Merchant Focus Review

Merchant Maverick's Rating: (4.5 out of 5)

Last Updated: May 28th, 2010.

Overview:
Merchant Focus is based out of Dublin, Ohio and has been in business since 2004.

They have a pretty clean reputation with only a few BBB complaints, and no negative reviews that I could find. The only negative comment that I have heard about them was through one of the testimonials on their site (no-longer listed). Apparently that merchant had had a falling out, and wanted their testimonial removed.

Speaking of testimonials, they have a really nice testimonials section with full-disclosure of the merchants name and business name. Feel free to email some of those merchants to see if they're still processing with Merchant Focus.

Moving on, I like that they have an active Facebook page and Twitter account. They also operate a blog (www.onlinepaymentpro.com) that has a good amount of helpful info on it, so be sure to check it out.

Merchant Focus offers seasonal downtime and interchange-plus pricing, which is always a plus. They're actually one of the few ISO/MSPs out there that raises awareness about the benefits of interchange-plus. Good for them!

I was also told that you will not be charged a cancellation fee for terminating your contract early. Great news, but as always, make sure you verify those terms before you sign the dotted line.

Merchant Focus gets a 4.5 out of 5.

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Date Established:
2004.

Location:
Dublin, Ohio.

Domain Name(s):

• www.merchantfocus.com - Main website.
• www.establishedmerchantsonly.com - Sister site.
• www.onlinepaymentpro.com - Blog.
• www.r3sellers.com - Merchant account reselling services.
• www.auctioncheckout.com - Merchant account services for eBay Power Sellers.
• www.gatewayonly.com - Payment gateway services.
• www.merchantsbestinterest.com - Merchant account services.

Parent/Partner Company:
Merchant Focus is also known as "Established Merchant Focus."

Type:
Registered ISO/MSP.

Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
HSBC Bank.

Payment Processor(s):
Merchant Focus is the payment processor. They process their own transactions.

Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.Net or Plug'n Pay.

Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.

Trust Symbols:
The Merchant Focus BBB profile has a "B+" rating as of this review, with about 6 complaints in the last 36 months.

Negative Reviews:
Besides those 6 BBB complaints, I wasn't able to find anything else on these guys. Good stuff!

Common Complaints:
None.

Verifiable Testimonials/References:
They have a ton of verifiable testimonials listed on their site. I went ahead and contacted most all of them. So far, I've received one very positive response, and one not so positive one. Actually, it was pretty bad. Apparently, that past customer is no longer happy with Merchant Focus' service.

Security/Privacy:
Third-Party SSL certificate provided by Thawte.

Customer Service:
Besides my brief chat with the sales rep, I don't have any other experience with their customer service team. This is where your reviews come in handy.

Contract Duration:
They do have you sign a 3-year working agreement, which basically auto-renews your service every year, but you can cancel at any time so long as you provide a written notification.

Cancellation Fee:
I was told that they don't charge a cancellation fee. You just need to provide that above mentioned written notification to cancel. Be sure to read all the fine print though.

Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Merchant Focus does offer interchange-pass-through/interchange-plus pricing. Good to know.

Seasonal Downtime:
They do offer seasonal downtime, but their policy varies from merchant to merchant. If you have a seasonal company, see what you can negotiate with them.

Product/Service Offering:
Retail (Credit/Debit), Internet/Online (e-Commerce), iPhone, Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO).

Product/Service Specialty:
e-Commerce.

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