Advanced Merchant Services Review: Worth the Risk or Better Options?

Advanced Merchant Services is a merchant account provider in operation since 1999 that serves most standard-risk domestic businesses. The company initially boarded high-risk merchant types under its subsidiary, Next Level Payment Solutions, but the subsidiary seems to no longer be active. Advanced Merchant Services appears to resell the products and services of First Data (now Fiserv) and Clover as a POS solution. Unfortunately, the company has received a high volume of complaints regarding telemarketing tactics from its ISOs and independent sales agents.

Payment Processing

Advanced Merchant Services (AMS) provides a variety of payment processing solutions for businesses. They focus on offering competitive rates and utilizing advanced processing technology.

EMV-Ready Terminal Offerings

AMS offers free EMV-ready terminals to businesses that use their services. EMV terminals are essential for meeting current global processing standards.

Clover Program

The company provides the Clover program, which features the latest in payment processing technology. Businesses can start with a free Clover Go or may qualify for a free Clover Mini, a modern and flexible payment processing hardware.

Overview of Advanced Merchant Services Reviews

We’ve identified over 30 negative reviews of Advanced Merchant Services, with numerous allegations pointing towards scamming practices by the company. A significant portion of these grievances centers around the company’s sales techniques, particularly aggressive telemarketing strategies reminiscent of slamming, which have led some businesses to distrust Advanced Merchant Services entirely. We invite you to share your experiences with Advanced Merchant Services in the comments below to provide further insights into the company’s practices.

Evaluating Advanced Merchant Services Customer Support

Advanced Merchant Services has acknowledged some of the public complaints, attributing many sales-related issues to “problems with the call process.” It remains unclear whether customers reporting deceptive practices related to unwanted equipment leases have been able to terminate their agreements satisfactorily.

PaymentPop Rating for Advanced Merchant Services

Negative Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Advanced Merchant Services on the PaymentPop website.

Advanced Merchant Services BBB Rating

Advanced Merchant Services currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and is not BBB-accredited. The company has received 1 complaint in the past 36 months.

An “A” Performance Overall

As of a previous update, the company received 1 positive informal review, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB. At this time, the company has no informal reviews on its BBB profile. With such a low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s assessment of an “A.”

Google Maps Rating for Advanced Merchant Services

Advanced Merchant Services has a 2.8 out of 5 star rating based on 91 user reviews on Google Maps.

Obscured Contract Terms

There is limited public information available regarding the standard contract terms of Advanced Merchant Services. The company does not openly disclose its pricing and fees on its website, and there are few client complaints providing specific cost details. However, some complaints mention an early termination fee ranging from $395 to $495, often associated with extended merchant account contracts and equipment leases. Yet, comprehensive evidence regarding the company’s pricing and contract terms remains elusive.

Variable Pricing Structure

As a reseller of First Data (Fiserv) contracts, Advanced Merchant Services might offer contract terms akin to those provided by First Data (Fiserv). Typically, First Data (Fiserv) implements multi-year agreements with an early termination fee of $495, a monthly PCI compliance fee of $19.95, and tiered pricing. For transactions under $50,000 per month, the swiped rate is 2.69% plus $0.19, while for amounts surpassing $50,000, the rate drops to 2.29% plus $0.19. Additionally, clients may encounter non-cancellable, long-term equipment leases via First Data Global Leasing.

Available evidence suggests that the rates and contract terms offered by Advanced Merchant Services may not be competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts. The company’s reliance on independently contracted sales agents might contribute to pricing discrepancies across agents.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Services

Aside from its brick-and-mortar payment processing services, Advanced Merchant Solutions also advertises virtual terminal and payment gateway solutions. Unfortunately, the pricing for these services is not openly disclosed. Additionally, clients should expect ancillary fees such as gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates for e-commerce services.

General Discontent with Contracts

It is probable that Advanced Merchant Services offers credit card terminals and POS systems through First Data Global Leasing. Despite the scarcity of complaints specifically concerning Advanced Merchant Services’ contract terms, available evidence suggests that clients who inadvertently engage with the company express dissatisfaction with the incurred costs. If you possess specific insights into Advanced Merchant Services’ standard fees or contract terms, please share them in the comments below. We also encourage merchants to peruse our compilation of the best merchant accounts.

Our search has not revealed any active class-action lawsuits or Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaints against Advanced Merchant Services. For those seeking to address their disputes outside of court, contacting appropriate regulatory bodies is recommended.

Sales Complaints

Advanced Merchant Services appears to market its services primarily through a combination of telemarketing and independently contracted sales agents. This marketing strategy is often linked to elevated complaint rates within the credit card processing industry, and Advanced Merchant Services appears to be no exception. We are currently able to locate dozens of Advanced Merchant Services reviews that describe aggressive telemarketing tactics and deceptive conduct by the company’s sales team. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Slamming Allegations

Specifically, a large number of Advanced Merchant Services reviews claim that the company is engaged in a practice called “slamming.” Slamming occurs when a sales agent calls a place of business posing as the business’ current credit card processor in order to convince the business to open a new account with that agent’s company. In Advanced Merchant Services’ case, multiple business owners claim to have received calls from Advanced Merchant Services reps claiming that the business needed to update their credit card processing machines due to the new EMV regulations. The following complaint describes a typical exchange:

Company claims to be Advanced Merchant Services and says that our business credit card machine needs to be upgraded to new one. We are on the national Do Not Call List. They still call almost daily and hound our staff about us needing a new machine. They finally faxed us paperwork that must be filled out so we can get new machine. Paperwork needs bank account number and is thru a different bank than our usual bank who already had our credit card merchant service account and who already knows our bank account number. Liars, as they appear to be from your same card merchant company, but they are NOT. They try to trick you into filling out/signing their forms, which will switch your card business to them instead of your usual merchant company. Sorry way to do business!! Don’t give them info. Don’t deal with them.

The reports of Advanced Merchant Services using this tactic are consistent from business to business and can be found across multiple online forums. This makes it less likely that this issue is simply confined to a few agents.

Ensure Your Provider’s Identity

Businesses that are contacted by Advanced Merchant Services (or any credit card processor, for that matter) should make absolutely certain that they are dealing with their actual merchant account provider before signing up for any “upgrades” or “rate reviews.” Additionally, If you suspect that Advanced Merchant Services is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden costs.

Advanced Merchant Services currently holds an average rating as a credit card processing provider within our assessment criteria. However, this rating is tempered by an alarming number of complaints specifically targeting the company’s sales tactics. A significant portion of client feedback accuses the company of deceptive practices, with some even labeling it a rip-off. These concerns are serious and cast doubt on the integrity and reliability of the services offered.

In addition to the troubling sales practices, Advanced Merchant Services does not seem to offer any particularly competitive pricing or favorable contract terms that might set it apart from others in the industry. Given these factors, business owners should approach any dealings with Advanced Merchant Services with heightened caution. It is vital to thoroughly read and understand all contract terms, paying close attention to the identity of the contracting company to avoid any potential misunderstandings or misrepresentations.