Charge.com a credit card processing company (Merchant Services) was founded in 1995. Pipeline Data is a bank processor for Charge.com. CTS Holdings LLC is the holder of the money for Pipeline. Charges appear in the name of Pipeline Data, CTS Holding LLC and various formations of each. Anything to get their debit through.
Interested in accepting credit cards for my very small online business I came across Charge.com, since they have the perfect name for the search engines they appear all over. I completed an application because it states it will be reviewed for approval. They don't run credit reports or anything else in depth. Except their first scam is, each application is automatically approved. Why you ask? Here's why; by electronically signing the application they say, you signed the contract (your in a contract automatically because you signed the application and it was approved and supposedly you agreed to this in the size 3 font on the screen).
Secondly, you state what you think your sales will be, and if you sign up for wanted to take just visa and MasterCard, tuff, you have to accept American express and discover and JCB (which was a new one to me but I'm on the west coast I assumed it was possibly just an east coast card). Ok, so now you’re automatically involved in monthly fees with Amex, ok it was a nominal $5 per month but not the point.
A few months go by and I’m being debited from my checking account $68 per month. I don't use the service at all, whatsoever, not even once! I figure hard lesson but I’ll early terminate my contract and chalk it up to a bad decision on my part. After reading each paragraph of the emailed contract, it was $300 to do so. I called, and called, and got passed around numerous times, no surprise nobody can help me and I’m told I have to talk to my sales rep who initially verified my acceptance over the phone before the account opened. HUH? I never spoke to anyone ever. SO, I leave messages on this so called person’s voice mail box. Of course no return call back and it’s probably a dummy box anyway.
I continue to call and someone finally tells me that my early termination fee is over $900 but they cannot justify to me why that is. Guess who handles that too, yep the sales rep that probably doesnt even exist.
A few months continue on pondering what I can do, Im debited $68 each time and I decide to stop pay on all transactions. I had to pay $20 for EACH stop pay because they use variations of their company names to get the debits in. Sometimes it is CTS Holding LLC and variations of that name or Pipeline Data with various formations of their name too. Since the debits were always $68 I guess the bank reps placing my stop pay’s automatically assigned a range between $20 and $75 so anything below or above that will get a valid debit hit. Today they hit my account for $205. Of course they are trying to get their so called money.
I’m not rich by any means but I’m not poor, just an average middle class American living paycheck to paycheck. I cannot afford an attorney or to pay the outrageously expensive fees. I NEED HELP!!
If there is someone who want to take this on, either in the media, or a university law group etc., I’ll give you anything you want to know.
There a few complaints on here but if you do web search you’ll find another site whereas they actually hold onto to the money before depositing into accounts because they gain interest. We are talking more than 6 months of holding onto merchants’ money. They need to be shut down – they need a strong law suite. This is perfect for an attorney who can do this pro bono or a class action, ANYTHING. Even strong armed letters to the company. HELP!
I’ve opened a new checking account which after having my old one more than 10 years I shouldn’t have to do that. But I refuse to pay them a dime more.
(((ROR REDACTED E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))
Christina
Huntington Beach, California
U.S.A.
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