Tmg, Trans Tech Merchant Group ripped off by tmg, misrepresentation by the salesperson led to me loosing thousands Fort Worth Texas

A Woman called my business and asked my partner if we accepted visa or MasterCard. My partner said yes but did not think you can beat my current credit card processing rate. The woman responded that she could and would like to set up a meeting. This is the beginning of my worst sales experience. P*&^%& C(*&^& (the salesperson for TMG, Trans tech merchant group) shows up to make her presentation. I told her she had 5 minutes and asked her is she knew what cost-plus was.

Cost plus is a plan that most big businesses use because they do large volume of credit card transactions and usually receive a better discount because it reduces the amount from the middle man. The salesperson had never heard of cost plus, so I had to explain it to her. Since she was unaware of the cost plus system she called her team leader Michael to discuss what rates I was getting and so forth.

After a lengthy conversation with the team leader who was located in Fort Worth TX. He presented an option to me that would save me money in the long run. Keep in mind I was already with a subsidiary of the same company, First American Payment Systems. This is where I learned about the cost plus system. After confirming TMG was a subsidiary of first American payment systems, I decided to discuss more with the salesperson to see what they could do.

The salesperson and I talked for quite a while discussing the rates and fees that would be applied to my credit card processing. I already had equipment from my previous company so all I needed was to re-program my machines. After going over everything making sure I was not going to pay any abnormal fees, such as a high statement fee, or hidden extra charges I told the salesperson I would like to make the switch using my equipment. It was at this point things went the other direction.

The conversation came about that I also took checks and the salesperson offered that her company could also offer me that service as well for a very cheap price. I was intrigued because I had been using another check verifying service and was paying more that I wanted. I asked if her check equipment and her debit pin pad would work with my equipment. The answer was no. I told the salesperson that I have never paid for my equipment in the past from other credit card processors and would not pay for new equipment. The salesperson told me stories of how she had worked out other deals with other customers to keep them from paying for equipment. I told her that if we could work something out where I would not have to pay for the equipment then I would be open to that.

She told me that she could not just give me the units, and I say units because I have 2 locations and I was going to do this transaction in both my locations. She said she could not give them away, her boss would not let her do that but she could do a buy one get one free and then explained on how I could get the one I was to buy for free. She told me to sign a lease agreement for the one machine and then right before my 30 trial period ends, I can call and complain with the company and they would not want to loose my business so they would give me the machine for free. She told me she had done this with other customers.

I kept asking questions regarding this, to make sure that what she was saying was true. She kept saying the same things so I told her that I would go with the plan she had presented to me. She called her team leader to inform him of the progress and tell him about the buy one get one free. The team leader told her she could not do that and would have to sign me up on both machines in order to do the contract. The salesperson came back to me and told me that she could not do the buy one get one free and that she had to sign me on both pieces of equipment to do the contract. I immediately told her no, I would not sign for both pieces of equipment and I would not do the deal. She then told me I could do the same thing with both pieces.

At the end of the 30 day trial I would call into the company and complain and since I do a large volume of transactions they would not want to loose my business and would give me both pieces of equipment for free. I was unsure of this process but the salesperson kept telling me Don't worry about it. I asked how the process was going to work on canceling with the company and she said to call her about 1 week before my 30 day trial was up and she would call in to get me the machines for free. I told her I trusted her to do what she said and would sign to the agreement she and I had verbally made.

At this time my partner was in and out of our meeting and was present when these comments were made. I told her I am going to put the date in my phone of the day she tells me to call and cancel so I can remember to call her. It was at this time the salesperson wrote on the top of the TMG contract her cell phone number and home phone number and told me to call her anytime, with any questions regarding the account. In filling out the paperwork for both my businesses she messed up quite a few times and had to re-write the paperwork.

After messing all the paperwork up she told me she would take it home and sort all of it out and bring it back for me to complete. I had not seen or signed a lease agreement at this time. As she was wrapping up the end of the meeting she told me about other networking businesses she was involved with. We discussed for a little while about the companies she was running and involved with. Two days later I received a phone call telling me she was going to stop by to finalize the paperwork. The salesperson came by late that evening and told me she had her kids in the car and needed me to sign some paperwork. I was presented with all the paperwork that I had previously filled out and now two non-cancelable lease agreements for both pieces of equipment.

I felt rushed by having her two kids in the car and immediately showed her the top of the contract that said non-cancelable and asked her how she was going to get me out of this. Her response was Don't worry about this, I do this all the time she then explained again how I would call her before the 30 day trial and complain and her company would give me the machines for free. I signed the agreements still with hesitation that something she was telling me was not going to happen.

One week went by and I had not seen or heard from anyone about the new machines that were supposed to come in. I called the salesperson and asked when they would be delivered and she said she would check on it and call me back.

A few days later the machines were delivered to my store and the salesperson came by to install them. In front of my partner and my salesman, while she was setting up the machine I said so one more time, I call you 3 weeks from today and complain and you will call your company and get me both machines for free. She responded with a yes. I told her I was putting it in my phone for January 5 to call her and made that notation in my phone. After she had finished setting up the machine I asked her if she was interested in hearing about a network marketing business that I had recently heard about. She told me she would so I showed her the website and told her a little about it. She then gave me her email address and told me to send her some more information as I received it.

I then discussed with her about a website of mine that I had been trying to market and asked her what her business might charge for such a service. She had told me in previous conversation that one of her many businesses was to market other peoples products or services. She gave me a little information regarding what it might cost and then she left and went to my other location to set up that equipment. I was not present at the second location but was told a week later that when she had completed the install my salesman asked what to do with the good working equipment that we were replacing. The salesperson instructed my salesman to throw it away, which he did as instructed.


The next two weeks we had nothing but problems in operating the equipment, and was on the phone with customer service every other day trying to get the machines to work correctly. We did not have American Express working for 20 days due to the salesperson writing down the wrong American Express number so customer service could not set it up. This was a big loss over the Christmas holiday as we could not take American Express. I called before Christmas to let the salesperson know I had not received all the equipment. The pin pad and check writer were never delivered. She answered on the first call I made to her and said she would check on it, but never called us back.

Over the new year holiday we noticed a charge had been taken out of both business checking accounts for the lease on the machines. When I came back to work on Monday, January 5, 2009, I called the salesperson as instructed to get this matter fixed. I called a few times and left messages on the salespersons cell phone but never received a phone call back. I called the team leader in Texas to explain what agreement was made and what could be done. He informed me I signed a non-cancelable lease and he would try to talk to the salesperson but only communicated with her by email.

The next day I tried again multiple times to contact the salesperson by cell phone and only one time did she answer and tell me she was on the phone with customer service and she would call me right back. She never returned my call. That evening remembering she had given me her home phone number and told me to call anytime, I called her home around 6:00 pm. someone answered the phone and I asked for Paula and then the phone went dead. I had thought I lost connection so I tried again, and again someone answered and I asked for Paula and again the phone went dead.

At this point and time I realized the salesperson was trying to dodge me in not fulfilling the verbal agreement we had originally discussed. I spoke with the team leader again that evening and demanded something be done and he told me he had not spoken to the salesperson yet. The next morning I sent an email to the salesperson asking for her to contact me and let her company know about the agreement she verbally made to me so I can get out of my lease that I had signed. I again tried to call the salesperson on her cell and finally she picked up and then hung up on me. I tried one more time and she answered and I asked her to please stay on the line and heard her in the background speaking with the team leader. After a few seconds she hung the phone up again on me.

I immediately called the team leader and told him I spoke with her and she hung up on me and I know she was talking to you. I told the team leader before and reiterated it that I would be contacting an attorney to charge the salesperson and the company with misrepresentation. The team leader told me she had sent me an email to me and him explaining her case and that she had not done anything wrong and everything I did I knew about. Then proceeded to tell me that the salesperson had made comments to him that I was leaving harassing messages and had made sexual advances and other exaggerations towards her, and led me to believe that if I filed any kind of lawsuit I would be pursued with a sexual harassment lawsuit. I told the team leader I know where this is going and asked for his supervisor, Tony to have the salesperson fill out an affidavit stating that everything she was saying is correct. The team leader told me he would have a meeting with the supervisor and get back with me if anything were to change.

After reading the email sent from the salesperson it was clearly stated that she could not help me anymore regarding this matter and to please contact customer service from now on with anymore questions or concerns. I have since not contacted the salesperson or the team leader regarding this and have not received any response back from them as well. I have also still not received all my equipment that was promised to me in the contract. I have not received the pin pad or the check writer but I am being still being charged a monthly lease fee for equipment I do not have.

I clearly stated with the team leader that I am happy with the rates his company has provided and still wanted to continue to do business with this company, but I wanted the leases cancelled and taken out of my name and I would use my old equipment, or partial equipment because the salesperson told me to throw away some of my equipment.

At this point and time I am clearly disgusted with this company in allowing a salesperson to make verbal agreements and not carry forward with them. My request is simple and has been throughout this process, I simply would like TMG to remove my leases out of my name and then place me back with my previous credit card processor without any penalties accessed on my part. I feel I have been violated in my rights and fear of pursuing justice with false made accusations on my part.

Qttire
woodbridge, Virginia
U.S.A.