United Card Solutions Review

United Card Solutions Logo
Overall Score
2
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Would you recommend them?

Note: As of December 2021, the United Card Solutions website is down, and the company’s BBB profile says the company is now out of business. We will no longer be updating this profile but will leave it up. If you have information that the company is still in business, please let us know in the comments below.

An Organization With Many Names

Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United Card Solutions is a merchant account provider that serves standard-risk business types across the United States. United Card Solutions appears to share ownership or to be otherwise affiliated with three other credit card processors called Performance Merchant Alliance, National Card Solutions (nationalcardsolutions.com), and Direct Processors (directprocessors.com). All four companies have similar websites and promotional language, and all four appear to be represented by Jeff Easter, an online reputation management specialist.

United Card Solutions Payment Processing

United Card Solutions process most major debit and credit cards for most business types. They offer card terminals, wireless solutions, POS systems, pin pads, and e-commerce options.

The Jeff Easter Connection

It is unclear at this time whether Jeff Easter is the owner of these companies, an employee of these companies, or a PR representative hired by these companies, but he is listed as the primary contact in three separate press releases about United Card Solutions, National Card Solutions, and Direct Processors. The Better Business Bureau also lists him as the principal of Performance Merchant Alliance. We have found some evidence that United Card Solutions was at one point partnered with BlueSquare Resolutions.

United Card Solutions Location

United Card Solutions is a reseller of First Data (now Fiserv) products and services through i3 Verticals, LLC, and therefore utilizes Wells Fargo as its acquiring bank. United Card Solutions appears to have been launched in August 2015 and is located at 650 NE Holladay St, #1600, Portland, Oregon 97232.

Prestige Payment Systems Allegations

Since the initial publication of this review, we have received public comments and private correspondence alleging that United Card Solutions, National Card Solutions, and Direct Processors are all DBAs of Prestige Payment Systems, another Portland-based company with a poor reputation among merchants. We have been unable to independently verify these claims, but they are supported by very specific accusations made by some commenters. Our own independent research has revealed a number of potential links between Performance Merchant Alliance, Prestige Payment Systems, and a company called National Paymentech. Merchants are advised to inquire as to whether United Card Solutions has any previous or current affiliation with Prestige Payment Systems, and specifically what Jeff Easter’s role is in all of the companies that have been identified in this review.

United Card Solutions Review Table of Contents

  • Costs & Contract: United Card Solutions offers a three-year agreement through i3 Verticals with a variable early termination fee and a non-cancellable equipment lease.
  • Complaints & Service: United Card Solutions has received more than 100 public complaints.
  • Sales & Marketing: United Card Solutions does not appear to hire independently contracted agents but has received a very high number of complaints about its sales team.
  • BBB Rating: United Card Solutions has no rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 9 complaints and 6 reviews in the past 3 years.
  • Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With United Card Solutions

United Card Solutions Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews Summary
Total Online Complaints 100+
Live Customer Support Yes
Most Common Complaint Sales Tactics

Over 100 Complaints

We are currently able to locate more than 100 negative United Card Solutions reviews, and many of these complaints accuse the company of being a scam. Commonly cited issues include persistent telemarketing, undisclosed fees, misrepresented rates, non-cancellable lease agreements, and poor customer support. These complaints have been posted frequently and consistently since this review’s publication and often mention very similar details. Some merchants are reporting exorbitant cancellation penalties associated with their equipment lease terms, which makes the company’s complaints severe as well as numerous.

United Card Solutions Lawsuits

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

United Card Solutions Customer Service Options

United Card Solutions lists 24/7 customer support phone number on its website, but this number does not appear to do a good job of resolving merchant issues in-house. United Card Solutions therefore receives a “D” rating in this section and does not receive any consideration for our list of the top credit card processors for customer service.

United Card Solutions Customer Satisfaction Ratings

Online Ratings Summary
Product & Service Complaints 3
Billing & Collection Complaints 4
Advertising & Sales Complaints 2
Guarantee & Warranty Complaints 0
Delivery Complaints 0

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.

Pattern of Poor Business Practices

The BBB has prefaced its profile for United Card Solutions with a warning to consumers about a pattern of complaints against the business:

On August 1, 2017, BBB recognized a pattern of complaints from consumers regarding sales, billing, and collection issues. Consumers allege the company’s sales representatives promise significant savings over the consumer’s current credit card processor, lower rates, free equipment and little to no cancellation fees.  However, after signing up for the service, the consumers allege the actual rates and monthly charges are higher than promised and the equipment is charged under a separate 48 month non-cancellable lease with First Data.  When consumers try to cancel based on misrepresentation of services, instead of being charged $250 or nothing as they are alleged to have been promised by the sales representatives, they are billed for termination of service and told they cannot cancel the lease of the equipment.  Consumers allege when they confront the company regarding the sales misrepresentations, they cannot speak with their sales representative and the customer service representatives refer them to the terms of their agreements which states it is not responsible for the misrepresentations made by their company representatives.

On August 9, 2017, BBB notified the company of the complaint pattern.  On August 24, 2017, United Card Solutions provided the following response:

“We disagree both that there is a pattern of complaints and with the allegations raised in this alert. We offer savings estimates based upon information provided by the customer and we expressly never make any guarantees of savings or total cost. Each customer is advised that savings and cost may vary based on processing activity and processing volumes different from the information provided by the customer. Each customer is also sent and executes a processing contract that includes an itemized list of each and every rate and fee applicable to the program as well as the applicable early termination fee, so there is never any doubt that all fees and the early termination fee are properly disclosed to the customer.

Additionally, we send each new customer an equipment lease contract that sets forth all terms and conditions of the lease, including the duration, monthly lease payment, and non-cancellable nature of the agreement. The lease also sets forth the customer’s responsibility in the event of a default or early termination of the lease. Each new customer is also advised that any post-sale questions should be directed to the company’s customer service department and is given the applicable contact information.

That said, our company takes all allegations seriously and will be cognizant of the claims raised in this alert to make sure that these types of issues do not occur in the future.
Our company is in contact with thousands of potential customers per day and has only 28 complaints against it. That said, we disagree with any assertion that there is any significant pattern of complaints against our company.”

Our own research and reports from real merchants beneath this review call into question United Card Solutions’ claim that it “takes all allegations seriously.”

9 Complaints and Counting

The Better Business Bureau currently gives United Card Solutions no rating and does not grant it BBB accreditation. United Card Solutions has received 9 complaints in the past 3 years. 3 of these complaints were related to product or service problems, 4 had to do with billing or collection, and 2 were due to advertising or sales issues. Only 1 of these 9 complaints was resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 8 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.

What Merchants Say

United Card Solutions has received 6 informal reviews from merchants, 1 of which was positive in tone and 5 of which were negative in tone. One of the latest negative reviews describes deceptive contracts:

I can’t tell you how much I dislike this company. Without question they are the most dishonest, scammers I have ever dealt with in business. Avoid them like the plague. You have been warned. You only have yourself to blame if you still work with them after reading this review. It will cost you thousands more, or in my case $20,000 more over the 4 year term (prison term) they scam you into. Don’t believe a word they say, as their entire sales pitch is loaded with misleading lies.

Merchants can learn the best ways to negotiate their fees upfront to avoid these issues

A “D” Performance Overall

In light of the company’s complaint total and resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s grade to a “D” for the purposes of this review.

United Card Solutions 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 $250
PCI Compliance Fee $197
Equipment Lease Terms 48 Month (locked)

Three-Year Contract

While the company advertises its low rates, no rate structure is readily available online. Merchant reviews express being charged rates that are drastically higher than those which sales teams had quoted, making it difficult to determine the company’s pricing. The standard United Card Solutions contract is a three-year agreement through i3 Verticals, BlueSquare Resolutions, or First Data (Fiserv) with a liquidated damages clause, early termination fee, an undisclosed monthly minimum fee, and a non-cancellable lease agreement through First Data Global Leasing. Merchants also report an annual fee of up to $197 that may or may not be a PCI compliance fee as well as effective rates that are much higher than the 0% debit and 1% credit rates they were originally quoted.

Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing

In addition to its storefront payment processing services, United Card Solutions 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

As a general rule, we advise merchants not to lease equipment through First Data Global Leasing. Merchants have reported that United Card Solutions sells equipment leases for $139 per month over four years for equipment that can be bought outright for under $500. In addition, the three-year contract with an early termination fee that United Card Solutions offers is more or less standard for the industry. We do not consider the company’s contract terms to be even remotely competitive with the cheapest merchant accounts available.

Many Merchant Complaints

Given the high number of complaints about the company’s pricing and fees that have appeared in a short period of time, we have assigned it a “D” rating in this section. See the United Card Solutions/i3 Verticals Program Guide or the United Card Solutions/BlueSquare Program Guide. We also encourage merchants to check out our list of the providers of the best merchant accounts.

United Card Solutions Employee Reviews & Sales Practices

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

Heavy on Telemarketing

United Card Solutions appears to utilize telemarketing and an in-house sales team to market its service. There is no evidence that the company employs independently contracted sales agents, but we have found dozens of United Card Solutions complaints that mention aggressive sales calls, misrepresented fees, undisclosed contract terms, and difficulty reaching a sales representative after the account has been set up. Some of these complaints specifically refer to long-term leasing agreements that are not mentioned by sales agents at the time of the sale, while others claim that they were lied to about their monthly costs. The number of these complaints has risen steadily since we first published this review and is very high for a company that is this new to this industry. This compares favorably to our list of best credit card processors.

Don’t Trust the 1% Quote

One specific trend that is visible in many complaints is that the company’s sales agents will quote a rate of 0% for debit cards and a rate of 1% for credit cards in exchange for joining the company’s “program.” This program mainly consists of an expensive, non-cancellable, long-term lease agreement that will ultimately cost far more than the equipment’s purchase price. Moreover, non-qualified credit card transactions will still be charged rates at or in excess of 2.89%. We have seen this sales strategy used by other low-rated companies in the past (most notably Elite Pay Global) and we strongly recommend against signing up for this agreement. If you are concerned that United Card Solutions is charging you undisclosed fees, we recommend seeking a third-party statement audit.

Reputation Management Concerns

As a small side note, United Card Solutions appears to be represented or even owned by an online reputation management and lead generation specialist named Jeff Easter. There is no evidence at this time that the company is actively manipulating its public reputation, but the maintenance of multiple business names (such as “National Card Solutions” and “Direct Processors”) is a common industry tactic for spreading negative reviews across several brands. In addition, multiple commenters on other websites have accused the company’s employees of leaving fake positive reviews to boost United’s reputation. It may be that United Card Solutions is not engaging in this strategy, but merchants should be aware that the company seems to have multiple active DBAs.

An Insider Account

According to an email we have received from a former employee, United Card Solutions trains its agents to tell business owners that their equipment lease from First Data (Fiserv) is actually a program fee to cover the cost of processing and that their rates will be 0% for PIN debit transactions and 1% for standard credit card transactions with no interchange on top. These rates are unrealistically low and highly misleading. This informant states that the “program fee” can ultimately cost anywhere from $59 to $399 per month as part of a 48-month, non-cancellable term. This is an increasingly common tactic we have seen among some poorly rated providers, and it will lower the company’s score further if similar reports continue to come in.

United Card Solutions Review Summary

Poorly Rated Across The Board

United Card Solutions rates poorly as a credit card processor according to our rating criteria. The company has received a high number of complaints about its sales tactics and leasing terms, and the rates and fees that we have seen in merchant complaints are higher than industry averages. It appears that the company is on pace to make our list of the worst merchant account providers in the industry.

Top Performing United Card Solutions Competitors

Host Merchant Services logo

HMS

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1.82% + $0.20

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Helcim

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1.83% + $0.18

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CDG logo

CDG

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1.83% + $0.16

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Please note that we only suggest providers that adhere to strict ethical standards and offer top performing support at extremely competitive pricing. We may earn revenue if choose one of our recommendations.

Reader Comments, Testimonials & Complaints

98 User Reviews

  • Ellen Lauw

    This company is still open & scamming people for their money on 3/18/2022 I was charged 29.95 from UCS cards & when I called to cancel it on 3/18/2022 the refund showed as pending but it has yet to be reversed back to my balance

  • Joyce

    Canal Marine

    I Have paid UCS for the past 4 years 33.70 a month. I closed, or thought I closed that account way back then. Just started looking at my books again after dismissing my bookkeeper. And found this out. What do I do at this point. Will they finally stop taking money after 4 years? I think my contract is up., I only used them for 2 maybe 3 months before I found out they were so bad for me and my company. Started the cancelation process. Sent the machine back. Paid the $250.00 plus $1056.00 I thought I was all done. Well apparently I’ve been paying all this time. What should I do if they don’t stop.

  • Lanna Germer

    United Card Solutions is the most corrupt company I have ever had the missfortune to work for. They have had massive issues with drug use in the office as well as several of their employees have died due to drug abuse. This company hires known criminals and they have full access to all of their clients private businessand personal informations such as social security numbers tax id numbers ect. They will lie to get you to sign documents they havent even shown you yet and they will do everyting in their power to keep you on board until you are no longer able to get out of the contract they get you to sign. Every contract they get they sell to First Data and then you are no longer working with United Card Solutions you are then stuck with First Data and they do not tell you this when you sign up with them. DO NOT do business with this company. They have not changed anything about their practices. I called just recently thinking that they had cleaned up and are working to be better however I was quickly informed that I was not to call the company for any reason and I was not given a reason for this other than they do not want to do business with me. I was also hung up on by the VP of the company Adam Ward who is a cocain addict. Adam Ward was buying cocain from his former employees and when people in the office found out the employee Adam Ward was purchasing his drugs from was escorted out of the building by security. Please please do not trust this company they are not who they say they are and they do not care at all about your business and will sell you off to first data as soon as you sign any contract with them.

    • Billy Syms

      Catherine,

      Read my reviews here. Closing your business checking account is a lot of work but doing this makes UCS go away. No lease, no fees and no crooks having access to your hard earned income.

  • Vickie P

    Do not do any business with this company whatsoever. You will be angry all the time. They give you a contract that you negotiate with no annual fees, low transaction fees, etc. Every single month there is a new charge on there for something. started a new program called VRS that you had to opt out of (which I did immediately) or it was $19.95 a month. Still charged me. Changed PCI Compliance platform (same company) and immediately started charging PCI non compliance fees as soon as you don’t re register on the new platform which they didn’t tell you you needed to do. Charged all kinds of annual fees that were not supposed to be charged and then you have to fight like crazy to get them off. Still don’t have credit for any of these fees. Late fees were charged by Lessor of equipment for no reason. Payments are automatic deductions. Finally got those back. No one answers your emails or calls you back. All you get is crap from the person who answers the phone and says that’s just how it is. That is, if they answer the phone which is certainly not guaranteed.


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  • Deborah Tabor

    I own a small business and was looking to save money-i must have had a weak moment and was scammed. United Card solutions-or someone from the many fa-cites of this scam called me. After analyzing my current credit card processing bill, I was told I would save 300.00 a month on my credit card processing. I now pay 375.00 dollars more a month and am stuck in a lease for 3 machines for 4 years The caller said these were just a necessary sideline to save money-and the savings would override the cost of the lease, I cannot use these as my business is 90% online. I called to cancel as I was told I could cancel at any time for 250.00 and was told I would owe 17000.00 to buy out my lease. So disappointed in myself and the scammer who took advantage of me in a weak moment-I signed feeling confident that a big company like this would not be blatantly lying to my face. I was wrong. They did. My bill was 60% more than I was previous fees. The actual card processing company-First Data says they are not responsible for what I was told by some salesperson. But did reduce my processing fees which helped. but still paying 30% more than before the call. There are many layers to the process-A salesperson, A leasing company and a credit card processing company all wrapped up in the what unfolded after a few days. All unrelated as they do not accept responsibility for the other. I was taken and feel like a prisoner of the leasing company-If anyone has any ideas to get out of this debauchery please advise.


    This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee

    • Billy Syms

      Deborah,

      In order to rid yourself of the lease, the fees and this boiler room of thieves, go to your bank and cancel your business checking account.

      Once they realize there’s not an account to pull funds from, they go away. They’ll cancel your lease and tell you where to return the equipment. Tell them to take a walk with any cancelation fees.

      First Data will also come calling. For being complicit in this crime against the small businessman, I told them to take a walk to.

      Trust me, no one will get involved and hiring a lawyer is really not an option either as you signed a contract (and they have you on recording agreeing).

      I’ve corresponded with a couple people in this thread. Closing your bank account works, it a hassle but UCS knows it would not only be expensive to come at us, imagine the embarrassment if they had to sit in front of some arbiter and explain their sales techniques.

      Hope this helps.

  • Chris Johnson

    *** Avoid this company at all costs. Our experience was consistent with others on this site. UCS trains its employees to scam small business (see employee comments on Glassdoor) ***

    UCS used deceptive sales tactics to enter into a credit card processing agreement with my wife’s salon. After one month of paying astronomical hidden fees, we called to cancel. We paid a $250 cancellation fee. We are trying to return the equipment that we did not want or need. UCS knew we already had the exact terminal they provided, but shipped it anyway. UCS will not provide return information. The salon no longer uses any property of UCS and does not receive any services or financing from them. However, UCS claims we owe ~$3000 for the terminal. This terminal is available on Amazon for $180, and it is still in its original packaging.

    *** Details below. ***

    My wife owns and operates a small hair salon. United Card Solutions (“UCS”) called and pitched 1% for credit card processing and 0% for debit, with a $59/month fee. She did the math and this sounded like a way to save money.

    The first bill arrived. Additional fees — with technical terms she didn’t understand — made UCS much more expensive than her prior system. She canceled the processing contract. However, UCS informed her that the $59/month was a “non-cancellable 48 month lease” for the processing terminal they had sent to the salon. In short, she would need to pay ~$3000 for a piece of equipment readily available on Amazon for $180. We already had the same terminal model at the salon and had no need for a new one. UCS knew this but shipped their identical equipment anyway.

    The large-font front page of the UCS contract states the 0-1% fees that the sales rep highlighted, as well as the $250 early cancellation fee. The additional fees and “non-cancellable lease” for unneeded equipment were buried in fine print on later pages.

    We have spoken with Ascentium, the financing company that collaborated with UCS and owns this “lease.” They agreed to cancel it. However, UCS does not return our calls in order to make this happen. We have therefore asked our bank to stop payments to both of these companies.

    The consistency of BBB reviews, and even Glassdoor comments from UCS employees, makes it clear that this company trains its employees to deceive small business owners. Ascentium’s role is also highly questionable.

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  • Mike

    Intimidating sales tactics, unprofessional and harassing of a manager. Asked to speak to the owner, the employee said they’re unavailable and the continued to try to sell the manager and receive sales figures from the manager. When I (the owner) called back, their program was much worse than I currently have with my processor. Very unprofessional company.

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  • Rob Peterson

    These scam artists call my place of business 2-3 times per day and hang up when I answer the phone. I just called them back and they hung up on me again. I’m getting really angry and tired of their harassment. Stop calling me…stop harassing me…If you have a complaint or business with the owner of my company, I’d be glad to put you in contact with him, but it’s clear to me that you are just scamming people since you hang up on the people that you cold call and when they call you back to try to see who it was that hung up on them you hang up on them again.

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  • Karen Bickford

    August 9, 2018

    To Whom It May Concern:

    On July 30th I received a cold call from United Card Solutions. The call came in from a local number. I was asked if I took credit cards for my business and if I wanted to save money on processing fees.
    I was told that I could get a 1% credit card processing rate for simply paying a monthly fee of $399 per month. I did the math on what my monthly volume typically is and 1% plus $399 per month would still be a significant savings. I asked for them to send over the paperwork so that I could take a look at it and then I would decide. The phone was handed over to Elijah Smith and he said Karen, if you can sign today right now we can charge you $349 per month as opposed to $399 per month.
    I told Elijah Smith that all of my processing is done on a recurring basis through a virtual terminal via QuickBooks or another processor that I use and that I don’t use any type of credit card processing equipment. He assured me that is fine, and I would still be able to do that with their company. I also told him that I process a lot of E-checks and I would need that capability as well. He assured me that I could do that and even set them up to be recurring.
    He sent over the agreement and we stayed on the phone as he went over the rates which were on the first 3 pages and were of primary concern which all looked good. They even added to the agreement a $500.00 sales credit.
    After the first 3 pages of rates were gone over it was then a very fast and furious click here sign here type of moment for the remaining pages of the agreement. There of course wan no time to read the pages upon pages of 2-point font that followed. I was told to just trust him and that I would thank him later for all the savings I would reap.

    When it was time to do the audio confirmation with another CSR; he touched upon using a credit card processing terminal. I said wait a minute; I have never used a credit card processing terminal in 15 years of business and don’t plan on using one now. We don’t have foot traffic to our business and all cards are accepted over the phone/internet and processed through a virtual terminal.
    That conversation ended, and I was put back on the phone with Elijah Smith. Elijah Smith stated that I would not need to use the machine terminal to process and I could put it on a shelf to collect dust (his words) and it was just a way to keep the discount rate at 1% by paying the $349 per month. There was never any mention that I would be entering into a 3rd party equipment leasing contract with First Data Global Leasing. Why on earth would a business that doesn’t process credit cards using a card reader terminal need or want to enter into an equipment leasing contract?
    Paying $349 per month with United Credit Card Solutions; who I thought I was entering into a business relationship with, made sense to me as it was like buying down your interest rate on a mortgage using points and I understood the concept. However, what was done here was deceptive as they knowingly entered me into an equipment lease despite me never needing or using a credit card processing machine.
    I was sent 3 credit card terminal processing machines from First Global Leasing with a contract for 4 years at $349 per month. I called Global explaining how I had been duped by this company. They suggested that I get in touch with United Credit Card Solutions to have them cancel out the lease and I would be able to send the terminals back to them once the lease had been cancelled by UCS.
    To make matters worse I am not able to process ACH checks as I was told I would be able to. Additionally, their platform does not integrate with my financial accounting software which prevents me from effectively doing receivables accounting that is required by IRS.

    I am respectfully requesting cancellation with United Card Solutions as it was done under duress in a fraudulent manner. You will see from the first phone call received from UCS on Monday July 30th to the time the contract was digitally signed; only mere minutes had elapsed which was not enough time to read the agreement in its entirety. This was an extremely high-pressure tactic to get the agreement executed.
    Please respond to this communication within 48 hours of receipt. If I don’t hear back from you on this matter within 48 hours I will be forced to seek legal recourse with my lawyers as well as the BBB, Attorney General and every possible internet on-line review site.


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      • Billy Syms

        Jiang,

        Notifying your bank will not actually rid you of these thieves. Once UCS processes payments they will not intervein in your dilemma as you have a signed contract with UCS. They will ask that you settle the dispute with UCS.

        Go to your bank, close your business checking account and open a new one. Just like a lawyer being too costly to take UCS to court, there is nothing in it for UCS to do the same to you when you close the account. They not only go away, they send you information on where to return the equipment.

    • Billy Syms

      Karen,

      The bottom line here is you must go to your bank and close your business checking account.

      This is a great hassle but bottom line is it rids you of UCS, First Data and any fee’s and or cancelation fees.

      Just like it would cost you more to hire an attorney to settle with these crooks, the same is true from them once they can not draw funds from an account that has been closed.

      Remember, you did sign a contract with UCS and because of that, your bank will not (legally) be able to withhold funds from them. Close your business checking account and this nightmare ends.

    • Billy Syms

      Alex,
      I get the attorneys reluctance to deal with this. They have your signature on documents and voice recorded agreements with them.
      You can file with the Attorney General, but I think UCS is counting on them not acting on this.
      Your best solution is to close your business checking account – which is what I did. That is not a pleasing thing to do as a small business person but it does get you off the hook with UCS. They dared me and tried to threaten me, at the end of the day I paid them 2 months processing fees. Equipment returned, lease canceled and the den of thieves at UCS out of my life. How these people look in the mirror each morning is a mystery to me. Guess they side with Barnum Bailey and go with “There’s a sucker born every minute”…..


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  • Jiang

    Joe Justin was the bad bad liar that keep calling me for a year. Finally I gave him the chance to show me how he can save money for me, and the nightmare stared. After signed up with them, I received the first month bill was way higher than what he told me, and all the fees on the statement was not mention on the contract.I call him right away and ask him what are those, he told me there is nothing he can do. Then I got transfer to a lady Sherry Baldwin , I told her I want to cancel my account and she said I have to pay 1000+ cancelation fee plus the full 48 months equipment leasing fee which is $199 per month. I told her when I sign up i got told that only $250 to cancel the account, I even told her this is a trap! She said “you already signed it”. I just contacted my lawyer right after I hanged up with them, see if my lawyer can pull me out of this scam and maybe even sue them! I will update once I met my lawyer.


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    • Billy Syms

      I closed my business checking account. I know that is extreme but it made these crooks go away. Can’t believe UCS is still being allowed to steal from small business owners in this fashion.

  • Donald Slate

    This is the worst company I have ever dealt with. They promise low rates which don’t exist and no additional fees then continue to add fees. I was duped into a 4 year lease for equipment that I barely use with lies and misinformation they say cannot be canceled. I have been trying for 3 months to settle my problems but no one returns my calls. NO ONE should trust or use this company.

  • Tony Fuller

    Using robocalls to illegally solicit off Do Not Call list. Run away from this business, nearly all reviews are negative, as is their respect for rules. How do you think you will be treated if they won’t follow government guidelines? Boiler room operation.

  • Alexandra Sparks

    I was contacted by UCS and was looking for a change so I listened but didn’t want to sign a lease agreement as I had already had a bad lease experience. They kept sending me “up the chain” – offering to pay off my
    old lease agreement and finally offering a $295 payoff to get out of any agreement through them (Jon Lund).
    I was kicked out the recorded agreement 5 times because I kept saying I didn’t want an uncancelable agreement and that was what was listed. Jon Lund then sent an addendum saying I could leave for $295. I received 6 huge boxes of equipment (for a small single location business) which I could use and also a letter from First Data telling me I would be leasing equipment from then for $299/mo for 48 months. I called everyone – many times because they don’t always answer and found two more companies involved in this scam: Blue Square and Prestige Payment System. I tried to cancel with everyone but was told by First Data that even though the contract didn’t start until June 1, two weeks away, that I would owe them $17,000 on June 1.
    Prestige said that Jon Lund was only a salesman and
    it didn’t matter what he said and the $295 release would not apply to the lease in any case. He also told me no attorney would take my case because it evidently says somewhere (I certainly didn’t see it) that nothing a sales rep says affects the lease. He
    wouldn’t cancel – why should he – they only want the
    lease money – you owe them for years. I’ve not started with them and they’ve already said I own $17,000 for the lease and another $1500 to get out
    of the processing that will never begin. I’ve sent a complaint to the Attorney General’s office – Please do this -and I’ve contacted an Attorney. I don’t know if
    we can get help – don’t you all think we have a Class-Action Suit here?

    • Wing

      I pretty much has the same problems, they lie to me and trapped me in a month ago, everything was a lie. now I want to get out and they said I have to pay 48 months lease fee which is $199 per month, and that was not mention at all when I was talking to their sale Joe Justin( big liar) now I just contact my lawyer see if I can sue them!


      From The Editor
      This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee

      • Billy Syms

        Wing,

        Scroll down and read my post.

        This scam ends when you close your business checking account.

        It’s a great hassle but it ends this nightmare. No lease fees, no cancelation fees, no merchant fees.

        • Sabrina Campbell

          I don’t have a business checking account they took it off my cash out card at 6:00 in the morning with not one word to me about it. I have no idea who they are or what they took my money how the hell do I get it back??

    • Tina

      Alexandra Sparks ~ has anything come of this? I am very interested in a class action lawsuit against these criminals. My 80 year old mother, an Italian immigrant, who’s english is still evolving, was completely scammed by a female named Christine. She even went into such detail about how to return our equipment to First Data ~ “we will send you a box with the return labels, and a form letter that we send to First Data telling them to ‘cease and desist’. We have an agreement with them to honor our requests. You will receive this 90 days after your contract begins”….Seriously, how do you do this to an 80 year old woman, knowing that you are talking over her head??? Of course First Data couldn’t care less what we were told, and we now have 2 leases….

      From The Editor
      This Post Might Help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors

      • Billy Syms

        Tina,
        I’m finding that attorney General is a dead end. For what it would cost you to defend yourself against these crooks, that’s not viable either – and I think UCS knows this and hopes you say uncle and just pay for what you signed up for.
        Go to your bank. Close your business checking account and open a new one. Now UCS (and any other company that handles equipment and merchant services) can not draw the funds out of your bank.
        Now the shoe is on the other foot – they will not come after you as it will cost them more to do this that what they’d scam off of you.
        Changing your business bank account is not an easy thing for it involves changing things like direct deposits, e-pay with IRS and a host of other things you pay automatically – but if you want out of this scam, let me just say it worked for me.
        Good luck.

        From The Editor
        This Post Might Help: How to Report Bad Credit Card Processors

          • Billy Syms

            Tina,

            Yes it did. Close your business checking account.

            First thing that happens is UCS will call you trying to get their money. When you tell them no, they start the cancelation process – which will not concern you as your bank account is closed.

            They will send you information on where to return the equipment. Return it and require a signature they received it.

            I canceled this so fast that I did not incur any other charges other than 2 months merchant fees – which I paid and (again) because my account was closed, they went away.

            It’s not an easy thing to do closing your business checking account, but if you want out of this situation without paying UCS a dime, it’s your only solution.

  • Cynthia

    Same thing happened to my son who is a new business owner. They scammed him. So many fees already. He was using Square and for $8280.00 in CC transactions his total fee was 297.00. That’s it. He has been with UCS since May 2017. So far he has had $9905.00 in CC transactions and has paid $946.00 in fees plus $85. per month for equipment ($765) with a grand total to them of $1711. So he has paid $1711. for $9905 in CC transactions. Thats basicially 17.5 % fee for CC transactions. That is sickening. This is an awful company and I really can’t believe they are still in business and haven’t been put in jail for fraud. Where is the law? I just can’t imagine my son paying them that kind of money for the next 3 1/2 years.

  • Linda

    Why is it they can change the rules all they want but the contract doesn’t allow the merchant to change anything unless they pay a penalty. First in two years the rates doubled. Second, they will charge you for being non compliant even if you prove you are they never refund
    Third, now we have an annual fee. I saw the first notification on the August bill which of course you receive in October so I decided to use another processor. When I was charged the yearly membership I called to complain and was told it was for 2017. So mid year you notify customers that you’re adding to their bill AGAIN!! What a rip off United Card Solutions is!!!

  • Billy Syms

    Update: After calling to cancel this (within 48 hrs) I canceled my business checking account. This was a great hassle but the benefit – these thieves now have no access to the funds they were trying to bamboozle me out of.
    All of a sudden Holli S send me an email where to return the Clover equipment – the lease canceled.
    3 months later a company “First Data Merchant Services” is sending me a letter about the $32 they can’t collect on. Holli says I gotta pay $32 x 36 months – telling both to pound sand.
    Looks like these thieves are into the easy money. If you see this site, cancel your checking account right away. Worked for me!

    • Billy Syms

      And this just in. Holli S (my account manager at UCS) in the beginning the lease was not cancelable and that I owed the merchant fees for 36 months – even if I did cancel account.
      The key was closing my checking account. These thieves did not want to go the extra mile here. Having no access to my checking account, they caved. Equipment returned, lease canceled.
      Now all of a sudden First Data Merchant is crying about their $32. I told them “sorry Charlie, nothing for you here”. Then they mention my merchant account was canceled 12/08/17, so I guess I’m only on the hook for 2 or the 36 months in merchant fees.
      Must be something in the law where they can’t go after my new checking account or they just do not want to pursue this. Either way, this was the key. I hope some of you read this. It was a great hassle to cancel and create a new business checking account but it rid me of this den of thieves. I get calls from these merchant carriers all the time, boy I feel sorry for the next guy who cold calls me.

  • Catherine

    I made a very bad decision to move to this carrier. Four year lease at $79.00 per month = $3,792.00. wow. Plus the card payments that are called in instead of swiped are at a much higher rate.

  • India

    I have been very very dissatisfied with this company. I was completely misled to enter into an agreement for equipment that I cannot use in my facility. The salesman was very nice and understanding until I signed the agreement. He told me I was signing up for a processing company called authorize.net. He told me he would give me a clover mobile as a free gift for signing up. He walked me through all of the fees included with the processing but began rushing through when it came to the part about the equipment. Since I was assured it was a gift, I signed the agreement online and verbally. The salesman assured me that I would have his cell phone number to call him if I needed anything. I have not been able to get in touch with him since then. After not being able to get in contact with the salesman at all after the sale. I have been given an account manager who is not helping me rectify this situation or even interested in hearing how I was misled into this agreement. I am very careful about entering into agreements like this and would never have agreed to pay for equipment for 48 months that I do not even need. The way this was done was completely unethical. I hope that I can get this rectified soon and that they will do what is morally right.

  • Laurie B

    I feel like a fool as I too took the hook from UCS by Jon Lund verbally telling me everything I need to hear in order to sign the contract and then I’m no longer “allowed” to talk to him about why I didn’t want to hook up the equipment. I was forced to talk to Holli P. (she refused to tell me her last name) and in her cold demeanor, she simply made it clear that I signed up for it, I owe for 4 years, I start paying once a month for $79, even though I haven’t hooked up. I’m sick, haven’t slept, and don’t know what to do. Help me. Please.

  • Brian Holm

    Like all the others I was lied to by the sales reps, who repeatedly stated that there no other charges than the 1% on credit cards, $.10 per transaction fee, and $39 monthly charge; that there were no additional interchange fees or any other fees to be paid by me. Which of course is false.

    What I want to know, is what has happened to merchants who closed their bank accounts when this company refused to void their contract. Or has had any success in getting the contract voided other than by having recorded the lying sales pitches.

    • Billy Syms

      Brian, I closed my business checking account immediately. UCS (and whoever) were not going to take dime one from me.
      Got a statement for $32 from some credit card processor which I shredded.
      Got a bill from the leasing company for $122.00. This was over and above the $79.00 I was told I was being charged. Shredded that too.
      Some gal called me from merchant processor, I told her (politely) sorry but this account was canceled.
      Now that the cupboard is bare I have received a letter from UCS stating that my lease with Ascentium Capital has been terminated with no further obligation.
      UCS still wants an early termination fee ($32 for 36 months). Waiting for conformation of returned equipment to tell them to go fly a kite. They want my money, they’ll have to get a judgement. Of course then there’s collection of said judgement……….

  • Dawson

    I took a call months ago from one of their reps, I usually don’t entertain cold calls, but the guy had a great attitude, so I said, why not?

    They were offering me “flat-rates” on credit and debit card processing, which if any other business owner knows, there’s gotta be a catch…
    0% -Debit 1% Credit and .10 cent per transaction is their sales points. The only “catch” I found was a low monthly fee that was calculated off of my processing volume…I was immediately turned off, because If I don’t process, I don’t want to pay..then I realized I’ve been in business for 10 years now and haven’t had a month where I wasn’t processing.

    The rep then offered to put everything in writing and if I would make a switch, obviously being skeptical I said no, but I did want to see it in writing. The next ten minutes took me by surprise, he emailed the official agreement and we went through it together–all the way through. PLUS, even with the monthly fee, I was still getting a great deal.

    Anyway, I signed it, and I’m going on my fifth month of processing with this company and surprisingly couldn’t be happier! I ask my clients to use debit when they can because I really am receiving 0% on debit cards.

  • Minho Jeon

    United Card Solutions is a prime example of why scumbags shouldn’t start a company.
    They call nonstop asking to speak with the person in charge of merchant services and will hang up on you mid-sentence if you ask them to stop calling.
    You know you don’t want to deal with people like these if they have to resort to bothering businesses to make money off them and not even be willing to accommodate the simplest of requests.
    Imagine the sewage they will drag you through if you actually form a contract with them.
    DO NOT bother humoring them.

  • Brandon

    I received a call from Ariel and was given the same scripted pitch that I have seen in other posts. I asked that they email me something to review with the other partners of the business and was told it would be sent right away and she scheduled a call for the next morning. The next morning she called and I informed her I had not received the information requested and was NOT interested in doing business with them. Told her to remove me from her list and hung up.
    1 minute later I received a call from Mark who claimed to be Ariel’s manager. Mark immediately started yelling at me and did not let me get a word in. I did say “if this is how you conduct business I will NEVER do business with you or your company”. This all took place 30 mins ago. Let’s see how many more calls I get.

  • Joe

    The worst card service company around, pushy sales and worse customer service!!! was sold a product based on lies, i had them review and invoice from previous company and they reduced it by half then the first invoice showed up, what a farce DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!!
    Called several times to talk with the sales person and he can not event return my calls or emails

  • danny weinstein

    Wow! Thank you all for taking the time to write reviews here. I was phoned today to sign up, but after reading all of the horrible reviews, as a small business owner I feel so bad for all of you and I don’t want to go through all of that. I will stick with my bank and it’s reputation, even if I have to pay a little more each month, I will do it! Thank you all again, and I am sorry for your problems, but you can feel good that your reviews do save people like me, the small business owner from going through hell!

  • Tim S

    Same thing happened to me… unfortunately… they promised 0% on debits, 1% on credits… $1000 signup bonus, free handhelds, and $300+ in savings a month compared to my previous processor… guess what – everything was a lie… paid monthly more than my previous processor, sign up bonus never showed up, handhelds were leased for a whopping $250!… and now i’m trying to cancel, they say pay cancellation fee of $730 and claim i signed a 48 month lease, on top of that, i found out they placed a personal loan on me at the amount of $9,800 !!!!… liars…!!! lies and deceptive tricking into signing you up into contracts… guess, its lawyer time…

    • Scott

      Same thing happened to me, told me the 209.00 was part of my credit card fee. They wanted to send out 4card readers, I told them I did not want or need them, already had them on my pos system, John Lund said that the 209.00 was part of the cost for processing fees. I ask him if that was part of the promised 2% cost for processing and he said yes so I signed the contract. What a mistake. The next thing, there were 4 card readers in my office with a cost of 209.00 a month for 4 years
      This is a false statement with the intent to deceive as for as I’m concerned, I will be calling the consumer financial protection bureau and the federal trade commission to have the look at this company’s way of screwing the small businesses by sucking us into these contracts by lying and deceiving us. It sounds and looks like they do this to all of their clients if they can get away with it.
      I’ve been fighting this for 4 months and will not give up until I prevail

      • Shelly

        Omgosh….John Lund is theeeee slickest, slimiest sales person ive ever come across. And She e the mgr. actually hung up on me. These people have zero integrity. This co.should be shut down. All the same things happened to me. All lies. I never did sign the contract because they messed up,but oh boy…steve in his child like behavior…told me they would come after me and I have to pay them for 4 yrs. Ha….never.
        I closed my business checking acct. And I will also do what I can to close them down. They have no morals.calling Attorney Gen. And BOB. If we all dig In, maybe this can stop.

  • Dan Barton

    Boiler room sales operation. Sales guys make and don’t hold to multiple scheduled times. When I told Chris I wasn’t going to work with them, he said “Thanks for wasting my time, Bud!” I would steer clear.

  • Evonne

    This company is horrible I was working with sales rep Cait P and she would call all day long over and over again. Starting at about 6:30 am. She has even had the nerve to spoof me a few times. You know where they change their number so it looks like it’s coming from the same state. NEVER work with them.

  • Jeff O.

    “United Card Solutions”:
    Because your sales staff has been incredibly rude ….. This is my complaint.

    I’ve had repeated calls from 855-702-0521 from a young man named Tyler to my business line. So much that I recognize his voice & smart aleck attitude. He kept asking for my name so he could talk to the owner & I never identified myself as such.
    He’s been told no one here is interested in his “Credit Card” services. And, we don’t believe in doing business with those practicing Usery. I deal in straight cash. Here’s why:
    … Modern Money Mechanics Magazine
    … Explained:”Modern Money Mechanics”
    … Tutorial VIDEO:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYDHyVN86bI
    …… COPY of: “Modern Money Mechanics” Report!!!!
    ……

    … …This is how Our Monetary system is Hacked and Hijacked & how Congress steals prosperity from America. … CAFR …
    http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC047D65D4F89A2EC
    … Continue down that playlist. Other videos reveal the head of the snake.

    Today I finally had it with the attitude of Tyler & his multiple calls with smart aleck attitude. I confirmed the name of his company. Tyler only said “United”. I then asked for his website. He said UCS.com. Since UCS.com is only a domain and not a website I asked him what the full name is. He hung up.
    I called back and talked to his boss Christopher @855-702-0521. And I received the the same smart aleck attitude but did reveal this is “United Card Solutions”. Then Christopher starts harassing me & tells me not to call back again. Then Christopher hung up on me.

    So I found their main ph# 844-838-3085. Talked to the receptionist named “Jeffrey”. He said he would take me off the call list with the same smart aleck attitude. Then abruptly hung up. No apology.

    So I look up UnitedCardSolutions.com “WhoIs” info to find the following info.
    Registrant Email: [email protected]
    Registrant ph#: 855-624-2611 ……… message here says to use the above email to make a complaint.

    And so I will. And will post the results here ….. “if they answer”.

  • DAVID Bhesania

    Recently I have switch credit card processing it is almost six month. I have very bad experience when they wanted to sign up giving all kind off promising & email me rate but after sign up nothing work.It has been told me 0% on debit & 1% on credit but it is not like that.They sign up contract and when you call there simple answer it is part of contract. When I signed up they told me you will save $300 & I am ending up paying @$300 more then whatever I was paying. If you canceled they charge tons of money.
    while sign up told that cancelled any time with $250 or less charges. in short do not trust this company you end up paying more and lot of scram.

  • Steven juhl

    Same here. It’s costing me four times the amount I was paying g with my previous processor. I have to go over my statements every month and then hours on the phone getting non or half filled promises to refund overcharges or new fees. The equipment was supposed to be free. Not. I’m getting charged 63.66 per month. Not happy with these people. Considering closing bank account.

  • Jim Wakelin

    United is like all the other “Merchant Service” providers out there. Hiding behind contracts and dodging calls. I have to get nasty everytime I call to not be sent to an answering machine. Every month they put on page 2 of my bill new additions to charges that I have to call in and dispute or else it become part of my contract. I have paid out $1000’s in fees since 2012 and can’t wait for my contract to expire so I can move on. What your company and the industry as a whole does is nothing shy of a scam. Who are you? United? Merchant Services? 1st Data? Blue Square? and which of the dozen 800 numbers do I call when I need help with my machines. Oh yea of which I am currently paying on 2 separate contracts thanks to the way the “chip” card was represented to me and fraudulently explained.

  • Bjorn

    United Business Card Solutions and First Data Global Leasing can be summed up as a gang of thieves in my opinion. I own and operate a specialty ethnic grocery store/gift store and café in Seattle. Anybody who runs a small business knows how enticing saving money can be and how valuable your time is. I am sad to report that I have wasted much of both on these fraudsters.
    They solicited my business in May of last year. After spending considerable time with a Chris Boltz, both on the phone and via email, I agreed to change processors and take advantage of their great offer. Going over my processing statement item by item with Chris he was able to convince me that I would cut my fees in half. On an average month that would mean 600$ in savings, during the Holidays it would have come to several thousand saved. I reviewed very closely all parts to the agreement. The only thing that caused me to pause for a moment was the fact that they wanted a 48 month commitment. I had been with my previous processor for over 10 years so I figured I wouldn’t mind committing to four years if I was saving this much money. Chris also made a few generous offers, one to waive my cancellation fee with my former processor, Axia, who I now highly recommend, and the other was to drop my monthly equipment fee in half. As he explained the equipment rental was where they could actually make some money since their offer was so low. They used a third party to govern the rentals and that was FDGL. This made sense to me and also cleared up why they wanted a commitment. I was genuinely excited to see my rates cut so dramatically. When I say I reviewed the terms to the agreement I mean that I read every line and every detail of charging structures provided and asked them to help me define it if it seemed vague. Everything looked solid.
    Until the first bills started arriving. First was the equipment lease bill, which was for 399$ plus tax instead of the 199$ that Chris had promised. I called and called and called, no answer. Instead, the line which had he told me was to his cell phone, was eventually picked up by some “Sr. Manager”, named Trevor or Tyler, who assured me Chris was just very busy but that he would get back to me promptly. Nothing. Next was a small bill for other assorted fees. This bill covered the end of May. I had agreed to start using their service in June and hadn’t even connected their machines until the 1st of that month. So they were going to nickel and dime me? Well, I thought, maybe another 40$ wasn’t a big deal if I was going to save hundreds. I wish that had been the case.
    I reached out several times during June to have Chris address these issues. No response. Then I received the June bill. It was about 600$ MORE than what I formerly paid for the same amount of business and number of transactions! WTF? I really started to rattle the chains then. Finally, in that second week of July Chris sent a quick email response saying he was sorry about the rental fees and that they should be less as we agreed. He also confirmed that my former processor arrangement was cancelled. Well now I felt like I had to ride this out since I didn’t have someone to turn to as a back up, so I sat tight for the next two weeks. In the last week of the month I got the next rental bill again and it hadn’t changed. I was flabbergasted that I had been so obviously lied to and that I was being taken advantage of. That was it. I quickly called Axia and asked for them to take me back. They were happy to inform me that my service with them had not been altered and nobody from UBCS or FDGL had contacted them. I plugged their terminals in the next week and have been happily paying the fees I was familiar with since then.
    Except… here it gets better. FDGL refused to cancel my lease. They said I had committed to 48 months and that they would charge me over 1000$ to cancel. I responded that since I had been lied to since the outset they should just cancel my lease, refund me for the overcharged fees, which I had not agreed to, and we could all move on. I even told them that the two months I had been overcharged could just remain as a reminder to me to not trust anybody in the processing industry. I had already paid it and would chalk it up as a loss. They refused again. Finally, after threatening to sue, they said a senior manager was personally cancelling my account and that things would be settled in September.
    That didn’t happen. Since then I have exchanged weekly emails with an Ashley who has assured me that my lease is being cancelled. I told her that not only did that need to happen but all fees assessed since August 1st needed to be refunded in entirety. Guess who keeps getting the leasing and assorted fees bills extracted from their account? Me! What a scam!
    Just like Chris did to me right after I signed up now these clowns at FDGL have continued ignoring me.
    I am proceeding with a small claims court suit against both firms for all of the back lease charges and the fraudulent costs that came of this deal. Fortunately they are in OR so I am suing for my attorney fees as well. I have no doubt that I will prevail. But what a terrible waste of my time! This has been ridiculous. I have never been so poorly treated by a business. I have never been directly lied to by a US business. These people deserve a special place in hell, if there is one.
    Stay away from anything to do with either of these firms. If you are also a victim please accept my deepest empathy. I suggest you sue them as well.

  • Laurie S

    United card solutions I have been in business for 30 years I know how visa work I owned my machine and this company still tricked me into a lease I did not know I had the 59.99 is coming out of my bank separate from my visa fees this is a 300.00 machine I will pay thousands for it if I continue when I called them I got hung up on I will now have to cancel them and go with bad credit It worth it this company is a scam

  • Thomas J.

    Wanted to leave a review because I see so many bad reviews and I think it’s really unfair to UCS. I at first was skeptical and maybe if I had read every bad review I would of backed out, I was recently informed this company changed its policies and is under new supervision and ever since signing up I have been given the service I was promised. Frankly credit card processing is a pain in the rear to begin with, I’m trying to find someone to do a decent job and not screw me over. With any other company I wasn’t really going to get a TRUE 0 & 1%, im pleased to say those are my rates. Everywhere you look you see the same negative things, if it wasn’t for me taking a chance on a good sales pitch and having the great communication with my man (Chris C) then I would of missed out. It’s been 7months and no issues thus far, it’s a shame to see all the bad mouthing on here but I guess people don’t get online anymore to praise.

    • Greg

      You sir, are a reputation plant. There is nothing “changed” about UCS. They are an utter and disgraceful boiler room scam in a Regus virtual office who thrive on sucking the lifeblood from small business.

    • Billy Syms

      Well heck Thomas, just one month after your glowing review of UCS they pull the same scam on me. New management? Same game plan, that’s for sure. I’m a small businessman – billsyms.com. And your business Mr. UCS Plant……

  • Jason

    I received a call from them asking if I use credit cards for my business. I said yes but we just changed processors and I wasn’t interested in changing anytime soon. The guy asked me who I changed to. When I told him, he said “What did you do that for? They’re the worst.” Then he asked how much we process a month and I told him I couldn’t tell him offhand (and quite frankly, it’s none of his business). His response was “You’re the owner and you don’t know how much you process a month?!?! Seriously???” Seriously, insulting a business owner and trashing competitors is not how you get new business, ever.

  • Heather

    EXACT SAME story as everyone else on here. I had to close my bank account too. What a nightmare!! Hopefully they don’t follow through with their threats just like they don’t follow through with their service. I NEVER even processed with them, I was tricked into electronically signing an “application” which turned out to be a 4 year lease. I called back immediately and was assured that’s not what it was & then the equipment showed up the next day & the nightmare began! They are frauds!! If anyone else has an advice or long term outcome I’d love to know. Thanks!

  • Valerie

    I received a cold call back in April, 2016 from John, a sales person from United Card Solutions. I went over my current plan with him and we discussed my best plan for my business and what my fee per month would be. WHAT A SCAM……. I made the mistake of signing their contract which put me into a nightmare lease with First Date and Telecheck I can’t get out of with out paying a ridiculous amount of money – plus the extra fees United was charging. It ended up being way more per month that what I was told.
    DO NOT use this company and DO NOT sign any lease agreements with them on equipment. It is such a lie from the very beginning.
    I am still trying to get things straightened out with all of this and it is costing me a small fortune – that I don’t have – very small business.
    STAY CLEAR…..

  • Reggie B.

    I signed up with this Company. They are First class crooks. They sent the equipment. I had not installed it and they hit my bank account with over $400.00 in fees. I closed my bank account. The equipment is still in my office, When they send me a refund for the fees with a cancelled contract and call tags I will sent them the equipment back.

  • Joseph A.

    I was also conned into signing a contract with this awful scam company after numerous repeatedly convincing calls with a rep named Elijah Smith… Their 1% flat rate is total lies and they dont tell you on the phone that you are LEASING the swiping eqipment for a non cancellable 4 years!! And this machine is not even worth $30!! After realizing my mistake about a week after signing, I called in quickly to cancel, but all i got was a busy signal and after numerous trys just rude and nasty reps and managers…I am still in the midst of this mess. Im continuously calling and threatening them with police reports, BBB and consumer affairs complaints. I will not pay these liars one more penny and im seriously pending on closing my checking account as well.
    I will keep you posted with the outcome..

  • Tracy Black

    We also were sucked in by a cold call. Decided immediately to cancel. And we were told by Eric Hakes, the man who answered when we called back to say, No Way!, he had our personal info and if he wanted to steal our identity he could. I have had no luck speaking to anyone at United Card Solution who is able to cancel. Some of the CSR will say they did cancel our business. But after another bill, or correspondence. Such as the information for the PCI pricing, we are told someone will have to call us back as the CSR aren’t able to cancel. They do not call. We refused delivery of the terminal. We cancelled our checking account, so they would not be able to deduct fees from it. I don’t know how to get out of their system. They are not helpful at all.


    Are you with United Card Solutions? Learn how to resolve this complaint.

    • John C

      I mostly resolved the issue due to having recordings of all my phone conversations including all the lies I was told. The evidence was irrefutable when listened to. United cancelled my contract which they tricked me into signing, but continue to hound me for $303 that they say I owe them for fees. The reason is I did one month of transactions prior to seeing a statement and the overcharges. There was already a bunch of transactions done for the second month by this time but since the money they took for month one exceeded the entire amount for both months I should have paid I am declining to give them more money. In fact they should be paying me back some. I had to put a stop payment on them at my bank to prevent them from stealing it and now they are calling and saying I owe it to them. Honestly I believe some of the cold calling crew who does the first calling doesn’t realize they are lying. They are reading a script trying to make a buck and it’s up the food chain where the willful lying begins. Don’t know if it will help anyone but the person who ultimately cancelled my contract after admitting I was lied to is named James Barresse and can be reached at 503-889-0257 [email protected]. This is what he wrote to me when cancelling my contract “I have taken this to my supervisor and explained the situation at length. I showed this email as well as your recordings. We feel this is enough that you shouldn’t be held to this contract. I have cancelled out your account and I’m having call tags sent to your business to have the equipment returned. I do hope that the way you came into contract is not a reflection of our business standards, and that the lengths we’re taking to correct this issue are. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to be of service. ” Hope this can help someone. If you live in a state that allows phone calls to be recorded with one party consent please do it now! The device is only 20 bucks and it can save your life. John


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  • Suzanne

    I was cold called from this company a few months back. After many conversatations, I finally declined their services because I felt they were pushy and rude. When I finally stood firm to let them know I will not be using their services, the representative named Trevor Taylor cussed me out using the “F” bomb and all before hanging up on me. Thank goodness I never signed a contract with them!


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  • Michael Ryala

    I received a cold call from someone named Tabby from United card solutions 2 days ago. I allowed her the opportunity to give me her sales pitch which sounded ok at the time and I wanted more information about it. In the afternoon when I was finally able to sit through the process with Tabby as soon as I expressd that I wasn’t interested I was passed on to a person named Richard Powell. Richard said everything that needed to be said to get me to sign up. However, everything he said was not the same as what was stated in the contract which he told me not to worry about. After signing the contract I immediately felt like I just made a mistake, but Richard assured me everything would be fine, that he was a man of his word and gave me his personal cell phone number (916-919-1212) in case I had any problems. Later in the evening I tried him several times on this number and once he finally answered I expressed my concerns again. He reassured me that everything was fine and that I had nothing to worry about. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being lied to. The next morning I called UCS corporate office and spoke to a CSR named Ashley. I asked her the same questions I asked Richard and her answers went along with the contract not what Richard assured me I didn’t have to worry about. Immediately following the call to their corporate office I received a call from Richard on his personal cell phone. The discussion with Richard was very heated because he flat out lied about the entire situation, but rather than admit it he said he just forgot to put the items I questioned in the addendum. At this point I wanted nothing to do with this company and asked him repeatedly to cancel my contract. In the end rather than taking care of the situation he hung up on me and I haven’t spoken to him since. I called the corporate office back and got in touch with the lady named Joleen who seemed like she would be helpful. She took all my information and told me that she would be back in touch with me as soon as possible. As you can imagine, this is very stressful situation so when I didn’t hear from her for the rest of the day I was very worried. I began calling their corporate office again first thing this morning with out any luck of speaking to Joleen. I called 4 times throughout the day and was given different reasons why Joleen couldn’t take my call each time. I finally spoke to someone named Donna who said she is the Operations Manager. At the beginning of my conversation with Donna she was rude to me telling me that I didn’t need to continue to call because my contract had been cancelled. This information had not been passed along to me from anyone from UCS. I asked her if it was possible to get something in writing stating that my contract had been cancelled. She informed me that there was nothing she could send me and I would have to just trust her. Which still worries me honestly. What reason has this company given me to trust anything they say? Hopefully, my dealings with this company are finished. I would like to state that I am NOT a former employee of UCS. I mention this because Richard pointed out that the negative reviews they have on Google are all from former employees that he personally fired. I own a small sandwich shop in Cornelia, GA http://www.kadaydles.com. I don’t know how UCS is as a processor because we didn’t get that far. The dishonesty and unprofessionalism from their sales department kept that from happening. Side note, I just got an email from FedEx saying that the equipment that I’m supposed to get for processing with UCS is on its way. So even though I was told my account was cancelled it appears I may not be done with them yet. If I have any trouble sending the equipment back I’ll update this review.


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  • John C

    I was offered a deal from these guys that was so simple a 5th grader could understand it. 1% on all visa/MC transactions plus .08 cent per and free debit and a $79 a month equipment/account fee. I asked many time what other fees/charges there would be and was told repeatedly there were none. I sent them a statement from my current processor and went over it with them to make sure I understood what I would pay with them. There was no misunderstanding on my part. They wanted a 48 month lease and I refused so they offered it month to month at which point I accepted but told them straight up if it wasn’t what they said we were just wasting each others time. The moved forward and sure enough I got my first statement and the charges were almost double what I was promised. Called their customer service who refused to even acknowledge what I hade been told and they told me they could make some adjustments on my “non qualified” transactions that would “save me some money” but would not give me any more specifics. I told her it better be about half my bill and she scolded me and said she did all she could do already. They claim I signed a 48 month lease even though the paper work I signed says in three places “no lease” and I have three e mails promising me no lease. How they think anyone is going to lie down for this I have no idea. God help anyone who did actually sign a lease with them. Their equipment is top notch and everything is ok except for that one minor detail of them being dishonest thieves. They supply a good product but try to collect twice the price they quoted for it. We can over look that right? As if!!!


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