CardConnectDirect Review: Fees, Lawsuits, Comparisons, & Lawsuits
Note: as of late 2022, we believe that CardConnectDirect has become CardConnect. Those interested merchants should check out our CardConnect review. We will no longer be updating this profile.
A Reseller of CardConnect
CardConnectDirect is a merchant account provider headquartered in Fishers, Indiana. The company previously operated under the names “AdvoPay” and “Advocate Merchant Solutions” but appears to have rebranded to CardConnectDirect at some point in 2016. CardConnectDirect resells the services of CardConnect, which itself is a large subsidiary of First Data (now Fiserv).
CardConnectDirect Payment Processing
CardConnectDirect offers payment processing for all major debit and credit cards. Their services include EMV card readers and swipers, POS solutions, mobile solutions, e-commerce solutions including virtual terminals, QuickBooks integration, fraud prevention, SmartPay billing services, and ERP services.
CardConnectDirect Location & Ownership
Founded in 2010, CardConnectDirect is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, CA. and Deutsche Bank, New York, NY. CardConnect is headquartered at 11140 E 106th St, Fishers, Indiana 46037. The company also appears to have operated under the name “Wise Payment Systems” for some time. William Wise is listed as the founder and CEO of CardConnectDirect.
CardConnectDirect Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: CardConnectDirect appears to offer a 5-year contract through First Data (Fiserv) with a variable early termination fee. The company resells the services of CardConnect, which relies on the First Data (Fiserv)-backed Payeezy online payment gateway.
- Complaints & Service: CardConnectDirect complaints number more than 10 from merchants and employees.
- BBB Rating: CardConnectDirect has a “B-” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 1 complaint in the past 3 years.
- Sales & Marketing: CardConnectDirect employs a team of independent sales agents and has received multiple complaints about its sales team.
CardConnectDirect Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Total Online Complaints | 10+ |
|---|---|
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | High Fees |
Low-Moderate Complaint Total
We are currently able to locate more than 10 negative CardConnectDirect reviews outside of the Better Business Bureau, a few of which accuse the company of being a scam or a ripoff. Most of these CardConnectDirect reviews were posted by merchants and complained of difficulty canceling the service, high fees, excessively long contracts, and non-cancellable equipment leases. The other CardConnectDirect complaints were filed by former employees and described a negative, unethical office environment. A company representative replied to some complaints against CardConnectDirect with a copied-and-pasted response that did not appear to be especially helpful. For CardConnectDirect’s size and time in business, this is a low-to-moderate complaint rate. If you have your own CardConnectDirect review to make, please do so in the comments below.
CardConnectDirect Lawsuits and Fines
In 2016, CardConnect, CardConnectDirect’s parent company, was sued through a class-action lawsuit in the matter of Kao et al v. CardConnect Corp. The suit alleged that the company misled merchants with contractual language that bound the merchants to rates that differed from those within their respective contacts. This suit was settled for $7.65 million in early 2021.
CardConnectDirect Customer Service Options
The CardConnectDirect website provides a dedicated phone number and email address for customer support, but it is unclear at this time whether these lines are serviced by CardConnectDirect or First Data (Fiserv).
We have located multiple CardConnectDirect customer service phone numbers:
(888) 570-2386 – Toll-Free Customer Support
(317) 813-1600 – Main Office
(877) 749-7445 – Fax
CardConnectDirect also offers a customer support form on its website as well as a customer service email address at [email protected]
CardConnectDirect’s communication channels are lacking in comparison to top-rated merchant account providers for customer service.
CardConnectDirect Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Total Complaints | 1 |
|---|---|
| Resolved Complaints | 0 |
Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.
Under 5 Complaints
CardConnectDirect is not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau. As of this review, the company has a “N-” rating with the BBB and has had 1 complaint filed against it in the last 36 months. The 1 complaint was resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response
An “A” Rating
At the time of a previous update, the BBB had posted a notice about excessive complaints related to nondisclosure of the company’s early termination fee, along with a written resolution from CardConnectDirect promising to take action to reduce these types of complaints. This notice has since been removed. The company’s complaint low total is enough for us to adjust BBB’s rating to an “A” at this time.
CardConnectDirect Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Swiped Rate | 2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07 |
|---|---|
| Keyed-in Rate | 2.32% + 0.25% + $0.07 |
| Virtual Terminal Rate | 1.89% + $0.23 - 2.90% + $0.30 |
| Gateway Fee | None |
| Payeezy Pro Plan Fee | $19.95 |
| Annual Fee | $100+ |
| Statement fee | $19+ Per Month |
| Early Termination Fee | $1000+ |
| PCI Compliance Fee | $8.25 per month |
| Equipment Lease Terms | 48 Month (locked) |
CardConnectDirect Pricing
CardConnectDirect is a reseller of CardConnect’s merchant services, which means that its contract terms are likely to be similar to those offered by CardConnect. A CardConnect merchant agreement includes bucket pricing starting at 2.32% for “qualified” transactions. However, a class-action suit against the company alleges that its fees are deceptive as the company attaches a second agreement to its initial contract, adding 0.25% plus $0.07 to the agreed-upon rates.
Reports of the CardConnect contract terms include a high early termination fee, a PCI Compliance fee of $9.95 per month, other monthly fees, and a tiered pricing structure. CardConnectDirect is showing multiple complaints online that mention a five-year contract term with cancellation fees that can exceed $1,000. One CardConnectDirect complaint in the comment section below cites an annual fee of $100 (charged twice to this merchant), a $7.50 statement fee that ballooned to $19 over time, and other assorted fees.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, CardConnectDirect also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. Though CardConnectDirect rates are not disclosed on either of those services, the CardConnect website discloses theirs. Card Connect relies on Payeezy, the First Data (Fiserv)-backed online payment gateway. Payeezy offers 2 separate plans, the Basic Plan and Pro Plan. Neither plan charges setup fees, statement fees, or gateway fees. The Basic Plan charges a rate of 2.90% plus $0.30. Meanwhile, the Pro Plan offers a lower rate of 1.89% plus $0.23 and a monthly fee of $19.95. We always encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Beware Equipment Leases
An advertising brochure from the company also states that the company’s equipment leases (likely provided by First Data Global Leasing) are non-cancellable. Although these reports suggest that CardConnectDirect does not offer especially competitive contract terms, we do not have exact figures for the company’s pricing at this time. According to the available evidence, however, we do not expect CardConnectDirect’s contract terms to be competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts. We will award CardConnectDirect an average grade of “C” until more specific information is available.
CardConnectDirect Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
|---|---|
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Sales Complaints
CardConnectDirect appears to partner with ISOs and independent sales agents to market its services. This hiring practice can generate a high number of complaints for a merchant account provider due to the fact that independent sales entities are often untrained and unregulated. In this case, we are able to locate multiple negative CardConnectDirect reviews that cite deceptive sales tactics by a CardConnectDirect agent, specifically regarding contract length and misrepresentation of rates. This is consistent with negative reports that have been filed against CardConnect. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors. If you suspect that CardConnectDirect’s sales team has added undisclosed fees to your account, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit.
Employee Complaints
There are also at least three online CardConnectDirect complaints that appear to have been posted by current and former employees of the company, who allege that the company has a poor training and support network as well as high turnover. These negative CardConnectDirect reviews also note that CardConnectDirect representatives appear to have posted multiple fake positive reviews about the company in order to improve CardConnectDirect’s reputation as an employer. Although it seems that the company’s internal issues are not having a serious impact on the service it offers, it is troubling to see that CardConnectDirect may be willing to mislead the public about its reputation. To its credit, the company does not appear to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials.
Our CardConnectDirect Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
An Average Credit Card Processor
CardConnectDirect rates as an average merchant services provider according to our standards. The company is showing a low-to-moderate complaint rate overall for its size and time in business, but it appears that CardConnectDirect may not offer especially competitive contract terms. We are unable to verify specific details of the company’s standard contract at this time, but we will monitor the company’s reputation to determine whether it will become one of the worst-rated providers or on par with the top-rated providers.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
John james
https://www.classaction.org/news/cardconnect-corp-swiped-with-lawsuit-over-murky-merchant-contracts
Carol Buddin
Called to set up return of the machine and the “customer service” person, not only wouldn’t let us speak to a manager, he hung up on us. Wow…still shocked at this company and their behavior.
Carol Buddin
Same bad experience. Changing fees all the time, Can’t get through to anyone to help in customer service. It’s like talking to a machine that keeps repeating itself. Nothing in contract that I signed, about a 5 yr duration. Cancellation fee does not go down whether you are cancelling 4 yrs early or 6 month early.
Dishonest company…I just received a letter dated Feb. 2016 (today is June 27, 2016) stating that I need to return the machine or be charged $1400. I had never received this letter, just noticed that someone by another name had tried to take the $1400 out of my bank account. They go out of their way to confuse and twist the stories. Now trying to return this machine and getting a run around about it. The letter said to call and didn’t include a phone number. DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH ADVOPAY!!
Joe watson
Predatory company that fees you to death. Like the other person says, avoid this company
Carrie Snyder
My husband and I own and operate a retail store in Ohio. We were approached by a sales representative–his first name is Josh but I can’t recall his last name anymore–who reviewed our statements and promised he could save us money. We had been in business a year at that time (March 2013). We signed on with AdvoPay but were never told of any contract. After several months we had yet another sales rep promise lower rates. When she asked about our contract with AdvoPay, we had to dig for half an hour to find it–5 years! We never agreed to that length of time, and it was not on the contract we signed. Instead it is in a separate 35-page document, and is on page 33 in very small print. It seemed that the company was deliberately hiding this information, and when we got in touch with Josh to complain about this length, he claimed he told us (not true). The next time we talked to the main office just a short time later, they said he was no longer with the company so they couldn’t do anything about it.
We resigned ourselves to having to stick with AdvoPay, but since then–and here we are 3 years later in March 2016: we’ve been charged $100 annual fees TWICE a year, which thankfully I noticed when they started online statements; we were charged $20 per month PCI non compliance fees plus $100 annually to have some other company do the compliance thing; our $7.50 statement fee went to $10, then $15, and is now $19 despite the fact that they don’t even mail us anything anymore, and despite my call to customer service about the rising fee which he said he would keep at $10 for us. There are “Data Breach” fees of $9.95 every month, “Regulatory Product” fees of $9.95 every month, “Batch Header” fees to batch out each night for $.35 per day, and I don’t even know how much we are overpaying in interchange and other miscellaneous fees. Nearly every month our bill includes a disclosure about a new rate increase.
I am so ready to be done with this company’s deceptive practices, but I dread the hassle of dealing with the cancellation fee. I’ve left numerous unreturned messages with customer service voicemail about all these fees, but they just ignore us until we get tired and too busy to continue trying to call. If AdvoPay would simply let us out of this absurd contract–we’ve been with them 3 years now–so we could move on to a company that actually has lower rates and is not afraid to let businesses work with them without a contract because they are actually happy to be with them, that would make us happy at this point.
K Fong
In May 2015, Gina M Kapiskosky representing AdvoPay visited our business located at 11810 Hg Trueman Rd. Lusby, MD 20657. During the first visit, Ms. Kapiskosky made an offer to my father, also owner, regarding credit card and check cashing equipments and services provided by Card Connect/Advopay located in Fisher, Indiana. Ms. Kapiskosky stated that AdvoPay could offer a competitive rate for the credit card transactions as well as their check cashing machine with a feature that will compensate bad checks with a monthly fee. Ms. Kapiskosky stated that no contract is required for both equipment and services to sign up.
On May 28, Ms. Kapiskosky emailed the proposal of the credit card with an effective rate of 1.86%, which was lower than our 1.99%. (Proposal attached). We also discussed on the phone of the check cashing rate to 0.1% and $5/mo to add the feature for covering bad checks. We decided sign up with Advo Pay since the rate is better and we desperately needed a solution when dealing with bad checks.
On June 12, Ms. Kapiskosky was supposed to set up both the credit card and check cashing machines, but she arrived to the store with only one credit card device. Ms. Kapiskosky stated that the check cashing machine will arrive at a later time. After the visit, Ms. Kapiskosky was out of reach even though we tried to contact her via phone numerous times. Ms. Kapiskosky was then returned to the liquor store on July 6 and stated that one of her family members had passed away. She claimed that the check cash machine was ready and wanted to install for us. The machine was installed on July 13, after a lot of back and forth.
As we received our first credit card statement, it showed that our transactions were billed with an effective rate of 2.88% instead of 1.86% (that was stated on the contract agreement). Our second statement was billed for 2.385%. We contacted Ms. Kapiskosky and she admitted that the rate was incorrect. Ms. Kapiskosky told us that AdvoPay would make the adjustment and would issue refund to our account accordingly. Due to the billing error, we stopped using the credit card machine. However, neither the rate adjustment nor the refund was issued.
The check cashing machine did not work as well. The device would reject any check that has a face value over $500. Ms. Kapiskosky again failed to resolve the issue. In addition, Advopay withdrew $700 from our bank. Ms. Kapiskosky was unable to explain the details of charges and was unable to have the company issue the credit back to our bank account. We recall our last conversation with Ms. Kapiskosky was on September 11,2015, Ms. Kapiskosky was unable to help us get the refund as she had promised. We attempted to contact Advopay and address the situation. However, Advopay refuses to resolve the issue and stated that the issue remains between Ms. Kapiskosky and our business.
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Are you with AdvoPay? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
DENNIS VIVEIROS
Hi my name is Dennis Viveiros and I am the owner of 2 small business located in a small town in Watertown
Ct. In March 2013 a gentlemen named Chris Greenlaw came into my facility and introduced himself as
working for AdvoPay credit card processing. He stated that he would be able to save me money on my
monthly bill if I switched over to his company. He then proceeded to ask if he could see a statement. I gave
him the Statement and he said he could save me a ton of money! Shortly after I started to receive my bills
from Advopay I noticed the charges were 3 times higher than what I was paying with my last company when
I was processing the same amount in revenue. I called Chris right away and advised him of all the fees. He
told me it takes time but I was going to be refunded. The next statement came in and the same fees were
still there plus a bunch of new fees. He said he was going to take of those as well. He stated that I was only
suppose to be charged 20 bases points plus a $7.50 statement fee. As my evidence every conversation I
ever had with Chris GreenLaw was recorded as he was advised in our meetings. I then tried to call Chris
again and his Cell number was disconnected. I then called the processing company in which they gave me
another 3 different numbers for him in which those were all disconnected. I then was really fed up and I
asked the Processing Company to give me his bosses Number. I then had a chance to speak to Greg Perry
about all the Fees that were not suppose to be charged. I went straight to Greg Perry, because I felt that
Chris was lying about the refunds I was told I was getting. Greg said he would refund some, but not all the
charges. I told Greg That I wanted everything refunded because I have recorded conversations with Chris
that clearly states that I was not suppose to be charged anything more that a $7.50 statement fee plus 20
bases points. I told Greg I would upload the conversation and he can listen to it himself. He did not care and
just said no! At that point I knew Chris was trained to do these terrible acts. If I was Advopay and someone
that represented my company went around misleading and lied to my new customers I would do everything
to make it right and fix what my employee did on his behalf. When he said no to me after I stated the
evidence I had I knew that this is the way that company just operates! At that point it was an Argument. I
told him that I am a SMALL BUSINESS and that every dollar a small business spends is spent wisely! I told
Greg I didn’t switch companies to spend more money. I switched so it would be cheaper and it hasn’t been
since the first month. At this point he said he is not doing anything for me and chuckled. I then went to my
bank to dispute the charges. The Vice President of the bank sat with me for over 6 hours reviewing these
charges to file a dispute. Unfortunately we couldn’t file a dispute and the applications were not accepected
because it needed to be done within 24 hours on a business account. One thing she did state is that “she
has been doing banking since the stone age, and she has seen cases like this before, but NEVER as bad as
this one” As being the vice president of the bank she has written me a letter of her evidence in which she
found that this company had foul play! (If you need to contact her, her name is Lori Gonzales she is the Vice
President. The address to her office is 1157 Highland Ave Cheshire, CT. The telephone number there is (203)
271-1508.) Her recommendation was to close both accounts and open new accounts, so they weren’t taking
more money from me. That’s what I did. I called Advopay on 11/13/13 to cancel my accounts and Madison
stated that I was on a 5-year contract. I told her that I have a recording statement from Chris Greenlaw the
agent who signed me up that clearly states that any of the documents he had me sign didn’t have or say that
I was signing any type of contract. She still insisted that I was on a contract. She said I signed to the terms
and conditions. I was never given or shown any terms or conditions. I signed a form allowing advopay to bill
my bank account $7.50 plus 20 basis points, not a contract. She stated that the contract was in a different
booklet. Well I never undersigned that booklet. I told her she couldn’t have me sign a bank form and have a
contract on page 33??? I have canceled my account and now they are treating to impact my credit with an
$800.00 early termination fee for a contract I never signed. In addition I had posted a listing for anyone who
is having the same issues as me in the state of Connecticut, and it has been remarkable how many small
business has reached out to me complaining about the identical issues I am currently facing. We were going
to all come together to file a class action law suite, but I was advised to try and contact your office first. In
addition Chris Greenlaw was fired when I really started to press the issues with Greg on where the heck were
my refunds! This is an Act that needs to stop! Small Business are the Heart of making the Economy Grow and
putting people to work, but Corporations like Advopay puts a burden on you when they are just plane out
stealing money from your bank account. Let me also include that I have a statement that they charged me
more in fees than what I actually made! Does this even sound correct to you? [contact information redacted]
Hannah Lempera
Dear Consumer,
I am so sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. We appreciate your feedback and hope that you do give us the chance to remedy this situation.
As a full-disclosure company, AdvoPay offers transparency along with a detailed analysis of interchange rates. Please contact our customer service department at (888) 570-2386 so that we may have the opportunity to resolve this matter.
DeAnne
Did you ever form a class action law suit? We are struggling with the same issues as of today with this company’s lies and huge fees. We were promised lower rates, with no cancellation fees and total refund of machine costs. With a one year contract. We have had to call and complain every month about extra fees and high rates. Now that we want to cancel they said it was a 5 year contract and 750 cancellation fee. I signed paperwork in March 2014, but never received anything in writing until May 2014 (which of course they said is too late to cancel after I actually recieved the contract writing). We took our salesman’s word on rates and fees. We would love to be included or form a new lawsuit in our state if possible.
Jessica K
I, too, plan to file against this company and the sales rep that lied & deceived. Awful company!
Gail Brooker
We stopped using this company in April 2013. Have been charged every month since then for equipment rental fees. Got charged in August $619.00 for what I have no idea. VERY BAD COMPANY. We mailed the equipment back to them in April 2013. They called to say they had it. Then why charge us for 4 months even though we are not using them to process cards?
Hannah Lempera
Dear Consumer,
I am so sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. We appreciate your feedback and hope that you do give us the chance to remedy this situation.
As a full-disclosure company, AdvoPay offers transparency along with a detailed analysis of interchange rates. Please contact our customer service department at (888) 570-2386 so that we may have the opportunity to resolve this matter.