Agree with our rating?
Tell us about your experience with Excel Corporation in the comment section below.
Update 3/6/2019: The website for Excel Corporation (excelcorpusa.com) is not available at this time, and public reports indicate that a number of its subsidiaries (including eVance and Securus Payments) have been acquired by an organization known as “OLB Group.” For up-to-date information about this company, see our OLB Group review.
Founded in 2010, Excel Corporation (excelcorpusa.com) is a financial services company that owns eVance Processing and Securus Payments plus a number of businesses affiliated with those two brands. Prior to 2011, Excel Corporation was known as “Ruby Worldwide, Ltd.” The company acquired Excel Business Solutions via a reverse merger in 2013, then acquired Securus Payments (aka Payprotec) in 2014, and finally bought Calpian Commerce in 2015. It has since sold Securus’s operations to Chyp (while still retaining control of Securus’s active merchant accounts) and rebranded Calpian Commerce as eVance Processing. Chyp and eVance Processing have a three-year exclusive preferred marketing agreement.
In total, Excel Corporation has now acquired or created at least the following active and inactive merchant account providers:
- Pipeline Data
- Securus Payments
- eVance Processing
- Cardaccept.com
- Northern Merchant Services
- AIRCHARGE
- SecurePay
Excel Corporation claims that it is capable of “providing integrated financial and transaction processing services to merchants across the United States,” but it appears to do so under its various subsidiary brands rather than directly as Excel Corporation. The Excel Corporation website refers to “primary operating centers in Atlanta, Georgia and Portland, OR,” which are almost certainly its eVance Processing and Securus/Chyp offices, respectively. The company claims to serve over 10,000 merchants. Excel Corporation (EXCC) is a publicly traded corporation.
Excel Corporation’s subsidiary companies include registered ISOs/MSPs of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Walnut Creek, California; Elavon, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia; BMO Harris Bank N.A., Chicago, Illinois; and Merrick Bank, South Jordan, Utah. Excel Corporation is headquartered at 6363 President George Bush Turnpike N. State Hwy 161, Ste 310, Irving Texas 75038. T. A. “Kip” Hyde, Jr., is the CEO of Excel Corporation, Bob Winspear is its CFO, and Craig Jessen is its executive vice president. Craig Jessen also acts as the CEO of eVance Processing.
Key Points
- Sales & Marketing: Excel Corporation utilizes independent resellers and has received a high number of complaints about its sales practices.
- Costs & Contract: Excel Corporation offers variable contract terms that can vary depending on the agent who sets up the account.
- Complaints & Service: Excel Corporation has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Excel Corporation has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 117 complaints in the past three years.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Excel Corporation
Excel Corporation Reviews and Complaints
Here's What Their Clients Say
Complaint Summary
|
Total Online Complaints
<10
|
Live Customer Support
Yes
|
Most Common Complaint
N/A
|
We are currently able to locate only one negative Excel Corporation review, and it outright accuses the company of being a ripoff. This lone complaint was filed against Securus Payments and mentions misleading rate quotes and an undisclosed equipment lease agreement. It received a response from Kip Hyde, the CEO of Excel Corporation, but it’s unclear whether the complaint was ultimately resolved.
In total, Excel Corporation’s corporate partners and subsidiaries like Securus Payments, Chyp, Pipeline Data, and Calpian Commerce have together amassed hundreds of serious complaints online. It therefore seems reasonable to take these complaints into consideration when assessing Excel Corporation. The complaints filed against Excel Corporation’s affiliates generally describe deceptive sales practices, costly contract terms, non-cancellable equipment leases, and unreachable customer support.
Excel Corporation appears to offer live phone support to all of its merchants, although it’s unclear whether this line is directly serviced by Excel subsidiaries or by Excel’s backend processors. We will assign eVance a rating that reflects its organizational affiliations and history until the company develops a reputation of its own.
Excel Corporation BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
|
Product & Service Complaints
2
|
Billing & Collection Complaints
0
|
Advertising & Sales Complaints
115
|
|
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints
0
|
Delivery Complaints
0
|
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.
The Better Business Bureau appears to have folded its Securus Payments profile into a new profile dedicated to Excel Corporation. This profile currently shows an “A+” rating and no BBB accreditation. Excel Corporation has received 117 complaints in the last three years, 115 of which were related to advertising or sales and two of which were related to the product or service. Twenty-eight complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant, while the remainder either were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant. In light of the company’s very high complaint total, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “C” for the purposes of this review.
Excel Corporation Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
|
Swiped Rate
Variable
|
Keyed-in Rate
Variable
|
Early Termination Fee
Variable
|
|
PCI Compliance Fee
Variable
|
Equipment Lease Terms
Variable
|
There is very little publicly available information about the standard Excel Corporation contract at this time. The company does not provide its pricing or terms on its website, and there are no merchant complaints to shed any light on its various fees. It is very likely that Excel Corporation’s contract terms will vary depending on which Excel subsidiary is presenting the contract. Further variation beyond that is possible due to the fact that eVance Processing and Chyp use independently contracted sales agents.
Despite our inability to obtain concrete details about Excel Corporation’s standard contract terms at this time, the track records of Pipeline Data, Securus Payments, and Chyp are consistently average to below-average in this category. We will therefore assign Excel Corporation a “C” in this category. If you have any information about the standard Excel Corporation merchant agreement (including any early termination fees or PCI compliance fees), please share that information in the comment section below this review.
Excel Corporation Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
|
Employs Independent Resellers
Yes
|
Advertises Deceptive Rates
No
|
Discloses All Important Terms
No
|
Excel Corporation’s website states that the company primarily markets its credit card processing services through “a national team of independent sales representatives and agents, ISOs and referring agent banks.” This language refers to its subsidiaries and partners, which include eVance Processing and Chyp. As a result, merchants are unlikely to receive a sales call from an agent identifying themselves as a representative of “Excel Corporation.” Instead, eVance Processing and Chyp are responsible for growing Excel’s merchant base under their respective brands. This approach means that there is no public feedback regarding specific Excel Corporation sales agents at this time.
However, there is an ample amount of merchant feedback regarding Excel Corporation’s current and former assets like Securus Payments, Pipeline Data, and now Chyp. Specifically, the sales tactics of these organizations have received hundreds of merchant complaints about misrepresentation of rates and nondisclosure of contract terms. In recent years, merchants have especially cited undisclosed long-term leasing contracts as a major point of dissatisfaction with Securus Payments. These complaints were posted with regularity both before and after Securus’s acquisition by Excel.
Given the reputations established by Excel Corporation’s subsidiaries, we have assigned the company a “C” rating in this section for the time being. Our grade may change if Excel develops a track record independent of its subsidiaries.
Excel Corporation Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
Excel Corporation rates as an average merchant services provider according to our rating criteria. The company does not market directly under the Excel name, so most of our review is based on the performance of Securus, Calpian Commerce, Chyp, and eVance Processing. Our rating may be subject to change as the company develops a reputation of its own.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
Customer & Employee Reviews
What Others Are Saying About Excel Corporation