Instabill Reviews & Complaints

Instabill Logo
Overall Score
3
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Would you recommend them?

Overview

Instabill provides credit card processing services for businesses, including those in high-risk industries. This article will review the company’s service offerings, pricing structure, contract terms, and customer feedback. We will assess the transparency of their fees, the quality of their customer support, and the overall satisfaction levels reported by their clients. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of what Instabill offers and whether their services are suitable for your business’s payment processing needs.

About Instabill

Instabill is a merchant account provider based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that specializes in online payments for domestic and offshore low to high-risk  businesses. Launched in 2003, Instabill appears to operate outside of the U.S. as ECS World LTD. The company provides its services to merchants selling adult entertainment, nutraceuticals, online gambling, and timeshares, among other industries that are typically considered high-risk.

Screen Capture Instabill Homepage
Instabill Homepage

Instabill Products and Services

Payment Processing

Instabill offers extensive payment processing services, accommodating a wide range of transactions for businesses of all sizes.

EMV Card Readers and Swipers

The company provides state-of-the-art EMV card readers and swipers, ensuring compliance with current security standards.

POS

Instabill’s Point of Sale (POS) systems are designed to meet the diverse needs of retail operations. These systems offer features such as sales tracking, inventory management, and customer data analytics.

Mobile Payments

Instabill also supports the growing trend of mobile payments, allowing merchants to accept transactions via smartphones and tablets.

ACH Processing

With their ACH processing services, Instabill facilitates direct bank-to-bank transfers. This service is ideal for handling large transactions and recurring payments.

e-Commerce Solutions

Instabill’s e-commerce solutions encompass a comprehensive suite of tools, including virtual terminals and payment gateways. These solutions enable online businesses to securely process payments, manage transactions, and integrate with shopping carts.

Instabill Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints 25+
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint Fund-Holds
Recent Lawsuits No

Varied Complaints with Context

Upon investigation, we’ve discovered approximately 25 negative Instabill reviews, with several accusing the company of fraudulent practices or being a ripoff. Many of these complaints involve significant financial losses, often totaling thousands of dollars. However, it’s essential to consider the context behind these grievances. Most complaints seem to originate from high-risk businesses, which Instabill representatives assert were not fulfilling services to their customers. While determining honesty in each case is challenging, Instabill’s proactive stance against fraud might predispose it to such complaints.

Instabill’s responses to these issues generally maintain a professional tone and offer substantial support. Hence, faulting the company for safeguarding against fraud seems unwarranted. Business owners are encouraged to inquire about Instabill’s fraud prevention measures and to provide transparent information about their business activities to prevent service termination post-payment processing. If you have your own Instabill review to share, please do so in the comments below.

Instabill Lawsuits and Fines

No class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints against Instabill have been identified. Unhappy customers seeking recourse against the company should consider reporting their concerns to relevant supervisory organizations.

Instabill Customer Support Options

While Instabill offers multiple avenues for customer support, several complaints highlight difficulties in reaching Instabill representatives promptly. Support options include a customer support form, a dedicated email address, and phone support during regular business hours. However, Instabill falls short of being recognized among our top-rated payment processors for exceptional customer service.

Instabill Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
BBB Reports 0

Clean Complaint Record

Instabill is not an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau. As of this review, the company holds an “A+” rating with the BBB and has had 0 complaints filed against it in the last 36 months.

What Merchants Say

Instabill also received 0 informal reviews on its BBB profile. A previous review describes poor customer service:

Instabill is complete ridiculous provider. First of all, they barely reply emails, I had to send it twice to get reply from sales. And later they rudely declined with reason because of “no meaningful presence” of my business. What the heck “presence” is for Web Hosting? So they advertise that they support all kind of semi-legal stuff like casinos and other high-risk stuff, but not a web hosting. One star, would give zero if I could..

Businesses that wish to avoid this outcome should familiarize themselves with reasons their applications could be denied.

An “A” Performance

Given the company’s clean complaint record, we agree with the BBB’s rating.

Instabill Fees, Rates & Contract

Rates & Fees Summary
Processing Rates 1.00% - 4.99%+
Cancellation Penalties Unclear
Monthly & Annual Fees Unclear
Equipment Leasing Yes

Variable Contract Terms

Instabill, known for its specialization in high-risk and offshore merchant accounts, tends to have rates and fees that don’t necessarily align with those of conventional merchant account providers. This difference primarily stems from Instabill’s approach to servicing businesses that are deemed riskier, rather than from excessive markups.

The company’s contract terms are highly variable, influenced by factors like business type, size, operational duration, and risk of fraudulent activity. Expectations of tiered pricing and potential early termination fees or PCI Compliance fees are likely. Instabill’s payment gateway services, particularly for high-risk e-commerce, generally come with additional costs, including gateway, account maintenance, and setup fees, though specific rates are not publicly disclosed.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

Instabill also provides 3D secure virtual terminal and payment gateway services as part of its e-commerce solutions. The exact pricing for these services is not outlined on their website. Standard additional charges in this area typically include gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and other transaction-related rates.

Instabill Fund-Hold Policy

A significant number of complaints about Instabill relate to its fraud prevention measures. Many clients have experienced account cancellations or fund holds, typical in high-risk processing for fraud prevention. Instabill’s responses often clarify their fraud prevention tactics, which include customer verifications and service delivery checks. While frustrating for merchants affected by these measures, they are integral to Instabill’s fraud prevention strategy. Considering their overall low complaint volume and operational approach, we have assigned Instabill an “A” rating in this regard.

For more merchant account options, readers are encouraged to view our compilation of the top merchant accounts.

Instabill Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Uses Independent Resellers No
Telemarketing Possible
Misleading Marketing No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Inside/Outside Sales Team

Instabill appears to utilize a combination of its in-house sales team, its website, and independent referrers to market its services. There is no indication at this time that the company partners with outbound independent resellers, and we are currently able to locate only a few negative Instabill reviews that accuse the company’s sales team of misrepresentation or nondisclosure.

This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Instabill Rate Quotes

At the time of an earlier review, a sidebar on the Instabill website promoted rates “as low as 2.2%,” which is a slightly misleading quote that likely only applies to “Qualified” rates. This quote is no longer listed, though, and the company’s website now urges merchants to get in touch for a custom rate quote based on their processing history, risk factors, and business type. If you suspect that Instabill has misled you about your pricing, you can double-check their bill with a third-party statement audit.

Instabill Review Summary

Instabill is rated as a trustworthy credit card processing provider according to our system. Its specialization in high-risk and offshore merchant accounts, though valuable for many businesses, has occasionally led to complaints from clients facing service cancellations or withheld funds. However, these incidents generally appear to stem from Instabill’s proactive measures to protect itself and its customers from fraudulent activities. As such, the company remains a practical solution for businesses that struggle to obtain credit card processing through more conventional providers.

Even so, prospective clients should approach Instabill with the same due diligence they would apply to any high-risk processor. Its pricing and terms should be carefully compared with those of other top-rated high-risk processors to ensure they align with business needs and provide competitive rates. This will help clients obtain the best possible deal while finding a provider that suits their specific risk profile and financial objectives.

Contact Instabill

Contact & Customer Support
CEO Jason Field
Headquarters 875 Greenland Road, Suite B9, Portsmouth, New Hampshire 03801
Toll-Free Customer Support (800) 318-2713
Alternate Toll-Free Customer Support (800) 530-2444
UK Customer Support 44 (0) 203 948 8219
Website https://instabill.com/

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Please note that we only suggest providers that adhere to strict ethical standards and offer top performing support at extremely competitive pricing. We may earn revenue if choose one of our recommendations.

Reader Comments, Testimonials & Complaints

11 User Reviews

  • Michael

    After reading recommendations for high risk processing, specifically for kratom, Instabill was on the top of the list with an A rating. We were skeptical because we’ve yet to find a processing company that hasn’t robbed us in some way or another, but this experience has been the worst by far. We contacted them and right away they were eager to help offering a solution through a “partnering” company. I don’t know if they just collect a sucker/finders fee for directing people to scammers or if they are directly involved with the scam itself. Needless to say we got our first deposit on time and as promised but that was the last deposit we ever received. We jumped through hoops and got the run around for over a month. With almost 70k processed that we never received a dime for it nearly bankrupted our company, not to mention completely destroyed any faith or trust we had in humanity. Instabill claims no liability because our contract is with their “partner” not them.


    This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Kratom

    – Phillip

  • Rebekha

    Paul Nash the CEO of Spinqast said instabill stole all of the representatives of Spinqasts money. He said they would not release the funds and the funds that we all paid to become representatives. Thousands of dollars gone *poof* who has it??? Where did it go??? According to Paul Instabill has it and won’t release it to him.


    Are you with Instabill? Learn how to resolve this complaint.

  • Jason Gillespie

    I am very surprised to see that you are recommending instabill as a reliable merchant. I can provide multiple documentation to prove that they are running a scam. I hope you were not paid by instabill to review them.

    • CPO

      Hi Jason,

      According to all the available information, we found no evidence to support a claim such as yours. Please feel free to leave your evidence in the comment section of this review and we’ll take it into consideration.

    • A.Haddad

      I absolutely agree that Instabill is a scam. we had a pharmacy website and we were tired of not getting paid the right amount and tired of seeing new charges.our balance was about $12000 and they started giving us conditions for releasing the money.we felt that we met all conditions but they came up with new and different ones. all in all they took the $12000 and we had no way of getting them back. I had an attack on their website and got it down for two days and that was my money’s worth. i swear to God if I come face to face with anyone of them,man or woman,I would break their Mother Fracking knecks.

      • Hawkeye

        I totally agree with you. According to Instabill my money (which was in a reserve) was being held just in case of chargebacks. Well I never received any chargebacks and I never received the $5000 that was being held. I am sure it went into their bottom line as it did not go into mine. Instabill is a scam and will rip you off.

  • Mark

    We have been processing with Instabill for approximately seven years. They are excellent. Our experience with them has been that they provide an excellent product and act with the highest standard of integrity and customer service. We would recommend them to anybody who needs high spec processing at a competitive price.

  • Steve Sivers

    I would just like to say that i found Instabill very helpful in a situaton where our Company needed to to sort out merchant facilities quickly for what would be classed as a High Risk account they were both quick and helpful . Considering we are also running on different timezones with us in Uk and them in the US the correspondance and responses to get the matter sorted out in the quickest possible time was to be commended.
    We got our facilities up and running within a 10 day timeframe and Terri Donnato was most helpful and i would recommend from my experience Instabill solutions to anyone looking at merchant facilities that may be outside the normal parameters .

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