Collective POS CollectivePOS screwed me...again! Toronto, Ontario
I first signed up with CollectivePOS in April 2002. I bought a Verifone Omni 3300 terminal from them and since I owned it, I didn't pay any rental fees and actually made money off a percentage of the transaction fees. I was disconnected less than a year later over an inadvertent violation on my part of the terms of service. I was told I could be reconnected for an additional fee, but I refused.
I was with another company for a while called PositivePOS until they let me down, too. After seeing their online ads in May 2010 and checking out their BBB rating, I was convinced that their company had turned over a new leaf and decided to contact them.
I spoke to a sales rep, a Mr. Chris McCracken, who took my call reviewed my records from before and verbally promised me that I could sign up with them and not pay any monthly fees as long as I made $20.00 worth of transactions per month. This was not a problem for me, as I told him I averaged between $40.00 to $100.00 per month in sales.
As per the terms of the agreement, I would pay $250.00 to be have my terminal reprogrammed and reconnected to their network. I was verbally promised that I would get free equipment upgrades and, in case of damage, one free repair per year as long as I stayed with CollectivePOS. I was also verbally promised that all other fees would be waived and as long as I met the monthly minimum, there should be no problems.
When I received my copy of the contract to sign, I noticed that there were fees indicated and I immediately called Mr. McCracken who reassured me that the additional fees were waived and that I could cross that section out.
After signing up and getting my equipment back, I set it up and everything worked smoothly. I received an Email invoice for $60.00 including an activation fee (which was supposed to be waived) and service charges). I called Mr. McCracken again to inquire about this and he said to forward the documentation to him and he'll look into it. He never followed up on that and he hasn't returned any of my calls. Any other attempts to contact him through other agents or even inquire if he still works for the company are given the runaround. I was verbally promised by an agent named Taneesha that if I could prove that the other company I was with didn't charge monthly fees, then they would waive the service charge on my subsequent invoices; but they reneged even on this.
I've been billed about $30.00 two subsequent times and I was just told today that Mr. McCracken, who still works for the company, would not return any of my calls. I was told that since he's a sales rep, any questions related to billing are handled my the customer service department. He always answered my or at least returned my calls before, though and answered any questions I had about their services, which makes me think he's hiding from me.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
Joel
LaSalle,Quebec,
Canada
Same s*it, new name
#7Author of original report
Tue, June 15, 2021
They've
Clarion
Toronto,Ontario,
Canada
Be informed
#7Consumer Suggestion
Mon, February 13, 2012
For those who have already signed a contract, its likely too late but for any business owners doing their due diligence before getting involved with a company, protect yourself. Go to www.clarionsolutions.ca and request a free, no obligation/'no salesman will call' report as to how some providers overcharge their customers so that you will know what to look for and how to prevent them from taking your hard earned money.
C
opus
Calgary,Alberta,
Canada
I am a new rep for Collective
#7UPDATE Employee
Sun, November 13, 2011
Who switched over from another company&I am based in Alberta/collective does not 'reprogram' eleven year old terminals. Period.
In that respect,yes, times have changed- we now have eight levels of encryption to ward off fraud . & that is a GOOD thing- do you really want to have the encryption on your & your customers bank account that easily broken?
Sorry- its like wanting to purchase leaded gasoline to run your Studebaker. As a Heartland company, we take great pride in unbreakable E3 standards of encryption.
I understand the desire to cut costs as a merchant, but http://www.contactlessnews.com/2010/06/24/heartland-supplies-contactless-terminals-to-1-020-merchants-in-less-than-a-month?tag=NFC is well worth reading.
Reg
Joel Joseph
LaSalle,Quebec,
Canada
They're still dragging their feet
#7Author of original report
Wed, October 13, 2010
I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Of course the CollectivePOS agents lied through their teeth in their rebuttals of my accusations. While the BBB can't force them to play nice, at least the report is on file in case more complaints come up. Speaking of which, I came across this blog. I believe you'll agree what the author thinks the POS stands for.
((REDACTED)))
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
Joel Joseph
LaSalle,Quebec,
Canada
They just had to complicate things
#7Author of original report
Wed, August 04, 2010
Since Jennifer hasn't returned my calls yet, I decided to call their Help desk and speak to a customer service rep.
She kept parroting the same script the others did. They wouldn't return the extra pinpad I sent in with my terminal that they somehow neglected to return to me unless I forward them a proof of purchase. I know it's a simple matter, but it's the principle of the thing. They put me through all this aggravation and now they want me to prove that it's mine? I didn't have to prove the terminal and original pinpad were mine when I sent them in, did I?
When I pressed for details about the contract cancellation, she told me if they terminate my contract early, I'll have to pay $300.00 plus an additional $195.00 in termination fees. Funny they never mentioned that before. Cellphone companies thell you that upfront, but not these guys.
Also, get this. She told me that when I was promised that the fees would be waived that I should have gotten it in writing first before signing the contract. That makes sense, since written contracts legally supersede any prior agreements, but that's not right. What company allows its agents to mislead customers about the Terms of Service, or offer deals and then renege on them (basically lying to them) and then hide behind the legal fine print?
Big companies who'd have the sales volume and the legal firepower wouldn't have this problem. They wouldn't get the plug pulled on their contract without a good reason and not without being notified first. And their agents would tread more carefully when it came to contractual agreements, making sure their words were in strict accordance with company policy. But small companies are a different matter, I guess they figure they can screw the little guy around with relative impunity.
I spoke to some colleagues in the payment processor industry, and it seems that CollectivePOS has been losing their customers in droves. They lock their pinpads for that reason, namely to prevent their customers from switching to another company. They even have a tacit agreement with the company that repairs POS terminals where they will not unlock the pinpads of former CollectivePOS customers looking to defect. I guess they're a little insecure and feel need to bind their customers to keep their business, instead of providing good service like any normal company.
I though they had turned over a new leaf since then, but it seems I was wrong. The fight continues...
Joel Joseph
LaSalle,Quebec,
Canada
They agreed to cancel my contract, but...
#7Author of original report
Sat, July 31, 2010
After being bounced around from one agent to another, being promised one thing by one agent (namely a no-fee contract if I can provide written proof that such was the case with my previous payment processor, but with no refunds on the earlier fees I was charged) only to have that same agent later rescind that promise (it's against company policy). Thanks for nothing, agent Taneesha.
After realizing these guys have no intention of playing straight with me, I decided to cancel my contract. Agent Jennifer told me that she will E-mail me the necessary documents to sign. It's been three days and I have yet to receive them. For their sake, I hope they're not stalling in the hope of charging another monthly fee to my account, again.
Also, since I sent in my terminal with two pinpads and only got one pinpad back, I asked Jennifer to locate the missing one at the service center where they were sent in. She told me (are you ready for this) that in order to have it mailed back to me, I have to send them proof of purchase first.
Can you believe this. I don't want to take my frustration out anyone who's only doing their job, but when their job involves lying to people and giving them the runaround, then they deserve what they get.