Inovio Review

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:

5.5 Early Termination Fee. If client terminates this Agreement prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any term set forth in the SOW, Client shall immediately pay Inovio, the fees and rates for the Enrolled Services for a period equal to one-half of the time remaining on the Funding Schedule as identified in the SOW.

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.

Low Complaint Record

We have only been able to find 1 complaint about Inovio’s payment gateway. The basis of the complain detailed issued with the user-design of the platform, leaving no mention of merchant-specified issues. 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.

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.

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.