Menu
Merchant One Customer Service Phone, Email, Contacts

Merchant One
reviews & complaints

www.merchantone.com
www.merchantone.com

Learn how the rating is calculated

3.5 19 Reviews

Merchant One Complaints Summary

12 Resolved
7 Unresolved
Our verdict: With a good resolution rate, Merchant One generally handles customer issues well. However, it’s important to be proactive. Familiarize yourself with their processes and services. Reading through various customer experiences will provide valuable insights into how they handle complex issues.
Verified
The authenticity of the customer service contact information for Merchant One has been meticulously verified by representatives from ComplaintsBoard using our proprietary verification system.
Get notifications about new complaints and reviews of Merchant One. We promise not to send you any unrelated messages.
Share
Claim Your Business
Take control of your profile: address complaints and engage with reviews
Write a review File a complaint

Merchant One reviews & complaints 19

Sort by:

Newest Merchant One reviews & complaints

ComplaintsBoard
A
2:32 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One Funds being Held

Late July 2023, we had 4 fraudulent transaction via our website / web portal. The money has been returned via a charge-back.

Merchant one is currently holding $60,000 plus in processed charges.

Merchant one has not indicated when this money will be released.

Our company does not have a contract stating funds will be held indefinitely.

Funds have been held for 16 days as of today.

Desired outcome: Stop holding funds as customers have received products based on these transaction.

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
A
11:18 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One unexplained settlements from my bank account due to Merchant One deductions.

I had identified two separate "settlements" from my bank account that have not been identified by Merchant One. I emailed the department that had handled a previous complaint where monies were removed from my account, that was later explained as being an error from the credit card company paying double the amounts and later removing the overpayment (caused entirely by the cc companies, not me, so I was told) The person who handled this investigation is a Felix in Security at the Merchant One firm. I accepted his explanation on face value, however, I have since written to him on more recent "settlements" that he has not yet responded to. I have written three times, beginning on April 20, 2022, April 21, and April 22 and April 29th, yet to date, he has not responded to my inquiry. The two deductions are as follows:

April 19, 2022 $299.00 and March 28, 2022 $499.00 (neither of these deductions from my bank have been explained by Merchant One as to why they were deducted from my account). I now question the former deductions that Felix attributed to the credit card companies removing over payments. The fact that Merchant One refuses tio identify the reason for having removed money from my bank account is suspicious at best, I need answers, please assist me so that I can resolve this issue Merchant One refuses to address. What prevents this firm from taking money out of customer's accounts without justification or an explanation. I have not received any notices that these monies being removed are a result of any chargebacks.

Desired outcome: I want the information as to why these funds were removed, or to have them returned.

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
R
7:11 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One High monthly fees Did not see all the docs to the contract

I was told one thing and in writing it is another, When I was asked to sign the docs I was rushed through and just sign because it was what we talked about. I called for the contract which was sent to me. The program guide was not sent nor did I see it at the start. I just ask for the program guide and fee chart, if I had this at the start knowing everything I would have jumped out. The program guide sets forth the early termination fees will we will see.

Desired outcome: Reduce the cost of fees make sure that all docs are disclose to every one that follows. The law states to disclose all docs

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
L
1:26 pm EST

Merchant One Bait & switch

I like many fail for MerchantOne's bait and switch tactics. The sales rep is going to send you an email just like this:

From: Gaby Sokolow
Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2020 8:54 AM
To: [protected]@lonestarheat.com
Subject: Merchant One

Hi Dean,

Pleasure speaking with you today. Below please find a recap of our rates:
Debit Cards: 0.89%
Standard Credit Cards: 1.99%
Transaction Fee: $0.19
Monthly Service Fee: $6.95

Free Virtual Terminal

No Setup Fee
No PCI Compliance Fee
Next-Business Day Funding
GABY SOKOLOW
ACCOUNT MANAGER
Direct Phone: [protected]
Customer Support Phone: [protected]
FAX: [protected]

They will tell you to that is just a summary and all fee's are listed in the application. They do not tell you about the minimum sales level required each month. They say no PCI fee's, but fail to tell you of the controlscan stringent hosting requirements. The same day resoluti0on of funds was actually 48 hours. I spoke with 2 different representatives and they both were very familiar with their responses. I am fairly certain they spend much of their day defending these fee's and make no effort for any resolution. Their response is that you signed the application and I have it right here. I failed to do my due diligence before signing up. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN FROM THIS COMPANY!

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
P
7:22 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One credit cards processing

I began searching online for credit card mechant services on September 11, 2019 I was looking for a 5 ***** one. Merchant one was a 4.5 out of 5***** I figured this was the one. I filled out the necessary info and was contacted by one of their Reps. named Danny. He promised me next day delivery of the necessary equipment to start processing credit cards. Well, when that didn't happen I tried to call him and he did not answer nor did he return my phone calls he deliberately made himself unavailable. Instead, some lady called and said I wouldn't receive the equipment until about 5 or 6 days. I was very angry and felt helpless. I waited the equipment finally arrived so I called the # for activation and coaching on how to operate the processor. Some lady answered that didn't have a clue as to how to teach on how to use the machine I ende up teaching myself. On Sept. 18, I processed a card for the amount of $798.00 for automotive services I waited 24hours for the money to show up on my Bank statement and that didn't happen. I began to get suspicious and called Merchant one first some lame, incompetant, lady answered that was not able to help so she turned the phone over to some man he informed me that I had to fax him over a bank statement plus the service order regarding the amount of $798.00 in other words proof. For me being in business for the first time it was an extremely bad experience I'm seriously thinking about changing credit card processing provider since I actually read your bad reviews.

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
A
7:09 am EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Credit card

atkinson
Merchant One Payments extensively advertise the fact that they provide support at odd hours and in fact at anytime a customer requires help. Well! their emergency hours or weekend hours are baseless. Though I got through to support execs each time my call was referred to another desk, after being taken through 7 consecutive calls, I realized this and gave up.

Read full review of Merchant One and 4 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
4 comments
Add a comment
T
T
TerryNielson
Old Fort Bay, CA
Mar 21, 2014 6:06 am EDT

As the Merchant One Payment claims to offer best merchant solutions, in reality the picture is completely different. They are liars. I have been a fool to have invested so much for the solutions. Infact the complete features and facilities as pointed on the websites are completely fake and inappropriate

F
F
ferry14
Oklahoma City, US
Mar 13, 2014 1:19 am EDT

If you are signing a contract with Merchant One Payments please ensure that you understand the terms of the contract and read through all the fine print as well.
I was made to pay a heft cancellation fee when I wanted to cancel my contract

A
A
Antonio14
Ontario City, CA
Mar 08, 2014 12:54 am EST

Jag
Although their website states that they don't lock you into long-term contracts (whatever that means), they don't mention anything about a termination fee. Another vendor offered us a better deal and we initiated the contract termination process; that is when we were informed that we need to pay a cancellation fee. This of course is unfair; ideally they should have mentioned this point in the original contract! Merchant One hurts camouflages information about contract registration, termination, and extra costs. To top it all the ecommerce platforms are not completely error free. The customer support staff is not very receptive.

J
J
Jennifer 14
Ontario, CA
Feb 15, 2014 12:20 am EST

Navier
Merchant One offers one of the worst online payment processing services. The system is not good at handling huge traffic. I am losing lots of revenue due to this. Planning to hire a different agency.

ComplaintsBoard
D
1:23 am EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Merchant One - credit processing

Andrew I made a huge mistake when I entered into a contract with Merchant One Payments. I registered with them last year and their registration charges are much higher as compared to other service providers. While I was associated with them they began to increase the interest rate at 4% annually. I had to go through a labyrinth of so called support channels before I managed to speak to the concerned person.

Read full review of Merchant One and 4 comments
ComplaintsBoard
H
6:03 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Fraudulent services

1. Predatory visa online bank services *do not use them, it doesn't matter if you do not use visa, use paypal if you have too.
2. At this point, $295.00 early termination fee, undisclosed fees to "authorize.net".
3. More bad reviews than i've seen on any particular business, check the net on them
4. If you drop them, close your bank account or they can still get at your money
5. Fight the evil b's, do everyone a favor, if you have the money, and go after them with an attorney
6. Do not waste your breath with them, if you are going to terminate, they will send you a form to sign, they already know everyone hates them. This is more of a mafia-style business, run by used car salemen-again, they are used to people hating them, they are robber barons, they rip people off for a living.

Read full review of Merchant One
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
W
3:24 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One Dishonest, fraud and theft

Let me start off with RUN AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY RIP OFF! I opened an account with them on 6/2010 with Fancy Saka she sold me on with low transaction rates, payments hitting my account the next day, no cancellation fee, and no hidden fees like other companies. Well that was not the case. The $32.95 that includes monthly min. and statement fee was correct. The $10.00 gateway fee was correct. I did not take noticed of the other my account kept going into the neg each month due to I was still in the stage one of my company with no business. Come to find out by September 2010 they were charging me a fee for PCI $129.00 which was not disclosed as well another fee for $33.13 which I have not clue about. I had gone to my bank to find out who was the company they told me Merchantone. To sum up about this company I would say they are dishonest, fraud and theft for taking monies that I never agreed to.

Read full review of Merchant One
Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
O
5:47 pm EST

Merchant One When you see this company you should run away as fast as possible

I started a mail order business and this vendor was refered to me. After two months I decided not to continue the mail order business, and requested that they cancel the service. They said there would be a small cancelation fee; but did not inform me as to how much.. They went into my business account and drew out $850 as a cancelation fee. When you see this company you should RUN AWAY AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. There are many honest companies out there, but certainly not this one.Remember the name: Merchantone

Read full review of Merchant One and 2 comments
Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
U
U
Unhappy customer
San Diego, US
Mar 16, 2009 5:09 pm EDT

In my experience I would have to say that this is the worst company in the world. There customer support is terrible and it seems like no one there even knows what they are doing. Cancel 2 weeks after signing (which was almost impossible to do by the way).

R
R
Richard1
Brooklyn, US
Sep 23, 2009 8:28 pm EDT

I was immediately contacted after my account was approved and trained on my terminal. Their suppost is the best I have ever found in my 10 years of taking credit cards

ComplaintsBoard
C
5:16 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Not clear on fees and contract

I applied for an account with Merchant One, and before sending in my docs, decided to do my due diligence and check online for any concerns about the company. Coming to this page, I saw the concerns and asked my rep about it. He said they weren't true. I hadn't read my application very closely on signing, thinking I would read it before I put through any credit card transactions, so that was my next step. (Clearly I should have done this first, that was my mistake.) Within the 30 pages of information were three surprises: an early termination fee of around $300, a yearly fee of around $100, and a protection coverage fee of around $200? My rep told me he usually has people sign the contract, then asks them whether or not they want a monthly account without a termination fee. We didn't get to that stage, so I don't know whether that's true or not. The charges are all clearly stated in the application, but they are hard to find amidst a lot of other text which is very tempting to skim. Also, I was not informed verbally or in writing before signing the contract about what the fees would be. I asked to void my contract and they did that. The guy I interacted with was professional but said a lot of things that made me uncomfortable. I can't conclude the extent of the shadiness of this company, just that it's not how I would do business - so make sure you know what you're getting into if you want to work with them.

Read full review of Merchant One and 1 comment
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
W
W
west coast shredder
Venice, US
May 07, 2011 5:49 am EDT

I signed up with MerchantOne and yes, they are a bad, bad company. Firstly the sales [censored]bag went on and on about how much money I'll save with them... Total ###. Of course he made NO mention of any "early termination fee" etc. Anyway, I get my first statement and there's a page of miscellaneous fees. I've only been with them a few months but I can already see it's costing $20+ a month more than what PayPal Web Payments Pro was costing me. That's BEFORE the $124 PCI compliance scanning, or the $30/month non-compliance fee if I choose not to move my entire website to a new semi-dedicated web hosting plan in order to pass the PCI scanning. Don't expect these ### ###s to disclose any of this up front

Long story short... HUGE HUGE mistake switching to merchant one. HUGE MISTAKE! Now I get their "termination letter" telling me that closing my account will cost me $25/per month for the remainder of the "term" or $295; whichever is greater. WTF are they talking about? What term? Since when do bank accounts have term contracts. I've got half a mind to fly to FL and bring a reign of terror down on these thieves.

ComplaintsBoard
W
4:51 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Unauthorized debits

As President of the Woodstock Playhouse I made the decision to sign with Merchant One through the 2009 summer season only. The statements that started to come in beginning at the end of August enumerated the deposits and the fees & all seemed to come together. In August the total charge to our account was $101.07. They took that amount on Sept. 3rd. They also took the unauthorized $142.50 on Sept. 21st. On the Sept. statement the total charge to our account was $71.80. That was taken on Oct. 5th but they also took the unauthorized $129.00 on Oct. 2nd. Nowhere on their statements were those two figures listed. It was at this point that I began my quest to cancel wth them.No one EVER returned a phone call. The I emailed. No response Ever since November 2009 I’ve been trying to cancel this service. In January we were charged $99 for an annual renewal when we'd only be with them five months.Spoke with a guarded and rude employee. I again said that I’d been trying to cancel this service for months and now they had charged us an annual fee. I sent a certified letter on 2/4/10 and got a call on 2/10/10. I spoke with Nancy who said they would settle for $25 a month for the balance of a 3 year contract. No trhee year commitment or such wording on my docs. Then she said she could settle for $295. I told her I wanted $370.50 returned to us and I had instructed our bank to disallow further debits from MerchantOne. Nancy gave no satisfaction and this remains unresolved.

Read full review of Merchant One and 1 comment
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
W
W
Woodstock Playhouse Inc
Woodstock, US
Feb 13, 2010 2:10 pm EST

This saga continues. After speaking with "Nancy" from Merchant One and receiving no satisfaction, I was putting this into the hands of the Board of Directors to decide a course of action. Yesterday - again UNAUTHORIZED - Merchant One debited our bank account for the $295 that Nancy had mentioned. We now are forced to close this checking account so that they don't have any further access. This is a dispicable group of people who lie, cheat and now steal! Stay away from them!

ComplaintsBoard
K
12:54 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One everything

Opened a merchant account. I explained to the salesman that I was a very small businessman and I did not know whether I would be in business for 1 month, 3 months or forever. I explained I would be doing internet sales and point of sales. The sales rep did not explain they were setting me up with 2 accounts. This cost an additional $30 per month. From my understanding it was a month to month contract but as I found out that was not the case. I did not need 2 accounts or a 5 year contract! When I tried to close one of the accounts, I was told it was on a 3 or 5 year contract-no one knew for sure. To get out of a contract it was going to cost me $25 per month per contract for 3-5 years depending on who I spoke to. After trying to resolve the issue many times with customer service, they said I could cancel one account now at no charge. My sales rep said he would work with me in 2010 to resolve the other account.. I felt like I was caught between a rock and a hard place, so I agreed. They email me a cancellation letter and nowhere did it state that I would be charged. So I contacted Nancy (a supervisor) at Merchant One and told her I would not sign this until she sent an email confirming that I would not be billed. Her email stated
“Kelvin-I have attached a cancellation form. Please note: Your business will not incur any penalties for terminating one account because you still will have one active merchant account with us. Thank you.”
Within 24 hours of faxing the cancellation letter, Merchant One took $800 out of my account. After this I was no longer willing to wait another month to work on the other account. I contacted Merchant One immediately. They admitted money should not have been taken out of my account and said it would be replaced in 7-14 business days. That is great that they will return the money but now I have overdrafts and other fees acquiring. I no longer had money for a show that I wanted to do, I was hoping to get some sales before Christmas, well that never happened. The money was finally returned but it has cost me in many other ways. Merchant One’s excuse for taking the money was that I did not send the fax to the right person. I believe the sales rep said what he needed to say to get me to sign and once I did, all the terms changed. I signed up for a $25 per month account and got a nightmare.

This is so sad, I have spent over a month trying to figure out this problem and they tell me that I was aware of everything happing, YA RIGHT, If I was aware of everything I never would have agreed to it and wouldnt be trying to figure this out now. Summary: Lied to andor neglecting to disclose terms & agreements of account (s)Poor response from customer service
Unauthorized monies taken from account after email says it will not happen
Poor response from messages or emails

Read full review of Merchant One
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
S
8:48 am EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One dishonesty/fraud

Merchant One continues to attempt to collect fees that are not owed by my company. they do not respond to my requests for information or my Bank's requests and are clearly not being honest.

I urge anyone having issues with Merchant One to contact the following agency and file a complaint against Merchant One (you can file the complaint online):

BBB of Southeast Florida and the Caribbean
Southeast Florida and the Caribbean

4411 Beacon Circle, Suite 4
West Palm Beach, FL 33407

http://www.seflorida.bbb.org/Home.aspx

Phone: [protected]

Fax: [protected]

Read full review of Merchant One
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
G
9:22 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Non Disclosed terms and fees

I attempted to cancel my account before activating and was assured on the phone. Merchant One then continued to pull money out of my bank account. When I tried to fight the charges they informed me there was cancellation paperwork needed that I was never told about.

After I received the paperwork there were additional cancellation fees that were not on my original application. They have an addendum to their application that outlines the 3 year contract and extra fees, this addendum was never provided to me when I was being hurried to sign up by their aggressive sales people. Their management will not return my phone calls as I want to be refunded for the fees I did not agree to and their customer service reps don't have the athority to issue the refund.

Merchant One baits small businesses with low rates and locks them into a 3 year contract (that is not disclosed)and additional fees (that are not disclosed) at the time when you sign up. They have aggressive sales people that push you through the system with as little information as possible.

Believe the real reviews online, I wish I had taken the warnings more seriously and stayed away from Merchant One.

Read full review of Merchant One and 3 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
3 comments
Add a comment
S
S
Sy Computing Services, inc.
Godley, US
Jan 25, 2010 2:07 pm EST

To all who wish to deal with Merchant One: You bet they're tricky so be very careful. But the same advice I give you concerning them follows for any merchant account vendor your considering. You must read the fine print in your application document. If you do you'll be made aware of what these folks didn't know.

Note that with this merchant account vendor as well as others when you sign your application with them you are also agreeing to the terms and conditions of their "Program Guide". Hence, you are effectively agreeing to the terms and conditions of at least TWO documents you must carefully read. Always, always request a copy of the Program Guide! It is not the same document as your application, however, your application will clearly state that the Program Guide becomes part of your application once you sign on the dotted line. You need to be aware of this.

My advice is to do the following:
1. Request a .pdf copy of your application via email. Be sure to read the application in it's entirety. If you have any questions about any of the fees...ask and get something in writing via email.

2. In your .pdf copy of the Merchant One application, note section 10, "Signatures". Read this section in it's entirety. This section states the following: "Client certifies that all information set forth in this completed Merchant Processing Application is true and correct and that Client has received a copy of the Program Guide (Version MER1208) and Confirmation Page, which is part of this Merchant Processing Application (consisting of Sections 1-10), and by this reference incorporated herein."

This section means that when you sign your application you're also signing the Program Guide. Note that your version of the Program Guide might be different than the one above depending on when you read this but at the time of this writing BOTH documents will apply to your agreement with this or other vendors! Get a copy and read it in full. You'll want to pay special attention to the sections dealing with termination (usually somewhere close to the end).

3. It might be possible to get Merchant One to waive the three year agreement and termination fee but you'll have to negotiate with them to place such wording into the "Special Instructions" section of your application. DON'T STOP HERE. Now, get an email or written document from a representative of Merchant One specifically stating that the wording in the Special Instructions section of the application SUPERCEDES section 34.3 (at the time of this writing) of the Program Guide, or whichever section the termination agreement specifics are lined out in your version of the Program Guide. Print this email or save the document and stick it in a file folder somewhere. Don't save it to your machine, print it.

4. Even with all of this (and you must get ALL of #3 BEFORE YOU SIGN) you might still have a problem if you terminate your agreement with Merchant One. You should win in the end, however, be aware that a fight will most likely ensue and you may have to enlist the services of an attorney to get your money back or to get your credit report cleared if your account goes to collection.

J
J
jessiemac
Vineland, US
Dec 03, 2009 9:07 am EST

I had the same problem and they also will not waive the exorbitant cancellation fee even though I never used the account. They also never sent me the copy of the contract that I was supposed to get after I signed it. So, the "program guide" was only available to me when I signed the application. With their fees, it's actually cheaper for me to keep the account open for 3 years than to cancel it at $25 a month for the remainder of the contract.

L
L
lchung
honolulu, US
Nov 04, 2009 4:28 pm EST

I agree. We have the same problem here. Business owners stay away! Theft, dishonest,
Fraud. Merchantone will rip you off! Trust me. Stay away

ComplaintsBoard
I
10:09 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Fraud, theft, dihonest

Lately we become the latest victim of Merchant One and their fraudulent activities.

In July 2009 they defaulted our business relationship by withdrawing monies from our account without our acknowledgment or permission, and for the past 6 months they have failed to give us our monthly statements.

We started processing credit cards with Merchant One on 8/2008 and our sales person was Mark Raasch an Acquisitions Manager there at Merchant One.

Our company quote provided by Mark on behalf of Merchant One stated “no commitments or long term contacts”. We were also to receive a dedicated account representative with the normal monthly statements.

In July we prepared out taxes for the state and went to review our monthly statements from Merchant One only to realize that we have not received them since Jan 2009. We made a phone call to Merchant One and the person was very rude and told us that they did not get any returned mail. They also told us that they sent them. I asked for copies of all the reports and was told that they would have someone call me back. I never got a call back from anyone at Merchant One.
I called several times only to get more rudeness and more lies.

I put a call into Mark Raasch thinking that he was our “dedicated account representative” and he never did call me back. I also sent him and email that never got answered.

At this time I realized that I was not going to get my monthly statements or a returned call from Merchant One. They were completely ignoring me. So I called in and requested that my account be closed and that they send me the proper paper work and my monthly statements since I did pay for them.

The next day I noticed a unauthorized deduction from our account made by Merchant One. (July 2009) I called them and asked why this was only to be told that it was for PCI. (Very interesting) I asked what I was never notified that I would be charged for this and they told me that I had in one of my monthly statements (hum I have not been getting them).

Well I closed the account including my business account, I re-read all my documents with them to make sure I am not liable for anything and also sent them to our attorney.
The bank is refunding all monies withdrawn (only those that were unauthorized).

2 weeks later I get a call from Jason on behalf of Merchant One, saying that I owe them money for canceling the contract and also for the PCI. I told him that I was not under any contract and that the monies for PCI was taken from the account with out any authorization. Jason told me they were going to send this to collections and take legal action.

All I can say at this time, to all those looking for a Merchant provider, read the BBB on Merchant One, Read the complaints and problems on Merchant One and then pass the word around to everyone to stay away from them and if they are under any contract with them, do renew it when it comes up.

If you have any problems like this also call the Attorney General of Florida. Blog about it and blog more about it. Report to BBB!

We can get the word out and stop companies from praying on smaller business.

Shame on Merchant One where is your honesty?

Read full review of Merchant One and 18 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
18 comments
Add a comment
B
B
Bengal Owner
, US
Aug 25, 2016 1:48 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

If you are a reatiler stay away from Merchant One for sevicing your credit card sales. We closed our account yet they continued to charge our bank account for fees. They would not refund nor would they pro-rate any of these fees! Once our account was closed we returned all of their equipment (at our expense) but we received daily emails telling us if the equipment was not in their hands they would charge us for it! They are only out to take you money.

M
M
Marilyn Maze
, US
Aug 03, 2016 4:54 am EDT

I was t0ld when I signed up that they would provide technical support to help me use their service online. There was no support and I was not able to make their service work. That was three years ago. I have not used there service once, not ever. After paying hundreds of dollars in fees, which continue to escalate, all these years and watching new fees constantly being added, I stopped paying. Now they claim I owe them almost $500. Again, with no service ever provided.

K
K
korpin
, US
Aug 19, 2015 12:59 pm EDT

merchant one has been an extremely bad experience for me..hidden charges, canclelation fees, etc...once you get them in your bank account you cannot get them out unless you pay a 295.00 fee or 25 dollars a month until you reach 36 months (which ever is greater) and if you decide just not to use their card, its a 25.00 a month mininum fee in ADDITION to a monthly fee

C
C
cw99999
Land O Lakes, US
Jul 28, 2010 2:14 pm EDT

When this service was ordered, I was given a 30 day free trial. This account was
never used and I was told that I would be charged $ 295. 00 to cancel. Not only
did I not use this service, I was billed for the first 30 days when it was provided
free.

K
K
KEEGSTER8
Moriarty, US
Feb 21, 2013 12:13 pm EST

I put in a card payment online with Paul Milburn Acreages...this transaction showed declined several times so I notified the company via email over the holiday. Since it has been a fiasco as one company states that I am the one putting the hold on my account...ummm how is that? Merchant One has the credit card services for that website and all I get from Milburns office is that they cannot do anything that they never recieved anything although My BANK WELLS FARGO...has in my account a hold on the payment and it is held by MERCHANT ONE...AT SOME POINT THEY ACCEPTED MY PAYMENT AND HAVE A HOLD ON THIS PAYMENT WHICH IS THE ISSUE...each entity is telling me neither is at fault yet they are still holding my money and account up. This has been going back and forth since monday...Milburns office speaking with my bank and then merchant one and it has gotten NOWHERE. So I contacted MERCHANT ONE myself as Milburn's office wants Merchant ONE to speak to my bank...well problem there is no info can be obtained or discussed without me being there...so why have them call my bank if they cannot get any information? Milburn's office has not been the nicest in this instance either as they act as though I am not being truthful with them even though they have a copy of the hold on my bank account sent to them by my bank WELLS FARGO. Speaking with Merchant One today due to not being able to get anywhere with Milburn's office and it is just like all the complaints I read online this morning about MERCHANT ONE...sad that a business with such potential has such horrible customer service and excuses. 179 complaints in 6 months! WOW!

Very disappointed and disgusted with both entities at this point!

R
R
rickdlance
Holden, US
Jun 30, 2011 7:30 pm EDT

Pretty much similar results for me. I'm seeking legal council and possibly a class action suit can be filed. rftj@netzero.net for those that want to participate or a lawyer that may represent us.

S
S
smallcompany
Denver, US
Sep 19, 2010 6:26 pm EDT

Merchant One should be dismantled and its owners thrown in jail. They made many unauthorized transactions against my account, told me I was under a 3 year contract (I wasn't) and that I would be charged nearly 1 K in cancellation fees if I wanted to cancel my account. It was only after I told one of its representatives, Ross Polonetsky, that I was reporting them to the FTC that they refunded some of the unauthorized transactions. He also told me my account would be cancelled without charge (after I exposed the lies and unauthorized transactions) but I continue to receive invoices from them. I have asked repeatedly for them to stop doing this but until now, they haven't. So I finally changed my bank account info. to avoid further withdrawals. I have never witnessed such thievery from a company in my entire life, may God touch them profoundly in their consciences for stealing from small business owners.

I
I
ihavebeencheated
, US
Apr 17, 2010 3:04 pm EDT

I agree with every complaint about Merchant One on this page. They are very dishonest and deceptive. I am complaining to the federal trade commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov and suggest that all their victims should do the same. I t is very important to get these guys exposed so they don't deceive new people.

B
B
both95
, US
Apr 08, 2010 12:32 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Merchant One does not disclose all terms and conditions. My "No Contracts/ No Obligations" resulted in non-disclosed early termination fees when I canceled account. I am currently working with an attorney on this matter. Stay away from Merchant One.

R
R
Richard1
Thomasville, US
Apr 06, 2010 9:44 am EDT

I agree, could anyone tell me where I need to go to file a companit against them. What they are doing must be eligale.
Nancy Rivera is about the worst customer service person that I have ever delt with.
Please, if anyone knows where or who governs them please let me know.
Thanks,
rhas30@northstate.net

ComplaintsBoard
M
8:00 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One fraud advertising

fraud advertising zero charge for account bad credit card processing machines no busines ethics and they want me to pay for contract $795.00 which we havent even started to do busines with be carefull they will charge your bank account.stay away from this company

Read full review of Merchant One and 4 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
4 comments
Add a comment
A
A
anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Mar 15, 2010 11:16 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

OK< I just found out how to take care of this.
You have to file an Identity Theft Report with the police. The report doesn't cost anything and Merchant One will be required to provide a copy of all relating documents to the requesting police officer. In order to prove that you ordered, they are supposed to have your signature in most cases (in my case the signature was forged to the contract - but it is not necessary to compare) and they have to provide proof of services.
When you call the police, they will dispatch an officer to your home or business depending on if you need to file for identity theft for yourself or your business. When the officer arrives, please have an extra cpy for him of all your pertainent documents for his file, and a copy of your driver's licesnse ahead of time. Once he returns to his office, you can call back and he will provide you with the Report #. (Or after the investigation is completed, you can order a copy of the report, usually for $20 I think.)
You can then take the report/report number to you bank, credit card, wahtever and explain that they have to refund the money to you because this entity/person stole your identity in order to make the purchase (contrary to popular belief, identity theft also occurrs when you agree to a product or service and you don't get the product or service as contractually obligated).

M
M
madasheck13
Miami, US
Oct 08, 2009 8:59 am EDT

I strongly recommend using PAYPAL. Merchant one is a thief. i cancelled the day after i signed up because they could not deliver what was promised & they've been charging me ever since - THREE MONTHS. Their own employee admits i cancelled in July and yet they will not refund the charges for services I NEVER USED. Close to $200. I had to close out my bank account to get them to stop charging me and they refuse to refund my money. PAYPAL is a superior service and i've never had one issue and is cheaper than Merchant one.

K
K
kesneo
New York, US
Aug 05, 2009 9:43 am EDT

Thieves.. Stay away. They will invent fees to get your money and get away with it.

A
A
anonyMiss
San Diego, US
Jul 23, 2009 8:15 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

contact me! i have the same problem...

ComplaintsBoard
L
2:28 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One hold money for no reason

I contacted Merchant One to set up a merchant account to process credit cards for a new online business. They approved the business on a Thursday, and we processed credit cards for 3 days. Total sales were about $1, 300.00
When I did not see the credit card receipts posted to my account, i contacted Merchant One to learn that my account was being held for a "random review". The funds would be released once I provided information such as shipping details and a bank statement. When I reminded them that this was a new business I was told to just submit the invoices and proof of delivery, which I did. A week later, i still did not get my funds released. Finally i received a call that said my funds would be held in reserve for 90 to a 180 days and the account would be closed. Why this company processed in the first place is beyond me. NO ONE SHOULD USE THIS COMPANY ! IT IS A SCAM.

Read full review of Merchant One and 14 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
14 comments
Add a comment
G
G
Ganev Saka
Miami Beach, US
Aug 23, 2010 9:44 pm EDT

Stay away from these thieves !

N
N
no one you know
, US
Oct 21, 2009 7:28 pm EDT

I worked with them 6 years ago and their practices were criminal back then. I'm amazed that the attorney's general of the
states haven't brought action against them. Although I like them as people, their business practices are clearly
fraudulent on several levels. I would strongly advise no one to do business with them.

M
M
Merchant fraud
Fort Myers, US
Sep 19, 2009 7:06 am EDT

Amen, beware of Jason, he is with Merchant One and makes collection calls. He will call and listen to all of the problems and say he has to talk to his boss and will take care of it. Then you get another threatening collection letter (They threaten to destroy your personal credit rating) and then Jason calls again as if the first call never took place and you go through the whole thing again. They are listed as "certified" by the BBB. It doesn't say much for the BBB if this is true. Good Luck.

J
J
Justice 4 all
Las Vegas, US
Sep 18, 2009 11:49 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Same problems here. PCI fee, early termination fee, no monthly statements etc.
Reported them to BBB, Florida Attorney General. Waiting for response.
They ARE thieves no doubt. Report them to every authority you can think of.
The are praying on small businesses.

M
M
Merchant fraud
Fort Myers, US
Sep 17, 2009 6:44 pm EDT

Card Service International is another merchant services processing company that uses these same tactics. they sort of sneak your application into an agreement and then start billing you for monthly fees. When you complain they send you a bill for several hundred dollars to cancel your account. This appears to be their business plan. Avoid them at all costs.. Try Intuit's (quicken/quick books) service. They are much cheaper per month and do not have a long term contract.

A
A
Aziz Laurent
Austin, US
Sep 17, 2009 1:56 pm EDT

Sadly I read of the terrible service and dishonest acts of Merchantone before submitting an application. I called to cancel 24 hours later, yet they still charged my checking account $875.00 cancellation fee. I have complained to the BBB and I am waiting. This company should be thrown out of business. They are thieves.

A.L

D
D
Duckland
None, US
Jul 29, 2009 4:16 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I had the exact same experience with them. Pci compliance fees and then a cancelation fee. Both were not made clear to me before I signed on. Which I do not remember ever signing anything. When I asked for proof that I signed they just sent a PDF of the rules. Nothing with my signature. Do not use them!

M
M
Merchant fraud
Fort Myers, US
Jul 07, 2009 7:56 am EDT

You would think that banks would realize that these guys are not really in the CC processing business

I
I
Island Sanctuary Salon
Saint Augustine, US
Jul 06, 2009 9:38 pm EDT

What a scam. I moved to MerchantOne after a previous bad experience. I was assured that PCI compliance was something between the processors and the credit card companies, NOT an expense that should be passed onto the client, especially a sole propprietor that doesn't even use a computer system and processes half a dozen cards a week- MAX. What an insult to my intelligence when my business account was debited $129 for 'PCI compliance' ### that does not even pertain to my business a few months after the switch, and not only did they debit MY account, but each of my staff members! They hit us for more money than we pay in regular authorized fees in a year. They don't care and were happy to send me a cancellation form if I didn't like it- that way they can charge me another fee for cancelling. ###s. How pathetic that the only way their business can be successful is by scamming people...

If there are any decent processing companies out there for sole proprietors with a minimal amount of weekly processing, please let us know.

~www.IslandSanctuarySalon.com

M
M
Merchant fraud
Fort Myers, US
Jun 26, 2009 8:19 am EDT

It is a shame when a small business owner has to wary of doing business when anyone.
You should definitely check out any proposed business on one or two search engines,
The BBB and maybe with the area Attorney General. If you have already been scammed turn the information over to your bank, the BBB, the area Attorney General and even the FBI (the scammers may be guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud) You should also watch your bank account since these predators have access to your personal and banking information and are certainly not above identity theft, or just plain theft, and of selling your information to other scammers. Be careful and watchful and always post companies like MerchantOne on complaint boards to keep others away from them. Best of Luck

ComplaintsBoard
D
9:36 am EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Merchant One Hold Credit Card Funds Indefinitely

This company doesn't bother to tell you their "standard procedures" and held up my funds for 5 days. They would've held the money longer if I hadn't called to check on why the funds weren't deposited into my account. They were all gung ho to tell me my business was approved for credit card transactions and to start right away. Don't trust these guys. If you don't watch them closely, they'll sit on your money indefinitely.

Read full review of Merchant One and 13 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
13 comments
Add a comment
J
J
Jerry Black513
williamsburg, Ohio, US
Feb 20, 2023 7:08 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

absolute scam of a company. I inquired about using them, never used or even received a reader yet they started billing and continued to bill me. I call in many times to get it to stop and got "yes we will stop " and yet the billings continued. I eventually had to put in a stop order with bank. Total scam company. Caveat emptor

T
T
Troy Duran
Saint Louis, US
May 03, 2010 1:51 pm EDT

Merchant One is a ripoff. Here's a copy of their termination letter- You'll see there's no question that they are aggressive in their retention policy. Also, don't let them fool you into thinking that they work with Quickbooks. They Don't. They send you to a 4th party company that sells a plug-in for $175, $10/month and .08 per transaction - that's over and above what Merchant One charges you!

M
M
MKJ78
, US
Apr 21, 2010 2:51 pm EDT

This company has been making daily sales calls even after repeated requests to remove us from their call list. Today when I received the call again from the employee Danato (same one I spoke with yesterday) and explained that we were not interested he proceeded to mock my response by saying "Blah blah blah blah blah blah oh I am sorry we must have a bad connection" and hung up. I did call right back using the phone number on the caller ID; however there was no formal greeting and said there is no "call list", but he'll be sure to note not to call us in the future. Yeah Right! Isn't there some way to file a formal complaint for harassing phone calls? I have the history on our call logs from our phone systems.

W
W
Woodstock Playhouse Inc
Woodstock, US
Feb 13, 2010 2:38 pm EST

As President of the Woodstock Playhouse I made the decision to sign with Merchant One through the 2009 summer season only. The statements that started to come in beginning at the end of August enumerated the deposits and the fees & all seemed to come together. In August the total charge to our account was $101.07. They took that amount on Sept. 3rd. They also took the unauthorized $142.50 on Sept. 21st. On the Sept. statement the total charge to our account was $71.80. That was taken on Oct. 5th but they also took the unauthorized $129.00 on Oct. 2nd. Nowhere on their statements were those two figures listed. It was at this point that I began my quest to cancel with them. No one EVER returned a phone call. Then I emailed. No response Ever since November 2009 I’ve been trying to cancel this service. In January we were charged $99 for an annual renewal when we’d only be with them five months and I’d been assured repeatedly by Ross in the beginning that there was no long term commitment and I could cancel any month I chose. Spoke with a guarded and rude employee. I again said that I’d been trying to cancel this service for months and now they had charged us an annual fee. I sent a certified letter on 2/4/10 and got a call on 2/10/10. I spoke with Nancy who said they would settle for $25 a month for the balance of a 3 year contract. No three year commitment or such wording on my documents - ANYWHERE. Then she said she could settle for $295. I told her I wanted the $370.50 stolen returned to us and I had instructed our bank to disallow further debits from MerchantOne. Nancy gave no satisfaction and I thought that these issues remained unresolved. But this saga continues. I was putting this into the hands of the Board of Directors to decide a course of action. Yesterday - on Lincoln’s Birthday no less – again UNAUTHORIZED – Merchant One debited our bank account for the $295 that Nancy had mentioned. We now are forced to close this checking account so that they don’t have any further access. This is a despicable group of people who lie, cheat and now steal! Stay away from them!

K
K
kevincent619
Canton , US
Jan 14, 2010 11:15 am EST

I agree with everything that has been said above. When I inquired about setting up an account I asked the salesperson, Scott Gonzales, to be absolutely up front and clear with me about what fees there would be, because my business was not bringing in a lot of money and I knew I couldn't handle extra fees (beyond the regular monthly fees). He assured me there would be no additional fees of any kinds, and wrote that into my contract. He also assured me that I had a short-term contract. That was in 10/08. Since then, they have charged me for the $99 annual fee two years in a row, which meant that I had to do battle with them to get them to return the funds. This past December I made the decision to close my account because my business had failed. When I called Merchant One I was told that I would be charged an early cancellation fee of $295 because I was in a 3-year contract! I have argued with them over and over that that is not the case, but I have not been able to get them to budget. I cannot afford $295. Is there anything we can do, collectively, against them?

K
K
kelvin man
burnsville, US
Jan 11, 2010 1:54 pm EST

Opened a merchant account. I explained to the salesman that I was a very small businessman and I did not know whether I would be in business for 1 month, 3 months or forever. I explained I would be doing internet sales and point of sales. The sales rep did not explain they were setting me up with 2 accounts. This cost an additional $30 per month. From my understanding it was a month to month contract but as I found out that was not the case. I did not need 2 accounts or a 5 year contract! When I tried to close one of the accounts, I was told it was on a 3 or 5 year contract-no one knew for sure. To get out of a contract it was going to cost me $25 per month per contract for 3-5 years depending on who I spoke to. After trying to resolve the issue many times with customer service, they said I could cancel one account now at no charge. My sales rep said he would work with me in 2010 to resolve the other account.. I felt like I was caught between a rock and a hard place, so I agreed. They email me a cancellation letter and nowhere did it state that I would be charged. So I contacted Nancy (a supervisor) at Merchant One and told her I would not sign this until she sent an email confirming that I would not be billed. Her email stated
“Kelvin-I have attached a cancellation form. Please note: Your business will not incur any penalties for terminating one account because you still will have one active merchant account with us. Thank you.”
Within 24 hours of faxing the cancellation letter, Merchant One took $800 out of my account. After this I was no longer willing to wait another month to work on the other account. I contacted Merchant One immediately. They admitted money should not have been taken out of my account and said it would be replaced in 7-14 business days. That is great that they will return the money but now I have overdrafts and other fees acquiring. I no longer had money for a show that I wanted to do, I was hoping to get some sales before Christmas, well that never happened. The money was finally returned but it has cost me in many other ways. Merchant One’s excuse for taking the money was that I did not send the fax to the right person. I believe the sales rep said what he needed to say to get me to sign and once I did, all the terms changed. I signed up for a $25 per month account and got a nightmare.
Summary: Lied to andor neglecting to disclose terms & agreements of account (s)
Poor response from customer service
Unauthorized monies taken from account after email says it will not happen
Poor response from messages or emails

G
G
giftshop
, US
Dec 02, 2009 1:03 pm EST

Yes I totally agree that Merchant One is a rip off. They always charge me a ridiculous amount just for me using their services. When I checked my bank account I found out they charge me additional 129 for PCI! what the heck. I called them and they said that all merchant companies are required to charge PCI fees now. Been doing some research online and called some merchant companies and found out not all merhcant companies have to charge PCI fees, it's another way companies make extra money off of their customers. I wanted to cancel my contract with Merchant One but the fee is $295! thank goodness I only have a one year contract with them, I guess I'm going have to stay with them for another eight months. But honestly stay away from this company. Their a big rip off and their customer services are always lost and confused they don't know what their doing.

W
W
weezee
Port Richey, US
Oct 16, 2009 8:06 am EDT

I signed up with MerchantOne in May 2009. I was told by the sales rep that there was no contract, no cancellation fees. I asked three times for information about any fees not included in the Schedule of Fees. He reassured me there would be no hidden fees. Never once was a PCI fee mentioned. Fast forward to July and my account is debited for $129. I call the sales rep and ask him what the charge was about and he said I was notified on my May Statement. The problem is, I never got a May Statement since I signed up late in May. And by the way, if all MerchantOne customers were notified in May about the PCI Compliance fee, then why couldn't the sales rep tell me about the fee when asked repeatedly to disclose all fees. His answer: I wasn't aware of the fee at that time. Seriously?

I then tried to cancel my service with MerchantOne only to find out that I was going to owe them the greater amount of $295 OR an amount equal to $25 a month for the remainder of my contract. What contract I say! After several days on the phone with 4 different customer service reps I find out that when you sign their application you can attach yourself to them for up to 5 years. The rep said in my case it was 3 years, but when we filed a claim with Florida's Consumer Affairs department, the man from MerchantOne who responded to my complaint said I was indebted to them for 5 years. Now they can't get their story straight.

So for right now, I am paying another processor to actually do business as well as paying MerchantOne because I am simply too stubborn to pay them $800 (or $1500 if it really is a 5 year contract) to leave. It is cheaper to pay the $7.95 a month service fee and remain a customer... more like a financial prisoner.

By the way, my new processor does not charge a PCI Compliance fee. Will I still have to pay MerchantOne's PCI fee even if I am not processing cards through them? I wonder...

M
M
Merchantprocessingforyou
River Falls, US
Oct 14, 2009 11:51 pm EDT

No, all companies ARE NOT charging PCI fees. PCI fees do not apply to every merchant, and do not need to be charged to EVERY merchant! I am with an ISO myself, and we do not, nor do we plan to charge ANY PCI fees. PCI is a way for a processor to make money while most times not doing anything.

C
C
concernedcustomer2009
Manhattan, US
Oct 07, 2009 11:26 am EDT

PCI is real and is not something made up. All companies are charging it now. Merchant One just got to it first. Don't fool yourselves. Visit www.pcisecuritystandards.org for more information on it. And read the application before signing. Its all you have to do. Everything is on there in plain English. If your business is a scam, dont bother signing up. They will hold your funds in order to protect the card holder. This is the only reason they hold funds. To protect the card holder. If you are a legitamate business, they work just find and are very knowledgeable about their industry.

Trust badge
Collect Your Trust Badge
Be recognized for outstanding customer service

Contact Merchant One customer service

Website

www.merchantone.com

Your Voice Matters: Our Commitment to Genuine Reviews

Empowering Real Experiences

At ComplaintsBoard, we believe in the power of true customer stories. Our platform is a space for authentic voices, where experiences, both good and bad, are shared openly and honestly.

Dedicated to Authenticity

ComplaintsBoard is vigilant in our fight against false reviews. Our team employs robust verification methods to ensure every review reflects a real customer experience, upholding the integrity of our platform.

Encouraging Detailed Feedback

ComplaintsBoard values reviews that come with real evidence. Whether it's a photo, a detailed account, or additional documentation, such substantiation adds credibility to your story, helping others make better-informed decisions.

Balanced and Constructive Conversations

We're more than just a complaints board; we're a community for balanced dialogue. ComplaintsBoard encourages reviews that not only highlight issues but also acknowledge positive aspects, fostering a fair and comprehensive understanding.

Free and Fair Platform

ComplaintsBoard's commitment to maintaining a free and unbiased platform is unwavering. Every review is treated equally, ensuring that your voice is heard and respected, regardless of the nature of your experience.

Is ComplaintsBoard.com associated with Merchant One?

ComplaintsBoard.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Merchant One Customer Service. Initial Merchant One complaints should be directed to their team directly. You can find contact details for Merchant One above.

ComplaintsBoard.com is an independent complaint resolution platform that has been successfully voicing consumer concerns since 2004. We are doing work that matters - connecting customers with businesses around the world and help them resolve issues and be heard.

Use this comments board to leave complaints and reviews about Merchant One. Discuss the issues you have had with Merchant One and work with their customer service team to find a resolution.