949-861-4000

I am currently being barraged by these calls as I type. Two seperate extensions from the same company. Looks like i am unplugging my phone and reporting this. The line just beeps like a fax machine.

This is a slimy merchant service organization. They start off calling from their boiler room contacting merchants as if they were there existing merchant service organization. When asked if they were with the company I process with they blatantly lie to get themselves appointments. A lisa Gonzalez was the representative that showed up after this appointment was made and when I asked her if she was in fact with our company and she told me she wasn't. I knew this already because we have an excellent relationship and are getting a great interchange pass-through rate from our current merchant service provider Andy Friel of Desert Merchant Services. Buyer beware!

I have 14 years of experience in the merchant services industry and have literately seen hundreds of statements from First Data, affiliate ISO organizations and retail banks that processing with First Data. I have seen some of the most corrupt, unethical practices by these organizations and retail banks and here are a few reasons why. 1.They setup merchants with proprietary First Data terminals that can only be used for First Data processing are typically leased to merchants that will end up paying thousands more that the value of the terminals. 2. The rates are typically provided bundled with a fixed rate for credit and debit and the cards are then downgraded but the amount of the downgrades can not be deciphered because the information of the sale amount and fee downgrade are both not provided. 3. The amount of the fees charged cannot be divided into the sale amount to determine an effective rate because the interchange fees are charged for the prior month. 3. When a merchant receiving this type of rate structure rather than a true interchange pass-through rate the merchant is not benefiting from the capped debit rates that when into effect in October 2011 under the Dodd/Frank financial reform bill -Durbin Amendment thus paying significantly more for debit card transaction. There are other reasons but this is the bases for not doing business with them. I hope this help...feel free to contact me for advice

Your wrong..Hear them out and see how they do it. Unfortunately there are bad companies but don't let the bad apples decide the services aren't for you. There are some VERY good companies out there. I'm Dylan. Call me at 1-800-915-0927 at Sekure Cost Review.. 9-5 eastern time during the week. We are the BEST.

This "Government do not call list" does not exist. If you paid for it or even wasted your time trying to be apart of it, you messed up. That's the most rudimentary scam, you're better off sending out a merchant statement...

The same happened to me this morning.  Tina Raulston called and pretended to be from our merchant company.  She requested that we fax her our statements and she set up an appointment for us with Lisa Gonzales in order to reduce our credit card fees.  .  After I read all the above posts I called Lisa at (949) 861-4000 exrt 7912 and cancelled the appointment on her voicemail.

I have to agree here, as I used to work for a cc processing company so I can verify this. Not even a merchant ID can be misused because it doesn't function the same as a social security number. The only information on a statement is batch numbers, transaction totals & line item fees for different card types (i.e Visa, MC, Amex, Discover) during that billing period/month. Another thing to note is that the rate you sign up w/for a merch account is the ADVERTISED rate. Depending on how you accept cards (online, mail, phone, in person) your RATES for those transactions WILL be different. In person is the most secure transaction type & will give you the lowest rate.
Also; Banks DO NOT process- just like they dont go in the back to print checks- its all outsourced to a third party billing company, they make their money on the markup fees involved. Depending on your business type/volume of course, you might/might not be getting the best rates, so its always good to have regular reviews done EVERY YEAR.
Last thing to note; The DNC list is for home/mobile numbers ONLY. Businesses are public entities, therefore by having a business number advertised, you're opening up your business to more than just calls from consumers. The only way your number can be added to that list is if it functions as a home/mobile number.

Just thought I'd help since I have the industry knowledge :)

I worked for this company for about 2 years. I was suspended for voicing my opinions & frustrations, then a week later, voluntarily quit! After doing some indepth research, I have to say that although I'm appreciative of the knowledge I gained about the industry during my employment, its not the company you should dislike, but more some of the people who run it & how they choose to treat others. My personality does NOT align with deceiving people, & coming from a family of business owners- as well as a entrepreneur myself- building quality relationships is important to me. I do believe that if they hired more quality people & pressed the importance of honesty, they'd be alot more successful.

Received a voice mail from "Elizabeth" calling from "our corporate offices in Irvine." No company name or detail given. Appeared on my caller ID as (949) 861-4041 but left (855) 770-7242 x7961 as a call back number. Heavy background noise indicated it was a call center.

Elizabeth Ortiz also sent an email from Elizabeth.ortiz@sbga.com. When I hit reply it does go to the same email. A quick Google search tells me that SBGA is a merchant services company.

I am very familiar with the merchant services industry, and it carries with it a huge potential for fraud. Many generic "merchant services" companies indulge in various schemes including Ponzi and pyramid schemes, false advertising, telemarketing scams, fake product sales and money laundering. Seeing as this is an industry rife with fraud, I am very skeptical of receiving an unsolicited call or email regarding my resume that gives me 1) no company information, 2) no information on the available position, and 3) originates from a call center. Furthermore, there are many suspicious reviews and replies online, including above, that would indicate the company may spend time engaging in social media damage control.

My conclusion is that their unsolicited calls to job seekers are likely recruiting for call center/telemarketing positions. Many disreputable merchant services providers attempt to bypass written disclosures/statements by getting companies to sign up for their services over the phone without realizing it, or getting them to sign up without understanding what they are signing up for.

I have now blocked both phone numbers on my cell phone. I assume that if enough people block them, they will start spoofing. Nothing tends to stop these kinds of companies.

Pretending to be your existing merchant provider is a really common tactic employed by these kinds of scammers. Often times, if you press the telemarketer for additional information, they will get angry or simply hang up and dial another extension in your company. When I was a receptionist/guard dog, I once had a persistent telemarketer call back every day for weeks. He never did figure out that all the extensions had to go through my desk first and that there was absolutely no way I was going to humor him. :-)

Virtually every boutique merchant provider uses First Data. They then, of course, tack their own additional fees on, which they may or may not disclose up front.

First Data's no angel, either, but it's the largest processor out there.

Jeanne Watson @ extension 7942 was calling from merchant services.  When questioned if they were associated with the bank I use I was advised "they are your service provider - we are the processors, she stated our rates went up for Master Card in Oct and Visa will be going up in April". She was told, NO CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO MY ACCOUNT and I hung up.                                                                                   Beware this also happened with a long distance phone scam about 8 months ago