Merchant Payment Services Review: Fees, Complaints & Lawsuits
(800) 454-3158 A Harbortouch Reseller
Founded in 1990, Merchant Payment Services is a merchant account provider that serves most standard-risk business types in the United States. The company appears to be a reseller of Harbortouch, and it specializes in retail merchant accounts, restaurant merchant accounts, and spa merchant accounts.
Merchant Payment Services Payment Processing
Merchant Payment Services processes all major debit and credit cards for most business types. Their services include EMV readers and card swipers, POS solutions, including HarborTouch for restaurants, mobile solutions, virtual terminals, gift and loyalty programs, check and ACH processing, cash advances, and seasonal-only processing options.
Merchant Payment Services Location & Ownership
Merchant Payment Services is a registered ISO/MSP of BMO Harris Bank N.A., Chicago, IL, Fresno First Bank, Fresno, CA, and Citizens Bank N.A., Providence, RI, and is headquartered at 63 Bellbrook Plaza Bellbrook, Ohio 45305. Thomas Griffith is the president of Merchant Payment Services.
Merchant Payment Services Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Merchant Payment Services offers variable pricing that may be similar in structure to Harbortouch’s contracts. The company relies on Authorize.Net as a payment gateway.
- Complaints & Service: Merchant Payment Services complaints number fewer than 10 on public complaints forums.
- BBB Rating: Merchant Payment Services has an “A+” rating and has received 0 complaints in the past 3 years. The company has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2004.
- Sales & Marketing: Merchant Payment Services does not appear to hire independently contracted agents and has not received any complaints about its sales team.
Merchant Payment Services offers most standard payment processing services
Merchant Payment Services Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | <10 |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | N/A |
Clean Complaint Record
We are currently unable to locate any negative Merchant Payment Services reviews outside of the Better Business Bureau, which is a good sign that the company isn’t a ripoff or a scam. For a company that has been operating since 1990, having zero public complaints is an impressive feat. If you have your own Merchant Payment Services review to make, please do so in the comments below.
Merchant Payment Services Lawsuits
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Merchant Payment Services. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Merchant Payment Services Customer Service Options
Merchant Payment Services offers phone support during its normal business hours and likely outsources after-hours support to its backend credit card processor.
We have located a single Merchant Payment Services customer service number:
(800) 454-3158 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
Paypal does not offer a dedicated email support address, however it does offer a customer support form through its website.
These channels appear to do a more-than-satisfactory job of resolving merchant complaints, and the company’s success rate is on par with the top merchant account providers for customer service.
Merchant Payment Services Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Total Complaints | 0 |
| Resolved Complaints | 0 |
Under 5 Complaints
Merchant Payment Services currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited since 2004. The company has received 0 complaints to its BBB profile in the past 3 years.
What Merchants Say
Merchant Payment Services has not received any informal reviews, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to authentication by the BBB. There was a previous review, which described an undisclosed annual fee and an early termination fee from Harbortouch:
To Whom It May Concern, We have tried to resolve this issue several times without success. It appears that there may be fraud/scam and/or misrepresentation involved. If this isn’t resolved or proven otherwise, we will contact the proper authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission. **** ******** Regional Sales Manager for Merchant Payment Services, contacted The Car Medic saying he/company he worked for represented the BBB. He provided us with a Statement Analysis by merchant Payment Services showing us that he/company could save us money by using their merchant account services. This analysis did NOT include any annual fee of $79. (The contract says “if applicable”, but never says that it did apply nor did this analysis reflect it). If you are now saying that this $79 applies to our contract prior to Aug 1, then the analysis was distorted and misled us into believing this “savings” he claimed that we were getting. Also, if this contract change applies, it begins in August for the upcoming year, Aug 1, 2017 through Aug 1, 2018, after our cancellation. Mr. Donohoo provided us with a Merchant Transaction Processing Agreement with Merchant Payment Services and Account Setup Form with Harbortouch. These were signed by **** ******, owner of The Car Medic, on 3/27/17. When **** ******* was contacted about finalized copies, he said these were the only copies of the agreement that we would receive. He also repeatedly stated that this was a month-to-month agreement with Harbortouch. We were anticipating that we were going out of business, so *********** and Merchant Payment Services were contacted, We were told that *********** required Merchant Account Cancellation Form be submitted and machine be returned. The cancellation form was submitted Aug 1, 2017 and the machine was received by *********** on Aug 14, 2017. A call was made to Harbortouch on Aug 2, 2017, spoke to ******* who verified that this was a month-to-month agreement and there were no termination fees. We are requesting that *********** stop their threats and requesting a payment of $1,145, which was never presented in writing as to how this amount was determined using our month-to-month contract. We were never notified in advance of the amount or when they were going to access the business bank account for this withdrawal resulting in a $25 fee on Aug 3, 2017, which you need to refund, incurred by us for insufficient funds. The only letter received from Harbortouch regarding cancellation just referenced returning the processing equipment with no mention of cancellation fees. We are requesting that Merchant Payment Services return $79 that was withdrawn on Aug 2, 2017 from our business account for an annual fee beginning in Aug 2017. When calling on Jul 14 to inform **** ******* about the cancellation procedures since he was our point of contact, we discovered he was no longer with the company, so calls were forwarded to *** ********. We were then told to go through Harbortouch for cancellation procedures. The Merchant Cancellation Form was signed on Aug 1, 2017, so there should not be any annual fee charge. We are requesting the BBB investigate what is going on with these agreements with these companies, request resolution to these charges/withdrawals and respond as to whether **** ******* with Merchant Payment Services misrepresented the fact that they were sponsored or supported by the BBB.
This merchant would likely have benefited from taking the steps to cancel a merchant account without paying a fee.
An “A” Performance Overall
Given Merchant Payment Services’ low complaint total and long period of time in business, we agree with the BBB’s grade.
Merchant Payment Services Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Item | Result | >
|---|---|
| Swiped Rate | 1.00% - 4.99% |
| Keyed-in Rate | 1.00% - 4.99% |
| Virtual Terminal Rate | 2.90% + $0.30 |
| Payment Gateway Fee | $25 Per Month |
| Batch Fee | $0.15 |
| Monthly Service Fee | $10 |
| Annual Fee | $79 |
| Equipment Lease Terms | 36 Month (locked) |
Variable Contract Terms
The MPS website previously stated that the standard Merchant Payment Services contract is a month-to-month agreement with no early termination fee, no setup fees, a monthly service fee of $5-$10, and tiered pricing. The company now states that some restrictions may apply to its “no contract” and “no cancellations fees” guarantees, and it does not list all of its per-transaction fees or its PCI compliance fees. The MPS website previously stated that none of its equipment is leased to merchants, but its partnership with Harbortouch may make it difficult for the company to make that guarantee now.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Merchant Payment 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, Merchant Payment Services reserves the right to alter these terms and conditions.
Harbortouch Pricing Applies
Merchant Payment Services has reduced the amount of information disclosed about its pricing and fees on its website, and its partnership with Harbortouch suggests that it may now be offering contract terms closer to Harbortouch’s “C” rated contract terms. One complaint describes a $79 annual fee and a non-cancellable equipment lease through Harbortouch. However, we cannot find any other complaints about MPS’ pricing at this time, which indicates that most of its users are satisfied with the rates and fees they pay.
Read Your Contract Carefully
We have assigned Merchant Payment Services a “B” rating in this section. It does not appear to be competitive with the cheapest merchant account providers, but we have only seen one public complaint alleging higher-than-average costs. If you have any specific knowledge of the standard Merchant Payment Services contract, please share that information in the comment section below this Merchant Payment Services review.
Merchant Payment Services Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Item | Result |
|---|---|
| Employs Independent Resellers | Yes |
| Advertises Deceptive Rates | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
In-House Sales Team
Merchant Payment Services appears to primarily market itself via strategic partnerships and inside sales channels. There is no evidence that the company employs independent sales agents at this time, and we cannot find any Merchant Payment Services reviews that accuse the company’s sales team of unethical conduct.
Improved Rate Quotes
At the time of an earlier update, the Merchant Payment Services website quoted a “Qualified Internet Discount Rate” of 1.99% plus $0.16-$0.26 and a “Qualified Retail Discount Rate” of 1.5% plus $0.16-$0.26. These tiered rate quotes may be an accurate reflection of the company’s Qualified rates, but they make no mention of the higher “Mid-Qualified” and “Non-Qualified” rates that merchants will pay for the majority of their transactions. Given that we are currently unable to locate these quotes, we will not lower Merchant Payment Services’ grade in this section.
No Red Flags
Merchant Payment Services does not employ any deceptive marketing strategies and has not received negative feedback from merchants regarding its sales staff. Merchants are nevertheless encouraged to request disclosure of all possible Merchant Payment Services fees and to seek an independent third-party statement audit if you suspect that you are being overcharged.
Our Merchant Payment Services Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
A Solid Option for Certain Business Types
Merchant Payment Services rates as a reliable merchant services provider according to all available information. The company has received very little negative feedback from merchants, but its contract terms through Harbortouch could present some issues for merchants seeking a month-to-month agreement. For retail and service industry merchants, Merchant Payment Services could potentially be an option on par with the top-rated payment processors if it did not enforce Harbortouch’s pricing.
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Enzo Amber
I’ve been using Merchant Payment Services for my business transactions, and I must say, it’s been an absolute game-changer! The seamless payment processing has significantly improved our cash flow, and I can’t believe how easy it is to set up and use. From day one, their top-notch customer support team has been there to assist whenever I had a question or needed guidance. The platform’s security measures are impressive, giving me peace of mind knowing that my customers’ data is safe.