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(866) 267 2246A 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.
Inovio Payment Gateway
Inovio offers a payment gateway with a variety of features, including: A virtual POS, hosted checkout services, multiple APIs, PCI compliance, point-to-point encryption, tokenization, fraud protection, international payments, data reporting and analytics, recurring billing, automated chargebacks, 3-D Secure card validation, and card-on-file payments.
Inovio Location & 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.
Inovio is a payment gateway provider
Should You Trust Inovio ?
Lawsuits, Reviews & Complaints
Complaint Summary
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Total Online Complaints
<10
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Live Customer Support
No
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Most Common Complaint
N/A
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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 Service 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.
We have located a single Inovio customer service number:
(866) 267-2246 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
We have also located multiple Inovio customer service email addresses:
info@inoviopay.com – General Inquiries
pr@inoviopay.com – Media Inquiries
clientsupport@inoviopay.com – Support
The addition of a clear, dedicated customer support number would help the company compare favorably to the top-rated providers for great customer service.
Is the BBB Rating for Inovio Accurate?
Better Business Bureau Profile
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 Service 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.
We have located a single Inovio customer service number:
(866) 267-2246 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
We have also located multiple Inovio customer service email addresses:
info@inoviopay.com – General Inquiries
pr@inoviopay.com – Media Inquiries
clientsupport@inoviopay.com – Support
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.
How Expensive is Inovio Service?
Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms
Cost Summary
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Gateway Fee
Undisclosed
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Early Termination Fee
50% of Remaining Contract
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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. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Does Inovio Use Deceptive Marketing?
Advertising & Sales Strategy
Key Points
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Employs Independent Resellers
No
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Advertises Deceptive Rates
No
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Discloses All Important Terms
No
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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. This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
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.
Does Inovio Deserve Your Business?
Review Summary & Our Thoughts
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.
Customer & Employee Reviews
What Others Are Saying About Square