Credit Card Merchant Services
Electronic Merchant SystemsHeadquarters
Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Electronic Merchant Systems's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 96 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 38 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
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Submit a ComplaintThe 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:11/07/2024
Type: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 are filing a complaint against Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) regarding a pending $6,000 in sales processed through their merchant service, which has been held for an extended period without clear or valid justification. The lack of access to these funds has compromised our business’s operations, impacting our ability to meet financial obligations.
We have repeatedly reached out to EMS for an explanation. Unfortunately, our interactions with their representative, *******, have been unhelpful and unprofessional. She has been unable to provide a reasonable explanation for the hold and has even responded with irritation when we asked for clarification. This level of customer service is disappointing and unacceptable, especially given the serious impact of this situation on our business.
Despite holding our funds, EMS continues to charge monthly fees, debiting our bank account without fulfilling their obligation to provide access to our processed payments. This practice is unfair and financially damaging.Customer Answer
Date: 11/20/2024
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, we would like to know your view on the matter.]
Regards,
******* *****
Business Response
Date: 02/21/2025
In accordance with your request, we ask that you accept this letter containing important information
regarding the complaint submitted by **** ******, and the vehicle service contract (“VSC”) referenced
above.
A claim was initiated with our office 11/20/2024 for transmission replacement. As part of the claims
adjudication process the repair facility was advised of the customer’s responsibility, per contract terms
and conditions, for diagnostics and tear down to confirm a covered mechanical breakdown exists. Our
adjuster also conveyed the limit of liability for any transmission claim of up to $2000 on a covered repair
at that time.
During that call tear down was requested to verify a covered mechanical break down exists. If the repair
facility can demonstrate by providing photos of the transmission pan contents and fluid along with a
video of the noise concern reported, that may be sufficient diagnosis to proceed with the claim process.
Our customer service supervisor returned a request for call from *** ****** this morning and left a
detailed voicemail with this information. We have not received a call back at the time of publishing this
letter. A claims adjuster is also reaching out to the repair facility to reiterate the information. We will
await receipt of that infomration to continue with the claims process. Please find the related contract
terms and conditions cited below.
Under the DEFINITIONS section of the Vehicle Service Agreement, it explicitly states:
“MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN means the inability of any covered part(s) or component(s)
to perform the function(s) for which it was designed due to defects in workmanship or materials”
Additionally, within Sections 6 and 12 of the TERMS AND CONDITIONS the language states:
6. LIMITS OF LIABILITY: The limits of liability under the terms of this contract are as
follows, subject to a maximum aggregate limit of $6,500:
12. YOUR OBLIGATIONS: In addition to the other provisions of this Agreement, and
in order to receive Coverage and benefits under the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, You must:
F. Authorize the Licensed Repair Facility to Tear-Down Your Vehicle in order to
determine the cause of failure. You will be responsible for these charges.
Once we have received the requested information from the repair facility, we will review that and proceed
if a cover mechanical breakdown is confirmed.
We are grateful for the privilege of being *** ******’s vehicle service contract administrator and
pleased we were able to clarify this matter.
As always, if *** ****** has any additional questions regarding this claim, she may contact our office
directly by telephone at: ************.Initial Complaint
Date:10/30/2024
Type: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.
We requested to close our merchant account with EMS in July 2024, and they informed us that we would need to wait 90 days after the last transaction on our account, which we agreed to. The last transaction on our account was on July 11, 2024. Despite not processing any transactions with them, they continued charging us $200 every month. As of October 30, 2024, they confirmed that our account had been closed. They had been holding 10% of our sales as a reserve, amounting to $7,543.
On July 11, EMS informed us that they would release these funds after the account was closed and the 90-day waiting period had passed. However, they are now stating that they will not release the funds until December 10. They are withholding our money, which we need to be released to us immediately, as they originally confirmed in July.Customer Answer
Date: 11/05/2024
Hello, I have submitted a complaint against Electronic Merchant Systems with complaint ID ********. The business reached out to resolve the issue, and as of now, they have refunded our money. There is no longer an issue on our end. I request that this complaint be closed since the business has refunded the funds. Thank you very much for your help and cooperation.Initial Complaint
Date:10/15/2024
Type: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.
I spoke to a representative by the name of Nathan on July 8, 2024, and told him to cancel my services with them and that I will no longer be using them. He said that it would be cancel and that a retention specialist will be reaching out to me. As far as I knew my service had been cancelled and that was done. I happened to open a bank statement for the month of September and noticed that there was a charge $85 on my account for September. I called ems the representative Sedrick confirmed that a charge of $85 had been made in august as well. I checked my account and saw that a charge of $107 was made on October 1, 2024. All these charges were made on my account after they had been instructed to close my account. Therefore, I am filing a complaint against EMS and requesting my funds of $277 be returned to my account and my account to be closed immediately.Business Response
Date: 10/25/2024
Dear *** *******,
This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. Per your desired settlement, we have refunded $277.00 in month end fees for the months of July through September.
I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.Sincerely,
*** ** ********Director of Client Services
Initial Complaint
Date:10/11/2024
Type: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.
They stole our money. Mid august they want us to sign new contracts we decided not to, and they stopped sending our daily remittances. It's now mid October and they owe us over 12K and won't even reply to messages and emails to send the cash. I filled out and signed their forms they wanted to close the account- even though their advertising says "other companies charge cancellation fees as high as $250" they are wanting to share us $599 for each of our 3 locations. We are a small business and cant make payroll because of this. Unethical doesn't even come close to what these people are. They are embezzlers and thieves.Business Response
Date: 10/25/2024
Dear *** ********
*** ****** from our Client Services team has made multiple attempts to reach you but was unsuccessful. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing accounts have been closed. We have also refunded a total of $1,785.00 for early termination fees paid.
I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.
Sincerely,
Jon C. B******* Director of Client ServicesInitial Complaint
Date:10/10/2024
Type: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.
Not even sure where to start. I was setup to process payments with EMS on Monday. I immediately processed 2 customer payments. These were customers of mine who signed credit card authorization forms, service agreements, approved invoices, etc. Basically, legit interactions, not random online purchases.
I was told I would receive payouts in 24-48 hours, which was cool by me! They told me they would keep a 10% reserve on my account until it reached $45,000. Once again, cool with me.
The first 2 payments were flagged and they asked for more information about them. Too be expected as I was a new merchant. I immediately provided everything.
The lady who was handling my account in the risk department, Bryana H, then told me she would be calling my customers to verify the transactions. This was upsetting, because if a merchant company called you to verify something, your first thoughts would be, "This is weird, maybe I just paid a shady company".
I gave her both of the customers contact information. She never contacted them. She said she did multiple times, she didn't. They both confirmed they didn't receive anything from her.
I then asked her to call my customers directly, which she reluctantly agreed to. She called one of the client's and verified everything. She then asked him to call his bank and do a 3 way call with her on the line. This of course sketched him out. He just paid us for our services and now the company wants a 3 way call with his bank? He also relayed to me that she provided very limited information and was extremely rude and just generally unhelpful.
Since he felt uncomfortable with that she said the funds would be held until the "chargeback window" was up which to my knowledge is 180 days. Not the 24-48 hours I was originally told.
The other client has told me multiple times they haven't heard from her. She has been awful every step of the way, refusing to put me in touch with a manager. I have zero disputes.
Stay far, far away...Business Response
Date: 10/23/2024
Dear *** ********
This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. No monies are currently held or due. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.
Sincerely,
Jon C. B******* Director of Client ServicesCustomer Answer
Date: 11/04/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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.
Regards,
***** *******Initial Complaint
Date:10/08/2024
Type: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.
We have used EMS to process our debit card transactions since 2017, we have been in good standing the entire time.
EMS drastically increased the fee they charge us for using our account. I called EMS for an explaination and to cancel our acocunt. EMS notified me they require a $595 termination fee because we missed the ONE DAY PER EVERY TWO YEARS that we can terminate the account. He advised (while laughing) we would owe the next 23 months of service fees, we then have to call on the ONE DAY we can cancel the acount 23 months from now, then pay a $595 fee.
We have not used EMS in months and will not pay the monthly fees for an account we do not use. A person from EMS called demanding payment and made a threat they will escelate things if we don't pay. He is intentionally agressive and attempts to be intimidating. All we want is to terminate our contract with no additional fees.Business Response
Date: 10/17/2024
Dear *** *******,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with ***** ***** in our Retention department. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. No monies are currently due. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.
Sincerely,
*** ** ********Director of Client Services
Customer Answer
Date: 10/21/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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.
Regards,
**** *******Initial Complaint
Date:10/03/2024
Type: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.
I own a business and signed up for a merchant account through Electronic Merchant Systems on December 1, 2023 and used it for 2 months. Their emscorporate.com seems to be a sales only site generating leads for agents and POS resellers and provides no post-contract support. After signing the contract, I received no emails or support. When I reached out to the sales agent, he directed me to a toll free number. I called and was only able to leave a message and await a response. I never received a login or email regarding PCI compliance. Never received any after care or monthly bills from EMS. I spoke to a retention specialist whose only job seems to be to explain the cancellation fee and argue about the contract. This company is really just a sales machine and provides no transparency or information. They claim to have mailed information by USPS but I have no record of receipt of the documents. Because their site is a sales site only, I was not able to obtain any information regarding my account or ensure PCI compliance. Their answer when you inquire is essentially "it's your responsibility". Overall, this company does not provide a service and is rather interested only in collecting money and making more sales. They are not a merchant service provider as they have no platform available to access, unless you're interested in selling for them.Business Response
Date: 10/14/2024
Dear *** ***********,
Thank you for taking the time to work with Stacy S**** in our Retention department. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.
Sincerely,
Director of Client Services
Customer Answer
Date: 10/14/2024
[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
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. The business reached out to me and were very understanding and appreciative of the feedback.
Regards,
********* ***********Initial Complaint
Date:08/20/2024
Type: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 signed up with EMS Corporate, few days ago, through Start Merchant Services, the paper out was filled with Zen Payment somehow EMS came into picture.
We were not given any kind of logins, whatsoever, and inspite asking them several time, the thing which they should have delivered proactively, they are kind of not corporating, and putting blame here and their,and logging account is absolutely necessary.Business Response
Date: 09/05/2024
Dear *** *****,
Thank you for your patience as you work with our Risk department. The Risk team is continuing to go through the transaction verification process, along with the refunds that were processed, and the two chargebacks received.
Sincerely,*** ** ********
Director of Client Services
Initial Complaint
Date:08/13/2024
Type: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 EMS company is not good at all for the small business they kicked me out from the market. We lost our customers, employees, business extensions plan etc EVERYTHING. First they told us the rolling reserves are 10% of the total sale you do, We agreed on it, later they holds our money saying chargeback is more than 2% which we understand and tried to sending them all the documentation whatever the chargebacks are coming and here is the twist ( WE ARE WINNING THOSE) still they are counting agains us. THERE IS NOT A SINGLE BUSINESS WITH NO CHARGEBACK. I HAVE NOT SEEN YET. LATER, risk management team says we are releasing you fund on this date, WE NEVER GOT. when i emailed them they said you might never receive it. WHAT IS WRONG, what you mean we wont receive it. Its our money our customer paid for the service we have legal documentation whosoever paid us we are winning those chatgesbacks which are coming WHY WE ARE NOT GETTING OUT MONEY?? NOT EVEN 50%, I am very okay about the company policy, but at least dont kill us as business release 50% so we can make sure chargeback is less then 2% because our whole operation stopped working and we are not able to pay single bill so we have to close the business, I WILL NEVER EVER recommend this EMS TO ANYONE they are not real. i dont understand how bad 35000 merchants are crying with them. Totally waste by trusting them a good company. PLEASE DONT LOSE YOUR MONEY WHOSOEVER READING THIS. THIS COMPANY WILL TAKE YOUR BLOOD AND SWEAT AND GIVE YOU PROFESSIONAL REPLY SAYING SORRY!! $15000 gone like nothing happened. a small business pain is not small.Business Response
Date: 08/14/2024
RECEIVED VIA EMAIL BY BBB STAFF MEMBER:
Good morning ******,
I cannot locate this merchant. Could you request some additional information? Maybe his merchant account number?
Thanks,
**Initial Complaint
Date:08/13/2024
Type: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.
When i was accepted for a merchant account through this company and went through the onboarding process i was told that i was given a 10,000 dollar monthly cap and 10% reserve. Now my first actual sale went through of $1000 and low and behold they have taken their fee of 60 some dollars which is absurd but have put the whole remaining amount in reserve. I never once was told about a "new account hold" or any of this. This company is literally abusing their power and taking advantage of smaller businesses because they know they can and get away with it. Funny how this new account hold and having to verify transactions only relates to me getting paid they take their money out of the transaction even though its not "verified".Business Response
Date: 08/20/2024
Dear *** ******
Thank you for your patience as you work with our Risk department. The Risk team is continuing to go through the transaction verification process. Please be aware Electronic Merchant Systems needs to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti Money Laundering requirements, as these are both bank and regulatory requirements.
I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you choose to transition away from EMS, I will ensure your merchant account is closed without penalty or termination fee.
Sincerely,
*** ** ********
Director of Client Services
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