Alpine Payment Systems Review: Fees, Complaints & Lawsuits
Note: As of January 2022, the Alpine Payment Systems website is no longer functioning. We have no indication of activity from the business since 2019. We therefore believe the company is out of business, and we will no longer be updating this review. If you have any information that the company is still functioning, please let us know in the comments below.
Acquired By TouchSuite
Alpine Payment Systems is a merchant account provider founded in 2006 and based in Vancouver, Washington. The company also goes by the alternative names of IQ Payment Systems and, simply, Alpine Payments. Alpine Payment Systems was acquired by TouchSuite in July 2018, but continues to function as its own brand; it primarily operates as an Independent Sales Organization for First Data (Fiserv), Chase Paymentech, and First American Payment Systems and offers a broad range of merchant services.
Alpine Payment Systems Payment Processing
Alpine Payment Systems processes most major credit and debit cards for most business sizes. Their services include multiple point-of-sale solutions, multiple ATM solutions, mobile payments, gift and loyalty solutions, cash advances, card swipers, Grubbrr self-service solutions, tokenization and encryption, and payment gateways through Authorize.net, NMI, USAePay, or Converge.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington
Alpine Payment Systems is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank. N.A., Walnut Creek, California, and Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio, with headquarters located at 1111 Main St, Suite 201, Vancouver, Washington 98660. Robert Ensminger is listed as the president and CEO of Alpine Payment Systems in addition to serving as the CEO of Executech Lease Group.
Alpine Payment Systems Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Alpine Payment System offers a three-year contract through either First Data (Fiserv) or Chase Merchant Services with a variable early termination fee and non-cancelable lease agreement. The company relies on Authorize.Net, NMI, Converge, and USAePay for online payment gateways.
- Complaints & Service: Alpine Payment System has received more than 40 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Alpine Payment System has two profiles with the Better Business Bureau, one of which has no rating and has received 0 complaints and 0 reviews in the past 3 years and one of which has an “A+” rating and has received 0 complaints and 1 review in the past 3 years.
- Sales & Marketing: Alpine Payment System employs independently contracted sales reps and has received a moderate volume of sales-related complaints.
Alpine Payment Systems Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Total Online Complaints | 40+ |
|---|---|
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Sales Tactics |
Moderate Complaint Volume
We are currently able to locate over 40 negative Alpine Payment Systems reviews, some of which accuse the credit card processor of being a scam or a ripoff. Common complaints among merchants include high early termination fees, deceptive sales practices, expensive equipment leases, and aggressive telemarketing. Representatives of Alpine Payment Systems have responded to many of these complaints with varying degrees of sincerity and professionalism. Complaints against the company have been posted consistently over the past three years.
Alpine Payment Systems Lawsuits and Fines
In 2019, Alpine was sued for an alleged breach of contract with a business partner who had purchased the rights to revenue for a period of time. We can not find a conclusion to this case, and it may still be ongoing. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Alpine Payment Systems Customer Service Options
The Alpine Payment Systems website offers dedicated phone and email support contact information, although it is unclear whether these channels are serviced by Alpine Payment Systems or by one of its processors. The company’s support channels are currently insufficient to qualify it as a top-rated payment processor for customer service.
Alpine Payment Systems Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Product & Service Complaints | 0 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 0 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 0 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 0 |
Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.
Under 10 Complaints
As of this review, Alpine Payment Systems (under the name “AB-Alpine SPE, LLC”) has a rating of “A+” with the Better Business Bureau and one profile under “Alpine Payment Systems” has no rating. Across the two profiles, the company is currently showing 0 complaints in the last 36 months.
What Merchants Say
Alpine Payment Systems also has received 1 informal review, negative in tone. The most recent review describes poor customer service and constant calls:
I started receiving phone calls from the company a couple months ago. They have harassed me for months, i have received over 50 phone calls. When i explained to the employee on the phone i am not interested her response was ” I will call back later”. She did not believe me when i said i was in charge. I dont suggest working with this company. There are much better more prominent and known payment processing companies out there and i suggest you go with somebody else. If there customer service reflects there work god help you! Today i called a manger and let them know i will be contacting my attorney if i receive another phone call. I run a legitimate business and cant be harassed everyday with these calls. I will be submitting a complaint to BBB as i see im not the only one with this problem!
These sales tactics and calling behavior are not indicative of a merchant account offering excellent customer service.
A “B” Rating
At the time of our previous update, the BBB had posted a notice on Alpine’s profile stating that it has received reports of high-pressure sales tactics as well as discrepancies between verbal offers and contractual language. This has since been removed and does not appear to have negatively affected Alpine’s BBB score. In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “B.”
Alpine Payment Systems Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Swiped Rate | 1.00% - 4.99% |
|---|---|
| Keyed-in Rate | 1.00% - 4.99% |
| Virtual Terminal Rate | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Gateway Setup Fee | Up to $100 |
| Gateway Fee | $25 Per Month |
| Early Termination Fee | $350 |
| Annual Fee | Up to $79 |
| PCI Compliance Fee | $199 Per Year |
| Equipment Lease Terms | 48 Month (locked) |
Alpine Payment Systems Pricing
The most recent available Alpine Payment Systems contracts show that the company offers services through either First Data (Fiserv) or Chase Paymentech, now Chase Merchant Services. Both agreements include three-year service terms with an automatic renewal for 1 year. The Chase Paymentech contract specifies an early termination fee (ETF) of $350, while the First Data (Fiserv) agreement appears to include a variable ETF. We have located evidence that the company charges a PCI Compliance fee of $199 and a non-compliance fee of $19.95 per month, and some merchant complaints report annual fees ranging from $59 to $79.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
The Alpine Payment Systems website emphasizes its options for e-commerce solutions. Its virtual terminal and payment gateway services are in partnership with Authorize.Net, NMI, Converge, and USAePay. Under a typical Authorize.Net contract, transactions made through the company’s payment gateway are assessed at a flat rate of 2.9% plus $0.30. Additionally, a gateway fee of $25 per month and a batch fee of $0.10 are included. USAePay also charges a gateway fee of $25 per month as well as a setup fee of up to $100. Additional fees such as technical support fees may also apply to RedFynn’s payment gateway services.
Level 2 and Level 3 Processing Services
In addition to its traditional merchant services, Alpine Payment Systems also advertises that it provides Level 2 and Level 3 processing for B2B and B2G transactions through its Authorize.Net and USAePay payment gateways. Level 2 and Level 3 processing rely upon different interchange rates than traditional consumer credit transactions. Accommodating those rates requires different payment processing technology from a merchant account provider to transmit the amount of data required to facilitate the transactions. These services are reserved for B2B and B2G purchases that utilize corporate credit cards.
Beware Equipment Leases
In addition, the company appears to have at one point sold equipment leases through Northern Leasing, a company notorious for issuing long-term, expensive, non-cancellable equipment leases. It is unclear whether Alpine Payment Systems still sells equipment through Northern Leasing, Executech Lease Group, or First Data Global Leasing, but merchants are advised to watch out for a long-term, non-cancellable lease either way and to consider opting for a recognized cheap merchant account provider, instead. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Alpine Payment Systems Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
|---|---|
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | Yes |
Sales Complaints
Alpine Payment Systems utilizes telemarketing and independent sales agents to market its services. These tactics used in conjunction often result in high complaint rates for companies, and Alpine appears to be no exception. We are currently able to locate dozens of Alpine Payment Systems complaints that cite deceptive conduct by the company’s sales agents, including nondisclosure of terms, misrepresentation of rates, and aggressive sales tactics both over the phone and in person. In cases where Alpine had an opportunity to respond to these merchant complaints, the company sometimes provided a professional rebuttal, and on other occasions, it stated that the customer had signed a contract and was bound to its terms, regardless of what a sales agent had told the merchant. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
No Deceptive Advertising
To its credit, Alpine Payment Systems does not appear to engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials, and at one point it even provided its contracts and other information on its website. However, this does not compensate for the numerous reviews citing unpleasant sales experiences. If you suspect that Alpine Payments is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to eliminate hidden costs.
Our Alpine Payment Systems Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
An Average Option
Alpine Payment Systems rates as an average merchant services provider according to our standards. The company is showing a moderate number of complaints for its size and time in business and appears to offer standard contract terms. It is unclear whether the company is affiliated with Northern Leasing at this time, but there is evidence to indicate that the two companies were partnered in the past. Merchants are advised to carefully read all contract terms and to compare Alpine Payments’ pricing to the top overall providers.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
Thalia W
If I could give this company zero stars I would. Be prepared for an ill informed run around and binding you to loan companies to rent your equipment for outrageous markups. I strongly recommend that your business avoid signing any contract with Alpine Payment Systems. They grossly misrepresented the savings, provided equipment which failed often and because they require that you lease your equipment, bind you for 3-6 years of payment on equipment you may not be using that is disgustingly overpriced for old outdated terminal hardware for my credit card processing. In cohort with Time Payment and Ascentium Capital. Do not trust!
Larry Lovelin
Hi I have been a customer with Alpine Payment Systems for a long time. Been in business almost 17 years. When I have a question about anything, I just call in. They are always friendly and want to help…just like my next door neighbor..Always trying to give me the best rates……They have full filled my last few requests since their company was bought and promise even better rates…..Thank you, Sarina and Zareena!!
Cathy Kempton
I would just like to thank Zareena Ahmed For going above and beyond making sure our business was still running with a merchant credit card machine. After trying to update our machine the tech found that our machine was to far outdated to update. So they said they had to send out a new machine in which we would not receive until the following Monday. Zareena found out about it and brought us a new machine immediately that same day all set up and ready to go! Thank you Zareena You Rock!
CPO
Hi Cathy,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
Edward Banacka
Do not trust this company!
I had them processing my credit cards for a while, but then cancelled them after my contract was up because of such bad service. I sent a certified letter in July 2018 cancelling them. I called them and they said they got the letter and the account was closed. I thought that was the end of the bad service. In December they actually billed me 79.00 for their service in 2018. You call them and they tell you about bad management they’ve had, and there is nothing they can do about it. They have had access to my checking accounts to put CC charges into it and withdraw charges. Today I went to the bank and put a stop on my account for this company. My lawyer said send them a certified letter telling them to stop.
Stay away from this company at all costs!!!
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
Susan H Costa
Alipine Payments is a dishonest, unpleasant company. I signed up for their credit card payment services in spring 2018 but they never set up my account. I finally noticed in Sept. 2018 they had charged me $319 in fees so I contacted them. I did receive $200 back but they told me I needed to get the remaining refund from their payment company. I contacted that company and they said I needed to get the refund from Alpine. I contacted Alpine and they said they would not refund me and were very unpleasant. This company is not reputable.
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Best All-Purpose Merchant Accounts
Anwar M Amini
Not professional, promising and making you sign
not cancel able contracts for the services they can’t provide. Most probably they work as broker for leasing company, as they force the customer to to for a lease of equipment,too. I can name them thieves.
Randy S
This company calls 3 to 10 time a day. I ask them to stop and they laugh at you. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE People. Bullies!!!!
Shannon
We are just small family own business. We never signed up for Alpine payment systems and First Data services. Never receive any equipment now we are begin billed for services and equipment not rendered. Now they are saying equipment was delivered on 12/14/17. We never received anything. Wont give us any tracking number. There’s something Fraudulent going on with this.
Pearl Fiber Arts
Their telemarketing people call multiple times a week, sometimes more than once per day. They’re always quite nice — at least it’s not a pre-recorded thing like some companies — and as soon as they identify who they’re with, I say, “Please stop calling me!” and hang up. Never does any good. Caller ID is always from a different number, or blocked. Major nuisance!
Jenn Glosemeyer
This company has called my store 4 times in one week after being asked to remove us from their calling system. Each time they call, I have been pulled from an appointment because when my staff asks if it is a sales call, they reply no and make it seem like we have an emergency with our payment system. Each time I have asked to be removed, I have been told “no”, just straight up no or hung up on. And now when we ask if this is a sales call, they say they can’t give out that information. We have NEVER been a customer or client of this company so they have no reason to contact us except for a sales call. I would not recommend doing business with any company that displays such shady and blatantly illegal business practices. Yeah, that is who I want handling my credit card transactions, a company that harasses us and refuses to comply with federal regulations. What a pathetic excuse for a business platform.
Lisa
Total rip off and scam artists. They charge $75 a month for 5 years for equipment that costs less than $399. They want a $1500 cancellation fee for a contract valid until 10/2019. The chip function was not available for debit cards, so all transactions had to be procesed as credit which was a much higher rate. While disabling the chip function alllowed processing of debit cards, the company stated that we would be responsible for any fraudulent transaction… it blows my mind how shady this company is. I would NEVER recommend this company not even to an enemy if I had one. If anyone files a class action against them, I’m in!!
Melissa
I have been happily employed by Alpine for over 15 months in the Business Development Center. The wonderful management & employees work as a team, and we have an upbeat, positive working environment. We have fun weekly cash/gift bonuses as incentives,as well. We are a family owned business and it feels very rewarding to help so many businesses nationwide increase profit and revenue.
Mary a miller
If this is such a ‘great company’ to work for, compassionate,etc. Could you please. CEASE and Desist calling our business! We do NOT need or want your calls. WE are on the do not call list, with a preamble on our phone that states “no solicitation,” with fact telling you as such. WE block your numbers, and yet you call Daily from yet another truncated number, this spells a lawsuit.
We have excellent credit so I know this is SALES not Collection. STOP calling.
Greg Martin
Signed up with Alpine in April 2016 after a rep stopped by and conducted a rate review. They stated they could save me $20 off my $50 (volume roughly $1,500 that month) processing bill. The rep was new and that should have been my first clue that maybe I wasn’t in the safe hands that I thought I was. After a few months of my processing bill going UP even though my volume went DOWN, I decided to ask for a rate review/adjustment based on a statement from my old processing company. After a month of no communication, I had already changed processing companies and called to cancel my account when they told me that I was on contract and I would incur a contract cancellation fee. This is something that was never explained to me by the sales rep. I was under the impression that since I was using my own equipment that there was no required contract term. They stated they would review my account and have the sales rep get in touch with me about the cancellation fee to see if it could be reduced. Another month goes by, I still haven’t heard from the sales rep but an account manager calls me to collect the cancellation fee. I ask for it to be reduced, at least, because I have been charged fees despite no volume being processed. They were unwilling to help with reducing the cancellation charge, even though I feel they misrepresented their services. So long story short, if you sign up with Alpine, expect a minimum $35/month statement and pass through fees, plus about a 5% effective processing rate. They didn’t even come close to saving me any money (as they promised) and in the end it will be an expensive mistake for me. $8,831 in processing, $876 in fees. Avoid this company…there are FAR better processors out there.
William Little
I strongly recommend that your business avoid signing any contract with Alpine Payment Systems. They grossly misrepresented the savings, provided equipment which failed to capture almost $800.00 of my company sales and because they require that you lease your equipment, bind you for 3-6 years of payment on equipment you may not be using. I will pursuing legal remedy to Alpine’s lack of business ethic. There are now lots of merchant service groups that do not require a contract, Elavon for example. It is in the business community to put Alpine payment systems out of business.
Tessa
They come into my shop right before I close and stay there talked and talked close to 9:00 pm until I sign the contract (which is a big mistake) then they leave, when I called and complaint about all different kind of fees they charge me the customer service was very rude and hung up on me. My contract with the credit card machine end on 02-01-16 I called 01-28-16 a few days before to cancel and they told me I have to paid $150.00 restocking fee plus tax. I end up paid around $165.00 and about $45.00 UPS to deliver it to them and yet I still get charge for the month of February so I called and they told me that I they have to received that machine before 02-01-16 in order for them not to charge me the month of February, what a ripped off even I am not with them any more I still have to paid over $250.00 just stay away from them. Please stay away from this company they LIED, LIED, LIED, AND LIED to get you to sign their contract. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
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Are you with Alpine Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Jeff from Texas
This company is a crooked as they come and reading posts only validates it. Worse than used car salesman but act the same way. Rep comes into my establishment to discuss an ATM. Goes through how much profit I can make. I was told today only if I sign up I will receive $500 in cash and the lease is $50 less than it will be tomorrow. They quoted $200/mo for 5 yrs or $12,000 in payments over the life of the lease. I checked on-line and the ATM retails for less than $3,000. The rep lied about cost of machine and then said that has to be used machine and will never work. Then the fun begins as the rep calls someone and then they try to sell me – “what is it going to take to earn your business today”. What a joke and I had to finally tell rep to leave. There are usury laws on how much interest can be charged on a lease and trust me I will be notifying the state.
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Are you with Alpine Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Nancy
The owner was a used car sales manager. Even the leasing companies win’t lease as he wants. They use to lease a $149 credit card machine for $99 per month for 3 or 4 years. The leasing company said that is too much so Alpine told business owners that “we will give you a second machine for free in case the 1st one goes down. Much better deal, only 36 months at $99 per month for $300 of equipment.
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Are you with Alpine Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Tessa
The sale representative said that I will get the wireless machine if I paid $53.38 monthly fee but they send me a wire machine. Then every month they charge me additional $20.00 for FCC compliance and another $80.00 yearly for VISA FEE I have not idea where all these fees coming from. One day the credit card machine break down I called they said I have to paid $199.00 to replace it and I told them I paid insurance monthly it and they said the insurance only cover fire and theft not the machine. All I am saying is this company is lie, cheat, sneaky, manipulate, can not be trusted, and some one need to do some thing.
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Are you with Alpine Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Nancy
After dealing with this company, from the top down, you do want to take a shower. Their fee structure is like no other, and I mean NO OTHER company out there. A sales rep leasing an ATM to you can make well over $2.000, up to $3,000 and more, if they get someone to lease at the full price.
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Are you with Alpine Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.
Debbie
We own and operate a small business. In the last couple of weeks we’ve had repeated calls from Alpine Payment Systems. Each time we have asked them to remove this number from their system. It hasn’t done any good, they continue to call. They (like SO many other sales calls) have the name of the owner and try to get past the front desk by acting like a personal friend. However, I AM the front desk – and co-owner. They always say (as was done this morning), “This is Summer, over by the mall.” What was different today is that Summer turned out to be the rudest of their employees yet. She literally screamed a word I cannot repeated and slammed the phone down.
I picked up the phone, redialed the last caller, and got another woman. I asked what the businss was and she said Alpine Payment Systems. I started to tell her we wanted our number removed because we’ve received multiple calls when we requested they stop, she wouldn’t let me finish, and said they get the numbers from the yellow pages, they have the right to call us if they want, and I should have a nice day – and THEN she hung up on me.
I am filing complaints everywhere I can find to file one. This is flat out harassment, and it’s illegal if they continue to call when they’ve been asked not to.
Apparently no one ever told them you can catch more flies with honey.
Frank
I worked with Alpine Payment Systems as a sales person they are horrible don’t lease anything, they will lie to make you signed a five years contract. Worst company I ever worked. STay away from them.
John
Who was your sales director? What city did you work in? Please explain why it would be a mistake to be an independent agent for them?
DT
Not a problem. I have a FIRM rule. I don’t do business with cold callers. Period. And when they turn out of to be rude *ss-ole jerks I make sure everybody I can find online knows about it. Obviously from this site I am only one of MANY they’ve treated this way.
Looking back through my records (I have 52 typed pages of notes on nuisance callers – it’s that bad) I find calls from ALPINE PAYMENT SYSTEMS, aka IQ PAYMENT SYSTEMS from the following numbers (ALL ARE NOW BLOCKED):
360-334-4508 – IQ PAYMENT SYSTEMS – Called 4/10/15
360-713-0690 – ALPINE PAYMENT SYSTEMS – Called 4/10/15
503-567-7969 – ALPINE PAYMENT SYSTEMS – Called 2/27/15
I haven’t been called from these numbers but found them online and blocked them:
360-334-4501 )
360-324-4501
360-324-4502
360-324-4503
360-324-4504
360-324-4505
360-324-4506
360-324-4507
877-804-7286
I have a note in my records that I filed a BBB complaint about their harassment on 3/27/13, over two years ago. Nothing ever came of it and obviously they didn’t give a crap because they still call. It’s the height of arrogance to think you can keep harassing businesses and at some point they’ll finally agree to do business with you. NOT IN THIS LIFETIME.
A note on the BBB website for this company (as of today, 7/3/15) states: “On December 15, 2010, BBB recognized a pattern of complaints from consumers regarding sales practice and contract issues. Consumers allege Alpine Payment Systems uses high-pressure sales tactics. Consumers further allege verbal agreements made with the company’s representatives are not accurately represented on the written contracts provided to the consumers. Alpine Payment Systems is working with BBB in an effort to eliminate the underlying cause of the pattern of complaints.”
OBVIOUSLY IT HASN’T WORKED SINCE THEY’VE CONTINUED TO CALL AND HARASS MY BUSINESS UP UNTIL APRIL 2015. I’m sure they’ll be calling again. They are bottom feeders.
Lots of angry consumers are to be found on the internet. A few:
Gina
HORRIBLE COMPANY…rip off at its best!! stay away…they stuck me into a 60 month lease on 2 pieces of equipment and i only needed one!! They knew it too….then they made me sign a letter that if i left their company i have to pay $999 or attorney fees, whatever is greater….guess i am closing my business and going bankrupt thanks to them…
Steve S
Please read this before signing anything with Alpine! I have been in business for 35 years and I can tell you this company is the worst I have ever seen. There is a reason former employees are posting on here as well and I feel sorry for anyone who gets involved with this company. I was told we would save $455 to $712 a month if we switched to Alpine (they later would tell me that was an estimate and not a guarantee). My fees went up over $1000.00 per month! not down as I was told they would. When I call and asked what the problem is they said they would “look into it” but the “decision maker” was out of town. Months went on, me over paying $2000 per month (from what I am currently paying) costing me $16,000.00 before I could get away from them. They lie, lie, lie over and over, DO NOT believe anything they tell you! When I confronted them for the last time I told them that they were either incompetent of fraudulent, the girl said it doesn’t have to be one of those two. I asked her how then does she explain reviewing 3 months of my previous CC processors statements and saying I would save money but in reality would up paying much more (missing their own quote by 200%!)? She just tried to tell me that the rate they were giving me was a “good rate”???????
Dealing with this company will make you feel like your are taking crazy pills, it is that bad. Start to finish my experience with this company was terrible and frustrating to say the very least.
Angie Jensen
I to am going through a bad time with them. Claiming that I am under contract when I have not recieved the machine and they say I need to mail a copy of the signed and dated contract to them because the ones they have gotten are not able to be read. Well I have not mailed them and I want to cancel. they say I have an account open with them blah, blah and it costs $999 to close it. well guess what I am the only one supposidly with a readable contract. so I cant be under contract right now especially when I have not recieved the machine. And yes they claim they will save you money and help grow your business but the bottom line is when the monthly fee ( no matter how much or how litte I use the machine) is a big chunk of change I dont care about the percentage rate so much as the HAVE To PAY monthly bill that will drain me dry. They dont get it. Have gotten aggressive and are not nice now that I said I would not like to go through with this. STAY AWAY From them! I am ready to call my attorney to take care of this fully.
BETTY
Oh my! That is exactly what has been going on at our restaurant. I had to call the police twice the same day to remove the sales representative from our property. The manager harassed me and the owner of our company saying that he had proof that we had under age people serving alcohol at our business. The owner was reduced to tears asking to please stop harassing us.
Horrible, they never delivered any POS, and just dropped a terminal that we didn’t use since we hadn’t cancel our previous merchant services company.
There is more, but not worth to get into. Stay away from them.
James
WATCH OUT FOR THEM AND THEIR SALES REPS. I dont know about anyone else but Their sales reps tell you one thing and go over the contract and then hand you another. They claim they are the best and will save you money. DO NOT Believe. DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT!!!!!!!!!! When you challenge them they will refer back to the contract you sign. It will probably wont be the terms you read. The sales rep claimed it would be aprox $365.00 to cancel and when canceling the contract they hand you is $999.00 per terminal. Also when closing your account they start claiming you have to do this and you have to do that . They will continue to soak you dry. Then when you had enough they will start all over again. I ENOURAGE anyone who has been scammed by them to file a claim.
Alpine Employee
Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8:00am to 6:00pm. Our contact number is (877) 804-7286. We would ask that you contact us anytime you have an issue with your account and allow us to assist you in resolving the problem.
Thank you
Clint Zimmer
This company is incorrect. When you call the customer support is rude and defends only Alpine. If they hang up on you and you call back they then say that you are harassing the company. The post above was actually recently added by Alpine when they started receiving numerous terrible reviews on their facebook. Instead of fixing their company they instead posted their office hours.
John Fall
This company stole $2000 from my company when they mistakenly linked my company up with another. I am still receiving bills for another stores merchant charges and Alpine will not help. The next step will have to involve a lawsuit and my lawyer. NEVER USE ALPINE THEY WILL ROB YOU!!
Colby Moritz
I also am a victim of Alpine The saleperson was extremely aggressive and was in my place of business for a total of 8 hours . He talked l;ike he was your best friend and knew prople in common. It wasn’t until the last 45 minutes that he got the most aggressive and wouldn’t leave He lied about almost everything on the contract , however after working such a long day (I had 2 jobs) he insisted so I signed thinking that I could just cancel the contract the next day . Unfortunatly I did not receive a copy for 3 weeks and by that time it was a deal. I did not know that I signed on with a company from New York with a contract that was totally outrageous Iam now facing a lawsuit that I have to appear in New York not Portland where the contract was signed or pay them $8,500.00 to get oput of the contract . All this garbage for a system that I never used or even hooked up . I have been harrassed by Alpine and Northern leasing systemsfor 3 years . Northern leasing who Alpine contracts with for leasing equipment has about 1,800 lawsuits in New York Civil court this year alone . I know there a\re honest providers out there but I wouldn,t for a second even consider do business with these kind of business people They prey on small business and don’t care about anything but the buck. .I would love to hear from others about how to deal with these kind practices
Karma
After meeting with with this company about employment I thought I would get on-line and see what the Internet had to say about Alpine Payment Systems. Needless to say I was shocked to see so much negativity about such a small company. I did not trust my gut and took the job anyway. This is what I found out. The reviews on here are not just a bunch of bitter ex employees but rather fellow Americans that were let down by this company and do NOT want this to happen to you. Based on what I have seen I believe that everything I have read about this company is true except for the responses from Alpine. I feel bad for all the employees that had to cross paths with this company but even worse for the business owners who are duped into trusting this company and will have to learn their lesson the hard way. Do Some research. When the Internet made it impossible to rip people off all day in the auto business, Robert Ensminger and his circle of car salesmen friends decided to take their shiesty sales tactics and find a new industry to satisfy his greed. 90% of upper management is Family or Business partners very corrupt with favoritism. Rude and egotistical due to their untouchable position. Not just to employees but to each other. Not a healthy work environment for anyone. As for the business owners who are getting 3 – 4 calls a day..sorry about your luck. They will continue to call you because if they take you off the list then they will have nobody to call. What some of the business owners have been doing to get back at them is setting up an appointment with them just to waste their time and resources. Sales guys will quit over this. Appointment setters will get fired over this. Truly your best option to fight the calls. Its funny watching this company battle through all the problems it creates for itself like one big dysfunctional family. Thanks for the laughs!
Craig
This company has issues,you tell them your not interested and to quit calling.They continue calling now for 3 years.If anyone else has had these problems lets get a law suit going against this crooked Co.I will stick to Bank of America for my processing,a legit processor.
Debbie
Craig, this is disheartening to hear. They’ve only been calling my small business for a couple of weeks but the calls are nothing short of harasssment – rude employees who scream into the phone and hang up on us when told to remove our number. It’s insane, and I am determined to find a way to stop them. Why should I have to interrupt my busy work day to answer my phone – the one I pay for – only to be harrassed by a company I would never – EVER – do business with? From what I see online, there is plenty of ammunition against them.
Truthfinder135
The truth about this company is simply this, it is ran by passionless carnivorous who’s prey is helpless victims money and life’s. It is very true that they CAN and CAN’T do certain things but the CAN’S and CAN’TS work in there favor, not the consumer’s, and they know this! Let me start by introducing myself, my name is not important, what I do is however. I have lived in Vancouver, WA for quite sometime now. One thing that is special about this area is there is a large amount of “turn in burn” jobs. These are jobs that purposely only hire people for short periods of time so that they do not have to pay for benefits and to not have to pay for unemployment. These crooks are pulling in large amounts of profits from screwing over customers and there employee’s and Alpine is no different. One thing that is a weakness for these company’s is they pretty much will hire on anyone who applies so it is very easy to get on the inside and reveal there true face to the world. They will also pay you while you do it, most of the time. So I went in undercover to a large number of these company’s for the last 3 year’s of my life. One thing that I happen to have going for me is I am a very good salesman so I am naturally good at deceiving people, as well as these idiotic and greedy employers. I trick these companies into hiring me and fully revealing how there company works once I am legally able to and reveal the true company behind the mask. I did this to 5 different companies before I came across Alpine Payment Systems or Columbia Advance Group (both owned by the same guy). I have never seen a worse company before hand or since. Here is a breakdown of how the company works.
If your a customer or are thinking of becoming one:
As a consumer I would defiantly question joining Alpine or Columbia Advance Group. If you want a good safe way to process credit cards join a bank and use theres. It may appear to cost more but in the end it saves you more money. When you go through Alpine you are just going through a middle man. They are not the main processor. When I was working there, they used Chase Payment Tech. Call Chase themselves skip to the main source. The problem with this industry is no one in the consumer side really understands it, so it makes it easier for the Car Salesman to make it appear like you are saving money on this in the end. I had a chance to be trained on all there products and contracts and lets just say before I read all the contracts I had 6 businesses that were owned by my family and after I read them I decided to not rip my family off. When you sign your name to Alpine your stuck with them for Years or you will face ridiculous cancellation fees if you try to cancel with them. I’m not going to tell you not to sign up with them, that is up to you. I have seen businesses save tremendously but that was because they were already being screwed over and Alpine just screws them over less. I am just saying make sure you are reading EVERYTHING on your contract. The closing reps are trained to steer you away from all the fine print, (literally). Just make sure you are a smart businessman and be the one in control and don’t let them screw you because they will if you give them a chance.
Now below is for Employee’s of Alpine and Columbia Advance Group:
Description of how Alpine Payment Systems works:
They put together a group of commission only closing sales men to go out to large cities for weeks at a time to go to appointments set by a call center of Appt. Setter’s who work for near min wage and in order to keep there jobs, have to get 3 apt a day and 3-5 closing sales a month. If it sounds easy I can assure you it’s not. All these people know is very few facts and details so the trained salesman can doop the customer into signing there contract that modify almost any way they want to. The real way to keep your job is to have one outstanding month and then milk it till they fire you, because if you keep trying to hit that goal it will drive you crazy and you will lose your job and your sanity, I saw it happen to many people. In the 3 months I was there I saw at least 50 people come and go. If make a lot of deals in a month, you will be on there good side for at least another month or two, so they will give you little more warnings before they can you. While I worked there, I almost got fired 3 times but I always kept my job because there biggest weakness is Greed. I made then over $10,000 in a month so they just could not fire me in the hope I would do that again for them (Not for what they pay me though lol). They believed they fired me in the end but I actually “quit” long before. I did just enough to keep the job. The funny thing is when I truly gave up and was just waiting for them to fire me they actually gave me a dollar an hour raise and moved me to there other company which is in the same complex called Columbia Advanced Group. These people really got dooped lol.
Columbia Advanced Group:
What this company does is hire on people to sell there products directly over the phone to small cities that they cannot send reps to. This is where the true dark side of company comes out. This is where I found out these people truly do not have a heart, well most of them anyways. I witnessed many times people sign leases for an ATM from a BS story that we have truck coming through your area with ATM’s on it and would like to set one up at “No Cost to You” we give you a BS quote on your profit you bring in with statistics that are far over exaggerated and have you sign a lease for the atm where in the end you spend about 50x what it is worth. Also we sell them to businesses that have absolutely no use for them. I could not continue with this job after one month because I just am not motivated by Greed like the owners of this buisness.
I hope this helps you all out. I hope this can save you from making the worst mistake of your life.
Best Regards,
(No Name)
P.S. – Emily you can call me anytime I am know you wanted to, your pretty smart I’m sure you can figure out who this is.
andrew
Definitely, the sales rep lied. He “guaranteed” me that switching to them, my monthly bill would be half what I had been paying, which was about $225/month. I had to pay $500 to get out of my previous contract, but he said that loss would be made up in 4 month with the savings on my monthly bill. My monthly fees increased under Alpine the very first month. They have yearly fees that doubled since signing with them. They also make money on the PCI compliant thing. These people are not ethical by no means. I had a friend who has retired from the industry look at my statement (no motive for him to lie) and he said they don’t even show any detail on how I’m getting charged. I HATE all merchant services companies but especially Alpine. Every single salesman for merchant services say they have the best rates but won’t tell you what those rates are until they see what you’re already paying.
Jordan Maier
I signed up with these guys in November and am already really pissed off. The sales rep Chris Fennel from Vancouver Wa. said to call our already merchant services company and cancel it. He said they would take care of the rest and write it into the contract we already signed. BS. Then he also told me I would be receiving gift cards for absolutely free. Another lie. i ended up paying all sorts of fees and stuff for em. I am in the process of figuring out how to get out of this. My number one advise is to NEVER USE THEM
GS
Totally agree with this customer. I worked for Alpine payments in their early years. We were told the lease cost for a Nurit 2085 (retail value $130) was $99 per month for 4 years. We were also told the leasing company would not approve such a high lease for one Nurit 2085 so we would give the merchant a second one as “a backup”. The merchant thought we were doing something good for them. We also told the merchant that to get our great rates the merchant would need new equipment. Of course that was a lie. Alpine (aka IQ Atm) had a 4 tier system as opposed to the normal 3 tier Qual/Mid/Non-qual. Typically with most merchants if the transaction is non-qualified the merchant gets the non-qualified rate. With Alpine the rate is worse than non-qualified. What actually occurred was a strange calculation. Alpine takes the difference between the qualified rate and the non-qualified and ADDS THAT TO the Qualified rate. For example, with a qualified rate of 1.6% and a non qual rate of 3.0, the merchant would be charged the difference between those 2 rates (1.4%) and add to that the non-qual rate of 1.4% to get the ACTUAL non-qual rate of 4.4%.
There is so much deceit with this company at its very core I would never trust anything from these people.
Angie at Taxi Terry's, LLC
We have been subject to the “lease agreement scam”. Alpine Payment Systems sent a sales rep from … somewhere?? to seal the deal. He assured us if we had any problems we could contact him – Jesse for ANYTHING.. he was our best friend and from my husbands home town… NOT! As soon as we signed and received our terminals, he disappeared. Never to be heard from again. In the mean time we are paying an outrages rate on a lease agreement… $20,000 over 4 years. We could have bought the machines for 800.00 each. We have 6 machines total and 5 of them are not working. They will not replace the machines they say that we have dropped them or broken them and we have to pay to fix them or buy insurance. We have done nothing to these machines and they are not willing to help at all! I think this is completely unfair and fraudelent business practices… especially when the machines were NOT new to begin with.. they say they were but they were not! How to they get away with it? So illegal or should be!