First Financial USA (FFUSA) Credit Card Company Rips-Off Sales Agents Medina Minnesota

This person doesn't have any of their facts straight.  First Data only pays residuals for one year.  If he is that wrong on the first fact, he is obvisously wrong on everything else.

I am an independent contractor with FFUSA and have been with the company since 2008.  When you first sign with the company they have already explained how residuals are paid.  As long as you write at least one account a month you continue to receive your full residuals every month. 

They have a vesting process that when you have written a certain number of accounts you are fully vested and will continue to receive your residuals from all your merchants as long as they remain processing with the company even if you stop writing new accounts. If you just write a few accounts and then leave, after a few months it is true that you do not receive those residuals for life.  This is ALL EXPLAINED very clearly up front! 

They also invest a lot of time into training agents who want to be trained and succeed.  Two years ago I suffered a severe injury that has taken almost two years to recover from.  I was not fully vested (as I had only been working for them part-time) and was not in a position for months to go out and get new business.  FFUSA supported me through all this time and continued to pay me my full residuals. 

I am so grateful to have been working for a company like this.  I do not know who Docbox is as he/she chooses to remain anonymous but this is not the first time totally incorrect information as been posted about this company from this person.

Susan Wesler

Pensacola, FL

I know it has been some time since you wrote your comments about FFUSA, but I need to thank you just the same.  I have recently been solicited by them via email due to my resumes on Monster & Carreer builder.

  Last year, I was solicited in a similar way, by another company I had never heard of because of my Monster resume, American Income Life Insurance.  I took a chance & went to work for them.  I did well at first, until their leads started drying up & I was forced to start training my bosses new salesman.  I did everything I could to make things work, asking my superiors for help & advice.  Every time I was given the run around until eventually I was just brushed off & told I must not be following their business model, which is far from the truth.

  I was researching FFUSA & I came across your comments & it was like deja vu.  Even though it is a different industry, it was still sales & everything you went through sounded like my situation last year.  So thank you for not giving up & responding intelligently to all of the rebuttals thrown at you. If it wasn't for your diligence & concern, I might have made another very big mistake with my life.

I was contacted by a FFUSA rep when I put my resume on Monster as well.  I was intrigued by the income levels and liked the thought of residual incomes each month.  Although the credit card processing industry is one I'd never set out to get into, I respected FFUSA for their Giveback Program.  I have been employed for 3 years now with FFUSA and have seen nothing but integrity.  Chuck Fowler takes time to train me and teach me how to be a better rep for the company and treat our clients with the upmost of respect. I strongly disagree with the complaints against FFUSA. What wasn't mentioned in the complaints was the fact that you actually have to do some work to get paid, like sign one account a month. This isn't a free money company where you sit back and collect. You are your own boss and have to continually remind yourself "would I fire me if I truly were my boss because of lack of work ethic"?  FFUSA gives you the tools, the integrity (they have an A+ BBB rating), and the means to be successful - it's up to YOU to do it.  I have grown into a $5,000+ a month residual and it has been a true blessing to me and my family.

Any suggestions as to how to do this?

'nuff said.

If FFUSA is so evil, why have they been voted a "best place to work" by their employees and the local newspaper two years in a row? You make claims that hold no validity. You state they constantly are recruiting new agents because other agents figure out they are not making any money. Can you prove this?  Conjecture does not make a convincing argument. 

 I have been with this company for almost a year. Been paid well. Get my residuals every month without fail. It is the agent that charges the price increase of the equipment upcharge. not the Company. I have saved Many many Owners thousands of dollars and still to this day on a Great communication with them.  So.. your arguement is payments stop... Nope not a issue.. your arguement Cost to much.. nope not a issue.. your arguement that you cant make the money.. well My fiance was able to quit her job and we work about 10 hours a week  for FFUSA and we pay all the bills and just bought a truck. Sounds like we are struggling.... ummmm Nope.. Do your homework next time and not put other company's down doue to your own lack of sucess

Hello, my name is Steven F...I was also Was Recruited by this Company via Email:....i also did the telephone Conference Call. I am New Yorker  and whom speaks faster than New yorkers, will this guy whom led the Meeting, i cant recall his name that led the meeting indicated that he was from the Human Resources, well just the speed of the information that he was providing turned me off! alone!.........i am a former nyc law enforcement officer!......i have been ripped off just like most other people in company `s and scams...so i offer everyone-everyone to due diligence when taken upon any event in your life.....that's the best advice to adhere too.........i am just learning about this financial credit merchant arena myself!.......recently i was a an electronic show in NYC, i happened to meet a young lady from japan, whom is an account Manager.....for a major Credit Card Processing Company!...she gave a pack-it of information, which i had put aside for about 2 months before going through the information...first i started doing my research on credit cards processing...to my findings is that, like most people would believe.....is that banks process credit cards.......no!, no!....98% of Banks Do not Process Credit Cards...they are only the Middle Man, with there Hands in the pot of the financial world.......as you do you research, the major Credit Card Processers are "CHASE" "Wells Fargo" "Merchant Financial Services" and "Firstdata".....well back to the young ladie whom is an account manager for FirstData.......if you look and FFUSA....look at the bottom of their website it says powered by FIRSTDATA, this small company uses FIRSTDATA to submitt all thier Accounts. So As i went through the Conference Call and listened, regarding their 50% residual income....thats their split for life time........i also didn't like that it seems that they put you in time frame, too generate cash!........Let me Inform you that FIRSTDATA Also Recently Started it`s Independent Sales Agent Program and Also Pays 50% only uptill you reach the 8K a Month..than  the split goes to 25% to FIRSTDATA  - 75% TO YOU!....and your Residual Income doesnt stop even after you leave the company...just remember as long as your accounts are still active!.....FRISTDATA also provides you with all the marketing material and the terminal prices seem to be very  fair.........FIRSTDATA also provides you with an Agent website to view your account activities.       They also have a Referral program in place if you brought someone on board as an agent, what every that persons monthly Residual income is you`ll Recieve 10% of that persons Accounts on a continuing basis!.......So My Question is why work for the Middle Man when you can go Directly for the Major Players in this Business of Processing Credit Cards!....."FRISTDATA" also teachs you how to give away free terminals which you know most Merchants will gladly accept!.........if interested in this business give me call and ill put you in touch with the right individuals!...if you decide to give FRISTDATA a Go at it please provide my agent ID# 8196.....i just completed my first deal...i locked a merchant in for 18 months with no money down for a terminal ........with a 1.75% charge card rate!....a month payment for his terminal at $10..00 a month......I wont make any money off the sale of the Terminal but at lease i got my foot wet.....

thanks
Steve F
Agent ID#8196
Stepharn@aim.com

Susan Wesler,

Your rebuttal is all wrong and you are misunderstanding what people are saying.

What they are saying is that your company is encouraging and training sales reps to sell equipment like the Hypercom T7 terminal for up to $700 or more when the merchant can get this terminal online for as little as $85 bucks or up to $185.

Here is a site that sells a variety of Hypercom T7 machines for the price range of $85.00 and up to $185.00 total.

So if you are looking at your price sheet and it says $225, it is very clear your company is marking up the prices BIG TIME and telling the sales rep that is their cost if they sell it to the merchant.

Now FFUSA may seem like they are a scam, but if they explain their sales agent program to an individual, and explain their pricing, and the individual signs the contract and joins the company, then their is nothing wrong with what FFUSA is doing as long as they are not lying and trying to hids anything. And from the reports on this site, it seems like they are hiding things and just not being honest. But it is the sales reps responsibility to do their homework and investigate the company, and research online other companies to work for, see who is the best and has the best commissions and residuals, and choose who to work for. If the sales rep does not do this, and joins FFUSA, then that is a decision they need to live with.

Now when a sales rep has been with FFUSA for a few months, they will learn about the industry and will also learn that there are MANY companies in this industry that will pay better commissions and residuals and will never give the runaround and hide things from the sales reps. When the sales rep learns this, they should just talk to FFUSA and ask them to pay better. If they refuse, simply go to another company. But don't complain and say FFUSA is a scam, although they are conducting business and hiding things in a manner that is extremely unethical.

If you are considering working for FFUSA or you want to be a sales rep in the credit card processing industry, you need to look at other companies first, compare the companies and what they pay, and choose who would be best for you.

Here are a few websites of a couple of competitors you can look at:

merchantwarehouse.com
upfrontandresiduals.com
isoprogram.com

And go to this website and read all the articles that pertain to you being employed by any company selling merchant accounts in the credit card processing industry

riandalaw.com

ALWAYS read your contract completely before signing it.
ALWAYS research 4-5 companies before choosing to work for any 1 company.
ALWAYS make the company put what they say in writing and in the contract!

I wanted to make one more rebuttal against some of the mis-information being posted here about FFUSA. And that is about their equipment pricing. First of all, the sales agent is never required to purchase any of the terminal equipment. The sales agent is never required to force a merchant to purchase or lease new equipment, especially if they already have their own equipment they are satisfied with. The ridiculous prices I have seen posted here do not exist. One posting refers to the Hypercom T7 terminal as costing up to $700+ when the merchant could purchase it for much less elsewhere. That is flatly untrue!

As a sales agent for FFUSA I am sitting here looking at the equipment sheet, as I write this, with the pricing and the Hypercom T7 is $225, exactly what some of these complainers are saying the price range should be. There is also other equipment on the list that is higher and lower than the Hypercom depending on brand and features. It also states in writing that "The agent does not buy equipment."

It is true that the sales agent has the option of marking up the equipment. It is strictly up to the agent to make that decision. It is common sense to understand that if the agent chooses to get greedy and mark-up euipment excessively, he/she is only shooting themselves in the foot.

I have never been pressured by the company to sell equipment or lease equipment to my merchants, mark up equipment and certainly not required to buy equipment myself. I do what is in the best interest of the merchant - period.

As for the rest of the mis-information, I have already posted my rebuttal.

Susan Wesler - wesler@bellsouth.net

I joined FFUSA as an Independent Sales Account Representative several months ago. I too, was contacted after posting my resume on monster. Prior to joining I visited this web site and read the negative, and positive comments and then did my own research to determine which were true and which were not. I participated in the introductory conference call and asked a lot of questions, all of which were answered to my satisfaction.

I then signed up and received my paperwork which included all the information and rules about being an independent contractor. The paperwork is pretty much standard and what you would receive from any company that hired you as an independent contractor. I was assigned an agent director to work with me and began my training.

When I was ready, I began making sales calls. To date I have been very happy with the company and the support and training I have received and have always been paid exactly as promised. My commissions have always been correct and when I asked, I was immediately told how they were figured and now, I can estimate them myself and am always paid on time and correctly.

As for the people complaining about this company, I can only assume two things - 1. They did not read all the paperwork which clearly delineates how many accounts it takes to receive both bonuses and on-going residuals and 2. They assumed this was some sort of "get rich quick" job and did not understand that it takes work and effort. To receive 100% of residual income for life and retire, (go inactive and stop writing new account) you must maintain 200 active accounts. Any less then they clearly show you what your residual % will be. You cannot write a few accounts for them and then leave and expect to continue to be paid for a lifetime. That's ridiculous. When an agent quits there is no longer someone there in their area to service those accounts and that can reflect badly on a company that prides itself on service. All of this is explained very clearly up-front.

The credit card processing industry is very competitive and it takes work and providing excellent service to your clients to succeed. Another reason I joined this company is that they are the only processing company with a GiveBack program. They will donate 10% of their profits from a merchants account each month to the charity or other non-profit organization of the merchants choice. They are very competitive with the rates they offer merchants. I have now signed up numerous merchants who are very happy with their rates and the money I have saved them and very happy with the fact that the charity of their choice receives a monthly donation in their name and it does not cost them a dime to make that donation.

When I quote a merchant he knows exactly how much he should be saving on his processing fees and exactly how much his Giveback will be based on the volume of credit card business he does. I also have numerous charities now contacting me and asking me to call on their business owner supporters hoping I can save the merchant money and the merchant will select them for their give back.

One last thing - no one at the company asked me or paid me to post this rebuttal. I am doing this because when I read some of these comments, it is very obvious to me that they did not listen, did not ask questions (which would have been answered directly - no one from the company has ever said to me "just trust me" when I asked a question), and probably did not take the time to do all of the training properly. The rewards of this career are directly proportionate to the effort you put in. This career is no different from any other - it is not for everyone. Anyone who wants to may contact me about this. I can be reached at 850-435-9241 or wesler@bellsouth.net.

I have read all these reports, and it is true that the company is hiding alot of information from their sales reps they recruit, along with their bad service, agent support, and the agent directors keeping you in the dark.

If you are looking to work as a sales rep in the credit card processing industry, this is the truth of what you can be earning:

1. If you find the right company, you can easily be earning up to 70-80% of the TOTAL PROFIT in monthly residuals from each merchant account you sell. This is the total profit the company is paid from the bank/processor. Some companies will put restrictions on your residual payment like only pay you a % of swiped transactions only, and not pay you anything on non-qualified and mid-qualified transactions, and who knows what else they hide from you. So make sure you are getting paid 50-70% residuals monthly on the TOTAL PROFIT from each merchant.

2. There are companies out their that will give you a monthly report and tell you that this is what profits were earned from all your merchants, and what % of those profits you get. NEVER TRUST THAT REPORT! The report can easily be altered and the numbers can be changed to show the merchant processed less volume, resulting you getting paid residuals % off a lesser volume than the actual volume. When you get paid residuals each month, ask for a detailed report in an EXCEL spreadsheets showing your merchants processing volume, total net profit, and your pay. Next, do an AUDIT and audit them. Go visit a few of your merchants and ask them if you can view their processing statements and see what their actual volume was. Compare this with what your company is reporting to you to see if they are COOKING THE BOOKS and telling you the merchants processed a smaller volume. If this is true, then you should SUE them for fraud and theft, and immediately start working for another company.

3. Regarding monthly residual reports, alot of companies out their make mistakes on the residual reports, resulting in less pay to the sales reps. So it is extremely important that you audit the company you work for and make sure this is a company that you can trust.

4. There are companies out there that provide free equipment programs for your merchants. The merchant gets free equipment, you as a sales rep can get paid $100 up to $700 upfront bonus, and you will get monthly residuals.

5. Equipment Leasing. This is VERY important. If you lease equipment to a merchant for like 49.95 x 48 months, the total funding paid to the company you work for would be around $1427.00 profit. Now how much of that profit does the company you work for share with you. I have seen some companies pay only 15 to 50% total lease funding to their sales reps. If you have a good credit score, you can just go straight to a leasing company and sign up with them, sell leases, and you will get 100% of the total lease funding.

You are the sales rep and you work hard for every account you sell. And for what? So the company you sell for can keep up to 80% of all the profits when you are the one that is putting out the blood, sweat, and tears on the streets every day to support your wife and kids?

AND BEFORE YOU SIGN THE CONTRACT AND PAPERWORK WITH THE COMPANY YOU WILL JOIN, YOU NEED TO GO TO THE WEBSITE OF PAUL RIANDA, HE IS AN ATTORNEY THAT SPECIALIZES IN THE CREDIT CARD PROCESSING INDUSTRY. HE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT 25 ARTICLES FOR SALES REPS LIKE YOURSELF SO YOU CAN LEARN HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS AND PROTECT YOURSELF.

WWW.RIANDALAW.COM

GO THE THE ARTICLES PAGE AND READ ALL THE ARTICLES.

Summary: Never work for a company who says they will pay you only 10-25% residuals or equipment lease funding. You can do 50% better than that. Do your research and your homework, google "credit card processing" and call 10 other companies and tell them you want to be a sales reps. Tell the company straight up that you want to earn 50% or more residuals, 50% or more in equipment lease funding, earn upfront bonuses, and you want to get pre-qualified leads and appointments. You will find that their are alot of companies who are very honest who will provide all this to you and even more.

AND NEVER WORK FOR A COMPANY OR TRUST SOMEONE BASED ON WHAT THEY SAY TO YOU ON THE PHONE OR EMAIL. If they make a promise to you, make sure it is included in the contract before you sign it. If they give you the runaround and dont put it in the contract, then dont sign it and run!!!!!!!!!!

I have been employed by FFUSA for a month and have done very well. I became concerned when I couldn't get a report of monies earned. Also, I was told that reps make 50% from purchases. After doing some research and looking at the Representative Agreement...that's not what it says! Since I have been doing well at this, what companies would be good to work for with competitive pricing for businesses? Which one has the best rates? Which company treats their workers like professionals? Thanks for your posting...I would have not known any of this for a while.

One summer when I was in college, the only job I could find was as a commission only salesman for high-end vacuum cleaners. I spent my own money on expenses and worked my tail off all summer. I sold two vaccums: one to my grandmother, and one to my best friend's mom. I had a very negative view of sales after that experience.

My first job after college was as a salaried sales engineer for a petroleum chemical company. I didn't sell much there either. But I serviced existing accounts using company vehicles and equipment, took area decision makers out to eat on my expense account, and collected a nice salary. I loved that job!

Because I couldn't, for whatever reason, sell vaccum cleaners very well, didn't mean the company or the product wasn't good. In fact, both were very reputable and top of the line (back then anyway). That was over 30 years ago. A few months ago, a friend of mine lost his job and went to work as a real estate agent. I asked him how it was going. When talking about his first week of work he said, "It was kind of like the vacuum cleaner sales job, you had in college (how did he know about that?). The company knows that most of the people it takes on to sell the vacuum cleaners will only sell one or two, probably to their mothers and grandmothers. But the company takes on 20 to 30 new salesmen people every month. Pretty smart don't you think? The company runs that many new recruits through its full time training department every month, and sells 40 to 60 of those $400 vacuum cleaners every month. And, that goes on forever! And that is probably in just that one office!"

What I am trying to say is: it's quite possible that FFUSA is a legit, totally righteous outfit, that does just what it says it does - for its customers and for its agents. At the same time, someone with unreal expectations of commission-only sales work has probably had some bad experiences. It doesn't mean that the product or company is a scam. It might just mean that that someone should seek a salaried sales position with less overall earning potential, that will be more within their comfort zone. It ain't easy trying to make a living these days. Peace, y'all.

Docbox, thank you for posting this. I received an email from FFUSA today and immediately Googled them because I have had similar offers from other companies. Before I could discard the email I even received a pre-recorded phone call from FFUSA.

In the grand scheme of things, if a company so big and/or so successful needs to have frequent mass hiring campaigns then there has to be something amiss. New employee seminars, conferences, etc. are just window-dressing to distract you from the red hot poker sliding up your alimentary canal. I was distracted by the promises of huge returns when I was younger and suffered mightily for it. It doesn't work. Even the individual above who claims to make a decent living at FFUSA doesn't make anywhere near the amount that was originally dangled in front of him.

In short, folks, stop thinking about getting rich quick. Just because you have job stability doesn't mean you're going to make only 300 bucks per week or suffer under somebody's greasy thumb. I was recently laid off by a company in the food industry hit hard by exorbitant fuel costs last year. But I made far more than $300/week and worked very hard for my YEARLY BONUS, which was a complete reflection of my hard work. I didn't need a college degree to get the job, and I even moved to other positions within that company before termination. Think about this: if you were to work on commissions alone, who would pay for your health insurance, you entirely or will it be a joint agreement between you and your employer? If you were to become ill while working for FFUSA, would they still cut off your residuals? Do they have 401K or other retirement options? Are you expected to fend totally for yourself, or does your company take an active interest in the continued welfare of its employees? FFUSA provides NO information on its website regarding any type of benefit, whether it's health related or otherwise. FFUSA provides very little info of any kind on its website, outside of a number of possible conference dates that you can sign up for. Responsible and respectable companies do not operate in this manner. FFUSA is just a mill grinding out as many poor saps as they can find in order to make a pile of money for themselves. Beware.

Good luck in the future to all of you.

I got a call today from these people and I am happy that this report was here to warn me.

As far as this back and forth argument is concerned: for anyone looking for a job, do you really want to apply to a company with so many unsatisfied employees? I don't care how many people file rebuttals talking about how they made profits... let's be smart people. The job isn't even worth taking the chance that you will be scammed, there are plenty of respectable companies out there that won't pop up on Rip Off Report.

And if you're one of the people who made money with this company, fine, good for you. All I'm saying to my fellow job seekers is that nobody files a Rip Off Report for no reason, and judging by the number of people who have confirmed their dissatisfaction with the company (for whatever reason), I think the argument over who made money and who wasn't working hard enough is just silly.

You don't want to work for a corporation that makes employees so unhappy that they come to Rip Off Report. Period.

I have been with FFUSA since June of 2008 and I have made very good money
The risiduals is 50% not 20% the person who made this report is lying
they must have thought that they could get something for no work

First off let me say thanks for the information as it does let folks that are new to the MPS/IOS card industry gain some insight into what they are getting into... Let me say that commission sales jobs are difficult and not for everyone. Now more to the point...I started looking for work again recently and got an unsolicited call from FFUSA and was told by an automated call agent to go to the website ipscard.com/123...this directed me to a recruitment site that signed me up for a conference call the next day. Everything was straight up and to the point...but let me just say that the commission rate sucks comparatively. My research and your posts led me to find another local MPS/IOS that pays way over what FFUSA does...so the scam here (if you can even call it that) is that they are recruiting people new to this industry and letting them sell credit card services at a lower rate than the industry average. The reason I question whether it is a scam or not is because the people they are hiring have little to no IOS sales experience and so they get a lower than average pay and a vesting schedule that forces them to stick around a while and work for the residuals...sounds like an intern process and stock option vesting to me. Even though I defend their pay scale and methods I'm not an intern and they aren't a tech startup whose options are potentially worth millions and so I'll pass on their offer thanks to the information you guys have supplied!!!

Hey Docbox,

I just got "recruited" by FFUSA and am conducting my due diligence. I notice when asked, you don't provide the full link to the info on greensheet.com. Perhaps that's because one has to register on the site to use the forum.

However, I really want to do a thorough job on due diligence and it looks like I'm the second post to this Ripoff Report who can't find the information after registering on greensheet.com and searching the forum. How do I find it?

I also did check the BBB in Minneapolis, and it's true...no reports in the last 36 months. The BBB did, however, ask FFUSA for basic information and have not been given any.

I tried searching the FTC site, too...nothing came up.

I'm not stopping here, but perhaps I would be able to consider your input more valid if we knew how to find the greensheet info.

I'm going to see if I can find in which state they're registered to do business as well to see if there's any info there.

By the way, on a positive note, what companies DO you recommend in this industry...and if you can't say, what's the best way to find them? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Thanks!

I have been with this company for several years now and have been very happy. For those of you who write such BS, its for one reason and one reason only
YOU COULD NOT SELL, face it you can not make it in the COMMISSION ONLY BUSINESS. Thats the bottom line. This company works smarter not harder, If you put your name on Monster then your fair game for them to market and try to recruit you. This company is not a MLM, they don't ask for a DIME. What I do get is a Deposit into my checking account 1 to 2 times a week based on my sales. and a nice fat RESIDUAL check around the 15th of each month. Just because the company that you want to work for only wants to pay you $300.00 a week to be their slave is no ones fault but your own. Straight commission job are some of the highest paying jobs around, if you can't hack a commission job then just say no but don't go and slam a company thats been around for 13 years has great programs and has zero BBB complaints that I could find in the past 36 months. NOW TRY SAYING THAT FOR SOME OTHE ISO's (not). God if I read everything that was posted on the internet I would think that Elvis was still alive and that Hilliary was caught in Bed with another man.

WAKE UP PEOPLE,

DO SOME MORE INVESTIGATING BEFORE YOU POST COMMENTS THAT HAVE NO MERIT.

Just recieved a few emails from them, and it seems as though they have some new techniques for getting employees!


FFUSA@apmx.ffusa.net
to me

show details 8:04 AM (12 hours ago)


Reply


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805 Meander Ct
Medina, MN 55340


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I received a phone call from FFUSA because I posted my resume on Career Builder. I was looking for work at the time, and it sound interesting so I called in. The telephone conference seemed excellent and after discussing with my husband, I decided to try it. Fortunately for me, I had a really busy weekend and didn't get to submit my contract or my client's merchant services statement. I am an accountant and things had gotten slow, so I was looking to supplement my business.

After reading their rather lengthy yet very non-specific contract, I decided to Google them. I found this posting on ripoffreport.com and you saved me from making a costly mistake. I am so eternally relieved that I did not refer my client to FFUSA.

Thank you!

ffusa like many other sales or marketing companies are simply the next thing to pyramid schemes. I like many others have been in the real estate and mortgage industry with Countrywide for some time now and find myself out of a job do to the meltdown. I'd like to follow up on these comments against ffusa and think that anyone trying to warn other people are doing exactly what they should do when it comes to companies like this. It's simple you see, any company that has to go through mass hiering campaigns every 30 days is obviously trying to find a way to benefit the big boys at the expense of the poor shmuck that lost his job last week. I like many of you have recieved endless emails about job opportunities such as ffusa. And ffusa I had no interest in and they call or email me everyday trying to get me in for an "interview"

Why do I say "interview" well because they will hier pretty much anyone. They will give anyone an opportunity to go out there work off commission and make money for them in the long run. It's not coincidental that they have the highest turn over rate known to man. These companies along with many marketing companies who have you go door to door or business to business working off commission should be banned. Yes banned, and hopefully enough warning goes out to everyboday and with the access of the internet I definitely suggest reading somethign about every company you may go to. And of course keep in mind there is negativity with any company, and there are always people who don't do there jobs and complain.

What to look out for? Somebody who you have no interest in and tries to recruit you, this is a sure tell that there probably is not going to be a lot in it for you. FFUSA also has an automatic dialer now and will call hundreds of numbers from resumes online and leave messages to try to get you in for an interview. Are they just that big of a company and looking to hier millions in FL. Absolutely not they are using you. Most of these companies will also get you in the door by saying its a "management training" position. This like many other places is false to you and I. Sure maybe 1 out of the 4,000 monthly people interviewing may make it one day to management but they take in hundreds of employees a month, they are not all there to become managers. The realization is that they will cater to you, make you think you are getting a good job so that they can make money off you. Other companies very simular that I have recieved and even interviewed with recently include NAA (National Agents Alliance), EPG (Executive Promotional Group), Tradewinds promotions. Yup I've wasted a lot of time b/c I was ignorant, thinking that the majority of the people out there do the right thing. I do not know how these people go to work every day and are able to sleep at night. What ever makes the dollar sometimes I guess.

NAA would of been great except they forgot one important detail. After two meetings with them bragging about how great the leads are and how much money they've made.. they left out an important detail. I was not told you have to pay for your leads. I would say that is pretty important to disclose to a possible future employee. What companies can you trust these days? I would stick to the names you know. Most of these companies and it's probably the same for FFUSA go under different identities. This is for obvious reasons. It doesnt take too long for a name like FFUSA to get a bad rap, so they will change it up and continue down the same path.

ffusa like many other sales or marketing companies are simply the next thing to pyramid schemes. I like many others have been in the real estate and mortgage industry with Countrywide for some time now and find myself out of a job do to the meltdown. I'd like to follow up on these comments against ffusa and think that anyone trying to warn other people are doing exactly what they should do when it comes to companies like this. It's simple you see, any company that has to go through mass hiering campaigns every 30 days is obviously trying to find a way to benefit the big boys at the expense of the poor shmuck that lost his job last week. I like many of you have recieved endless emails about job opportunities such as ffusa. And ffusa I had no interest in and they call or email me everyday trying to get me in for an "interview"

Why do I say "interview" well because they will hier pretty much anyone. They will give anyone an opportunity to go out there work off commission and make money for them in the long run. It's not coincidental that they have the highest turn over rate known to man. These companies along with many marketing companies who have you go door to door or business to business working off commission should be banned. Yes banned, and hopefully enough warning goes out to everyboday and with the access of the internet I definitely suggest reading somethign about every company you may go to. And of course keep in mind there is negativity with any company, and there are always people who don't do there jobs and complain.

What to look out for? Somebody who you have no interest in and tries to recruit you, this is a sure tell that there probably is not going to be a lot in it for you. FFUSA also has an automatic dialer now and will call hundreds of numbers from resumes online and leave messages to try to get you in for an interview. Are they just that big of a company and looking to hier millions in FL. Absolutely not they are using you. Most of these companies will also get you in the door by saying its a "management training" position. This like many other places is false to you and I. Sure maybe 1 out of the 4,000 monthly people interviewing may make it one day to management but they take in hundreds of employees a month, they are not all there to become managers. The realization is that they will cater to you, make you think you are getting a good job so that they can make money off you. Other companies very simular that I have recieved and even interviewed with recently include NAA (National Agents Alliance), EPG (Executive Promotional Group), Tradewinds promotions. Yup I've wasted a lot of time b/c I was ignorant, thinking that the majority of the people out there do the right thing. I do not know how these people go to work every day and are able to sleep at night. What ever makes the dollar sometimes I guess.

NAA would of been great except they forgot one important detail. After two meetings with them bragging about how great the leads are and how much money they've made.. they left out an important detail. I was not told you have to pay for your leads. I would say that is pretty important to disclose to a possible future employee. What companies can you trust these days? I would stick to the names you know. Most of these companies and it's probably the same for FFUSA go under different identities. This is for obvious reasons. It doesnt take too long for a name like FFUSA to get a bad rap, so they will change it up and continue down the same path.

ffusa like many other sales or marketing companies are simply the next thing to pyramid schemes. I like many others have been in the real estate and mortgage industry with Countrywide for some time now and find myself out of a job do to the meltdown. I'd like to follow up on these comments against ffusa and think that anyone trying to warn other people are doing exactly what they should do when it comes to companies like this. It's simple you see, any company that has to go through mass hiering campaigns every 30 days is obviously trying to find a way to benefit the big boys at the expense of the poor shmuck that lost his job last week. I like many of you have recieved endless emails about job opportunities such as ffusa. And ffusa I had no interest in and they call or email me everyday trying to get me in for an "interview"

Why do I say "interview" well because they will hier pretty much anyone. They will give anyone an opportunity to go out there work off commission and make money for them in the long run. It's not coincidental that they have the highest turn over rate known to man. These companies along with many marketing companies who have you go door to door or business to business working off commission should be banned. Yes banned, and hopefully enough warning goes out to everyboday and with the access of the internet I definitely suggest reading somethign about every company you may go to. And of course keep in mind there is negativity with any company, and there are always people who don't do there jobs and complain.

What to look out for? Somebody who you have no interest in and tries to recruit you, this is a sure tell that there probably is not going to be a lot in it for you. FFUSA also has an automatic dialer now and will call hundreds of numbers from resumes online and leave messages to try to get you in for an interview. Are they just that big of a company and looking to hier millions in FL. Absolutely not they are using you. Most of these companies will also get you in the door by saying its a "management training" position. This like many other places is false to you and I. Sure maybe 1 out of the 4,000 monthly people interviewing may make it one day to management but they take in hundreds of employees a month, they are not all there to become managers. The realization is that they will cater to you, make you think you are getting a good job so that they can make money off you. Other companies very simular that I have recieved and even interviewed with recently include NAA (National Agents Alliance), EPG (Executive Promotional Group), Tradewinds promotions. Yup I've wasted a lot of time b/c I was ignorant, thinking that the majority of the people out there do the right thing. I do not know how these people go to work every day and are able to sleep at night. What ever makes the dollar sometimes I guess.

NAA would of been great except they forgot one important detail. After two meetings with them bragging about how great the leads are and how much money they've made.. they left out an important detail. I was not told you have to pay for your leads. I would say that is pretty important to disclose to a possible future employee. What companies can you trust these days? I would stick to the names you know. Most of these companies and it's probably the same for FFUSA go under different identities. This is for obvious reasons. It doesnt take too long for a name like FFUSA to get a bad rap, so they will change it up and continue down the same path.

ffusa like many other sales or marketing companies are simply the next thing to pyramid schemes. I like many others have been in the real estate and mortgage industry with Countrywide for some time now and find myself out of a job do to the meltdown. I'd like to follow up on these comments against ffusa and think that anyone trying to warn other people are doing exactly what they should do when it comes to companies like this. It's simple you see, any company that has to go through mass hiering campaigns every 30 days is obviously trying to find a way to benefit the big boys at the expense of the poor shmuck that lost his job last week. I like many of you have recieved endless emails about job opportunities such as ffusa. And ffusa I had no interest in and they call or email me everyday trying to get me in for an "interview"

Why do I say "interview" well because they will hier pretty much anyone. They will give anyone an opportunity to go out there work off commission and make money for them in the long run. It's not coincidental that they have the highest turn over rate known to man. These companies along with many marketing companies who have you go door to door or business to business working off commission should be banned. Yes banned, and hopefully enough warning goes out to everyboday and with the access of the internet I definitely suggest reading somethign about every company you may go to. And of course keep in mind there is negativity with any company, and there are always people who don't do there jobs and complain.

What to look out for? Somebody who you have no interest in and tries to recruit you, this is a sure tell that there probably is not going to be a lot in it for you. FFUSA also has an automatic dialer now and will call hundreds of numbers from resumes online and leave messages to try to get you in for an interview. Are they just that big of a company and looking to hier millions in FL. Absolutely not they are using you. Most of these companies will also get you in the door by saying its a "management training" position. This like many other places is false to you and I. Sure maybe 1 out of the 4,000 monthly people interviewing may make it one day to management but they take in hundreds of employees a month, they are not all there to become managers. The realization is that they will cater to you, make you think you are getting a good job so that they can make money off you. Other companies very simular that I have recieved and even interviewed with recently include NAA (National Agents Alliance), EPG (Executive Promotional Group), Tradewinds promotions. Yup I've wasted a lot of time b/c I was ignorant, thinking that the majority of the people out there do the right thing. I do not know how these people go to work every day and are able to sleep at night. What ever makes the dollar sometimes I guess.

NAA would of been great except they forgot one important detail. After two meetings with them bragging about how great the leads are and how much money they've made.. they left out an important detail. I was not told you have to pay for your leads. I would say that is pretty important to disclose to a possible future employee. What companies can you trust these days? I would stick to the names you know. Most of these companies and it's probably the same for FFUSA go under different identities. This is for obvious reasons. It doesnt take too long for a name like FFUSA to get a bad rap, so they will change it up and continue down the same path.

Docbox,

I appreciate what you have written. Here is why:

I was contacted by this company via my resume on Careerbuilder. I have spent a lot of time going through their information on the website they provided. Today, I sat through a pre-recorded "Conference call". I was first told at the start of the call that only the first two sections were pre-recorded, but when I got to the question and answer section and tried asking questions, I realized it too was recorded! All the participants I heard throughout the call seemed to be a part of this pre-recorded scheme. I heard many other "people: asking questions, which sounded live, but when I tried to ask questions, it seemed as though I was the only one live on the call! When the call was over I received two calls from a Human Resource representative fromt he company asking what I thought of the call. I told her it was obvious that I was the only one live in the call, which she confirmed as true and quickly apologized; over and over again. She said I was being teamed with an agent director who could further answer my questions. I called, left a message with him, twice, and did not receive a call back! I was just printing all of the Human Resource paperwork and reading through it when I realized I did not have the link to FFUSA. I ggogled their name and this was the second thing that came up, but it caught my eye! I have read clear through every post and now I am very skepticle about FFUSA. Not only have you posted some factual information, but so have a couple others who have worked or is still working for this company, but are not happy. I was just an hour away from filling out the paperwork and faxing it in, but now am considering NOT continuing with the process and instead calling the company tomorrow to get some real answers considering the information posted here! I have yet to heck out the other site you posted, green something, but feel as though I should check it out. I am a disabled veteran who has had an extremely hard time finding work due to my disability. I thought I had found the right sales job with FFUSA, but now...I am really unsure. You said you are still in the merchant sales business. Can you tell me who you are with, tell me if they are fair, and if you like working for them and why? I have a family to support...KEY WORD "SUPPORT!" I don't want to be ripped off! Any help would be appreciated.

Roadrash, I'm sorry you have been victimized and have found this site too late. You are the reason I posted this report. You want to earn a living and support your kids and those thieves steal from you. You see the scam. FFUSA found you, with no experience, and supposedly trained you (they kept you in the dark intentionally). You did all the work. You found the merchant, used your time, your gas money, your sales skills and FFUSA gets the money.

Okay, now here are my suggestions. If you sent in the statement you should get a bonus. Also, on the form titled "Merchant Processing Application And Agreement" about 1/3 of the way down, in the section labeled "Provide More Business Data", it says "Mag Swipe ____%" + Keyed Manually _____% = 100%. Double check what you wrote in the blank spaces. If you erred by putting 100 in the Keyed Manually blank space that can be corrected. However, you should be paid residuals even if it is 100% keyed manually. Manually keyed transactions actually charge the merchant a higher rate (mid-qual or non-qual). It sounds to me like your director is lying (par for FFUSA). You should get residuals.

As to other loopholes, there are many. FFUSA has been ripping off agents for a long time. Remember, the point is to get you to do just a few then quit. At that time, you lose all future residuals and FFUSA cleans up. If you like working for free then by all means stick with FFUSA. However, if you like working in this industry you can find a good, legitimate and profitable processing company out there. I refer folks to greensheet.com because they have a forum where you can chat with other agents and learn who is good and who is bad. Best wishes, Roadrash.

I've been an agent for FFUSA for about 3 weeks now and, so far, have only sold services to one merchant. I had many questions for my agent director (how are my commisions calculated?, how do I know how much to expect in residuals?, etc.), but 90% of them went largely unanswered. Instead of direct answers, all I got was "just go out and get those merchant statements, get a few sales under your belt, and you'll start to get a feel for how this works!". Ok. I did just that. Long story short, it took approximately one week from step 1, obtaining the statements, to the final step, the reprogramming of the merchant's equipment. After the entire sale was completed, I called my director to find out how much money I just made. He said "Well, the merchant is on a 'keyed' account instead of a 'swiped' account". So? "You don't get any commision for merchants who key in their customer's credit card numbers; you only get a commision if the merchant has their customer's cards in hand and manually swipes them". Personally, I think that would have been wonderful information to have from the begining, as I would not have wasted a week of my life earning money for someone else, when I'M the one who has children to support. At this point, I have to wonder three things: 1. Was I intentionally uniformed of this detail so I would make the sale, unaware that it wouldn't benefit me? 2. How many other loopholes or narrow criteria do I have to meet in order to get paid for my work? 3. Should I stick around to find out?

Armymom, good luck with finding a legitimate job. If you think this industry is for you, please do your homework and find a responsible processor.

Armymom, good luck with finding a legitimate job. If you think this industry is for you, please do your homework and find a responsible processor.

Armymom, good luck with finding a legitimate job. If you think this industry is for you, please do your homework and find a responsible processor.

Armymom, good luck with finding a legitimate job. If you think this industry is for you, please do your homework and find a responsible processor.

I just got this email from them. Right away I googled their company, and found this report. I want to thank you for putting this out there and saving me from a big headache.

This is the email they wrote me:

Your resume came to our attention recently and your background appears to match other highly successful members of our team who are motivated to build a career over the next 3-4 years.

FFUSA is an 12 year old financial services firm specializing in payment processing services for retail and medical merchants. Currently FFUSA serves thousands of merchants with over 100 sales professionals nationwide.

You owe it to yourself to take a few minutes exploring the FFUSA site to find out more about this unique career opportunity. We are looking for a limited number of sales professionals to add to our growing team.


Click here and you will be directed to a website that gives you more detail about the position and an opportunity to schedule a time to ask questions.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Melinda Hanson
FFUSA Human Resources Representative
805 Meander Ct
Medina, MN 55340

I just got this email from them. Right away I googled their company, and found this report. I want to thank you for putting this out there and saving me from a big headache.

This is the email they wrote me:

Your resume came to our attention recently and your background appears to match other highly successful members of our team who are motivated to build a career over the next 3-4 years.

FFUSA is an 12 year old financial services firm specializing in payment processing services for retail and medical merchants. Currently FFUSA serves thousands of merchants with over 100 sales professionals nationwide.

You owe it to yourself to take a few minutes exploring the FFUSA site to find out more about this unique career opportunity. We are looking for a limited number of sales professionals to add to our growing team.


Click here and you will be directed to a website that gives you more detail about the position and an opportunity to schedule a time to ask questions.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Melinda Hanson
FFUSA Human Resources Representative
805 Meander Ct
Medina, MN 55340

I just got this email from them. Right away I googled their company, and found this report. I want to thank you for putting this out there and saving me from a big headache.

This is the email they wrote me:

Your resume came to our attention recently and your background appears to match other highly successful members of our team who are motivated to build a career over the next 3-4 years.

FFUSA is an 12 year old financial services firm specializing in payment processing services for retail and medical merchants. Currently FFUSA serves thousands of merchants with over 100 sales professionals nationwide.

You owe it to yourself to take a few minutes exploring the FFUSA site to find out more about this unique career opportunity. We are looking for a limited number of sales professionals to add to our growing team.


Click here and you will be directed to a website that gives you more detail about the position and an opportunity to schedule a time to ask questions.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Melinda Hanson
FFUSA Human Resources Representative
805 Meander Ct
Medina, MN 55340

I just got this email from them. Right away I googled their company, and found this report. I want to thank you for putting this out there and saving me from a big headache.

This is the email they wrote me:

Your resume came to our attention recently and your background appears to match other highly successful members of our team who are motivated to build a career over the next 3-4 years.

FFUSA is an 12 year old financial services firm specializing in payment processing services for retail and medical merchants. Currently FFUSA serves thousands of merchants with over 100 sales professionals nationwide.

You owe it to yourself to take a few minutes exploring the FFUSA site to find out more about this unique career opportunity. We are looking for a limited number of sales professionals to add to our growing team.


Click here and you will be directed to a website that gives you more detail about the position and an opportunity to schedule a time to ask questions.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Melinda Hanson
FFUSA Human Resources Representative
805 Meander Ct
Medina, MN 55340

Here's a link to the Greensheet http://www.greensheet.com/

I suggest you look around the site, go to their forum and check out what people say. Good luck!

Docbox:

Thanks for the information...I got their email today, which was generated from my resume on Monster.com and was wondering about this seemingly great employment offer. Could you please post a link to the Greensheet reference, because I was not able to find it. Thanks.

Justdoit, in your original post you made all kinds of assertions that I tried to address one by one. I asked if you had an agenda and if you were associated with FFUSA. You failed to respond. You claimed I revised my report. That was not true and you provided zero evidence that I had done so. You stated that I trashed a company saying they are "all bad" and I am "all good". I never said any such thing. You also quoted a statement attributed to me that I never made. And you accuse me of being dishonest? Who's the scammer here, justdoit?

Now you come back here and fail to answer any of the points I made or answer any questions I posed. Instead you again make an unsupported assertion, claiming that I don't understand you. Where did I say that? In fact you are the one who claimed to be "puzzled." You said you wanted details and I provided extensive details throughout the report. You said "something" is missing yet did not specify what that something was. Now you whine that I feign to not understand English. How can I understand something that was not written?

So, to the heart of your latest screed. You ask for evidence. Short of providing extensive written material I'm sure you will still not be satisfied. Just read my posts. Even Thomas, an admitted agent of FFUSA, was satisfied that I knew what I was talking about. He agreed with the following points I made:

1. FFUSA recruits agents with no experience over the internet (although he said that may be changing).
2. FFUSA provides only a 20% residual.
3. FFUSA stops paying residuals after a short time (Thomas said as short as two months).

Thomas also did not dispute the figures I quoted that FFUSA charges its own agents for equipment. He did not dispute that agents do not share in annual fees or cancellation fees. He did not dispute that agents are not told what their residuals are based on or that what agents receive are numbers on an Excel sheet with no detail or transparency. (How would you like to paid an arbitrary sum and when you asked what it was based on you were told, "its the number on the Excel sheet." And when you asked what the number on the Excel sheet was based on you were told "trust us, its correct".)

To any rational person the back and forth between Thomas and I are pretty clear evidence that I provided "supporting evidence." Heck, I even showed that I knew the salary of the company's Vice-President and knew him by name. Thomas did not dispute the FACTS I outlined above. That should tell you that I know the intimate details of FFUSA's business.

But I think what you want is my personal story with all the details. I was an agent for FFUSA for over one year in Bergen County, N.J. and still work in the merchant services industry as an agent. I am happy with the companies I work with now and make a decent living. Four months after I didn't have a deal sent to them my residuals were cut off permanently (deals weren't made because I was also teaching at the time).

Docbox, your response shed little light on the points I raised. Instead, you feign ignorance of the English language, and complain that I'm not understanding you.

OK, how clear is this?

In your ripoff complaint, you said, "The scam here is that FFUSA will only provide residuals for 6 months or so then they stop, despite their promises."

Here's the part that's incomplete and dishonest about your report. HOW do you know that statement is TRUE?

You make an assertion and you offer absolutely no evidence. That is NOT a FACT until you provide the needed information to support it. Currently, you offer NOTHING to make it a FACT!!

If you can't prove it with your words, then why are you doing any of this?

If you heard this from a friend or read it on the Internet, then you don't know if it's true or not. I'm suggesting that unless you had "first hand" experiences about the situation your assert is a scam, then you are just making an empty claim.

Looks to me as if you are the SCAMMER...well, that is until you come clean with the supporting details I asked for in my last post.

Docbox: Justdoit, I have the distinct impression you have an agenda here. Are you with FFUSA? The name of this site is Rip-off Report. I wrote up how one company rips off its sales agents. I gave a very detailed explanation in my original and subsequent posts. One poster, Gennell, clearly understood what I wrote. You however, claim you don't understand, that you're puzzled. As I've said before, I have no desire for a flame war and my motive is simply to warn readers that this company seeks out people who post resumes on the internet and then they rip them off. I gave details on what they do and gave a website, greensheet.com, where folks interested in this industry can gather good information and using their forum can find reputable merchant service providers to work with.

Justdoit: Docbox, I've read your story, it's revision, and the comments.

Docbox: Actually, I haven't made any revisions.

Justdoit: You waste no time trashing this company because they are all BAD and you are all GOOD Every issue has two sides even when you only hear one of them

Docbox: As noted, this is a rip-off report and I reported on said rip-off. Nowhere have I said I am all GOOD. Thomas did attempt to present the other side.

Justdoit: Here's what I see: You became an agent. You worked and did so and so for them for some period of time. I'm guessing about 6 months. What happened next? That's what seems to be missing.

Docbox: You infer too much. As for what happened next you read about it here. I'm not sure what you are inferring about missing.

Justdoit: You say they stopped paying you because of company policy. If true, then where are the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other similar agents just like you who reached that same magic 6 month deadline? Did they drop dead? Were they assassinated? Were they deported? Are they in jail? Were they paid to keep quiet? Did no one else ever reach that deadline?

Docbox: The 6 month deadline is a figment of your imagination. I never said any such thing. As for your comments about what happened to all the agents who no longer received residuals I have no idea what actions all of them took. Your attempt at a humorous putdown is sad.

Justdoit: Here's how it looks to me. Your complaint may be totally valid, yet the details you present simply don't pass the giggle test for me.

Docbox: My complaint may be valid yet the details don't pass the giggle test? What details? What are you talking about? I gave many details. Giggle away, tis the season to be giggly.

Justdoit: You see, when I hear, 'I worked faithfully for them for 6 months, and they just stopped paying me,' I have to ask, 'What's the rest of the story, Docbox?'

Docbox: Excuse me, but don't quote me when that isn't a quote I made anywhere in this report. As for the rest of the story you will need to be specific. What exactly are you asking?

Justdoit: So, until you can answer that simple question

Docbox: What question?

Justdoit: I'm betting that much of what Thomas has suggested about you is probably the truth

Docbox: And what is it that Thomas suggested?

Justdoit: Since you filed this report, it's your job to make sure it's complete and honest.

Docbox: It is both complete and honest. Even Thomas didn't dispute the facts, that FFUSA seeks out inexperienced job seekers on the net, only pays 20% residuals versus 50% for the industry norm, that they stop residuals after a brief period, their above retail charges for equipment, lack of transparency for how residuals are figured, etc.

Justdoit: Based on what I read, it appears to be incomplete.

Docbox: Again, you will need to be specific. Where is my report incomplete? What is it you want to know?

Justdoit: Based on how it reads, if it's incomplete, it's also less than honest.

Docbox: LOL. You keep making assertions such as where's the "rest of the story" and something's "missing" and "its incomplete" without being specific. Then you claim the report is dishonest. Please.

Docbox, I've read your story, it's revision, and the comments.

Here's what I don't get, and I'm a pretty smart guy, yet something seems to be missing.

You waste no time trashing this company because they are all BAD and you are all GOOD. I was born at night, but it wasn't last night. Every issue has two sides even when you only hear one of them. And, I'm thinking that's what's happening here.

Here's what I see: You became an agent. You worked and did so and so for them for some period of time. I'm guessing about 6 months.

What happened next? That's what seems to be missing.

You say they stopped paying you because of company policy. If true, then where are the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of other similar agents just like you who reached that same magic 6 month deadline?

Did they drop dead? Were they assassinated? Were they deported? Are they in jail? Were they paid to keep quiet? Did no one else ever reach that deadline?

Here's how it looks to me. Your complaint may be totally valid, yet the details you present simply don't pass the giggle test for me.

You see, when I hear, "I worked faithfully for them for 6 months, and they just stopped paying me," I have to ask, "What's the rest of the story, Docbox?"

So, until you can answer that simple question, I'm betting that much of what Thomas has suggested about you is probably the truth. Since you filed this report, it's your job to make sure it's complete and honest.

Based on what I read, it appears to be incomplete.

Based on how it reads, if it's incomplete, it's also less than honest.

First, I don't need nor do I ask for your "compassion." The bottom line is FFUSA rips people off who are simply trying to make some money. The arrogance and avoidance of the issues brought forth here by Thomas, a self identified FFUSA Agent, have not been disputed with facts.

You will need to contact the FTC to ask about their complaints. I have seen hard copy records of complaints made against FFUSA to the FTC. I also made it clear that I have heard there is a pending suit against FFUSA from a group down in Florida. I don't know how Florida logs their civil lawsuits but it could be by county, not the AG's office. In any case please note the words "pending" and "stay tuned."

Thomas again makes unsupported assertions and factually incorrect statements such as "there is no credible evidence as yet that Agents or Merchants are having issues." I have posted at length quite credible evidence to the contrary. None of what I posted has been challenged by Thomas with any facts, just his opinions. "Google queries reveal only positive comments" yet I also mentioned greensheet where FFUSA was roundly condemned as a "bad apple." The Better Business Bureau of Greater Minneapolis also lists complaints against FFUSA.

The biggest laugh I had today was reading this, "I hope anyone reading this forum takes my comments as a 'dissection' of the facts, and nothing but the facts." Thomas has not given a single fact to support FFUSA's practices nor given any facts to dispute my extensive report that FFUSA rips off its agents to their own monetary benefit. I think any reader of this exchange can see clearly that Thomas is an Agent of FFUSA and has a vested interest in trying to defend this company. The reader can also see that he does not succeed in disputing the problems I outlined and how FFUSA rips off their agents and by extension their merchants.

A final word to any reader who may be considering going into the business of Merchant Services. There are many good companies that are fair and honest. I strongly recommend you do your due diligence in finding a good company to work with. Greensheet has a forum where you can gather information and get advice from experienced agents. Greensheet also has excellent insider articles about the industry. Its free but you have to register.

First, I don't need nor do I ask for your "compassion." The bottom line is FFUSA rips people off who are simply trying to make some money. The arrogance and avoidance of the issues brought forth here by Thomas, a self identified FFUSA Agent, have not been disputed with facts.

You will need to contact the FTC to ask about their complaints. I have seen hard copy records of complaints made against FFUSA to the FTC. I also made it clear that I have heard there is a pending suit against FFUSA from a group down in Florida. I don't know how Florida logs their civil lawsuits but it could be by county, not the AG's office. In any case please note the words "pending" and "stay tuned."

Thomas again makes unsupported assertions and factually incorrect statements such as "there is no credible evidence as yet that Agents or Merchants are having issues." I have posted at length quite credible evidence to the contrary. None of what I posted has been challenged by Thomas with any facts, just his opinions. "Google queries reveal only positive comments" yet I also mentioned greensheet where FFUSA was roundly condemned as a "bad apple." The Better Business Bureau of Greater Minneapolis also lists complaints against FFUSA.

The biggest laugh I had today was reading this, "I hope anyone reading this forum takes my comments as a 'dissection' of the facts, and nothing but the facts." Thomas has not given a single fact to support FFUSA's practices nor given any facts to dispute my extensive report that FFUSA rips off its agents to their own monetary benefit. I think any reader of this exchange can see clearly that Thomas is an Agent of FFUSA and has a vested interest in trying to defend this company. The reader can also see that he does not succeed in disputing the problems I outlined and how FFUSA rips off their agents and by extension their merchants.

A final word to any reader who may be considering going into the business of Merchant Services. There are many good companies that are fair and honest. I strongly recommend you do your due diligence in finding a good company to work with. Greensheet has a forum where you can gather information and get advice from experienced agents. Greensheet also has excellent insider articles about the industry. Its free but you have to register.

First, I don't need nor do I ask for your "compassion." The bottom line is FFUSA rips people off who are simply trying to make some money. The arrogance and avoidance of the issues brought forth here by Thomas, a self identified FFUSA Agent, have not been disputed with facts.

You will need to contact the FTC to ask about their complaints. I have seen hard copy records of complaints made against FFUSA to the FTC. I also made it clear that I have heard there is a pending suit against FFUSA from a group down in Florida. I don't know how Florida logs their civil lawsuits but it could be by county, not the AG's office. In any case please note the words "pending" and "stay tuned."

Thomas again makes unsupported assertions and factually incorrect statements such as "there is no credible evidence as yet that Agents or Merchants are having issues." I have posted at length quite credible evidence to the contrary. None of what I posted has been challenged by Thomas with any facts, just his opinions. "Google queries reveal only positive comments" yet I also mentioned greensheet where FFUSA was roundly condemned as a "bad apple." The Better Business Bureau of Greater Minneapolis also lists complaints against FFUSA.

The biggest laugh I had today was reading this, "I hope anyone reading this forum takes my comments as a 'dissection' of the facts, and nothing but the facts." Thomas has not given a single fact to support FFUSA's practices nor given any facts to dispute my extensive report that FFUSA rips off its agents to their own monetary benefit. I think any reader of this exchange can see clearly that Thomas is an Agent of FFUSA and has a vested interest in trying to defend this company. The reader can also see that he does not succeed in disputing the problems I outlined and how FFUSA rips off their agents and by extension their merchants.

A final word to any reader who may be considering going into the business of Merchant Services. There are many good companies that are fair and honest. I strongly recommend you do your due diligence in finding a good company to work with. Greensheet has a forum where you can gather information and get advice from experienced agents. Greensheet also has excellent insider articles about the industry. Its free but you have to register.

Seriously, anyone reading this report has compassion for the fact the company did not work out for you for whatever the reason(s). Certainly it doesn't serve any purpose to perpetuate a "flame war" with anyone, so it is not likely I will contribute any more to this forum. After several FTC database queries through the close of business on 10/19/07, I was not able to find any listings for FFUSA, or other variations of their legally chartered name, or former dba, however there are entries for "Freedom First Financial" and similar sounding companies unrelated to this company.

The FTC Ultraseek engine was one of four case/complaint repositories queried thus far and all returned "no hits"! (I am also referencing more in-depth subscription-based legal community resources) With regard to the state of FL, you mentioned "pending lawsuits". The FL AG database which is publicly accessible, lists some 227 active civil investigations on six pages, however running this company returns a "no hit" there as well. Not to prop the company up, but these are the facts. To the best of your knowledge has anyone as of yet informed the AG's office of these "pending cases"? If so, then this information has not been disclosed publicly, nor has it been made available to the legal profession.

I believe you may in fact have had a bad experience with FFUSA, however, there is no credible evidence as yet that Agents or Merchants are having issues. Google queries reveal only positive comments of which there are many, with your complaint possibly the only negative remark thus far. I hope anyone reading this forum takes my comments as a "dissection" of the facts, and nothing but the facts!

Thomas, you protest too much and don't add anything. All you say is "we're great, trust me." I have no interest in a flame war with you, only to warn any reader to beware that FFUSA will rip you off.

Lets begin again. Yes, FFUSA does have a contract that "states agents must remain active in some way." That is NOT the industry norm and is the crux of the FFUSA rip off. By hiring people who have no knowledge of the industry and no experience, the people Thomas looks for on monster.com and careerbuilders.com, FFUSA ensures that their agents will eventually stop producing and then they can keep all the future residuals for themselves. Or perhaps, the agent will be good at the business, do some research and discover FFUSA is cheating them and then they will leave, again ensuring FFUSA will keep all future residuals. What a great racket, for FFUSA!

Let me repeat, FFUSA offers some of the smallest upfront bonuses in the industry. If its a new business, forget it. You won't get ANY bonus. Unlike the industry as whole. But that's not what FFUSA wants. They want a housewife from Long Island or a retired couple in Arizona to sign a few deals with their friends who already own a business and take credit cards. These folks will soon see its a tough and competitive business and drop out. A few months later the paltry residuals from their 3-4 deals stop. If FFUSA can get many of these people to make these kind of deals then FFUSA makes tons of money. And since FFUSA has recruiting sessions 2-3 times a week they bring in lots of unsuspecting folks with their false promises.

FFUSA charges its own agents inflated retail prices for equipment. Here's some examples: A merchant can go to a large retailer and purchase a reconditioned Hypercom T7Plus for $269 or a brand new one for $299. That's retail. FFUSA charges their own agents $450. To make a profit an agent needs to sell to their merchant at a higher price (FFUSA suggests a ridiculous $799). Who will the merchant buy from? The FFUSA agent for over $450 or from a retailer for $269-299? The merchant will be quite angry when he sees the price difference and his anger may cost the agent the deal. Now, another Merchant Service Provider will sell a brand new T7Plus wholesale for $114 to their agents. They can then sell to the merchant for, lets say, $229. Not only is the large retailer undersold but the agent made a tidy profit and has a happy customer. The same goes for the MagTek check reader. It can be bought wholesale for $179 and sold to the merchant for $299 again making a tidy profit. FFUSA will sell the MagTech for $450 to their own agent and suggest it resell for $799. FFUSA is certainly paying wholesale for their equipment and then ripping off the agents by selling to them at exorbitant prices. Even with encrypting pinpads FFUSA charges $75 while TASQ charges them $25. And don't get me started on paper and supplies. The rip offs just go on and on.

As for residuals, Thomas simply tries to obfuscate the point. FFUSA pays 20% but they don't tell you 20% of what. The agent gets no statement, except for some numbers on an Excel Spreadsheet that anybody can write. I have personally seen merchants FFUSA statements and the numbers weren't adding up. The good Merchant Service Providers give their agents full disclosure, usually through a web based portal. They show how much the merchant had coming in on VISA, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover, etc. They show the agent what their expenses were and how the 50/50 split was made. FFUSA not only does NOT do that but they refuse to show the agent any statements on how the residuals are figured. Instead the agent is told "trust us." FFUSA charges merchants a $90 annual fee, most providers do not. And they don't share that fee with the agent. When a merchant leaves FFUSA and they are charged a whopping $500 cancellation fee the agent doesn't share in that either. A final example, I know a merchant who switched from FFUSA to a new Merchant Service Provider. With FFUSA's 20% the agent was averaging $17 monthly in residuals. Figuring with the new Provider's 50% split the agent should be getting about $43 monthly (the difference between 20% and 50%). However, instead the agent was getting about $68 monthly. Yet, sales were about the same. Because of the lack of transparency from FFUSA the agent couldn't tell why there was such a disparity but it sure does look like a furthering of the great FFUSA rip off.

Thomas keeps making assertions without backing them up, such as "Chase has a high rate of retention, therefore, FFUSA loses few customers for conversion elsewhere." FFUSA loses plenty of customers, I personally know of at least 40. FFUSA also goes through agents like water. Of course that's the point of the scam, get inexperienced people to sign up as agents then rip them off and finally take all their residuals. And why does Thomas keep mentioning Chase? They don't care who their processors are, as long as they bring in money. Many Merchant Service Providers use Chase, many others use Wells Fargo, etc. Its irrelevant. And why do you mention Bankcard? I don't know anything about them or their terminals. If they rip people off and you have the evidence then show it.

Finally Thomas, you may want to check the FTC as complaints have been made about FFUSA and their practices. And also reports are coming in from Florida that a group is preparing a lawsuit against FFUSA. Stay tuned.

The complaining poster from NJ, a former Agent of FFUSA should go back and re-read the 20 page contractual agreement that he signed as part of the application process to be associated with FFUSA. The agreement states agents must remain active in some way, typically writing one account per month for residuals to continue, unless vested, whereby agents are considered retired and are not required to be active. Other MSP's operate similarly. With regard to profit splits, there are variances among providers, oftentimes 50% of break-even points which is not the same as 20% of account profitability often used by FFUSA, which can be negotiated if you were to reel-in a sizable fish! While other MSP's do in fact pay 50% residuals, these figures are based on actual profitability after all administrative overhead, salaries, etc. which often can be arbitrary and excessive given operations in CA came be expensive. One of the largest companies based in CA, pays only over 1.4% qualified transactions and non-qualified transactions over 3.4%. Business written under those thresholds equals zero and agent compensation is equal to any setup offset charged. FFUSA on the other hand offers a percentage over actual cost which for example could be around 1% or less for qualified credit transactions and any amount over $0.10 per transaction. The other company cited pays no upfront commissions under certain threshold amounts, so agents starve unless they can collect setup fees and find merchants being excessively overcharged elsewhere and are willing to convert. Equipment and pricing is controlled by agents, and the agent could offer his merchant equipment obtained from any source at whatever price he/she would desire to sell or lease it! (Equipment is a separate lease agreement and I am not aware of a contractual agreement that states it has to come from FFUSA!) The Green Sheet is a credible publication, however, it is by no means all-inclusive and interestingly it lists United Bankcard, one of the largest purveyors of the cheapest terminals on the market given to merchants as enticement for processing business with a commodity provider. Most merchants are interested in merchant banking relationships with credible brand names and with providers who offer good customer service and at the best price available. With respect to hiring agents, FFUSA has looked in the past to general applicants on Monster, etc. however, is now looking more towards experienced sales professionals and those whom can be trusted with their top-tier sponsor, Chase Paymentech. With regard to contractual agreements, FFUSA makes adjustments on-the-fly and never holds merchants to contracts for processing if they should ever become dissatisfied for any reason. Chase has a high rate of retention, therefore, FFUSA loses few customers for conversion elsewhere.

I see Thomas has done his job as a FFUSA hack and attempted to respond to the complaint, however all he does is dissemble. If readers want to see a truly responsible Merchant Services Company they can go the greensheet.com and read what's on their forum. FFUSA is a bad apple who takes advantage of people who aren't knowledgeable about the industry. Thomas is correct about one thing, FFUSA does stop paying their measly residuals to agents after 2 months. Unlike most responsible companies, who continue paying residuals until the merchant moves elsewhere, goes out of business or whatever.

FFUSA pays a meager 20% in residuals while the industry norm is 50%. I have personally spoken with several good companies who sell equipment (brand new terminals, check readers, etc.) to their agents for wholesale prices. FFUSA charges their agents above retail prices. FFUSA also locks merchants into 5 year contracts against the industry norm of 3 years and they charge $500 cancellation fees. Again, well above the industry norm. Finally, FFUSA provides a bonus schedule that can only be laughed at, its so far below the industry average.

The simple truth is FFUSA is looking for people who know nothing about the industry and will sign up only a few merchants. They specifically look for people who have no experience in the industry. They will spend a minimal amount of money and then stop paying residuals. Who keeps the residuals? People like Thomas and Chuck. Why doesn't FFUSA show their agents what their merchants are doing? Other companies have online portals where the agent can see what is going on. Transparency for FFUSA is a bad word. Why? Because FFUSA is ripping off their agents and pocketing the money.

There are some excellent Merchant Services companies out there where a good agent can be self-employed and make a good living (again, check out the forum on greensheet.com). FFUSA is NOT one of them.

In reading the report by the complainant, I was very surprised to hear of his problem(s) with First Financial USA, LLC. FFUSA is a very well respected company particularly by Chase whose joint venture, Paymentech permits appropriately trained agents to represent the bank in soliciting merchant business. While there may be some question as to how residual percentages are calculated, FFUSA does not cheat anyone in any way shape or form.

The company is committed to the best in customer service and the continuing development of team members. There is no doubt the officers of the company do well financially and Chuck I believe actually earns in excess of the $250K amount cited by the poster; it does not come out of the back sides of the agents. Residual payments continue for the duration of time the merchant processes through the company, and do in fact cease if the merchant converts or ceases operations. Residual payments to agents also may cease if the agent has been inactive for a period of time which by contract may be for as few as two months unless vested!

With regard to terminal equipment, the cost rarely exceeds several hundred dollars, so one would have to imagine what [equipment] the poster was alluding to. The company always charges for the equipment because their focus is on overall value to the client as opposed to trick incentives such as free terminals and hidden fees, etc.

A company called United Bankcard and many other have been known to front-load cheap $250 terminals on customers as their enticement to garner new merchant business, however FFUSA is opposed to this concept. Working with FFUSA or any other ISO-MSP is no free ride, however the business is not difficult when you approach merchants as a representative of Chase with the ability to better their situation and save them money overall.

As a professional recruiter who also serves in the role of Agent with FFUSA, I have reviewed hundreds of resumes from people seeking to work in the industry, but surprisingly few are prepared or are willing to work on a commission basis. Further, many applicants, particularly new applicants expect leads and pre-set appointments, neither of which are necessary in this industry given 99% of businesses are instant prospects.

My recommendation to the disgruntled poster is that he lick his wounds, bail the merchant services industry altogether and consider employment with the U.S. Government where it is possible to garner a regular paycheck for expending little effort, and with the added benefit of not losing sleep over lost residuals! I hope this helps to clarify the reputation of First Financial USA!

I also received an e-mail from this company. I had never heard of this company before in my life and knew I could count on Rip Off Report. Thanks for your post because it really helps job seekers out.

We have seen your resume on MonsterTrak, and thought you might want to take a look at a career with us.

FFUSA is an eleven year old financial services firm specializing in payment processing services for medical and retail merchants. Currently FFUSA serves thousands of merchants with over 100 sales professionals nationwide.

If you're looking for an opportunity for high earnings, independence, support of a team with 12 years of successful experience, then you owe it to yourself to take a moment and find out for yourself whether FFUSA is a good fit.

Click Here and you will be directed to a website that gives you more detail about the position and an opportunity to schedule a time to ask questions.