Alpha Card Services, Inc.

As we explained to *** He stated his business is closingwe would waive the Early termination fee is he provided a city, state or federal document that the business ceased operations Our contracts as do all processign contracts auto renew each year for another monthsWe faxes the
Terms and conditions that he agreed to at time of boardingit was an initial year term auto renewing yearly there afterSpoke with merchant in regards to cancellation request*** submitted a cancellation request because he is no longer taking credit cardsI asked if he was closing the business and he did say yesI proceeded to explain the what documents would be needed and he said I dont have anything like thatI told him without those documents there would be a $cancellation feeThat is when the conversation turned hasty*** said he was in a month to month after his initial contractI apologized to him but told him it was year to yearHe kept saying no, month to monthI mentioned that I would send him the terms to review and he agreed stating he will send it to a lawyerFaxing merchant contract and T&Cs by Alicia M***
Again it is our policy to waive these fee if business go out of business as he claimed but has been unwilling to provide documents verifying such

The merchant boarded with Alpha Card Services
in May The independent
sales rep gave the merchant a credit card terminal
to use in order to process credit card at trade showsIn 2010, the merchant
did contact our tech support department regarding issues with the transactions
and the terminalThe merchant was assisted and informed that she would need to
begin using other software in avoid additional issues with the terminal
In December 2011, the merchant called into our
Retention departmentThe merchant informed the RSR that she already switched
to another processor with mobile processingSince the merchant processes
transactions for trade shows, the RSR submitted a request to the account to go
on a seasonal status. The request was denied since the merchant
switched processors and would no longer be processing with ACSWhile the RSR
tried to explain to the merchant that this account could not go on the seasonal
status since it was not a seasonal account b/c the merchant switched
processors, the merchant became upset and frustratedThe RSR tried to calm the
merchant and offer our mobile services to the merchantThe merchant stated
that ACS should have contacted her regarding mobile processing prior to her
calling inThe RSR explained the cancellation procedure as well as the early
termination fee if she was to close her account prior to end of contract In
order to close the account, a written signed notification must be submitted
30-days prior to the end of contract dateThe Merchant hung up on RSR
In January 2014, the merchant called in our
customer service department regarding her account being closedThe CSR
explained that we did not received a cancellation letter requesting to close
the account so her account was still openMerchant told CSR that she is
processing with another processor using mobile processingThe CSR informed the
merchant that we have the capability as well and asked the merchant if she would
like to hear more regarding itThe merchant agreedThe merchant was
transferred to our retention department for more information regarding the mobile processing
While the merchant spoke with a RSR she informed
them of the aboveSince the cancellation letter was not received prior to end
of contract, the contract auto renewed for one yearHaving said that, the
merchant has a $early termination fee.
During this conversation, the RSR explained to the merchant that ACS can
meet or beat any competitors offers Merchant wanted a month to month contract with
no monthly fees and the equipment for freeThe RSR explained to the merchant
that we could match the month to month contract and no monthly fees however she
would be responsible for purchasing the swiperShe was not happy with that
option and wanted to know her options to close the account and receive a refund
for the past two yearsShe was given the cancellation procedure again which is
to submitted a signed letter 30-prior to end of contract which is May The merchant
decided to leave the account open until May in order to avoid paying the
early termination fee

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
I was given a machine that was out of date and was not upgraded. I had difficulty getting my transactions servicedWhen I asked about discontinuing my contract, the Retention Specialist told me that I had one more year on the contract, but never said I had to send a cancellation paper. I never had information about a phone plug in device available through Alpha card services, and *** did not offer me a card reader to put on my phoneRather, she refused it to me stating that I should have called Alpha card before trying Square (which has no contract, you use it if you want or don't use itThere is no contract). Yes, I was frustrated that I was calling to explain why I wanted to change my service with Alpha Card I was refused the alpha card phone reader and she hung up on me!
Regards,
*** ***

T[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: I don't see that they are offering me resolution. The company did not help meThen the retention specialist hung up on me, the unsatisfied client. I realize that the recordshows that the retention specialist gave me instructions to cancel service, but that is the procedure that she was trained to produce. What response I received from ACS was : I had one more year on the contract, I
"joined" another company, and I was fired from ACS and they would no longer do business with me. The retention specialist never told me that the equipment was not the responsibility of ACS, and since ACS was firing me, there was no further counceling about terminating this contract. Returning the money taken from my account is the honest and decent thing for a business to do
*** ***

[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.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

Per our terms &
Conditions,  any rate and/or fee changes
to merchant accounts, merchant are notified via the statement message. All rate
and fee changes have been displayed on the statement messages including the
annual fee being charged moving forward.

the merchant is not due any refund.  He was not refused paper delivery, rather he was refused an excessive paper order.  we only send enough paper for the merchant for a 90 days of processing.  he requested more.
Per the PCI security council and the associations all merchants...

must fill out an SAQ each and every year.  starting with 60 days prior to expiration we start emailing reminders to the merchant's self entered email address and the frequency increases from once a week to 3 times a week the final week and each week after compliance has expired.  these requirements can be viewed at https://www.[redacted].org/.   We gacve each merchant 6 months notice in 2014 prior to requiring certification and warned of a non compliance fee.in our estimation no refund is due

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:the charges that were imposed by alpha card services were not authorized by my organization. I have attached the original rate sheet from 4/26/10 and the modified rate sheet sent by an alpha card services retention specialist on 11/12/12.  Neither rate sheet allows for an annual fee. No notification was provided or accepted for an annual fee.Additionally, by reviewing the agreed rate sheets you will find there have been numerous increases and extra charges imposed, but alpha card services still chooses to enforce the twelve month auto-renew portion of the agreement - Alpha is more or less stating they can charge whatever they want and we have to pay until or agreement is up (June) or we have to pay an early cancellation fee of $250.I no longer trust alpha card services. To resolve the dispute, I will accept a refund for the unauthorized annual charge of $89.99 plus a release from the agreement without penalty or additional fees.
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:Every Time you call their message says the call is recorded....what a laugh. it has for years.   this is my last response...this is a hopeless waste of time.
Regards,
[redacted]

Our CEO spoke to [redacted].  Our annual fee was not explained correctly.  it isn't for the year to come rather the year that has passed.  Because of the misunderstanding Lazaros K[redacted] authorized a refund of the annual fee.  We feel the complaint is closed and the customer was made...

happy.

We do not record voice messages as it is illegal to record anyoen without their knowledge or consent.  there are history notes that record or memorialize each phone call in our CRM.

The merchant has a merchant service contract with Alpha Card
Services.  We use [redacted] as our credit card processing...

network. All credit card transaction deposits
and monthly services fees are either credited or debited via [redacted]. The
bank description for these credits and debits will be “[redacted] along with the
merchant’s account number”.
 
Alpha Card Services notifies merchants of all changes to
monthly fees and transactions rates via a statement message each month. These
statement messages run for at least 4-6 months to ensure the merchant is aware
of upcoming fee changes or fee additions. All
merchants were notified via a prior statement message that the annual fee of
$89.99 would be charged moving forward each February starting in 2014 and
thereafter.   
 
As for the other monthly fees stated below, the data breach
fee was changed to $7.95 within the last two years,  reg com fee was added and changed in August
2013  to $19.99 quarterly and  the [redacted] Fixed network processing fees are mandatory fees that must be charged to each
merchant on a monthly basis. These fees were added within the last year
or so. All of the above fees and their changes were sent out prior to the
change via statement messages.
 
Per our terms & conditions section 18, monthly fees and
transaction rates may be added/ changed at any time via notification to
merchants.

Review: The company received their equipment back at the end of our 3 year relationship. I was charged an early termination fee of $250. Tried to discuss the matter with the CEO [redacted] who was rude. Said he could only listen for 5 minutes and the matter is closed.Desired Settlement: I have given the equipment back. I want to not be charged $250. for early termination. It would also be nice if someone would apologize to me for the incredibly poor service I received as their customer

Business

Response:

The merchant called Alpha Card Services’ customer service on January 22, 2013 regarding not receiving statements via mail. She was advised that we have “gone green” and all of her statements can be viewed via online. Merchant was given instructions at that time to view the statements.

Review: Because of the monthly fees we have decided to leave Alfa Card, When I called the first time to do this the response that I got when I wanted to cancel our companies ties with Afa Card was that they are so big they do not care. I did get the usual are you sure you want to leave and that was it. They required signed letter to cancel. This was received Feb 25, 2013. We left because of the fees and to find out on March 3, 2013 the removed an additional monthly fee. When I called again they seemed to care even less. We have not used Alfa Card and no services had been used for months. I was told that fees are for monthly services are paid in advance and on my call of April 2, 2013 I was then told that monthly fees are paid the following month. There was no apology or even any thing done to resolve this problem. Customer service is in need of reviewing policy.Desired Settlement: I think that [redacted] is due at the very least a refund of the fees taken on March 4, 2013 in the amount of $21.20.

Business

Response:

The merchant submitted a cancellation letter on 2/25/2013. The merchant requested to close the account prior to the end of contract. Per their contract, the early termination fee was waived. All cancellation requests received are processed at the end of the month. Merchants are responsible for the last month of fees. If a letter is received during the month, the merchant is responsible for that month’s fees per Alpha Card’s cancellation policy. The $21.70 was the monthly fees for February. At this time, we will not be issuing the merchant a refund. All of this information can be found in the terms & conditions of our merchant agreement.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: Total lack of Customer Service, There was no early termination fee to wave so this is a total lack of customer service. I suppose that Alpha Card is in such financial straights that they have to put $21 ahead of any customer service. I will be more than happy to pass on my experience to everyone I meet about Alpha Card.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Per the merchant’s contract, the ETF was waived if the merchant decided to cancel before the end of contract. The merchant submitted their cancellation letter on 2/25/2013. According to our cancellation policy, the merchant is responsible for the last month’s fees which are February fees.

Review: I used this company to process credit card purchases at Art Festivals. I was given a machine to swipe credit cards with. the second year I used it the machine was difficult to use, and a representative exchanged the machine, which offered the same difficulty with uploading transactions. When I called customer service, a representative told me that the machine needed new software but my machine wouldn't be able to take the upgrade. I was not offered any information about other equipment for taking credit card transactions. Facing another year of difficulty with uploading transactions, I called a retention specialist to ask to cancel my three year contract due to my problems. In the meanwhile, I also acquired a credit card reader that I could put on my cell phone ([redacted]) and it worked great. I told the retention specialist ([redacted]) that I didn't need Alpha card any longer, which was costing me $25.00 dollars per month. [redacted] spoke with her supervisor who said Alpha Card would not longer do business with me. She told me that I should have asked them if they have a card reader to put on my phone. I didn't even know they had one. My local representative never told me about it. So I asked for one of the Alpha Card readers now, and she denied me that piece of equipment. She then hung up on me. At no time during the phone call did she tell me that I had to send in writing to the company that I wanted to cancel the contract. Now I just realized that Alpha card has been charging me monthly for the past two years. I called retention specialist [redacted], and she said I would have to pay a $250.00 Cancellation fee and send a paper canceling my account. I told her that Alpha Card couldn't give me the service that I needed. I wanted 1. no monthly fee, 2. no equipment fee, and 3. no year contract. According to my contract they would match another company's deal. She denied me those things I asked for.Desired Settlement: I would like to be reimbursed the amount of $480.00 which they have taken from my checking account for the past two years. I would also like to have the contract cancellation fee waived. I would like to be let out of the contract with Alpha Card.

Business

Response:

The merchant boarded with Alpha Card Services

in May 2009. The independent sales rep gave the merchant a credit card terminal

to use in order to process credit card at trade shows. In 2010, the merchant

did contact our tech support department regarding issues with the transactions

and the terminal. The merchant was assisted and informed that she would need to

begin using other software in avoid additional issues with the terminal.

In December 2011, the merchant called into our

Retention department. The merchant informed the RSR that she already switched

to another processor with mobile processing. Since the merchant processes

transactions for trade shows, the RSR submitted a request to the account to go

on a seasonal status. The request was denied since the merchant

switched processors and would no longer be processing with ACS. While the RSR

tried to explain to the merchant that this account could not go on the seasonal

status since it was not a seasonal account b/c the merchant switched

processors, the merchant became upset and frustrated. The RSR tried to calm the

merchant and offer our mobile services to the merchant. The merchant stated

that ACS should have contacted her regarding mobile processing prior to her

calling in. The RSR explained the cancellation procedure as well as the early

termination fee if she was to close her account prior to end of contract . In

order to close the account, a written signed notification must be submitted

30-60 days prior to the end of contract date. The Merchant hung up on RSR.

In January 2014, the merchant called in our

customer service department regarding her account being closed. The CSR

explained that we did not received a cancellation letter requesting to close

the account so her account was still open. Merchant told CSR that she is

processing with another processor using mobile processing. The CSR informed the

merchant that we have the capability as well and asked the merchant if she would

like to hear more regarding it. The merchant agreed. The merchant was

transferred to our retention department for more information regarding the mobile processing.

While the merchant spoke with a RSR she informed

them of the above. Since the cancellation letter was not received prior to end

of contract, the contract auto renewed for one year. Having said that, the

merchant has a $250 early termination fee.

During this conversation, the RSR explained to the merchant that ACS can

meet or beat any competitors offers. Merchant wanted a month to month contract with

no monthly fees and the equipment for free. The RSR explained to the merchant

that we could match the month to month contract and no monthly fees however she

would be responsible for purchasing the swiper. She was not happy with that

option and wanted to know her options to close the account and receive a refund

for the past two years. She was given the cancellation procedure again which is

to submitted a signed letter 30-60 prior to end of contract which is May 2014. The merchant

decided to leave the account open until May 2014 in order to avoid paying the

early termination fee.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

I was given a machine that was out of date and was not upgraded. I had difficulty getting my transactions serviced. When I asked about discontinuing my contract, the Retention Specialist told me that I had one more year on the contract, but never said I had to send a cancellation paper. I never had information about a phone plug in device available through Alpha card services, and [redacted] did not offer me a card reader to put on my phone. Rather, she refused it to me stating that I should have called Alpha card before trying Square (which has no contract, you use it if you want or don't use it. There is no contract). Yes, I was frustrated that I was calling to explain why I wanted to change my service with Alpha Card. I was refused the alpha card phone reader and she hung up on me!

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

T[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: I don't see that they are offering me resolution. The company did not help me. Then the retention specialist hung up on me, the unsatisfied client. I realize that the recordshows that the retention specialist gave me instructions to cancel service, but that is the procedure that she was trained to produce. What response I received from ACS was : 1. I had one more year on the contract, 2. I

"joined" another company, and 3. I was fired from ACS and they would no longer do business with me. The retention specialist never told me that the equipment was not the responsibility of ACS, and since ACS was firing me, there was no further counceling about terminating this contract. Returning the money taken from my account is the honest and decent thing for a business to do.

Review: I purchased a wireless credit card machine and services from these people with the understanding that the equipment would work and I would be provided withtech services.I was told that the services could end at any time. After two year I closed the business.Thecredit card machine would workpart of the time the first yea.r and not at all the second year. I would call the tech support and for the first few times I would get tech support the first year. after that I would be continuely hung up on or disconnected. I was told on a few occasions that they would call me back in which I would never get a call back. I spoke with the salesman and all he told me was that I had to speak to the tech services in which I did on several occasions. Now the business is closed and sold . Many months ago I spoke with alpha card and informed them that I was out of business and they sent me a form to let them know that I was done and did not need their services any more and was told all would be ok. The other day I received a call from alpha card and the person started the call off by saying "Your on the hook for the rest of the contract". I was NEVER was informed about any contract As I stated before I was told that there was no contract and could end services at any time. Now I am stuck with a wireless creditcard machine that does not work and a balance due to a contract that I was never told about.Desired Settlement: I would like everyone to know what kind of business practices Alpha Card Services go by and that they are not as reputable as they are protraying themselves. I would like everyone to know that their equipment is of the lowest quality and tech services are non exsistant. I would also like a resoltion concerning this contract issue.

Business

Response:

Merchant, [redacted], boarded with Alpha Card Services in January 2012. This merchant signed a standard 3 year contract with ACS. The merchant purchased the wireless equipment for the independent sales rep. During 2012, the merchant did call into our tech support help desk several times with the same complaint, adjusting tips. Each call, our tech support walked the merchant through the steps of adjusting the tips.

Review: my business had stop using their credit card service since last year since their credit card machine can not process all [redacted] card. we had call and talked to SEVERAl peoples and they keep giving excuse for not closing the account. Now after one year, they suddenly charged $450.00 for the credit card machine that we had returned. they are still taking the money from my account as of 5/2/2013. I would like to have my $450.00 and all the monthly fees that were taking out of my account via automatic payment each month since September 2012. thank you.SINCERELY,[redacted]Desired Settlement: PLEASE REFUND $318.60 IN FEES AND $450.00 FOR THE CREDIT CARD MACHINE THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED.

Business

Response:

in September 2012, An employee from the business called into our retention department regarding closing the merchant account. The employee was informed that if the merchant wanted to cancel, they would need to follow the proper cancellation protocol which is submitting a signed cancellation letter. We were informed that the merchant had switched due to not being able to accept all [redacted] cards.

Review: Our company has been using Alpha Card Services for over 4 years. The company employed deceptive practices at the outset of our relationship resulting in our need to set up 4 accounts for a single business entity. This resulted in a great deal of excess fees due to the multiple accounts. Over time our business has decreased, resulting in the closing of 2 of the locations and accounts leaving us with 2 active accounts. We recently changed to a new point of sale and scheduling solution that uses an integrated credit card processor (no outside processors will work). As a result we were forced to cancel our services with Alpha Card. My original contract was for 2 years. Apparently, it automatically renews annually each March. Somehow Alpha Card Services feels it is appropriate to charge me a $250 "early cancellation fee" for each of the 2 accounts. Totaling $500. I do not see how that is appropriate for a company that has exceeded the original contract term. There is no additional expense incurred by Alpha Card due to my cancellation. It is only 3 months until the end of the contract. This is just bad business practice.Desired Settlement: I want a waiver of the $500 in cancellation fees.

Business

Response:

The merchant boarded 4 merchant services accounts with Alpha

Card Services in March 2009. There were 3 retail locations and 1 mail order

location. Per Visa and MC regulations, each location and market type must have

a separate account in order to process credit card transactions.

In April 2012, the merchant submitted a cancellation request

to close the [redacted] location which had a retail and the mail order account.

The other two locations, [redacted] and [redacted], the merchant services accounts

remained opened. Per Alpha Card

Services policy, if a merchant submits a request to close an account while

having additional accounts open and processing, the early termination of the

closing accounts is waived. For these

two accounts, the early termination fee was waived due to the other two

accounts being open and processing.

Alpha Card Services merchant services contract is a 3 year

contract however in this case, the independent sales rep changed the contract

length from 3 years to 2 years. Per section 13 of the terms and conditions, if a written

cancellation request is not received 30-60 prior to end of contract date, the

contract will automatically renew for one year and continue to do so until a

written cancellation request has been

submitted within the above time frame. Per the merchant services application if

a request to cancelled is received prior to end of contract, the minimum early

termination fee is $250 per account. The merchant’s contract for both locations

ends in March 2014.

The merchant submitted the cancellation letters for the

remaining open accounts on November 12, 2013. Our retention department reached

out to the merchant to discuss why he was cancelling his account. The retention

specialist tried to retain the accounts however the merchant wanted to move

forward with the cancellation. The merchant was informed of the complete

cancellation process including the early termination fee. The merchant is

requesting to close the accounts prior to end of contract. Having said that,

the merchant is responsible for the $250 early termination fees for both

accounts.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

#1 This is an unfair business practice.

Other Merchant account firms only apply cancellation fees during the initial contract term and not during an automatic rollover term. I would have kept the accounts open for the remaining 3 months and incurred small monthly fees but was notified that I must cancel them because I now have another vendor.

#2 This is not an offer to resolve the problem in a fair manner. This is a "we're gonna stick it to you cuz we can" response.

Regards,

Business

Response:

As being your merchant service provider for past 4 years,

Alpha Card Services was not notified that you as a merchant were going to

another processor for merchant services. Alpha Card Services contacted you

regarding non-processing on the accounts and was told that you already switched

to another processor due to new software. Alpha Card Services was not given the

opportunity to assist with the new software / hardware.

Per section 13 in our terms & conditions, the contract

automatically renews if the contract is not cancelled 30-60 days prior to end

of contract. A cancellation fee is assessed to all accounts that closed prior

to end of contract including contracts that have auto renew. When signing the merchant account, you as a

merchant agreed to solely process with Alpha Card Services. Per your conversation with our retention

department, you began processing with another processor; therefore the contract is breached.

Per our policy, merchant accounts cannot remain open until

end of contract if processing with another merchant service provider. Per Visa & MC regulations, merchants cannot

have open accounts with several different processors for risk reasons.

Alpha Card Services does not conduct themselves are being

unfair business practice nor do we charge early termination fees to merchants

because we can. We must abide by our

contract, terms & conditions and our company policies. The merchant signed

our merchant service application and agreed to our terms & conditions. If the merchant would like a copy of the terms

& conditions, a copy of the terms & conditions can be sent to the

merchant.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

It does not address the core issue.

We were charged $500 for stopping service after 4 years. 4 Years is not "Early" . This practice is unfair and disrespectful to all of your clients.

Our business needed to change point of sale systems. The new system cannot process through Alpha Card. That simple. Alpha Card could accept this and let us go our own way. There is no expense involved in closing my account. There is no acceptable reason to steal $500 from my bank account.

Regards,

Business

Response:

The merchant was still in contract for both merchant accounts which ended prior to the end of contract date. Therefore the $250 early termination fee for both accounts were billed to his account. Merchant mentions that he changed his point of sale system which Alpha Card could not process through. Alpha Card was not given that option to offer a point of sale system or reprogram the point of sale system. Alpha Card Services did not steal $500 from the merchant. The merchant requested to close the merchant accounts prior to end of contract which billed his account an early termination fee per account.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

My "Contract" Ends in 2 months. We have been a customer for 4 years and the account "auto renews" for a 12 month period. Why is this? There is only one possible motive..... To force customers into staying for another whole year or suffer the $250 per account penalty. There is no justification for an early termination fee after 4 years. There is absolutely no cost to Alpha Card Services for closing my account. Additionally, the fact that my business was charged 2 "Early Cancellation" fees is also without merit. I have one company. Stealing the money from my account is just what they did. A $500 theft.

It is also interesting that when I sent in my cancellation form, I got this nice email from the president of Alpha Card asking me to come back. Somehow, the niceness ends when the answer is no. The big guy sticks it to the little guy. Just because he can.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Merchant signed a 3 year contract for both locations. Per section 13 of the terms and conditions, if a written

cancellation request is not received 30-60 prior to end of contract date, the

contract will automatically renew for one year and continue to do so until a

written cancellation request has been

submitted within the above time frame. Per the merchant services application if

a request to cancelled is received prior to end of contract, the minimum early

termination fee is $250 per account. The merchant’s contract for both locations

ends in March 2014. Alpha Card Services received the cancellation letters for both account prior to end of contract. Merchant is responsible for the early termination fees.

Merchant received a copy of the terms & conditions when signing the application along with receiving Alpha Card Services welcome package. If the merchant would like to received another copy of the terms & conditions, they can be emailed or mailed to the merchant.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Most companies would recognize a solitary customer as a single account with sub accounts as necessary. To charge 2 cancellation fees is redundant and poor customer relations. That combined with the complete unreasonableness of a cancellation fee in the first place (after 4 years of being a customer) leads me to believe that AlphaCard is an predatory organization. They feed off their customers and then take another big bite when the relationship ends. $500 stolen from my bank account.

Regards,

Business

Response:

there isn't much more than what we can say. there were two contracts for two different businesses signed. the IRS recognizes each business as a separate entity as do we. we charged what was agreed to by both parties when the account was approved 4 years ago. we have lived up to the contract and terms and conditions.

Review: I have a merchant services account agreement with Alpha Card Services (which appears to be owned by [redacted] now).They have my bank account information for the billing and processing for merchant service items.They charged me for items that are not authorized in my agreement and refuse to credit me for these unauthorized charges. To address one charge specifically, they charged me $89.99 annual fee even though my agreement shows the annual fee as being waived. Their response was that they will not credit the charges and if I cancel the account they will charge me a $250 early cancellation fee (since I have 2 months left on the automatic 12 month renewal). Additionally, I have a copy of the original agreement sent to them in 2010. they ([redacted]) emailed me 3/19/14 a copy of agreement that had certain items crossed off. The agreement was in place for years and I did not authorize the items to be crossed off.In order to resolve things in a mutually beneficial way, may be willing to accept the $3.75 + $7 monthly network fees that were charged providing providing I am completely credited for the two unauthorized quarterly charges for $19.99 each and the unauthorized annual charge for $89.99Desired Settlement: I should only be charged for what was agreed. The agreement I authorized did not include quarterly reg comp fees, annual fees, and fixed network fees. the original amount was $4.95 per month which was adjusted to 7.95 per month (2012) - neither form included annual fees or the other fees. I would like a refund for all the previous unauthorized charges so I can fulfill the last 2 months of the agreement - paying for only the items which I agreed to.

Business

Response:

The merchant has a merchant service contract with Alpha Card

Services. We use [redacted] as our credit card processing network. All credit card transaction deposits

and monthly services fees are either credited or debited via [redacted]. The

bank description for these credits and debits will be “[redacted] along with the

merchant’s account number”.

Alpha Card Services notifies merchants of all changes to

monthly fees and transactions rates via a statement message each month. These

statement messages run for at least 4-6 months to ensure the merchant is aware

of upcoming fee changes or fee additions. All

merchants were notified via a prior statement message that the annual fee of

$89.99 would be charged moving forward each February starting in 2014 and

thereafter.

As for the other monthly fees stated below, the data breach

fee was changed to $7.95 within the last two years, reg com fee was added and changed in August

2013 to $19.99 quarterly and the [redacted] Fixed network processing fees are mandatory fees that must be charged to each

merchant on a monthly basis. These fees were added within the last year

or so. All of the above fees and their changes were sent out prior to the

change via statement messages.

Per our terms & conditions section 18, monthly fees and

transaction rates may be added/ changed at any time via notification to

merchants.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:the charges that were imposed by alpha card services were not authorized by my organization. I have attached the original rate sheet from 4/26/10 and the modified rate sheet sent by an alpha card services retention specialist on 11/12/12. Neither rate sheet allows for an annual fee. No notification was provided or accepted for an annual fee.Additionally, by reviewing the agreed rate sheets you will find there have been numerous increases and extra charges imposed, but alpha card services still chooses to enforce the twelve month auto-renew portion of the agreement - Alpha is more or less stating they can charge whatever they want and we have to pay until or agreement is up (June) or we have to pay an early cancellation fee of $250.I no longer trust alpha card services. To resolve the dispute, I will accept a refund for the unauthorized annual charge of $89.99 plus a release from the agreement without penalty or additional fees.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Per our terms &

Conditions, any rate and/or fee changes

to merchant accounts, merchant are notified via the statement message. All rate

and fee changes have been displayed on the statement messages including the

annual fee being charged moving forward.