Patriot Payment Group Review
UPDATE 2/4/2019: The Patriot Payment Group website is currently unavailable, and it appears that the site has been down since mid-2016. All available evidence indicates that Patriot Payment Group is no longer an active brand. The lone executive-level employee that has been publicly associated with Patriot Payment Group now appears to work at a company called PayDyne, LLC (topratedpointofsale.com). If you have any information about Patriot Payment Group's current status (including any DBAs or rebrandings), please share it in the comment section below this review.
Patriot Payment Group and North American Bancard were ordered to pay a $3.7 million class action settlement in April 2017 after a merchant alleged that the company engaged in illegal telemarketing. Details of the settlement can be found here.
Patriot Payment Group (patriotpaymentgroup.com) is a merchant account provider headquartered in Dallas, Texas. “Powered” by PayProTec, Patriot Payment Group resells North American Bancard products and services. Patriot Payment Group is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, California, and is headquartered at 12100 Ford Road, Suite 200, Dallas, Texas 75234. The Better Business Bureau lists Jose Amador as the principal for Patriot Payment Group.
Patriot Payment Group Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Total Online Complaints | 10+ |
|---|---|
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | N/A |
There are over ten negative Patriot Payment Group reviews to be found on the usual consumer protection websites, and one of these complaints specifically accuses the company of being a scam. Two of the total complaints have been filed by the company’s former employees rather than merchants, and these reviews mention an unsupportive work environment with unreliable pay, poor business ethics, and unqualified leads. Merchant complaints about the company mention undisclosed fees, high prices, annoying telephone calls, and difficulty reaching customer support. Patriot Payment Group lists a phone number on its website, but it’s unclear whether this phone line is intended for merchant support.
Patriot Payment Group Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Product & Service Complaints | 2 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 2 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 4 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
Patriot Payment Group currently has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau based on eight complaints received since April 2014. Four complaints were related to advertising or sales, two were categorized as product or service problems, and two had to do with billing or collection. Patriot Payment Group successfully resolved three of the complaints, while one either was resolved to the customer’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final response from the complainant. The remaining four received no response from Patriot Payment Group, and the BBB cites these complaints as the main factor lowering the company’s score to an “F.” Considering that half of the company’s complaints have been ignored, we see no reason to adjust the BBB’s rating at this time.
Patriot Payment Group Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Swiped Rate | Variable |
|---|---|
| Keyed-in Rate | Variable |
| Early Termination Fee | Variable |
| PCI Compliance Fee | Variable |
| Equipment Lease Terms | Variable |
There is very little public information available regarding the standard Patriot Payment Group contract at this time. The company does not list its pricing on its website, but multiple merchant complaints describe multiyear agreements with the aforementioned $12.95 monthly minimum fee and $79.95 annual fee as well as early termination fees of up to $495. One complaint mentions a liquidated damages termination fee, but it’s unclear if this a standard condition of the company’s contract. It is likely that the company’s agents have the freedom to alter the contract terms to a significant degree. The available complaints cite contract terms that are average or more expensive than average for the industry, so we have reduced the company’s score in this section to a “C-.” If you have any information regarding the standard Patriot Payment Group contract, please share it in the comment section below.
Patriot Payment Group Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
|---|---|
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Patriot Payment Group appears to primarily market itself through a combination of independently contracted sales reps and telemarketing. The use of these sales tactics is commonly linked to elevated complaint rates, and we have found a handful of Patriot Payment Group merchant complaints that mention nondisclosure of fees and persistent telemarketing by the company’s agents. Merchants specifically cite nondisclosure of the company’s monthly minimum fee of $12.95 and its annual fee of $79.95. To its credit, Patriot Payment Group does not appear to list any deceptive rate quotes or misleading offers in its official materials.
Our Patriot Payment Group Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Patriot Payment Group rates as an average merchant services provider according to our rating system. The company is showing a relatively low number of complaints, but its pricing appears to more expensive than average. Merchants are advised to exercise caution and read all contract terms before signing up.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
TB
The sales team at Patriot Payment Group deliberately fails to disclose ALL fees that are assessed to your merchant account in order to make their product more attractive. The sales team will hound you to get your business. Once you sign up, they become unresponsive.
What they promised:
1. Patriot Payments would buy me out of my current merchant contract.
2. I would be charged transaction fees 1.39% + .20 per transaction.
3. I would be charged a monthly account maintenance fee of $5.95.
As a small business owner, this fee structure was very attractive. However, after noticing random debits to my account, I called to inquire and found out that in addition to the fees listed above, I was charged:
1. Additional transactions fees from Visa, MasterCard, Amex, etc…
2. A $79.95 annual fee from Patriot
3. A $99 annual PCI Compliance fee from NAB
4. A monthly ($7.95), or quarterly ($19.95), or annual ($64.95) PCI compliance network scan fee. (NAB)
Had the additional charges been disclosed, I wouldn’t have signed up with Patriot Payment Group. Patriot lures its customers by emphasizing the lower transaction rate of 1.39% (+.20). However, once the additional fees are factored, their service is not more attractive or as cost effective.
Small business owners BEWARE!
—
Are you with Patriot Payment Group? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Gina Schillinger
I had a representative come to our family farm and say there was no fees, no contracts and lower percentage, also if I cancelled the company I was with they would reimburse me the $395 fee for cancelling. I have never receiived the reimbursement for 5 months. I also was charge $79.00 twice for Patriots annual fee and 3 months latter I was charge $99.00 fee twice from North American for their annual fee. I am seasonal farm business and closed during the winter and I am still being charged all kinds of fees and a minimum fee of $40 for no transactions. I was also charged $3.99 last month with an account number that is not mine. I have sent email after email and left voice mails and faxed letters to Jose and others who i was told was in charge of my account. North American refers me to Patriot and they never answer. As a small seasonal family business I can afford all these fees and lies. The first sign should have been the salesman Paul Revay left and I called the number on his card a lady names Doris voice mail came on. I cancelled my accounts as of 1/1/16 with emails and faxes since I can’t get anyone to answer.
—
Are you with Patriot Payment Group? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Paul Chaney
I responded to a cold call by a Patriot Payment Group rep in the fall of 2014. I didn’t want to make a decision right then, so I asked her to all me back. Another person did call me back, and she got information from me about my business. I told her of my very marginal need for merchant card processing, and that I had customers want to pay by card maybe once every other month, or about 6 times per year. I explained that my customers pay by cash or check. She asked what my gross sales were, and she immediately recommended a tablet-type terminal and a phone swiper. She said that everything processed would be 1.69%, but that there would be a $12.95 monthly fee for the account. I agreed to the price, because when I had a service before, it cost me $30 per month, and the percentage was much higher. I received the equipment, was charged the monthly fee at the beginning of January, and someone called me and walked me through a test transaction. When I was ready to start using the service, I had a feeling that I needed to verify the terms, conditions, and costs. I went to the PayAnywhere website and discovered that there is a $79.95 fee if processing volume is under $5000 per month with the tablet account. I immediately called Jose Amador, my “personal” rep, and he told me that the fee was negotiable. I was never told that there was a minimum, and I never received any disclosures. February came, and my statement came with a charge of $91.95. I protested that I had not signed up to pay a large fee. I went to my bank and they said they could reject the item, but when I asked for my money back, I was told that it would be refunded. So I did not do a stop payment. Brad, the manager, made promises, but no one called or did anything. This same situation of calling, getting no response, went on for 3 weeks. I was assured that I would be taken care of. March came, and I was charged another $91.95, and I hit the roof. This time, I demanded all of my money be returned to me, but also, I did not wait for them to NOT do what they said they were going to do again. I stopped payment on the amount. I was promised a return of both $79.95 fees, but they wouldn’t return the money until I returned the tablet and set up a phone-swiper-only account. I set up the new account, which has a 2.69% rate, but no monthly fee and no minimum. I refused to pay for the shipping, so they eventually sent me a prepaid UPS label, and I returned it. I protested that their sales person did not listen to my business needs, sold me a service that they knew I did not want and that did not make business sense. I insisted that they should have sold me the phone-swiper service and not the tablet service, and that because it was their error, they should refund me the three $12.95 charges as well as the two $79.95 charges. They promised to refund me the latter, but they never refunded me any money. PPG sold me the wrong service, refused to admit their error, repeatedly lied to me about having someone contact me, repeatedly lied to me about refunding me my money. I waited for them to do what they said they were going to do. Brad repeatedly told me that he wanted me to be completely satisfied, and that he would not stop until he personally took care of my case. But he NEVER did anything! PPG’s sales behavior and false customer service is no better than fraud. Why would anyone do business with a company that has employees who blatantly lie to you? I feel like they just plain stole my money–and not only that, but wasted many hours of my time, and caused me much frustration.
Bev Warren
Ok, where to start………….we had a rep from your company, her caller I.D.says Kirsten Diaz however she goes my another name. The first thing that came out of her mouth is, “Your my first customers”. RED FLAGS!!! What was supposed to be a 20 minute session, turned into a two and a half hour session as she said watching a video was required. The laptop she had, was really old, really slow and the monitor was cracked, so I guess I could hear the presentation. After she FINALLY left, I was with a client in my showroom and she barges in the door and shoves her phone in my ear saying I needed to verify all the information that took her two and a half hours to collect…………another 15 minutes, meanwhile my patient client was still waiting. I went to my office too retrieve the last bit of info and when I returned, she was sitting talking casually to my client asking a lot of questions. I could see she was not comfortable with the situation, I then asked the rep to leave.She sent all the wrong information that caused my company to suffer as they held my money for 10 days and only because the owners wife is a banker, did she bring it to my attention, that the money had never been put into the account. So now I ask you, what kind of a scam is this, not a very good one for sure. But I only wish I could speak with this rep and her supervisor to let them know, she clearly needed more training.
Dan Weissmann
Patriot Payment Group lied to me and said there were no fees. They were trying to woo me away from a different provider. Then out of no where they charged me $79.95 for an annual membership fee. I complained and they told me it was on my statement Thing is, I receive no statements from them.
They have also overcharged me on my first three invoices. Their rep rarely calls me back and I have to make multiple calls, often with no results until I call their main number and complain,
Bottom line, they are liars and incompetent. I feel so strongly about this that you are welcome to use my name and email address in this post. I have nothing to fear from the truth.