Like stated above, If you have a bad interaction with one sales office it doesn’t make the whole company bad.. you should know who you are signing with and know enough about processing to know at the very least what these rates mean.
Interchange rates are posted on Visa/MC’s websites.. matter of fact.. when I go to merchants I take my laptop and show them exactly what we pay for the processing.. there isn’t a more fair way to set up these accounts..
Moral of this post.. don’t go killing an entire company’s reputation over a bad sales office.. there are hundreds of offices throughout the country, there are bound to be a few bad ones.. there is no way around that.
Also, don’t get into contracts without knowing what you are signing.. if the rep has a problem allowing you to read the fine print before you sign then you should seek out a different rep.
July 7th, 2010 - 09:03
One more thing.. Interchange Plus has no minimums.. unless you are a serious low ticket merchant (under $15 per transaction) then make sure you are on Interchange Plus pricing and you don’t have to worry about a monthly minimum.