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!
Ian Struckhoff
Like others posting here, I experienced an unethical and probably illegal bait and switch from eMerchant Authority.
They list the Star Micronics MPOP on their website “In Stock” for $479, with no terms requiring any further purchase.
The next business day, they called and said they can’t make the product available to me, unless I sign up for merchant services with them. Listing a price they won’t honor is a clear bait and switch tactic, unethical and probably illegal.
They should honor the orders their have received, and if they only want to sell hardware to their services customers then that should clearly be explained in the terms on their website.
William Dumont
Deborah- I’m sorry, but you have the wrong eMerchant. We have never had any employees named Derek. I’m aware of another eMerchant that claims to be a Shopify guru, but I don’t think it’s right for me to state their name as a competitor. We are eMerchant.com. Bill
David Shempert
This company is an example of bait-and-switch when it comes to merchant processors / credit card processing. They promised this seamless process and now I’m stuck without any equipment, several merchant accounts that are trying to charge me monthly fees for merchant accounts and processing that I’ve never been able to use. They put my information through to several banks and that resulted in MULTIPLE HARD CREDIT INQUIRY/PULLS. I’ve worked with several people here Ore, Paul and others. I have to constantly fight for updates and they just let weeks go by with no communication. I’m literally appalled at this company and the way that they handle business. I gave ample time for my accounts to be opened and equipment sent to me but as it stands it’s been since September 4th, 2019 until now October 8th and I have nothing, no equipment but have companies like Authorize.net trying to debit my account for monthly fees that I never agreed to and certainly wouldn’t pay if I never got any equipment to process cards. I reached out several times and asked for resolutions to these issues and kept being told that they’d handle things and overnight my equipment but at this point there’s really no excuse why things weren’t done right in the first place. If you have a chance to go with any other company do that. It appears that this is nothing but a total disappointment all the way around with eMerchant.
William Dumont
David- I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but you have the wrong eMerchant company. We have no record of your name in our system. We also don’t have anyone with those names working for us. We do have a Paul now as of Dec 2021. eMerchant is a generic name in the industry and unfortunately we get confused with other eMerchant companies that use our name. We are the original since 2002 and value each and every merchant we have had/have with us. Your bad experience wasn’t us. Bill
Jerome Risby
Dear Mr. Dumont,
Jerome Risby with Tech Express Mobile, you can find our account with the names. On or around, March 08, 2022, we phoned your offices after reviewing and researching several merchant Service providers. By April 10, 2022, we had received the MID file. Throughout the process of “Getting Approved,” we continued utilizing our square processor which we have been with since their founding.
Our purpose of setting up another processor was to handle our Service scheduling flow whereby, customers could land at our website via Google, Facebook, and a host of other sites and select make Appointment, Pick date and time, enter their billing/contact info, enter their vehicles and repair info and pay a small deposit and then the technician would arrive on the date of their choosing.
I have performed this same business prior to your company’s existence, providing onsite Service and repairs for everything from automobiles, motorcycles, RVs, yachts jet-ski, and john deer tractors (Craigslist.org added a new category because of tireless advertising Tech Express). As you can imagine, the quantity and the diversity of customer variations would astound many, and the same can be said for merchant processors.
Along with customers, and merchant processors we have been burned for 1000, hence the reason for the deposit at the time of scheduling. So, in bringing this note of caution full circle, and right back to your company, after waiting a month for your system to go live, and providing your personnel with bank statements, the very first transaction processed by Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc Inc. was flagged, held and your “Risk Department” requested “proof” the cardholder actually approved the charge.
If your “risk department” was operating correctly, they could see from the sight that the charge was customer-generated, and now after a month that the transaction has not been disputed, and Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc is now subtracting, gateway fees, monthly fees, ach return fees, on funds your company flagged with a request for verification is clearly out of compliance. This was what is known as Racketeering, you people are likely to get reported to the FTC and FBI for this kind of practice.
Upon further review, the law offices found with regards to eMerchants Service Inc. “Merchant Agreement” 8 pages in a (3) point font, finds you’re in breach of the performance of the contract, and nullifies the Merchant’s Agreement, dated, 04/07/22, and all your purported inseverable authorizations, as attached to the agreement, authorizing for Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc to open accounts without consent and/or “GRANTS BANK AND EMS SECURITY INTREST IN AND TO ALL DEPOSITS, REGARDLESS OF SOURCE TO ANY AND ALL GRANTORS DEPOSITS OR PROCEEDS OF SAID DEPOSITS, and interest that survive upon the termination of this Agreement”.
Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc is exposed to Civil Tort Action, and as outlined the past listed Federal Case, FTC Matter/File Number 132 3240 X140042; Civil Action Number 2:14-cv-00896-GMN-VCF.
Your company is risky, and subversive, and was ready to release some 3000 folks who are to file small claims actions on Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc employees and brokers for damages as participants in this scheme to defraud small businesses during a pandemic.
Please email, Jerome Risby at Tech Express for resolution and take Notice, this a public notice, by Jerome Risby, inclusive of, the company named, Tech Express’s, by Jerome Risby, the rescission and/or desolation of any accounts, associations, relationships, obligations, or any associates or affiliates and the unilaterally cancelation of any such performance thereof, due under Bank and eMerchant Service.Inc Merchant Agreement, dated April 6, 2022 or April 7, 2022 for material breach of the above cite agreement.
Jerome Risby
[email protected]
[email protected]
Tech Express Mobile Srvc
http://www.tech-express.net
Your Pick the Date and Time,
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Paul
Stay away from this company!! They did not notify us that they were taking $200 out of our account! We have been trying to cancel them for months but they would say we have to finish out the year!! Now they won’t give back a refund in which we will get them for fraud!!!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Carmen Basu
It has been about 3 years since we started services with eMerchant. All I can say is that they offer reliable service, excellent pricing, the quickest and easiest options and great tools.
eMerchant is allowing us to keep our business running with ease not only for us but for our clients.
Very thankful to use their services and have peace of mind at the same time.
CPO
Hi Carmen,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
Carmen Basu
Basu Services
Costa Mesa, CA
James forts
Lies cut the bull crap
Joseph Benfatti
Been with E-merchant INC. for over 5 years and just love the staff and Bill Dumont CEO , Francis Dumont The Office manager . all the long down to the office staff is so friendly and helpful . Really great rates that can’t be beat. Highly recommend their services.
Resolution Team Member , Tax Relief Systems LLC
Richard Lococo
I’ve been working with eMerchant for 9 or 10 years now. They handle all my merchant transactions between my company and my clients. The transaction fees are much lower than what I was paying previously with one of the major national banks. The bank said there was no need to search for another Merchant Service Provider because they were the lowest service fees around. I got lucky when I met Bill Dumont and the eMerchant team all those years ago because I’ve saved thousands of dollars in transaction fees since I signed on with them!! I can always count on the eMerchant team to be on hand to help me with any issue that I can’t figure out. I highly recommend this company for any emerchant type of transactions you deal with in your own business.
Bill P
We have been in business since 1987 and they have been the best provider of merchant services that we have used. Their merchant services are top notch primarily because of their exceptional in-house customer service at market or below current processing fees and they offer all of the additional products such as gateways, POS systems and shopping carts. Looking forward to the eMerchant Association where I will be able to network and offer my products throughout the other members in the Association. eMerchant offers it all under one roof! They make me feel like family.