- Sales & Marketing: United Payment Services appears to hire independently contracted agents and has received a low-to-moderate number of complaints about its sales team.
- Costs & Contract: United Payment Services appears to offer a three-year contract with an early termination fee of $399.
- Complaints & Service: United Payment Services has received more than 50 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: United Payment Services has an "A-" rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received seven complaints in the last three years.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Got The Best Rates With United Payment Services
United Payment Services Review
We take our role in providing guidance and education regarding the card payment industry very seriously. At our own expense, we have vigorously defended our right to continue expose unethical and predatory practices in the industry, successfully defeating every attempt to silence us. However, fending off frivolous lawsuits is costly. To sustain these efforts, one of the ways we generate revenue is through affiliate partnerships with ethical providers. This means that some of our outgoing links connect business owners to trustworthy, low-cost payment processors, which is what most of our readers seek. We see this revenue channel as a win-win-win for everyone involved. Business owners find good processors, processors get good clients, and we are able to continue to provide a valuable service to the small business community. We also recommend and link to many services that do not compensate us. Our priority is to guide you to the best solutions for your needs, regardless of potential revenue. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us.
All mentions of rate and fee costs are estimations based on publicly available information and client feedback. Actual costs may vary based on a variety of factors unique to your business.
United Payment Services
Rating
Customer Reviews & Sentiment
We have found over 50 negative United Payment Services reviews, many of which accuse the company of being a scam. Common complaints include nondisclosure of termination fees, misrepresentation of rates, poor customer service, and difficulty cancelling service. The company has been active since 1988, but all of the available complaints have been posted no earlier than 2008. For a company of United Payment Services’s size, this constitutes a moderate complaint total.
Some of these complaints have received responses from United Payment Services representatives. In every instance, including situations where the merchant claims to have been intentionally deceived, the company stands by its agents and holds merchants to the terms of the contract. In our opinion, this does not reflect positively on the company’s customer support. Given the company’s complaint total, its responses to complaints, and the frequency with which it has received public complaints over the past three years, we have assigned it an average rating of “C” in this category.
Industry Scores & User Ratings
| Product & Service Complaints | 4 |
|---|---|
| Billing & Collection Complaints | 2 |
| Advertising & Sales Complaints | 1 |
| 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.
United Payment Services currently has an “A-” rating with the Better Business Bureau and is not BBB accredited. The company has received seven complaints in the past three years, with two related to billing and collection, four due to product or service issues, and one having to do with advertising or sales problems. Six complaints either were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or did not receive a final response from the merchant, and one complaint has not been addressed by United Payment Services at all. Considering the company’s poor resolution ratio, we have adjusted the BBB’s rating to a “B” for the purposes of this review.
Processing Rates & Fees
According to merchant complaints, the standard United Payment Services contract is a three-year agreement through First Data with a $399 early termination fee, a $79 annual fee, a $7 monthly PCI compliance fee, a $7.50 monthly customer support fee, and a $25 monthly minimum fee. Merchants also report higher-than-expected rates and subsidized equipment that must be returned upon account cancellation.
It is likely that some of these contract terms can be adjusted by sales representatives depending on each merchant’s size, business type, and processing history. However, nearly every complaint about United Payment Services’s contract terms mention the $399 termination fee. This fee is higher than industry averages and appears to be enforced without exception. United Payment Services has received a “C” in this category due primarily to the complaints about this fee.
United Payment Services Competitors
Compare United Payment Services to competitors that earned top marks.
Bottom Line
United Payment Services rates as a run-of-the-mill merchant services provider according to our rating criteria. The company appears to offer industry-average contract terms and has received a moderate amount of complaints for its size. Merchants are encouraged to request and review all contract terms, and to bear in mind that they will be held to their merchant agreements without exception.
