- Report: #212247
Complaint Review: Merchant Lynx Services & Lease Finance Group - Canton Georgia
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Merchant Lynx Services & Lease Finance Group
107 Mountain Brook Drive Ste 100 Canton, 30114 Georgia, U.S.A.
Phone:
866-873-2200
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Lease Finanace Group, Merchant Lynx Services ripoff, dishonest, fraudulent and unfair business practices Canton Georgia
*Consumer Suggestion: I am going through the same thing (got a response from LFG through the B B B of IL)...
*Consumer Comment: BBB of IL could not help me.
*Author of original report: FILED REPORT WITH BBB of IL against LEASE FINANCE GROUP
*Author of original report: FILED REPORT WITH BBB of IL against LEASE FINANCE GROUP
*Consumer Suggestion: UPDATE: LFG TERMINATED MY LEASE!!!
*Consumer Suggestion: UPDATE: LFG TERMINATED MY LEASE!!!
*Author of original report: FILED WITH CHICAGO ATTORNEY GENERAL
*Author of original report: Situation Resolved with Mr. Phil Beniamino of Merchant Lynx Services
I was suckered also by a company based in Canton, GA called Merchant Lynx Services into entering into a 48 month contract with Lease Finance Group.
Sometime in June of this year I received a call from Merchant Lynx Service trying to solicit my business by stating they could provide me with credit card processing services at one-third less than what I was currently paying with my current processor. And that caught my attention, so I agreed to have someone come out and show me how they could offer me cheaper credit card processing.
The following day (Tuesday) Phil Beniamino vice president of the GA branch of Merchant Lynx Services showed up at my door. He looked at a statement from the processor I had at the time and explained how he could lessen the fees and they were cheaper. He offered me a lower rate and a lower statement fee, which was good.
I had never had a credit card machine before I had only dealt with touch tone processing that you do over the phone, so I was not familiar with how you go about obatining a machine nor the costs involved. Once he showed me the processing fees he then asked if I would be interested in switching to their services. So of course I said yes. So he proceeded to fill out an I-Payment Application and agreement. I payment is the ocmpany that handlee the actual processing. He went through the application with me and I answered all the question and again he went over what rate and fees I would incur with the processing. I was already familiar with the Ipayment app because I had filled it out with my previous processor. So I signed that application aware of everything on that agreement.
After finishing that application he just by the way mentioned he could get a refurbished machine for $19.99. And that was all he said. He never mentioned anything like 19.99/month or a 48 month non-cancellable lease with a separate leasing company.
I explained to him I was going out of town the following week so he said he would have a tech come out on Friday to install the machine and show me how it works. He himself however showed up the next day unannounced to install the machine and i was not there my husband was. He however installed it and called the next to let me know he was coming out to show me how to use the machine and sign some paper work.
He came the next day and seemed to be in a rush. He explained how to use the machine and had the paper work in his hand and put it down with his hand still on the paper work and proceed so show me exactly where to sign everything was marked with and X and he had already printed my name next to where I had signed. He never told me what I was singing or explained anything to me the only thing I signed that he somewhat explianed was a statement he wrote saying i had wished to switch my services to his company which wasn't hard to read because it was a few lines but other that that he still had not said anything about a leasing contract or company. Everything was so rushed and happened so fast. He then left and did not leave a copy of anything I signed. I didn't receive copies until they were sent a few days later in the mail.
I never really looked over it when I received it because I assumed he had gone over everything with me. Anyway LFG started charging my account for $24.19 per month which was the $19.99 plus taxes and fees which was never fully disclosed. Merchant Lynx charged my account for the processing fees which I was fully aware of and another $10.00 fee for insurance on the machine which was never disclosed to me so i was not aware it was going to be charged to my account. I had to call Merchant Lynx to have the fees explained to me. When I called I mentioned I would probably close my account and they still did not mention a non-cancellable contract to me as far as the machine was concerned.
Anyway, I was out of town for about 5 weeks and when I get back there is a letter from LFG stating they would be debiting my account every month for my lease payment plus taxes and fees and the condition of the lease was foir 48 months. I didn't pay any attention to the letter because it was never mentioned to me by Phil Beniamino.
A few days ago I decided to close my account with Merchant Lynx because It was not working out any cheaper for me and I was thinkging of going out of business. With all the additional fees it was actually more expensive. So I call and tell the person that answered that I want to close my account and she has me on hold forever and finally i get through someone and she tells me the dept that handles closings is out to lunch and she will have someone call. No one ever called me back. So I call back and they me on hold again for a long time and I finally get through to someone and tell him I want to close my account and he closes it and tells me it will be closed by the end of the month and then he asks if there is anything else and I say I have a terminal I need to return and he proceeds to give me a number to call that will handle that but he still doesn't say anything about the non-cancellable lease. So I call and I get thorough to LFG and tell them I have a terminal I need to return where should I send it and I also need to cancel my contract. The lady tells me I have a non-cancellable lease so even of I return I still have to make the monthly payment. I ignore her and tell her to give me the address.
After I get off the phone it hits me that I was tricked into signing a contract for something I was never made aware of. I would never have signed a contract for 48 months on a credit card machine if he had fully disclosed it to me. There is no way. He knew I was looking for a cheaper service and he knew it would not have been cheaper with all the fees so he never mentioned anything about the non-cancellable lease that would last for 4 years. Nobody in their right mind would knowingly sign a contract on equipment for 48 months that you can purchase and own for a fraction of that. So I will be reporting both companies to the appropriate authorities.
You would think with all the complaints that LFG is getting they would get these reps or rippoff companies that they associate with to fully disclose this information if they claim to do have done nothing wrong. They are just as much at fault.
in doing some research after calling LFG I found this site and there are a lot of complaints on LFG and I aslo found an artical on Merchant Lynx Servies that talked about about them facing investiogation on this exact issue it was titled "Mercahnt Lynx Services' Lease Finance Fraud" Georgia-based credit card processor, lease company facing investigation"
Sorry my story was so long but I had to get it all out. Thanks for listening.
((( ROR REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES ))))
Carolynn
Alpharetta, Georgia
U.S.A.
Sometime in June of this year I received a call from Merchant Lynx Service trying to solicit my business by stating they could provide me with credit card processing services at one-third less than what I was currently paying with my current processor. And that caught my attention, so I agreed to have someone come out and show me how they could offer me cheaper credit card processing.
The following day (Tuesday) Phil Beniamino vice president of the GA branch of Merchant Lynx Services showed up at my door. He looked at a statement from the processor I had at the time and explained how he could lessen the fees and they were cheaper. He offered me a lower rate and a lower statement fee, which was good.
I had never had a credit card machine before I had only dealt with touch tone processing that you do over the phone, so I was not familiar with how you go about obatining a machine nor the costs involved. Once he showed me the processing fees he then asked if I would be interested in switching to their services. So of course I said yes. So he proceeded to fill out an I-Payment Application and agreement. I payment is the ocmpany that handlee the actual processing. He went through the application with me and I answered all the question and again he went over what rate and fees I would incur with the processing. I was already familiar with the Ipayment app because I had filled it out with my previous processor. So I signed that application aware of everything on that agreement.
After finishing that application he just by the way mentioned he could get a refurbished machine for $19.99. And that was all he said. He never mentioned anything like 19.99/month or a 48 month non-cancellable lease with a separate leasing company.
I explained to him I was going out of town the following week so he said he would have a tech come out on Friday to install the machine and show me how it works. He himself however showed up the next day unannounced to install the machine and i was not there my husband was. He however installed it and called the next to let me know he was coming out to show me how to use the machine and sign some paper work.
He came the next day and seemed to be in a rush. He explained how to use the machine and had the paper work in his hand and put it down with his hand still on the paper work and proceed so show me exactly where to sign everything was marked with and X and he had already printed my name next to where I had signed. He never told me what I was singing or explained anything to me the only thing I signed that he somewhat explianed was a statement he wrote saying i had wished to switch my services to his company which wasn't hard to read because it was a few lines but other that that he still had not said anything about a leasing contract or company. Everything was so rushed and happened so fast. He then left and did not leave a copy of anything I signed. I didn't receive copies until they were sent a few days later in the mail.
I never really looked over it when I received it because I assumed he had gone over everything with me. Anyway LFG started charging my account for $24.19 per month which was the $19.99 plus taxes and fees which was never fully disclosed. Merchant Lynx charged my account for the processing fees which I was fully aware of and another $10.00 fee for insurance on the machine which was never disclosed to me so i was not aware it was going to be charged to my account. I had to call Merchant Lynx to have the fees explained to me. When I called I mentioned I would probably close my account and they still did not mention a non-cancellable contract to me as far as the machine was concerned.
Anyway, I was out of town for about 5 weeks and when I get back there is a letter from LFG stating they would be debiting my account every month for my lease payment plus taxes and fees and the condition of the lease was foir 48 months. I didn't pay any attention to the letter because it was never mentioned to me by Phil Beniamino.
A few days ago I decided to close my account with Merchant Lynx because It was not working out any cheaper for me and I was thinkging of going out of business. With all the additional fees it was actually more expensive. So I call and tell the person that answered that I want to close my account and she has me on hold forever and finally i get through someone and she tells me the dept that handles closings is out to lunch and she will have someone call. No one ever called me back. So I call back and they me on hold again for a long time and I finally get through to someone and tell him I want to close my account and he closes it and tells me it will be closed by the end of the month and then he asks if there is anything else and I say I have a terminal I need to return and he proceeds to give me a number to call that will handle that but he still doesn't say anything about the non-cancellable lease. So I call and I get thorough to LFG and tell them I have a terminal I need to return where should I send it and I also need to cancel my contract. The lady tells me I have a non-cancellable lease so even of I return I still have to make the monthly payment. I ignore her and tell her to give me the address.
After I get off the phone it hits me that I was tricked into signing a contract for something I was never made aware of. I would never have signed a contract for 48 months on a credit card machine if he had fully disclosed it to me. There is no way. He knew I was looking for a cheaper service and he knew it would not have been cheaper with all the fees so he never mentioned anything about the non-cancellable lease that would last for 4 years. Nobody in their right mind would knowingly sign a contract on equipment for 48 months that you can purchase and own for a fraction of that. So I will be reporting both companies to the appropriate authorities.
You would think with all the complaints that LFG is getting they would get these reps or rippoff companies that they associate with to fully disclose this information if they claim to do have done nothing wrong. They are just as much at fault.
in doing some research after calling LFG I found this site and there are a lot of complaints on LFG and I aslo found an artical on Merchant Lynx Servies that talked about about them facing investiogation on this exact issue it was titled "Mercahnt Lynx Services' Lease Finance Fraud" Georgia-based credit card processor, lease company facing investigation"
Sorry my story was so long but I had to get it all out. Thanks for listening.
((( ROR REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES ))))
Carolynn
Alpharetta, Georgia
U.S.A.
8 Updates & Rebuttals
Carolynn
Alpharetta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Situation Resolved with Mr. Phil Beniamino of Merchant Lynx Services
#2Author of original report
Tue, December 19, 2006
A few things have changed since I filed my initial report. Lease Finance Group terminated my lease which I am very grateful for, thanks to the office of the IL State Attorney General. I was also contacted by Mr. Phil Beniamino of Merchant Lynx Services in an effort to get the situation resolved. I spoke with him at length about the situation and he was very apologetic and eager to get the situation resolved. He has refunded the $350.00 fee deducted by Ipayment and the $10/mth fee which he said should have been waived plus more. He also offered to pay off the lease with Lease Finance Group. He was very professional in his effort to get everythig resolved and I appeciated his willingness to get it resolved at whatever cost. He stated he was sorry if I felt like i was misled in any way and that was not his intention. In fairness to him and his company I would like to apologize for my harsh statements in my previous reports, I was very angry at the time and it was not my intention to tarnish his reputation or his company's reputation. He stepped up to the plate and was very understanding of my point of view and i appreciate everything he has done to rectify the situation. Thanks to everyone for their wonderful suggestions and to Rip off report for allowing me to voice my situation as well as update it. I am thrilled that everything worked out amicably. Thank You!!!!
Carolynn
Alpharetta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
FILED WITH CHICAGO ATTORNEY GENERAL
#3Author of original report
Mon, November 06, 2006
I got my second response from the BBB and of course LFG stated they are sticking to their guns. They will not terminate the lease however they would offer me a 15% discount where i would have to pay them $800.00 for the equipment that i no longer have in my possession. I hope they are not holding their breath for the $800.00. I file with the Chicago Il Attornery General's office. I am awaiting a response from them. Just when i thought it couldn't get any worse I check my bank account a couple days ago and there is a cancellation fee of $350.00 deducted from my account by Ipayment the credit card processing company. I call them and they say I signed a two year contract with them and if i closed my acount with in those 2 years I would be charged this fee. Apparently this was disclosed in an 8 page agreement that Mr. Beniamino of Merchant Lynx Services of course failed too give me or tell me about. The only pages I saw were page 1 and 2, which was the application for I payment. Previously i said i signed that Ipayment contract aware of everything on it....I take that back. i am totally FED UP.....
Susan
Hayward,California,
U.S.A.
UPDATE: LFG TERMINATED MY LEASE!!!
#4Consumer Suggestion
Fri, October 20, 2006
I received a letter from LFG today stating that they will release me from any future obligations under the lease agreement!!!! Success!!! Thanks to this website and those who have choosen to share their story and strategies. My story is posted on this website so read a little bit through the initial reports in order to find out details of my situation. Anyhow, here is how I was able to fight and succeed in winning... After I found out (about 10 days after receiving the cc machine in the mail) that I had been deceived by Diana Moya of NPMG - the credit card processing company and that I had been tricked into a 60-month non-cancellable lease with LFG, I decided to follow the advice of other victims who had posted on this website.... 1.) Called my bank which LFG was debiting from and stopped payment immediately from any LFG withdrawal attempts. Made sure to contact our current merchant services company and warned them of NPMG's pontential attempt to switch over our service. We then closed our bank account and reopened another one. 2.) Repackaged the credit card machine and sent back to LFG with UPS certification. 3.) Wrote and called both NPMG and LFG to request cancellation on accounts and also to give them a chance to respond. 4.) Wrote letters to BBB of AZ, CA, Chicago - IL; Attorney General of AZ, CA and IL and also the FTC The BBBs attempts were fruitless. However, the Attorney General of IL (Lisa Madigan) was able to get LFG to terminate our lease. Thank you Thank you to all those who made such effective suggestions and for those who are still going through this...keep on fighting. PERSISTENCE PAYS...Don't let these fradulant companies win.
Susan
Hayward,California,
U.S.A.
UPDATE: LFG TERMINATED MY LEASE!!!
#5Consumer Suggestion
Fri, October 20, 2006
I received a letter from LFG today stating that they will release me from any future obligations under the lease agreement!!!! Success!!! Thanks to this website and those who have choosen to share their story and strategies. My story is posted on this website so read a little bit through the initial reports in order to find out details of my situation. Anyhow, here is how I was able to fight and succeed in winning... After I found out (about 10 days after receiving the cc machine in the mail) that I had been deceived by Diana Moya of NPMG - the credit card processing company and that I had been tricked into a 60-month non-cancellable lease with LFG, I decided to follow the advice of other victims who had posted on this website.... 1.) Called my bank which LFG was debiting from and stopped payment immediately from any LFG withdrawal attempts. Made sure to contact our current merchant services company and warned them of NPMG's pontential attempt to switch over our service. We then closed our bank account and reopened another one. 2.) Repackaged the credit card machine and sent back to LFG with UPS certification. 3.) Wrote and called both NPMG and LFG to request cancellation on accounts and also to give them a chance to respond. 4.) Wrote letters to BBB of AZ, CA, Chicago - IL; Attorney General of AZ, CA and IL and also the FTC The BBBs attempts were fruitless. However, the Attorney General of IL (Lisa Madigan) was able to get LFG to terminate our lease. Thank you Thank you to all those who made such effective suggestions and for those who are still going through this...keep on fighting. PERSISTENCE PAYS...Don't let these fradulant companies win.
Carolynn
Alpharetta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
FILED REPORT WITH BBB of IL against LEASE FINANCE GROUP
#6Author of original report
Wed, October 18, 2006
I filed a report with the BBB if IL and my Local BBB. I got a response from BBB of IL from Lease Finance Group and basically they said I signed the contract and I am obligated to pay them for the duration of the contract. They also stated I have provided them no proof that I obtained insurance on the CC machine, which obviously was never disclosed to me by the sales rep. Merchant Lynx Services is debiting my account for this insurance on the machine which I have retured to LFG ad they acknowledged that I have returned it. They also said I made a verbal verification over the phone with one of their reps on 06/27/2006 to say I received the machine and that it was installed. Which is a lie I never spoke to anyone from LFG on that date. The only time I ever spoke to anyone from LFG was on 09/20/2006 when I was given their number by Merchant Lynx Services to call to find out where to send the CC machine. Apparently whom ever I supposedly spoke to on 06/27/2006 signed the contract saying theyy spoke to me and I verbal verified everything on the contract....I have no record of this call. I have sent the BBB a copy of my phone records for that day...there was no call from LFG ever. So who ever signed the contract did not sign it truthfully...but I don't expect any better from them. With all this said and done I rejected their response and am still waiting for a response back from them. I haven't gotten a respose from my local BBB in regards to the report I filed on Merchant Lynx Services....I probably will not receive one but I will file a report with my local attorney General about them as well as the attorney general of chicago about LFG and the FTC...they all need to be put out of business for their shady business pratices.
Carolynn
Alpharetta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
FILED REPORT WITH BBB of IL against LEASE FINANCE GROUP
#7Author of original report
Wed, October 18, 2006
I filed a report with the BBB if IL and my Local BBB. I got a response from BBB of IL from Lease Finance Group and basically they said I signed the contract and I am obligated to pay them for the duration of the contract. They also stated I have provided them no proof that I obtained insurance on the CC machine, which obviously was never disclosed to me by the sales rep. Merchant Lynx Services is debiting my account for this insurance on the machine which I have retured to LFG ad they acknowledged that I have returned it. They also said I made a verbal verification over the phone with one of their reps on 06/27/2006 to say I received the machine and that it was installed. Which is a lie I never spoke to anyone from LFG on that date. The only time I ever spoke to anyone from LFG was on 09/20/2006 when I was given their number by Merchant Lynx Services to call to find out where to send the CC machine. Apparently whom ever I supposedly spoke to on 06/27/2006 signed the contract saying theyy spoke to me and I verbal verified everything on the contract....I have no record of this call. I have sent the BBB a copy of my phone records for that day...there was no call from LFG ever. So who ever signed the contract did not sign it truthfully...but I don't expect any better from them. With all this said and done I rejected their response and am still waiting for a response back from them. I haven't gotten a respose from my local BBB in regards to the report I filed on Merchant Lynx Services....I probably will not receive one but I will file a report with my local attorney General about them as well as the attorney general of chicago about LFG and the FTC...they all need to be put out of business for their shady business pratices.
Susan
Hayward,California,
U.S.A.
BBB of IL could not help me.
#8Consumer Comment
Mon, October 16, 2006
I received a response from my initial complaint against LFG from Chicago, IL's BBB. LFG stated that they did not sell us the machine, that the credit card processing company did not represent them...that they had our signature on the contract so they will not terminate our lease even though the machine is in their posession. I sent a rebuttal to that response and according to the BBB, LFG is sticking by their response. I am not awaiting the response from the Attorney General of IL.
Susan
Hayward,California,
U.S.A.
I am going through the same thing (got a response from LFG through the B B B of IL)...
#9Consumer Suggestion
Tue, October 03, 2006
Except that I specifically asked the rep from the credit card processing company that solicited us (NPMG - Diana Moya) whether the "$99.00 upgrade fee" was a flat one-time fee and also whether we could cancel at anytime and with no penalties. She assured me that the fee was a one-time flat fee and I could cancel at ANYTIME with NO PENALTIES. Just as in your case, I found out LATER after I received a letter from Lease Finance Group as well as reviewing the COPY of the "lease" that I LATER received with my machine...that I was locked into a 60 months, $99.00 per month "lease." I called NPMG and they stated that they could terminate my lease with Lease Finance Group as long as I kept my service with them. I rejected that reponse and called LFG. Of course their response was scripted stating that they had our signature on the lease and that our lease could not be cancelled. I have written to the Better Business Bureau of Arizona, Illinois. The Attorney Generals of AZ and IL....and also the FTC. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO THE SAME. I closed my bank account that they are debiting from and have sent back the machine with UPS certification. The more we write...the stronger our case will be against these deceptive companies. I have received a blanket response from LFG through the BBB of IL. I have rejected their response and am still waiting on the Attorney General or IL. LFP expects me to remain paying the lease despite the fradulant way the lease was obtained and the fact that we returned the machine less than a month of after receiving it. WRITE ALL OF THE ORGANIZATIONS that can possibly help cosumers like us. And DON'T STOP until you get a satisfactory response. Good luck. I will keep you all updated.
