Complaint Review: Merchant Lane - Card Services - First Data - Plantaton Florida

I contacted this company in November of 2007. I was looking to set up a merchant account for my business. I ran across this company and submitted a application online. I received one email telling me everything was approved and they would send a email with my login info. I replied to the email and asked for them to forward it to my other account because my incoming server was acting up for my email account. I never heard back.

I then spoke with my husband a few minutes later and discovered that he had already spoken with a rep and everything was set up for the following day. I then sent another email and requested for this company to close my account. In April, 2008 I discovered a charge that I was not familiar with. I then contacted my current merchant service provider and discovered this was a fee from this company. I contacted this company and discovered that they never closed the account as we had requested.

In fact, they had been billing me since December 2007 without my knowledge. We NEVER used their services and they NEVER provided us with any info in order to access the services we were being billed for. Basically they began withdrawing funds on a monthly basis from our account for services that were NEVER rendered. I spoke with Card services and even recorded all of the calls I had with anyone regarding these charges.

Card Services was very cooperative and even admitted that they hear about this company not closing accounts after they were requested many times. I then began to attempt to resolve the problems with this company directly after receiving the sales reps contact info. This is where things got ugly, out of control and just plain unethical!

I began by speaking with a receptionist and she transferred me to a manager by the name of Keila Berberena. I explained the situation to her and she basically was not sympathetic in any way. She refused to understand that we were billed for services that were never rendered and we never used their companys services and therefore their company was not entitled to be paid by us for these services.

I explained to her that we had spoken with a man and closed the account and we also had a email confirmation of this. When I had spoken to customer service at Card Services earlier that day, they told me my sales rep was Sean Wolf. I assumed this was the name of the man I had spoken with. Keila rudely informed me that I was lying because no one speaks to Sean Wolf.Despite there is a testimonial on their companys website that says "I own a few carts in a couple of the malls in South Florida and I'm new to this whole Internet thing.

My friend helped me build a website which had everything I needed except for a credit card processing system. I called your office and spoke with SEAN. I just wanted to say that he was so helpful and friendly and explained everything so clearly, that I was able to set up your system on my website by myself. I'm really excited! Thanks for having a staff that actually cares.-- Yaron Mergui

So then Keila tells me that she will personally close the account and request a refund and call me by 5pm which was 15 minutes away. I knew this was too good to be true. She never called me. I made sure when I called her the following morning to again record the call. I specifically asked her WHY she had not called me as promised. She tried to lie to me and tell me that she had already told me at 4:45 what the decision was.

I informed her that was not true and she stated she was going to call me by 5PM and she never did. I asked her what was the decision of the refund and she informed me that the refund was approved yesterday and would take 2-3 days to be refunded. I also asked if she closed my account and she said it was done yesterday. I thanked her and hung up.

I then contacted Card Services to confirm what she had told me and to update them on what I was told. They informed me that the account was still not closed and in fact I should send another request to close the account. I then drew up a letter including Exhibit A which was the email I had sent requesting to close the account. I then received the following email from Keila:

Hello,

You attached this email to your letter for closure but you changed the wording to say you want the account close when this is the original email below that was sent to us by you on 11/24/07. It does not state anything like that. There seems to be something really wrong with this account. I will not have you attaching "Exhibit A" when that was not the original email sent. I have been told too many lies by you within the past 24 hours and frankly, your story is not adding up.

I have phone records of "Christal or Christa" calling in on 3/14 about a chargeback and the email below is also addressed to Christal yet you don't know who that is. Then the story changed yesterday and it didn't matter who Christal was (again being lied to). Then you stated you spoke to Sean in detail about closing your account and that was also false. So bottomline, we will refund last month and that's it.

You know, I was going to approve the whole refund this morning but after I saw you attached an edited email as your "Exhibit A" that's where you crossed the line. I am the one who answers those emails and I monitor that email account everyday and I have never received your "Exhibit A" email and the one that just so happens to be sent at the exact time says nothing about canceling.

I am a very intelligent woman and do not have time for lies or games. I am willing to work with anyone that calls in with a genuine problem if you are honest but you have changed your story and now falsifying your "proof" and that does not fly here.

Refund request for March being processed now expect to see it within 3 days. If you want to call and be honest about your situation I will be willing to work out whatever with you but you will NOT Falsify emails that I monitor daily and think that's going to fly. No way.

I'm responding to your original email so you can have record of what it actually says and so you can have MY response on record.

Thank you,

Keila Berberena

First Data Independent Sales

Services by Cardservice International

[email protected]

Phone: 1-877-891-8409 ext.210

Fax: 775-361-8664

In the email, Keila actually changed the timestamp. This was obvious because the font that she used to change the timestamp was the same font as her signature. When you see the original email the font was much different and larger. Although now she was accusing me of doing what she was actually guilty of!

I then get this hateful email from her:

Do not email me again. You are NEVER allowed to call anyone such a hateful word like n****r. What I should do is post a site about you and the hateful message you support. Any more emails from you will be considered harassment and borderline hate crime!

DO NOT CONTACT ME AGAIN!!! Do what you have to do!

Keila Berberena

First Data Independent Sales

Services by Cardservice International

[email protected]

Phone: 1-877-891-8409 ext.210

Fax: 775-361-8664

Not only has First Datas Corporate Offices and Card services become involve in this serious matter, they also have refunded my money and assured me that Keila will be dealt with internally. The experiences I have had with merchant Lane are unbelievable! For three days Keila harassed us by email, threatened to list me on a website, threatened to jeopardize my business, etc. This was all recorded!

My business line records incoming/outgoing calls and because I live in a One Party Law state, I do not have to make the party aware the call is being recorded. I did however make Keila fully aware that all the calls were being recorded, however she must not have believed me because of the ways she continued to act.

I was highly concerned that she threatened to use her access to my personal records and post info about it onto websites. I was assured this will constitute as a major offense so if she does, shes just making me a richer person.

I would steer away from this company. My experiences and based on what I have discovered from other agencies, reps, etc has shown nothing more than this is a company that cannot be trusted, that backs down from what they originally say and are cowards! I have tried to reach the CEOs and owner of Merchant lane all week without any luck! Obviously they do not care how people are being treated. I was even told by Card Services that Keila has been reported for this before and that they were happy someone finally caught it on tape so something could be done

Standing up for what's right!

Indianapolis, Indiana

U.S.A.