Encore Payment Systems Review

Encore Payment Systems Logo
2.3
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How did they treat you? ▼

UPDATE 2/8/2019: The Encore Payment Systems website is no longer active, and the company appears to have been fully absorbed into the EVO Payments International brand. For up-to-date information about this organization, see our EVO Payments International review.

Encore Payment Systems (encoreps.com) is a merchant account provider based in Addison, Texas, that began operations in 2004. The company also does business in the U.S. under the names Prodigy Payment Systems and Momentum Payment Systems. Additionally, Encore has a Canadian sales arm called MOCA Payment Systems. At the time of this review's original publication, two different agents claimed that Encore Payment Systems is a direct processor with HSBC Bank, which was surprising considering it was a young company. After pressing the issue, one agent admitted that Encore occasionally uses Chase Paymentech for a processor, but insisted that the company is a direct processor in all other cases. The Encore Payment Systems website now states that Encore is “a division of EVO Payments International” following its 2013 acquisition. The company is a registered ISO/MSP of Deutsche Bank AG, New York, and the CFO of Encore is Blake Pyle, while the chief sales officer is Mark Harrelson.

Key Points

  • Sales & Marketing: Encore Payment Systems hires independent sales agents and has received a high number of complaints about its sales practices.
  • Costs & Contract: Encore Payment Systems appears to offer a three-year contract through EVO Payments International with an early termination fee of $195 or more.
  • Complaints & Service: Encore Payment Systems and its DBAs have received more than 100 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Encore Payment Systems (as EVO Payments International) has an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 265 complaints in the past three years.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Encore Payment Systems

Encore Payment Systems Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints 100+
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint Long-Term Leases

For a provider of its size and time in business, Encore Payment Systems has a moderate-to-high number of complaints when we combine all of them together from its other DBAs. Many of these complaints are from the comment sections of our reviews. Of additional concern are the numerous complaints from former agents of the company found on jobs websites. Nearly all of these former agents complain of deceptive hiring practices and state that they were encouraged to lie to and mislead merchants.

As for merchant complaints, the most common theme they cite is the use of predatory equipment leases that cost merchants thousands of dollars for equipment that can be bought in the low hundreds. Nearly all of the reported leases are four-year terms with no ability to cancel without incurring significant financial cost. Other complaints include hidden fees, aggressive sales tactics, unavailable customer support, difficulty cancelling service, and fund holds. One merchant’s experience with misleading sales tactics, poor customer service, and unexpected equipment expenses is chronicled here.

Encore Payment Systems Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 148
Billing & Collection Complaints 93
Advertising & Sales Complaints 3
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 21

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.

As of this review, Encore Payment Systems does not have a rating from the Better Business Bureau because the Better Business Bureau has folded Encore’s profile into EVO Payments International’s profile. EVO Payments International currently has an “A” rating with the BBB and has been accredited since September 2017. The company has received 265 complaints in the past three years, with 148 related to product or service problems, 93 having to do with billing or collection, 21 due to delivery issues, and three stemming from advertising or sales issues. The company has successfully resolved 115 complaints, while 150 either were resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final assessment from the merchant.

It is impossible to know how many of these complaints are related to Encore and how many have been generated by EVO’s other subsidiaries. However, Encore’s customers will be dealing with EVO, and EVO’s complaint total and resolution ratio deserve a “C” rating according to our standards.

Encore Payment Systems Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Cost & Fees Summary
Swiped Rate Variable
Keyed-in Rate Variable
Early Termination Fee $195-$450+
PCI Compliance Fee $49 Per Year
Equipment Lease Terms 48 Months, Non-Cancellable

Encore Payment Systems’s pricing and contract terms appear to vary based upon the merchant and the agent setting up the account. The company’s standard merchant account contract has a three-year service agreement with automatic renewal for one-year terms and an average Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $195; however, some merchants have reported ETFs up to $450.

An older version of the standard Encore Payment Systems contract is available below; it outlines a four-year agreement with automatic renewal for one-year terms, a $450 “deconversion” fee (which acts as an ETF), an annual fee (probably a PCI Compliance fee) of $49, a monthly “bank service fee” of $4.00, a merchant account setup fee of $125, and an expensive tiered pricing structure. Although this agreement appears to be outdated, we do not have any evidence that the company’s contract terms are any more favorable today.

Aside from the standard three-year merchant account contract, there are numerous reports stating that merchants are sometimes locked into four-year, non-cancellable equipment leases. Cancelling these leases before the termination date is reported to cost in the thousands of dollars. We do not recommend that merchants lease equipment from any company because it is often the most expensive option. Buying your equipment outright is often the best and most cost-effective solution. See the Encore Merchant Application.

Encore Payment Systems Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Employs Independent Resellers Yes
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Encore Payment Systems appears to use an ethically questionable marketing strategy. First, the use of multiple DBAs suggests that the company is purposely attempting to spread its complaint count among the different business names. It also makes it possible for a merchant to cancel an account under one business name and then inadvertently sign up with the same company represented under another name. Nearly all merchant services providers that take part in this strategy have very poor reputations.

Second, the company appears to be a “hiring mill” that markets its business by continually recruiting independent outside sales agents (ISAs) who are only paid upon making a sale. Like many companies that use this hiring practice, Encore’s agents appear to be trained primarily on how to sell expensive merchant accounts and equipment leases in exchange for high commissions. They also appear to be poorly trained about the details of the merchant account agreements they are selling and the credit card processing fees associated with them. Agent turnover with this type of provider is typically very high.

Based on reports by merchants, there is evidence suggesting that Encore’s marketing strategy often results in the use of deceptive sales tactics. We cannot say if Encore encourages or endorses misleading tactics, but it seems that its pricing and underwriting policies make it possible. The company also appears to enforce contracts even when merchants claim to have been misled by an agent.

Alternate URLs:

  • encorepaymentsystems.com
  • encorepaymentsystems.net
  • prodigypay.com
  • momentumpayments.com

Our Encore Payment Systems Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

Encore Payment Systems scores poorly in our review because the company uses multiple business names, relies too heavily on hiring independent outside sales agents, has a high complaint count for a company of its size and time in business, and appears to suffer from widespread use of deceptive marketing and sales practices. The company could improve its rating by eliminating or reducing these problems.

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Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did Encore Payment Systems Treat You?

44 User Reviews

  • Jewel Pelham

    I am Highly Disgusted with Encore Payment Systems, someone came in my salon to sign me up, i used the Evo Snap one time, i have been charged all of these extra fees and return check fees because this is not an account i use regularly, they have cost me over $200 within a 2 month period, i have called to cancel, have wriiten a Cancellation form, and still being charged, i change my bank account info, I shared with the rep i had been through a bad merchant experience b4, i told them i use Square, i have NO problems with them, they claimed their rates were so much better…ALL LIES, HIGHLY PISSED OFF!!!!

  • Michele

    We were contacted by an Encore Rep, Mike, via walk-in to our small company. We were not unhappy with our current credit card processing company, but Mike offered us a reduction in our rates. Everything seemed good. He promised us “No contract service” and “Free equipment”. He stated that if we wish to cancel we just needed to call him and he would pick up the equipment and that would be it. He stated that they were local and didn’t have the overhead that other credit card processing companies did. He was ever so nice. Answered all calls and came in multiple times to correct errors that Encore had done to our account. Mike even brought in a swipe equipment for my cell phone, which I stated that I would never use. Mike stated that “just take it, its free. At least you will have it if you decide to use it”. The issues with our account continued with varies different issues of overcharging for fees to messing up our transactions, wrong date, & etc. At this time I told him that I would be cancelling our service with Encore if this issue did not get resolved. (Our credit card slips and our end of the day slips did not equal. Each transaction was deducting the credit card fees/% at time of the transaction and we were having an issue matching the slips up with the end of the day slips) This continued and we attempted to call Mike to cancel our account. Mike was 1. On vacation on a cruise that he was given due to an issue with his first cruise. 2. In the hospital with shingles. 3. Unavailable and the girl at the office would give him our phone message to return our call. Since this … we have not heard from Mike. Mike does not return any messages left him and we have had issues with the company to cancel our account. They change their story each time with our cancellation. 1. We will notify the cancellation department. 2. Transferred to the cancellation department because we have to request the cancellation personally – upon speaking with the cancellation department we were told that it would be handled. 3. We called back and they state that we need to send a fax to the cancellation department and cancellation fees will apply. I stated that I don’t have a contract with Encore and Mike said that I could cancel anytime without penalty and that the equipment would be picked up for free. She stated that I need to talk with Mike. I explained that I have attempted multiple times, yet he doesn’t return his calls. She assured me that she will have him call me. 4. A week later we called and they stated that we need to send a SIGNED letter for cancellation to the department. Two more attempts were made to get ahold of our Rep, Mike. I wish we had never used this company. They lie to get your business and then did not follow through on promises. Mike did give us his personal cell phone … the message is still his voice, yet he does not answer or return phone calls.

  • Addison

    I think it depends on your local rep because mine rocks. I see her every month for my receipt paper, we geek out about dogs, and she gives her accounts her personal cell number if there’s an issue. Last month my terminal was on the fritz so I called her cell and she came to my office and called customer service and fixed it for me while I worked (I’m a dog groomer) so it wouldn’t interfere with business. She explained every charge before I even signed up so I’ve never had a surprise fee. I was concerned about it because of these reviews so after my first month (within the 60 day cancellation period) she sat down with me and went over my whole statement to make sure I understood everything and that she had been honest when selling it etc. I guess it depends on your rep but my experience with encore has been awesome.

  • Robert e Smallwood

    This company employs deceitful tactics to have a person unknowingly sign a 48 month equipment lease agreement after singing the song of a “No Service Contract, Cancel Any Time”. Encore’s processing fees are an industry high and that information is hidden from you as you are never provided with a statement of account unless you make a phone call and spend valuable time speaking with lying customer “service” representatives. What makes for the worst experience is trying to cancel. Good luck with that, even after you spend the hour arguing to get your account terminated, the require a $500.00 contract cancellation fee and still send you bills stating that you have not cancelled your services. Ladies and gentleman stay clear away from this company. Everything Encore applies to rope you in is just a song and dance, the somewhat decent rates and service disappears moments after you sign up.

    Robert E Smallwood

  • Cathryn

    I strongly suggest looking in to reviews for business’s whom tried this company. I wish I would have. I was excited to reduce my rates and switch merchant account. I gave this company a try. Long story short I canceled before even finishing set-up. Or TRIED to cancel. They will not let you. 1- They give you the run around with multiple numbers with no answer. 2- I would get hung up on. ( I think they make commission) I would than call back immediately, get a different representative, tell them im trying to cancel and get the run around with phone numbers that do not exist, over and over. I decided to google these numbers, that’s when I found out how HORRIBLE this company is. The reviews hit the nail on the head. 3 – After days of this, I finally get some help ( I thought) at the end of the conversation, I asked to speak to a manager, as all our business phone calls are recorded and wanted someone to listen to a few of these calls. I get a “Manager” on the line, he wanted the name of the employee whose phone call I wanted him to listen too. He than connects me to the said employee (he immediately put me on hold after I gave the name, didn’t listen to calls, ect.) , she goes ballistic at first, at the end before she hung up on me, she said “im sending you” (some package) ” in the mail. Cant cancel us b!@#$” . I would love to add the recorded phone calls if I can

    • Kathy

      Upon receipt of this complaint, a Manager from Encore contacted Mr. Boudreaux to discuss his concerns and we have come to an amicable resolution. Seeing that most of the profit goes to Visa/MasterCard, we have agreed to credit the merchant back the $242.14, which was the profit that Encore made from the transaction in question and we have also agreed to terminate the merchant’s processing agreement and waive the $595.00 early termination fee.

  • Kim Brittenburg

    Wow, EVERYTHING being said here is true. I have been with these ppl since 2007. Hard to think I didnt see the light sooner, or that i was scamed from another provider that this one looked better. I now saw the light and am trying to leave and each rep is telling me something totally different regarding the cost involved, and the process. Its a nightmare I cant wait to loose. I have uses SQ reader and I LOVE it! I really just wished we would all go back to being a cash society… think how much more money we would have in our pockets! Don’t do business with this company ever..

  • Tammy

    This payment processor is a scam. We were told by our sales rep at the time we were under know contract. Which we have emails stating this. We were also, informed when we went to cancel that we were in a 4 year contract with them in very small print. DO NOT TRUST THE SALES REPS THEY LIE TO GET YOUR BUSINESS. They have horrible ratings online. They are not with the BBB. The contract we signed also states they will refund us for cancelling 595.00 dollars and will wave a $200 rebate for annual fees this was never applied. SCAM lies. I call to get out of this contract they told me this doesn’t mean what it says. Bull Crap. I had also, had one charge back with this company they never sent me anything to fight this. I called Encore Kendall called me and said we are sorry there was a lot of error’s on our end. We will wave your annual $99 fee that we never received a credit for yet. I am also, going to contact the attorney general and post on youtube and everywhere I can about this company so it don’t happen to someone else…. SCAM

  • Lori Arena

    Worst experience by far. I was a client of EVO systems for 17 years and somehow was told that Encore bought out EVO. Long story short, it has been 9 months since I was bullied into buying a new “PCI” compliant machine with the chip technology. August 2015 the machine was purchased for the supposed October deadline for the chip technology. I spoke with several customer and tech reps to be 100% that this information was correct. Obviously lying runs rampart throughout the company. To this day, after multiply calls to their sales, customer service and tech departments I am still swiping clients cards. It is insane that this company is allowed to operate in this manner. I just found the CPO website today…I wish I had a long time ago. Better late than never. Thank you for providing the opportunity to express this horrible experience.

    • Scot Coleman

      I am now being told by Encore that my Equinox T4220 will be obsolete as of December 31st of this year and I need a new machine, but have to pay out the lease on this obsolete machine and get another one. Can anyone help? I’m thinking this is hogwash.

  • jean

    Everything that these 48 comments said is 100% right. They are the biggest crooks I’ve ever come across. I am a non-profit organization called St Jude Helping Hand Foundation. We feed & clothe the homeless for the last 13 years. We only depend on donations which are practically non-existent today. I am 70 years old and my spouse is 66 years old and we live on our social security only. Since December 2015 when they started taking money out of our account, I have been lied to. The gentlemen that sold me the policy no longer works for the place – his name is Phil. He is a black man and when he tried to intervene for me on a conference call they used the N word referring to him. One thing I will pass on is a man named Whit. He’s supposed to be some big boss at Encore. Here is his cell phone number that was given to me by Phil. [REDACTED – personal contact information]. I called him last week and he almost when spastic when he found out I had his personal cell phone. I was told never to call him again and to forget his number? Maybe anyone that has problems with Encore needs to call Whit on his cell phone and reach out to him because I do believe that if he gets enough calls – he’ll probably lose that number – so use it while you can.

  • Mark Furr

    Stay far away from this company. Received nothing but lies. After I realized I made a huge mistake and tried to fix the problem the rep and the company were no where to be found. I left numerous messages with no call backs. Now I find out the rep is no longer with he company. After all of this mess they are using loop holes to charge me a #500.00 plus cancellation fee. Please read all these reviews and you will see this is a terrible company that uses lies to get your business and cannot fulfill promises made.


    Are you with Encore? Learn how to resolve this complaint.

  • Adamah Shakoor

    I signed up to become an IBA with Encore about 3 weeks ago. I realized at the very beginning that something was not right. For one, I was promised a 50 dollar bonus to get a certain amount of leads. I had to almost curse to get them to give me that money. So that put a nasty taste in my mouth. Then as I’m sitting with a client yesterday, I was contradicted right in front of the client as if he was trying to blow my sale and it worked. I also noticed that the first couple of appointments I was sent to were bogus. They say, “oh yeah, the merchant will act like they didn’t set the appointment” That’s because it’s true. Then they tell you to try to close by saying you will even get a $200 check. When questioned about the check by my potential client yesterday, while my so called team leader (and I use the term loosely), he totally said, “no, it’s not really a check, it’s a rebate” It clearly says on the advertisement that you will receive a check not rebate for sitting down with and IBA for 15 minutes. The last straw was today when I was told that if I get at least 5 business cards where I actually talked to the owner, I would receive $100. So, I did just that. When I called to ask when the money would be in my account, I was told that that the minimum amount of cards were five and I must of misunderstood. About my money? Please. I’m not an idiot. I graduated from the Wharton School of Business and I’m an idiot. I saw them for who they were (CROOKS) in less than 2 weeks. I turned around and called my client that was thinking of signing with Encore and told him to not sign up with them as I have integrity and he really respected what I was feeding him yesterday. DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY…YOU WILL STARVE TO DEATH and lose your integrity. Shout out to Drew Casalino and Brenda Mitchell for their cunning ways. I QUIT!!!!!!!!

  • Mai c

    Never ever ever sign up or do any type of business with this company!!! If you see any of their sale rep run or tell them to f*** off! This company is deceiving, the employees are conniving tricksters! They will do and say anything to get you sign up for their contract and then disappear on you and let you deal with an expensive mess!!! They tell you one thing and sign you up for another without your knowledge. They will not tell you the full detail of the contract and will rush you through it, get your signature and then you will be screwed royally. Future customers if you do decide to go with this lying thieving company please read every fine print and details fully before signing or agreeing to anything. You will be lock in a 4 years lease for an equipment you can buy out right for $300-$400 (top of the line) instead of this lease they trick you into and you end up paying over $2000 and at the end of it all.. The quipments isn’t even yours!!! The payment service is another contract they will trick you with, you don’t get your money the next day, you get them 2-5 days later, and they take their percentage out at the end of the day. Encore payment system is by far the worst company I’ve ever dealt with! Thank God I got out of it with out having to spend a penny with them! Know your rights and don’t let them scare you force you to stay!!! Cancel cancel cancel and run while you can!!!!!!!

  • Fired Recently

    The company hires Independent Business Analyst using lures like: no cold calling, all pre-qualified warm leads. As an IBA I found that 100% of the merchants had been contacted but didn’t agree to an appointment. Encore uses a text messaging system to alert IBAs of pending appointments. These leads are not pre-qualified, Once the IBA is on the premise, the Team Lead in the office then attempts to force a sell onto the decision maker if present. Encore is terrible about making timely payments to the IBAs as well.

  • Toni

    [REDACTED – contact information] In July of 2015 my mother passed away and we got the rep Wes Golden to come out to find out what we could do about our credit card terminials He came out took copies of all the papers he needed through his phone said that he would get them into the company and we would be fine. Now it is almost 3 weeks later and 3000.00 short in our account and nothing has been done. We closed the prior business account and still nothing. They are hold almost 3000.00 and say they need her death certificate and her power of attorney signed before they can do anything. My question to them how do we get a power of attorney from my dead mother. They now have copies of death certificate and her will giving everything to my father, but will not release the money. We have since changed credit card companies and as of today they will get no more of our money does anyone have any suggestions on what we can do?

  • Heather

    Our office has not signed up with Encore however the people that work for them are rude and VERY pushy to the point were you don’t want to do business with them. I had told them that we decided on a different company and a week later they are still calling me asking for our statements and told the lady on the phone that I was not interested three time and she continued to push…I finally just hung up. I might have thought about going with encore if their people were not so rude and pushy. I wouldn’t recommend them.

  • Keith T

    BEWARE OF THIS BUSINESS…I was referred to encore so I called them. I told them I want a transaction by transaction account. they told me that they would have to charge a higher percentage per transaction. I agreed to that so long as there was no contract binding me if my new small business failed. After obtaining their equipment I was being charged about 10% per swipe. Being a repair facility that could be $100 per swipe. I closed the business but still kept my account open with Encore and paid their monthly account fees. After having them for a year I call and told them that I wanted to cancel and was told that I could not unless I paid a penalty for breech of contract. Well to make it short. Instead of transaction by transaction they tricked me into signing up for a 4 year contract. DIRTY BUSINESS TACTICS………….BEWARE

  • David

    The Texas attorney general needs to monitor the owners and managers of this company. The rep (Joe) gave me story on how smooth everything would be because I already used EPN (software) and didn’t need a card reader. Not true. they wanted to set me up with a new EPN and “charge me twice”. For all the rate discounts it doesn’t make sense when the fees are enormous, you can’t have continuity or control of your business.

    He promised to follow up but, never did.

    I hope they don’t burn me when I try to cancel?

    • David

      Follow up to my January 20, 2014 post.

      Well, things were quiet and I thought that Encore respected my multiple requests to not engage their services for reasons previously stated. Today, March 6, 2014 I received my first notification that they debited my business banking account for $67.00.

      Encore Payment Services and it’s owners, managers, and apparently employees/contractors are collectively scam artists, liars and thieves. My thief is named Joe Barrett (214) 796-9110. He allegedly grew up in Kopprel, Texas according to him. The reason this was slightly important in mentioning is that he looks you right in the eye with awe shucks country talk and after he was through I mentioned to him I actually know the town well as my Father was a school administrator there after he retired from being a full time administrator in another district. When I mentioned this to Joe he became kind of white and I should have taken the papers out of his hands at that moment, torn them up and kicked him out of my home, (yes home) where he showed up to meet me unannounced.

      Warning to all business owners. I now get to go through the unpleasant task of closing my business checking account because of this. They won’t fix the problem they just lie and lie and lie drag it out until they get their hooks into you.

      At least half of my business I provide direct services to law enforcement, Judges and District attorneys. If I ever would call in a favor it would be on Encore. This business must be stopped!

      I am highly disappointed and disgusted. I will never speak to any credit card processor company again.

      • Michael

        ENCORE BIGGEST SCAM credit card company today.
        I was also scammed in 2011-2013 (post mar 8 2013)
        Still upset that they continue to ripoff the consumer and are still in business.
        Biggest scam company around but keeps on ticking.
        Unbelievable they still exist with such poor ethics.
        Switched to world pay and am very satisfied.

  • Jen L.

    Horrible customer service. The sales rep flat out lied regarding the terms, fees, rates and the fact that she was coming back the next day with my copy of the contract. They do not have the original either, just what the rep faxed them which is unreadable so I have no way to know what was in the blurry microscopic print. When I went to cancel after the contract was up, I was informed that I didn’t give 60 days notice prior to the 2yr date so it automatically renewed for another year. Now our machine broke and they refuse to program a new unless we lease it from them which is a 48 month lease at $39/month. The leasing people are aggressive and call and hang up on my employees once they say their name and it’s not me (hello, we have caller ID). I called them today to beg them to waive the $395 cancellation fee as I completed original contract and now we cannot take credit cards as I refuse to sign their lease. I asked her if she could reply to my one of my 5 previous emails so I could have something in writing and she told me to have an attorney contact them if I wanted anything in writing or a legible copy of my contract. Are they lying about something in the contract? Definitely something shady going on here.

  • Chad G

    I have a very busy practice. The Encore representatives would call repeatedly and would not let my staff off the phone. Finally I instructed my staff to hang up on them because you could never get a word in edgewise to explain that we had other patient calls to tend to. Their sales tactics are very poor and aggressive. It is beyond me how anyone would become their customer.

  • Maximilion

    WHAT A JOKE!!!!!! The WORST company I have ever dealt with!! I processed a cc for $1000.00 yesterday and they are now telling me that I can not have the money because it is over what my usual sales are. I faxed a copy of the signed cc slip and also a not signed by the customer, still I am told I need to refund the money to the customer and have them pay another way. This is just crazy!!!!!! HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE COMPANY

    • Maximilion

      Well, now this BS company is holding over $6500.00 of my companies money due to the fact that we ran a card for $1000.00 which was over our “normal” ticket. WHAT A JOKE! You call the company to get answers and just keep getting pushed off to another person. We are a local family owned company that relies on the credit cards we process to go into our bank account so we can pay our bills. I would trust the bum living under the bridge down town with my money before I would ever trust this JOKE of a “company”!!! BEWARE!!!! DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH ENCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Yu Whish

    As a former employee of this hell hole, I can confirm all of these comments. This place is a COMPLETE joke. All of the employees are completely uneducated about the products and services. This is because #1 the company doesn’t train anyone and don’t have any good documentation or internal resources and #2 their hiring strategy involves hiring the cheapest labor possible which amounts to a staff with not a whole lot of experience, intelligence, motivation, or general apptitude/skills to learn or perform even the simplest of tasks. Encore is completely unorganized, dysfunctional, and no one is on the same page. Internal communication is extremely poor. There are no cohesive well defined company values or mission whatsoever. Their ONLY focus is on CLOSING SALES. PRODUCTS, SERVICES, CUSTOMERS, AND EMPLOYEES ALL TAKE A BACK SEAT, AND IT SHOWS!

    If for some reason you choose to do business with these shady people, at least keep these points in mind:
    #1 DON’T LISTEN TO SALES REPS. READ YOUR ENTIRE CONTRACT AND MAKE AN INFORMED, INTELLIGENT DECISION BEFORE SIGNING ANYTHING!
    #2 DON’T LEASE ANYTHING! Buy a broken terminal online for a couple bucks and tell them you want it reprogrammed. When they can’t get it downloaded, they will offer you free equipment.

    • Bill

      I worked for this POS company. A total scam for the customer & IBA. Their only goal is fleecing the customer. I have a very high ethical standards and will not screw a customer over to make a buck. I enjoyed the interaction with businesses. But most owners are totally ignorant about processing services, all they care about is convenience for customer & theirselves. They expect their monies to be in the bank by 72 hrs. They wish to be treeted as they would their customers. I refused to lie, cheat or steal. Encode is just that. It amazes me that states AG’s haven’t shut this company down. States monitor insurance companies & sales reps with a magnifying glass. The longer I worked the more I saw that was unacceptable ethically.
      Do not do business with EncoreM

      From The Editor
      This Post Might Help: Top-Rated Merchant Account Providers

  • Andrew

    I worked for this company with the promise making huge bonuses. Although I did make 3100 on my first 2 months I shelled out over 600 in gas money not to mention the 5000+ miles I put on my car. My first month I went over 1000 min on my cell phone plan mostly due to being on hold for at least 2+ hours a day. When I started training they told me 3 year agreements, I wrote it down 3 different times. Then when it came to my first sale I was told no its a 4 year agreement. This company has serious communic accation issues and customer service is not a priority. I had a customer that had equipment that wasn’t working they called me and I called on behalf of the merchant only to get the run around. The. Merchant never got any help and canceled his account because of it. The final straw for me was when a team leader named jeff that does the morning conference calls told ke to lie to a customer and don’t worry about it because he does it all the time. I’m far from perfect but the policy on being “ethical” is far from the truth. They lease equipment for $2500 plus that you can get online for 250 total. They have an annual fee of 99 dollars and a set up fee of 125. They also send you on bogus appointments and micro manage every minute of your day. Imo good intentions but very poor follow through.

  • Michael

    BEWARE: Encore systems is a fraudulent ripoff scam. Cancelled my contract July 2011. They continued to debit my bank account for 1 1/2 years before I found out. They claimed they didnt receive the signed termination letter I sent. I cancelled again in Dec 2012 and again they claimed the letter they received wasn’t signed. My banker called and made them verify the letter was indeed signed and demanded Encore to stop billing my account. Termination date was now officially Dec 28, 2012. On March 06 they charged my account $250 cancellation fee even thou my original 3 year contract expired in Jan 2012. Encore intentionally procrastinated and claims the contract automatically renews annually after the original contract expired. Encore systems is a scam and I will be pursuing legal actions against these clowns to stop this nonsense of ripping off the consumer. A class action lawsuit should also be initiated against them for this Scam they are running. I strongly recommend any other bankcard processing company out there and if you are dumb enough to sign a contract with encore make sure your attorney reads the contract before you sign.

    • Mark Rushing

      Anyone interested in filing/joining a class action suit against Encore, drop me a line. I am in a legal battle with them right now and I never even activated my service or signed a contract. I signed an application which they now say is a contract and was supposed to get a copy the following day.. Never happened. When I did get hold of the rep he said that he had quit because they are crooks so I called them and spoke with their district manager who said they had fired the rep because he was a crook. Bottom line, I am out around $400 and have never even unboxed the machine, I cancelled and they pulled the old it wasn’t signed game on me as well so I sent them six more copies all signed and they still drafted another $76.50 and reported they hadn’t received the cancellation order till it was too late even though I have transmission receipts showing that it was received. These people are a complete rip off company from their sales force all the way to the management. Management tried to play me along until they could get me beyond the 60 day trial period so they could hit me with another $500 for ETF.. They are scum of the earth and I will get my money back plus some.

      • sharon mckinnis

        I would love to enter into a class action law suite this company is horrible. The rep misled me into signing a contract with knowing about the rebate that was to accompany the monthly cost. The numbers were double the amount I was told. Upon my first bank statement charges were added with a check cashing process I did not agree to. I called the sales rep Shyla Goodwin of Citrus County Florida to explain these fake amounts. She tried to tell me that she herself was unaware of the rebate that should have been on my account.Shortly after she no longer answered her phone to settle this matter. She told me that i could send back the equipment close out my account, close out my business banking account and i would be out of the contract. I have since sold my business and I’m now being sued by northern leasing in the amount of $4,000 after they froze my bank account. Stay away from Northern Leasing as well they are New York city crooks.

  • Jeff Harkness

    This is the WORST company I have ever had to deal with in the 40 years I have been in business.

    In October we started looking for other rates and found a much better deal for us. We never signed another contract and told them we were going to use another card service provider.

    The contract was up in December 2012 and we signed up with another provider and told Encore we would not be using them for our card services anymore. They charged us the $95 annual fee plus other charges that total $152.

    Then in January and February they again charged my bank account $17.50.

    My contract was up and they still pulled this…

    Best to stay away from these people and look for reputable companies to handle your card services….!!!

  • Rebecca Hayes

    STAY AWAY, FAR AWAY! The absolute worst, cheating company ever!!!! They lie, forget to send you contract, don’t provide clear answers, hide as much information as possible to CHEAT YOU OUT of HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS!!!! You can’t even cancel without a 90 day notice, PLUS they charge you $95 annual fee!!!!!

  • AUDREY Rangel

    I worked for encore for 3 weeks as a IBA. Janice Carter was the recruiter. She was a true professional and a pleasure. The leads or the preset appointment were fake. I went to 6 preset appts and none of them agreed to a meeting nor were they there when I arrived. I tried to get them to let me set my own appts but they said I would fail that way. They told me I was bucking their system and causing waves because I wanted to forego their fake appts an do it on my own. I wasted alot of time and money.They lure you in with promises of free preset appts…………………but they are not real.

  • Carolyn Edwards

    I signed with a friend of a friend with Prodigy, I mistakenly trusted here that she would help to save me a little money,and be honest about all the promises she made , being fairly new at her job she was constanly on the phone with Bo Wilson, one of the owners of prodigy or whatever they call themselves to make sure they could honor these promises so stupidly I assumed that even if she was new at her job the owner would steer her in the right direction as what she could or couldnt promise me such as excellent customer service , slightly lower prices and the payoff of the terminal lease I was already in and a $ 300.00 sign on gift as I would have to lease one of their machines because I had a first data which I was told did not work with any other companies processing, and at this point still unaware I had many other options due to my lack of educating myself on the credit card terminals and processing , which by the way I take full responsibility of not doing so. So after alot of messed up paper work chaotic signing and resigning, alot of faxing back and forth along with trying to take care of customers in between, unknowingly I signed every right away that I had as a consumer to a one sided( of course to the leasing companies side) unconscionable 4 year lease, that she even sneaked in my signature on one part, but only the part where I fully understood what I was signing.) The funny thing is that that machine was at my shop not long after she left I called her and she said she would return the next day to hook up the machine and bring in the paperwork back that promised to pay off my other lease. she did return to hook up my machine which was also a chaotic mess, I asked for the paper work she was suppose to return and I was told that I would receive it in the mail, now I was very nervous.She assured me she would see to it I would get it back if I didnt receive it soon.Then the trouble began, the machine was constantly dropping tips and some transactions altogether our close outs turned into a nightmare would have to wait till next day to speak with the processors in which they had to rerun peoples card numbers which in itself didnt seem right, our telephone was staticky with the machine hooked up and the internet would not work and I had 5 girls screaming at me about how the machine just didnt work right. It even just up and batched out sometimes when noone was around it. I called the sales person to please help with the machine and she said she quit because she just felt like she was doing something wrong GREAT so then I proceeded to call Prodigy and ask for either someone to come help us or send a machine that worked,then I started getting the run around. at this point still no buy out so now I was gonna have to pay for 2 contracts. I had signed a contract with lease source but my first bill came with a company named Northern Leasing, I thought it was some kind of mistake so I called to find out and they said they were now my leasing company my lease was with them they had bought out my contract from lease source, so I asked them about help with the machine because it did not work properly and then( here we go ) this man proceeded to rudely and obnoxiously tell me to bad I leased machine as is What ? so now what do I do he then told me to figure it out it was my problem. So I boxed the machine up in the box it came in and sent it back where it came from and reconnected my other machine and called them to reinstate I had a business to run!! I cut off my acct. to them after only 11 days of being with this business if thats what you can call them!! Then the 4 year noncanceable lease problem began, you can only imagine the harrasment from these rude arrogant threatning whoever they are, anyway long enough, The other day I drove 6.5 hrs to New York to civil court of course they are suing me, it was interesting to say the least but it will be long and drawn out and I will be present in that court room for the duration!! My suggestion to anyone wanting to sign up with them or be employed by them PLEASE!! Think twice and research, research . I would hate to see anyone go thru what I and so many others have because we didnt . They prey on the small businesses counting on it!! They are misleading, relentless and unethical to say the least!

  • Dennis' barbershop

    I’ve been dealing with eps for about 6 months now! Awful!! I had a “yes man” of a sales rep, Scott comfry, come in and tell me that he would match the “squares” service agreement and give me a lesser percent. I had 60 days to cancel if I wanted to. Everything was good until about 75 days in when. I started getting charges of 40, then 60 now 100. They also took 10 a month for a rental for the terminal. Now square gives u the terminal free. My contract I signed has the 10 fee crossed out and 0 added but I was still charged. They refunded my money and acted like that made things all better. That’s money they never should have taken. That equal to a robber stealing from a house getting caught in the act, returning the items and saying no need to call the police. There has to be some punishment or responsibility. I just want out of their shady business but they are telling me that I have to pay 450 to cancel. I only am leaving because they breached their own contract. I just want to walk away from them robbing me again. I also blocked them from my account and now they hold my transactions hostage. 41 dollars they took from me for a 2.97 charge. Pretty shady! In short DO NOT DO BUSINESS!!

  • Chris Dagger

    I just had a rep from Encore visit me telling me he could save me a fortune. When I asked for a copy of the contract so I could review all costs, I was told they don’t provide a copy for review, but if I signed up and changed my mind, I could cancel within 60 days. I’m always dubious of companies who won’t provide the contract for review, and never sign up for anything on the spot.

    • Reed Bolduc

      Stay away from this company, signed me up saying it will integrate into quick books but sadly that was false as the “salesman” Jerry had no idea how anything worked, I was supposed to get a card reader, it never showed up, I get no return calls from my rep or the company and when I called to close the account I was told it would cost me $450 to close the account and I agreed to this in my contract, well I asked for a copy of this contract and to this day they can’t seem to find it and asked me to refer to my copy which surprisingly never received either and didn’t sign. I turned it into my bank that will block all charges to my account from today on, maybe that will motivate them to find my paperwork :)

      Stay away from this company

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