A Provider With Many Names
Incorporated in 2012 but properly activated in mid-2014, Challas Group is a merchant account provider based in Texas and Illinois that is currently operated by former executives of Datalink Bankcard Services. Challas Group also appears to operate under the names “Wholesale Banc” (wholesalebanc.com) and “Bankcard Analytics” (bankcardanalytics.com), although the three brands might be used interchangeably. Most of Challas Group’s employees appear to have departed Datalink Bankcard in June or July 2014, which is also when the Challas Group website first appeared. An incomplete list of these employees as well as their current and former positions can be found below:
- Walter Ranstrom – Chief Operations Officer at Challas Group (former director of sales at Datalink)
- Garry Garmash – President at Challas Group (former vice president of Datalink)
- Daniel Avalos – Chief Technology Officer at Challas Group (former help desk tech at Datalink)
- Ryan Miller – Director of Recruiting at Challas Group (former corporate recruiter for Main Street Processing and Datalink)
- Jennifer Marcano – Escalated Audits Manager at Challas Group (former national account manager at Datalink)
Challas Group Payment Processing
Challas Group processes most major credit and debit cards for “nursing homes, doctors offices, gas stations, grocery stores and auto repair companies among others.” They offer processing equipment such as terminals, wireless devices, and POS integration, and they also offer services such as check cashing, cash advances, mail-order-telephone-order, and data analytics.
Challas Group Ownership
Dmitry Faybysh has been the CEO and founder of Bankcard Analytics since mid-2014, but we are unable to verify whether he was connected to Datalink Bankcard Services prior to 2014. We are also unable to determine at this time whether Challas Group is actively affiliated with other Datalink Bankcard Services DBAs such as Tier 1 Processing and Main Street Processing, but there is strong reason to believe that it operates in a similar fashion to these poorly rated providers on CPO.
Challas Group Location
Challas Group and Wholesale Banc are registered ISOs of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, California. Challas Group, Wholesale Banc, and Bankcard Analytics have headquarters located at 2720 Dundee Rd. Ste 200, Northbrook, Illinois 60062, and 1251 S. Sherman St. Ste 101, Richardson, Texas 75081. It should be noted that the Richardson, Texas, address is not far from Datalink Bankcard’s headquarters at 3505 Token Dr, Richardson, Texas 75082.
Challas Group Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Challas Group appears to offer a multi-year contract with an associated long-term equipment lease for most accounts.
- Complaints & Service: Challas Group has received more than 30 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Challas Group has multiple profiles with the Better Business Bureau and has received 11 complaints and 4 reviews in the past 3 years.
- Sales & Marketing: Challas Group hires independent sales representatives and has received more than 30 complaints about its sales practices.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Challas Group
12 Responses
Someone with an email address at their domain had contacted me twice. They then sent me this email implying they knew about a specific overcharge I had experienced and were going to give me the money back as a refund. It’s a scam.
>>> Hi this is Lawrence from Top Tier, I’m providing you with the information you requested per your telephone conversation with Ofelia If you could respond to this with a faxed or emailed copy of your overbilled July or August merchant service statement verifying the fees that were applied to your account, I will give you a confirmation call back confirming we did receive the statement and we are going about getting this situation resolved. At the top of the page if you could write Attention Ofelia with corrections code at the bottom of the email I would really appreciate it.
Fax 1 877-277-1875
Phone 888-315-9629
Top Tier
CC Code: TM03298 <<<<
Was told lies about what we were signing up for. What I was told we would be charged each month did not match up with our monthly statements. Took almost two months to get ahold of our rep, Josh Kohler ext: 1223, after given the run around for the two months. He told me the extra charges were because “we may have been using the machine wrong and they (the challas group) wanted us to get a hold of them. Was told they are not a third party company, I found out they are indeed a third party company. When I asked him about it he said “well technically we are a third party but we are not like other third party companies.” Was told that we were going to be put on “placement.”(free use for terminal) Josh emailed us the contract and said everything we talked about is on it, and all we have to do is sign it, and we are good to go. We decided we are not going to use them anymore and have tried to cancel the account with them but are now stuck in a 48 month lease for this machine (I was told the machine would be the newest model, it is in actuality older than the machine we had from years prior)
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Unfortunately I was scammed by the Challas Group sales department. The sales agent “Teddy” that called our business had me believing that what was then our credit card processor had been over charging us. She also told me that her company was auditing Tsys on our behalf but in the mean time because her company over saw all credit processing companies she would place us with a new company called One Tier which turned out to be the Challas Group. She emailed me in one emailed all the forms to sign and did not mention that she was putting me with a cc machine processing company that was not affliated with Challas and she did the confirmation call with this company “Assentium Capital” instead of having them call us to confirm {illegal practice} so we are now stuck with a cc machine for $56.04 a month for 48 months with no way to get out of the contract.
Shame on Teddy at Challas!!! Buyer be where of this lying company, everything Teddy told me to get our business was an out right lie. I have gone back to TSYS and they rerated my fees and I am now saving over $60 a month which will cover the cost of the cc machine I will be paying for from Assentium Capital for the next 48 months. Unbelievable!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Is Top Tier still ripping people off? You have already cost us over $7500 which will go to over $15000 before its over. You stuck us with the bogus Challas group for a $12000 lease on the $528 terminals. We only have the lies of Marcie and Dean to thank for our loss. I pity all of you when you stand before God!!!
That’s funny (not really). Teddy tried to steal me away from Challas to TSYS saying that “Challas has closed their doors”.
This company is not legit! they call saying that you were over charged on your fees, they want you to send a copy of your bill. They will then say they can save you money! Then they will try to rent you equipment, and charge you more.
This post will help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors
-Phillip
I recently had this wholesale office correct my account that I was pretty much fed up with to the point I was just going to stop accepting credit cards. I’ve been screwed by so many of these companies I didn’t really want to bother with it but I let my wife handle it and they ended up saving me around $250 and that’s monthly. I regret ever dealing with Elavon in the first place.
Hi Kyle,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
I can’t help but notice you don’t ask anyone with bad reviews for authentication. Is there a reason that I need to for a positive one?
This post will help: Testimonial Policy
-Phillip
Your recruiter, Ryan Miller – Director of Recruiting seemingly hired me, on the 28th. As evidenced by the 2 accompanying emails. I showed up on time today, Monday the 4th, expecting to get trained to help the company and was told by Ryan that he did not send me the emails that I received and I was not welcomed to be there. So who sent them? This was a major shock to me as I told him I had left another company to come to work for him and Challas. You guys obviously do not operate a business well and should not be in business. As evidenced by your Merchant Account
Trust Score
Rated 2.3 out of 5
“D” rating also.,
I have been with the Challas Group for a couple of years, The rates I pay are excellent, and their equipment (wireless FD410’s are offered at half the price of their merchant service competitors. No negative issues here.
Hi Pete,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
i was just a victim of their “slamming“!! wish i had thought to google them first before i signed up!! Luckily for me once i got the new equipment and was about to hook it up the lady working with me on hooking it up said “you are aware that we are in no way affiliated to your current credit card processor right?” and i put a stop to the whole thing right then and there. :-(
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee