Leaders Merchant Services Reviews

THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM. ALL THEY WANT TO DO IT ACQUIRE YOUR BANKING INFORMATION SO THEY CAN WITHDRAWAL FROM YOUR ACCOUNT. THEY ARE A CREDIT CARD PROCESSING COMPANY. OUR FIRST TWO TRANSACTION WENT THROUGH WITHOUT A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, AFTER THAT WE RECEIVED CHARGES THAT THEY ASSESSED ON THEIR OWN. WE CONTACTED THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE PHILLIPINES OR INDIA AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD ESCALATE THE MATTER. WELL THAT WAS TWO MONTHS AGO. DO NOT GIVE YOUR BANK INFORMATION TO THIS COMPANY.

Date of experience: February 01, 2024

Worst company I've ever done business with, hands down. They are thieves, crooks, scam artists, who steal your money, constantly raise fees, and then when you try to cancel your account they STILL take MORE money from you! NEVER EVER get involved with this terrible "company". If you give them your bank account info you certainly regret it... God bless.

Date of experience: February 15, 2024

When they sign you up, they promise no fees. Then they start you off of small fees and after that they gradually start ramping up fees for that and for that. It is just unbelievable. I did not like this company. Every time you complain they offer to review the account, but they never do anything for you anyway. They do not even deserve 1 star in my opinion.

Date of experience: March 05, 2024

Contacting Attorney General. Put scam charges on my account and will not remove them to "Encytro" Do NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY. Nastiest and rudest empolyees who will not help!

Date of experience: February 22, 2024

Like many of the other companies here, we set up our account with Leaders and very first transaction, the money was put on hold. They did not provide any notification and all following transactions were put on. Swipe simple showed they were authorized. Finally got in touch with someone and they stated they wanted to do a risk review. Over a month later after not answering emails they decided they would hold the money for 180 days. I closed the account that day, now I'm just waiting for over $10,000 in revenue my company earned

Date of experience: October 06, 2023

The most pathetic company.They will take all your personal details,sign you up for the account,will pull the credit,and without any reason will close the account.And moreover this company is connected with the biggest fraud company that is Paysafe.Whatever positive feedback you can see that has been posted by the company's own people.Big fraud company.

Date of experience: July 29, 2021

I had called for information and the sales person forced me into signing up and not explaining the terms such as fees for address location etc. Worst customer service experience. They charge you $5 for a penny test transaction. I called customer service and was transferred to a very rude lady, I have never spoken to such a rude person providing customer service before. Stay away if you don't want to be ripped off.

Date of experience: May 06, 2021

They held our funds and then closed our account the manager for their risk department, because they do not want to do Business with Black/LatinX Businesses. They are racist.

Date of experience: October 19, 2023

DO NOT USE. Agent told me he was cancelling our account, I filled out and signed the paperwork. Only to find out he never finished it and this company proceeded to bill me over $400. I have ALL documentation showing it was THEIR fault and they proceed to do nothing. Don't use.

Date of experience: November 04, 2022

I opened a small account for a reader. I decided that I didn't need it so I phoned to ask that they close it. I was told that it would be closed by the representative. I later discovered after nearly nine months they were charging me for inactivity. I never used the machine at all. They stole over $1,100 from my account and refused to pay it back. They offered three months of it back and I requested it all. After going to the BBB they lied and still refused to pay me the money they owe me. I have prayed that nothing good happens for the individuals or this company for the past year and it seems that my prayers are working. Nothing good will come to this company because they cheat, lie and steal from people trying to do business with them. Don't trust a word that comes out of their mouths. I hope they go out of business real soon and 2024 finds them all out of jobs. They are scammers!!

Date of experience: March 03, 2023

Stay away. I will give zero stars if I can. I have had terrible experience with this company. There are always countless hidden fees that no one can explain. As a business owner, I have no time to argue with them every time; I think that's how they stay in business. They told me they won't charge rental for their card processing equipment after I pay for it. I paid and emailed them four times to confirm I won't be charged rental again. They did not reply. And of course I got charged again. I contacted them to request a refund. I will also raise a claim with my bank if they refuse it. I am already looking for another credit card processing company. They are horrible and make running a business even more stressful and time consuming than it needs to be. Stay away.

Update: I closed my account. I had to pay my bank $30 just to stop them from continuing to take money from my account after I close my account (they are notorious for continuing to steal money after account closure; please read other online reviews). But it's $30 well spent because at least it gives me peace of mind. That's the amount of stress you will get if you do business with them. Please spare yourself from this nightmare.

Update: they suddenly started charging $19.95/month as a "Fraud Management Fee" and an additional gateway fee of $5 per month for "Backup Virtual Terminal program" (they claimed that backup virtual terminal is for you to use in case your real card reader is not available; but actually, a virtual terminal has always been available as a service before). They sent out an email notifying merchants that they will be enrolled in a "program" which allows them to "submit claims to Encytro to receive reimbursement for covered chargebacks and costs" ( $19.95/month as a "Fraud Management Fee") and the "Backup Virtual Terminal program" ($5/month). You will need to actively opt out to avoid these fees. As a busy business owner, I did not see that email. But they refused to refund me the money, claiming that in the contract I signed I agreed that I may be enrolled in "Additional Services". This is how they will treat you if you work with them. Please, avoid the company at all costs.

Date of experience: January 27, 2024

We started using Leaders, The Merchant Services Company in May-2021. In those 2 years our account has been under “REVIEW” twice and credit card charges were blocked from being deposited into our bank account. The company that is in charge of the “REVIEW” is called PaySafe Group. The current “REVIEW” started on April 10, 2023 and is ongoing. We have not had any credit card charges deposited into our bank account since the “REVIEW” started. We did not know our account was under review until May 4th, 2023 which was 25 days after the review started. We learned about the “REVIEW” when we received an email from PaySafe Group requesting documentation, which we forwarded on May 5th, 2023. We was told on May 8th the review was complete and the money would be deposited into our account. On May 16th, 2023 We contacted PaySafe Group because the money was still not deposited into our bank account. I spoke to someone named Steve that worked at PaySafe Group (he refused to give me his last name) and was told that my account was still under review and our company would need to forward 3 months of bank statements. When I complained that our money had already been held up for 36 days Steve told me that our company was a liability to Leaders and that PaySafe could hold our funds for up to 6 months. During my conversation with Steve he was curt, rude and unprofessional.

The trend that I notice with PaySafe Group is they tell you the review will only take a couple of days and request documentation. When the couple of day has expired PaySafe Group will request more documentation. In this manner PaySafe Group drags the “REVIEW” process out making it take longer than expected. The process could take could take days, weeks or months. When you deal with PaySafe Group expect to be lied to by their employees. Any company dealing with PaySafe Group should expect to as treated as though you are guilty until proven innocent.

Date of experience: May 28, 2023

This company operates under several companies without informing the merchant .Biggest fraud of a group of companies , IPayment , Leaders Merchant Services , National Bank Card and others you must ask before you get a merchant account with those thieves con artists . The government should shut down that group and charge the owners with fraud . My funds were just held almost $20000 , hurt our bottom line and we cant stay afloat and pay bills . We never had a charge back or reversed charge or a single complaint for 3 month , but looks like this company in trouble and does not have the money to fund merchants , so they make a fraudulent excuse to hold our money . Outsiders from out of the US Con Artists , they can shut down and we lose everything .There is no insurance we will get our money if they run with our money . Dont sign up with that group or you will lose everything and shut down your business . They should be charged . Stay away , there are many legit companies , Do Your Homework , I did not and it will cost me a lot . I am complaining to the FTC and The State Attorney plus many government agencies . First Data will never do that to merchants , only this CON Group
Just found out also they have many complaints with the BBB and they do not solve any or bother to answer the BBB , BBB has a Fraud Alert regarding their business practices under a different business name Merchant’s Choice Payment Solutions, Inc one star , not BBB accredited neither Leader Merchant services the other name for them . Just reported them to Texas Attorney General and California Attorney General . They will steal your money
UPDATE ____Today's date is 12/08/20 and so far they have not responded to any BBB complaints or responded to Attorney General office , who are investigating that business reviewing all the BBB complaints and the mother company PaySafe con group

Update JAN 07/2021
They never answered to any complaint from BBB or Attorney General offices . They will steal your Money and ruin your Business . Do Not Trust the fake positive reviews , they are employees trying to give them credibility . DO YOUR HOMEWORK < Scam Company

Date of experience: November 09, 2020

We were very unhappy with our processing company (terrible customer service, would never give me a straight answer about cancellation fees) and needed to find a better solution. Came across Leaders Merchant Services (rated highly for their low rates). Switching over was much easier and faster than I expected. Should have done it sooner - would have saved $$ and headaches.

Date of experience: April 16, 2019

Since switching to Leaders Merchant Services our company has seen better results - fewer billing disputes and lower rates. The people in their customer service department return our calls and emails promptly. The few times they didn’t have an answer for me, they followed up and were very professional. We have been very satisfied with the service and products from Leaders.

Date of experience: July 23, 2019

We are new to ecommerce & had no experience with merchant service companies. Leaders answered all of our questions & helped us set up our virtual terminal. Had a few glitches starting out but now everything is good. Their customer service support team (#800 number) helped me resolve issues quickly.

Date of experience: March 07, 2019

Mostly happy I went with Leaders Merchant Services. For me and my business, saving money/hanging on to profits is the most important factor when comparing credit card processing companies. When I was shopping around, Leaders was offering the lowest rates by a long shot. There were a couple of hiccups with my order and setup, so if it wasn't for that I would have given them the highest rating overall.

Date of experience: June 04, 2019

Leaders has the most competitive rates I’ve seen in my search of merchant service providers. I appreciate their low rates, especially when running a new start-up. Very reasonable for someone who doesn’t want to break the bank and still run a business . You guys are doing an amazing job!

Date of experience: November 02, 2018

Totally unprofessional, risk department specially Mikel is a rude and does not resolve anything, the merchant holds the transactions for unreasonable things

Date of experience: February 14, 2023

Very pleased about finding Leaders. We did a lot of research to find a better merchant services provider (the last one we worked with was too slow responding to me/my customers). Also, their rates are very competitive and the equipment they provided has been very reliable. All good.

Date of experience: February 19, 2019