Prodigy Payment Systems Review

Prodigy Payment Systems Logo
2.3/5
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How did they treat you? ▼

Updated 2/8/2019: The Prodigy Payment Systems website (prodigypay.com) redirects to EVO Payments International. As a result of Prodigy Payment Systems’ parent organization Encore Payment Systems being acquired by EVO in 2013, it appears that Encore and all of its DBAs have been fully absorbed into the EVO Payments International brand. For up-to-date information about this organization, see our EVO Payments International review.

Prodigy Payment Systems (prodigypay.com) is an alternate business name of Encore Payment Systems. The company is based out of Addison, Texas, and was founded in 2004. Prodigy Payment’s overall rating is based on our Encore Payment Systems review. Along with Momentum Payment Systems, Prodigy Payment Systems appears to have been created for the sole purpose of absorbing complaints that would otherwise have been filed against Encore Payments Systems. The services offered by these three entities do no appear to vary in any significant way, and they are all headquartered at the same address.

Key Points

  • Sales & Marketing: Prodigy Payment Systems hires independent sales agents and has received a high number of complaints about its sales practices.
  • Costs & Contract: Prodigy Payment Systems appears to offer a three-year contract through EVO Payments International with an early termination fee of $195 or more.
  • Complaints & Service: Prodigy Payment Systems and its affiliated businesses have received more than 100 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Prodigy Payment Systems (as EVO Payments International) has an “A” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 265 complaints in the past three years.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Prodigy Payment Systems

Prodigy Payment Systems Customer Reviews

Here's What Their Clients Say

This section is covered in the Encore Review.

Summary:

  • Company has received a moderate-to-high number of complaints for its size and time in business.
  • Numerous complaints have been filed by former employees and agents.
  • Common complaints include expensive and non-cancellable equipment leases, and undisclosed/”hidden” fees.

Prodigy Payment Systems Online Ratings

Here's How They Rate Online

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 148
Billing & Collection Complaints 93
Advertising & Sales Complaints 3
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 21

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.

Prodigy Payment Systems’s Better Business Bureau profile does not list any complaint data and redirects users to the profile for EVO Payments International. As of this review, EVO Payments International has an “A” rating with the BBB and has been accredited since September 2017. The company has received 265 complaints in the past three years, with 148 related to product or service problems, 93 having to do with billing or collection, 21 due to delivery issues, and three stemming from advertising or sales issues. The company has successfully resolved 115 complaints, while 150 either were resolved to the merchant’s dissatisfaction or did not receive a final assessment from the merchant.

It is impossible to know how many of these complaints are related to Prodigy and how many have been generated by EVO’s other subsidiaries. However, Prodigy’s customers will be dealing with EVO, and EVO’s complaint total and resolution ratio deserve a “C” rating according to our standards.

Prodigy Payment Systems Fees, Rates & Costs

A Closer Look at The Contract

Prodigy Payment uses the same merchant account agreement as Encore. An older version is available below. In recent months, merchants have reported even more expensive contract terms than those shown in the linked document.

Summary:

  • Pricing will vary by merchant based on business type and sales agent.
  • Standard contract includes 3- or 4-year service agreement
  • Early Termination Fee (ETF) of $195 but some merchants have reported ETFs of $450 or more
  • Equipment leases often have a four-year commitment and cannot be cancelled without paying the full lease amount, often in the thousands of dollars (leasing equipment is optional)
  • See the Encore Merchant Application

Prodigy Payment Systems Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs

Should You Work For Them?

This section is covered in the Encore Payment review.

Summary:

  • Ethically questionable marketing
  • Use of multiple business names
  • Hiring mill” recruiting strategy of Independent Sales Agents (ISAs)
  • Agents appear to receive higher commissions for selling expensive contracts and rates
  • Underwriting policies allow for excessive fees and contract terms
  • Markets expensive and non-cancellable equipment leases

Our Prodigy Payment Systems Review Summary

Our Final Thoughts

Prodigy Payment Systems rates very poorly as a merchant services provider due to its deceptive sales practices, its poor customer service reviews, its expensive contract terms, and its high BBB complaint total. For a full understanding of Prodigy Payment Systems, please visit the Encore Payment Systems review.

If you found this article helpful, please share it!

Which is Most Important for You?

If you had to pick one, which quality would you say will be the most important with your next credit card processor? Tap or click your selection to register your vote:

  1. Low Transaction Fees
  2. No Monthly Fees
  3. No Contract
  4. Reliable Customer Support
  5. Quick Signup

Testimonials & Complaints

How Did Prodigy Payment Systems Treat You?

27 User Reviews

  • El Pea'y

    I spoke with Maria in customer service on more than one (1) occasion she is very rude, very unprofessional, refuses to transfer the call to party without knowing the nature of the call. August 18, 2016 3:20PM
    I would like to send correspondence to corporate office. Thanks

    • Diana

      I worked for Prodigy. This was bad from the other side of the coin as well. They were HIGH PRESSURE and pushy. After I signed up 1/2 the business in town, I started to find out how terrible there customer service was. I was told not to help but just keep signing people up, until of course, the clients couldn’t get any help from the company and were forced to call me. I couldn’t even get the company to help me!!! I Quit and was so hurt that people had signed up because of their faith in me, only to find out we BOTH got burned!

  • Marion Harper

    Oh Lord, why didn’t I read about this company before I signed their contract? Oh yeah, because my other machine broke down and my current processor couldn’t get me a machine for weeks. All of these reviews are SO TRUE and ALL OF THESE THINGS ALSO HAPPENED TO ME.
    The problem I’m also having with this shady company is: I have a chip readable machine, but they won’t program my machine! I’ve been bugging them since October 1st 2015, they keep lying to me about the software program not being available yet. Now they claim I have to sign a new form with them in order for them to be able to update my machine. I don’t want to sign ANYTHING from this scam company. Why aren’t they getting in trouble with Visa/MasterCard International for not programming merchants machines? They don’t want to program my machine because they want to make 30.00 for each chargeback we get for non EMV chip reads, that’s why!


    Are you with Prodigy Payment Systems? Learn how to resolve this complaint.

  • New York Nails

    Prodigy payment systems Will ROB you , DO NOT USE THEM , i m a loyal customer for 4 years with them . untill now. i been keeping an eye on my Batch. they take more then it suspose too. and also other merchant give me better rates, so i change merchants, Prodigy still take $$$$ out of my Bank even after i have send them my cancellation letter. i call to comfrom they did get my cancellation letter i faxed it. a month past by , i not have use and have cancelled. THEY STILL DRIFT MONEY OUT OF MY BANK ACCOUNT!!!!!!!!! once they have your bank infromation, they striaght up ROB YOU < DO NOT USE THIS PROCESSER!!!!!!!!! and i will continoue to repost this , and report them .

  • chad gilchrist

    They were supposed to be competing with square. I was supposed to be paying on average 1.7 percent with 0 fees or commitment. They LIED. Do not listen to there representitave they only go by the contract and they will hammer you. They Gave me all these numbers that turned out to be untrue. They told me I wasn’t locked in and I could get out any time which was a lie. I noticed my bank account kept getting unusual charges turns out prodigy has all this fine print where they take a 100 dollars a year and 10 dollars a Monty. They were draining me and when I called to cancel they told me I would have to pay 600 dollars to get out of a 4 year agreement that I had no idea about. When I asked the representative about the guy who explained the contract she said the fine print says they’re not responsible for anything they tell you.

  • Maria

    THIS IS THE WORST CARD PROCESSING COMPANY IN EXISTENCE!
    Please never do business with Prodigy, I’ve had the worst experience with them, their customer service basically gets paid to take you in circles without resolving anything! I am trying to cancel with them because they refused to reimburse me for the cancellation fee of my previous card processor and they still have not given me the $200.00 rebate the sales rep specified in the contract!
    They really top off the horrible experience with a $450.00 cancellation fee, I’m surprised they are still in business.

  • Lisa Marle

    DO NOT USE PRODIGY PAYMENT SERVICES. Upon the completion of our 2 year contract they continued to charge us monthly fees for 5 months despite of phone calls, emails and faxes we did not wish to renew. They also charged us a $250 cancellation fee despite our contract being complete. They stated without proper notification of wish to cancel (which we tried many times) the contract automatically renews and therefore we need to pay a cancellation fee.

    I think we may take this to court to fight. I have never had this many headaches with any other business!

    Lisa M.

    • Jane

      Lisa,
      I just read your note and want to share with you some language we used that helped us get ‘disconnected’ from Prodigy. My husband called numerous times and FINALLY was told that if he in fact used this phrasing, “I do not wish to renew my contract” that would work. In fact, he was also instructed to refer to his contract and it did reference that terminology in the contract.
      At the time when we contacted Prodigy instructing them that we no longer cared to use the service, they advised us to fax them a letter of cancellation. After doing so they continued to charge our bank account and of course made us jump through hoops to terminate our contract. They debited our account $350. for cancellation charges and eventually did credit us back.
      It’s unfortunate that NO ONE has shut them down. They are thieves and deserve to have their business license revoked.
      I am sure sorry that this has happened to yet another individual. Can’t imagine how many others this has happened to that haven’t written about their experience.
      GOOD LUCK

  • Bud Buds Place Inc.

    I called Prodigy Systems to cancel payments taken from my checking accouont. When i talked to agent SHANTE , she said to call back in 24 hours. Did that, 3 times, still no responce from her. I told her that my Auto Repair business closed Dec 31 2012, and needed to have final statement forwarded to me. Please have this done ASAP. [Redacted: Account Information] Thank You.

  • Jane Thurmond

    Prodigy Payment System was the first Merchant Service company I have had experience with. The employees in their customer service department are less than helpful that is unless they are trying to sell you or up-sell you one of their services.
    They charge for invoices, they charge for cancellation even if you’ve fulfilled your original agreement or contract . They will tell you there are no termination fee, only to find out at a later date after you have submitted all necessary paperwork to discontinue their service, it will cost you $350 to have them cease debiting your accounts!
    EVERYTHING about this company screams FRAUD.
    They are without a doubt a SCAM, A CON and lacking any business ethic whatsoever.
    I am making every effort to inform EVERY BUSINESS owner of their scandalous business practices.
    The internet is a POWERFUL tool and can most assuredly affect their practices.

  • Laura

    Yesterday (1/22/13 @ 4:58 p.m.) I received a call from a salesperson at Prodigy. I politely told him that I had recently changed credit card services over to my bank and would not be changing any time soon while I evaluate them. I then proceeded to thank him for his call and said have a good day. He continued to talk. I continued to say no thank you but thank you for calling and have a nice day. At which point I thought I had as sternly, yet politely as possible, told him I did not need his services. The phone then rang again and the man started yelling at me and tellilng me I was rude. I stated that he was being rude and that he was harrassing me and it was not acceptable. At this point he is still yelling at me! Of course I hung up. If I handled my business this way, we would be out of business — harrassing businesses to obtain customers is not a good sales tactic. Makes you wonder how they would be to actually work with.

  • Sue Humbyrd

    I made the big mistake of listening to a Prodigy “consultant” who came into my business and told me how I could really save money if I signed up with Prodigy. Long story short, I signed up with them and wound up with a 4 year leasing agreement on a machine that cost a little over $200. The “consultant” who I dealt with was a local girl and I just assumed she was being honest and forthright. Believe me, Prodigy has it all figured out how to dupe you into signing the contract. She told me repeatedly if I changed my mind about using Prodigy, she would pick up the machine. I did change my mind when my bank draft came through from Northern Leasing Company, whose name wasn’t on the leasing agreement. The leasing agreement said Lease Source, which I found out is another name Northern Leasing uses. I did cancel with Prodigy, assuming she would pick up the machine as promised, but when I tried to contact her to get the machine as she had told me she would do, she was nowhere to be seen. When I called Prodigy to complain, they informed me they had asked me on the phone if I had any verbal agreements with the consultant and I had told them no and they had my recorded statement. I did not want any dealings with Northern Leasing Company when I found out their reputation (see “Northern Leasing Sucks” on Facebook), so I contacted a lawyer and made them a buyout offer. It has cost me approximately $2600 to get rid of them, but after one year of stress, I am finally free of the whole deal.

  • anonymous

    This post goes as a WARNING to anyone that knows someone or is looking to work with Prodigy Payments Systems. They will sell you on the idea that while working for them, you will get 2-4 appointments per day from their “call center”, only to really be sent to pitch people that already told them to go away. Over 2 days they sent me out to 5 appts in a row where merchants who did not know eachother said the same thing, “I told those fast talking over me idiots, fools, etc. that I was not interested, yet, they still sent you to see me?!”.

    I got DUPED, but it is what it is……I hope my experience will help some of you or someone that you may know not make the same mistake I made.

  • tom

    I got the cell phone payment system from prodigy and said i would be charged 9.00 per month and and 4.75% per swipe. i used it once and it was to much time to set it up compair to the square system. so i didnt use it for the next month and i got charged of around $65 for somthing i didnt use, and i could cancel it but they wouldnt refund the money THIS IS A TOTAL RIPOFF!!!!!!! Plese stay away from this company, save you the headaches….

  • Paul Hansen

    Simply do not even think about doing business with these people. Like many others, I was pitched with better pricing and better service. Actually, the processing charges are not way out of line but better deals are available if you look. Your real problems will show up when you have a problem or try to cancel. A three year contract isn’t bad enough. They renew you to a new three year term without you really realizing what you’re in for. All this means it that they will get you for $250.00 any time you cancel. Never talk to them on the phone. Never sign anything with them. Doing business with a loan shark is safer.

  • Nard Gibson

    DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!!!! I have never seen such a bunch of crooks. Sales rep has also taken a leave of absence. This has cost me a fortune. stuck with equipment and a rediculus payment. Was told payment on equipment would be dropped from $59.95 to $42.00 and now they r chargeing me $72.00 a month. Northern Leaseing is as crooked as Prodigy. All the coments above is exactly what i experenced. There should be laws against company’s like this. Ive tried to get Northern Leasing to send me a payment book but they say they do not supply payment books and they charge extra to send out statements. The lease I signed isnt even ledgable.Any suggestions on how to get out of this would be much appreciated.

  • Jerry Miller

    My prodigy rep has taken a leave of absense and cannot be reached. I am in the middle of trying to deicide if I want to change. Am I in trouble???? Can I go back to my original company????? My terminal was free and I was promised they would pay my cancelation fee. Not gonna happen right????? My appointment with the regional manager(with them for 3 years) Ha. will be Monday April 17th, 2012. Help!!!!!!

    • Sue Humbyrd

      Jerry: I don’t know about your contract, but my Heartland Rep (the machine I had before Prodigy) told me I had 60 days to cancel, which I did–but I was hooked on a lease agreement for the machine, which doesn’t sound like the same offer you have. The contract stated I had 7 days to cancel the lease, which I did not read, since the rep assured me there would be no problem if I decided to cancel–said she would pick up the machine and give it to someone else, which never happened. She disappeared once she had me hooked–will not answer her cell phone. I went back to Heartland. There are plenty of reputable companies out there and I would never advise anyone to deal with Prodigy. You might just check with your other company, as that’s how I found out all the bad news–the Heartland Rep called me when they notified her of the cancellation and I was able to go back without any fee.

  • Sue Humbyrd

    Followup to previous comment I posted. I looked up the credit card machine that I “leased” through Prodigy, and it sells for $211 on Amazon. Northern Leasing charged me $106 for taxes and insurance, which is a yearly thing, plus monthly payment of $46.81 for the 4 years. Contract says $39.95, plus I was supposed to get a rebate of $400 which was supposed to be applied to the leasing agreement and I have never seen. Actually haven’t seen any statement from Northern Leasing as to what they are charging and why. As Mike and Nick says, this company is crooked, and all their sales reps are responsible for is to get you to sign on the dotted lines anyway they can, which includes lieing and then they are out of the picture. BEWARE of anyone who comes in to your business trying to sell you on the Prodigy Payment Systems. This rep almost hooked another business in town, but because they read these reviews, she was able to get out before she got hooked.

  • Mike

    I cannot begin to tell you the problems we have had with Prodigy. We fell for a sales pitch and ended up going with them. Our first week we processed a few payments and never got any of it in our bank account. We kept calling and they kept stalling by the end of the second week they were “holding” about 4 grand and none of it was going into our account. They told us that they were holding these deposits until we have actually completed the events (most were deposits for events from 6-12 months away. We sent them a cancelation letter and reset our terminals to go back to our regular processor. We also cancelled our bank and put a stop payment on any future payments to this company. The stop payment ended 6 months later and then we come to find out that this company has been taking money out of our account for the last 6 months because they said they never sent got the cancelation letter. We have been in business for 20 years and have never ran into a more crooked company. I have been a member for 12 years of the BBB and didn’t even check out this company before going with them. We have been really taken to the cleaners by prodigy and felt we needed to warn everybody we can about this very crooked company.

    • Teresa

      I too fell for their sales pitch and agree with Mike,that this is a crooked company.The two I spoke with said I could always call with any questions that I had on any issues that may surface and speak directly with them.I made several calls to ask on many issues that arose over time and neither one to be available,nor did they return my calls.A Red Flag went up as this continued to happen with all my calls.One to be deathly sick and on leave,the other over seas getting married.I faxed my cancellation in on time so no charges would be taken from account,but still was charged a one year membership fee and early termination fee and 3 months merchant club fee! The not so nice lady I spoke with said the fax was not signed therefore the cancellation meant nothing without the signature.The fax did have a header with our company logo so they knew it was legit.How about common curtisy from someone saying ,”We received your fax on cancelling but need a signature for it to go thru.” They waited until after the 3 month trial period ended to let me know this when they received my fax 3 days on time!

  • Nick

    This company is as crooked as they come. After assuring and promising me that they would cover any cancellation fee of my previous company, I send them the bill for reimbursement and then they say they will only pay up to $450. The cancellation fee was close to $3,000.

    Why does it not say this on the contract and why did every single Prodigy rep I talked to neglect to tell me there is a $450 reimbursement limit on cancellation fees from previous companies?

    I already filed a couple of complaints and will continue to expose the corrupt sales practices of Prodigy / Momentum / Encore payment systems.

    • Empire Mechanical

      Prodigy payment system 3801 Arapaho Rd. Addison Texas 75001 are not honest people/ company. They told me that if I cancle from a previous company that they will pay all fees and never did. I change my bank account so they can’t have access to it but for some reason they broke into my account and took out money. The problem is the BBB and the attorney general are doing an investagation on this company. Please dont do business with these people. Names Fuentz, Angel James lets all get together and sue this compant.

  • Sue Humbyrd

    I had my own credit card machine which I had purchased from Heartland and was doing business with them. A sales rep from Prodigy came in our restaurant with her sales pitch about how much cheaper the rates were even if we leased the machine for 4 years. I wound up changing to prodigy, only to find that what I was told and what really happens are not the same. The worst thing, I found out too late, is the lease was not with Prodigy, but with Lease Source, Inc., who I guess is aka Northern Leasing Company, which is the company who submitted the bank draft to our bank.
    The lease we signed doesn’t even mention Northern Leasing. I have cancelled with Prodigy, but I am still responsible for the lease (the machine I found out later sells for $350-$400, and I signed up for 4 years at $47.+ per month. I signed the contracts, so I am responsible, but the rep misrepresented the facts. Don’t ever sign anything until you have checked out the company through BBB & Attorney General’s Office.
    When I finally did, it made me sick to see all the complaints filed about Northern Leasing.

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