First Data Global Leasing Overview
First Data Global Leasing May Have Overcharged You
If you accepted credit cards through First Data Global Leasing or any other credit card processing company between 2017 and 2019, recent changes to the law may entitle you to refunds of certain debit card and credit card processing errors and overcharges. See this post to find out if your were among the businesses affected and to learn how you can get your money back.
First Data’s Equipment Lease Division
First Data Global Leasing is the credit card processing equipment leasing branch of First Data, one of the world’s largest merchant account providers. The company sells its own First Data-branded credit card terminals as well as Clover products, PIN pads, mobile swipers, carrying cases, chargers, paper and ink supplies, and payment gateway software.
Partnered With a Large Network of Resellers
FDGL sells its equipment leases through a vast network of independent sales offices and agents, most of whom use other business names and are free to set their own contract terms and pricing for the equipment. As a result, merchants who lease from First Data are often confused over which company is actually providing the equipment. These merchants should understand that First Data is ultimately supplying the leased equipment, and they will most likely need to deal with First Data rather than their merchant account provider for all leasing-related matters.
First Data Global Leasing Location and Ownership
First Data is a registered ISO of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Concord, CA; Deutsche Bank AG, New York, NY; BBVA USA, Birmingham, AL; and MetaBank, Sioux Falls, SD. Frank Bisignano is the CEO of First Data whose headquarters are located at 5565 Glenridge Connector, NE Atlanta, GA.
First Data Global Leasing Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: First Data Global Leasing offers multi-year equipment leases that cannot be cancelled without paying out the full cost of the lease term.
- Complaints & Service: First Data Global Leasing has received more than 600 public complaints.
- BBB Rating: First Data Global Leasing has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has received 891 complaints and 113 negative reviews in the past 3 years.
- Sales & Marketing: First Data Global Leasing allows independent sales representatives to sell its leases and has received hundreds of complaints about its sales practices.
- Rates & Fees: How Merchants Can Avoid Unfavorable Lease Terms With First Data Global Leasing
Our unbiased reviews are supported, in part, by helping you find highly rated merchant accounts. You can learn more here.
Our Opinion of First Data Global Leasing
An Undesirable Option for Almost All Merchants
First Data Global Leasing rates very poorly as an equipment lease provider according to our rating system. The company is showing a large number of complaints and does not appear to offer favorable contract terms to merchants. Merchants are advised to purchase equipment outright whenever possible and to ensure that they are not locked into long-term leases through FDGL or any other leasing provider. The simplest way to avoid getting trapped in an FDGL lease is to work with a top-rated merchant account provider.
We rely on your feedback about First Data Global Leasing to keep this review accurate and up-to-date. Please take a minute to tell us about your experience. We and the small business owners of this world thank you!
About Phillip Parker
Thank you for reading my review. I hope that it has helped you with your research.
Why I'm Qualified to Write About Credit Card Processing and Merchant Account Services
I'm a former credit card processing sales director who left the industry because I didn't like how it takes advantage of small business owners. It feeds like a leech on businesses and thrives by imposing fees that are nearly impossible to comprehend. Seeing a need for change, I left and built this website help business owners better understand the industry, research merchant services providers, and get refunds of excessive merchant account fees. My experience of working "behind the curtain" in the industry, and using that knowledge for good, has resulted in millions of dollars returned to hard-working small business owners as well as enterprise-level companies.
From the time that I starting working in the merchant services industry to when I left to create this website, I've been on the pulse of payments for nearly 15 years. It didn't seem fair to keep this "insider" knowledge to myself. To lift the fog, I've reviewed hundreds of companies, read thousands of user reviews, and learned the pricing tricks of every provider. If you have questions about credit card processing, you can find the answers on this website.
Phillip Parker
FDGL has been awful. I am a brand new small business and I thought the Clover system would work for me. However it absolutely does not. I was told I had 30 days to try it out, So I tried to cancel my lease and I was told I had to pay well over $2000 to end it. There is absolutely no way I can do this!! They will not work with me. This has been the most frustrating thing I have ever experienced with a company. I am very stuck right now and extremely frustrated. I would NOT recommend working with First Data.
First data global lease has ripped off everybody why is it still going on what has to be done they should be shut down
First data have lied to me and is taking more than $600 dollars a month out of my bank account and I returned some old machines and it has been 6 months and they have not given me any credit. I can not afford them they are robbing my account when ever they want to I need to buy me a machine and let them go. Can anyone give me any advice
First data lied to me then took my old machines back and it has been over 6 months and I have not received any credit and they are taking over $600 dollars a month out of my checking account I can not afford them any longer what should I do. Please someone tell me what to do?
Trying to find out why charging $210 per month on 48 month contract, my husband states he was not aware that was uncancellable. HELP!!
A Big Fraudulent Company.
They told me it is a standard $1 buy out. Now they are not giving the contract. It is in the mail. And you will get it soon.
We have a very small business and had a representative Stephan under Stone Ridge payments sign us up stating we would be saving $300 a month. Now our bill is $450 more than when we were with Heartland. Stephan took advantage of an elderly owner.
Hi Alisha, I might be able to help you with this problem. Contact me here.
Very bad customer service. The rep try to get you to sign the lease and promise to save the money. It wasn’t. You have to deal with 2 company. OMG. Stay away.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
I signed a contract with a company called Pay Partners.
They called me at home and convinced me that they could save me money. They did not disclose the fact that I’d be leasing equipment from First Data Global.
2 days later upon discovering this, I called Pay Partners and cancelled, They reluctantly said okay, they would cancel it. Two boxes of equipment – I assume it was equipment because I didn’t open them – arrived by way of UPS and I immediately shipped them back to the address listed on the boxes. So, I’m thinking all is good when I get a letter in the mail from First Data Global telling me they’ll begin debiting my account next month. I called them and told them the contract had been cancelled but they said it hadn’t. So, I call Pay Partners and they tell me they’ll take care of it. So far nothing seems to be getting done. I filed a complaint with the FTC and they confirmed that I was okay cancelling the contract because of the 3-day cooling off period.
I have no idea how this going to go from here…
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Garbage company. Won’t answer their phones. They are criminals.
This post will help: Best EMV Terminals For Purchase
-Phillip
On 3/25/19 we called and canceled our lease with card connect and First Data because our 3yr contract ended on 3/24/19. Card connect advised to send
Email, which is on file, to close out account. Card Connect charged us an early termination fee of $350.00 which was taken from our bank account fraudulently. The lease ended on 3/24/19 and we were not in violation of the lease. Card Connect owes us $350.00 for early termination fee. Then at the same time it was brought to our attention by our bank, that starting in Oct 2018, First Data Global Leasing reactivated an old account that was closed in 3/2016 and was taking money from our account fraudulently without our permission. FDML took from our account $329.94. We had to close account because they failed to contact us or provide us with a lease that they claimed was active. We have returned terminal FD130 to First Data tracking#70181130000150819960. First Data continues to send bills with late charges stating we still have a year contract with them. This contract was closed 3 years ago and was reactivated without our permission. Certified letters have been sent and return receipt received to close all accounts immediately. All accounts need to be terminated immediately. Card Connect owes $350.00. FDML owes $329.94.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
In February 2015, a lady named Lisa stopped by my store representing Merchants Services. She explained their lower flat fees vs. competitors, and showed me the potential savings I would acquire by switching. She told me I could cancel at anytime if I was unsatisfied with the service. She also said the equipment would be included with the monthly charge for 15.00 a month for 48 months = 720.00 for the purchase of the terminal.
So, without reading all of the fine print, I signed away. I asked for a copy of the contract and never received it. After about 2 months of service, I began being charged 70.00 something per from First Data Global Leasing. As months went by, I was informed that I must have the insurance for 4.00 something, all totaling to 80.19 a month for the terminal only.
After leaving our store that day, I was never able to get Lisa back on the phone. Fast forward to 2017, I closed the business, and needed out of the “so called” contract. I spoke with a black male several times about the situation. He told me to send in the equipment to a Texas address, and then pay a early termination fee of 400.00 something, so I sent the equipment in, paid the 400.00 and thought it was over. A month goes by and I get a notice showing I owe 2,000 something to fulfill the remainder of the lease. I contacted the same guy, again. He said they never received the equipment (Even though the tracking said it made it). So at this point, it was as if the equipment was lost, so he recommended filing an insurance claim to get a new terminal (only to immediately send it back to the company(, so I did this. And he provided me with a new address in TN, instead of Texas like the original. I tracked this packed also, and he said they received it. Another month goes by and I start seeing the 80.19 charge continue on my account. I call my bank and have the block charges from Global Leasing. A few months go by of receiving notices from First Data, but I ignored them at this point. Later I receive a notice from a debt collector. I called, and paid 200.00 something to have the situation settled. Just yesterday, a year or so later, I receive another notice from a different collection entity, telling me to pay 800.00 something to settle the account or it will reflect on my credit.
This company is a joke. They are nothing but scam artist, and I refuse to pay another dime. I am going to ignore everything they send me at this point. If it eventually shows up on my credit, I will dispute it, and take necessary legal action. Lesson learned for so quickly giving up my social.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
First Data Global Leasing is the biggest scam associated with any processing company around. Woodforest National Bank in Houston TX aligns with them for providing the processing equipment and doesn’t tell you it’s for 4 years! With an automatic withdrawal from my bank account for more than $150 a month, I have paid for this equipment almost 40 TIMES!!! Even though I haven’t used the equipment for the last 2 years, they are totally unwilling to negotiate the lease. I have attempted to do so numerous times with the same result–none! There should be a Class Action Lawsuit against them for their practices!
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Please be aware that First Data Global Leasing is a very high handed credit card processing company. After I sold my business, I attempted to close out our account only to be told that the lease was for 48 months and non cancelable. I again attempted to to settle the account with them, only to be told that I could pay the remaining months of the lease upfront and close out the account. As the lease term nears, I stopped payment from our banking account so I could regain control of the lease termination. I have now requested a copy of the lease contract and equipment that they desire to be returned twice via the customer support center. I still have not received a copy of either document to this point. I certainly can’t recommend this company as a credit card processor due to their incredibly poor customer service and I will personally never do business with them again.
This post will help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
-Phillip
Very deceptive sales practices/lease not disclosed.
Processing Rep cold called and had me thinking he was from our current processor and wanted to meet to update our arrangement.
Once in the door had many hard sales tactics up his sleeve including burying very expensive lease with First Date Global for cheap machine no better than we had.
I am a CPA and once I received the paperwork I realized my mistake and tried to cancel and got huge runaround from First Global as well as Smart Card and Vantic now using a new name.
The promise to compare costs with my previous cc company never materialized and rep won’t call us back. Terrible !!! Stay Away !!!
Half way thru 48 mo lease and still pissed and looking for way out
Stay away !!!
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
Same thing here except I refuse payment as unauthorized on all fees they send through my bank. Thus makes them call me! The “leasing” company says it’s not their fault they are just the leasing company. They said they would “settle” with me for $1500. I have gone the legal route so we will see if they are up to the fight… better have their protein shake because I have no intention of backing down.
This post will help: Cancelling Your Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
– Phillip
I am glad I documented everything from the get go with First Data, because I finally got them to send me an Affidavit Compliant form. I completed it with all my big ticket item details of misrepresentation, sited several filing against them for fraudulent representation (glassdoor.com) and continued to stand my ground on pursuing legal action. They terminated my agreement along with Ascentium (the equipment leasing company) asked me to return my equipment. Here is the email I sent them once they agreed to termination my agreement…
[Thank you for your review and the termination of the agreement. I accept these terms based on the understanding they are mutually agreed upon by all parties involved (Ascentium Captial, collection agencies, etc.). Please verify this is the case and mutual agreement has been reached and any further collection efforts will cease immediately. Upon receipt of this confirmation I will return the equipment via certified mail and provide you with the tracking information.]
I then forwarded the email to Ascentium to confirm they were aware of the agreement. They did and I returned the equipment via cert. mail and never heard from them again.
Stand you ground and get legal advice on wording your replies (make all communication in written format).
I am in the UK and i am still a year on trying to cancel my contract???? Firstly, i agreed my contract with Payment sense who did not inform me that i would also be signing up with First Data Global Leasing (and their processing company??) Three companies in total that i am trying to get answers from??? The whole set up is an absolute nightmare and i have emailed and spoken to all 3 companies involved and even though they have got the request to cancel i apparently DID NOT confirm my cancellation even though I REQUESTED IT???? It is NUTS?? While this is going on, I am still being charged??? I have started requesting all correspondence in writing and i have recently been told that they cant do that??? I wonder why?? My machine has not been in use since April 2018 and it is now nearly October and still awaiting for details to return it?? I honestly cannot stress enough, DO NOT get involved with Payment sense or First Global Leasing and its other processing company??? I am a middle aged person and i have never, in my 50 years of life come across three companies so impossible to deal with?? I have felt SCAMMED from the start of my contract back in September 2015
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
A representative from First Data Global Leasing said I would need to upgrade my existing equipment, which was not under a contract, to a new piece of equipment called a Clover Mini, so that I could verify the funds of checks, which I receive from customers overseas. I was told that I could do that with the device, using the Telecheck App by simply taking a photo of the check with the device. When the device arrived to me, I found that I could not complete this process without the customer (whom I told them was overseas) being present, unless I purchased a check scanner. First Data Global Leasing told me the check scanner would be an additional cost of over $450. I declined and said I need to return the machine. First Data will not provide me with the necessary information for returning the machine. In addition, they continually remind me that I am under a 36 month contract that they refuse to let me out of. It isn’t fair to enforce the contract, when their practices to get me to sign the contract were dishonest. Now they want $1,078 from me to buy out of my contract to send the equipment back.
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
My friend is a military vet who has served this country, lost his business in a fire and you’re still holding him to the contracts even though he has already paid thousands to you guys. Because of this thing on his credit report he cannot buy a house so you’re causing him to suffer because of something Beyond his control. You charge over $1,000 for a machine we can get for from 100 and $150. I’m astonished at your business practices. It’s disgusting how you treating this man and his family and I will make sure I tell everyone I can on Facebook Twitter and yelp about your treatment of this man and his family who are struggling. DISGUSTING.
Wish I would of been smart enough to read this before signing. In my case I Paid $80 per month to lease the machine for 48 months then paid $350 at the end of my lease to keep the machine. So I paid over $4000 for a machine that i could of purchased for under $400. Don’t be fooled! Like me. Find someone else to do your processing.
Stay away! I am a business owner and have never had business relationships that were as tainted as these folks. I could write Avery long review but instead wish to just leave you with this warning
This company is unbelievable! I signed up with them in April of 2017..
No issues until…….I had a customer I needed to refund a purchase for. Since she had paid by debit, I was going to refund her purchase by debit. We proceeded with the transaction only to find out that I WAS NOT able to refund debit transactions only credit cards.
I talked to several people in customer service regarding this. I was told this is their policy but I could apply for a refund amount. This would take 7 – 1-0 days to check out. I told them this was not acceptable. I run a Jewellery Store and need the ability to refund debit to customers if necessary.
I argued that if the customer had paid by debit, it was deposited into my bank account, then i should be able to refund by debit. Agent kept apologizing but basically the company rules were the company rules.
For the life of me I cannot figure out any logic to this.
So after waiting a week and not hearing from anyone I called the company. I was informed I had a $250 return limit. However if it was $500 return I would have to do it twice! SeriouslY? Then he proceeded to say that if there was any problems doing a return to call customer service. I replied…there better not be any issues.
Having dealt with quite a few companies in the past I cannot believe this attitude. I have never had any issues doing refunds with any other company.
To add insult to injury this was never explained to me and no where in my contract can I find this issue.
Worst company ever, stay away from these people,they come to your business offering all the goods but leave out all the bad things, a representative called john Austen, came
To my business, he promised me all the beautiful things, but never mentioned or specified the conditions of the contract,no paperwork was shown,they sent me an email and supposedly thatsthe confirmation of agreement, now that we want to cancel,these thieves are asking for 3000, they are violating the canada code of conduct
Sale representative, Jihn Austen, told we had 30 days trail to see ow the two new tetminals without knowing signing a 60 months lease agreement with First Data Global Leasing
Within a month, we called to return the terminals they asked 6000 to return their terminals while we still have two old terminals with First Data Global Leasing from previous owner.
They refuse to help when we only need one terminal. They are terrible
It is Canada We should be able to stop this terrible things keep happen
From The Editor
This Post Might Help: Cancelling a Merchant Account Without Paying a Fee
This is a very bad company with increased fees as you stay … Then termination fee with remainder of contract … not legal ..iI you dont use the system as they increase fees it means you did not accept … very bad company … contract bad .. salesman bad .. This is the only company of card services with a 4 year contract … never never again …
Did you get scammed by MCG???
This company is the biggest scammer in an already disgustingly fraudulent Credit card processing business. Their agents are the biggest thieves. They will rob you in bright daylight and will not return your phone calls. They will not even give you their REAL cell number. They make you sign a contract with font size 4! on an ipad kiosk . You will NOT have time to read or even SEE the terms of the contract. You are essentially signing a blank check to them so they can withdraw money from your business account in a so-called “legal , binding contract” manner. They will charge you for the machine rental with a four year lease wit no cancellation clause. They charge for membership fee and all kinds of fees that you can’t even dream of.
If Anything DO NOT do business with this company they rip off small business
Their very untrustworthy and the cost of the equipment is not worth the cost they charge
WHAT EVER YOUMDO DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE GUYS
Absolutely impossible to deal with. The company specializes in ripping off merchants.
This company is the biggest ripoff ever .. you pay for a machine that others give for free ..and it is on an auto renew they try to force you to keep the contract .. Do not sign contract with this company .. It is the worst deal in life I have ever done … I have paid almost 100 dollars a month for 4 years of service that i did not use .. stay away .. run away excessive charges …
Nightmare!!All business owners
Major ripoff .Stay away from this company…
Similar thing here in the UK.
Agreed to a contract with FDGL but my original supplier had renewed my contract automatically so i was stuck with them for another year.
Contacted FDGL and explained that i wouldnt be needing the terminal and wished to cancel but as i was outside the 7 days grace period, i was stuck with it unless i bought out of the contract. As we couldnt afford to buy out, i had to pay the standing charge each month until i could afford the buy out payment..
They accepted the buy out and we returned the machine and were sent a letter from First Data Merchant Solutions stating that the contract was now closed.
We now find that First Data Global Leasing have been taking £25 per month from our account since July 2015 for ‘lease payment’. (accountant thought it was payment for present machine so never mentioned it).
Contacted them and they said we never cancelled ‘this’ contract when we cancelled the ‘other ‘ contract.
Then said we can buy out of ‘this’ contract for £100 if we want?
How can you have 2 contracts for one machine?
I want my 19months x £25 back for a start you robbing B*~#[email protected]
I signed a contract wit United merchant services and only have one major account that uses credit cards. I use virtual,Computer to charge all of their charges, However , I received a terminal which I have not even unpacked and am being charged
a monthly fee of $78.00 + insurance fee $4.75
And a yearly tax handling fee of $ 30.00.
I have offered to return the terminal unused and explained that I have absolutly no use for it now or in the future. They sent me a letter that to return it I must pay $ 3,250.44 to fullfill the contract .A contract that I was tricked by a very nice sales rep into signing.This cost for a useless terminal is an compete loss to my company and I feel that the law should help correct this kind of fraud going on.Next step will be to contact the Georgia state attorney and the consumer fraud bureau but that really should not be necessary.
I would hope an attorney will pick this up for a class action suite as it seems by this web site there are a lot of businesses that are being taken for a cheaters ride.
Can anyone tell me if First Data actually takes people to court? I have not one but 2 binding contracts with them as they fraudulently locked me in on lies. The 2nd over the chip in the card technology. Anyway I’m thinking about just closing my bank account so they can no longer access my accounts. I can deal with the collection agents and the hit to my credit rating (oddly enough we pay all our credit balances off each month) but their fine print says all court settlements have to be done in Chicago. I live in Iowa. I can’t afford to be drawn out in court on this crap. Suggestions? ([email protected])
I was also a rewed by my FDGL rep, who was working with BofA with their Clover pos system. The FD and BA fees over the term of the lease would cost me approx $7,000! By the way, you can now outright buy the Clover system for $800. I closed my business and stopped paying the monthly lease. They sent me to a collection agency BUT when I signed the lease I put a fake SS# on the form. As such they could not verify me with the credit bureas and it never went on my credit report. That was 3 years ago – they never sued me and the statute of limitation just expired.
Very deceptive company. Signed 3 page contract was sent a 50 page contract with my signature tagged on the bottom. Currently been conned and am paying on 2 equipment leases, both are locked in. Settlement in court is out of state for me. Forced to finish contract or risk legal action. Wondered if I just shut off payment if I’d be dragged into court. Fraudulent at every level.
Fraudulent company. I was told that the machine was included and then was surprised to see a leasing bill.. DO NOT do business with FDGL leasing or any of there corrupt thief’s peddling their services
Talk about a rip off after $2400.00 in payments buy out is $293.85. Will not work with anyone. Could not find terminal so was told to file a claim with insurance company then they would sent me one that I could return for the I could not find. I would not recommend
this company to anyone.
Same comments as all the rest. Our lease is up, we want to send the equipment back. They “can’t find us in their system” yet they continue to take $75.55 a month out of our checking account. I suggest not wasting your time arguing with them and go straight to your state Attorney General. That is where we are headed.
my bussiness close for six year,they collect agent call.i paid paid. today i check my credit score. oh my god, attorney general
I was also suckered into signing an agreeement with these shiesters! They told me I would get next day deposits (they lied), better rates (they lied), cancel with a $350 penalty (lied).
I am so angry I could scream!
They want to charge me over $7,000 to cancel their services!
They are AWEFUL!!!! Do not ever is them. Had them since 2012 for my small business, lease is up and I want to cancel because they didn’t keep up their end of the contract up by providing a credit card machine that works and is up to date. Called them and told them I want to send machine back since lease time is up and they want me to pay to send it back so of course I’m not agreeing to that, hang up and call again. 2nd time I’m told that they’re not the ones responsible for this (even though they’re the ones taking money out of my account every month) so I hang up and call processing company back same day, they told me FDGL is definitely responsible for that. Called back 3rd time and I’m on hold for 30 mins for them to tell me they can’t find me anywhere in the system. ?????
I too was suckered in with the bs sales pitch from a third party company (base solutions) which I found out after the fact when it fell apart. I was contacted about a 2 month “promotional deal” the slogan “let first data earn your business”. It was supposed to be a no obligation, cancel at any time without penalty trial to see if FD was a “good fit for your business”. With nothing to lose, I thought why not – by this time I had had numerous conversations with the same sales person, and had made it very clear that I absolutely did NOT want to be locked into a contract. To which he replied “that’s not a problem, FD don’t like to keep people in contracts that don’t want to be”, and kept reassuring me this was a trial….. BS BS BS!!!
I had nothing but problems from the start – always calling tech support because of faulty equipment that had to be replaced after 3 weeks, their constant errors on our banking details – leading to $$$$ not being deposited into our account and being held in collections on their end for weeks, not getting the processing rate I was told…and the list goes on and on.
Needless to say, after 2 months FD did not earn my business, so when I call to cancel is when I find out the “no early termination fee” is just for the merchant services department, and I have been locked into a 60 month lease as that is a separate entity of the company! Of course none of this was disclosed by the slimy salesman, and absolutely everything out of his mouth was complete and utter lies. After LOTS of emails and hours on the phone – being passed between different departments of FD and base solutions, they finally agreed to buy out my contract, since the slime-ball salesman agreed to “give up his commission on the deal”.
After reading so many reviews (I wish I had of done that before signing up) I realize I am one of the lucky ones to dissolve the binding contract without having to pay it out, and to be rid of FD and Base Solutions. Seriously, one of the worst experiences ever! Any business owner knows you don’t need the added stress of bs like this!
AVOID FIRST DATA AND BASE SOLUTIONS LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!
* I really want to out the sales person so no one else falls for his lies, but I probably can’t do that….
First Data Global Leasing is a crooked company with shady business practices. I first encountered this company through a sales rep that came to my place of business. He offered me a no contract deal that allowed me to use their credit card terminal equipment for $19.95 fee a month, plus we agreed on a low percentage deal per transaction made with credit cards. He assured me that the services rendered through first data were so top notch, that I would never leave them. He also assured me that if I was unhappy with their service, all I would have to do was call and cancel and they would take care of picking up the equipment. so when the monthly charges started filling in, I noticed that I was being charged $99.99 plus $56.85 for some other bogus charge. After my extreme displeasure I contacted that same rep, he picked up the phone and acknowledged whom I was, but once I described my displeasure he told me he would contact me later because he was busy with a customer at that moment. He never called me back and he became very evasive and hard to contact, my calls continued to go to voicemail. I aimlessly called numerous times for multiple weeks and I kept getting his voice mail that said he was out of the country that week. Then I tried contacting first data and their customer service agent received me with an extremely rude attitude. I informed her that I wanted reimbursement, because I felt tat I was deceived in to using their product, she then proceeded to say that she would work on helping me resolve my problem, but nothing ever came of it. I never received a credit and I was informed that it was not their lease that I was under, even though they are the ones sending me the bill. AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!
This is a very very bad company no one should use them they are thieves the terminal they gave me was dated and still took money from my bank account. The worst company in the USA no one should allow them to take advantage .
Run from this company. I have made 31 payments on the 48 month lease and returned the equipment, 18 months ago. They were not willing to settle except they would have taken a few dollars off but it would show as a charge off my credit. Crooks…run… do not do business with this company.
Stay away! Dangerous. They rented me a credit card machine without my consent. They still charge monthly payments though I do not use it.
They would not cancel contract until lease expires! I send them certified payments otherwise they make disappear the money order. They should be in jail, not in the market place. TOTAL SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zero stars!!
well..this fast talking sales rep sold me good….filled out all the info and forwarded it to them…he got me set up and sent the equipment….tech was not able to make the equipment work with our system,they even insulted my bartender when she couldnt make it work….so they sent another machine….i called tech 3 times and left messages to get the machine up and running…they never returned any phone calls…i then got my first statement..at the bottom it read”your september 2016 statement,service fee will be increased to 17.00 per month.your monthly report fee will be increased to 12.00 per month.the help desk fee will be increased to17.00 per month.effective with your september 2016 statement a new annual processing fee in the amount of 197.00 will be assessed to your account.it will be billed annually thereafter.continuing your merchant account with us or use of your merchant account after 30 days will represent your acceptance to these terms.termination of your account for these reasons will be accepted without penalty if you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact our merchant support team at 866 717 5499….my signed contract stated no annual fee…no monthly statement fee…no help desk fee..no monthly service fee….i called them on day 30 and left a message to cancel the contract since they dont answer the phone….then i changed my checking account and canceled the current one….they arent happy with me…better business bureau first and the the state at
attourney generals office next…and possible the FTC….good luck to everyone.
I bought a food truck from a person who was running a Thai food business and they told me how great the cc machine they had was through Wells Fargo. The WF rep Rachel got me to sign a lease transfer and told me all fees were being paid by the previous people. She also stated that the only fees I would pay would be the processing fees for transactions that were charged. Ended up being 50 a month for the equipment and over 80 dollars in processing fees per month. My food truck went under and when I tried to cancel I got the run around that I could not return equipment. Horrible customer service and huge cancellation fees. Only option was to close my account and return the equipment. Now I’m being charged over 2000 for early termination. My advice to you is stay away from them and find another company, they will do nothing but rip you off.
Do not trust this company. They are not Up and up with details and just want your lease signed
Once they got you they don’t care about who helps you. Just get dumped to one PHone number to another.
I’d be very careful signing up with this company. When you have a problem later don’t expect help in a timely matter.
I’ve been caught by them as a fool to sign up again in hopes they would resolve my business needs.
Scam artists that is who they are. Just want your lease and then their done with you.
These are the worst people to deal with. You are told that the equipment is yours after the term of your lease but then they keep charging you for the lease because now they want the equipment back. On top of that, you have to pay the shipping and they break the agreement by updating you on where the equipment is to be shipped to. WARNING: NEVER DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE OR FIRST DATA MERCHANT SERVICES, THEY WILL BOTH RIP YOU OFF.
First Datsa are the biggest liars and scam company I have ever done business with. Unfortunately, I’m in a contract with them for some time. I wish legally there was something they could do to these low lifes.
I am in the contract, too. Too late. I feel so frustrated.
never end, even i close my bussiness six year ago
Do not sign a lease with First Data. I leased 4 of their POS systems for my nightclub, and signed as the President of the Corporation. I never received a copy of the lease ‘application’ and have continued to request one from First Data. I later sold the corporation to another person and I completed the lease transfer document they provided to transfer the lease to the new corporate owner. That owner went out of business about a year later and now First Data is going after me for the lease. When I asked about the lease transfer agreement I signed, they stated that they didn’t remove me from the lease, they just added the new owner, and never removed by name from the lease, and that were are now both responsible for the lease. They will not provide me copies of anything that I have requested. They have reported me as delinquent to the credit agencies. First Data is a scam and their flippant attitude towards complaint resolution is horrendous at best! Just say no to First Data!!
Horrible company to do business with. Same problem as others mentioned – canceling lease and trying to return the equipment is an OUTRAGEOUS fee!
Hi People,
I am one of victim of First Data Global Leasing. When you get kind of clover systems with them, it means you dug your own grave. They will sell the system very easy and you will not feel something behind you. stay away from any kind of PNC organization.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CONS . They are attempting to charge me $5000 to end a lease when they broke the terms of the lease first. CROOKS
I leased a credit card machine through First Data Global Leasing. After high payments each month I decided several years later to close my BofA account along with the credit card account. I didn’t remember how long the lease was for and months later received a collections account on my credit. My address was changed when I closed out the account and my mail was forwarded. I never heard ONE WORD from First Data about any money I owed. They had my phone numberight and they knew the name of my business which is ALL over the Internet. One Google search and they could’ve reached me and I would’ve paid what I owed. RUN FROM FIRST DATA GLOBAL LEASING, they are shady and dishonest and if you ever need to reach them, they give you the run around and you will hold on the line for at least 30 minutes. I still am unable to speak with one of their representatives after all the problems I’ve had. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
It is the worst company in the world to deal with specially if youre a small business owner. When you are signing the paperwork, the representative doesn’t explain anything and also the main thing that you are signing contract with 2 different companies. One for processing and one for equipment leasing. They do it so that when you cancel your contract they can hit you with 2 termination fees. They deserve a special place in HELL for sucking the hard earned money of us small business owner.
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I have just terminated my contract with them. OK service but very high charges. My complaint is with the return of the machine, I had a letter asking for it to be returned within 15 days of the dated letter, however I received the letter after the date so therefore they charged me £424.72 for a late return.
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My son-in-law was conned into signing up with First Data in August 2010. Our small business leased the single credit card terminal from FDGL. The original 48 month agreement was up in August 2014 but because of the heartburn associated with credit card processing companies, we didn’t change until January 2016. We are under no contractual obligation at this point. But it all but took an Executive Order by the President of the US to terminate the merchant account. We had to submit FOUR termination notices and still we ran into resistance. The single terminal we had may have had a retail value of $100 in 2010. We dutifully paid the lease amount every month for 65 months, which meant we paid FDGL nearly $2500 for a terminal that may have had a retail value in 2010 of $100. We thought we had finally gotten out from under this extortion until FDGL continued to debit our checking account AFTER the termination of the merchant account. Attempts to contact FDGL resulted in sitting on hold for over 40 minutes and then we were told that unless we return the obsolete terminal (for which we have already paid the retail value 25 times over), FDGL will continue to debit our account. We are EAGER to return the obsolete terminal, but were told we MUST wait until we receive the letter from FDGL which will take at least 5 business days (assuming we ever receive this letter). Information on where to return the terminal would not be provided over the phone nor by email. And until we receive this illusive letter and return the obsolete terminal, FDGL will continue to debit our account! How can they get away with this?
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I have dealt with this horrible company and ran into the same problem. I returned the terminal and they of course continued to bill my account and would of continued to do so if I would not have caught it. These people are crooks and there has to be something that be done about their open theft. Worst part is that they don’t care and act like they are doing you some favor by returning your money after they keep you on hold for an hour.
A very persistent salesperson kept calling to get my business use this company’s equipment. I switched to them in a hurry because I was very busy at the time, and was fed-up with the merchant services dept at my previous provider (Wells Fargo Bank) because they kept jacking up the fees. Anyway, at the very start, I was totally dissatisfied with the service and without initiating a single transaction, wanted to cancel out. Contacting the sales rep was almost next to impossible. Finally I got through and expressed my dissatisfaction, only to be rebuffed that if I wanted to cancel I needed to return the equipment. I did and afterwards, when they kept billing my bank account for the monthly charge, I again after spending about 2 hours I managed to get in touch with their collection department. They explained that if I wanted to cancel, I needed to pay something like 3900 dollar. This is a scam and a highway robbery. STAY AWAY..
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Greetings,
My business partner signed up with FDGL over 7 years ago. Our lease expired in 2012. We have still been charged. We have returned the equipment but of course they do not show that in their records. When I call, one side of the house tells me that we were leasing the equipment, the other side of the house tells me that we purchased our equipment. Very deceitful practice this company has. I’m very surprise that Suntrust Bank is the one that set it up for my partner and works with them. Please do not do business with FDGL and Elavon is not much better.
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Do NOT do business with this company! I am now 2 weeks without a credit card terminal, old one died and they have not replaced!!!!
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First Data is still trying to collect from me personally. I volunteered at the company that contracted them and the representative at The Merchant Company had me sign the contract. First Data has finally sent me a copy of the contract after a year and a half. The contract has false information on it that was filled in after I signed it…. It states that I am a member which I am not and never have been. There is also written information that the rep agreed to that was never fulfilled and that also shows he knew the company was going to have a new computer system installed. Once that happened their system would not be and never was compatible with our POS. I want my personal SSN removed form this contract!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was promised a 48 month contract with the cancellation fee of $495.00. When the final contract was received it was changed to a 60 month contract. Would not even speak with me about this problem. Wanted to cancel the contract after the 48 month period. Said if I paid the $495.00 the contract would be cancelled. This has not happened. You keep taking out the $37.10 each month. Send me back my $495.00 NOW!!! I am reporting you to the Better Business. We have gone out of business and our checking account will be closed by the end of October 2015. tried calling many times, no one will speak with me.
I have tried to get a copy of my contract with First Data for a year and a half. I still do not have one. The representative that “sold” me on the idea came in and said we would be saving over a $1000 a year if we switched processing companies. He stated we would be able to use his system and equipment with our current POS software and that he would be sending me the equipment. I talked to the owners of the company and they agreed they wanted to save money. I talked with the Representative and he said I could sign the papers (I was only a volunteer at this time, I did not work for the company at the time) but he would need my personal SSN, I said I was unconfortable with that . He assured me that I would not have any responsiblility it was just for reference. This was a lie. I asked about canceling and he said they might try to charge a $250 fee but he would take care of it if they did. We signed the papers and he left. He never left me a copy of the contract. After a month all of the sudden we have a charge on our bank account for a lease that we did not know we had. When I called to cancel payment on the lease I was not authorized to, so we ended up paying on this lease for 15 months until the owner of our company finally got the stop payment through.
Then all of the sudden we could return the equipment, which I did in May 2015. Now they are telling me that I have to pay the lease for the next 4 years and that it is my responsibilty personally. I want this contract canceled and my personal SSN removed from their data.
Now, remember I was never able to use the equipment or the processor with our system. I even had the tech out twice to get it to work. We tried to work with them but were unable to.
First data leasing, first data merchant service, they are worst POS service you can choose in the market! They always try to fool you in the beginning with a very rough estimation and blaff you with their big company cant cheat you stuff and when you are on board and find out all they told you are lies, you can hardly reach any Representative! In my case, I have signed with a sales manager called Vanessa Hua , she’s full of lies and i’m new to the business and after i signed a bad deal, she vanished from the air. takes more than 10 calll to reach her and always excuses and never try to help.
I paid the cancelation fee( which is a lot) and get away with this company!
With my experience, there’s only one advice: never get in touch with them!
I iwll add to the bad reviews of First Data and their dishonest and exorbitant leasing practices. I was never told by this pushy salesman that I would be leasing equipment at over $200.month on a “Non-Cancellable” 4 year lease.
I have cancelled my agreement contract with Securus, that was to be my new credit card processor for “Breach of Contract” . They were to pay me $495 for switching to them,and also pay my company $100 for putting in the LAN computer line. $595 total, in writing, but to date, I have not received any money or electronic deposit. I once got a call about where to send my check, but no check was ever sent. Several months later, I called them again, and they said to send in my bank statements showing I was, indeed, paying this over $200/month lease payment to this FDGL Lease (Part of First Data). I did, but still never received a dime.
I have since closed the account FDGL (First Data) was debiting, but they now have figured out another account I have, and have started debiting that account. I need to actually move to another bank it seems, in order to have them stop taking this money for their defective, and inferior equipment.
the machine would go down, usually on a very buys day, and we would have to unplug it and reboot this thing several times a day. A reboot usually took at least 5 minutes, with a line up of customers, this was very inconvenient. The plugs on this machine are difficult to get at as well, making these rebootings even more of a pain!
Strong arm sales tactics and inferior equipment, and they want me to cary out the term of this lease to the tune of around $10,000 over 4 years. These people should be shut down and put out of business, in my opinion.
I have learned my lesson I hope. When these credit card salepeople come in with their talk of how much they will save me on fees to switch to them, DO NOT SIGN and get a legal scan of all these documents. They nver mentioned this, and the salesperson, in subsequent texts kept saying he would get “Corporate” to reverse all these fees.
Beware of a company call Securus, that uses First Data. They are crooks.
First Data Global Leasing tricked me into a non-cancellable lease. I was told by their sales rep that if i was unsatisfied, I could cancel the lease within the first 30 days, no questions asked. I used the equipment for 2 weeks & decided it wasn’t for me. I called them to let them know I wanted to cancel & they sent me a return shipping label & I sent all of the equipment back. Three months later, I noticed that they have been taking $100 out of my account each month, PLUS they took $1600 out of my account for the 2 weeks that I had used the machine. (it should have only been around $300).
I called them back & now they are telling me that it was a non-cancellable lease & I would have to pay $3,000 to get out of it!!!!!! AND they are telling me that they didn’t even receive the equipment. I have the tracking number from FedEx which shows that they signed for it!!!!
Now they are threatening to ruin my credit if I don’t pay!
Hi Amanda, I read your article about First Data. I also decided to cancel them. The first thing I did was cancel the merchant account that was linked to my business checking account. Then, I transferred all of my money from my business account to my personal account so that First Data could no longer take any money out of my account. I’m told that if they can’t take money out of my business account they will send it to collections. But that doesn’t bother me cause I’m filling for bankruptcy and will include them in the filing. I too, was tricked by First Data. First off, I never received the so called “rebate” I was promised, and I had no idea of a cancellation fee. I was told I could try it and cancel anytime. No mention of a cancellation fee. Anyway, I read that First Date sent you a mailing label. How did you get a mailing label? First Data would not give me a mailing label to return the terminal. They told me I would have to paying shipping cost to return it.