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Riverside Payments: Examining Reviews, Rates, Fees & Services

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Maintained Since: October 30, 2015

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Riverside Payments
Rating
D
2/5
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Pros

Offers 24/7 support
BBB Rating: "A"
No known lawsuits

Cons

High equipment lease
Complaints about service
Variable processing rates
Potential cancellation fees
Deceptive sales tactics

Overview

In this review of Riverside Payments, we’ll take a detailed look at this merchant services provider based in Portland since 2014. We’ll cover the company’s payment processing services, focusing on their rates, fees, contract terms, and the range of POS solutions offered through partners like Clover, Revel Systems, OVVI, and TouchBistro. We’ll also review their broader services, including mobile solutions, virtual terminals, payment gateways, and more.

A key part of our analysis will look at common customer and employee complaints, industry ratings, and Riverside’s marketing tactics. We’ll explore the company’s background, including its connections with other financial entities and its changing business locations. We’ll also examine customer reviews to identify common issues and how Riverside Payments resolves customer grievances. This review article aims to give businesses a clear understanding of Riverside Payments to help them decide on their own if the company is right for their payment processing needs.

About Riverside Payments

Riverside Payments is a Portland-based merchant account provider that was established in 2014. The company offers payment processing to most traditional industries and claims to be a popular credit card processor for bars and restaurants, although this claim is not substantiated by any formal ranking or reviews. Riverside appears to primarily be a Fiserv payment processing reseller, see our Fiserv Review for more details.

They may also partner with other processors for more specific industry needs. Prospective clients will want to fully understand who will be processing their payments as fees and terms may be affected by which processor is selected.

Screen Capture of Riverside Payments Homepage
Riverside Payments Homepage

National Paymentech Connection

According to an old version of the footer on its website and its filing with the Oregon business registry, Riverside Payments appears to have shared an address with National Paymentech at 9600 NE Cascades Parkway STE 220, Portland, Oregon 97220. However, the company’s contact page has also previously listed a different location at 111 SW 5th Ave #3150, Portland, Oregon 97204, and a representative of the company has stated that the company’s offices are actually located at 12500 SE 2nd Circle #240, Vancouver, Washington 98684. Even with that, they now appear to have another address (see below).

Riverside Payments and National Paymentech have both been represented by the law offices of Mark Sampath in the past, and Mr. Sampath currently serves as corporate counsel to National Paymentech. Taken as a whole, these facts seem to suggest that there is some kind of connection between National Paymentech and Riverside Payments. A Riverside Payments representative has stated that the companies previously worked together but have since severed ties.

Products & Merchant Services

Riverside Payments offers various services, primarily marketing them to U.S. small businesses.

  • Payment Processing
    • Riverside Payments processes all major debit and credit cards for traditional businesses. They target various industries, including restaurants, breweries, QSR/fast casual, cafes, vape shops, mobile credit card processing, automotive repair, retail, ATM services, gift cards, and e-commerce.
  • Financial Solutions and Services
    • Riverside Payments offers a range of financial services, including cash advances, mobile solutions, virtual terminals, payment gateways, fraud detection, automated recurring billing, ePN QuickBooks integration, online bill pay, EMV chip readers, and SEO and marketing management.
  • Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems
    • Riverside Payments collaborates with various POS providers to offer tailored solutions for businesses. Each POS system has its unique pricing structure and features, making it essential for businesses to compare options before deciding. Below are a few that the company promotes publicly:
      • Clover POS is versatile, offering features like inventory management, employee management, and analytics. It supports credit and debit cards, mobile payments, and gift cards, with a user-friendly interface and a variety of hardware options. However, hardware leases can be expensive and are difficult to cancel. Clover systems are only compatible with Fiserv/First Data processing services.
      • Revel Systems provides features such as inventory management, employee scheduling, and a customizable interface. It includes an analytics dashboard and offline mode for continued payment acceptance during internet outages.
      • OVVI POS is a cloud-based system known for its ease of use. It offers inventory management, employee management, sales analytics, and various payment options, including credit and debit cards, mobile payments, and gift cards.
      • TouchBistro is designed for the food and beverage industry, featuring menu management, tableside ordering, and real-time inventory tracking. It supports mobile payments and gift cards and integrates with third-party apps and services for customization.
      • NCR Silver is a cloud-based POS system for small to medium-sized businesses. It includes inventory management, employee scheduling, reporting, and a customer loyalty program. It integrates with QuickBooks for streamlined accounting and financial management and offers various payment options. NCR Silver has a straightforward pricing structure with a monthly subscription fee and a per-transaction fee.

Customer Reviews & Sentiment

Moderate Volume of Riverside Payments Complaints

We have identified more than 100 negative reviews of Riverside Payments, with many customers expressing dissatisfaction with the company’s business practices. The primary grievances cited include persistent telemarketing calls and lack of transparency regarding merchant account contract terms, especially concerning point-of-sale equipment leases. Recent comments also highlight issues with unexpected charges for equipment. Additionally, there is a negative news report involving a Texas business owner who claims to have been ensnared in an unwanted credit card processing equipment lease, leading to a subsequent lawsuit. A Riverside Payments representative has indicated that the customer’s concerns were resolved satisfactorily. If you have your own experience with Riverside Payments, we invite you to share it in the comments below.

Efforts in Complaint Resolution

Riverside Payments has made efforts to address many of the complaints in a professional manner, often offering resolutions on a case-by-case basis. While some customers were held accountable for the terms of their contracts despite feeling deceived, others received refunds or other forms of compensation. There have been reports suggesting that the company may release dissatisfied clients from their contracts in exchange for positive reviews. Considering the duration of its operation, Riverside Payments has accumulated a moderate-to-high number of complaints.

Customer Support Options

Riverside Payments provides a phone number on its website, although it is unclear whether this is primarily for sales inquiries or customer support. However, according to a company representative, all Riverside clients have access to 24/7/365 customer support.

Industry Scores & User Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
BBB Rating2.87
Trustpilot2.8
ComplaintsBoard Rating1
Sitejabber1
Average Rating1.9

Riverside Payments BBB Rating

Riverside Payments has an average customer review rating of 2.87/5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, based on 68 customer reviews. The company has also received 80 customer complaints closed in the last 3 years, with 58 closed in the last 12 months. Common themes in the reviews and complaints include issues with products or service and dissatisfaction with the company’s practices.

Negative Feedback

I have been with Riverside Payments for 4 months. They are a complete scam! I have been over charged every month, and the daily deposits do not show up on time. It is impossible to reach anyone over the phone and most emails go unanswered. I have signed letters by Riverside stating that my contract can be voided at any time if they do not save me money. This contract is useless.

Lying about hidden charges, charging when service not set up, improperly training on use of online payment portals, horrible customer service.

Positive Feedback

good communication with team members and friendly customer service fast reponse on all return calls

Trustpilot Rating for Riverside Payments

Riverside Payments has a 2.8 out of 5 star rating based on three user reviews on Trustpilot.

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews on Trustpilot.

Negative Feedback

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my recent experience with Horizon Payments, which is now operating under the name Riverside Payments, to warn others about their deceptive practices. I believe they’re using this new name to cover their tracks, as they’ve been involved in shady dealings before. Here’s what happened to me:

My Experience:
Misleading Contract Terms: I was contacted by sales representatives from Riverside Payments, who assured me that their contract was cancelable at any time. However, after signing, I discovered that the contract is non-cancelable and involves a leasing agreement with a third party called Cascade. This was completely different from what they told me.

Recorded Evidence: I have a recorded phone call with one of their sales reps, Shalena Reynolds, in virginia where she confirms the contract is cancelable, which turned out to be a blatant lie. It’s clear that I was deliberately misled.

Operating Under a New Name: I discovered that Horizon Payments has a history of unfair practices and has even been sued by the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) in the past. It seems they’ve changed their name to Riverside Payments to avoid further scrutiny and continue their deceptive business practices.

Let’s make sure others don’t fall victim to this company’s tactics. Share this post to spread the word, and if you’ve had a similar experience with them, please share your story below.

Stay safe, everyone! 💪

ComplaintsBoard.com Rating Analysis

Riverside Payments has an average customer review rating of 1.0 stars on ComplaintsBoard.com based on 4 customer reviews. Common themes in the reviews include issues with customer service, misleading information from account managers, and problems with fees and charges.

Negative Feedback

Sold us by claiming to be CBD friendly. Their bank dropped us for selling CBD. Don’t use this company if you sell CBD or Delta products. Their bank dropped us for CBD, didn’t notify us that they dropped us for a week but continued taking our money. We had our money on hold for 5 weeks while Riverside was unresponsive about the status of our money and still charging us a monthly fee. Now they are trying to force us to continue using them. Bad business. – Review from October 18, 2023

Fraud. I’m not even sure where to start with this “company.” Long story short – I worked with them for 4 years with no problems, then upon resigning the crap show started. First I was told I could keep my equipment through this term, that apparently was a lie as I was rushed with emails and calls about returning my old equipment to receive new (which I didn’t want/ care to do) but I did. Then I get notified they were taking double payments from my account and I would be refunded almost $1000. Well, that was a lie. I got refunded $350 since starting this adventure in MAY. I am still waiting on a little over $650 refund, nobody will return my calls, my emails are ignored, and I am out of money. Literally 0/10 on customer service. Not to mention, the employees give ME attitude that THEIR COMPANY owes me money rather than just giving me back my money. They feel the need to make empty promises or completely talk off to me as if I’m inconveniencing them for wanting my money back. Awful awful experience. – Review from September 10, 2023

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Riverside Payments on the ComplaintsBoard.com website.

Source: ComplaintsBoard.com

Sitejabber Rating Analysis

Riverside Payments has an average customer review rating of 1.0 star on Sitejabber based on 1 customer review. The review indicates general dissatisfaction with the company’s services, highlighting issues such as high costs due to surprise fees, difficulty in using their system, misleading cancellation policies, and aggressive sales tactics.

Negative Feedback

Here are the reasons Riverside Payments is HORRIBLE: 1. They claim ‘low rates & no surprise fees’, but AFTER their SURPRISE FEES… they are 2 to 3 TIMES as costly. 2. It is bothersome & difficult to use their system…& EVERYTHING has a ‘required add-on’ which further adds to the overall costs. 3. They are bothersome to drop their ‘cancel at any time at no additional fee’ option & the ‘cancel’ option has TONS of cancellation fees. 4. This company is suspected of scamming. 5. They call back to pitch sales after being terminated…& often times the operators keep pushing the product like an annoying telemarketer… some going to the point of using profanity & threatening remarks to have your business ‘shut down’ for ‘wasting their time’. Horrible. Absolutely Abyssmal. This business needs a solid class-action suit brought up on them (if there isn’t one already). They called AGAIN today! (How Absurd) – Review from May 28, 2022

Positive Feedback

There are no positive reviews published about Riverside Payments on the Sitejabber website.

Source: Sitejabber

Processing Rates & Fees

Long-Term Merchant Account Contracts

While Riverside Payments doesn’t publicly disclose its processing rates or merchant account contract terms, customer complaints shed light on its credit card processing fees. These complaints reveal that Riverside Payments may impose an early termination fee of up to $695, along with a $9.95 “reg product fee,” a $99 “annual comp svc fee,” a monthly minimum fee of $25, and a monthly statement fee of $5. Numerous complaints also mention agents selling non-cancellable POS equipment leases lasting up to 48 months, costing up to $190 per month. These leases may include liquidated damages-style early termination fees, resulting in substantial cancellation penalties. Merchants are advised to read and understand all services agreements before signing any documents.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

Apart from its storefront payment processing, Riverside Payments offers virtual terminal and payment gateway services, although pricing details aren’t disclosed. The company lists First Data Global Gateway, eProcessing Network, and Authorize.Net as its gateway providers.

First Data Global Gateway and Authorize.Net charge a rate of 2.90% plus $0.30. Authorize.Net adds a $25 monthly payment gateway fee and a $0.10 batch fee. First Data Global Gateway, however, doesn’t impose a gateway fee but charges a $19.95 monthly fee for its Pro Plan, offering e-commerce merchants a lower transaction rate of 1.89% plus $0.23. Additionally, eProcessing Network’s gateway fee is assessed on a per-transaction basis of $0.05, with a monthly fee ranging from $8 to $10. Additional rates and fees may apply to these e-commerce services.

Riverside Payments Equipment Lease Partners

Leasing companies previously associated with Riverside Payments, as mentioned in complaints, include First Data Global Leasing, Northern Leasing Systems, and Executech Lease Group. It’s worth noting that Riverside cut ties with Northern Leasing prior to the company being shut down by the state of New York. It should also be noted that most equipment leasing providers have sued out of existence over the last decade.

Lawsuits & Legal History

As of our investigation, there are no outstanding Riverside Payments lawsuits or FTC complaints. Dissatisfied customers who prefer non-litigious recourse are encouraged to report their concerns to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Fake Testimonials Possible

We have uncovered a large number of similarly worded, unverified positive Riverside Payments Reviews. We have reason to believe that at least some of these testimonials are fake. This has negatively impacted the company’s score in this section.

Riverside Payments Sales & Marketing Strategy

Riverside Payments appears to utilize a combination of strategic partnerships, telemarketing, and both in-house and independent sales agents to market its merchant services. The use of independent sales agents is typically linked to elevated complaint rates within the credit card processing industry, and we have found multiple Riverside Payments complaints that mention aggressive telemarketing tactics and nondisclosure of merchant account contract terms. These complaints describe a poor experience with a sales representative over the phone. Other complaints that the company has received on other websites cite aggressive telemarketing practices and various misrepresentations by sales agents regarding card processing fees and equipment lease terms. These issues do not compare favorably to our list ofbest credit card processors.

Riverside Payments Rates

Despite customer complaints about its sales tactics, Riverside Payment does not openly display any misleading merchant account rate quotes or unrealistic guarantees in its official materials. If you suspect, however, that Riverside Payments is overcharging you, you can double-check your pricing with a third-party statement audit.

Riverside Payments Competitors

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Bottom Line

Riverside Payments currently rates as a below-average credit card processing services provider. Customer reviews reveal a consistent pattern of complaints centered on the company’s sales tactics and contract terms. While Riverside Payments has recently attempted to address some of these issues, their efforts have yet to significantly slow the accumulation of negative reviews. Moreover, there is no indication that Riverside’s pricing and contractual terms have become more favorable for clients since our last review update.

Business owners are more likely to secure a better deal by choosing a top-rated credit card processor. Carefully comparing providers and understanding the full scope of contract terms will help merchants make informed decisions, ensuring a payment processing partnership that prioritizes transparency and customer satisfaction.

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Contact Riverside Payments

Contact & Customer Support
President and CEOBrandon Skinner
Headquarters5721 SE Columbia Way Suite 150, Vancouver, WA 98661
Toll-Free Customer Support(866) 720-0644
Additional Support ChannelsOnline Contact Form
Websitehttps://www.riversidepayments.com/