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(866) 436-5589
Company Overview
Established in 2000, Leaders Merchant Services is a merchant account provider that serves businesses of most sizes. The company specializes in retail credit card processing and e-commerce merchant accounts, enabling merchants to process “swiped” card-present transactions as well as “keyed” card-not-present transactions. Leaders was acquired by iPayment (now Paysafe Group) in November 2017. Leaders Merchant Services is a First Data (now Fiserv) reseller.
Leaders Merchant Services Point of Sale
Leaders Merchant Services prominently advertises Clover as a POS solution. The Clover family of products serves most common retail needs, including swipers, mobile solutions, terminals, and virtual terminals. Clover hardware can only be used with First Data/Fiserv merchant accounts.
Reputation and Ethical Issues
Leaders Merchant Services Ranks among the poorest scoring credit card processors in the merchant account industry. Its acquisition by PaySafe group does not seem to have repaired many of the issues reported by current and former merchant services clients. We encourage readers to of this article to pay special attention to the “Reviews and Complaints” section below.
Questionable Marketing Tactics
There are numerous “merchant account review” websites that list Leaders Merchant Services, and other Paysafe’s subsidiaries, as industry leading credit card processors and “best” picks. These review websites appear to be owned by, or heavily influenced by, Paysafe or possibly under the control of Paysafe’s Canadian subsidiary, IA Digital Marketing Inc. It appears that Paysafe may also be buying “top ratings” for Leaders Merchant Services on other “pay-to-play review” websites wherein top rankings are sold to the highest bidders, often without disclosure of such activities. Most of these websites appear to saturate the “sponsored” results at the top and bottom of search results pages when researching Paysafe subsidiaries and competitors. The following websites appear to be owned or heavily influenced by Leaders Merchant Services or Paysafe, or offer pay-to-play rankings:
- thetop10sites.com
- idealcomparison.com
- top10.com
- best10creditcardprocessing.com
- compareguroo.com
- toppaymentprocessing.com
- best-ccp.com
- comparisun.com
- websiteplanet.com
- topcreditcardprocessors.com
Sister Companies
Under the umbrella of Paysafe Group, Leaders Merchant Services is subsidiary along with the following U.S. merchant services brands, most of which have poor reviews:
- Flagship Merchant Services
- Openbucks Corp.
- Paysafe Merchant Services Corp.
- Paysafe Direct LLC
- Paysafecard.com USA Inc.
- Paysafe Payment Processing Solutions LLC
- Paysafe Capital, LLC
- Skrill USA
Leaders Merchant Services Location & Ownership
Leaders is located at 30721 Russell Ranch Rd Ste 200, Westlake Village, CA 91362, and is a registered ISO/MSP of BBVA, an Alabama State Chartered Bank. William Teleau is the Director of Sales Operations of Leaders Merchant Services.
Video Summary
Leaders Merchant Services Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers a three-year contract with an early termination fee of up to $350 and…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 250 public complaints regarding…
- BBB Rating: Currently has a “B+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 213 complaints and 45 reviews about…
- Sales & Marketing: Hires independent sales agents and has received a moderate number of complaints about its…
Leaders Merchant Services Pros and Cons
pros
- Approves most industries
- Quick application approvals
cons
- Hidden Fees
- Junk Fees
- Misleading Marketing
- Expensive Rates
- Numerous Client Complaints
- Cancellation Fees
Leaders Merchant Services Reviews and Complaints
Here's What Their Clients Say
Complaint Summary
|
Total Online Complaints
250+
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Live Customer Support
Unknown
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Customer Sentiment
Poor
|
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Most Common Complaint
Hidden Fees
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High Complaint Total
In the time since this review’s original publication in April 2012, it has received over 200 comments, the overwhelming majority of which are complaints about Leaders Merchant Services. In addition, we were able to locate over 100 complaints filed against the company on other consumer protection websites. These complaints have been posted with regularity over the past three years. Common themes expressed by complainants include misrepresentation of rates, nondisclosure of fees, unreachable customer service representatives, unauthorized debiting of accounts, and funds held without notification. Even for a large company, this is a higher-than-average complaint rate.
Leaders Merchant Services Lawsuits
Leaders was the defendant in a major lawsuit that was settled with prejudice against the company in July 2021. According to Pacific Coast Business:
The complaint alleged that Leaders violated California laws against unfair competition and misleading advertising when Leaders’ sales personnel didn’t fully disclose the company’s fees while signing customers up for payment card and electronic payment services. Leaders’ sales presentations were made to customers including small to medium-sized businesses and nonprofits throughout the country.
Under the settlement, Leaders is under a permanent injunction banning future violations of the law and must pay $1 million in civil penalties, $250,000 in cost recovery to the District Attorney’s Office and more than $800,000 in restitution to customers. Leaders did not admit guilt in agreeing to the settlement.
Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Leaders Merchant Services Customer Service Options
The company’s website lists a dedicated phone line and an email form, although it’s unclear whether the phone number goes to customer support or to sales.
We have located a single Leaders Merchant Services customer service number:
- (866) 436-5589 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
Leaders Merchant Services also offers a customer support form on its website.
Leaders Merchant Services BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
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Total Complaints
108
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Note: We have adjusted this company’s BBB rating according to our own standards. To better understand why we adjust BBB ratings, please see our Rating Criteria.
As of this most current update, the BBB is showing 80 formal Leaders Merchant Serviecs complaints and 28 negative reviews, and awarding the company and A rating.
Over 200 Previous Complaints
Earlier updates to this Leaders Merchant Services review have listed submissions totaling as high as 213 complaints in the last 36 months. 100 of the complaints were due to a problem with a product or service, 100 were billing or collections issues, 10 were due to advertising or sales problems, and 3 were issues with delivery. Only 26 of these 213 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 187 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Merchants Say
A recent negative review describes dishonest salespeople and excessive fees:
Total rip off on fees! This company is more based on getting fees than developing a working relationship with a business. I was flat out lied to many times about fees. Don’t believe the representatives about anything they say. I set up with no contract for no monthly fees. They started charging monthly fees and said they couldn’t do anything about it. Later, they raised their monthly fees to $41.75 even if no transactions were done. Do yourself a favor and keep looking of a better card reader company. I am sorry they don’t have a rating lower than 1 star.
Canceling a merchant account could result in exorbitant early termination fees. Businesses facing that issue should research how to cancel their accounts without paying a fee.
A “D” Performance
In light of these figures, we are adjusting the BBB’s rating to a “D” for our scoring purposes.
Leaders Merchant Services Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
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Processing Fees
High
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Junk Fees
Yes
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PCI Compliance Fee
Yes
|
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Service Contract
3-years w/ ETF
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Three-Year Contract
The standard Leaders Merchant Services contract is a three-year agreement with a yearly PCI compliance fee of $129, a monthly service charge of $7.95, a $40 monthly non-compliance charge, and an early termination fee of either $350 or $250 depending on when a merchant cancels. Some Leaders Merchant Services fees appear to vary—a few merchants report a monthly minimum between $20-$25—but most of these figures are consistent across all complaints. As noted above, merchants also report paying higher rates on their swiped transactions than they were originally quoted. While the company advertises rates as low as 0.15% plus $0.18 for transactions, many merchant complaints reflect those figures as being deceptive and being charged as high as 11%. The company also advertises a multitude of payment processing equipment options, include Clover POS systems. It is not disclosed on their website whether the company sells these terminals or leases them; however, in the 2021 lawsuit against Leaders, it is mentioned that they lease equipment and part of the lawsuit was over undisclosed fees for doing so. It should be noted that most credit card terminals can be purchased for under $500. Non-cancellable, long-term leases mean a merchant can pay thousands for that same equipment making them a contract term to avoid.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Leaders Merchant Services also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services, provided by Authorize.Net. A typical merchant agreement through Authorize.Net includes a transaction rate of 2.90% plus $0.30, a gateway fee of $25 per month, and a batch fee of $0.15. However, as a reseller of its services, Leaders Merchant Services reserves the right to alter these terms and conditions.
Negotiate for Better Pricing
Because the company relies on an independent team of sales agents, it is likely that some contract terms are negotiable depending on the agent servicing the account. Leaders’ standard pricing is about average for the industry, which prevents it from competing with the cheapest merchant accounts. The company also appears to do a poor job of communicating these terms to its clients, so we assign Leaders a “C” in this section. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Leaders’ services and contract leave something to be desired
Leaders Merchant Services Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
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Employs Independent Resellers
Yes
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Employee Sentiment
Poor
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Advertises Deceptive Rates
Yes
|
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Discloses All Important Terms
No
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Outside/Inside Sales Agents
Leaders Merchant Services appears to utilize both telemarketing and independent sales agents. The company likely also maintains an inside sales staff and engages in traditional advertising, but most merchant complaints describe a telemarketing/independent agent approach. This practice seems to have resulted in numerous complaints (on this website and elsewhere) citing nondisclosure of fees and aggressive sales tactics by agents. The primary source of complaints, though, appears to be the use of deceptive rate quoting by agents and in the company’s official marketing materials. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
Phony Review Websites
As mentioned in the company overview, PaySafe Group appears to have created several phony review websites where it ranks Leaders Merchant Services and a few of its other poorly rated subsidiaries as “top picks.” These review websites often overtake all of the sponsored placements at the top of Google search results when users research the company, its subsidiaries, and competitors. We find this method of marketing to be both deceptive and intentionally misleading. See our PaySafe Review for our most recent list of suspected phony review websites.
Deceptive Rate Quotes
At the time of an earlier update, the home page for Leaders Merchant Services prominently quoted “rates as low as 0.35%.” As of this update, the company is advertising “rates as low as 0.15%” on its rate quote page and in Google search results. These advertisements make no mention of the higher “Mid-Qualified” and “Non-Qualified” rates that merchants will pay for the vast majority of their transactions. In addition, the company’s “rates” page previously offered an explanation of Qualified, Mid-Qualified, and Non-Qualified rates and stated that “the rate you should receive most frequently” is the Qualified rate. For most merchants, this is simply not true.
Expensive Statements
We have reviewed several merchant account statements from Leaders Merchant Services clients. In nearly all cases, these clients were being grossly overcharged for credit card processing service. In all cases, the clients were under a “tier pricing” scheme that lack clear transparency and included numerous junk fees.
Tiered Pricing Explained
Tiered pricing is a credit card processing pricing model that groups transactions into different “tiers” or categories, each with its own rate. Typically, there are three tiers: qualified, mid-qualified, and non-qualified.
Qualified transactions are those that meet certain criteria, such as swiping a customer’s card in person. These transactions are charged the lowest rate. Mid-qualified transactions are those that don’t meet all of the criteria for a qualified transaction, such as manually entering a card number. These transactions are charged a higher rate than qualified transactions. Finally, non-qualified transactions are those that are deemed the riskiest or most expensive, such as processing a rewards card or a corporate card. These transactions are charged the highest rate.
The problem with tiered pricing is that it lacks transparency. Processing fees can vary greatly depending on the type of transaction, and it can be difficult to determine which tier a transaction falls under. This can make it challenging for businesses to accurately compare processing costs across different providers or to understand the true cost of each transaction.
Furthermore, because tiered pricing allows processors to charge different rates for different types of transactions, it is nearly always more expensive than other pricing models, such as interchange plus pricing or flat-rate pricing. This is because processors may have an incentive to classify more transactions as non-qualified or mid-qualified, which allows them to charge a higher rate. This can result in businesses paying more in processing fees than they would with a more transparent pricing model. Overall, tiered pricing can be the least transparent and most expensive credit card processing pricing model because it lacks transparency and can result in unpredictable costs for businesses. Our review of Leaders Merchant Service statements indicates that the company may be taking full advantage of the lack of clarity to charge businesses excessive processing fees.
Legal Action Due to Deceptive Rate Quotes
Part of the 2021 lawsuit detailed elsewhere in this review was over deceptive rate quotes given by Leaders’ sales agents. This is a further strike against the company, as we already deemed their sales practices as deceptive even before the lawsuit.
Don’t Blindly Trust Your Agent
We consider this type of rate quoting to be deceptive because it is likely to give merchants an unrealistic expectation of the rates they will actually pay. Many publicly available complaints confirm this to be precisely the case, as merchants report their sales agents quoting them the Qualified rate and never mentioning other possible rates before signing. If you suspect that your sales agent snuck extra fees into your account, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden fees.
Suspicious Positive Reviews
Finally, there is some evidence that positive reviews of Leaders Merchant Services have been copied and pasted on this site and elsewhere, possibly by fake accounts or reputation management firms. Merchants are advised to take this into consideration when searching for Leaders Merchant Services reviews.
Leaders Merchant Services Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
Leaders Merchants Services rates as one of the worst merchant account providers in the industry, according to our criteria. The factors that harm its rating include a history of unethical sales and marketing tactics, deceptive promotion via questionable review websites, documented proof of excessive processing fees and other costs, and expensive early termination fees and lease agreements. The company can improve its rating by better regulating its sales agents and by removing deceptive rate quotes from its sales pitches. Additionally, the company could benefit from working to lower its complaint rate. Merchants are advised to carefully examine the complete terms of any Leaders Merchant Services contract they are given, as the company currently ranks among the worst merchant account providers we’ve reviewed.
Related: Comparing The Best Merchant Accounts of 2023
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
Hannah
I was told there were no fees, no minimums, and that all I had to pay for was the card processor. I have been charged monthly fees, I was charged for a whole month of September (when I got approved for the account September 29 and didn’t even have a reader yet) on top of thinking there were no fees. I find out there’s monthly fees after, then a month later find out there’s a minimum I have to reach (which I can’t which is why I confirmed before signing up that there won’t be minimums). Also, I filed for a refund for the first month in October after finding out what happened, I never received the refund. Still having issues cancelling the account.
D Rauch
I was told there was No fees and No hidden charges, I must say that I have been paying both since I started the service a year ago. I was unfamiliar with what PCI compliant was and after I saw my charges were getting even higher for Leaders, I had reached out prior with very little to no response. Once I threatened to leave reviews then seems as if things became a lot clearer to me what I needed to do. I am very upset with this company. They offered to reimburse 3 months of theses “fees”, although that is unsatisfactory to me, I will be canceling my service after my reimbursement.
Dionne Garraway
Leaders merchant service put a freeze on my money. And charging me all kind of hidden fees. I contact my lawyer and am going to file a class action lawsuit against them.
I also contact the BBB.
I am going to called my bank fraud department and MasterCard cooperate office.
I am going to file a report federal trade commission.
I am going to do a social media live tagging my senate Rep Chuck schemer
Shereana Buchanan
I am so grateful to see this! I was a very new merchant and the first of only 2 of my first calls was a scammer.. Leaders risk management has my legitimate funds, a mere $170.00,( but I run a very small housekeeping business!) They are holding my money ..it’s been months and noone at the co replies to my emails. I am a poor and uneducated woman,just trying to earn an honest living. A friend mentioned I should get a provider bcz my business would grow if Iwas able to accept credit card payments. Reading these comments has helped me. If there are any known ,( for there’s NO WAY I COULD ever afford an attorney! )
But if you, or anybody reading these comments has knowledge of any options I have.. I just feel so used, played, and foolish.
Blake Griffin
Yes, this company is awful. Ive been signed up for 2 months and still havent received my credit card payments. Cindy in customer service was one of the rudest people Ive ever dealt with. They completely refused to help and atually acted like they didnt care. There are mu h better cheaper options.
Latoya Coleman
This company is the worst please to NOT do business here. I signed up and have NEVER used the service. They keep attempting to take funds from my account that is not there. I have closed the account and they are still attempting to take funds from me. This is ridiculous, I called and spoke to someone and they clearly see that I have never used thief service and that the account had been closed and their saying I have a balance of $171 for non use of service. They told me that I need to speak with their collection agency, this place is a scam. I wouldn’t advise no one to do business her go else where.
Christina Ho
this is not i want to do business with , no one can’t help when i call they transfer one person to other they not nice on the phone . This how your company treats customer ????
Escaped the Circus
I had the very unfortunate experience of working for this company. It was the shadiest, most unethical, abusive, HR nightmare, immoral, narcissistic, dishonest group of people I’ve ever experienced. They are crooks and are proud of it. The sh*t starts at the top with the mentally unstable brothers, their backstabbing sister, and criminal father who thinks he’s the Godfather or something. So disappointed to see they’re still in business. They shouldn’t be allowed to operate. Sounds like they’re still trying to pull off the “if you don’t mark the box, that means you want the service” bullsh*t. I argued with the father on this point and he manipulated the entire conversation trying to convince me if people are stupid and don’t read their contracts, it’s their fault for being charged hidden fees. Someone needs to investigate this circus and pull the plug on it.
Richard s smith
I processed a credit card through their services and discovered 9 days later that it was not in my bank. I have repeatedly called their customer support and been handed off to various departments. Long story short I still don’t have my money even though I have their receipt and approval form. I will be filing complaints with the SEC and other agencies on September 10, 2021.
Lise Schiffer
Horrible customer service and duplicitous practices. Despite multiple requests, I have never gotten a statement from them about how I’m being charged; they simply debit my bank account for twice the agreed upon rate and refuse to answer my emails. I will be filing a complaint with the BBB.
Tracey Groux
Dishonest, shady, unreal, never seen anything like it
Ana Ras
The app and the device work as advertised. My problem with this company and the reason why I am cancelling the service is that it was my understanding per discussions with sales that there were no monthly fees besides the percentage they take from each transaction. Our business is a medical office and the payments we receive are small as they are mostly copays. The reason to have it mostly is to provide an additional service for our patients in terms of them being able to pay the copay at the office instead of receiving a bill in the mail.
To my surprise, after a couple months our bank statement showed two fees adding up to about 130 dollars on top of the percentage of the fees. I called the company and they said that these were “compliance fees” and we had to respond to a technical questionnaire in order to have them waived. I explained that we are too busy to spare staff that can respond to this questionnaire and that we collected a total of less than 200 hundred dollars in the month of April and the fees came up to over 120 on top of the percentage of the transactions. I also explained that I had specifically inquired about hidden fees in my conversation with sales. I am cancelling the service but I want people to know about this before they sign up. Thank you.
Errin Reynolds
Worst Merchant account EVER! Ripped us off of $400.00- Do not use this company!!!
Alan Tuma
I was in retail for 20yrs. Years later I started a service business. Wasn’t going to use leader but had inquired. Salesman called made some good promises. After using leaders I find out they are worst cc company I have ever used. After two weeks of my first charge I still haven’t seen my money. Had to jump through hoops to say they will pay. Never use Merchant leaders or any company associated with pay safe
Laurie
Absolutely the worst company. They will take your take your money and make you go through months of BS to get it back. Getting ready to report to the better business. Do not use this company!
PAOLO Mugnaini
Leaders in scam.
John E Cook
I’m submitting this review in the hope it will save others from the tangled web and slick methods of Leaders Merchants Provider. We had not accepted credit cards until March of 2020 when Coronavirus-19 began forcing people to rethink contact with others. They began requesting credit card pay methods. Our research led us to the TOP 10 MERCHANT PROVIDERS LIST, Which listed LEADERS MERCHANTS as No. 1. this list is bogus as there is no legit criteria used to ascertain this ranking. The “list” is put together by a foreign company named Natural Intelligence, LTD. They maintain numerous “BEST” lists on various subjects and receive payments from those on the list.
We contacted Leaders to explore their system and if it would fit our needs. Our contact was an ‘agent’ in California. He explained their role in credit card processing and quoted some attractive rates. He also requested company info (Name, taxID, corp info, email) and banking info (routing number, acct number) so he could check our ‘credit worthiness’, whether we were a ‘real’ business’, and if our bank account was functional. Being new to the process these seemed reasonable and we complied. We continued our search for the right merchant fit, looking at numerous other providers before choosing a provider that fit our needs. It was NOT Leaders. However, we began receiving emails from them to join an online training session. We DID NOT respond and received no training , equipment, or virtual terminal from them. Months went by before it caught our attention that small amounts were being taken each month from our account through the ACH system. They were different amounts each month charged by a company called PAYSAFE, located in London, United Kingdom. If you want some interesting reading on international hokus-pokus look it up on wikipedia. Our Bank put a stop payment on the account, but Leaders came back with a different account identifier and withdrew a larger sum. They have learned a lot of nebulous methods and will use them to their advantage. It turns out the California “agent” used the information he requested for a “credit check” to set up an account in our name so he could collect his fees and bonus. We received NOTHING from Leaders. NO account notification, NO hardware, NO terminal, NO training, NO manuals, NO statements , NO explanation, NO thanks for your business (HA-HA), but we have not given up. Sorry this is long, but hopefully it will help the next guy. Our biggest mistake was to give too much information to the narcissistic “agent” . Thanks for reading!
NEWRULES
LEADERS IS A SCAM – SAVE YOUR MONEY. THEY ADD FEES WITHOUT CONSENT, THAT YOU HAVE TO OPT OUT. IVE BEEN GETTING CHARGED 59.99 FOR 3 YEARS BC I HAVE NOT COMPETED A PCI SURVEY! WOWZERRS
Mark Desiderio
Absolutely the worst experience with a Merchant Account Company in my 20 years in business. Both misleading and dishonest. Provided no customer service at all whatsoever, tried numerous times to get through and was always rerouted and told to go online. After closing my account they’re trying to say I still owe them more by hiring a collection agency.
AZ Metro Towing LLC
Leaders Should be known as Scammers they are the worst i have ever dealt with! The customer service is horrible and the fees are excessive not to mention 7 days to receive my money in the bank!! this is upsurged to say the least after arguing with customer service for months i finally had enough i cancelled with the 350.00 dollar cancellation fee!!!
Joanne
I have used them and they have the WORST CYSTO ER SERVICE EVER. They are scammers in
Jennifer S. Alton
Can someone find an attorney to start a class action lawsuit please!! I searched the internet and Leaders came up as the VERY BEST ! ( I did not see this site, June 2019). I do think their site is manipulated in some way. Immediately, I started to accrue strange fees but didn’t notice it at first as I didn’t think it would be necessary to check the Iportal.com on the internet. I was never told of any other fees other than the standard ones I was charged like from the bank credit card processing. In over a year , I was charged over $1000 of bogus fees. There was over 8 hours of multiple call to customer service. They say they care and they will try to do anything but it is all BS talk. The don’t refund any fees.
I didn’t think I had any recourse at the bank so I didn’t pursue it. After reading about the cancellation fee ( another fee never mentioned from Leader’s ) I called my bank today. They said yes they can put a stop payment to specifically block withdrawals from Leaders. ( I could of done it months ago ! ) There was no need to close the account.
I also am going to dispute previous charges re their bogus breakdowns for what they were for.
THIS COMPANY IS A TOTAL SCAM . WARNING !!! WARNING!! Call your Bank’s Fraud department and block them by stop payment route. US Bank waived Stop Payment charge without me asking….
CPO
Jennifer,
We offer to consult merchants on how and if they are able to get refunds for fees and other charges they should not have incurred. This service is free, you may want to submit a statement for us to analyze.
Andrew Montemayor
Warning to any business considering starting with this merchant service. My company initially reached out to Leaders with hopes that we could save money by switching to them. The sales person that I spoke to (Rob Nugent) was very cheerful/helpful and persistent with selling us the service that we inquired about, bringing forth massive savings, leaving me daily emails and calling constantly to gain our business. Finally, after discussing many detailed aspects of our business and the service we would require, contracts were signed. Shortly after this, we were put into contact with their “Installation team” (Robyn Alvarez and Zachary Hatcher), only to find out that we were sold something that could not be provided (a direct integration with Quickbooks Online). So we peacefully concluded that things would not work out, contracts would be voided, and no charges would be deducted from our accounts. It is now 6 months later and we have been charged an amount every month since, that comes directly out of our bank account. I have reached out to Leaders Merchant Service several times, regarding this situation, only to be told that the “Installation” team (Robyn Alvarez and Zachary Hatcher) that helped us, are no longer with the company. When we ask to be transferred to the sales rep (Rob Nugent), that helped us, we are told that he would not be able to help us with this situation. Resulting in the “Cancellation” department reaching out to us, stating that we would have to pay the contract cancellation fee to completely end business with them. Mind you, we have not processed even one transaction through this service.
Leader Merchant Service has completely taken advantage of the situation. It seems the only solution, is to keep up with the charges, that are deducted from our bank account, and continue to report them as fraudulent charges.
Our experience with Leaders has made us extremely cautious about doing business with any other merchant service.
Beware, and DO NOT sign anything before testing out the service for yourself
CPO
Hey Andrew,
This article should help: How to Cancel a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee.
-Phillip
Darren Isaacs
I absolutely am not happy with them.
I have tried to get them to stop talking money out of my account.
Everytime I call i get put on hold and eventually disconnected.
I have left call back request and never get a call back.
I have sent the equipment back in the manner they requested but they still take money out monthly.
CPO
Darren,
This article should help: How to Cancel a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee.
-Phillip
ross banfield
Disappointed with fee creep on agreement. Will cancel service and take $350 hit (early termination fee) to move on.
Carl Syslo
Leaders worked well untill you had an issue. First, their support staff only works on the week days. So if you have a problem on the weekend, your screwed. In addition, their hours are on PST so if your on the east coast you will need to wait an additional 3 hours to get the support you need. Watch for hidden fees. We canceled the service after 3 years and was hit with a $250 fee. Due an in depth analysis ask a lot of questions and get it in writing before you subscribe
Marjorie
When I spoke to the representative there were two main things I got interested about:
1.- one monthly fee of 9.99 and the charge per transaction.
2.- you can cancel anytime without charges.
I signed up for it… Then it nightmare starts.
As soon as you sing there is absolutely no response from them. I contacted via email the agent to notify I haven’t received the device to start using the service. I called the call center and they told me UPSP has confirmed the device was left at the mailbox but I never got it. I requested it to be sent to my home address, which is a very quiet and safe neighborhood, by this I mean it couldn’t have been stolen or anything… With mail a lot of thing could have happened, maybe left at a neighbor mailbox, or just whatever. They should request signature for this kind of charging devices being delivered. But anyways I insisted the device was never received and what could be the solution on that situation… I was AMAZED the response was “we have the shipping confirmation that it was left at your mailbox, so we can’t do anything on our end since it’s your fault”?????? Seriously????
Immediately I requested my contract to be canceled (remember I was told I could cancel anytime). My surprise was that I would have to pay a 450 fee for early cancelation?!
I reached again to the agent who luckily pick up the call, I let him know of the situation and he got all exalted saying that he could have never said that I could cancel any time and that the monthly fee is 9.99, in addition he said “all my calls are recorded”… So that was my way out, I asked him if we could get that recording so we could listen to it together.
He totally avoided my request and told me “I’ll talk to the customer service guys to solve it out” and immediately hang out without letting me say anything else.
5 days after that call I trying calling again, no response. Next day called again, no response. Thrid day attempt to contact him, nothing. I sent him an email requesting follow-up with my case, nothing.
This is day 7 after that email and yesterday I called at 8am, 10am, 12pm and 3pm. He would simply not answer my calls. And of I try any other phone number of the company, they will say “I can’t do anything you have to contact him”
Mendy Rothchild
Customer service is a nightmare
Be aware of the cancellation and termination fee. 250-350 and good luck calling them.
dave mattice
For me, I was told it would cost less than the one I was using. The one I was using was under 4%
I Tried Leaders for 6 months
They processed 250.
It would have cost less that 10. with the other.
In that time Leaders charged 430.
Then another 350 to cancel.
That might work for some,,, but not me. It was cost effective to pay the 350 to rid myself of this cancer. I have to believe any good reviews are selected or bought and paid for.
David Sheppard
We switched from Leader Merchant Services to Square Up. We had not realized that we signed a 3 year contract with Leader Merchant Services that caused us to be billed $350.00 to shut it down 27 months early!
We were never able to use the credit card services for a customer due to the Application Upgrade from Mobile Pay to “Pay Safe”. Leader services customer services has limited “real person” customer service and they contract the Chip and Card Reader out to another company so you can’t just make one phone call for everything.
Square Up does not have a contract that would charge us to cancel. Their fees are competitive or cheaper and provide similar management software.
I would never recommend Leader Merchant Services for anything!
Diane Gebhardt
Someone needs to take action against this company. They are thieves. The sales people mention nothing about early cancellation and monthly fees Somehow they have manipulated the referral rating on the internet to get people to believe they are a 9.8 rated company, when in fact they are thieves. It is extremely frighten that they have direct account information to my bank account.
Jeffrey Parks
Exactly, someone really needs to try to get the attorney general involved to investigate them. This kind of deceptive fraudulent behaviour has been going on way way too long. It has to be by design to bilk its customers (aka victims). I had a similar experience with them over 10 years ago, deceptive advertising, mysterious ACH debits and non-existent customer service that seem trained to delay and frustrate any legitimate customer enquiries. Nothing appears to have changed in the least bit. The amount of complaints on them is ridiculously high and its really time for the regulatory authorities to take some action on them, it’s just wrong to let them continue on year after year intentionally scamming people.
CPO
Jeffrey,
This article may help: Reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
-Phillip
Diane Gebhardt
The company is a rip off. I told the sales person from the get go that I would only need the service for 1 month and at no point did he tell me there was an early termination charge. They pop up as the number one merchant service company when searching for this service. There is a highly likely chance that they have manipulated the system to such. They should be investigated and a class action lawsuit should be filed against them. They are thieves. At no point was I ever told that there was a 30 day trial period. I never would have signed up because I only planned on using the payment card for one month in the month of December 2019. I was being proactive and signed up for the card in September. Than I started to receive monthly fees in Oct despite the fact I did not use the service and cancelled in November/ After sending back the card reader thinking my cancellation was complete, they then charged my bank account $350.00 for an early cancelation fee. Again, they are thieves and should be put out of business.
Sam
Well another sucker has got taken . I am a current victim of Leaders. Rep made it sound good told me a bunch of lies .After reading the contract decided to cancel with less than 24 hours from agreeing to contract. Still charged me 350.00.After two people told me there would be no charge. Be careful out there people . Can’t believe they can operate a business like this . Thats my two cents .
Garwood Weatherhead
The worst customer service I’ve ever had! We just cancelled our reader because we couldn’t even get anyone on the phone there to verify one of the charges we made to a client. Don’t ever use this company!!! They are pathetic!
Carlos Morales
RUN!!!!!!!!!
Steve
My advice. If you didn’t read their reviews before starting, close your bank account affiliated with them. Otherwise they will steal from you.
Olga Sellers
Total scam – promised no cancelation fee – no hidden fees- blah blahhh – They charged me $350.,,,,
For canceIation fee!!!!plus a lot of money in hidden fees was charged $34 on only $ taken in. Misc service fee- $5 Misc reg fee$4.95 – charged for – Worst was they are the same company I left for hidden fees – IPayment – Leaders gets thier mail to the EXACT same adress – but every employee says Oh we share some business. WOW what an illegal scam they got going. RUN thay are htreating a $300 cancelation after one month and oh so many other hidden “I think I can steal from you” charges. When prompted by a service rep why I was leaving she suddenly could better my rate- “i should be paying this much” Then why was it set up this way – “She didn’t know. RUN FROM THESE FRAUDULENT scam artists……
This company is a criminal organization!
Catalina Muniz
this company not even call me for training and they are charging me already. My account is not even completed. I want to cancel my account but there is no one to talk about this. They promised to call me and they haven’t do so. How can I cancel my account? Help Thank you
Mary Fazzini
STAY AWAY
LIES AND DECIET
WORST COMPANY EVER
SALES AGENT REBECCA WILLOWS
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY
Eunice Hernandez
Thiefs! Watch out for fees you had no knowledge about nor signed off on. You will never get a call back from your complaints, or open tickets. They must follow a script because they don’t mind any attention to your concern even when stating undeniable facts. I would stay away 10000000% from this merchant! You will have many headaches and no resolutions from them.
Dee Green
Scammers that will steal money from the business account under any different deceptive reasons. Cancellation fee after few years of business and a lot of hidden chargers. One of the worst merchants.Beware.
chad parrish
They are scandalous. They contacted me about taking me to court. They sent me what I signed but the page with the early cancellation fees was not signed.
Mariam
Absolute fraudsters – will take your money without providing any sort of communication or customer support. Scammers. Please save yourself the pain of dealing with these cheats and use someone more reputable.
This post will help: Why Credit Card Processors Hold Funds
-Phillip
MARK HOWeRD
These people are liars and scammers. Do not give them your bank account information as they will begin withdrawing money from your bank account at will. The form that must be faxed in order to close your account goes to a fax number that is no longer in service. Do yourself a favor and do not get involved with this company!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Paul Daniels
Don’t bother with this company. They have hidden fees like the $129 yearly fee for “security” they don’t tell you about. I have other fees, like the “non-use fee” I’m trying to get someone to tell what it’s about.
The person, Rhett, that signed me up told me he would always be available to answer questions. i’ve contacted him three times and he doesn’t email me back.
Find a different company is my recommendation.
This post will help: Eliminate Hidden Fees From Your Monthly Bill
-Phillip
KASONDRA WEBB
I will never do business with this company ever again. I will make sure to tell everyone not to be apart of this company. This company sounds nice at first with the $15 a month, but then what they dont tell you is they charge you 7.95 twice a month just to use the credit card machine and then they charge you $ for not even using it $41.90, $119,$200 here and there every month its a different price they take from you. And then when you cancel it said it could be $250-350 no they charge you the whole $350 and then after you cancel they still take money out of your account and will say its for something and get away with it. I hate this company they steal from people that dont deserve it. I was going to start a business up with my BF and it fell through so thy are taking money away that i am not even making. they dont give a crap about no one but them selves. They suck. I will be going to the BBB and state attorney. Good day.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
TOM LEWIS
Charged $350 cancellation fee when I never signed up for their service. Terrible! Two others did not do that.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
chad parrish
The cancellation charge is ridiculous. Customer support is horrible. Has anyone not paid the cancellation fee?
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Tiffany Hale
I have had Leaders since December. I have been extreme unhappy with them. I was told fees would be .15 with an .18 transaction fee. I explained to them I am a small business and didn’t do a lot of processing and they said that was fine. They told me it would cost $4.95 monthly and I would have no other fee’s. They did inform me of $350 for early termination. I have yet to see a month anywhere close to .15. They charge because I don’t meet a certain amount each month, they charge more because ALL my clients are using cards that do not qualify for lowest rate, and they charge me for the equipment that I was told was free. I wished I didn’t have a business and a personal account. It would cost me $700 to get out of this contract. And if you have to deal with MIKE FORD … BEWARE. He is not honest about anything at all. He got us in this mess and will not talk to us about our issues. Not to mention a lot of our customers have to run out to ATM’s and get cash because their card won’t even process. THIS COMP AY IS A JOKE. DO NOT USE THEM!
This post will help: Find and Eliminate Hidden Fees in Your Monthly Bill
-Phillip
alon tsukor
people this company is a scam. dont apply for this merchant. i worked with them 2 weeks and i canceled my account. i have a legit established business with papers and everything. after my second transaction they suspended for a review. the review took them a week and still no answer. i keep calling them they are saying wait. some lady name Michelle.
like after i signed up with sqaure is 10 times better then this. first they make all this promises but everything is a scam. i had a limit of spending $20.000 a month. i did 2 transaction all together it was $3500. and they said its a new account and all this BS. i stopped working with this company. i wouldn’t recommend anyone to work with them. your business is just going to stop in a middle of a day and they don care.
This post will help: How to Make Your Payment Processor Release Your Money
alona tsukor
is there a place where we can complain and have this company shut down. because they are totally a scam. they are making money by scamming people. i hope people read all this comments before signing up with them. i just feel bad whoever signed up with them already.
LEADERS YOU GUYES ARE SCAM AND YOU WILL BE SHUT DOWN SOON.
This post will help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors
-Phillip
Andrew larivee
I agree they scammed me and stole my money and everytime I call to get it back they said its a valid charge and mock me…. Terrible customer service and a fraudulent company
Lowell Noble
This company was fraudulent. They offered a no fees account and told me that there was no fee to cancel. It started with charging me $75 for a scanner than never arrived. They said I had to purchase another one that they mailed it, without insurance or tracking. There was a $350 cancelation fee in contract that I missed but I was lied to by sales. I was charged $1.75 for a couple of months then they decided to bill me $59.12 in fees after the 4th month and when complained they said they notified me, which they didn’t and that I could always cancel my contract. When I canceled they hit me with a $350 fee. I didn’t make a single credit card charge and am out over $500. Please re-evaluate this company. It is a scam.
This post will help: Cancelling Your Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Russell Anderson
This company is a joke. They offered competitive rates, so i signed up and everything went down hill from there. After three and one half weeks we could not process credit cards. They sent three bad machines which were returned with proof of return. Leaders never could get our business names right even though correct on the applications. Their Customer Service Team Refused service when calling in and equipment would not work. Out of frustration because not being able to process credit cards, I pulled the plug. They then billed me delivery fees for broken equipment, cancellation fees for services never provided and the finally straw billed be for equipment that was returned and signed for at Leaders. In addition their PCI process requires an IT expert to respond to. They are refusing to return my funds, so small claims court looks like a good option. If you are looking for Merchant Services KEEP LOOKING, these guys are worse than bad.
This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Dentists
-Phillip
Victor
I had to pay $20 for service I never had a chance to use because they disabled my week long account. They never told me why the account was disabled. Don’t believe them when they say there is no termination fee. There is absolutely a termination fee of $300.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
ed mcmullin
Not worth the time or money.
1. Signed up at one rate within 8 months I was charged over 200 is “Additional Fees” only after several hours waiting on the phone I got some of them waived.
2. Support: If you expect someone to pick up the phone on the other end within an hour your dreaming.
3. Marketing tactics: I got an email said with the fine print reading; “If I don’t unsubscribe to this new trial service I will be billed every month.
4. More tactics. On my statement page 2 there was a note saying next month we are raining you fees. If you don’t agree call now. Who reads the fine print? Went from $1.25 pr month to $60 per month.
5. Cancelling the service: don’t expect this to be free either even though it is in your contract.
Otherwise – stay as far away for these guys as you can. Don’t be fooled by low initial rates. They will raise them within a year.
This post will help: Find and Eliminate Hidden Fees in Your Monthly Bill
-Phillip
Isaac
They are scamming liars do not go with leaders merchant services it will cost you way more money and headache then any other service! Do not sign up with them. They belong in jail! They will tell you you’ll get a lower interest rate and no monthly fees to get you to go for it but when they signed the agreement for you and then send you the email with the contract it is way different!!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Anne Meurer
Beware! We have a great credit card company, but were looking around and comparing fees. I contacted Leaders to see how their rates compared to our current company. They said I had to fill out an application to see what their rates were. The next thing I know I have a credit card terminal at my door. I emailed them immediately letting them know that we never agreed to do business with them, we were just comparing rates. I sent the terminal back on 12-28-18. I thought we were done with them, but on 3-14-19 they charged us a $350 early termination fee! Now I’m fighting with them to get that back to us. Do not sign anything! Also, when I was shopping around they were borderline harassing us. Calling us four times a day and emailing us when we didn’t answer. When I was displeased that they sent us a terminal I emailed them and called and I couldn’t get anyone to respond to me. They’re very helpful, too helpful, when they want your business, but if you have any concerns or don’t want to use their business they are a ghost town. Please don’t make the same mistake we made for our small, family owned business. This has been a nightmare.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Jenn B
DO NOT SIGN UP with this company!!! Signing a contract with Leaders Merchant was the BIGGEST MISTAKE! In my line of business – Construction – I was looking for a CC merchant with a low monthly fee – knowing that I was only going to use their services maybe 1 x a month, if that. After speaking to my rep David Gallant (who no longer answers my calls or emails) it sounded like the perfect company – low rates – low monthly fees – cancel when I no longer needed it because I didn’t have any devices everything was internet based etc. First time I ran a CC – to my surprise the card didn’t fit within their “tier” so I was charged the hIghest rate 3.9 (I believe) I chalked it up to – 1 card didn’t fit into the 1st tier – 2nd time – same thing – accept now my monthly charge increased because they had to take out the remaining percentage – again maxed out the allowable merchant percentage. Month after month I called them and complained about bogus additional monthly charges or hidden fee that was never disclosed – they had an answer for everything – My last straw was when I decided NOT to Use the CC services anymore- they CHARGED me a NON-USAGE fee!!!!! I was livid – I called to cancel and get reimbursed for the non- usage fee. They told me that I was under contract and that cancellation will be $350. I decided to just pay the $10-12monthly fees to finish out the remainder of the 3 yr contract (David never answered me back when I questioned the cancellation penalty) they told me they had my verbal consent on the cancellation fee. I asked for a copy – they told me they would call me back with it – NOPE never did. So I placed a stop payment on my business checking account – they came in under a different name and debited my account. I immediately placed another stop payment under their 2nd name and It was rejected. Months later – I received a collections notice in the mail – to save my name / credit I bit the bullet and paid the cancellation fee. Lesson learned!!!! LEADERS Merchant is not whatbtbey claim to be!!!
This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Construction
– Phillip
Emin Izzat
Avoid!! Avoid!! The merchant forcefully closed my account after 20 days of credit card processing claiming account has a high risk (out of 25 transactions 15 were cross border with a domestic delivery addresses to the fulfillment center). I obviously have no control who buys it online especially in the first weeks of the small business start up. Shipped multiple items and the merchant stated that the transactions occurred during the cancellation and were not included in the settlement batch. I learned about it a week after the account was closed and the items were shipped to the buyer. Lost $650.00 of sale if buyers decide not to pay. Merchant requested no information to investigate the account in good faith prior to closing nor advised that some of the transactions were not included in the batch to help prevent avoidable losses. Complete disregard of care for the client. To top these all, just find out that they charged me $350.00 for early termination fees. Would’n you love to have such a business where you can close out accounts early and earn easy $350.00. They need to stand up to their name and learn to become true leaders.
This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for High Risk
– Phillip
Bernadette I Villanueva
customer service is not good. they put you on hold and no one wants to talk to you
This post will help: Best Merchant Accounts for Great Customer Service
– Phillip
Jennifer Anderson
I have been charged exorbitant fees that are not part of my original contract. After days of being transferred from one “customer service” rep. to another, and so on, hung up on, transferred to an extension that has options that give you the exact same options, again and again, no matter which option you choose. I have not only wasted a ton of money, but also weeks of my time. My contract was cancelled, finally, but I am still being charged a fee for the gateway service. A service to which I have no explanation, name, contact information, or anything. And now the shenanigans begin again! Transferred, told they can’t do that, that I can’t cancel this, and put on hold/ transferred to no one. I just tried to call again, to have the recording tell me that I am the 115,000th call that will be answered. I have never had such horrible customer service, contact, support, expenditure of money for NOTHING!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
– Phillip
Chad Slaughter
This was a total nightmare dealing with this company. They may give you a rate which sounds great but you better get ready down the road, mine went up to 4.5%, you have t o wait forever to a get a person on the phone with to talk too on top of that. They put a 3 yr agreement in with a $350 early termination fee, I would NEVER agree to a 3 yr deal on anything!!!! Was told there would be no monthly minimums or fees, total BS!! Steer clear from this company unless you are just wanted to throw money away
This post will help: Eliminate Overcharges From Your Monthly Bill Without Switching
– Phillip
Ashley hayes
I haven’t been able to contact anyone for over a month, at least 25 calls were made on my end and have still spoken to no one. Right now I’m waiting to speak to anyone so that I can cancel the service and not recommend this service to anyone else trying to start a small business. Numerous fees have come out of my account that I was unaware of and am not able to speak to anyone to explain why am being charged these fees and where they’re coming from
From The Editor
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Deborah Jones
Worst company of all. Stay away…….very dishonest disclosure of fees.
From The Editor
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Gheno B
Deceptive advertising, deceptive sales tactics, untransparent tiered pricing. Too many promises that they cannot hold on too and in addition they will not notify you about anything at all, especially about upcoming payments, or any charges about to happen. The customer services is one of the worse I’ve ever had.
From The Editor
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Kim Wanner, Point of Impact Engineering
Leaders Merchant Services is still holding $2,356.65 from my first and only transaction with them on 10/31/2018. They claim they could not deposit the funds in my account which is clearly included in the contract with account and routing numbers, and yet my bank shows no attempt by them to do so. After multiple phone calls and transfers to multiple customer/management agents. I was told the best way to receive my money was to close my account and they would send me a check. So I immediately closed my account. My account closure request was completed on 11/16/2018. They promised me a check by the end of the month which would have been November 2018. I still did not receive the check! When I called the number back that was given to me by Nick, the last person I spoke with from collections, which is the department that supposedly handles payment of these funds, I immediately received this computer generated message: “Your account does not give you access to this phone number.” ….. Apparently my number has been put on the do not answer list!
I have read my contract which I printed off the same day it was signed with DocuSign. My contract shows 0.00 in the cancellation fee. and 0.00 in the early termination fee! I was aware of the 3.35% fee I would be charged for each transaction because I was only using the service every 6 months. But nowhere does it give allowance for them to keep the entire amount of any credit card transaction! This is clearly a crime, they have stolen money from me and my client at the same time. This company is clearly dishonest and cannot be trusted in any way shape or form. Based on the other complaints I have read here, how are they still in business stealing from hard working business owners and how is it possible that when I first looked them up with the BBB it showed an A+ rating?
If you value your time and resources at all, do not do business with this company~!
From The Editor
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Rustic Recall
I have had nothing but trouble with this company since I started dealing with them back in Feb of 2018. I started an account and received the equipment but was unable to set it up or get it to work even after at least 15 calls to their technical support. Finally I decided to cancel my account on March 2nd, when the last tech service person said ” I guess it won’t work with your phone”. I completed their form on March 2nd requesting closing of my account and after receiving an email indicating that they were processing my request, I sent the equipment back. I continued to get bills every month through August. In August I contacted them again and was told they did not receive my original request in March. After I sent them the email with the completed form and the one that they send me acknowledging receipt of my request they told me I would need to complete another form! They checked their records and found the original email from back in March and still told me that they needed me to complete another form since they could not verify my signature on the one sent in March. So just to end this whole thing I did submit another form and was told by Janice that since they had proof that I sent the form back in March that I would get a refund for 480 dollars which was the total of my bill from March through August. No refund was received. Then on Oct 17, 2018 I got a bill from them for $200 for non return of equipment. I called to find out what was happening and they told me that they could not find any records for my request for termination of my account. I now can not get anyone from the company to return my calls and cant get a hold of anyone who can help me. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. My next action will be to contact the better business bureau and my lawyer
From The Editor
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Deb
Please DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY or Their services for your business. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE SCAMMING PEOPLE BIG TIME!!! What your sales rep tells you is all the fake. It was my biggest mistake I ever made in my life while choosing Leaders Merchant Services company.
From The Editor
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Laurie Sullivan
No equipment ever received, yet fees were (and still are) being charged. Now a $350.00 cancellation fee! For ZERO services or equipment! Long hold times, always the wrong dept or they can not answer my question. Fee are still not reversed and more continue. What a long, difficult process. I DO NOT recommend them, not even to my Ex!
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
Jason L Santee
This company LEADERS MERCHANT SERVICES needs to be investigated!!! What your sales rep tells you is 100% bs! I was told I can cancel anytime, no fee, no contract. Low transaction fee at .15%. Just all complete lies!!!! I was told my card reader was free, I had to pay $50. I called customer service only to be told sorry they were not apart of the original conversation with sales. So basically, tough luck. Absolutely zero customer service!!!! And now Im locked in a 3 yr contrac Im unable to get out of with a early termination fee over $300. Oh and I am being charged $26 a month….I did not sign up for this. I asked for a copy of my agreement and have not received a copy. Plain and simple I am being strong armed and bullied. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
Kenya L.
I can not believe I fell for this company!!! I never write reviews ever, but had to in this case. I am so upset. I am a new small business that have been trying to find the right processing company for my business. I Googled top Merchant companies and Leaders was at the top! Not sure how! Unbelievable! Anthony Herrera was amazing right up until I was approved for the device and now I can’t get a response to a simple email. I was on hold one day for over 20 minutes because everytime I call there is high call volume. I called today because I wanted to know where my next day deposit was. Once I finally got someone on the phone because Anthony never responded, I was informed that my deposits would be 48 hours later and that could not be changed because I was new! As it turns out, the turn around time is actually more than 48 hours, because they first have to verify then authorize! It was written in my contract that I can cancel anytime, I guess that is going to be bull crap too from the other reviews I read!
Dan Meester
THE WORST!!! Don’t let the low teaser fees fool you. These people have the most horrible service in the industry. I signed up for mobile processing. The equipment would not work, their tech support has no idea what they are doing. When I told them I think their processing hardware would not work despite HOURS on the phone with tech support and needed to be replaced they refused. I had no choice but to find another service provider and terminate the agreement because of Leader’s lack of performance. Guess what? There’s a $350 termination fee in their 64 page contract. So now I have to sue these losers to get my money back. STAY AWAY!
From The Editor
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David McFadden
We opened an account for our counseling business in July so that it would be ready to go when we started seeing clients in August. We ordered 2 card readers because we each work in a different office. We were not informed that we could not both sign on to the account from separate phones. Upon sign-on there is a code send to the primary phone, so in the other office we would not be able to use the account. The only way to make it work would be to have 2 accounts and pay double the fees. We never used the account, in fact we never even got fully signed up for it. Since it would not work for us, we cancelled the account AND then were charged an exorbitant $350 fee for an account WE NEVER USED! We fee that we were robbed.
From The Editor
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Jerry Naylor
I signed up with leaders for CC processing. The fees were super high. I called and they lowered the fees. Screwed up front. Couldn’t get reader to work so called customer service. CLOSED ON SATURDAYS. I called the tech support and what a run a round I received. I sat on hold for over an hour just to find out they needed to transfer me to another dept. I was on hold for another 45 minutes before I just had to hang up.
Customer service was so poor I never could get through. I left my number for them to call me back and 7 hours later they called. I could not talk to them at the moment because I was driving. They just said they could put me back on the call list but not time frame was offered for the call.
I was so frustrated at this point I just wanted to cancel the service. I did so just to find out that I got stuck with a $350 CANCELATION FEE.
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. THEY ARE SCAMMING PEOPLE BIG TIME!!!
From The Editor
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Daniel Kotek
Terrible flat out lied about fees charged me 5 percent of sales.Having hard time canceling had to change banks so they couldnt steal any more money.
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Ryan
I was told over the phone by the sales representative when I signed up that there would no contract for my account. After seeing the high charges for my monthly statements I wanted to cancel and go with someone else. They told me they did not say there was no contract, and charged me 350.00 for early termination fee. Very dishonest, I had a hard time getting anyone to get back in touch with me about this issue. Of course, it goes into the next month and I get charged another monthly fee. I paid all the fees just to get them out of my life.
From The Editor
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Richard Nelson
This place is horrible they just take your money and you receive nothing won’t send you machines to accept cards but charge you a monthly fee to accept cards then when you don’t like it and want to cancel they charge you an early termination fee..crazy that they can get away with this
From The Editor
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Angela Powell
This is the biggest scam I’ve ever seen. All the information told to me when I signed up was a lie. The % of each sale was quadruple what they said it would be. No hidden fees they said, I’ve had more fees in 4 months that I’ve ever seen. In 2 months I’ve spent more in fees than I did with my previous credit card company in a whole year!! So I cancelled it, now they charge me $350! Funny they said try it and if you don’t like it cancel at any time. What a SCAM!!!
Jared Conelle
I have had the best experience with leaders merchant services! Customer service is GREAT. Received my device in just a matter of days, and got everything set up in just s couple of hours. Very impressed with the company’s structure.
CPO
Hi Jared,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
Mana
This is a fraud company. Never trust this company and their employees. They will give wrong information to attract customer and charge lots of fees without providing service. ” NEW CUSOTMER, PLEASE CHECK THE REVIEWS BEFORE CHOOSING YOUR MERCHANT COMPANY” They charged over $800 without any service and again charge cancellation fee of $35 saying you guys sign the contract so need to pay cancellation pay as wells as monthly fee of same month. It was my biggest biggest biggest mistake I ever made in my life while choosing merchant company.
Wen
Completely agree. They are doing business with cheating
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Linda Nicastro
STAY AWAY FROM THESE CROOKS!!!
If only I could leave negative stars. Worst company ever. Charges left, right, center… Keep your money and find another merchant service…. Trust me, they stole my money even after I dumped them. Calling better business bureau next….
Sanjay Behuria
I subscribed to Leaders merchant services and this is what happened.
1. They shipped the Clover Mini without a scanner.
2. The salesperson reckons the iPad camera is the scanner and external scanner is not required, the Clover support thinks otherwise.
3. They promise to send me a scanner at no shipping cost as it is their error and inform that only their scanner will be compatible, any other will not work.
4. They do not ship the scanner for 7 days. When checked they need two days to investigate why the scanner was not sent.
5. I buy the scanner from Amazon and take my chance. It works.
6. The sales manager calls me to ask what will it take me to return the scanner and buy from them if they match the price.
7. The name on my account is fictitious. They do not do any due diligence or ask for any ID like EIN to verify. Should be reported to IRS for negligence.
8. They quote me one rate while buying and charge me another rate.
9. Their website cannot match company name with EIN, despite repeated attempts.
10. A call to their number is a musical chair merry-go-round as you get transferred from company to company, without knowing who is who?
Any idea how I can complain about them to the Treasury or IRS for their non-compliance with KYC rules and regulations?
Shelly Thompson
Leaders Merchant is a fraud company. Do not do business with them. They sold me a package with 3 tiers of credit card processing fees but you never get charged anything but the highest fees. Then hidden fees and huge cancelation fees. I tried to get it fixed since January. I haven’t used them for processing since March 1 but they are still charging my bank account in May. They won’t let you talk to a manager or file a complaint. You can’t get through the front door to talk to anyone who will do anything to fix it. I paid for stop payment at my bank and now my brand new company is in collections for a service I can’t get cancelled. Do not use them.
Rahmanakhlakur
Poor customer service
Unknown
This company was absolutely horrible from the very start. Not only did the rep that signed us up never respond to us after he signed us up, but everything thing they said was a lie. Millions of hidden fees, lousy customer service. Do not trust this company
Aleena Muhammad
BAD BUSINESS, BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. This Company has many, many hidden fees and will SCAM you BEWARE. If you already Ordered go ahead and pay the cancellation fee and take it as a lost yet learning lesson.
Rusty Pegar
This is absolutely the most DISHONEST cc company that exists today. Do NOT allow them access to your bank accounts. To date they habe charged me over $500 to process $350 worth of charges. The sales rep was a lying sack of excrement, who signed ALL my “contracts”. This company is owned by Wells Fargo, and it’s obvious they are up to their old tricks!! Stay away!!/
Karen Makange
Oh my goodness!! I was scammed. And not one person will respond to me. They drafted my account for $39.95 twice. The first time. For what? I don’t know. The second time $170.23 twice. For what?? I don’t know. I am livid right now. Can someone tell me what to do? Why did they do this. They have ruined my bank account. And I have never ever ever used them. I was just trying to use something different than square. I asked them was there any fees. He said no. Now I have overdrawn fees. My business is not a store. We are seasonal. Oh my goodness I am livid.
Edward Hanly
This place is so bad, i thought no one was worse at holding your money than square. Well i have been corrected. Leaders Merchant Services is straight GARBAGE!!!!, Well i was promised if i left square that my funds would never be held as long as underwriting approved my account, which they did. I was also promised 24 hour funding only to be told a lie on my very 1st transaction which they told me had a 48 hour hold. And then some moron named Milton emails me an alert email telling me my $2337 was being held for review and he did this at 5pm on friday which time they closed. Awful awful awful company. Do yourself a favor… use the bank you have your account with. Yes you pay a little more. Like the old saying goes. “You get what you pay for”. Amen
Tom
I would give them a zero if that were an option. This company’s sales person is possibly the most dishonest individual I have ever spoken to in retaining services of any kind. Their salesperson told me over the telephone how their fees are low by industry standards, and that they have no long-term contract, so I could leave at any time without charge. After the sales pitch, they send you a very short agreement over the Internet for your online signature. In the small print, they reference a “Guide” that you will be receiving once you’ve signed up. AFTER you have engaged them, you receive a 64 page “Guide” chock full of fees which were never discussed by their salesperson, including a $350 fee if you discontinue their services. So far, their “low” fees have averaged approximately 6% of my total receipts. I wouldn’t wish this company on anyone.
Marshall boyd
The worst company every, equipment would not work and they refuse to fix it. So I cancel and they charge me 350. Repoff.
Stat away
Tim
Hustler Robber !!! I closed my account two years ago，They automatically take $80 each month form my bank account, I called them several times ，Or can’t change them and they always transfer money from bank account automatically， I ask my bank branch To reopen a new bank account, I thought this would be over, but after two months, I received a letter from a debt collection company，I wrote this review after I paid the debt collection company’s money.I hope everyone will not be deceived
Kevin Andrews
Run! In my opinion, this company is highly unethical, and would be better named MISleaders Merchant Services.
I closed my account with them two months ago, and closed out the associated gateway, so they can’t possibly even process a charge for me, and yet, they took $164 from my bank account today for various junk fees and an annual “account fee.” They claim they never received my account closure form. When I asked them how to make SURE that they get it this time, all I got was a bunch of mumbling about 7 business days and “will be submitted for review”.
Do a Google search for reviews on this company. There are few places where they have 5 stars (hmmmm, no WAY!!) but if you’ll look further, you’ll find that most places that offer unbiased reviews rank them very badly and are filled with angry words from people who feel victimized and misled by this outfit
You have been warned!!!!
Eddie Owen
I took Leaders about May of 17. I have in my possession the email that was sent to me by my so called “account executive” with my concerns addressed, one of which was “no cancellation fees”. It remains to be seen if that will be a lie as I cancelled it on line 12/27/17. I have yet to this day been able to understand why Leaders statement would show a certain amount funded to my bank but it never was what the bank statement showed. I informed the “account executive” from the beginning that some months I would have zero card sales, other months might be 500 to 1,j000 depending on sales. He quoted me a very nominal fee if I had zero sales which was a lie. For example, in Dec, I had zero card sales yet I get a statement from them showing various fees totaling $46.94, and I was “disabled from the Iaccess because of no sales, and I would have to call them to re-activate it ! I couldn’t even download my statement. In my opinion, these bozos are scam artists from the beginning. I would give them a minus 100 stars !
Laurie
I signed up for Leaders and started using them in Sept 2017. After 1 1/2 dos of processing the swiper that connected to my phone would work only part of the time. And, to process it takes a couple more clicks unlike Square which is seamless. I joined because they sold me on the lower fees. But when you add the other fees of Authorize.net and others, my costs were very close to Square BUT the equipment wasn’t good, was more clicks, and bulkier. For the pennies I was supposed to be saving, it was a bad business decision, especially for a small business that is struggling in our start up phase. The cancellation process seemed quite easy and friendly until I noticed on my bank statement that they had taken $350 out of my account for early termination. I called them several times to reverse this and they refused, even though the swiping equipment was spotty at best. They said I should have called the tech support, which I do not have time for when Square worked perfect even time.
My advise, DO NOT do business with Leaders! They are unforgiving and customer satisfaction is not important.
Trina Cherry
They are a scam company. They do not give you the true details of their services until after you purchase the equipment. I asked in full detail about buy-back or reselling of the equipment if my business did not pan out. They assured me that there were options for either. I just received the equipment after trying to cancel the order, which I wanted to do after discovering the misinformation about the program features. They kept stating they could not verify my company or that I even had an account. after an hour of transferring me to one person after another I was able to speak to someone who told me all sales are final and I’m basically screwed. First week of being a small business (healing and help center) and I have wasted $400 on a large Fancy calculator
Rena Abramoff
Never did a bad review before. As a business owner usually I understand that mistakes can happen. But this experience is beyond my worth expectation. From day 1 people was telling me one thing and doing another. Looks like nobody really listens. And not much people who are really knows what they do. This company magically got rated as #1. Per my experience they are not even #100.
Roman Karp
Impossible to cancel without fee even after 5 years of service
Rob Ballard
I was cheated by my credit card processor Leaders Merchant Services. When I dug a bit deeper I discovered their bank sponsor was Wells Fargo Bank. It’s a perfect relationship. There are hundreds of complaints on Leaders ripping people off and they are aligned with one of the most corrupt banks on the planet. So the new Wells Fargo Bank is all about we don’t need to steal any longer. We will just have our (ISOs) Independent Sales Organization Leaders Merchant Services do our stealing for us. Hey Wells Fargo, if you know they are stealing from businesses and do nothing while making huge profits for yourself, you are guilty too.
Marie Friedman
Horrible, horrible, horrible! They were keep stealing money from my account. I had to call my bank and block any transactions coming from Leaders. I asked Leaders for refund and received only small portion of it. Please use another merchant services. Pay higher fees, but at least you know they will be honest.
Robby
This company is a complete ripoff. They told us over the phone there would only be transaction fees, yet we were charged between 150-200 per month for additional fees. They said these additional fees were for reward card transactions which was never disclosed to us. Then they said we had a 3 year contract which was never disclosed and tried charging a 350 closing fee to us when we barely used the account. Don’t ever use this company.
Jeff mohr
This company needs to closed at all costs! They are predators and practitioners of mass thievery . I was led to believe by a sales man named Nick Lowe that I would have all fees waved if I purchased the swiper for 30 dollars… I agreed . As of now I have had to close my bank account to keep them from pilfering every thing I had. They were pulling random amounts out of my account no warning no rhyme or reason. I never used the card swiper and they pulled almost 228. In 3 months. Then my bank found weird withdrawals of small and large amounts and said it looked fraudulent and we closed that account . Since then I have been billed another $201.25 that is now in collection’s. I am disputing it ! Avoid this company like they were radio active! Where is the better business bureau when you need them.
Rick
I found Leaders Merchant Services online while comparing them with other companies offering mobile based terminals for a music event that I was planning for my company. I initially liked them because they had the lowest per swipe rates and boasted no annual fee or monthly fee to use their service.
I bought a terminal outright to avoid leasing fees as well. When I spoke with the salesperson, I reiterated with him several times that there would be no additional fees and he confirmed that since I purchased the terminal outright, there would be no monthly fees. I signed the agreement he sent and went about my way.
A month later I get hit with a monthly fee which I dispute with my bank. Two months later I am charged an annual fee and a monthly fee. When I called to complain they claimed that the fees were accounted for in the plan that I signed up for in the fine print.
There is a statement that claims that “Additional fees may be charged” based on a 64 page guide that they send you. The salesperson flat out lied to me about additional fees in his pitch and even when I called him on it repeatedly he reassured me that there would never be a monthly or annual fee. But sure enough in the fine print of the agreement, it points you to the guide which states that there are indeed fees.
This company will flat out lie to you about the fees over the phone and then claim that you have to pay them because you signed their agreement, and then will charge you an outrageous amount of money to cancel the service that you explicitly were told you were not signing up for. Horrible company. Do not do business with them.
FPG
DO NOT TRUST this company. They lie about the fees and you get hosed. If I want to cancel, there is a $350 charge. AVOID!!!
heidi lemmon
I may have set up an account with leaders over a year ago, or not. It was never activated and was never used, ever. I did apply for a quote and was told $15 monthly fee. I never activated this account. However Leaders has been charging me between 79.95 up to $230.94 a month for the last year!! Nothing has ever been processed, not ever, not 1 thing. Not 1 bill/ invoice was ever sent to me by mail or by email. The extra excess fees are because the application was never completed. Be very careful before you touch this company. I am in the process of trying to get back well over $1500 in fees. I assumed it was a credit card payment – it showed up on my bank statements as that – not a merchant account.
Frank Bennett
Leader was contacted via phone and guaranteed a one time processing on a credit card. They immediately started debiting my account averaging $90.00 monthly for no services. There was never a written agreement and when contacted, they said I had to produce legal documentation. One of the most unethical companies I have ever seen. If you are in need of a credit card processor, even for a part time use, stay away from this company.
Celeste
I work at as the cashier at a juicery and I pressured by boss to upgrade our terminals. We contacted Leaders Merchant Services and they hooked us up. My boss saves money and I have a much easier time ringing up our customers now.
CPO
Hi Celeste,
Please reply to this comment with your business name and location in order to authenticate your testimonial. Thanks!
Cynthia Killion
I can’t believe this company is still in business and that no one has sued them. I had an awful experience with them. Salesperson lied. $350 cancellation fee never discussed etc. I am on the email list to receive a copy of the reviews/complaints and believe me the list is long.