Harbortouch | United Bank Card REVIEW: Comitment to Harbortouch’s executive team and employees are committed to customer satisfaction. Harbortouch’s approach to business is focused on providing the highest customer satisfaction in the industry.
I used United Bank Card (UBC) through an online credit card processing company, authorize.net. Being new in business at the time, I didn't even fully understand that I was signing up with more than one company when I signed on with authorize.net (who I would not do business again with either). I recently shifted my service to a different processing company and when I saw the charges from UBC continue I contacted them. Apparently, as the UBC rep explained and many others have stated in reports on this website, any time a card processes with UBC the contract with renews for 2 or 3 years. To get out of the contract is either $35 per month for the remaining term or $250, whichever is higher. I thought I could just ride out the remainder of my contract at about $10 per month, but it seems, after discussing it with one of their reps, that there are several charges each year (so called annual membership fees, etc) that get billed to their customer's accounts that are close to $100 each. So it was cheaper for me to just opt for the $250 to get away from them. Seems like a crap way of doing business. They really kick you in the backside on the way out.
Think about it. If I do just one transaction with them at any time, let's say for $1,000 and we'll assume that their fee is $30, then UBC is automatically guaranteed $500 or $600 more from me since I'm automatically locked in for years after. I only got away with $250 since I haven't processed with them for a long time. It seems the only way that would work out is if my volume was so high that their kick you in the a$$ on the way out the door fees only amounted to a small percentage.
Sure, I should have scrutinized the contract before signing it. If you've ever ran a business, you'll know that things pop up that need to be done fast (like taking credit cards) and there's not always time to learn all about what you are getting into. I actually did a decent amount of research and it seemed like I was getting the best deal but add in all the junk fees and I would have been much better off with a higher priced reputable bank or something.
So, what I've learned is to always find out if any contract you are signing auto-renews, and if there are penalties for early termination. I've seen lots of bad contracts because of that bs feature. Also, I've learned never to do any business with United Bank Card. Hopefully this saves the next guy some heartache.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Chris rotondi
HAMPTON,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
resolution
#2UPDATE Employee
Wed, June 08, 2011
United Bank Card, Inc. (UBC) currently serves over 125,000 merchants, and while we strive for perfection, we realize that it may be impossible to satisfy all of our customers at all times. We take customer service very seriously and work diligently to resolve any complaints in an expeditious manner. I am reaching out to you to try to resolve the issue you have had with our company. Despite our greatest efforts, we recognize problems or misunderstandings may still arise. We have noticed that in many of the complaints on the Rip Off Report the customer is actually unhappy with an independent sales representative, a leasing company or some other third-party entity that is not controlled by United Bank Card. We regret that these situations occur and will work diligently to resolve them when they do. United Bank Card sincerely tries to do the right thing in every situation. This approach is how we have consistently maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau in addition to receiving numerous awards for our quality operations and service including awards for Best Customer Service by the Green Sheet, our industrys leading publication. We are also a five-time consecutive Inc. 500/5000 honoree and have been ranked on Deloittes Fast 50 list of fastest growing technology companies. In addition to our accolades in the business world, we also try to make a difference as a responsible corporate citizen by supporting various charitable causes. Through our Pennies for Humanity program and charity poker tour as well as other initiatives, we have helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for a number of philanthropic organizations. I hope that this message has conveyed the standards that our company strives to uphold and has convinced you that any issue you may have had with us was an isolated incident. Please feel free to contact me using the contact information below and I will do my best to resolve your issue in a professional and timely manner. Customer satisfaction is the highest priority at United Bank Card and I look forward to helping you resolve your problem.