- Sales & Marketing: Encore Payment Systems hires independent sales agents and has received a high number of complaints about its sales practices.
- Costs & Contract: Encore Payment Systems appears to offer a three-year contract through EVO Payments International with an early termination fee of $195 or more.
- Complaints & Service: Encore Payment Systems and its DBAs have received more than 100 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Encore Payment Systems (as EVO Payments International) has an "A" rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 265 complaints in the past three years.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Encore Payment Systems
Encore Payment Systems Review
We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.
All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.
Encore Payment Systems
Rating
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
For a provider of its size and time in business, Encore Payment Systems has a moderate-to-high number of complaints when we combine all of them together from its other DBAs. Many of these complaints are from the comment sections of our reviews. Of additional concern are the numerous complaints from former agents of the company found on jobs websites. Nearly all of these former agents complain of deceptive hiring practices and state that they were encouraged to lie to and mislead merchants.
As for merchant complaints, the most common theme they cite is the use of predatory equipment leases that cost merchants thousands of dollars for equipment that can be bought in the low hundreds. Nearly all of the reported leases are four-year terms with no ability to cancel without incurring significant financial cost. Other complaints include hidden fees, aggressive sales tactics, unavailable customer support, difficulty cancelling service, and fund holds. One merchant’s experience with misleading sales tactics, poor customer service, and unexpected equipment expenses is chronicled here.
Industry Scores & User Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 148 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 93 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 3 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 21 |
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.
As of this review, Encore Payment Systems does not have a rating from the Better Business Bureau because the Better Business Bureau has folded Encore’s profile into EVO Payments International’s profile. EVO Payments International currently has an “A” rating with the BBB and has been accredited since September 2017. The company has received 265 complaints in the past three years, with 148 related to product or service problems, 93 having to do with billing or collection, 21 due to delivery issues, and three stemming from advertising or sales issues. The company has successfully resolved 115 complaints, while 150 either were resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final assessment from the merchant.
It is impossible to know how many of these complaints are related to Encore and how many have been generated by EVO’s other subsidiaries. However, Encore’s customers will be dealing with EVO, and EVO’s complaint total and resolution ratio deserve a “C” rating according to our standards.
Processing Rates & Fees
Encore Payment Systems’s pricing and contract terms appear to vary based upon the merchant and the agent setting up the account. The company’s standard merchant account contract has a three-year service agreement with automatic renewal for one-year terms and an average Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $195; however, some merchants have reported ETFs up to $450.
An older version of the standard Encore Payment Systems contract is available below; it outlines a four-year agreement with automatic renewal for one-year terms, a $450 “deconversion” fee (which acts as an ETF), an annual fee (probably a PCI Compliance fee) of $49, a monthly “bank service fee” of $4.00, a merchant account setup fee of $125, and an expensive tiered pricing structure. Although this agreement appears to be outdated, we do not have any evidence that the company’s contract terms are any more favorable today.
Aside from the standard three-year merchant account contract, there are numerous reports stating that merchants are sometimes locked into four-year, non-cancellable equipment leases. Cancelling these leases before the termination date is reported to cost in the thousands of dollars. We do not recommend that merchants lease equipment from any company because it is often the most expensive option. Buying your equipment outright is often the best and most cost-effective solution. See the Encore Merchant Application.
Encore Payment Systems Competitors
Compare Encore Payment Systems to competitors that earned top marks.
Bottom Line
Encore Payment Systems scores poorly in our review because the company uses multiple business names, relies too heavily on hiring independent outside sales agents, has a high complaint count for a company of its size and time in business, and appears to suffer from widespread use of deceptive marketing and sales practices. The company could improve its rating by eliminating or reducing these problems.
