Inovio Review

By Phillip Parker

I was tired of watching unethical merchant services companies take advantage of unsuspecting business owners, so I built this website and wrote hundreds of reviews to expose their shady business practices.

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Inovio Overview

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Rating

 5/5

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(866) 267 2246

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Rating:

 5/5

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A Subsidiary of North American Bancard

Formerly known as “Argus Payments,” Inovio is an online payment gateway provider owned by North American Bancard. The company operated independently as Argus Payments until 2014, when North American Bancard acquired it. It was rebranded as Inovio in 2016. It is unclear at this time whether Argus Payments (and, by extension, Inovio) has any connection to Argus Merchant Services. Despite their similar names, they do not share branding, and Argus Merchant Services currently operates without any apparent link to North American Bancard. Most evidence suggests that Argus Merchant Services and Argus Payments are separate entities, but a lack of details about Argus Payments’ ownership and history makes this difficult to confirm. According to some merchant reviews, Inovio might also be associated with or somehow related to Humboldt Merchant Services.

Location and Ownership

Like Argus Payments before it, Inovio emphasizes that it is a payment gateway provider rather than a conventional credit card processor. However, Inovio does offer integrated merchant accounts through North American Bancard, making its payment processing option indistinguishable from a North American Bancard merchant account. Inovio lists its headquarters as 21650 Oxnard Street, Suite 1200, Woodland Hills, CA 91367, and Conal Cunningham is the general manager and founder of Inovio. Inovio should not be confused with Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a large pharmaceutical company.

Inovio Review Table of Contents

Costs & Contract: Inovio appears to be marketed as a product of North American Bancard and will possibly come with North American Bancard’s contract terms.
Complaints & Service: Inovio has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
BBB Rating: Inovio does not have a profile with the Better Business Bureau at this time.
Sales & Marketing: Inovio does not appear to hire independent sales representatives and has not received any complaints about its sales practices.
Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Inovio

Inovio Rates, Fees, and Costs

Cost Summary

Gateway Fee	Undisclosed
Early Termination Fee	50% of Remaining Contract

Custom Pricing Likely

There is very little public information about Inovio’s pricing and fees at this time even though the company does provide its gateway agreement online. The gateway agreement refers to a separate fee schedule to be attached once a fee for their services has been negotiated.

One specific term outlined in the contract is the company’s early termination fee which is 50% of the remaining fees due to Inovio at the time the merchant cancels their contract. This may be because the company offers custom pricing to each merchant, or, more likely, it may be that Inovio’s e-commerce solutions are sold as integrated features of North American Bancard merchant accounts. This arrangement would give North American Bancard sales agents a significant amount of leeway to structure merchants’ Inovio pricing and fees.

Terms May Resemble North American Bancard’s

North American Bancard merchants frequently report undisclosed monthly and annual fees and higher-than-expected rates. Inovio’s status as a North American Bancard subsidiary is cause for merchants to read their contracts very carefully, and there is reason to suspect that Inovio’s contract terms would not be competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts.

An “A” For Now

Since there is almost no concrete information about Inovio’s pricing, and there are no merchant complaints about the company’s payment gateway user agreement, we have assigned Inovio an “A” in this section. However, merchants are strongly cautioned to inquire about all potential contract terms set by North American Bancard. If you have any knowledge of the standard Inovio contract (including possible monthly minimum fees or PCI Compliance fees), please leave that information in the comment section of this review.

Inovio Complaints & Customer Reviews

Complaint Summary

Total Online Complaints	<10
Live Customer Support	No
Most Common Complaint	N/A

Clean Complaint Record

As noted above, there aren’t any negative Inovio reviews to be found online, which is a good indicator that the company isn’t a scam or a ripoff. The company’s relatively recent rebranding is the most likely reason for its clean complaint record. However, it’s worth noting that there aren’t any online complaints filed against Argus Payments, either. In all likelihood, Inovio’s payment gateway is probably not going to be a source of frustration for most merchants, but the company’s affiliation with North American Bancard may begin generating complaints in the future.

Inovio Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Inovio. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Inovio Customer Customer Support Options

North American Bancard rates poorly in this section due to reports of long wait times and unhelpful customer support. If Inovio itself does not handle all customer service issues, then Inovio merchants may find themselves dealing with North American Bancard for certain issues. For this reason, new Inovio users are encouraged to ask about what channels of support are available to them. Inovio currently lists a client support email address on its website and no customer support phone number. The addition of a clear, dedicated customer support number would help the company compare favorably to the top-rated providers for great customer service.

Inovio BBB Rating Summary

No Profile Available

The Better Business Bureau does not currently maintain a profile for Inovio. We therefore will not factor a BBB rating into this review.

Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

Employs Independent Resellers	No
Advertises Deceptive Rates	No
Discloses All Important Terms	No

No Sales Complaints

Inovio appears to market its products primarily in partnership with North American Bancard and through traditional advertising. There is no indication at this time that the company employs independently contracted sales agents to sell its products, and we cannot find any Inovio complaints that accuse the company’s sales team of unethical conduct.

Review Terms Carefully

Inovio’s focus on e-commerce technology means that it has less incentive to push unsavory merchant account contract terms on merchants than traditional merchant account providers. That having been said, North American Bancard has a poor reputation when it comes to rate quoting and fee disclosure. Inovio merchants should therefore clarify the terms of their contract with the company that is supplying the merchant account, especially if that company is not Inovio. If you suspect that you have had undisclosed fees added to your Inovio contract, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to eliminate hidden charges.

Sales & Marketing Example

Our Opinion Of Inovio

A Solid Payment Gateway

Inovio rates as a reliable payment gateway provider according to all available information. The company’s affiliation with North American Bancard is a red flag, especially because NAB rates poorly compared to the top overall providers, but we have so far found zero evidence of dissatisfaction among Inovio merchants. Our rating will be subject to change as more merchant feedback becomes available.

About Phillip Parker

Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

I’m a small business owner who previously worked in the credit card processing industry. I started this blog in 2009 to help other business owners by exposing credit card processors that engage in unethical marketing, rate and fee trickery, and fine-print-contract schemes. Over the last decade, I’ve reviewed hundreds of merchant services providers which has helped to educate over 5 million businesses on the nuances of credit and debit card acceptance. I’ve appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Inc. Magazine and a host of other publications to offer insight on the subject of card acceptance.

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I offer merchant account and credit card processing consultation for the following needs:

Selecting the right credit card processing services for your business.
Reducing credit card processing fees with your current merchant account provider.
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Inovio Review

By Phillip Parker

Compare Top 2021 Picks

Inovio Overview

Rating

Most Recent Comment

Most Recent Comment

A Subsidiary of North American Bancard

Location and Ownership

Inovio Review Table of Contents

Inovio Rates, Fees, and Costs

Inovio Rates, Fees, and Costs

Cost Summary

Custom Pricing Likely

Terms May Resemble North American Bancard’s

An “A” For Now

Inovio Complaints & Customer Reviews

Complaint Summary

Clean Complaint Record

Inovio Lawsuits

Inovio Customer Customer Support Options

Inovio BBB Rating Summary

No Profile Available

Truth In Marketing & Advertising

Key Points

No Sales Complaints

Review Terms Carefully

Sales & Marketing Example

Our Opinion Of Inovio

A Solid Payment Gateway

About Phillip Parker

Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing

Leave Your Review For Inovio

We'd love to hear your thoughts on Inovio

Copyright

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