Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Good Afternoon,My name is *****************, I am the owner of Neighborhood ************** in Brooklyn ********. I call on you to help my family recover stolen funds by a payment processing company Called Merchant Industry. On April 4 they began holding the revenue generated by my business. When I reached out they claimed that our terminal (credit card machine) was out of compliance and **** was fining my business $5,000. I expressed in numerous phone calls and emails that I would like to be properly served the documentation indicating that my business is in violation. Merchant Industry refused to provide that, which has me question the existence of a fine levied against my small business. A few things stand out in this situation; firstly we do not have access to the device servers and networks to calibrate the compliance of the machine. The payment processor has handled that for the past 3 years. Secondly we have not received any notice of a violation by any regulatory agency or ****. According to information found on the website, **** provides 30/60 days to remedy the infraction. Merchant Industry began freezing funds on April 4th for a supposed infraction that happened in December 2022. The infraction they pointed to is about the receipt format, which we do not have access to update. A $5,000 fine for receipt format without time to remedy the problem draws many red flags. Merchant Industry is really shaking down the little guy. It took our business 8 days to generate the revenue to fulfill the $5,000. I included my Cell Phone Number and the contact information for Merchant Industry. I beg for your help, I have nowhere else to turn. My Cell: ************ Merchant Industry: ***************************** ** **************************************** ************************* ********* ** **************************************** ***************************

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2023

  Good afternoon. We received many emails from the merchant and family members regarding held funds due to a **** fine that we received that was passed through our *************** The fine amount was $5,000.00 in which **** deployed a secret shopper to the merchants location and they were found in violation of surcharging on debit. While the merchant signed our original operating agreement which states that we can hold funds and that they understand the rules of all card brands, the merchant argues the point. The merchant's daughter quoted rules from **** surrounding another **** program that has nothing to do with the merchants being compliant and surcharging on debit. Attached is the email communication (several) in which we responded in a timely manner with facts. We expressed that we can work out a payment plan but that question remains unanswered from the merchant and the family members. Solution is that the fine needs to be paid and that Merchant Industry is available to work out a payment plan if needed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/13/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
  

   Merchant Industry has not provided documentation and proof that the fine was levied against my business. Merchant Industry is the only entity that has access to calibrating the terminal. Their program is called Swipe4Free and unfortunately for all parties involved, Merchant Industry did not fulfill their fiduciary duty to update their programming.

  Merchant Industry may not be able to provide documentation because the fine is levied on them. Also, I have internal sources that expressed that Merchant Industry and **** are in the midst of negotiating a settlement. Withholding $5,000 without documentation and expecting my small business to accept it, just because you said so does not reflect the intended values of our the American way. My small business may not be able to fulfill its upcoming rent payment just so Merchant Industry can fill their treasure chest awaiting a settlement from ****.

   

   

   

  In order for the BBB to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/04/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We use the company to process our credit ********** transactions. Since 3/20, they have been withholding our money without any warning or communication. The amount is now roughly $3200.We reached out on 3/24 to raised my complaint. and got in touch with a manager, *************************, but was only told there was a violation without any detail as to what the violation was, nor providing any proof to such violation.Not only we are now unable to continue using their service due to their failure to release money for the new transaction, we are forced to continue paying for their monthly fee, which is roughly $60.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/10/2023

  Good afternoon, ****,

   

  Thank you for responding to my calls, and for scheduling a conference call with me. As per our conversations both over the phone and via email regarding your funds on hold due to the **** Non-Compliance fine. My offer still stands if you wish to continue processing with us you can, once you've accumulated enough funds to pay the fine we will begin to deposit your funds. If you wish to not process with us, we can use the funds in reserves to pay the fine and whatever is missing we will cover no ETF to account. 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/23/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company illegally withdrew money from my account.I have cancelled my service from them on 3/21/2022. I paid everything i needed to pay and did not have a contract or early termination fee.Today they withdrew $5,000 from my account with no explanation and refuse to comply. They are saying this is from *****

  Business Response

  Date: 03/23/2023

  Good afternoon, 

  This was a fine from **** for non-compliance at your location during the period of time you were on our platform.

  This amount is exactly what was billed to our company for your merchant account and as in all cases and all merchants the full amount was passed to the merchant.

   

  Regards,

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/23/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The company representative provided me with false information regarding the terms of service and contracts. I was charged $350 for an early termination fee. I didnt change my mind. The company failed to provide credit card processing capabilities on the opening day of my company resulting in loss of sales. I closed the account because they failed to provide the service I was paying for. Upon contacting them, Ive been bounced around from voicemail to voicemail and completely ignored. They are a scam company walking the very edge of what is legal and certainly crossing the line on what is ethical.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/30/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

   

  I received a refund as requested

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  
  
  
   
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We entered into a contract with Merchant Industries LLC early in 2020, under the name of L* *******, and as a sole proprietorship. We then became a family-owned partnership under the name of ********* ****, with the dba's of ********* ** ******* and Portmyles Restyle. We asked them to change our entity name from the old to the new, and they sent over paperwork for me to sign to make that happen. At the that time, we also requested them to change our bank account on file to our new one and to discontinue depositing into our old account. They sent over paperwork, I digitally signed it, and sent in all requested documentation that they needed to do those things. Shortly afterward, we called our rep there, and received no call back, nor did we have our emails answered. Over the year, we asked several people at this company for assistance. No one helped. However they did continue to resend the paperwork for me to digitally sign and ask me to resend the needed documents to make the changes. To our surprise, the rep that we had no longer works with the company. We only found that out after I sent several emails, made several calls, and devoted more than twelve hours of my own time trying to make contact with someone willing to help. Then , *******, the corporate account manager that I eventually spoke to so that we could finally cancel our contract with the company, has not sent the form to cancel, as she stated to me that she had. She told me repeatedly that she has sent it, and that we were going to be subject to a cancelation fee, even though we were out of our two-year contract, and our desire to discontinue our relationship with their company is based mostly on very poor, and dishonest customer service, and the lies and inconsistencies that we have been told by various company representatives. Furthermore, I had no access to any of my own account information, and had to rely on ******* to get me two reports that I asked for in January of 2020, which was not complete.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2022

  Good morning ***************, 

  I am writing you concerning this complaint you made and would like to clear up any discrepancies regarding your previous account ********* ******* ********* **. I see this account was closed on May 9th, 2022. Which you were not charged an Early Termination Fee nor fees for the equipment although your merchant was on a three-year lease not two years.  I understand you have spoken to one of our corporate account managers and she has sent you numerous emails to work with you and try to assist you and provided information you requested to help you resolve any inconvenience that *** have occurred with this account. 

  I do see you are still processing with us under another *** ** ******* (****************), and I would love to schedule a ************* when we can speak and come to an agreement on how we can accommodate you and help resolve this problem. 

  I am available from Monday-Friday 9am-6pm my direct number is **********************.

   

  Respectfully, 

  *******************

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In July 2022 I agreed to use this company for credit card processing for my healing business, *************************** They told me that the equipment would be free and the cost to use the service would be minimal. After signing the agreement, I received another document to sign for payment of $300 for the equipment. It was supposed to be free. I told them I did not want the equipment and requested that they cancel my agreement. Shortly thereafter, the account manager that sold me this lie ran a charge on their system and I received a collection notice for a $65 charge that I did not attempt to process through this company. And then, yesterday, I received a collection email that I owe them $750, followed by a phone call from the collector. I have no idea what this is for, but BUYER BEWARE. The individual that I worked with is not honest. I will take this to court, if it is not resolved immediately. This is ridiculous.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/02/2022

  Hi *******

  First I'd like to apologize if there was any miscommunication or lack of transparency that could've led to this misunderstanding with our company. I assure you it is never our intent to mislead our clients in any way or to perform any kind of business unethically. To address some of your points; the $65 fee billed was a routine charge consisting of a monthly statement charge which can be disabled if you opt to receive electronic statements only, a one time TIN/EIN validation fee, and an inactivity fee that is only triggered if an account has been completely inactive for the whole month. Had our agent known that you weren't, we likely wouldn't of activated the account right away so I apologize for the confusion. As for the $750 early termination fee, it is something that I will escalate to management to see if you were eligible to be billed it. I will have management reach out to you directly by week's end to have this issue settled for you as soon as possible. I hope my response has been satisfactory enough for you and we will speak soon. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/21/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved. I contacted the business directly and they removed the charges.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/31/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ***THE BELOW EMAIL WILL EXPALIN EVERYTHING************************** <*******************>10:59 AM (16 minutes ago)to ***** August 31, 2022 Dear ********************,I spoke to you yesterday via telephone about our interaction on or around June, 17, 2022. Our interaction involved me signing up with your company under the pretense that I would get a handheld credit card machine FOR FREE in addition to paying approximately $25 per month for the service. As per our conversation YOU STATED THIS TO ME and only after that I signed the contract via docusign, you explained that I would have to pay $100 for the machine and still pay $25 monthly,.I explicitly stated I DID NOT WISH TO PAY $100 AND TO CANCEL MY CONTRACT and from our conversation that's what I thought would happen. I just spoke to collections manager ************************* and he specifically stated since YOU signed me up for this unauthorized contract, that it is YOU that has to submit the paperwork to have the fee that I am being charged rescinded.I would appreciate this matter being handled quickly and efficiently as I did not agree to this contract based on the terms you stated after I signed it. I look forward to hearing from you.Thank you,***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/14/2022

   

  As per merchant request, the account was closed, she is not liable for any billing and they are in no contract or lease.

  This matter is closed.