GoDaddy has relaunched its payment services under the new brand GoDaddy Payments. Please refer to our GoDaddy Payments review for more up-t0-date information.
Go Daddy (godaddy.com) is a privately owned domain registrar that provides web hosting and e-commerce software and services. It is the largest provider of its kind. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Go Daddy has been in business since 1997 but has only offered merchant accounts for online businesses since January 2013. The company was originally partnered with First Data and Frontstream to provide merchant accounts, but it then shifted to setting its users up with PayPal Here (mobile processing), Stripe (e-commerce processing), and Dwolla (ACH processing) through its “Get Paid” program. Currently, the company strongly downplays its credit card processing options, with the only mentions of this service on the Go Daddy website found in the support sections for its online shopping cart. Go Daddy's corporate headquarters are located at 14455 N. Hayden Road #226, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, and Blake Irving is listed as the company's CEO. Go Daddy is also often referred to as “GoDaddy” (one word) despite its official name being “Go Daddy.”
Key Points
- Sales & Marketing: Go Daddy Merchant Services no longer actively promotes its merchant services product.
- Costs & Contract: Go Daddy Merchant Services has offered a one-year contract through First Data as well as simple integrations with PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net.
- Complaints & Service: Go Daddy Merchant Services has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Go Daddy has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 1,157 complaints in the past three years.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Go Daddy Merchant Services
Christopher Chase
Are use Go Daddy merchant processing as well. They hold onto my money I don’t get back to me in a timely manner. When I called to ask about it they gave me the runaround.
Justin Leader
I have had nothing but problems with Godaddy Payment Solutions, or FirstData. I was set up similar to *Alexander (the previous comment). Thinking that I was with GoDaddy. I can understand the $10 monthly gateway fee. It’s the 19.99 monthly PCI compliance fee. I was PCI compliant, it was GoDaddy security that was not. I was under the impression that they are the same company. That is how they introduced themselves when they called. GoDaddy states that they are compliant, but my monthly check from FirstData says they fail. On top of the $19.99 they charge $99.99 a year, whether you are compliant or not. I have also looked through all of the paperwork they had me sign to setup, nowhere does it state that I am signing a term contract. When I try to cancel they say there is a $75 early termination fee. How can I be charged this if I didn’t sign anything stating so? Do not do business with FirstData, and I am cancelling all of my products with GoDaddy because of them.
Scott
We were unhappy with the ‘bait and switch’ methods employed by GoDaddy with regard to their merchant services so decided to cancel.
The Go Daddy phone rep was extremely reluctant to give me the contact number for merchant services, asking continuously for details of the issue. Persevering, with my request, ( I knew he wasn’t in a position to assit me with my request) I was eventually given the number (855) 853-8333 for anyone who ever needs it.
The ensuing call to their merchant services provider, who in this case was ‘First Data’, degenerated into a farcical comedy within minutes as I was asked a series of verification questions, the likes of which I’ve never been asked in many years of business – the usual bank a/c number, business tax#, phone number (twice), address. Then I was asked for a landmark close to my business. When she couldn’t find that, names of nearby stores etc. Are you kiddin’ me? What next, shoe size?
Frankly, the whole ludicrous episode of the questioning process and the time it took was unnecessary and very annoying. “Just give me a minute” became the catch-phrase of the voice on the end of the line. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a great believer in security questions, but this was ridiculous and time wasting, the verification process taking 14 mins!
Finally, we get to the reason for the call and my questioning of monthly charges on the account. I’m told by the now obviously untrained phone assist, that one of the charges is because I failed to complete an online survey of compliance. What survey? We were never notified.
Next I request to cancel the 2 monthly payments. I’m told that I’m paying for 2 accounts although the debit is only coming out of one. I only have one account. So I’ve been screwed on that as well.
I had to repeatedly (3 times) request that I wanted these monthly charges to stop and sadly had to resort to basic elementary (but polite) English to make my request clear. I’m then informed that although I have cancelled both charges, I’ll still be charged for another month. Show me where it says that I question. Needless to say, no coherent answer from the delightful but ultimately unhelpful ‘Debbie’.
Then insult to injury, I’m told that there’s an additional $75 cancellation fee on both accounts = $150.
I’m pleased with the many years we’ve done business with GoDaddy – they’ve always been very professional with their customer service and support. And indeed, I’ll continue to do business with them. But as for their partner First Data, oh my. Paying them $180 to terminate the agreement is money well spent.
So if you’re a ‘First Data’ customer through Go Daddy or otherwise, do yourself a favor. Sit down with a few months of your bank statements and read the charges from First Data or whoever GoDaddy had an agreement with when you opted into the murky world of their Baite ‘n Switch deals. Then call them to verify the charges. And if you get put through to Debbie at First Data – JUST HANG UP AND TRY AGAIN.
I hope this is of some help to the public good.
Alexander Naula
Godaddy Payment Solutions appears as GodaddyPS in your credit card or debit card statements. Charges were not mentioned up front and after a few months was charged fee after fee. The way you get signed up and fooled into signing a contract is very deceitful.
This is how they get you.
1. You sign up for a Shopping Cart solution at Godaddy.com
2. You set up your store and during set up it offers you the option of collecting payments in your newly created store
3. You sign up not knowing all the charges up front.
4. All of a suden First Data services or another company contacts you about your merchant account. You go to various websites to initialize your merchant account.
5. Additionally you have to purchase a SSL secure https certificate; it costs like 99 dollars.
6. You sign up for a merchant account and get emails not from Godaddy but from Businesstrack. By doing it this way you do not connect the dots and ignore emails from Businesstrack because you never dealt with them. All along you think you are dealing with Godaddy. No no one tells you Godaddy has another subsidiary called Godaddy Payment Solutions.
7. You start getting charged a monthly fee for 10$ then another charge of 19.99 for not complying to something. After getting these charges it took me hours to put the puzzle together. A
8. I was so furious with all this confusing set up that I cancelled my merchant account only to find out I was charged $75 early termination fee.
All in all i lost about 300$ for services that I did not know I was signing up for.
This is a classic example of bait and switch. You think you are getting a a simple shopping cart and you end up being tricked into all this other commitments very deceivingly.
I do not recommend Godaddy Payment Solutions.