Tribul Merchant Services Review
Merchant Maverick's Rating: (3.5 out of 5)
Last Updated: April 30th, 2010.
Overview:
It's still a little early to tell whether Tribul Merchant services is going to be an honest player in this game. They've only been in business since 2007, so I haven't been able to find much data on them. Their BBB profile looks like it's brand new, so I guess we'll have to review them based on some other criteria.
For starters, I was able to dig up a few press releases in regards to Tribul's push to strengthen their relationship with their independent sales agents, I'm not sure if it's working though. Judging by this thread at RipOffReport.com, it seems they have more in-fighting going on than Death Row records did back in their hayday. Keep in mind that the thread reflects an internal conflict between the owners of the company, and some ex-sales agents. I personally don't think that any company is going to be immune to this type of problem, so for the sake of this review, we're just going to address it, then disregard it.
In another press release, there is mention of Tribul's efforts at building a proprietary customer relationship management (CRM) system. What this tells me is that they're actively spending time and resources to build out their customer management infrastructure. It also tells me that customer retention is a goal of theirs, which bodes well for you and I.
Tribul gets a 3.5 out of 5 for now.
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Date Established:
2007.
Location:
New York, New York.
Domain Name(s):
www.tribulonline.com.
Parent/Partner Company:
Their parent company is Outside Ventures LLC and they have a few other sister companies, once of which is Business Payment Systems (BPS).
Type:
Registered ISO/MSP.
Acquiring Bank(s) (Acquirer):
Their website mentions both Harris Bank and Bank of America as the acquirer.
Payment Processor(s):
Chase Paymentech.
Payment Gateway(s):
Authorize.net or USA ePay.
Do you need help setting up your payment gateway with your website? Click here.
Trust Symbols:
Here is the Tribul Merchant Services BBB profile. They have an "F" rating (as of this review), and have had 1 complaint in the last 36 months.
Negative Reviews:
Check out RipOffReport.com. As of writing this post, they have 5 negatives and all are from ex-employees of the company.
Common Complaints:
The only thing in common with all of the above complaints are that they come from past sales agents.
Verifiable Testimonials/References:
None listed. Come on guys, get with the program.
Security/Privacy:
No third-party security (i.e. McAfee, Verisign or Truste).
Customer Service:
I haven't dealt with these guys personally so user comments in this area would be great.
Contract Duration:
3-years.
Cancellation Fee:
$350 if you cancel before the 3-year term.
Interchange-Plus Pricing:
Tribul does offer its merchants interchange-plus pricing, so be sure to ask for it.
Seasonal Downtime:
Tribul also offers seasonal downtime.
Product/Service Offering:
Credit Card Processing, Check Guarantee, Prepaid Services, Gift Card & Loyalty, ATM Sales & Leasing, ACH Program, e-Commerce & Web Hosting, Cash Advance.
Product/Service Specialty:
None
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February 3rd, 2010 - 14:01
I’m a small business owner who has used tribul for credit card processing. They recently have withdrawn $198 annual fee from my account and will not refund it. My contract has NO annual fees. I don’t know how to get it back. I agree. They are thieves
February 3rd, 2010 - 14:33
Really? What was the $198 for? Did they give you an explanation?
Btw, thanks for leaving your full name and company info. It’s always good for my readers to be able to see that the comments being left here are from actual business owners.
June 14th, 2010 - 10:00
I joined Tribul in 2008, the agent was BPS Worldwide. I negotiated no annual fee or monthly minimum other than the monthly $5 statement.
In January 2008 Tribul debited by account $99 for an annual fee. When I protested they made me put my request for a refund in writing. They returned the funds.
In January 2010 they debited my account $198, again for the annual fee. When I protested they promised they would return my money in two weeks but did not.
I contacted them repeatedly but either got voice mail or was transferred to Cynergy Data who said Tribul was an agent and they (Cynergy) were not responsible for the erroneous debit.
I considered legal action but I am not located in New York so it made filing a suit complicated. So I canceled the account and chalked it up to a $198 lesson in the need to do more research when handing over access to my bank account.
Hopefully my lesson will save someone else $198 if they are considering Tribul. Stay well away from these guys!
August 5th, 2010 - 12:33
THEY ARE CROOKS FOR SURE! Not only can you NEVER get a hold of someone who can help you, but they drew out the 198.00 out of my checking account which overdrew my account. My bank charged me 300.00 in OD charges which Tribul promised to refund first 10 days, then 30, 60, 90!! Haven’t seen the money. I just received an “addendum” to my contract that was backdated a month, telling me they were now going to charge me a 500.00 early termination fee! I had NO early termination fee or annual fee…there were another list of fees in which they were planning to add. I had to close my checking account so I could cancel with them..Horrible company..BEWARE!