Sam’s Club Merchant Services 2023: Reviews & Complaints
(833) 672-1254 Company Overview
Sam’s Club Merchant Services is the merchant services division of Sam’s Club, a membership-only wholesale retailer owned by Walmart. As its website prominently advertises, Sam’s Club Merchant Services is actually a reseller of Fiserv merchant services and Clover POS products, see our Fiserv Review for more details. This means that merchants who sign up for a merchant account through Sam’s Club will receive the processing services of First Data (Fiserv). In fact, as of 2022, it appears that Clover itself operates Sam’s Club Merchant services and has rebranded it as Sam’s Club Point of Sale by Clover.
Article Summary
Before we dive in, here’s a short summary of what we’ll cover:
- Sam’s Club Merchant Services’ various payment processing services.
- The company has not received many complaints. The complaints it has received primarily focus on unexpected fees.
- SCMS’s contract is not publicly available, but it likely is similar to that of Fiserv. Reports and complaints mention fairly heavy fees.
Related Articles
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Payment Processing
The service offers a range of payment solutions tailored for different types of businesses including restaurants, retail, and service industries. For restaurants, it provides specialized point-of-sale systems, while retail and service businesses can benefit from payment terminals and fraud protection tools.
Partnership with Clover for Payment Solutions
Sam’s Club Merchant Services has partnered with Clover to provide payment solutions for businesses. This service includes point-of-sale systems and software designed to manage payments across various scenarios such as at the counter, curbside, and online.
Additional Business Tools
Sam’s Club Merchant Services also provides tools for contactless payments, online payment solutions for e-commerce, and loyalty programs to analyze sales trends and reward customers. These services are aimed at making business operations more efficient and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Location & Ownership
Founded in 1983, Sam’s Club’s headquarters are located at 2101 SE Simple Savings Drive, Bentonville, AR 72716-0745. Sam’s Club Merchant Services is a registered ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank Concord, CA, and the company’s CEO is Kathryn McLay.
Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers two different pricing plans which are advertised as…
- Complaints & Service: Complaints number more than 15 on…
- BBB Rating: Does not have a dedicated Better Business Bureau profile…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not appear to hire independent sales agents but…
Sam's Club Merchant Services Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Total Online Complaints | 25+ |
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | Hidden Fees |
| Recent Lawsuits | Yes |
Low-to-Moderate Complaint Total
Because Sam’s Club Merchant Services is powered by First Data (Fiserv), it is very likely that complaints intended for Sam’s Club may be funneled to the First Data (Fiserv) customer service department and online profiles. Still, we were able to locate over 25 negative Sam’s Club Merchant Services reviews on this and other consumer protection websites, several of which described Sam’s Club Merchant Services as a scam or a ripoff. Common themes among these Sam’s Club Merchant Services complaints include nondisclosure of fees, misrepresentation of rates, unavailability of sales agents, difficulty reaching representatives, and unhelpful or rude customer service. If you have your own Sam’s Club Merchant Services review to make, please do so in the comments below.
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Lawsuits and Fines
In 2020, Sam’s Club Merchant Services was one of a number of processors named in a lawsuit dealing with alleged telemarketing practices. It appears the suit turned into a class-action suit and was settled in late 2021. Dissatisfied clients who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Customer Support Options
Clover provides customer support for Sam’s Club Merchant Services. It offers a 24/7/365 phone line and limited chat support. These options are the bare minimum that we expect of top-rated payment processors for great customer service, but Sam’s Club’s performance among merchants suggests that it could stand to improve in this category.
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Customer Service Number
- (833) 672-1254 – Toll-Free Customer Service
Sam's Club Merchant Services Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
No Profile Available
The Better Business Bureau does not provide a profile specifically devoted to Sam’s Club Merchant Services, and the complaints on the BBB page for the larger Sam’s Club entity are not limited to any one department. In addition, it is likely that many of Sam’s Club’s dissatisfied clients have filed their reports with the First Data (Fiserv) BBB profile rather than that of Sam’s Club. It would therefore be unhelpful to consult the BBB for information about Sam’s Club Merchant Services, and we will not factor the BBB’s rating into this review.
Sam's Club Merchant Services Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Cancellation Penalties | Yes |
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Yes |
| Processing Rates | Variable |
| Equipment Leasing | Yes |
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Rates
Sam’s Club has previously offered two standard pricing plans that feature tiered pricing. It also advertised multiple Clover products available for purchase with rates starting at 1.29% plus $0.15 per transaction through its “Value Rate Pricing.” The company’s “Simplified Pricing Model” offered rates of 2.29% plus $0.19 and 3.29% plus $0.19 for swiped and keyed-in transactions, respectively. These terms are no longer listed on their site but may be close to current terms.
Sam’s Club Merchant Services Fees
We found two reviews citing an early termination fee of $90, which is fairly low for the industry but contradicts the company’s claim that there are no cancellation fees. Another consistent fee seems to be a PCI compliance fee of $49.95 per year, which was not disclosed on the former Sam’s Club Merchant Services website. This is cheaper than the standard First Data PCI compliance fee of $19.95 per month. The company’s former “Value Rate” plan also included a $5 monthly minimum fee.
Industry-Average Terms
A few Sam’s Club Merchant Services reviews express disillusionment with their effective rate paid, which may be the result of incomplete rate-quoting by sales representatives. Some clients also report long-term equipment leases that can cost thousands of dollars, likely through Clover or First Data Global Leasing. Sam’s Club provides a Sam’s Club membership for the duration of its merchant account contracts, although most complainants seem to think that this doesn’t do very much to offset costs. In general, Sam’s Club does not appear to offer pricing that can compete with the cheapest merchant accounts. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.
Sam’s Club Merchant Services offers a variety of POS systems from Clover
Sam's Club Merchant Services Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
Key Points |
|
|---|---|
| Uses Independent Resellers | No |
| Telemarketing | No |
| Misleading Marketing | Yes |
| Discloses All Important Terms | No |
Inside Sales Team
Sam’s Club appears to utilize its existing channels of promotion to market its merchant services, including mail, email, and in-store advertisement. As of this update, it is unclear whether businesses that sign up for a Sam’s Club merchant account will deal with a First Data (Fiserv) sales representative or a Sam’s Club Merchant Services representative, but most evidence suggests that First Data (Fiserv) services these accounts. Multiple Sam’s Club Merchant Services reviews complain of nondisclosure or misrepresentation of contract terms, and Sam’s Club Merchant Services complaints also state that agents often become unreachable after signing. This does not compare favorably to our list of best credit card processors.
Previous Rate Quotes
At the time of a previous update, the “Pricing” page on the former Sam’s Club Merchant Services website promoted two pricing plans. For clients on the “Value Rate” plan, the quoted rate for swiped transactions started at 1.29% plus $0.15. For clients on the “Simplified” plan, the quoted rates started at 2.29% plus $0.19 for swiped cards and 3.29% plus $0.19 for keyed-in transactions. These Sam’s Club Merchant Services rates are no longer visible on their site, but they may still apply.
Current Rate Quotes
One page advertising Clover products mentions rates “starting at 2.3% + 10¢ per transaction.” As with the company’s previous rate quotes, this falls short of full disclosure. The most important thing to bear in mind with regard to these rate quotes is that they are just the “Qualified” rates that businesses will see for very few swiped transactions. The “Mid-Qualified” and “Non-Qualified” transaction rates (which comprise the majority of transactions) are not listed on this page. We have found more than one client complaint expressing confusion about the rates that were advertised versus the effective rate paid. If you have had the same experience, you can double-check your monthly bill against your Sam’s Club Merchant Services contract with a third-party statement audit.
Our Sam's Club Merchant Services Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Sam’s Club Merchant Services rates as an average credit card processing provider by our standards. Although the company’s partnership with First Data (Fiserv) allows it to offer a wide variety of pricing plans, it also seems to have resulted in poor customer support and misleading sales strategies. Sam’s Club offers special pricing to large retailers, but small businesses will likely be better served by a top-rated credit card processor.
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James Rundell
I used Sams Club Merchant Card Processing for a number of years. The charges were very high, but the services was good. Our bills were always paid on time. This spring I sold our business and cancelled our contract. Because we also sold the name of our business we closed our bank account to avoid problems.
That left a bill due to Sams club. Instead of billing us or calling us we were charged $150,00 for a collection fee. This is just wrong to treat a long term customer this way!!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Shane harrison
Sam’s club merchant services where to start. Was misslead about fees, they record the conversation but do not go back to hear what sales had promised. will tackle your batch , with out in going in to your bank account, you will not know untill you see bank statement. Each months fees donot stand alone, there are fees not charge form past months . That’s crazy, unless you’re just trying to confoun your customers. They are worse than most , look elsewhere for a merchant service company. Very dissatisfied.
Sheryl
After paying 4 1/2 years on a lease agreement for two business’s to tune of almost $6000.00, they are charging me to end the lease. They are absolute rip off artists. Despite all the money that Sam’s Club has, they should rip off the small business as much as they possibly can. And, it only took me 2 1/2 weeks to end this agreement because they couldn’t find paperwork so I had to keep calling back. NEVER do business with this credit card company. You will be highly disappointed at their customer service.
David Crowe
Avoid this merchant service. I was led to believe that my fees would be less than 2%. Over the last two months, before I dumped these guys and went with Square, my fees averaged nearly 6%.
Run. Don’t walk away.
Paul
I’m not sure where the above person gets his info but I was charged all of the fees he says are not charged and the effective rate is MUCH higher than almost everyone I have looked at
I wish I would have seen some of the reviews before I tried it.
SNEEKY pricing and billing and many hidden charges.
DON’T USE SAM’S CLUB PROCESSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cliff
Sam’s has a $0 cancelation fee and no PCI Yearly Compliance. Also Sam’s has a much lower effective rate than many processors. Couldn’t be more happy with them.
Phillip CPO
Hi Cliff,
To authenticate your testimonial, please reply to this comment with your business name and location.
Shane harrison
Happy for you, your sales.person was not trying to cheat you. Wish my story was the same. 4 months in with them.