ComplaintsforLeaders

• Initial Complaint

  06/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Leaders Merchant Services is a B2B credit card processor. Their pricing is extremely opaque and they are extremely difficult to get ahold of. their customer service is offshore and the language barrier is significant. As a small business, we decided to go with them because the salesperson said they would NEVER charge us any monthly fees and they also would communicate via letter if need be with billing statements. Well, that never happened. We never received the portal that was promised, but they sent us to an app where we could process payments. We started processing payments and due to life changes, we made some changes in the business model. That's when the trouble began. On a monthly basis they would charge these fees even though we were PCI compliant. They would come up with different excuses to take money from the bank account and one time caused a check to bounce. These were unauthorized transfers totaling around $300. Once you complain, you are on hold for 45 minutes and then get hung up on. If youre lucky to get through, they tell you to charge a $2 transaction to prevent the nactivtiy fees. Well, upon doing so and you STILL get an inactivity fee the following month, their excuse? Well, you need at least transactions. Which one is it? Weve asked for a full refund of fees and we can not get a local US person in a position of authority to grant the request. We never received our signed contract and the salesperson is not responsive to emails where they said they never charge monthly fees. Seems as if they settled a class action in 2021 for this same issue but are still up to these tactics. My ask from them is consistent: 1 -just refund us based on merchant number 640308 and 2- cancel any contract tying each of us. 3- Do NOT access our accounts anymore and let us part ways in peace..

  

  Business response

  06/10/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. Please note account closure must be submitted in writing and signed by the authorized person on the account, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the commercial agreement between parties. Although we have not received a written request for closure, we will accept this complaint as a formal request for closure.
  Our records indicate the merchant account was non-complaint for the following months March-April 2024, resulting in the initiation of a non-compliance fee. Merchants are required to adhere to Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security compliance as a condition on your signed merchant agreement. Merchants must always uphold their PCI Compliant status to avoid Non-Compliance fees. We show the PCI Self- Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) is now completed.
  A notification mailed on or about January 24, 2024, advising effective March 01, 2024, an inactivity - fee up to $75.00, will be charged if your account has not processed a card sales transaction for three (3) consecutive months. Although fees charged with your merchant account were valid. We note as of the date of this response, $77.09 remains outstanding due to a stop payment placed, Notwithstanding the validity of these fees, as a courtesy, will submit a request to waive the above-referenced outstanding balance, and issue a refund in the amount of $269.90, upon acceptance of this response, as a courtesy.
  
  Once we have received the acceptance, we will promptly process a refund via a check. Kindly provide the best mailing address. Please allow up to 30 days for processing and delivery.
  
  Thank you,
  Paysafe

  Customer response

  06/10/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21802115, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me CONTINGENT on receiving the full refund as promised by the merchant.
  
  Regards,
  
  Mavinstone LLC
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  L*** here, I’ve been with Leaders Merchant Services for a couple of years, but recently canceled my account and returned their machine the day after and it arrived at their wearhouse March 13 at 1:39pm. Despite this, they deducted $399.99 from my checking account two weeks later. When I contacted them for a refund, they promised to investigate but have failed to return my money, claiming to “escalate” my case with each call. Despite assurances of a refund being processed on April 16th, they now deny any knowledge of it. It’s infuriating that a big company can withhold funds from a small business like mine while dragging their feet on resolving the issue, despite clear evidence of the machine’s return. My case number is 55***73, I demand for a refund as soon as possible or I will have to take this to small claims court as I have been pursuing this issue for over 2 months since they received my machine in the mail.

  

  Business response

  04/25/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. Having reviewed our records, we have confirmed
  the equipment was received and processed. We will promptly process a refund to the specified bank on file
  in the amount of $399.00, upon the acceptance of this response. 
  
  We regret the frustration this caused.
  
  Thank you,
  Paysafe 

  Customer response

  04/25/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21614776, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
  
  Thank you,
  
  L*** *******
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My first interaction with this company was in early May 2023. I wanted to have the ability to have customers pay with a credit card for a small bike and kayak rental business. Initially they said 65.00 for a card swipe machine and 20.00 dollars a month plus a small percentage of each transaction. I told them I would think about it in the following days they called me a lot. I told them that due to the fact that the equipment rentals would only be for guest that stay in my guest house that I advertise on VRBO, there would be very few transactions and it was not a good deal for me to move forward. The following day I receive another call and they offer me a deal where I would only pay a percentage of each transaction. I said that is more like what would work for me. I filled out the application and was accepted. At that point he explained to me that I would be using my computer or tablet etc. asked me to run a $5.00 transaction with my debt card to make sure everything was set up correctly and it worked great. About a month later I rented a bike, and all was good, I got the money in my account. Then a couple months goes by and I'm noticing transactions at my back that I did not recognize. Called my back and all they saw was Bankcard 1 as a description for the transactions. Got in contact with the fraud department and eventually was able to figure out it was Leaders Merchant Services. This company is very shady, and it took weeks to even get someone on the line. After notifying them of my situation they said I gave electronic authorization which is a lie. Would not provide me with the name of the DocuSign company that i supposedly gave authorization with, will not email me any documents that they claim authorized them to withdrawal 790.00 in 21 transactions over 10 months from my bank account. I used the service 2 time and one of them was with them to make sure the system worked.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2024

   Thank you for your submission, we appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns you may have. We have forwarded your complaint to our teams for further review. Please note that such review may take some time, but we will contact you, directly or via BBB response, upon completion.  We apologize for the inconvenience. 
   
  Thank you,
  Paysafe

  Customer response

  04/16/2024

  
  Complaint: 21505301
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This company took 790.00 from my account with no authorization to do so. I never signed an electronic contract authorizing any such payments to them. Further it is illegal to steal from a persons bank account and I will file a criminal report with the proper jurisdiction if they do not refund my money.
  
  Regards,
  
  D***** *****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  04/22/2024

  Thank you for your review.  Per the signed Merchant Service Agreement (MPA) fees charged are valid.  However, Paysafe will issue a courtesy refund in the amount of $790.00 as requested.  Upon your acceptance the refund check must be mailed due to previous stop payment you’ve placed on file with your bank and close statue of your account.  The refund check can be mailed in the authorized person name on file or the business name on file, please advise of your preference.  Also please provide the mailing address you would like the refund check to be mailed.  We hope this bring satisfactory to this matter.
  
  Thank you,
  Paysafe
  

  Customer response

  04/22/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21505301, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards, please mail to D***** ***** **** ********* **** **** Verde AZ 86322  phone # 6*******83
  
  D***** *****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company charged my bank account after I requested that the account be closed several times. I thought account was closed and they continued to try and take money from my account. They charged me for not using it and would not cancel account until I finally called and spent 3 hours on the phone until it was confirmed closed. The number for my salesman was disconnected and they would not give me a number for customer support.

  

  Business response

  02/26/2024

  We appreciate the chance to address your concerns. Our Customer Relations team member emailed a Closure request
  form on or about May 02, 2023. We can confirm the closure request form received on February 21, 2024. Our records 
  indicate your merchant processing account last processed in October 2023, although fees charged in connection with 
  your merchant processing account were valid, we will issue a refund in the amount of $115.85 representing a PCI NAF $89.95 
  Charged on the August 2023 statement, 2x $12.95 PCI fees billed on the November and December 2023 statements 
  and waive the Outstanding balance $14.20 representing the January month end fees, upon acceptance of this 
  response, as a courtesy.        
  
  Note, the refund will be issued via a check. Kindly provide the best mailing address.
  
  Thank you. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Merchant #: 4*********517258 Address associated with the account: **** ****** **** ** Wesley Chapel, FL Email address: [email protected] I opened 2 accounts with Josh Coughlin in Aug 2021. One was for online credit card processing and the other one was for physical credit cards. A couple of days later, I called him back to close the physical credit card processing account. I told him I probably not going to use it, so I just wanted to close the account. He told me I wouldn't get charged any fee unless I use it. He advised me to keep it open in case I need it in the future. So I left it open. I recently found that Leaders has charged $11.25 every month for the account I didn't use. On top of that, Leaders charged an inactivity fee of $86.25 in December 2023, and Jan 2024. Also increased monthly fee of $25 in Dec 2023 and Jan 2024. I called in Dec 2023 to close the accounts. I explained I am closing the business on Jan 1 2024 The customer rep advised me if I don't use it, I won't get charged. She encouraged me to keep it open and close it when my business is officially closed. So I didn't close the merchant accounts. I would like to get AT LEAST a $222.5 inactive fee and Nov and Dec monthly fee. Leaders also charged $11.25 x27months = $303.75 for the account that I promoised I won't get charged. Leaders said the fees are all in the contract. Guess what? I even realized I had never received the contract! Also, when the customer is getting help from a sales rep, people tend to skip reading the contract, because the salesperson explained all already INCLUDING FEES. Never occurred to me they would lie to get a commission. I already submitted the complaint to Leaders but the company doesn't even have a record of who sold the service to me and no recorded phone conversation. I wonder how many people got scammed by Leaders. I am starting to contact people who wrote reviews on the internet to see if they have similar experiences. This is unacceptable!

  

  Business response

  01/30/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. We apologize for the miscommunication regarding the monthly fees.
  The month end fee is charged monthly; however, the processing fees will not be changed if the merchant account is not used. 
  Note, the request for closure must be submitted in writing and signed by the authorized person on the account, in accordance
  with the terms and conditions of the commercial agreement between parties. Although we have not received a written request 
  for closure for this account, we will accept this complaint as a formal request for closure. Although the fees charged in connection 
  with your merchant account were valid, we will issue a refund in the amount of $536.10. The refund will be deposited into the bank
  account listed on file, upon acceptance of this response, as a courtesy.        

  Customer response

  01/30/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 21196403, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  S***** ****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I contacted Leaders Merchant Services in April in regards to getting a credit card reader for daily business transactions for my small business. Never ended up with the equipment for the credit card services or have ever used their service and am getting charged a monthly fee. I have tried emailing their customer service and their support with no reply on how to cancel this account and to stop thee monthly fee from coming out of my business account.

  

  Business response

  01/12/2024

  Thank you for your review.  Please note that requests for closure must be submitted in writing and signed by the authorized person on the account, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the commercial agreement between the parties. Although we have not received a written request for closure, we will accept this complaint as a formal request for closure. Regarding your refund request, we submitted a waiver request for the outstanding balance for December 2023 month end fees in the amount of $111.25. Also a refund has been approved in the amount of $365.00 that represent the monthly fees for April 2023 through Novermber 2023. However due to the stop payment placed on your account we must send the refund by mail.  Please provide your best mailing address to proceed with this process. We hope this response provide satisfactory resolution to this matter.
  
  Thank you,
  Paysafe

  Customer response

  01/22/2024

  
  Complaint: 21087869
  
  I am rejecting this response because Paysafe claim is that they are in need of my mailing address to provide a refund. When the refund is received for the agreed upon amount we will settle the dispute.

  Please send refund check to 

  Team Twenty Racing

  *** ********** ***** ********** **** *****

  
  
  Regards,
  
  T*** ****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  01/23/2024

  Thank you for providing your mailing address. The refund in the amount of $365.00 has been submitted for processing.  Please allow up to 30 days for processing and delivery. Should you have additional questions, please contact Customer Support directly at ###-###-#### and reference ticket# 5221470. 
  

  Thank you,

  Paysafe

• Initial Complaint

  12/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Merchant leaders said I put a block on their business through my bank, I never did this . My bank wrote them 2 times explaining there is no block to,them. I’ve spent hours in the phone with people from India , thst I can’t I understand . My business name is Hair By Kim G. They have lied and lied and lied .

  

  Business response

  12/20/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. Our records indicate your most recent month end fees have rejected resulting in a divert status and a withholding of funds. An invalid bank letter was received on or  about December 18, 2023. In order to undivert your account and release funds a bank letter on bank letterhead from your financial institution is required. Please note, the following requirements below must be on the bank letter.                        
  
  The letter should be on bank letterhead and must include the following:
  

  Merchant account number
  Legal Business Name
  Routing number
  Checking account number
  The letter must be signed by a bank representative and include their contact information. The letter must state that the Stop payment and/or holds have been removed from the account and it is open and available to receive ACH debits and credits.
  
  Please email the required letter to our Collections Department at [email protected].  Should you have additional questions, please contact our Customer Service team.
  
  Thank you.  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have small business and use Leaders/iAccess/Flagship/Paysafe or whoever these people are. I was told i would not have any fees other than my monthly fee when I signed up. I was PCI compliant last year and when I tried to become compliant last year i was told to go online. i did and the access did not work. I was then told that it didn't work because I was new. Now I have been with them for a year and it's time to renew the PCI compliance. I went online to complete and again the portal did not work. i called and could not get through to anyone. i then started getting fees taken out of my account on 9/15/2023 and 10/15/2023 and when i called to find out why no one knew anything so i thought my bank account was hacked so i closed my account. i then started getting notices stating i owed over 243.03. i call iaccess/leaders again! and then was told that i was not PCI compliant. I explained that the portal was not working and had not been working since last year. I spoke to Henry on the 11/25 after Thanksgiving he would transfer me to the compliance dept and make sure i got refunded after i became compliant again because of all the trouble i had gone through. well the department was closed I became compliant on 11/27/2023 and the lady i spoke with stated the same thing. I updated the new banking information over on 11/27/2023. now on 12/2/2023 they have withdrawn $243.03 out of my bank account without warning or permission. I spoke with an online chat agent who now states these fees are non refundable, I have had so many misleading statements made to me from the very beginning. they are very deceptive in their business practices and really do not want to do business with this company any longer.

  

  Business response

  12/05/2023

  We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. Our records indicate that the
  PCI SAQ was not completed on or before the due date. The PCI NAF was added to the
  September-November Month end statements. Please note, your merchant account is 
  still open. As a courtesy the company will refund PCI NAF’S 2X$89.95 once the Collections
  balance has been paid. Please contact our Collections team for information regarding the 
  outstanding balance. 
  
  Thank you.    

  Customer response

  12/05/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20947657
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have tried since I have started doing business with this company to take advantage with this company. I tried utilizing the online portal to become PCI compliant and the system has been inactive for the entire year. I was told that you all were conducting maintenance on the portal. the first excuse was because I was a new customer. I was taking advantage of the online portal and now I am being held accountable financially for the incompetence of multiple representatives that I have requested help from, who were unable to assist. now I see withdrawals coming out of my account. I called and asked about that and no one could tell why they were coming out. I called multiple times asking why this money was coming out of my account and no one could tell me why until now... this ridiculous... here we are 3 months later....It took 3 months of phone calls, 2 days off of my full time job and a loss of $300...to find out that I'm being charged for the incompetence of a broken system, and representatives who cannot do their jobs correctly.  I have tried for 3 months to become PCI compliant and because of a broken system i was not directed to the appropriate department and penalized. $248 has already been withdrawn out of my account and now i'm told I owe 85 more dollars.   and now there is a hold on transactions of $119 that have not posted to my account. I have reported this company to the BBB. and will following up with the Consumer Attorney General for unethical practices and misleading statements that have been made t me, This is the message that I sent to them via the message that they sent to me. they just took $243.00 out of my account unauthorized so why are asking for $89 after they took it upon themselves to 243?  i should not be responsible for their system not working.

  This is the letter that was sent to me.

  but was told by Henry, that they were going to waive the fee because it was not my fault. another lie

  
  
  Regards,
  
  S**** *****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  12/07/2023

  We understand that you are not satisfied with our response dated December 05, 2023, our records
  indicate the PCI NAF was added to the September-November Month end statements, once the 
  Collections balance has been paid, a refund in the amount of $269.85 representing the 3x $89.95
  PCI non action fees will be issued. Should you have additional questions, please contact our
  Customer Service team.     
  
  Thank you.   
  

  Customer response

  12/07/2023

  
  
  Complaint: 20947657
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Between November 30-December 1, 2023 there was a withdrawal in the amount of $243.03 deducted from my account. Also, my monthly sales transaction statements show deductions that were withheld due to non compliance. which means I am being charged twice for the same thing. double charged. My funds are being withheld and they are making additional withdrawals unauthorized from my bank account. these fees show on the statements as MISC fees. It clearly shows on the statement from leaders what was withheld (what they kept) and what was submitted into my account. Again, I'm being charged twice for what they have already deducted for. and they are also holding the $120.00 in sales transactions that were made this past weekend December 2nd and 3rd...so how do I still owe? it cleary shows that they have their money. on their statement and my bank statement.
  
  Regards,
  
  S**** *****
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I got another huge bill of $1832 from this scam company just before I terminated contract with them. . I have a small business and transferred from Square credit card processing because of high fees (around 2.5%) to Leaders Merchant Services (who promised me fees of 0.15% ). BUT, that was a LIE, as everyone else here complains about their deceptive sales tactics and no transparency in their fees so they can steal money from customers, I am as well their victim. I will follow up filing a legal case against this company if they don't refund my money. In August and September 2023 Leaders Merchant Services took over $2,000 from my hard work as their fees. Its not 0.15% as their sales agent promise me, but is almost 5% fees. I terminated immediately contract with them since they never respond to my request for refund and illegal charges.

  

  Business response

  11/27/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. In order to establish a merchant account, the merchant
  must submit a sighed Merchant Processing Application. The signed Merchant Processing Application contains 
  information about the business and includes the processing rate and fees. Accordingly, fees charged in connection
  with your merchant account were valid. Please note due to a stop payment on the bank account, as of the date
  of this response, a balance of $1,832.26 remains outstanding. In connection with the merchant account.
  
  Thank you.   
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In December 2022 I opened a card reader account with Leaders merchant services for my locksmith business. it was the basic square reader (swift B250) with me paying the fees. I rarely used it till I opened a retail outlet in my local Fleamarket. Then I Talked to a sales person and changed my reader to a Pax A920, also started charging my customers 4% to cover the card fees, I was told this would cover all charges and would pay nothing. I asked what to about the previous card reader and was told it was mine keep it. Recently I noticed charges drawn from my bank account going back months from leaders. two separate draws some twice a day. I contacted Leaders several times about the charges and got several answers, one was the customers were using debit and not credit cards so I wasn't hitting my monthly target, even though they were charging all my customers the same 4%. I wasn't aloud to talk to any sales people to ask why I was being charged fees when they said I wouldn't be. Additionally I've noticed on the bottom of all my monthly statements there's foot notes explaining additional charges for various reasons. I put a stop to all bank payments and turned off the card reader and will not be using it. I agree I did owe monies while using my first card reader, but the second one (Pax A920) I was given the impression I would pay nothing, the customers were paying for it with there 4%.

  

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to address your concerns. Please note the request for closure must 
  be submitted in writing and signed by the authorized person on the account, in accordance with the
  terms and conditions of the commercial agreement between the parties. Although we have not
  received a written request for closure, we will accept this complaint as a formal request for closure. 
  As a courtesy the company will also waive the Early termination fee.
  

  Our records indicate the Cash Discount program addendum agreement was signed on July 18, 2023.
  We apologize for the miscommunication regarding the Cash Discount program. The Security fee, Batch
  header and Pass- through fees are not included in the Cash discount program. The company will issue 
  a refund in the amount of $139.37 representing fees charged from July -October 2023, in addition we
  will also refund $140.00 representing the loaner equipment fees charged. The total refund amount $199.37,
  upon acceptance of this response.
  
  Please note once you accept the refund it will be submitted when the terminal is returned to Leaders. 
  
  Thank you. 

  
  

  Customer response

  11/20/2023

  On reading the reply to my complaint I noticed an error in the refund calculation to the tune of $100. Can that be corrected? Thankyou in advance.

  Customer response

  11/21/2023

  I apologize, my adding on my last reply was in error. It should have read $80 short, total should be $279.37. Thankyou.

  

  Business response

  11/22/2023

  Response posted on BBB Portal:
  
  We apologize for the error pertaining to the refund amount. Once we confirm 
  the terminal has been received a refund in the amount of $279.37 will be 
  refunded, upon acceptance of this response.
  
  Thank you. 
  
  

  Customer response

  11/28/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20864598, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  P*** **********
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩