BankCard USA Launches 5 Point Service Guarantee Program

Company Continues To Lead Industry in Merchant Services Best Practices

Westlake Village, Calif., December 14, 2009 – ‘Keeping it all under one roof’ is the mantra of BankCard USA, a merchant services company, servicing merchant needs from start up to expansion.  In an era where passing the buck and outsourcing business is all too common, BankCard USA does business differently.  Operating in an industry that has become predatory and has left a bad taste in more than one business owner’s mouth, BankCard USA is pushing back to lead the way in best practices.

Most recently, the company announced its newly operational merchant account review hotline where companies can call and have their existing merchant services contract evaluated and receive advice on how to get out of unfair contracts.  BankCard USA has now launched another step in restoring VIP customer service to the merchant services industry with their 5 Point Service Guarantee Program.

Currently, most merchant service providers are resellers that make a sale and then pass the customer to a processor.  These resellers do not have the ability to handle customer account information and directly service them.  BankCard USA is different.  By managing the account, all under one roof, the merchant receives the benefit.  The newly launched 5 Point Service Guarantee Program states:

1. New customers are never sent refurbished equipment or outdated POS software—BankCard USA ensures that all hardware and software is the newest and most updated available, reducing potential malfunctions and resulting in faster transactions for the merchant.
2. Your Business Deadline comes first – Whether merchants need new POS equipment for a grand opening, convention, or a merchant needs to make a quick switchover, BankCard USA will take care of you.   Equipment can be delivered within 24-hrs.
3. No Contracts! BankCard USA doesn’t lock customers into contracts.  They take a different approach, relying on good service to maintain customer loyalty.
4. Customer requests must and will be handled on the first call. BankCard USA knows that merchants are far too busy to worry about following up with their merchant servicer.  Time is valuable and we don’t waste it.
5. Same-Day Problem Resolution- BankCard USA’s goal is to make sure all problems no matter how big are solved within 24 hours.

BankCard USA founder Shawn Skelton comments, “Customer service is so important to us because by definition we are a service business.  Part of what a customer pays for is the value of being serviced professionally and timely.  We treat every merchant like a VIP and we take pride in the fact that from A to Z we can handle everything that a merchant will need in house and within 24 hours.”

In response to the 5 Point Service Guarantee, customers are already raving about the service they are receiving from BankCard USA including:

“I just wanted to thank you for going the extra mile to get our account set up and approved. From start to finish, you had us approved in less than 24 hours. Other companies I have dealt with have taken much longer. Being a business owner, I can also appreciate the fact that you were easy to get in touch with and responded to emails very quickly. Once again, thank you for your great service.” Scott Brown, Quality Floors Direct.

“I would like to inform you of my satisfaction with the company’s customer service.  The quality of service was to meet my needs and this put you, BankCard USA, above your competitors. ..Great customer service will always make the customer come back time and time again.” Bonnie Martin, Bon Mar Productions.

“Just a note to thank you and the extremely helpful staff at BankCard USA. The entire transaction went seamlessly, and now we are up and running and ready to accept payments of all types.  I will definitely be recommending your service to all my business associates.” Cosmo Miller, Cold Fresh Inc.

Find out more about the 5 Point Service Guarantee at www.bankcardusa.com/serviceguarantee.  Additionally, merchants can contact the merchant account review hotline by calling 866-259-9777 or visiting the BankCard USA’s web site at www.bankcardusa.com

BankCard USA Helps Business Rebound From Predatory Merchant Processors

BankCard USA Opens a FREE Fraud-Hotline for businesses burned by bad merchant service contracts

Westlake Village, Calif., Oct 2009 – Imagine launching your first business, excited to start selling your products to a hungry consumer base.  Or perhaps you are expanding your brick and mortar business to offer products on the Internet.  One of the most logical steps is to open a merchant account so your new business can take advantage of the 90% of transactions made on the Internet with credit cards.  This seems like an easy enough task, however, the merchant services industry has become oddly predatory over the last decade and more and more companies are finding themselves in unfair merchant services contracts.

In response to the bad contract epidemic, BankCard USA today announced that it has opened-up an in-house fraud hotline to advise credit card merchants stuck in unfair contracts. BankCard USA Fraud Hotline will help businesses understand credit card processing rates, security issues, regulations and contract terms.

BankCard USA founder Shawn Skelton comments, “How did we get to this place in our industry?  What began to happen is there was a shift in our industry.  We switched from being a service driven business to a price driven business.  There isn’t much price differentiation that can be done in merchant services, so for many companies staying in business meant devising hidden ways to make money.”

“For example, a business would sign up for a merchant account thinking they were getting a great price, and would get hit with a ton of other padding fees, or their provider would arbitrarily raise their rate. Things like monthly, convenience, yearly, and other fees have unfortunately become more common as new entrants to the industry had to make money somewhere.  Where it really got bad was for companies just starting out or businesses with small profit margins who simply can’t afford bad contracts.  At BankCard USA we saw time and again merchants stuck in really bad contracts.  As a response to that, we set up our new Fraud Hotline to help advise merchants on whether or not they are in a fair contract and what they should be looking for in a good merchant service partner,”  concluded Skelton.

BankCardUSA recommends the following when seeking out a new merchant services partner:

• Initially take price out of the picture.
• Find a provider that your business colleagues recommend
• Make sure the provider has a good rating with the BBB
• Avoid providers that use high pressure sales
• Really read about all fees on their application

Interested parties can contact the merchant Fraud Hotline by calling 818-540-3540 or visiting the BankCard USA’s web site at www.BankcardUSA.com.  When calling, BankCardUSA recommends having the following on hand to discuss with the counselor:

• Current merchant services contract
• Average monthly sales volume
• Past receipts