- Report: #563408
Complaint Review: Intergrated Merchant Alliance - Myrtle Beach South Carolina
Reported By:
Robert -
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Intergrated Merchant Alliance
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States of America
Phone:
Web:
www.ima.com
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
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Intergrated Merchant Alliance Intergrated Merchant Alliance is nothing more than a merchant service reseller of First Data Merchant Services. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
FYI, We were approached by our bank First Federal and IMA to switch our credit card processing. They told us they were a direct credit card processing company. Our current provider EVO Merchant Cooperative opened our eyes and told us IMA is nothing more than a reseller of First Data Merchant Services and asked us, "Why pay a middleman?" It made a lot of sense. In addition, they showed us this website which also reported the some interesting information regarding all three of these companies, First Federal (probably getting a kickback), IMA and First Data. We are staying with our current company EVO.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Former employee
West Palm Beach,Florida,
U.S.A.
Misinformation on all counts
#2Consumer Comment
Sat, March 20, 2010
Hello,
I work with neither of these companies, but I own a consulting company (not an ISO) and we train merchants about things like this everyday.
1. Yes, your bank probably has a contract with IMA. Most banks claim to be able to offer merchant services in house, but only a handful truly do. The rest outsource it for a commission and if you have any problems with the service you cannot get anything resolved at your local branch.
2. EVO has the same relationship with a company called Global Payments that IMA has with First Data. Sales reps always claim that their processor is higher on the food chain and closer to "direct" to Visa and Mastercard, but that is very rare. Why? Companies like First Data and Global are in the business of selling ISOs (almost their version of a franchise model) because they can make a lot of money having other companies resell for them.
3. Almost all of the credit card processing companies out there use the same sales tactics so beware when you get phone calls to your business that say "I am from Visa/Mastercard," "Your account has been flagged," or "Why pay retail rates when you can pay wholesale?"
IMA
Omaha,Nebraska,
USA
Improper Disclosure
#3UPDATE Employee
Thu, March 18, 2010
IMA is a properly registered Independent Sales Organization as is required by both Visa and MasterCard; this status is updated monthly and can be reviewed/verified at Visa.com. If this poster truly believes Merchant Coop is a direct processor they (the poster) has been mislead and they should complete some additional due diligence research on Merchant Coop because their (Merchant Coop's) place in the credit card processing food chain really is no different than IMA's. According to Merchant Coop's own website, "Merchant Cooperative is a registered ISO and MSP of HSBC Bank, USA, National Association, Buffalo, NY." If Merchant Coop were a direct processor they wouldn't be requried by Visa and MasterCard to refer to themselves as a "Registered ISO" on their website and/or anywhere else that they market their services.
Personal message to the Poster....
IMA, with customers in 34 states, has a stellar reputation for providing savings and outstanding service to our customers as is evidenced by our A- rating with the Better Business Bureau. As a Senior Manager at IMA I would like an opportunity to talk with you about your specific experience, answer any questions you might have, and see if there is anything we might be able to do in the future to earn your business. If you are interested in talking please call me at (888) 411-4462, ext. 1012.
Dave
Simpsonville,South Carolina,
United States of America
Recommendation use Merchant Cooperative
#4Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 23, 2010
We highly recommend Merchant Cooperative in Goose Creek South Carolina. Great People !
