Merchant Services Reviews

Sublime Merchants Review: Fees, Comparisons, Complaints, & Lawsuits

Updated:
Maintained Since: March 7, 2013
▼ 0 User Reviews
Sublime Merchants Logo
Overall Score
2
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Note: As of July 2021, the website for Sublime Merchants is no longer functioning. There is evidence that the company has gone out of business. We will continue to maintain this profile for now but will indicate when we have confirmation the business has closed.

Serving Standard- and High-Risk Business Types

Sublime Merchants is a merchant account provider headquartered in Mesa, Arizona. At the time of a previous update, the “Privacy Policy” page on the company’s website stated that Sublime was a registered Agent/MSP of several ISOs, including Century Bankcard Services, Elavon, Leaders, Capital Bankcard, and Priority Merchant Processing. The website has since been restructured and no longer has such a page. Sublime Merchants provides both standard and high-risk merchant accounts.

Sublime Merchants Location and Ownership

Mehdi Adjudani is listed as the owner and president of Sublime Merchants, which is located at 1833 W. Main St. Ste. 126, Mesa, Arizona 85201.

Sublime Merchants Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: Sublime Merchants appears to offer variable contract terms that depend on each merchant’s business type and processing history.
  • Complaints & Service: Sublime Merchants has received fewer than 10 public complaints.
  • BBB Rating: Sublime Merchants has an “F” rating and has received 5 complaints in the past 3 years. The company was formerly accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2014 but is no longer accredited.
  • Sales & Marketing: Sublime Merchants appears to hire independently contracted agents and has received a couple of complaints about its sales team.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With Sublime

Sublime Merchants Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints <10
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint N/A

Low Complaint Total

We are currently able to locate only a few Sublime Merchants complaints, all of which describe the company as a scam or a ripoff. One complaint reports a situation in which a Sublime agent signed the merchant up for the company’s affiliate program, only to disappear and never provide any compensation for the merchant’s initial investment. The merchant claimed to have successfully sued the company for the amount in question. In the other complaint, a merchant reported misrepresentation of rates and lease terms by a Sublime agent. A Sublime representative responded to this complaint with an evasive and dismissive tone, which is the primary factor lowering the company’s score in this section.

Sublime Merchants Lawsuits

We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against Sublime Merchants. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.

Sublime Merchants Customer Support Options

The few complaints do not represent especially high complaint volume, even for a young company like Sublime, but the content of the complaints and the lone rebuttal from a representative have compromised the company’s rating. The former Sublime Merchants website did not appear to list dedicated contact information for customer support, so it is automatically excluded from our list of the top-rated customer service providers.

Sublime Merchants Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 4
Billing & Collection Complaints 0
Advertising & Sales Complaints 1
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 0

A Sudden Drop in Score

As of our previous update, Sublime Merchants had an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and had been an accredited business with the BBB since 2014. Currently, the company’s score is showing as an “F” and its accreditation has been revoked. This happening at the same time as its website going down does not seem coincidental. The company has received 5 complaints in the past 36 months. 4 complaints related to a problem with a product or service, while 1 was an advertising problem. To its credit, 4 of these 5 complaints have been resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant. 1 complaint was resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response. Sublime Merchants has not received any informal reviews, although it should be noted that these reviews are not subject to verification by the BBB.

An “F” Performance Overall

Given Sublime’s low complaint total, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time. However, merchants should be aware that there is reason to be skeptical of the BBB’s reviews.

Sublime Merchants Fees, Rates & Contract

Rates & Fees Summary
Swiped Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Keyed-in Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Virtual Terminal Rate 1.00% - 4.99%
Payment Gateway Fee Undisclosed
Early Termination Fee Undisclosed
PCI Compliance Fee Undisclosed
Equipment Lease Terms 48 Month (locked)

Potentially Variable Terms

There is very little specific information about the standard Sublime Merchants contract at this time. At the time of a previous review, the company’s website listed 3 of its partners as Leaders Merchant Services, Elavon, and Capital Bankcard, and these three companies have wildly different standard contract terms when it comes to major expenses like early termination fees and PCI Compliance fees.

The company’s website also contained a “Merchant Application” but the link redirected visitors to an expired web domain. The Sublime Merchants website also previously claimed to offer something that sounded like Interchange-plus pricing, but a conflicting merchant complaint called this quote into question.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, Sublime Merchants also dedicates a portion of its website to advertising its virtual terminal and payment gateway services. However, pricing is not disclosed on either of those services. Additional rates and fees, including gateway fees, technical support fees, batch fees, and additional transaction rates typically apply to these e-commerce services.

Beware Equipment Leases

According to a complaint rebuttal issued by a company representative, Sublime Merchants offers equipment leases through Northern Leasing Systems. Northern Leasing Systems has a reputation for providing very expensive equipment leases with long service lengths. In March 2013, the New York Attorney General reached a multi-million dollar settlement with Northern Leasing. Following that settlement the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Northern Leasing Systems, Lease Finance Group, and MBF Leasing “for their fraudulent and deceptive practices that trap small business owners across the country” in April of 2016. The lawsuit alleges that Northern Leasing Systems and its subsidiaries knowingly deceived thousands of business owners into buying overpriced equipment and then abused the judicial system by filing suit in New York to collect on overdue lease payments.

Sublime’s affiliation with Northern Leasing is enough to drop its grade in this category to a “C” despite the fact that the company only has one complaint filed regarding its contract terms. Sublime’s link to Northern Leasing also is enough to exclude the company from our list of the cheapest merchant accounts. If you have any knowledge of the standard Sublime Merchants contract, please leave that information in the comment section of this review.

Sublime Merchants Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

Jobs & Marketing Summary
Employs Independent Resellers Yes
Advertises Deceptive Rates No
Discloses All Important Terms No

Outside Sales Agents

Sublime Merchants appears to market itself primarily through the use of outside sales agents, which is a common hiring practice within the industry that can often result in an elevated complaint rate for a company. At this time, we are able to locate only a few negative Sublime Merchants reviews that accuse the company’s sales staff of deceptive tactics. One complainant reports receiving none of their promised compensation for joining the company’s affiliate program, while another complainant describes misrepresentation of rates and a non-transferable lease that was initially presented as transferable.

Sales Complaint Details

One complaint (found here) received a rebuttal from someone claiming to represent Sublime Merchants, and this rebuttal appeared to be deceptively worded and slightly unprofessional in tone. For one thing, the Sublime representative denied the merchant’s claim that the company processes through Electronic Payment Systems, stating only that the company “has more than two processors.” While this appears to be an accurate statement, the representative went on to say that the company does not offer equipment leases through Leaders Merchant Services, but rather Northern Leasing. In this response, the representative appears to have intentionally neglected to confirm the merchant’s accusation that Sublime processes through Leaders (which its website indicated was true), and the representative also outed the company as a partner of Northern Leasing Systems, one of the lowest-rated businesses on this website.

Serving High-Risk Merchants

According to its website, Sublime Merchants also focuses on providing services to high-risk merchants. Many different factors determine the risk designated by merchant account providers. A company’s size, the frequency of chargebacks, its credit history, and the industry of its business are all factors taken into consideration. According to the Sublime Merchants websites, the company provides services to companies selling cannabis, CBD, kratom firearms, as well as non-retail pawn shops and companies processing payments in Bitcoin.

Some Cause for Concern

These claims, coupled with a generally dismissive and evasive tone, have lowered the company’s score in this section. If you suspect that Sublime Merchants is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit to find and eliminate hidden charges.

Sublime Merchants Review Summary

No Longer a Solid Option

Previously, we rated Sublime Merchants as an average merchant services provider. However, with the complete removal of their site, the drastic lowering of their BBB score and their overall lack of presence online, we have lowered Sublime Merchants’ score. The company has received only a handful of complaints across all consumer protection websites at this time, but the content of the complaints and an unprofessional rebuttal issued by a company representative have lowered the company’s overall rating. The company’s score is likely to change once more information about its standard contract becomes available. For now, merchants may be better served by opting for a top-rated overall credit card processor.

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