In the late 2000s, as a broke college student struggling to make ends meet, I was contacted by a merchant services company after uploading my resume to a job listings website. This company promised substantial commissions and ongoing residual income for simply persuading businesses to accept credit card payments. It seemed straightforward enough—after all, what business doesn’t need to process credit card payments? Following a phone interview with a persuasive “sales director,” I found myself embarking on what I believed would be an easy job that would significantly boost my bank account with reliable monthly income and large sales commissions. However, the lessons I learned would profoundly change my life in ways I could never have imagined.
After completing my sales training, I hit the ground running, eager to make sales. This broke college student was determined to improve his financial situation! My first attempt at a cold call, with no prior appointment, ended with a burly man in his 50s yelling at me to leave, claiming he had been “totally robbed” by someone like me before. As I hastily exited, puzzled and intimidated by his reaction, I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant. Throughout the day, I encountered similar hostility from other business owners, all expressing disdain for the industry I had been so excited to join that morning. Confused and curious, I decided to shift my approach from selling to listening.
I quickly uncovered that the merchant services sector was riddled with unethical practices, including hidden fees, deceptive marketing, fine-print traps, and much more. It dawned on me that I had nearly been tricked by a dubious company into selling overpriced services under contracts with long-term commitments, all without being fully aware of what I was promoting. Outraged, I resigned from that company but learned that there were indeed ethical credit card processing companies that treated their clients fairly. Over the next four years, I worked for one such company, assisting hundreds of businesses in securing cost-effective processing solutions. Yet, I also met many more who had been misled and trapped in onerous service agreements. Determined to help people steer clear of these unscrupulous providers, I launched this website in my spare time, dedicating myself to researching and sharing my findings on every merchant account provider I could investigate.
Gradually, more and more business owners began to discover my articles. As word spread, search engines started to rank my content highly, amplifying its reach. My efforts were making a difference! Eventually, the website garnered enough traffic to enable me to leave my job and focus on it full-time, a journey that has now spanned over a decade. This path has not been without its challenges; unscrupulous company owners have tried to intimidate and sue me into silence on several occasions. Yet, I have stood firm against each threat. Here I am, continuing to publish reviews and articles, hoping to safeguard others from the pitfalls of the credit card processing industry.
If you believe in my mission and wish to contribute, please share my articles on your websites and social media. Thank you for visiting!
Dustin Douglas
Swipe Canada not for the small business, and after dealing with them I wouldn’t recommend to big either.
I recently was contacted by one of their sales people who upon answering the call said first of he wasn’t trying to sell me anything and was just trying to save my business money. As a guarantee if he couldn’t save me money he would send a $100 cheque for my time. So I spent 20 minutes on the phone with him and we went over my small business’s credit card information including my small projected credit card sales. I was told that my 2.75% rate was unbelievably high and he could get me 2% or lower. As per his request I emailed what documentation I had supporting my current rates. I later received a phone call back from them to figure out what fit me best. They tried pushing a machine at first and I explained I only want the phone swiper like I’m currently using (was free, no extra hidden fees, and 2.75% on swiped cards). The sales guy told me it was $150 for the phone swiper and I said no way, it was free from the company I am dealing with, and he came back oh sorry never mind. Then he says he can do 2.25% which is higher then the 2% or lower I was promised, but I’m okay with that providing I’m saving money, then he proceeds to tell me it’s $99 to get the $2.25%, I don’t know if that was one time, or year (I think year), or what but I replied I’m not paying $99. I explained I would be losing money if I paid 2.25% and $99 instead of staying with the other company at 2.75% flat no extra fees(20 more minutes to find this out). He said that is your choice and abruptly hung up on me which I felt was extremely unprofessional and rude. I phoned back and asked to speak to a manager and asked to file a complaint over the unprofessional behavior. The manager said he would look into it and asked if there was anything else, which I replied yes, I was told if you couldn’t save me money I would receive $100 cheque, I sent in what was asked of me and spent over 40 minutes on the phone and you can’t beat what I have so I believe I am entitled to the $100 cheque. After some discussion the supervisor said he would phone me back later that day or the next to discuss a better rate or some sort of payment. He never called back, big surprise
Brigette Leach
I was generally satisfied with Swipe and AppNinjas until I tried to close the account. The problem wasn’t so much with AppNinja as it was with Merchant Focus, the company that processes for them. Would I do business with either of them again? No.
Phillip CPO
Hi Brigette,
What happened with Merchant Focus?