Banc Certified Merchant Services Review

Banc Certified appears to hire independent sales agents and use telemarketing to market its services. The use of independent sales agents is a common industry practice that unfortunately can result in an unregulated, untrained sales team. We were able to locate a few Banc Certified reviews that mentioned misrepresentation by sales agents, but there does not appear to be an overall pattern of nondisclosure by the company’s sales team.

The company’s website offers a page explaining interchange fees and touting its “cost-plus” pricing structure, which is described as “the basic interchange rate plus a few basis points to cover our services.” At first glance, it is unclear whether BCMS is referring to Interchange-plus pricing, which is the most transparent pricing plan available. According to a company representative, BCMS provides both tiered and Interchange-plus pricing to merchants, but the company strongly prefers to offer Interchange-plus whenever merchants are comfortable with it. We would encourage merchants to request Interchange-plus pricing through Banc Certified Merchant Services in order to receive the most transparent pricing model.

As an ISO of Elavon and other providers, BCMS has the freedom to modify the contract terms of its processors to a certain extent. According to a BCMS representative, the company’s current standard contract is a month-to-month agreement with no early termination fee (ETF), but BCMS sometimes offers different contract terms depending on the circumstances under which the account was signed. The terms cited in several online complaints suggest that the former terms of Banc Certified’s contract included an early termination fee ranging from $195 to $295 and a monthly statement fee of $5-$10, but our understanding is that any new merchants boarded with the company will receive the month-to-month contract. Because the company hires independent sales agents, it is possible that specific pricing may vary depending on the agent setting up the account. Merchants are also advised to bear in mind that many of these terms are often negotiable.

We are able to locate only one Banc Certified Merchant Services review on other non-BBB consumer protection websites, but the comment section of this review has received one complaint since its initial publication. The merchant in this case complained of poor customer service and misrepresentation of rates by a sales agent. The other complaint we found mentioned irritation with the company’s sales calls. Because Banc Certified Merchant Services is partnered with Elavon, it is possible that many Banc Certified complaints get funneled to Elavon’s online profiles. However, we’ve found no evidence to suggest that this is occurring. BCMS offers a dedicated phone line and an email form for merchants on its website.

Banc Certified Merchant Services maintains an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau as of this update and has been BBB accredited since 2002. Only one complaint has been filed against the company’s profile, and this complaint is related to a product or service problem. It was resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant. Because of the company’s affiliation with Elavon, it is possible that some complaints about Banc Certified may have been improperly diverted to Elavon’s BBB profile. However, we have seen no evidence of this. Given the company’s complaint rate and resolution ratio, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.