Pipeline Data Review

Customer service of Pipeline accounts appears to be handled in one of two ways: first, some of the independent resellers handle account maintenance and service in-house, or second, some outsource the customer service directly to Pipeline’s internal support, which appears to be handled by Cynergy Data. This can be confusing since blame for problems can be tossed around and it may be unclear which company is servicing the merchant.

This processor has a high number of complaints filed in various complaint forums. A few angry merchants have even dedicated entire websites to bashing the company. The majority of the online complaints are centered on undisclosed PCI compliance fees, which range from $75-$195 per year, and the withholding of funds to establish “rolling reserves” without any notification to the merchant.

What is particularly unsettling to this reviewer are the numerous complaints of Pipeline withholding thousands of dollars from merchants for up to 180 days without giving the merchant any explanation. Some merchants even complained of the reserves being withdrawn from linked checking accounts, causing overdraws. Numerous other merchants complained of undisclosed fees being directly withdrawn from their checking accounts unexpectedly. Some merchants reported closing the linked checking accounts to avoid further withdrawals and subsequently received harassing phone calls from Pipeline representatives trying to collect. The resounding theme among nearly all complaints is that Pipeline provided “poor” or “awful” customer service.

Lastly, many of the complaints about Pipeline also name one of its partners or subsidiaries as part of the problem. Merchants are encouraged to research any company that is providing a Pipeline merchant account prior to signing any documents.

Pipeline has made some slight improvements in its Better Business Bureau report since the last update of this review. The company has raised its grade from an “F” to a “D” and has lowered its complaint count from the previous three years from 186 to 149. The bulk of the complaints are regarding billing and collections issues, and problems with service. Of the 149 complaints, 132 have been resolved to the merchants’ satisfaction.

The majority of Pipeline’s merchant accounts appear to be sold through resellers, partners and its own subsidiaries. This means that Pipeline sets base rates and fees (AKA: wholesale costs) and then the fees are marked up for a profit by the different sales organizations that sell the accounts. Due to this, the costs and fees of a Pipeline merchant account will likely vary widely depending on the agent who set up the account and by each merchant.

Pipeline Data is suffering from a considerable amount of merchant complaints. It appears that the company may be taking steps to improve its reputation because the rate of complaints seems to have slowed slightly since the last update of this review. The company could raise its rating by eliminating future merchant complaints through positive policy changes and improved customer support.