Does First American Still Charge If Service Is Not Provided
Pros
- eCheck processing offered
- PCI-compliant solution
Cons
- Numerous public complaints
- Deceptive sales tactics
- No pricing disclosed online
First American Payment Systems Overview
In this First American Payment Systems review, you'll find that one of the master problems I have is the company's overall inconsistency. It employs a sizable sales force of independent agents but does not seem to provide acceptable training or support to them. We found dozens of complaints from sometime sales agents aslope complaints from merchants these agents sold to. It adds up to a lot of unhappy people.
Another issue I have with Outset American is the company's confusing branding and subsidiary structure. I've heard many reports of Get-go American using a tangle of business organisation names, which can deceive merchants and reduce its operations' overall transparency. In my experience, companies with many DBAs are usually trying to comprehend something upwardly and misfile those trying to assess their reputation. First American Payments seems to fit this neb.
And so what is Get-go American? It'south been around for decades as a big-thespian in the industry. Established in 1990, First American Payment Systems (FAPS or First American for brusque) is a merchant account provider based in Fort Worth, Texas. While First American has never been our favorite provider, the company appeared to be making gradual improvements to its services and reputation. However, that progress seems to take stalled.
FAPS is non an inherently terrible merchant services provider. It has a decent website and doesn't apply also many overtly deceptive sales gimmicks publicly. The company'southward complaints volume, while significant, is non extraordinary for an outfit of this size. But if I am going to rate the make as a whole, I'd say it's a gamble at all-time. It doesn't offering enough added value to make upwardly for the expense of its contracts, and customer back up seems to exist lacking.
However, as long as you are willing to advocate for yourself, negotiate, and by and large brand sure your contract is fair, Outset American is a capable company that offers a diverse selection of payment-related services, and it could probably be a good provider for some businesses. Merely bear in mind that there are plenty of other providers that won't make you lot negotiate to get a fair deal — they'll offer you transparent prices and a calendar month-to-calendar month agreement outright.
For these reasons, First American Payment Systems earns a completely middle-of-the-road 3-star rating out of five. Bank check out our full review below, then head over to our comparison nautical chart to see your other options. If you lot have whatever experience with FAPS, allow united states know in the comments!
Products & Services
Rating: Good
First American Payment Systems offers a full range of products and services. Your options include the following:
- POS System & Mobile App: FAPS offers a tablet-based POS system, 1stPayPOS. For mobile payments, it offers 1stPayMobile.
- Next-Day Funding: Next-mean solar day funding is an selection with your merchant account, only its possible you lot'll be charged extra fees to do so.
- Terminal Sales & Leasing: FAPS offers the proprietary Xion countertop terminal, which is EMV-compliant and NFC-capable. Other terminals available include the Ingenico iWL 250/252 and the Verifone Verix Vx520. Leases are provided by Merimac Capital, some other First American subsidiary. In my opinion, you should never lease. Merimac's leases are non-cancellable and extend for 60 months, unremarkably at nigh $45 per month (plus insurance). That means even if y'all want to abolish the adjacent solar day, you lot will be stuck paying $2,700 to buy out the contract for a machine that you could purchase outright for only a few hundred dollars.
- eCommerce: If you want to sell online, First American offers a total-fledged shopping cart with congenital-in CRM tools. For a more basic option, there'due south as well a customized payment page architect. The visitor bundles its virtual terminal and recurring billing into this suite of software.
- Online Reporting: This comes via First American's proprietary FirstView reporting organization. FirstView allows you to view merchant statements online, generate customized reports, and analyze processing information. It's also encrypted to ensure the security of your data.
- FirstAdvantage : This offering supports in-house gift cards and a loyalty plan designed for pocket-sized to mid-size businesses.
- ACH & Paper Cheque Processing: These features are supported through First American's FirstFund ACH and Secur-Chex solutions, respectively.
- Developer Tools: Developers who desire to offer clients an integrated payment system can utilize Get-go American'south suite of software to provide custom solutions. It also provides dedicated technical support teams through the process.
- Security Suite: As far equally payment security goes, Start American'due south platform includes fraud detection tools every bit well as encryption and tokenization. You as well go information alienation insurance and assistance with PCI compliance.
- Merchant Cash Advances : These are available through Get-go American's Merchant Cash Advance Program. Nosotros recommend being wary of merchant cash advances, equally they're non the nearly competitive funding option, and you certainly have many other options.
While I wouldn't say whatever of this is groundbreaking, cut border, or industry-leading, it is what you lot would expect from a mid to large-sized payment processor. It'due south just a mostly well-rounded characteristic-set up designed to work with many dissimilar types of businesses.
Fees & Rates
Rating: Off-white
While First American Payment Systems bombards you lot with information nearly all of its wonderful products and features, its website doesn't mention a word about how much whatever of this volition actually cost you. I couldn't detect a single dollar or percentage sign anywhere on the FAPS site.
For processing rates, this isn't necessarily a bad affair. Rates are highly negotiable, and information technology's oft not practical to try to list all of them on a website. Besides, unlike many other processing companies, it'south not trying to lure you in by deceptively quoting a low qualified rate that is much lower than what most of your transactions volition cost.
Fees, unfortunately, are another matter entirely. From what I've seen in comments from merchants using FAPS, these accounts tin be incredibly expensive, with virtually of the coin going directly toward agent profits. Start American currently offers merchants a choice betwixt a $95 annual fee or a $25 monthly minimum on its standard contracts. Monthly statement fees are variable but can run equally high equally $xx per month. In that location's besides an annual PCI compliance fee of around $120. Finally, Starting time American Payments will offer you a costly tiered-pricing plan if yous don't inquire for interchange-plus pricing.
If you do cull to use Showtime American Payments for credit processing, I have three words for you lot: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. And be careful! Need interchange-plus pricing and insist on a month-to-month contract with no early termination fee. If the company won't do that for you, I recommend you have your business elsewhere.
Contract Length & Early Termination Fee
Rating: Fair
A standard merchant understanding from First American Payment Systems runs for three years. Information technology automatically renews for i-year periods thereafter, unless you provide adequate notice that you wish to end the contract. Early on termination fees for breaking your contract are variable merely generally run from $300 to $495, unless yous negotiate a month-to-month contract with no ETF.
Since FAPS relies heavily on independent resellers and so many subsidiaries, in that location's non a whole lot of standardization here. If you don't see a signed waiver course attached to your contract, chances are in that location is an early on termination fee, no matter what your sales rep says. Verbal agreements aren't binding in the processing industry, and you'll have to jump through a lot of hoops and make a lot of complaints to get that ETF refunded if there's no signed waiver.
Sales & Advertising Transparency
Rating: Off-white
The First American Payment Systems website is fairly attractive, but the data is thin, and pages are somewhat frustrating to navigate. While I didn't observe any outright lies in the marketing materials, there is a conspicuous absence of whatever mention of costs and very picayune educational cloth nigh how merchant processing fees work. To quote Shakespeare, I'd like to see "more matter with less art" in the visitor'due south marketing. This is probably done to conform a large and various puddle of resellers that all have the liberty to prepare accounts with a wide diverseness of fees and rates.
While I recognize rates volition differ from merchant to merchant, I'd adopt to encounter some standardization and more than transparent disclosure of scheduled fees. This helps to ensure that sales reps are selling fairly priced contracts. Have a look at the bang-up resources offered by companies such as Helcim or Dharma Merchant Services and compare this to First American Payment Systems. Information technology's like night and solar day.
In terms of individual sales experiences, First American Payments Systems does not deliver plenty consistency or transparency to earn my seal of approval. Its independent agents seem, in some cases, poorly trained and/or poorly regulated. While you could get a great sales agent, yous could also get a terrible one. Information technology'south not a wise take chances to have, and unfortunately, the processing industry is rife with these kinds of poorly-trained, minimally-supervised sales agents. If you actually do think Starting time American's processing services are right for you, I suggest contacting the company directly because at least so you'll exist dealing with an in-house team for onboarding.
Customer Service & Technical Back up
Rating: Poor
In our comments section, you tin read a number of reviews that cite rude or otherwise unsatisfactory customer service. Corroborating complaints exist across the spider web. First American Processing does offer 24/7/365 in-firm client service, and it did win the ATSI Call Center of Distinction award in 2013, merely non everyone would agree that this adds up to excellent customer back up.
Here'south my takeaway: Having a well-staffed telephone call centre is a Band-Aid on a bullet wound when sales reps are scamming merchants into signing expensive and unfair contracts. Call centers are often inundated with calls from unhappy merchants when they find out they're paying fees they weren't told about. When they don't get a resolution, they tend to want to try to cancel their accounts, which doesn't go well when they find out there's an early on termination fee in improver to whatever initially set off the issues. It'southward something of a fell cycle, actually — and you see why having 24/7 support doesn't do much to offset the complaints.
If you lot've had experience with FAPS'southward customer service, past all means, drop us a comment and tell us all near it!
User Reviews
Rating: Poor
Merchant reviews leave less than glowing remarks for Kickoff American. Past far, most complaints are with billing and collections issues over at the BBB. We recommend proceeding with caution and be enlightened of what you're existence charged.
Negative Reviews & Complaints
First American Payment Systems earned its BBB accreditation in Jan 2015 and currently has an A+ rating with the BBB. The company is pretty proud of this, displaying it prominently on its website and including a directly link to the BBB report. I commend the visitor for being so transparent, equally it currently has 72 complaints filed over the past three years, with 20 new complaints filed in the past year.
While this may seem similar a lot, and it is troubling, information technology's a adequately average number of complaints nearly a processor of its size. First American had slightly more complaints in our last review in June 2019. The reviews tend to wobble just slightly in either management, so nosotros tin safely say not much has improved.
Unfortunately, the responses from Starting time American to merchant complaints are generally impersonal and not very atoning. It absolutely will not abolish terminal leases administered through Merimac Majuscule, simply it will sometimes waive early on termination fees. Obviously, a lot of merchants oasis't read their contract thoroughly enough to be aware of the early termination fee, and far too many sales agents aren't discussing it when trying to close a deal.
Merely seriously, read through the company'southward responses to complaints on the BBB website. The tone in these responses is that of a company that does not appreciate criticism.
Hither are some of the most mutual complaints against FAPS:
- Unethical Sales Tactics: Overall, merchants are unsatisfied with the sales feel provided past many FAPS agents. Specifically, complaints include nondisclosure of contract terms and fees as well equally receiving misleading data about how credit card processing works and how rates are decided. First American does non provide any useful educational textile or charge per unit information on its website, making the sales experience even more than confusing and misleading.
- Bad Leasing Agreements: Any company that still pushes the old standard 4-year not-cancellable concluding leases should, equally a general dominion, be avoided like the plague. These companies are desperately looking to brand coin at your expense and via your lack of industry knowledge. These leases stop upwards costing thousands of dollars just for the pleasance of borrowing a machine that is just worth a few hundred dollars. Don't do it. Read our article explaining why leases are a bad deal for merchants for more data.
- Overall Cost: Some merchants complain well-nigh rate hikes and high percentages of non-qualified transactions. Others bemoan the hefty early on termination fees. Others hate finding so many undisclosed fees on their statements.
Positive Reviews & Testimonials
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any positive reviews or testimonials for First American Payment Systems — not even on its website. Honestly, I have no existent reason to encourage y'all to pursue using this company'south services. While I'k sure information technology has a substantial number of satisfied merchants on its side, FAPS delivers very inconsistent sales and service experiences. With so many other truly exceptional providers out at that place, why settle for passive-aggressive mediocrity? With sub-par pricing and a completely average product lineup, you could do then much better.
If you disagree, please let me know in a comment. It's always nice to see positive testimonials for any company we review.
Last Verdict
We requite First American Payment Systems iii out of v stars. While this isn't the worst rating we've given out, the visitor certainly doesn't earn our recommendation, either. 1 could argue that a few bad apples ruin the whole bunch or that the negative reviews nosotros find don't represent the entire company. However, with and then many independent sales agents working for this visitor, we call back it is best to approach with extreme circumspection. For us, it's the overall level of inconsistency displayed by FAPS'south sales agents that are the most bothersome.
Sadly, the problems don't end there. I'yard non satisfied with First American'southward advertisement. Its main website is noticeably vague and uninformative. Its business organization structure, with its numerous DBAs and multiple subsidiary websites, is convoluted and confusing, perhaps deliberately so. I want to see providers educating merchants to aid them brand a good decision. First American is definitely not doing this, at least not as a rule.
Complaints against the visitor include insanely expensive and non-cancellable terminal leases and pricey contracts peddled by dishonest sales reps. Poor client support, difficulty closing accounts, and expensive early on termination fees are too ofttimes mentioned.
With all of these issues riding against First American, it's difficult to recommend partnering with it. Not when you'll find quite a few other providers out at that place that will offering you interchange-plus pricing with no early termination fees, non to mention outstanding customer service — all for significantly less than FAPS will charge you lot.
If I were yous, I'd take a gander at our comparison chart to come across some other options!
We've washed in-depth enquiry on each and confidently recommend them.
We've done in-depth enquiry on each and confidently recommend them.
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Does First American Still Charge If Service Is Not Provided,
Source: https://www.merchantmaverick.com/reviews/first-american-payment-systems-review/
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