EVO Merchant Services
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EVO Merchant Services Overview
EVO Merchant Services Logo
EVO Merchant Services (www.goevo.com) is a U.S. based merchant services provider that serves merchants both domestically and in Canada. Reports show that the company was started as a small ISO in 1988 and has grown to be one of the larger non-bank merchant account providers in the United States today. EVO Merchant Services primarily offers electronic payment processing services and products. The payment processing services include credit card processing, debit card processing, EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) card processing, gift and loyalty cards, wireless payment acceptance, internet/electronic commerce, chargeback fax notification, terminal leasing among its other various financial services.
The company has various offices located throughout the nation but is headquartered in Long Island, New York. EVO Merchant Services is a registered ISO/MSP of HSBC Bank, Buffalo, NY.
EVO Merchant Services Sales & Marketing Tactics | C
EVO’s primary marketing and sales strategy appears to follow a common method used by most large merchant services providers, which is the recruiting and hiring of independent sales agents. The company also allows other sales organizations to operate as sub-ISOs under their own business names. Both of these strategies often result in complaints because the sales tactics of the resellers are difficult to control and the company’s policies often allow for predatory pricing/terms whether they encouraged it or not. It appears that EVO Merchant Services is suffering from the typical reports one would expect with this marketing strategy, which is the primary reason for the lower rating in this section and will be covered in more detail below. The company does not appear to use any deceptive advertising or rate quoting tactics on its own.
EVO Merchant Services Costs & Contract Terms | C
EVO’s merchant account fees and contract terms appear to vary based on several factors including a merchant’s business type, processing volume and the agent/sub-ISO setting up the account. Service length agreements and early termination fees may also vary from one account to the next as merchants have reported cancellation fees ranging from $250 to $500. Additionally, several merchants have reported expensive, non-cancellable lease terms for processing equipment that is sold by EVO agents but managed by third party leasing companies. EVO also appears to charge an annual PCI Compliance fee of approximately $120.
EVO Merchant Services Complaints & Service | C-
EVO Merchant Services has a moderate amount of public complaints listed for a company of its size and time in business. The types of complaints fit mostly into four categories: EVO holding deposits or withdrawing large cash reserves suddenly from a merchant’s checking account, complaints of deceptive sales tactics (especially around equipment leases and mostly attributable to resellers), former employee and agent complaints of deceptive business practices, and poor customer service experiences when attempting to resolve disputes. In total, this reviewer located approximately 100 complaints filed against the company.
EVO Merchant Services BBB Report | C (CPO Adjusted)
The Better Business Bureau has several seperate reports listed for EVO Merchant Services, but the correct one appears to be for an office listed in Melville, New York. This report lists the primary business name as “Merchant Services Incorporated” and “EVO Merchant Services” as an alternate business name. The report states that the company has been accredited since November, 26th of 2010 and awards EVO an “A+” rating despite 63 complaints filed within the last 36 months. Of the total complaints, 29 have be listed in problems is products and services, 22 in billing and collection, 10 in advertising and sales, and the last two in delivery and guarantee/warranty issues. The BBB has determined that 13 of the complaints were not resolved to the merchants’ satisfaction, although it believes the company made a good faith effort.
We have adjusted EVO’s BBB rating for the purposes of this review. You can learn more about why we adjust BBB ratings in our Rating Criteria.
Bottom Line
EVO Merchant Services can improve its rating in future updates of this review by improving policies in the common areas of merchant grievances and eliminating future complaints. Merchants are strongly encouraged to fully read and understand the terms of their EVO merchant account agreement before signing as the terms may vary widely based on the agent and/or sub-ISO setting up the account. Additionally, merchants would be wise to avoid equipment leases as this appears to be a common area of dissatisfaction.
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26 comments
Bill B.
May 2, 2012 at 10:34 pm (UTC -7)
EVO is the absolute worst credit card processing company, I have ever dealt with. I have a portfolio of nearly 800k monthly credit card processing and it is continuing to grow and should be well over a 1MM by July 2012
EVO has the worst customer service and the NY Long island I don’t care attitude to go with it. Their fees are ridiculous and their chargeback department does not work hard for the merchant. EVO’s customer followup is non-existent.
EVO does not have a website functional to manage your account statement online.
EVO’s main bank is HSBC out of Buffalo.
I would never ever recommend another business or merchant to use EVO for credit card processing.
I felt it was my responsibility as a business owner and portfolio manager to share my experiences with EVO.
Ex-EVO
April 13, 2012 at 10:28 pm (UTC -7)
I’m ashamed and embarrassed to convey, that I once worked for those CROOKS AND LIARS.
I referenced my findings about this company on RIPOFFREPORT.COM, over a year ago.
Rather than for me to repeat myself, please go to RIPOFFREPORT.COM and read.
If EVO wants to challenge me on what I have claimed…GO FOR IT! I ‘CAN’ prove E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G I’ve made comment on, against EVO/Merchant Services, Inc.
Save others from this menace. Tell your friends, co-workers, neighbors, banker, waitress, pastor, or anyone about this company. I rate them as close to real evil as one can be.
Marrion Baker
March 22, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC -7)
I sign up with evo in 2010. I had no problem because I kept my processing low under $3000. I had a major job. I process a large amount and Evo refused to tranfer the funds to my account. They have no charge back and spoke to the credit card holder who happen to be the federal goverment. They told them the charge was correct. We send them all the correct paper work, invoice, copy of the card holder signiture ect. Still Evo refused to deposit the funds in my account. Now the job as being delivery and they are still holding on to the fund say they are trying to prevent a chargeback. The customer as call them and told them they are completely satisfied with our product and service. Futhermore the customer as filed no charge back. This company is a fraud. I would like to warn other merchant to please stay away from Evo they lie in their contract. It is a scam, and a bad nightmare. Anyone with information that could help please let me know. I would hate for these scam artist to get away with stealing from small business.
R A Zafari
April 25, 2012 at 7:45 am (UTC -7)
I have read your reviews for the Elavon and we are the victim of the same category. The have put hold on a large amount of the sum giving as false reasons about chargebacks. We have joined them since last 2 months and we do not have any chargebacks as well. I want to seek your advice that did you managed to get back your funds . And if so can you advice as accordingly.
Brianna
February 24, 2012 at 2:48 pm (UTC -7)
I too was falsely signed up and lied to. Luckily, after 2 months seeing that they were taking more than my previous company, I unplugged the machine. So, I have been paying the minimum every month for almost 2 years. I am trying to get out of the contact but have been told I have to pay $500. I was told there was no cancellation fees and I do not have a copy of the terms of agreement.
In fact, the contract I have is 10 pages. It says on the top, 10 pages, so I know the terms were deliberately not sent. From what I’ve read here and at Rip Off Report, this is common.
I tried to report these guys to the BBB, but since their Canadian head office is in Quebec, I am not able to. I looked into how to file against a company in Quebec but it is not easily done. There are many hoops to jump through.
Now that I see here that a person can file against them through the US BBB, I just may do that.
I have sold my company and my account will soon be closed, so they will no longer be able to debit my account. I don’t want this to go to collections, but I will continue fighting as long as I am able.
Sheila Paris
February 16, 2012 at 5:14 am (UTC -7)
EVO Merchant Services charges fees for returned transactions whithout any documentation provided to the client. When we signed up, we were not told that there would be monthly charges posted our account for their services. We understood the charges would be deducted from the payments before the funds were transferred to our business account. Instead they charge your account for their fees at the end of the month. If no funds are in your account (which we to pay their fees, they assess a return fee. They keep processing their fee for days, amassing $30 per transaction until they run the bill up the client supposedly owes them. We were charged return fees which was deducted from payments before they would release our funds (why not deduct the fee from the payment in the first place). When we requested a copy of the return fee charges, we were told that they would not send any information in the mail or via internet. We have summized that the reason they refuse to do so is because they could be charged with WIRE OR MAIL FRAUD if they did. We are getting out of this contract and would NEVER recommend this service to any company! We are considering a class action lawsuit against them.
Nancy Goolsby
February 4, 2012 at 11:36 am (UTC -7)
I am in a current contract with EVO (processing Co.) and Logicalease (for the credit card terminal lease). I have been in this lease since Nov. 2010. I was told this was not a contract, and I asked that question up front, and was told it was easy to get out of, as the credit terminal was a lease contract.
I called the person that sold the products to me, and she never returned my calls. She said she was local, and would take care of everything. She said she would fax my present processing company to cancell my business with them (they were NPC). I had an older terminal, and NPC was charging me $10 extra per month for security purposes, since my terminal didn’t have a pin pad.
The EVO representative said I would save so much more money that what NPC was charging~ I found out that NPC ever got the fax, and the evo rep didn’t get a confirmation number to prove it. I was charged over several months, and not knowing these fee’s were going through, because it was an account I didn’t have any debits going through after I signed up with EVO, so I didn’t look at the account~ then I started getting overdraft fee’s! IT cost me hundreds of dollars, then I called NPC and they said they never took cancellations by fax, that I had to write a personal letter!
To say the least, i feel like this was a scam, because she just wanted to get me signed up, and I decided to do the lease of the credit card terminal, because I didn’t have the upfront fee to buy the machine outright at that time~ So in stead of paying $800 upfront, I am paying $29.99 per month (of which $35.45 is being withdrawn every month). So I have already paid $420.00. I called to cancell and they will charge me another $1,156.00 to get out of the logicalease contract and to buy the machine! The contract was for 4 years, and i feel like a fool for letting this older lady (60′s), so I thought i could trust someone a little older~
IT will also cost me $250 to get out of the EVO lease, that this sales rep told me it was not a contract, but she will not return my calls…. Merchant services said they could possibly get me out of the lease if I go with them, among other companies telling me the same, but I’m afraid they will require a contract to buy me out~ What should i do??? Please help!
Sincerely,
Nancy Goolsby
Jeff Bowen
October 24, 2011 at 12:04 pm (UTC -7)
EVO is a complete scam. They will NEVER return your calls and will give you a run-around when you cancel by saying they never received your cancelation fax and they continue to debit your account for fees and “services”.
I used their service for 8 months and when I canceled…they continued to draft my account for funds for 4 months before finally stopping after numerous phone calls and an eternity on hold.
They kept saying someone would call me back and no one ever did. They still owe me for 2 months of drafts and they say, “the accounting department has denied my claim”. But I have never been able to speak with a manager who can make a decision on the matter….it’s always someone who “has to call me back”.
BIG TIME SCAM
Belkys Santos
September 20, 2011 at 12:31 pm (UTC -7)
During the past few months I have received collection letters from a Collection Agency (Commercial Services Group, Inc.), stating that I owed Evo Merchant Services an early termination fee in the amount of $335.05, for Merchant Account Number [omitted], with Claim File Number C0945731.
Please be advised that our letter dated July 29, 2011 and addressed to Commercial Services Group, Inc., we explained them that when we were initially approached by Mr. Carlos Galgano, whom is the Sales Rep, assigned to our account I was lied and he misrepresent himself as he told me that if I would start making Credit Cards Transactions with PREWAY (as he never identify himself as working as an independent sales rep for Evo Merchants, as a matter of fact I was under the impression until this day that my Credit Cards payments were been handled by Preway, as this person did not sign and agreement, as he promissed he would return with a certified copy of signed agreement adducing as I expressly told him I needed something to back up his word of No Monthly Fees, No Early Termination Fees, that the only fees would been access would be regular fees at time of customer transactions. When I contacted Preway reps they were very upset that this rep use their name for our business transactions, I told them that more than 4 months ago and because of all the inconveniences arising for all the fees that were been collected into my bank account and for which I had to close my bank accounts with Chase, as he offered me that no fees were going to be withdrawn from my bank, he was even promissing to reimbursement in cash, which I started to feel uncomfortable as I smell something fishing from the way he was handling this situation, I then was told by him that due to all this discrepancies he was going to remove the equipment and that he was going to take care of everything. My surprise was enormous as what I end up receiving was all this collection letter from Commercial Services requesting an early termination fee of $335.05.
Mr. Galgano, has not even been able to provide a copy of the “Supposed Signed” Agreement, as I am sure I did not received one at time of our first meeting, and when I have tried to talk to him over the phone he is always telling me he would get it as I have been requested by the office of the Attorney General of New Jersey to provide a copy of this contract in order to file a formal complaint against your company.
I am kindly requesting to have Commercial Services Group Inc., stop their collection procedure letters and to have someone from Evo Merchant Services (for whom I dont even have a telephone number to reach, as the information sheet we were given at our initial meeting with Mr. Galgano is from Preway, so I have not choice than to search the Web where I found this email address.
If someone can contact me and give me a clue as to wether if we can settle this situation before we file a formal complaint at the New Jersey Attorney General Office, and the Better Business Bureau of I would highly appreciate it.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Marbella Banquet Hall
May 12, 2011 at 6:53 pm (UTC -7)
Beware!!!! This is a rip off company. We contracted with them 3 months ago for credit card processing. The company never made a deposit to our account for credit cards transactions that were approved by them. Instead they debited our account $ 6000 for “credit risk management” without notifying us. They owe us over $ 8000 that they refuse to return. We were writing hot checks without knowing that they never deposited a penny of the credit card transactions but in addition they debited $ 6000 that they never deposited.
Beware business owners. This is the worse rip off artists you will encounter
Ebben Aley
May 16, 2011 at 6:35 am (UTC -7)
Could you please send me your contact Info, and who you have been dealing with.
Julio del Carpio
May 16, 2011 at 11:01 am (UTC -7)
I wrote letters to the Presidents of EVO and Commerce Payment Group
Account 272800038080. I contacted James at EVO risk management 800-705-2559. He claims that Commerce took the money from our account and Commerce claims that those were orders from Evo Risk Mgmt. I sent them a letter from customer indicating that he does not have any claims from our company and he received his money from his credit card company. Why did EVO took $ 6000 from our account when you never deposited a penny to my account since we retained your services. There is an additional $ 1800 in transactions that were approved by you but you never deposited that money. I was forced to close my bank account because your company keeps debiting my account.
Julio del Carpio, M. Arch
713-926-7265
Mario
September 20, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC -7)
Same here EVO is holding 38 000.00 of my money giving excuses on risk management its been since July. They said they would release half on the 19 Sept and as I expected samething. Do not do businees with this coming it looks like they are cash strapped.
Natalya S
December 4, 2010 at 2:53 pm (UTC -7)
Hi. I don’t see how EVO’s grade can drastically change when their sales associates contiue in their ways of shady sales practices, deceptive advertisement, and poor customer service. I dealt with one in particular, Jeff Gates. He puposefully decieved on term limits and fees associated with EVO account. After he was confronted with the issue, he began actively avoiding his client.
Ebben Aley
December 6, 2010 at 11:00 am (UTC -7)
It didnt drastically change. It was never a F to begin with.
Who Is Jeff Gates? what office is he from.
Also are you the customer or are you posting on someones behalf.
Ebben Aley
May 16, 2011 at 6:45 am (UTC -7)
Natalya Could you please respond to my post about your comment?
Ebben M Aley
November 25, 2010 at 11:56 am (UTC -7)
Please explain were you are getting your info?
Evo Merchant services better business rating is A+
http://www.bbb.org/columbia/business-reviews/credit-cards-and-plans-equipment-and-supplies/evo-merchant-services-in-columbia-sc-3401470
Phillip Parker
November 30, 2010 at 10:38 am (UTC -7)
Hi Ebben,
Thank you for bringing the updated rating to my attention. I have amended the review to reflect the accurate BBB.org report.
David Williams
February 9, 2011 at 10:59 am (UTC -7)
I had used EVO merchant processing up until about a year ago. I was upset with the fees and that it would take between 8 – 10 business days to post a credit to my account. Since I have found less expensive and more timely service to handle my credit accounts.
About 8 months ago I called to cancel my account and even though I had been a customer for 4 years, my contract had not yet expired. It was easier to just pay the monthly fees on the account until my contract terminated in January 2011.
I stopped receiving statements when there was not any activity on the account and I never agreed to receive statements electronically. Quite frankly, I forgot about EVO.
That is until January, when a charge for $120.00 appeared on my bank statement. I contacted EVO regarding the charge and was told that it would be handled once they receive a fax to that effect. I prepared the fax according to what I was told and sent the fax later that day.
I didn’t expect a expeditious resolution to the situation and regularly checked for my refund. Instead I found that I was charged my $21.00 monthly maintenance fee in February. I called again and discovered they did receive my fax but because the fax was not signed it was ignored. I was not contacted regarding the missing signature.
I was finally directed to Ms. Sullivan. After relaying the events she told me that none of fees I had paid were refundable.
I feel that if EVO had continued to provide me with statements even though there was not any activity on the account, I would have realized that I needed to formally cancel the service. To change my statements to online without notice and authorization is a clear act of fraud. For EVO to reject my termination fax and not notify me and then to charge me again I believe clearly reveals the type of company is. To give this company a BBB rating of an F is very generous.
Ebben Aley
February 9, 2011 at 12:23 pm (UTC -7)
David please send me a email with your contact info so I can help you.
Thanks
Ebben M Aley
ealey@goevo.com
Keith S
February 9, 2011 at 11:16 am (UTC -7)
This information is from the NYC Better Business Bureau’s website.
EVO
It states as of 2-8-2011 that EVO Merchant Services in not accredited with the BBB and that it has 7 complaints. 4 were closed. The complaints included, billing/collection issues, contract disputes, refund/exchange issues and selling practices.
This is a quote from the BBB site:
“..BBB Rating
Back to Top
“Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F. ”
Here’s the link: http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/credit-card-processing-service/evo-merchant-services-in-new-york-ny-101814/
Phillip Parker
February 9, 2011 at 12:04 pm (UTC -7)
There are actually several BBB.org profiles that list EVO Merchant Services, which makes it confusing and could hurt EVO’s credibility:
http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/credit-card-processing-service/evo-merchant-services-in-new-york-ny-101814/
http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/point-of-sale-systems/merchant-services-incorporated-in-melville-ny-27798/#cmpl
http://www.bbb.org/memphis/business-reviews/credit-card-processing-service/evo-merchant-services-in-charlotte-nc-44029428
Julio del Carpio
May 12, 2011 at 6:59 pm (UTC -7)
Mr. Parker:
What credibility are you talking about?
They took $ 8000 from my account. That money was not theirs because they never deposited a penny on 5 transactions I had with them. Instead they illegally took an additional $ 6000 without our permission.
Ebben Aley
May 16, 2011 at 6:38 am (UTC -7)
Julio could you send me your contact info, and who you talked with in the risk department.
Thanks
Ebben
Ebben Aley
February 9, 2011 at 12:33 pm (UTC -7)
The address listed is wrong for the New York Office which is why complaints or issues go un answered.
Evo has over 300,000 Merchants
I have called the BBB of New York and had to leave a message.
Ron Tedwater
November 12, 2010 at 5:55 pm (UTC -7)
Great work keep it coming