LEADERS

Review: Shady business. All of a sudden an $35 fee was added to our October statement. We called customer relation, they said we were notified on our September statement. We pulled out the September statement, there was nothing about a $35 increased on that statement. The representative then say we were given a 60 days notice as courtesy. We dug through our Leaders statements and we couldn't find our August statement. They then say then would lower the rate to $25 instead, and there would be a $350 cancellation fee if we were to cancel our account with them.Desired Settlement: Please have them send out formal notifications to customers before additional charges occur. And remove the cancellation charges when similar situation happens.

Business

Response:

LEADERS would like to address the merchants concerns that they did not receive a notification of our rate and fee increase. The rate and fee increase was in fact sent to all our merchants via their August statement. The statement message states "We would also like to take this opportunity to advise you of certain amendments to the terms of your merchant processing agreement which will become effective October 1, 2013......"

If the merchant did not receive their August statement by the 10th day of September they should have contacted customer service and a copy would have been provided to them. A Majority of important information is conveyed to our merchants via our statements so it is important that the merchants check their statements each month. LEADERS has already worked with the merchant to lower the fee that was increased in October. The cancellation charge cannot be removed as it is a part of the merchant’s contract. LEADERS wishes the merchant much success and considers this complaint resolved and closed.

VERY DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING!! They advertise rates starting as low as .335%. That may be the case, but if the card is "this" type of card or "that" type of card, there may be more fees. I have been a customer of theirs for 2 months, and the first statement I received showed an effective rate of 4.75%. I was paying that with my old processor! I decided that I would not use them and stopped halfway through the 2nd month and to my dismay, I just received a statement that showed an effective rate of 5.6% for the month.

I decided to discontinue their service and once again a surprise! I was told that was fine but I would incur a termination fee of $350.00! Surprise, I had a 3 year contract. Now this is a lot my own fault, but I guarantee had the person I talked to originally on the phone said ANYTHING about a 3 year contract, I would have run as fast as I could. I'm 64 years old and don't plan on being in business but for another 2 years at most. I'm sure that it is in the mountain of paperwork that I received concerning the term of the agreement but in this day and age, you can get too trusting with people you talk to on the phone.

At any rate, as I said, I shoulder a lot of the blame but it will be worth $350.00 to be separated from this company.

DON'T BE FOOLED BY WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOW RATE! THE OLD ADAGE "IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" CERTAINLY APPLIES TO THIS OUTFIT!!

I was very pleased with the service that I received when talking to a physical person on the phone . My account executive was very pleasant and had full knowledge of the service that Leaders Merchants represents.

Thanks! I had a great experience setting up my credit card processing with you. You were helpful, thorough and knowledgeable!

Review: This complaint explains the poor customer service and misrepresentation I received from Leader's, The Merchant Services company. This is a company which I was considering for their online credit card processing services.I initially open an account with Leader's in January 2013. I spoke with a young man named Chris on two separate occasions. I had extensive questions regarding their services which he was able to answer well. I was still a little hesitant because I was concerned about extra fees. I had done some research which suggested I ask the company if there where any fees that where not apparent. When I asked him this question directly, on 3 separate occasions, he promised that there were no additional fees. There would only be the monthly service fee of $5.00. Feeling reassured, I went forward with opening the account. Three months later, I noticed a $129.00 fee on my account. I called the company to inquire about this fee. I was told it was an annual fee that kicks in after the account was open for three months. My first phone call to Leader's was on April 9, 2013. I spent over 40 minutes on the phone being transferred back and forth between people. Finally, someone took my number stating that the wait time was long and promised that I would receive a call back within 1-2 hours. I received no phone call back that day. My 2nd phone call took place on April 10, 2013. Another 40 minutes on the phone with at least 6 transfers. On women said she could refund $Desired Settlement: I would like the $129.00 annual fee refunded.Although I did sign a service contract, I asked three times before doing so whether there were any additional fees.At the time of the account opening, I was lied to, the fees were misrepresented, and I received extremely poor and inconsistent customer service when trying to solve the issue.

Business

Response:

LEADERS regrets the merchant has had a bad experience with our company. After listening to the phone conversations between the merchant and the representative we have learned that the representative did not explain the $129.00 annual PCI compliance fee to the merchant. The merchant asked if there were any more monthly fees and the representative told her no because there were no more monthly fees. We can understand how this would be confusing so as a good faith gesture LEADERS will waive $72.45 of the collection balance owed to us since the month end fees for March in the amount of $136.95 rejected unpaid. The merchant was already refunded $64.50 of the $129.00 fee and LEADERS will continue to collect the $64.50 that was refunded in

error. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Review: On August 6th I spoke with [redacted] who explained the credit card rate and terms with me. Mike stated there will be no charge until September. Mike stated my monthly charge will be $7.95 plus a percentage per transaction.I agreed to the terms which were stated to me. My first and second bill came due, both bills were accurate per Mike's statements. After reviewing my checking account I realized $129.00 was debited out of my account. When I called customer service and asked why this was deducted they stated this was an annual fee. At this point I did not receive my monthly statement prior to the deduction. I explained since I did not have a contact with them I wish to cancel my business.On November 18th a contract with an electronic signature, was sent to my e-mail. I have never seen this contract nor did I sign this contract. In addition the cancellation form was also sent. Again without my knowledge I was then charged an additional $350.00. My initial conversation with Mike I asked about all fee's related to this account. I was intentionally misinformed and was not given the opportunity to cancel within the legal time frame allowed to meThank youSincerely[redacted]Desired Settlement: I am asking you to review my comments and investigate my claim. I wish to no longer be involved with this business as I can no longer trust the company. I am also asking for a refund in the amount of $479.00 be debited back to my checking account. Thank you

Business

Response:

LEADERS endeavors to provide the highest quality services to our merchants and to resolve any and all complaints as efficiently as possible. LEADERS has reviewed the merchants complaint, signed merchant agreement and all calls that were recorded between the merchant and her sales representative. To ensure full disclosure during the application process, LEADERS created an Online Application. During this Online Application process, on their electronic screen, the merchant can clearly and easily see each and every rate and fee as well as the complete terms and conditions applicable to the Merchant Account they will be opening with us. In addition, once the merchant completes the Online Application, they are sent a link via the same email the application was sent to that will allow them to print a hard copy of the documents they signed. These documents also include the Rates, Fees, Terms and Conditions for their Merchant Account. Since the application sent to the merchant was an electronic application via a secure link the merchant signed the application electronically. Her signature on the application will not look like her actual signature since it is an electronic signature. LEADERS takes pride in the security of our online application and if the merchant feels someone has fraudulently signed her name to the application then she would need to file a police report for fraud, since 5 security questions are asked about the merchants personal identity via the online application. When the merchant spoke with our customer service representative she stated she did not have a copy of the contract she signed so a copy was sent to her, along with the cancellation form. The contract states the merchant had a $350.00 ETF if her account was closed within the first year of the 3 year contract. If the merchant had wanted to close her account prior to the day she called in she could have called at any time. We have no record of the merchant asking about closing her account prior to November 18th, only that she already had another processor. As a good faith gesture LEADERS will refund the $350 ETF that the merchant owed to LEADERS when she decided to go with a different processor and close her account . The merchant should see her refund in 7-10 business days. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9817775, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

I used Leaders last winter to process credit cards remotely for my small seasonal B&B. Things started out okay, but quickly went downhill when I had to process my first batch. It was a four month nightmare of dozens of phone calls a day, horrific customer service, and nearly single-handedly sunk my new small business. They held all my money, had me jump through ridiculous hoops, contacted my customers without my permission or knowledge, and became completely and deliberately inaccessible when they knew I had an issue to discuss. I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, especially in the tough business of customer service, but these people had me reduced to frustrated tears on several occasions. They make cable and internet companies look like angels. Terrible transparency and even worse service. They do have low fees, but it would definitely be worth a higher fee to use a better company.

Review: This company hides a ridiculous amount of fees in their contract. Once I figured out that I could not afford to pay the hundreds of dollars a month in fees just to get my own money, they withdrew $350 out of my account. There was not even enough in there and my account was overdrawn. This is just another low down corporate scam that hides behind contracts to steal money from people.Desired Settlement: This company has cost me hundreds of dollars in fees. I want my money that was stolen from my account.

Business

Response:

As one of the largest and fastest growing processors in the nation, LEADERS strives to ensure each merchant is provided with the highest quality merchant services. LEADERS has reviewed the merchants complaint and the signed contract. There are no hidden fees in the contract, all monthly fees are clearly stated in the simple 4 page contract. The merchant could have avoided the Monthly NON- Compliance Fee she was being billed by simply completing her mandatory PCI Survey and Scan as applicable. The merchant was sent monthly reminders on her merchant statement and was even reminded to do it verbally within the first 3 months of her account being open. Since the merchant did not complete the PCI compliance survey she was billed a monthly NON-Compliance Fee. The Early Termination Fee the merchant was billed in the amount of $350 was also mentioned in the contract, once on page 2 and in detail on page 3 of the contract. As a Good Faith Gesture, LEADERS will refund the merchants last 2 months of month end fees totaling $172.80. Since LEADERS does not want to cause financial hardship to the merchant, as a final Good Faith Gesture LEADERS will refund half of the Early Termination Fee in the amount of $175. The total refund to the merchant will be $346.80

Review: This organization provided misleading and misinformation when we applied for a credit card processing account.Did not inform us there was an annual $98 "membership" fee, or that there was an $8 per month account fee, nor that the contract had a 1 year cancellation policy and a $350 cancel fee.They did provide and E-Mail with a web link to the contract which did not work, and when requested by E-Mail on four different occasions we still never received a contract.The have since put a $350 cancel fee on our bank account causing us to be in a deficit, and we're a small non-profit and $350 does not come easy, and because we never received a contract copy or proof of anything we want this money refunded immediately.Desired Settlement: We want a refund of this $350.00 cancellation fee.business entity involved is:Veterans-For-Change, Inc.[redacted] Broadstone WayMenifee, CA [redacted]-8870

Business

Response:

Leaders Merchant Services strives to provide every merchant with the highest quality merchant services possible, and to receive a complaint such as this is disheartening. As a result of this complaint LEADERS has investigated what the merchant has been billed versus what was in their contract. All rates and fees billed to the merchant were part of their signed contract. LEADERS ensures each merchant has a copy of their signed contract e-mailed to them immediately after they sign and submit the contract. The email address the signed copy is sent to is the same e-mail the application was sent. LEADERS is unsure as to why the merchant would have any issues opening this link as we have not had any problems with that in the past. LEADERS has sent the merchant copies of the contract as requested to the e-mail address requested, we are not sure why the merchant is not receiving the copy of the contract. We will mail a copy of the contract to the address on the account. LEADERS has done nothing misleading, but as a good faith gesture LEADERS will refund the $350 ETF that was billed to the merchant as soon as it clears our reject report. If the ETF does not clear the merchants bank account LEADERS will waive the collection balance that is currently owed and the $350 that did not clear from our collection department. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed and wishes the merchant much success.

Business

Response:

Per LEADERS response to the merchant’s complaint on 6/5/2014 LEADERS processed a refund for the $350 ETF billed to the merchant. As per our response the refund would be processed as soon as we had confirmation that the fee had cleared our reject report. A refund in the amount of $350.00 was processed on 6/6/2014 and the tracing number for the deposit is [redacted]069734. Per our records the funds were deposited on 6-6-2014. LEADERS also mailed a copy of the signed contract to the merchant for his records since he was unable to open the link sent to him. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10077159, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: Leaders Merchant services was very dishonest with promoting their services. On the phone I was quoted specific pricing for processing credit cards. I even double and triple checked on the phone. Everything seemed in order when they sent the contract. Admittedly, some of the jargon was difficult to understand. After 4 months of credit card processing at more than double the quoted rate, I cancelled the service. The cancellation form and the account rep said nothing of a cancellation fee. I just noticed a $350 cancellation fee at my bank though and that tipped me over the edge. I will do anything I can to ensure no one ever uses Leaders to process cards. The employees are dishonest and the company hides fees within their contract. Terrible company to work with.Desired Settlement: I want my $350 cancellation fee back as a minimum. Leaders did not hold up their agreement as I understood it. I was lied to by their sales person Ryan Moss. Over the few months of service, I was charged more than $400 OVER what I was quoted based on the processing volume. That's what led me to leave. They mis-represented themselves and I am on the verge of taking legal action. I believe I'm entitled to $750+ in reimbursement but will settle for the $350 for the cancellation fee just to move on.

Business

Response:

LEADERS strives to provide the highest quality merchant services in the nation. We regret that a merchant has had to complain to the Revdex.com to get the assistance needed and will strive to make sure this does not happen in the future. All fees billed to the merchant were explained and disclosed to the merchant via the signed merchant agreement or the statement message. The merchant received a link to download his signed merchant agreement once he submitted it to LEADERS. The link was sent to the same e-mail the merchant used at the time of application. If the merchant found the information confusing or did not understand the information in his contract he should not have signed the contract or asked his sales representative for more information. The $350 Early Termination Fee is clearly stated in the merchant’s signed agreement, but as a good faith gesture LEADERS will refund the $350 Early Termination Fee to the merchant per his request in this complaint. The merchant should expect to receive the refund within 7-10 business days. LEADERS wishes the merchant much success with their business considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Review: When I was approached by Leaders I was very specific about how small my business is and how infrequently I need merchant services. I was very specific that I wanted no monthly fee. That I was searching for something like the square, that would be compatible with my device, that only charged you based on your usage. I was assured that this was the case. Once I received the device I found it wasn't compatible with my Kindle, though I had been assured it would be. I called and wanted to close my account as the device wasn't compatible. Then they began taking money out of my account monthly. I called and they told me this was standard. I requested again that my account be closed. I was told I had to fill out paperwork. I told them that as I could open an account, and they could begin taking money from me, without my signature, they should also be able to close my account. No such luck. They have taken several hundred dollars from me for a service I have never used and I have asked to have closed on more than one occasion. In the two most recent months they have taken $86.90 each month.I was mislead in the beginning. I was assured the device would work with my Kindle, it didn't. As a representative he should have known that. I was told I wouldn't need to make monthly payments, I have. In a subsequent conversation with someone else I was told that there isn't an option to pay only for what you use. So the original person lied to me to get me to use their services. I think it is highly unethical for a company to make it so easy for someone to join so that they can take your money, and then not so easy to stop. It is, after all, my account and my money.Desired Settlement: I would like all the fees that they charged me refunded.

Business

Response:

LEADERS strives to ensure each of our merchants receive the highest quality service in the industry. LEADERS has reviewed this merchants complaint along with our account records. According to our records it is true the merchant was told that our swiper would work with her Kindle Fire. At the time the Kindle Fire was on our compatibility list but we have since been informed the Kindle Fire is not compatible with our system. This account was opened in January 2013. The merchant contacted LEADERS on 3/11/2013 to close her account. The merchant was given closing procedures and a one time courtesy refund of $7.95, her monthly fee for February. The merchant never sent in a signed closure letter which is required to close the account. The merchant had to electronically sign her application to set up her account and the program guide the merchant agreed to adhere to by signing her contract clearly states a signed closure request is required to close the account. The merchant refused to send in a signed closure request to have the account closed so the account remained open. The account could have been used at any point it was open with a different device such as a smart phone or tablet. The monthly fee was clearly stated in the merchants signed agreement and all fee increases have been sent to the merchant via the monthly statement she has received each month and/or letters to the merchant. LEADERS has already issued a courtesy refund when the account was opened due to the confusion about her monthly fees and the non-compatibility issues and gave the merchant closing procedures, the merchant did not comply with closing her account properly so therefore the merchant is not due any refunds on her account. As a good faith gesture LEADERS will take this complaint as a written request to close the merchants’ account and we will waive the $250 Early Termination Fee due to LEADERS for closing the account prior to the end of her 3 year contract. As an additional good faith gesture LEADERS will refund $256.75 in monthly fees to the merchant. The merchant should see the refund in 5-7 business days. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Consumer

Response:

Review: 10043319

I am rejecting this response because:

I have been in and out of town and trying to gather the information from my bank to dispute Leader’s response. I have gathered the documentation and it is as I thought, Leader’s wanted very much to settle for $250 when in fact they have taken $1,153.10 in fees from my account for an account I was never able to use because our devices were not compatible.

Leader’s knew the devices were incompatible right away and should have closed my account out of courtesy. I am appalled that a company, knowing this, would then begin to draw money out of my account and consider holding that customer to a perceived three year contract.

When I opened my account with Leader’s I was very clear on what I wanted and expected. I had a square for my husband’s IPad and wanted something similar for my Kindle Fire HD. The representative assured me that Leader’s had a similar program where they only charged you for usage, no monthly fees and no commitment. I was clear that I wanted no monthly fees as I would only use the device a hand full of times a year for events and had no desire to pay beyond usage. I was assured this would be the case. Yes, I should have read the contract before providing an electronic signature. But we had already discussed all of the terms and conditions I wanted and he had assured me that those conditions were in the contract. And there is pressure. The representative is on the phone waiting. And how much of their “legal speak” are we going to really understand?

Yes, I should have signed the account closure form and sent it in. I was mad and being very passive aggressive. I was willing to write off the $7.95 a month in fees over a principle and a temper tantrum. This checking account doesn’t have much activity, so obviously I wasn’t keeping a very close eye on things. I was willing to write that off.

I was mislead by their initial representative and taken advantage of. Leader’s commented in the e-mail that though I never used their services, I could have at any time. With what? My device wasn’t compatible and they knew it. Yes, I could have gotten a new device that was compatible, but then I would have had to call them to set it up and they would have been aware that I would begin using their services.

So, for a customer that was mislead about their services in the beginning and never able to use their services I was taken to the cleaners for $1,153.10 in 17 months!! That is craziness!! They would have gladly continued to take my money and would have held me to the three year contract as well. From my perspective this has been one of the most unethical interactions I have had with a company.

And, to add insult to injury, they had no problem closing this account after I contacted the Revdex.com, without the “required” signed document.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Per LEADERS' previous response sent to the Revdex.com regarding this merchant's complaint we have already refunded the last 3 months of fees on her account as a good faith gesture, totaling $256.75. As a final good faith gesture LEADERS waived the $250 ETF the merchant was responsible to pay. As explained by our previous response it is required by the merchant to sign a closure letter for LEADERS to close their account. The merchant did sign her contract to begin her account electronically but we do not have the closure process set up on electronic signature so a signed closure letter is required. As a courtesy LEADERS accepted the Revdex.com complaint as a signed request to close her account. LEADERS has explained to the merchant how to close her account properly and since the merchant did not properly close her account, the merchant account continued being billed. LEADERS does not owe the merchant any further refunds. It is the merchants responsibility to adhere to the agreement she signed. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Review: I signed a merchant services agreement with Leaders Merchant Services in July 2012. The agreement I accepted had the $25 service fee waived due to us being a seasonal business. Everything was setup for an $11/mo fee for the 1 year agreement. I received notices/invoices from Leaders up to October 2012. I had setup automatic payments from our bank for the monthly fee of $11. I received no other invoices from Leaders Merchant Services until one at the end of March 2013. This Notice/Invoice was for a great deal more ($82.95) than the agreed upon $11.00 for the agreement I had originally agreed to with Leaders Merchant Services. I called Leaders on April 13, 2013 at 1:50 PM EST and spoke with Jennifer F. about the obvious discrepancy and was told that my account had been reassessed in November 2012. This information was not sent to me. I asked for any kind of tracking information that Leaders had to verify them notifying me of these changes to the agreement or a "30 day" window to discontinue my account. Jennifer F. said that the notice was sent and could offer no verification other than her personal word. I said that is not good enough when legally changing an agreement between to parties. I found out when I went into my bank, that my bank had flagged the new amounts as possible fraudulent activity and denied the automatic payments. I called Leaders on April 18, 2013 at 11:20 AM EST and spoke with Veronica. I informed her that my bank had flagged the new amounts as fraudulent and denied the payments. I again asked for any verification of the notice of the changes to the agreement and was transferred to Beau in customer care. Beau informed me that the original agreement terms did show the service fees being waived for the year and the agreed upon monthly fee of $11.00 and would get it straightened out for me. I called back on April 26, 2013 at 11:50 Am EST and spoke with Christina. She sent me a copy of the November 2012 Invoice. I have not used the service since 2012.Desired Settlement: I would like my account zeroed as of the date of the agreement changes and closed with no further action or billing. This is bad business and possibly Interstate Fraud. I just want my account closed and ALL FEES zeroed out from January 2013 to present.

Business

Response:

Leaders Merchant Services, LLC, diligently endeavors to provide superior merchant processing services founded on outstanding business relationships with its merchants; we are therefore, very disappointed to have received a complaint of this nature. In our efforts to resolve the issues the merchant has had with our company, LEADERS has thoroughly reviewed our Merchant Service records and the merchant’s signed Agreement. The Agreement, formed by the 4-page Merchant Application, the Intake Form and Merchant Services' “Program Guide”, clearly reflects all rates and fees that LEADERS has billed the merchant. In addition, LEADERS notified the merchant of all fee or processing cost increases at least 30 days in advance via his merchant processing statement. Pursuant to sections 17.5 and 22.3 of the Merchant Service’ “Program Guide” LEADERS may adjust processing rates or fees provided that the merchant is provided 30 days notice. The merchant signed and accepted the Agreement in July 2012 in doing so, the merchant acknowledged that he read, reviewed and agreed to the terms of Agreement now being disputed in this complaint. Per the Merchant Services’ “Program Guide”, the merchant has 30 days to dispute or close account upon receiving notice of a rate or fee increase. A notice of the fee increase was sent to the merchant in his November merchant statement and was effective for January 1, 2013. LEADERS has always mailed the merchant’s statements to the same address we currently have on file for him. We mail them usually between the 1st and 10th of the month. If for some reason the merchant did not receive a statement he could have called customer service and a copy would have been re-sent. It is the customers responsibility to let us know if he is not receiving statements as this is how we communicate with our merchants. The merchant called on 4/13/2013 and stated he did not get statements, he was then sent a copy. The merchant’s account is now closed and as a good faith gesture we have waived the $350 Early Termination Fee due to LEADERS because his account was closed prior to his contract being completed. The merchant still owes LEADERS $82. 95 for his March month end fees. The merchants bank paid the January and February month end fees, we are not sure why the March month end fees would have been cause for alarm at his bank when they were the same amount as the January and February fees, but as a final good faith gesture LEADERS will also waive the $82.95 in collections. The merchant is responsible for all other fees his account incurred while it was open. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9561655, and find that this resolution is satisfactory if no other statements, invoices or bills from LEADERS are created, invoiced or sent to me or any other entity in the attempt to solicit or collect any money from me.

Regards,

Review: I signed up to be able to do credit card processing for my side business. I had signed an electronic contract and was verbally told the fee was only $11.00 per month. When I received my February 28th statement there was an additional fee of $129.00. I called to complain and they claimed there is an annual fee of $129.00 in addition to the $11.00 fee. I asked them to remove it and they wouldn't. I asked to cancel and they said there is a $300.00 cancellation fee. I tried to access the electronic agreement and was unable to. I called the next day and asked them to send a copy of the signed agreement showing that I agreed to the $129.00 annual fee. To date I still do not have a copy, and do not recall seeing an annual fee listed on the agreement I signed. In addition I had numerous issues with them sending the equipment in a timely manner. They sent the equipment too late and I was unable to process credit cards when needed. Their customer service has been terrible and they do not seem to care about my business. I would cancel their service if I could afford to.Desired Settlement: I would prefer to be refunded the $129.00 and to cancel their service at no charge. I am very unhappy with their service and would prefer to take my business elsewhere.

Business

Response:

LEADERS is a leader in the Merchant Services Industry. We stand behind our services 100%. The fees involved in providing our services are minimal to our merchants. The $129 annual PCI compliance fee charged to merchants in their third month of processing is to cover the cost incurred to ensure the merchant is PCI complaint and ensure the merchant does not have issues with fraud or stolen credit card information through their terminal. As the credit card industry moves further into the technological world there is more risk of the information sent to the processors being hacked and used fraudulently. The Credit Card industry has set new standards to ensure the cardholders information does not get broken into and compromised, with that is a substantial cost. To keep processing costs down LEADERS bills merchants a $129.00 annual fee to cover the cost of keeping their merchant account safe from outside invasion and possible costly fraud situations. The PCI compliance fee is clearly stated in each merchants’ contract on page 3. The contract is sent to the merchant via a link to the same e-mail the application was sent to. LEADERS has also sent a copy of the signed contract to the merchant on 2 different occasions. We apologize if the merchant did not receive the copy of her contract but as a good faith gesture we will refund the $129.00 that was received from the merchant to cover this fee. The merchant should see their refund in 7-10 business days. As a final good faith gesture LEADERS will close the merchants account per the request of this complaint and waive the $350 ETF owed by the merchant. LEADERS wishes the merchant much success with their business and considers this complaint resolved and closed.

LEADERS is a dishonest and deceitful company. I was told they normally charge a $7.95 monthly fee, but could waive it by giving me a slightly higher per transaction fee. I agreed to a per transaction credit card processing fee. One month later, I received a statement showing no transactions, but they took $32.95 out of my bank account! They lied to me and stole from me!

Review: Sales person did not disclose that the term was 3 yrs. was told the term was apr-aug. To terminate contract for misrepresentation the will charge $350.Desired Settlement: Request to terminate contract due to the misrepresentation of the sales person without a fee charged to account

Business

Response:

LEADERS regrets the merchant felt a need to contact the Revdex.com about his contract issues with us. We have reviewed the complaint as well as the phone calls and contract the merchant signed. The contract clearly states that it was a 3 year contract with applicable termination fees. While listening to the phone calls the representative told the merchant he could do a seasonal account where it the account was active the months he needed it and then on a hold the months he did not. The representative never told the merchant that the contract was only for April- August. As a good faith gesture and to resolve this complaint as quickly as possible LEADERS will take this complaint as confirmation the merchant wants his account closed and close his account. We will waive the $350 ETF as part of our good faith gesture. LEADERS considers this complaint resolved and closed and wish the merchant much success with his business.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10043318, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: I have had a charge from LEADERS for $9.75 for many years. I always believed that it was a monthly fee for the merchant account LinkPontCentral I signed up with around 2004. When I cancelled the merchant account which by then had changed name and I had moved, I expected the charge to stop. But it didn't..... when I contacted my bank they told me to contact LEADERS at 805-987-9191. However when I got hold on to customer service they claimed that they didn't have any records of my company and I gave them everything I had, old and new address, business name, phone numbers, bank account number, tax id, social security number etc. NOTHING, actually they got pretty rude claiming my bank should look better into their files to where my money are going every month.. My bank says that it is a special kind of transaction that require a contract.I asked LEADERS if they could provide me with old business names, or if the company had been bought or sold in the past 10 years. She couldn't provide me with that information.I am at loss they keep charging me but they don't have records of me ever been a customer.Desired Settlement: I would like never to be charged again and get a refund for the past year.

Business

Response:

Leaders Merchant Services LLC, is one of the top merchant services providers in the country and we regret that our merchant has had to file a complaint with the Revdex.com to resolve her issues. The merchant in fact opened a merchant account with CardService International through our company called CardService LEADERS in Jan 2003. When the merchant signed up with that account she also signed a contract for CardService LEADERS Premium Customer Care product for $9.75 a month. This service is transferrable if a merchant closes their merchant account because it offers free terminal support and products for any terminals. In the merchants contract it did state that if she closed her merchant account with CardService International she would also need to contact CardService LEADERS separately to cancel this service if she no longer wanted to have it. The merchant never contacted CardService LEADERS who eventually became LEADERS Merchant Services LLC. We apologize if our customer service was not aware of these types of accounts, we do not get very many calls about them. We will make sure our customer service department is trained again on how to look up these accounts and how to assist the callers. As a good faith gesture LEADERS will stop the automatic draft for the $9.75 PCC the merchant has been billed for and we will refund her one year of service. The total refund will be $117. The merchant should see the refund in 7-10 business days. LEADERS wishes the merchant much success and considers this complaint resolved and closed.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9899081, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

Review: I filled out an application for merchant processing. Underwriting had a problem with the application so I started working with another provider. The agent from Leaders and the agent from the second processing company each brought up points making me question the honesty of the other. I had told both processors that I was going to investigate the claims each of them made fully and get back to them. I decided not to with either company and I informed them of that.Then I get a notice that the underwriting at Leaders approved the application and they automatically created 2 merchant accounts although I didn't sign a contract. James Gilbert knew that I was not settled on him and yet they continued with underwriting.They are now trying to make me sign documents to close an account that they never should have started because I never signed a contract. I filled out an application. If it were a sure thing in doing so then why would it have had to go through underwriting? I just want to be done with this company. Leap payments (the other merchant provider) has not bothered me at all over deciding not to go with them and I filled out an application with them too. Leaders just needs to leave me alone.Desired Settlement: They need to close any accounts they set up WITHOUT authorization and stop harassing me! I will dispute any charges if they try to get payment out of me. I never signed a contract to start the accounts and I shouldn't have to sign anything to close them.

Business

Response:

LEADERS takes all complaints very seriously and handles them as quickly as possible. This merchants’ accounts are closed, one was closed the same day it was opened on 3/21 and the second was cancelled before approved. If the merchant was asked to send in a letter of closure it was for our records to ensure the actions taken on the account were exactly what the merchant wanted. We will take this complaint as proof the merchant wanted the account closed. As for why the accounts were opened in the first place, our application is our contract and the application does state that upon approval a merchant account will be opened for the merchant. Unfortunately the information the merchant was giving her representative did not get to our underwriting department in time to stop the approval on the first account. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the merchant and would like to wish her much success with her business.

Had been with this company for 1 yr for my accountant to let me know that I had to pay a total of 700 plus $ for a total credit amount processed for around 2200$. That is a 30% charge and too big a difference to the rate they advertise and promised. Lot and lot of HIDDEN FEES...Beware! And they change the fee as they feel the need to- everything behind the tag line ' it is there in the fine print'! They talked to me one thing and had something else on the contract- My mistake not going thru the contract line by line- but that doesnt make them a good company to deal with either. Was told there was no contract if I bought my own device from them, and they later needed 300$ if I needed to cancel! Moreover they blocked my machine when I wanted to cancel- my machine which I paid money and bought it!

Please be aware- VERY BAD COMPANY- can talk u into the deal only to suck u out!

DO NOT USE LEADERS! They are a scam, have enormous fees, and the customer service could be the worst out there—even worse than COMCAST.

I am a board member of a very small nonprofit organization operating on a military installation. I did a google search for credit card processing on iPhone and found Leaders to process our donations and fees. I filled out a form to find out more about it. After talking to [redacted], my salesman, over and over and over, we finally committed. This was after I asked him about the fees several times; we were very uneasy to commit to a contract when the fees were not clear. [redacted] assured me that fees would be around $12-$15 per month plus a percentage every transaction.

I took that information to the board of directors of our nonprofit organization. After a lengthy discussion about the fees and how high they are at $15/mo (again — we are small), we finally agreed to sign up. After our first month, we were charged the ~$15 I was expecting PLUS $25 in “Min Discount” I didn’t understand. I called and they said NO REFUNDS. I explained that these charges are not what I discussed with [redacted]. Then another month went by and again these unexplained costs. We decided to cancel since we can’t afford these high, unexplained fees. Then we were charged a $350 cancellation fee! This is a MASSIVE hit to our annual budget. I distinctly remember [redacted] telling me there would be no other fees and no cancellation fee. These fees have cost us the ability to give back to the military community in which we serve.

This company are dishonest about their service and fees. Then they charged $350 to close the account.