Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Electronic Merchant Systems's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Electronic Merchant Systems

  250 W Huron Rd Ste 400 Cleveland, OH 44113-1451

  
• 

  Electronic Merchant System

  5000 Mcknight Rd Ste 404 Pittsburgh, PA 15237

• 

  Electronic Merchant Systems

  2520 Independence Blvd Ste 200 Wilmington, NC 28412

• 

  Electronic Merchant Systems

  161 Worcester Rd Ste 304 Framingham, MA 01701

• 

  Electronic Merchant Systems

  8200 W Interstate 10 Ste 602 San Antonio, TX 78230

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:10/24/2023

  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.

  I was in search of a credit card processor for my new website and I found a company called Payment Cloud for this purpose. Payment Cloud opened an account for me and later explained that this service will be provided by another company call Electronic Merchant Services or EMS. They help me register to the EMS platform.
  
  I was supposed to get a code from the EMS platform and place it in my website so that I can start receiving credit card payments from costumers. When the code would not work I complained to Payment Cloud and they told me to ask customer service at EMS.
  
  I had a live chat with support at EMS. After a lengthy effort it still wouldn't work. So I asked to close my account with them. The EMS representative tried to convince me not to but I insisted on closing, he or she said to come back if I changed my mind. I immediately sent an email to Payment Cloud telling them that I have closed with EMS. Payment Cloud responded saying my account was closed. This was back in February.
  
  However I continued to receive the monthly $75 fee from EMS charged directly to my bank account even though I have never used their services and the account should be closed. I called the number on the bill and was told by the EMS representative that the account was closed but later reopened, reopened by who they couldn't say. I firmly told them I want it closed. The rep said they would look into it or pass it up to management.
  
  I called several times over the next few months always getting the run-around. Eventually I reported it to my bank and they placed a stop-payment on the charges that kept coming monthly.
  
  Now that EMS can no longer take money directly out of my bank account I'm getting harassing letters and phone calls asking me to pay for a service I am not using, have never used and that they won't close. It is now September. This has been going on since February.
  
  EMS merchant ID ending: ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/23/2023

  Since reporting this to the BBB EMS has sent a collection agency after me. I call **** with Payment Cloud and asked him to clear things up with EMS, to explain to them that I requested account be canceled months ago and I have never used the service because they could not help me connect it to my website.

  **** called back to say he spoke with the most senior manager at EMS he could reach and he was told there is nothing they can do about it. **** says they claim to have sent a cancelation form but I never received a such a form. In all the phone conversations I had with them about closing my account and stopping charges no one ever mentioned a cancelation form.

  Meanwhile I have also filled a dispute with the collection agency.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/31/2023

  Dear Mr. *****, 

  Thank you for taking the time to work with ***** ***** in our Retention department. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fees. EMS has also initiated a refund in the amount of $615.77. 

  At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved. 

   

  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2023

  [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 ********, to refund me $615.77 and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I await instructions on how to receive my refund.
  
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  
  ******* **
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/28/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  Risk department turned my account off after 2 months. This is crazy. We are a brand-new company. We were just getting started. We didn't know the rules. They do not help small businesses.
  
  The issue is/was we have 2 chargebacks in 2+ months – less than 1 a month. They both were erroneous chargebacks. The risk department refused to listen. We have turned in the paperwork both chargebacks. Details:
  
  Chargeback #1 was for: $922.16 – August. This is a customer of mine. He was one of the first charges of our new account. We had REFUNDED this chargeback 10 days before the chargeback. The customer knew he had a refund and the bank knew this and EMS certainly knew this. The reason for the chargebacks/refund is your Risk Department called him(with out letting me know) and scared him. He did not know who EMS was and did not know the charges because of EMS. I am not sure what they said to him. We refunded the charges the next day after speaking with risk. Then 10 days later his bank charged back the charge. EMS has records of this. Obviously we won the chargeback. This chargeback NEVER should have happened. We still speak with this customer and he will pay us again. Business to business charge.
  
  We turned the paper work in showing this was a good charge.
  
  The Risk Department caused this. Our money was returned from the bank.
  
  Chargeback #2 for: $746.16 – September. This was a good charge as well. The issue is the company’s Office Manager/Account did not recognize the charge on my customer card. She charged back the fees without confirming/asking about the charge. This is a good charge. We turned in the paperwork. We will win the chargeback.
  
  All we are asking is you give us another chance. This is highly unfair. I know we need to get our rate down – however it’s 2 chargeback in 2 months – both were initially good charges.
  
  This company does NOT help small businesses.
  
  We want our account or new account and given a second chance. These we two erroneous chargebacks - the risk depratment refused to listen.
  
  We want to hear from the corporate offices - they need to know what their risk department is doing.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/16/2023

  Dear *** ******, 
  Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. This letter is to confirm that your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been re-opened per your desired settlement. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns. 
  At this time, EMS will consider the matter resolved. 
  

  Sincerely, 

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

  Director of Client Services

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2023

  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.

  *** ******** *******
  A sales representative/agency signed me up for *** payment processing. The representative sent over multiple many pages long document that requires me signing else it will expire. The agent did not even explain what the document contained or was about besides just a "standard payment processing agreement ". Any honest business person will make sure anyone signing a document understands the high-level implications of signing such a document, for ***, this is a 2-year contract with automatic renewal, a cancellation fee of almost $600, and monthly charges of over $130. These implications should be explicitly and verbally explained to anyone signing such a contract. Unfortunately, they prey on anyone who just assumes good intent. I did not know or was aware of all this until my bank flagged their September automatic payment deducted from my bank account as possible fraud and that's when I contacted *** and discovered all about their crazy terms that they make sure you don't know when you sign up! I requested account cancellation and refund and they told me they would email me the form to sign for cancellation. Of course, they didn’t email, and had to call them 3 days in a row to finally receive that cancellation form in my email. I called *** again today and requested refunds for monthly charges for July, August, and September to be refunded and my account was canceled without cancellation fees.
  
  Besides the salesperson testing the account on the web, we NEVER used *** nor did they ever come out physically to our business to install/activate any gateway devices for processing payment!
  
  Such busy practices from *** need to stop!!!. If you're going to have 2years of auto renewal $595 cancellation fees and a $140 monthly fee without verbally explaining to the customer such big financial implications, it calls into question the integrity of *** and if they truly have good intentions for folks who are just trying to start a business.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  Dear *** ****, 

  Thank you for taking the time to work with Stacy Smith in our Retention department. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Syst*** processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. We have also initiated a three month refund of fees. 

  At this time, *** will consider the matter resolved. 

   

  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/08/2023

  [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:09/11/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  My company began using EMS Payment Processing in Feb. 2023. After an extensive screening process including a site evaluation we were approved to process credit cards. We processed successfully for several months and received a chargeback from a customer that did not recognize the charge. Our account was closed on May 4, 2023 due with an explanation that we were high risk due to being a mail order company. This was already known prior to opening our processing account that we were mail order. We had a 10% reserve placed on our account at opening and this money was supposed to be released after 120 days of closing the account. The company only released $739 to our account and stated they can hold the rest for 580 days. This is excessive and we have received no new chargebacks and won't due to the fact we stopped processing. We demand our reserve funds be released immediately as the window of time for a dispute from our customers has passed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/20/2023

  Dear *** ******** 

  As the result of your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account being terminated for an unacceptable charge back ratio, EMS held monies in reserve as part of our risk mitigation. EMS released $739.47 on 9/7/23 and will review the account in 30 days to determine the release of the remaining balance. 

   

  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2023

  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.

  Cancellation of the service that they provide was almost impossible; after months and thousands of dollars spent on a product that was not used, however they did make sure to continue the monthly service fee - even after they had been told to no longer debit the account. Product was only used for a very brief period of time and cancellation was requested. The cancellation fee was a ridiculous amount for the use of a product for a short period of time. We are requesting that all of our funds are returned to us.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2023

  Dear Ms. ********, 

  Thank you for taking the time to work with ***** ***** in our Retention department. This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has now been closed. The account remained open as multiple cancellation forms were sent out to your business but were never signed and returned. EMS has made a business decision to initiate a refund per your desired settlement. 

  At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved. 

   

  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2023

  [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:07/31/2023

  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.

  We’ve expresse* numerous times before an* *uring our 2-year contract which began May 2021 that we woul* not be renewing with EMS. We've experience* several issues with the billing an* software throughout our contract. The reason we initially chose EMS was *ue to the one-on-one attention through an Account Manager an* another local business to receive equipment/assistance more quickly.
  Our Account Manager was a*vise* in person an* over the phone again an* again throughout the contract which was one of the purposes we were tol* why we ha* an Account Manager for communication. *uring the signing of our contract, it was specifie* that we woul* pay for our equipment to own at the en* of our contract. We were never a*vise* that we nee*e* to communicate with someone else about not renewing our contract because 1) that was not the original terms of the contract an* 2) we worke* only with the Account Manager from *ay one even before the changes that were internally ma*e with EMS. An* we were never tol* to reach out separate from our Account Manager to EMS about our contract en*ing.
  Now we are being tol* that EMS has automatically renewe* us with another 2-year contract which is furthest from what our agreement was speaking with our Account Manager. We've also expresse* at the en* of our contract that we were looking for other options outsi*e of EMS for our transaction nee*s.
  We also inquire* about a monthly option using SwipeSimple since our business nee*s have change* an* were met with aggressive *eman*s of showing proof of not wanting to renew in writing an* being force* into a new contract. Over the past weeks in June/July 2023, we’ve forwar*e* emails to the Sales Retention *ept., spoke with our Account Manager, as well as ma*e attempts to contact corporate to en* this situation with a ticket# ******* that was provi*e*, but no one is calling us back. We woul* no longer like to continue any relationship with EMS an* want this ongoing issue resolve*.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2023

   *ear Ms. ***,

  This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been close* without penalty or early termination fee. 
  At this time, EMS will consi*er this matter resolve*. 

  
  Sincerely,

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

  *irector of Client Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/07/2023

  
  
  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewe* the response ma*e by the business in reference to complaint I* ********, an* fin* that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  
  
  Regar*s,
  
  
  
  * ***
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/29/2023

  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.

  Ive been with ems for about a year. They are outrageously high in price and and ive been trying to cancel for months. They gave me the phone number to their help desk and they lead me around every time and would not ever transfer me where needed.. I never even used their service as my site didnt do that well. Recently i had a medical emergency come up and have been unable to pay for a few months(which somehow racked up to 400 dollars when its only 30 a month and no transacations have been made and attached a almost 600 dollar cancellation fee.. i cannot afford this and this company should be ashamed of these terrible business practices. Do not work with them.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2023

  Dear *** ********, 
  This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed as the result of returned month end fees. At this time EMS will not pursue collections, and will consider this matter resolved. 

  
  Sincerely,  

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

  Director of Client Services

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2023

  [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:07/14/2023

  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.

  I used this business as my Credit card processing company to process my CCs I accepted at my business. I was offered a much lower rate by another company so I accepted only to find that I was "auto renewed" into a contract with EMS every year and I did not know that. Then when I tried to pay the cancelation fee the price kept going up with every person I got in contact with. Then they told me to provide documentation of my new rates and told me they would cancel my contract for free if they could not beat the new rates so I provided the info requested and they just keep moving the goal post in other words. They keep changing what they want and want from me all the while I am paying their monthly fees. And the scam goes further, I have to perform an online security check for them and I always do this but if I dont do it I get charged and extra 35-40$ per month, well I am still dong the online security checks ups for them but now all of the sudden I dont pass the check ups and I am getting charged the extra money. I have a bunch of emails as documentation of all of this and the flaming hoops they had me jump through. They hid the fact I was auto renewed into another contract and are playing games making me get a bunch of info and telling me I need more info, the cancelation fee started at like 300$ and is now 700$

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/21/2023

  Dear *** **********,

  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. 
  At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved. 

  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/21/2023

  [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:07/09/2023

  Type:Billing 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.

  Dear Electronic Merchant Systems (EMS) Customer Service,
  
  I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to inform you that I have fulfilled the terms of my 18-month contract agreement with EMS and have decided not to renew my contract. As a result, I kindly request the following actions be taken:
  
  1. Contract Termination: Please consider this email as my official notice of contract termination. I would appreciate it if you could confirm the termination date in your response.
  
  2. Fee Reimbursement: I request a reimbursement for "semi-annual tech upgrade and update" $75 fee. As I will no longer be utilizing EMS services, I believe it is fair to receive a refund for this fee.
  
  3. Release of Rolling Reserve Funds: Upon account closure, I kindly request the release of all funds held in the rolling reserve associated with my account. Please provide information on the process and timeline for this.
  
  Furthermore, I would like to express my disappointment with the overall experience I have had while conducting business with EMS. Unfortunately, my time as your customer has been unsatisfactory and has not met my expectations.
  
  I would appreciate prompt action on the aforementioned matters, as well as a written confirmation of the actions taken. Kindly respond to this email or contact me at the phone number associated with my account to discuss any further details or clarification you may require.
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/19/2023

  Dear Ms. *********

  This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing account has been closed without penalty or early termination fee. All monies held in reserve have been released. 
  At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved.

  
  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 have been a customer since 2019. We have had a plethora of customer service issues in the recent months. Our banking information was deleted and we stopped receiving deposits. This issue alone took weeks to resolve. We then had to fill out all new banking information and supply voided checks, even though it was the same account and we never changed it in the first place. We asked several different agents how our bank information was changed/deleted in the first place and never got an answer. Most recently, we were updating information for a single location and the agent called the account contact person (Greg Ventrice) at a different location to verify, but he was not expecting the call and said he wasn't sure because he did not have anything to do with that location. While totally true, it was inferred by customer service that he did not have anything to do with the "company", when in fact he was only referring to the specific location, and that then started a whole different problem because of that misunderstanding, which resulted in the disabling of the terminal for that location. We tried calling customer service multiple times, but were redirected in an endless loop that always ended in a voicemail box where messages went unreturned. That was the last straw. It was easier to change vendors than keep trying to explain stuff and correct their misunderstandings. Their customer service has fallen off a cliff. Most issues take 2 or 3 different agents to resolve simple problems. We told the agents a number of times in the last few months that if customer service did not improve we were changing vendors. We were serious. They are now attempting to charge us $$595-795 per location (4) as a result of our notification that we have changed vendors and are cancelling services. This is unacceptable, as it is their non-performance under our agreement that resulted in our cancellation. Active Ticket number with them for cancellation is *******.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2023

  Dear Mr. *******,

  This letter is to confirm your Electronic Merchant Systems processing accounts have been closed without penalty or early termination fees. I would like to apologize for any inconvenience. 
  At this time, EMS will consider this matter resolved. 

  
  Sincerely,

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

  Director of Client Services