Complaint Review: United Payment Services - Newbury Park California

3/15/13

This letter is to memorialize a formal complaint against United Payment Services and First Card Merchant Services.

A copy of this is being sent to the Better Business Bureau.

I signed up for credit card processing with United Payment Services (merchant # Ref#:530960170300354) in anticipation of a $41,000 general contracting job at Zen Carpentry. 

In the application with United Payments Rick Eskin, I informed him of the size of the transaction I was planning to process. He put in the average ticket size of $1,000.

My client required some insurance paperwork from me, so there were some delays.  I did provide the insurance certificate asked for. Then, the merchant had a death in the family, and had to delay final confirmation of the $20,000 down payment for general contracting work.

For weeks, I dealt with Melissa in the Risk Department of First Card. I explained about the death in the family with the merchant. She was unmoved. She snapped at me that she decided to reverse the transaction. She also announced she decided she was going to close my account.

I consistently found that Melissa was unprofessional, and unhelpful. She seemed to enjoy placing impediments to the $20K transaction, even at stressful moments. She never let me know that United Payment Systems would still attempt to charge an American Express  processing fee for a transaction that she reversed, or that United would charge in early termination fee for a an account that she terminated.

Those charges are simply absurd, bordering on unethical.

On Friday, March 8, 2013, Melissas superior, Ms. Jennifer Leyva made false statements in an email
to Crystal Ide, of CRF Solutions, a collection agency attempting to collect these fees. Leyva falsely claimed,  Sander Hicks opened a merchant account to process credit cards for his business Zen Carpentry.  He stated his average ticket was $1,000.00.

No, as stated above, it was Rick Eskin of United Payment who mistakenly set that amount.

Leyva also makes a fraudulent claim in that she states, in writing, that, At that time, Sander told her [Melissa] to close the account. 

This is not true, either. I had no desire to close my account. It was Melissa at First Data who suggested that she close the account. United Payment Services and First Data Merchant services, Im sure, have the audio recordings of these phone calls. This evidence is verifiable, and subject to discovery in any future legal proceeding.

It is high time that the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission look into United Payment Services. This company has a consistent record of fraud. It has terrible reviews online, one star and 23 bad reviews on http://www.trustlink.org/Reviews/United-Payment-Services-Inc-205639054#185471

I explained all of this to Chase Bank, and they understood completely. They reversed the fees charged by these credit card companies.

I have offered to settle this amicably.

However, CRF Solutions, the collection agency hired by United Payment Services, keeps on calling me and sending me letters. They threatened to report me to a credit agency.

I am on the verge of filing suit for mental duress against United Payment Services, in the amount of $10,000. I have a valid claim against them, after two months of trying to work with them. The stress has taken its toll. My time, and my mental health are valuable, and I will not be bullied.

I am available by phone or email to discuss this further.

 
Sincerely,

Sander H