Alpine Payment Systems
reviews and complaints

I own a bar/restaurant in Oregon. Alpine Payment Systems processes my credit cards. The credit card machine (vx520) is leased through Northern Leasing which Alpine set up. The payment is 59.00 per month on the lease. On June 1 we were required to read the chip on the credit card, the credit card machine does handle reading the chip but the software from Alpine on the machine did not support the reader in the machine. They informed me they had a upgrade to use the chip reader. I installed the EMV upgrade with their help on the phone and quickly found out they don't have a restaurant/bar application that handles tip adjustment after sale. We actually had to ask the customer how much of a tip they were leaving the waitress and enter it into the credit card machine at the time we were entering the sale. Tips dropped for the waitresses, you had to explain to the customers why you had to ask what the tip is, very embarrassing for the waitresses.

The reply from Alpine Payment Systems was we don't have a restaurant/bar application yet that works on that particular credit card machine and we don't know when it will be ready. You have to buy a new machine for 200.00 that we have the application working. Why don't you loan me a machine until you get the application working. No, you have to buy the new machine, but we'll drop it to 100.00.

They want me to pay 60.00 on a lease that they set up, and buy a new credit card machine, because they don't have the restaurant/bar application that will handle tip adjustment reading the chip. After corresponding with other processors, they all had restaurant/bar applications that support tip adjustment after sale on my particular credit card machine. I got a couple of offers from the other processors and sent it certified mail to Alpine.

I have a contract with Alpine systems, and in the contract it states;
"If Alpine Systems is given a third party bona-fide offer from another processing company via Certified Mail and Alpine Payment Systems fails to respond to or is not willing to match it, then the Merchant shall not be liable for any de-conversion or early termination fee whatsoever."

After many e-mails and phone calls over days because they're in no hurry, Alpine responds with we will match some of the things in the offer, but not all of them. And, the new credit card machine goes back up to 200.00. if you try to cancel we will sue for early termination fees, attorney fees, and anything else they can.

What a miserable, and dishonest company to work with! Basically, the customer service is way below any standard I've worked with in the bar/restaurant community. It's days to get anything done. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AT ALL!

They picked the credit card machine, get you to lease it, then don't support their software on the machine, then make you buy a different machine while you're still paying on the lease.

Do your self a favor, stay away from this company.

The sale representative said that I will get the wireless machine if I paid $53.38 monthly fee but they send me a wire machine. Then every month they charge me additional $20.00 for FCC compliance and another $80.00 yearly for VISA FEE I have not idea where all these fees coming from. One day the credit card machine break down I called they said I have to paid $199.00 to replace it and I told them I paid insurance monthly it and they said the insurance only cover fire and theft not the machine. All I am saying is this company is lie, cheat, sneaky, manipulate, can not be trusted, and some one need to do some thing.

These guys are savage! And not in a good way! They set, out of reach quotas for the marketers.. and fire any & all who fail to meet the outrageous 3 per day per marketer minimum. They give certain individuals special lead lists to call from, working directly w/ the sales rep in the feild. This ables the marketer to get confirmed leads 3 times as fast as the regular joe TM, that has to struggle to get the peice of shi$%t dialer to work.. They have even given away sales from past marketers to current marketers just to keep there favorites around! Not to mention the fraud... They claim to lower your rates. Well, that is impossible! The merchants credit plus how long they have been in business among other things are what dictates the percent that the mech will get. So to claim 1% and 0% is crap! How can they claim to remove the middle man when they are the middle man? I personal market this company as rated X. That means that they are "X"tremly scandilous and ### to work for. The Managers in the call center are good.. but the admin and owners are pos's themselves! So save yourself the hassle and pass these ### up!

I am another victim of a sales scam to lower your processing rates. Looking back, I was stupid to believe the sales person who told me that he could save me a lot of money on my processing rates. I even brought up the high lease on the POS system for my restaurant. The sales person used statements like “I’ve never given anyone such a great rate.” “You are going to save so much money it will more than make up for the lease cost” Now I am stuck with a 4-year lease for 3-year processing contract at a overall rate that doubles what I was paying with BofA. Has anyone figured out how to get out of the lease/processing contract based on their deceptive sales practices?

Miss leading business practices, they tell you one thing and do the opposite.
I switched to this company to prossess my credit card sales they promised better rates my rates have doubled. They charge any kind of fee they can think of and pass all the fees onto you. I have tried to cancell my contact now they state there is an early termiation clause. This is the worst company I have ever delt with. I would not recomend them to anyone.

I purchased 5 mobile credit card equipment and gift cards services. The term of my purchase was that I did not want to receive or use your mobile credit card services until I also received the gift cards for my business. 5 days later I received the mobile credit card machines. I have not opened the boxes they arrived in, so I have not operated them. Immediately I was billed $150.00 per machine x5 and have been incurring a monthly fee for the machines. At no time was I informed that I would be charged $150.00 or a monthly fee for the usage of the machines. I also have not received my gift cards as of yet. I am asking for a refund of the $150.00 per machine charge and the monthly fees to date. I would like to use your service but I find these charges unfair, as I was not informed of them, received the machines when I specifically expressed I did not want to receive them until I received the gift cards, and was immediately charged for services I am not using.