e-onlinedata Review

For the most part, e-onlinedata has very few recent legitimate complaints filed in the usual online forums. There was a rash of complaints filed in 2003 in one forum from merchants complaining that e-onlinedata quoted that it had no gateway fees and failed to mention that Authorize.net would charge a gateway fee. A few posters also complained of receiving poor customer service. Since then, it looks like e-onlinedata has corrected the issue. Other than that, there are approximately eight minor complaints related to fund holds in the past six months, three of which were filed beneath this review. The company appears to offer some support for its proprietary services, but it may outsource credit card processing support to its backend processors.

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.

e-onlinedata shares its Better Business Bureau report with PowerPay. As of this review, the BBB is assigning the company an A+ based on 65 complaints filed in the last 36 months. The BBB does not specify which complaints are attributable to e-onlinedata, but out of the total, 32 are due to billing and collection disputes, 30 with product and service issues, two with advertising or sales issues, and one regarding delivery issues. The report states that 37 of the complaints have been fully resolved while 28 merchants reported they were not satisfied with the company’s response. In addition, the company has had 19 negative user reviews filed against its BBB profile, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB. In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “B-.”

Pricing with e-onlinedata appears to vary slightly based upon a merchant’s processing volumes and needs, as well as the agent setting up the account. With that said, merchant feedback suggests that the company offers the standard PowerPay rates and fees. These include a $250-$350 early termination fee, a $129 PCI Compliance fee, and a tiered pricing structure that may or may not be clearly explained by a sales agent. In addition, e-onlinedata states that it does not lease equipment, but merchants should be sure to confirm that any “free” or “for purchase” equipment does not come with undisclosed stipulations.

There is some indication that e-onlinedata resellers are permitted to waive certain fees under specific circumstances. Merchants are encouraged to negotiate for the best possible rates and fees through this provider whenever possible (see: “Fee Sweep”).

e-onlinedata does not use any misleading marketing or sales tactics that are apparent to this reviewer. The company does, however, appear to rely heavily on strategic partnerships and independent resellers. The use of independent resellers is typically tied to elevated complaint rates for a provider, as independent entities tend to receive less oversight and training than in-house sales agents. In this case, we have located a handful of recent merchant reviews that allege nondisclosure or misrepresentation of fees by an e-onlinedata sales rep. Merchants consistently report being told that all of the applicable fees have been disclosed before signing up, only to find unexpected fees on their statements and receive little explanation from customer service reps regarding these costs. We have lowered the company’s grade in this section accordingly.

Overall, e-onlinedata appears to be a solid but not spectacular merchant services provider. The company is showing a low-to-moderate complaint rate; however, based on a theme found in a few complaints, e-onlinedata may have some issues with its customer service and sales practices. Merchants are encouraged to fully read and understand the terms of the company’s merchant account agreement before signing.