Flagship Merchant Services Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4 out of 5)
Last Updated: April 18th, 2010.
Overview:
Flagship Merchant Services was voted #1 merchant account provider two years in a row by TopTenReviews.com, but you know what the Merchant Maverick says about that?...WHOOPTY DOO!
Ok, maybe I'm being a little too hard on Top Ten Reviews, but the only reviews that I'll ever rely on are my own. Call me bias, but that's how I roll, and in my book, Flagship is good, but not perfect.
One of the ways I review merchant service providers is based on what kind of testimonials they have on their site. If the testimonials have full-disclosure, then the ISO/MSP gets a bonus, if not, then they get demoted. Flagship's testimonials don't have that full-disclosure.
They also have a few complaints against them, both on RipOffReport.com, and on their BBB profile (see below). A few of those negatives should be directed more towards Flagship's processor First Data, so I didn't place too much weight on them.
With that said, I gave Flagship a 4 out of 5 because they did have a few good qualities.
To start off, they've been around since 2001, and even though they do have some complaints, they're not nearly as much as I'd expect them to have.
Secondly, they offer interchange-plus pricing and seasonal downtime. Both essential features to those that require them.
Finally, they have a Facebook Fanpage, though it looks pretty dormant right now.
I'm gonna keep my eye on Flagship to see how they do, until then, it's 4 out of 5.
Feel free to let us know your experience with them.
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Date Established:
2001.
Location:
Charlestown, Massachusetts.
Domain Name(s):
- www.cardservicesales.com
- www.flagshipmerchantservices.com
- www.flagshipmerchantservice.com
Parent/Partner Company:
Flagship Merchant Services is the DBA of CardServ Inc.
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP under the name CardServ Inc.
Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Wells Fargo Bank.
Payment Processor(s):
First Data.
Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net. Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.
Trust Symbols:
The Flagship Merchant Services BBB profile has an "A+" rating as of this review, with 14 complaints in the last 36 months.
Here's the Flagship Merchant Services corporate info. Flagship's corporate name is Cardserv, Inc., not to be confused with CardService International, Inc., which is a property of First Data Corp.
Negative Reviews:
RipOffReport has a few complaints along with this one on ComplaintsBoard.com, and one on the Google Local results.
You'll notice that three out of five of those ROR complaints are by the same person. You'll also notice that hardly any of those complaints have any type of rebuttal submitted by Flagship Merchant Services...not good.
Common Complaints:
The only similarity that I found between most of the negative reviews was that the merchant's issue was with Flagship's processor First Data. For one reason or another, First Data shuts the merchant down, and Flagship ends up taking the heat.
I'm not protecting Flagship here, but facts are facts. ISO/MSPs hardly have any say in what the banks or processor's do. Sounds like the federal reserve to me. It also brings up a good point...
Is it bad to work with an ISO/MSP that uses First Data as their processor? I'll be exploring that question when I do some in-depth research on the behemoth processor.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
There are quite a few testimonials on the Flagship site, but none of them have any business related info, so they're hard to verify. Be sure to ask for references.
Security/Privacy:
The Flagship site is secured by Security Metrics.
Customer Service:
Haven't had a chance to deal with their customer service, so don't forget to leave us a review if you have.
Contract Duration:
No contract length. Just make sure you verify that with your rep, and review it in your contract.
Cancellation Fee:
No early-cancellation fee.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Interchange-plus pricing is offered by Flagship.
Seasonal Downtime:
Seasonal downtime is also offered.
Product/Service Offering:
Retail, Wireless, Restaurant, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO), e-Commerce, eCheck, Petroleum Cards, Hotel/Lodging.
Product/Service Specialty:
None in particular.
Don't forget to leave your review and rating in the comment section. 
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December 12th, 2009 - 23:03
Thanks for posting this review (I asked about them a month ago)! I actually went with CDG but I had talks with Flagship and they were very helpful. Either one seems good.
December 13th, 2009 - 00:08
Hi Guy!
Sorry about the delay. Who would’ve thought gathering and researching data on the internet would be so time consuming.
I also had a few other requests in the pipeline, so I couldn’t get to Flagship sooner. I hope everything works out with you and CDG. It’s a bit early right now, but at some point, I’d love to hear how your experience with them plays out.
http://www.merchantmaverick.com/reviews/cdg-commerce-review/
June 18th, 2010 - 12:37
Hi,
Now I concerned. In good faith, I just gave all my info to this company to get credit card processing ability, since the Top Ten Reviews website had such rave stats for them. Do I have reason to be concerned??? I can’t have this become a nightmare in my life. I am very anxious now.
June 18th, 2010 - 13:07
Hi Cindy,
I don’t think you should be worried. Just because they’re not a 5 star provider on my site, doesn’t mean that they are bad. I gave them a 4 out of 5, which is still pretty good. So long as you do your own due diligence, then you should be fine.
From my experience, the two most important areas that you want to focus on are:
1. What are all of my fees? Be sure to verify them on your contract.
2. What is the contract duration, and cancellation fee? Usually found in the “Termination” section of your contract.
Feel free to contact me if you have any specific questions.
June 18th, 2010 - 13:58
Merchant Maverick,
Thanks for your very quick response and helpful, I might add! I just called my bank and asked them if the information I gave earlier today to Flagship Merchant (without naming any names) is legit and what they would require in order to get the processing started and they said yes. My bank might have a few different ways to get the account approved initially, she said, but what was asked of me wasn’t out the ordinary.
I am feeling somewhat better so I can rest easier thru the weekend til Monday.
Thanks much!
July 23rd, 2010 - 20:22
I wanted to comment on the ripoffreport.com complaint. I started a correspondence with Flagship, but I got cold feet after reading the ripoffreport. I was asked why not go through with the application, and I thought Ross at flagship was worth an explanation as he did handle himself professionally.
I wrote very bluntly about how the ripoffreport made me feel as a potential costumer. I mentioned that not responding to the complaint made me feel uneasy. I treated the info as “unchallenged allegations.” I stated that if the allegations were true, it made me worry for the type of treatment described.
Moreover I pointed out that the complainant is allegedly unemployed.
Ross pointed out that the claims made are not congruent with the BBB rating and the lack of complaints. He also cited our brief conversation where the non-charging of fees thing was not mentioned. To which, I must confess is a valid point (or if he did mention it, I don’t recall it).
With that said, I would like to see flagship offer this guy a chance to produce a W-2 to show that he was unemployed. If so, I know that it is not Christmas, but I just feel for unemployed people. Because some unemployed people are entrepreneurs with no funding, I think that everyone with an interest in this website can relate to him.