Crown Merchants Reviews & Complaints
Offering Merchant Services Since 2005
Founded in 2005, Crown Merchants is a merchant account provider headquartered in Claremont, North Carolina.
Crown Merchants Payment Processing
Crown Merchants processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include POS solutions from Clover, EMV card readers and swipers, mobile solutions, access to virtual terminals, and MOTO.
Crown Merchants Location & Ownership
Julie Harbin is the president of Crown Merchants, which is located at 2960 N. Oxford St. Claremont, North Carolina 28610. The company is an ISO/MSP of Elavon Payments and is partnered with US Bank in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as its acquiring bank.
Crown Merchants Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
Total Online Complaints | <10 |
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Live Customer Support | Yes |
Most Common Complaint | N/A |
Clean Complaint Record
Our search did not uncover any significant negative Crown Merchants reviews. This absence of complaints suggests that the company is operating legitimately and is not involved in any deceptive practices. An earlier complaint, now unavailable for public view, mentioned a merchant’s request for additional decision time being overlooked by a sales agent, leading to an unwanted application process. Considering its solitary nature, this incident appears to be an isolated case rather than a recurring issue.
Crown Merchants Lawsuits
No current class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints have been identified against Crown Merchants. However, it’s notable that Crown Merchants is partnered with LADCO Global Leasing Solutions, which faced legal scrutiny in 2012. At that time, LADCO settled a lawsuit alleging misrepresentation in lease agreement terms and unauthorized signature forgeries, resulting in a $418,000 settlement payment. Merchants concerned with Crown Merchants are advised to consider non-litigious resolution avenues, such as reporting to relevant supervisory organizations.
Crown Merchants Customer Service Options
While there is a possibility that some Crown Merchants complaints are redirected to its processor, Elavon, there is no confirmed evidence of this happening. As such, Crown Merchants currently holds an “A” rating in this category.
Available Crown Merchants customer service numbers:
(828) 459-9991 – Claremont Office
(305) 240-5795 – Key West Office
Crown Merchant also provides a customer service email at [email protected].
The Crown Merchants website promises 24/7 live support for merchants, aligning closely with the standards of top-rated merchant accounts known for excellent customer service.
Crown Merchants Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
Total Complaints | 0 |
---|---|
Resolved Complaints | 0 |
No BBB Complaints
Crown Merchants is not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau. As of this review, the company has no rating with the BBB and has had 0 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months. Crown Merchants has also had 0 negative informal reviews posted to its BBB profile.
What Merchants Say
Previously, Crown Merchant had 1 review on its profile. The review expressed the company’s attentive customer service:
Great company to work with. Always on top of business.
Merchant account providers who cultivate positive relationships with their customers often do so by providing excellent customer service.
An “A” Rating
Given the company’s clean complaint record, we agree with the BBB’s former rating in this instance. Merchants should be aware that there is good reason to view the BBB’s ratings with skepticism.
Crown Merchants Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
Swiped Rate | 2.65% + $0.19 |
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Keyed-in Rate | 3.50% + $0.19 |
Virtual Terminal Rate | 1.00% - 4.99% |
Payment Gateway Fee | Undisclosed |
Monthly Service Fee | $10 |
Early Termination Fee | None |
PCI Compliance Fee | $7.50 Per Month |
Equipment Lease Terms | 60 Month (locked) |
Contract Pricing
Crown Merchants, as a reseller of Elavon’s merchant services, provides both tiered and interchange-plus pricing structures, similar to Elavon. Notably, the standard Crown Merchants contract does not include an early termination fee.
A typical Elavon contract lists a swipe rate of 2.65% plus $0.19 and a keyed-in rate of 3.5% plus $0.19. Crown Merchants imposes a monthly service fee of $10 and a PCI Compliance fee of $7.50 per month, without enforcing monthly minimum fees. Additionally, an account maintenance fee of $20 is charged on a per-incident basis (e.g., DBA change or DDA change).
Being an Elavon reseller, Crown Merchants may also offer equipment leases through LADCO Global Leasing Solutions, which is less favored in the merchant service industry.
Merchants are advised to scrutinize their agreements with Crown Merchants to avoid potentially expensive and non-cancellable equipment leases with LADCO, possibly extending up to 60 months.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
Crown Merchants also highlights its virtual terminal and payment gateway services on its website, yet does not specify pricing for these services. Generally, additional costs such as gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and extra transaction charges are applicable to these e-commerce solutions.
No Contract Complaints
The lack of public complaints regarding Crown Merchants’ contract terms suggests that the majority of its clients are content with their services. While Crown Merchants may not be among the most affordable merchant accounts available, its low volume of complaints and the absence of penalties for contract cancellation warrant an “A” rating in this area. Merchants looking for competitive solutions are still encouraged to consider our selection of top merchant account providers.
Crown Merchants Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
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Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
Discloses All Important Terms | Yes |
Crown Merchants Sales Approach
Crown Merchants appears to market itself through its website and through traditional advertising. The company does employ independent sales agents, but it is not showing any recent public complaints related to nondisclosure or misrepresentation by its sales staff. That said, if you suspect that you are being charged undisclosed Crown Merchants fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden charges. This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
No Deceptive Advertising
At the time of an earlier review, we found one Crown Merchants complaint that described apathetic and deceptive conduct by one of the company’s sales agents. However, this Crown Merchants complaint appears to be an isolated incident from over three years ago, and the company does not engage in deceptive advertising strategies in its official materials. We therefore award it an “A” in this section.
Our Crown Merchants Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
An Optimal Choice For Most Merchants
Crown Merchants rates as a reliable credit card processor according to our rating system. The company is showing zero complaints online and offers competitive, transparent contract terms despite its association with Elavon. Even when dealing with highly rated merchant account providers, merchants are advised to carefully examine their contracts and to compare the company’s costs to top-rated providers.
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