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It's not hard to find bad reviews of Pipeline Data, a large merchant services provider that works under various names including Securepay.com and Charge.com. Some complaints include bad customer service, holding onto funds longer than expected, and questionable business practices. Pipeline Data was also reported to have the lowest possible rating with the Better Business Bureau.

As always, businesses who are looking for cost-effective merchant service solutions must take care to research their choices thoroughly. There are some very professional credit card processing companies out there, and reading through their literature, checking for good and bad reviews, and asking advice from your bank or other businesses in your area can help you to make a smart choice.

As for Pipeline Data, I can't give them more than:

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Patricia @ 12:00 | comments(3) | Permanent link

Authorize.net has been on the receiving end of many harshly critical reviews, including reports that their practices "border on fraud," that they don't accept responsibility for their own actions, and that they treat their merchants "like criminals" when trying to access their money. Additionally, the Better Business Bureau gives Authorize.net an unsatisfactory rating, indicating that they have left some customer complaints unresolved.

However, there are also quite a few positive reviews of this service to be found.  For instance, this page includes comments on how great Authorize.net is for techno savvy users and others who are looking for good customer support.

As always, finding reliable merchant services can be a challenge, but it's important to look at the whole picture before making assumptions about a potential service provider.

Going on the experiences of my colleagues as well as the positive reviews I've read, I have to give Authorize.net:

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Charlie @ 12:15 | comments(1) | Permanent link

I was surprised to discover that the popular business software, QuickBooks, actually offers merchant services.  Not only do they claim to beat most of their competitors' rates, but they are also fully integrated so that QuickBooks users will be able to easily manage their credit card services within the software they already have.

Reviews appear to be mixed.  One discussion reveals that the newest card processor for QuickBooks has slowed down processing time and caused rates to increase, while others seem quite impressed with the concept and the service itself.

Not having used the service, I can't say for myself.  I give a definite A+ for ingenuity, but obviously people who are inexperienced with QuickBooks are not going to be interested in using their merchant services. 

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jess @ 12:34 | comments(5) | Permanent link