Complaint Review: Sterling Payment Technologies - Tampa Florida

If you think processing with them is a pain, try working for them. It is equally horrible.

Regarding well trained customer service staff, I agree they are well trained--in fighting off practical and reasonable requests.  My complaint was that not only was I charged an early cancellation fee when my company went under, I was also charged two months of inactivity fees AFTER I notified the company that I was going under.  To date the inactivity fees have yet to be credited.  It took me 6 months of letter writing to get the well trained customer service person to agree to a 50% reduction in my cancellation fee.  I did appreciate the consideration but why did I have to send 15 e-mails over 5 months--that's right, because she was well trained to fend off such requests.  Now I have to start a whole new letter writing campaign to get some relief from the inactivity fees.  How can you charge inactivity fees when you were notified that the business was closing?  Of course there is inactivity, I was closing.  So you hit me with both?  And you customer service person defends your position--because she is well trained, no doubt.  Maybe in 6 months of writing you will finally get tired of hearing from me and just do the right thing.

Sterling Payment Technologies charges an early termination fee to recover costs incurred when setting up a new account.  Most processors in the industry charge such fees.  In addition to helping to recover setup costs, the fees, as all agents know, act as an impediment to sales representatives who move their merchants between processors to take advantage of bonuses they receive for bringing in new business.  In many cases, merchants are utilizing rented equipment and termination fees also help to recover the losses processors incur on such account terminations.
 
We are proud of our customer service. We have well-trained and dedicated customer service representatives who work hard to resolve any issues and keep our merchants satisfied with Sterling. Like mobile phone companies, airlines, gyms all merchants who require a service contract they also have termination fees for merchants who break their agreement - but we will always work to resolve an issue like this, most often to the benefit of the merchant.

Sterling Payment Technologies charges an early termination fee to recover costs incurred when setting up a new account.  Most processors in the industry charge such fees.  In addition to helping to recover setup costs, the fees, as all agents know, act as an impediment to sales representatives who move their merchants between processors to take advantage of bonuses they receive for bringing in new business.  In many cases, merchants are utilizing rented equipment and termination fees also help to recover the losses processors incur on such account terminations.
 
We would have appreciated the courtesy of the representative contacting us about this issue, especially given the length of our relationship with him/her.  The complaint in the Ripoff Report does not offer us any information on which to provide a more thorough response since the name of the representative, the specifics about the merchants charged, and the circumstances regarding their departures are not provided.

My story is not much different than the author.  However, my sales rep, Dave Harlow from First American, told me expressly that fees may be charged if I switched companies but WOULD NOT be charged if my business went under.  I knew my company was shaky but we make it another 18 months before I closed.  I notified Sterling in July 2011 of my closing and was charged a non-use fee in August, then September before they eventually charged me the $395 cancellation fee--after I had already notified them and after my busiess had gone under.  I recognize that processors cant be handcuffed by retailers that jump services every other month but $600 in fees after I went under and after I notified them?  How shameful is that?  They would not listen to me and they would not listen to my sales rep.  (assuming he tried to work on my behalf.)  Sterling, as I'm sure are many other processors, is a greedy group that would just as soon watch you bleed out than offer a waiver on fees for closed businesses.  They made their money on me for 18 months.  So i get hit for $600, half of a house payment because the economy hit me harder than them?  Again, shameful.

Dave was a merchant with us under an initial account in 2003 which he closed. He was signed to us again with Brad Lesher. Dave then closed his account again in 2007 and we charged him our standard early termination fee. This is a fee much like those one is charged with when terminating one's cell phone contract. Dave's friend and agent, Brad, collected commissions when he signed Dave both times. Brad should have been upfront about the charges Dave would incur by terminating his contract early.