- Sales & Marketing: Pivotal Payments hires independent sales representatives and has received a moderate-to-high number of complaints about its sales practices.
- Costs & Contract: Pivotal Payments offers a three-year contract through Global Payments with an early termination fee of either $395 or $495.
- Complaints & Service: Pivotal Payments has received more than 160 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: Pivotal Payments has an "A+" rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 64 complaints in the past three years.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Pivotal Payments
Pivotal Payments Review
We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.
All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.
Pivotal Payments
Rating
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
There are a moderate-to-high number of Pivotal Payments negative reviews filed online for a processor of its size and time in business, including over 160 in the comment section of this review. The content of the complaints is fairly consistent, with numerous merchants reporting poor customer service, problems with accounts, processing errors, terminal problems, difficulty cancelling service, unexpected costs, and high cancellation fees. One contributing factor may be that Pivotal acquired Tangerine Payment Solutions, which also has very poor reviews. To get more details about Pivotal complaints, see actual merchant reports in the comment section at the end of this review.
It should also be noted that Pivotal Payments appears to have paid Ripoff Report to join that site’s Corporate Advocacy program, which allows Pivotal to replace the titles of negative reviews with bogus promotional blurbs that are all identical. Merchants should note that the full complaints can still be found beneath the lengthy promotional material that has been added to each review. It is our view that this approach demonstrates less of a commitment to customer service than if the company had simply provided professional rebuttals to merchant complaints.
Although Pivotal states that it has improved its customer service and improved on the areas of merchant dissatisfaction, we see little evidence to support improving its rating as of this update.
Industry Scores & User Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 29 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 20 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 14 |
| Guarantee & Warranty Complaints | 0 |
| Delivery Complaints | 1 |
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 review, the Better Business Bureau is awarding Pivotal Payments accreditation as well as an “A+” rating due to 64 complaints registered in the last 36 months. Of the total, 29 are regarding problems with products and services, 20 with billing and collection, 14 with advertising and sales, and one with delivery. Pivotal Payments has resolved 21 of the complaints, while the remaining 43 either were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant. Although these numbers are consistent with other BBB profiles for Pivotal Payments, it should be noted that the BBB lists a Plano, Texas, location for the company that is not consistent with the information provided by other sources.
At the time of an earlier update, the BBB also included the following notice:
BBB has identified a pattern of complaints concerning sales misrepresentation. Pivotal Payments has cooperated with the BBB by providing a response as to the steps they are taking to eliminate this pattern. As of August 5, 2015, Pivotal Payments’ complaints are being monitored for 6 months specifically to identify whether or not this pattern has been eliminated.
It therefore seems that Pivotal’s rapid decrease in complaints and improvement from an “F” to an “A+” occurred during this probationary period—a period that curiously aligns with the length of time that Pivotal has been an accredited BBB member. Considering Pivotal’s current complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “C.”
Processing Rates & Fees
Pivotal’s pricing may vary greatly based upon several factors including the agent, franchise, sub-ISO, or partner setting up the account, and by a merchant’s processing volume and business type. Additionally, the company’s sales agents are known to lease equipment either directly or through First Data Global Leasing at varying costs. A company representative has stated that Pivotal has started to focus on offering free equipment and equipment rental programs to reduce the number of lease contracts it sells, but it is still possible for merchants to receive a long-term lease from a Pivotal rep. This reviewer recommends to always buy your equipment and to never lease it.
Pivotal Payments previously enforced a liquidated damages early termination fee in its standard contract. As of this update, however, a company representative has informed us that the company’s standard early termination fee is now a flat $395 fee for merchants processing up to $25,000 per month and $495 for merchants processing over $25,000 per month. Pivotal Payment’s standard contract (available below) appears to include a three-year service agreement with an automatic renewal for one year, but a few merchants have reported agreements up to five years. A company representative has stated that Pivotal does offer month-to-month contracts, but that these are up to agent discretion. As noted above, several reviews state that Pivotal agents often also market 48-month, non-cancellable equipment leases that can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the lease.
In addition to the processing fees, merchants have reported various other monthly fees as well as an annual $99 PCI Compliance fee. It is strongly advised that merchants fully understand the pricing and terms of their Pivotal Payments merchant account agreement before signing. See the Pivotal Payments Global Payments Terms & Conditions.
Pivotal Payments Competitors
Compare Pivotal Payments to competitors that earned top marks.
Bottom Line
Despite recent efforts to improve, Pivotal Payments appears to rate as a substandard merchant services provider. The company can better its rating in this review by greatly reducing future merchant complaints and reducing or eliminating the early termination fee found in its merchant account agreement. Merchants are encouraged to read all contract terms whenever dealing with Pivotal Payments and its subsidiaries.
