Smart Choice Payments Overview
Smart Choice Payments is a merchant account provider that appears to be a DBA of Wholesale Merchant Processing and its related businesses. There is a significant amount of evidence indicating that Wholesale Merchant Processing, First Choice Payments, and North American Processing Solutions are all DBAs of Smart Choice Payments, although the exact corporate structure linking these businesses is unclear.
The Smart Choice Payments website does not disclose the company’s executive leadership or corporate affiliations, but its footer describes the company as “First Choice Payments, LLC doing business as Smart Choice Payments.” Smart Choice Payments is also registered in the state of Oregon at the same address as Wholesale Merchant Processing and First Choice Payments.
Smart Choice Payments’s products and services include credit card terminals, PIN pads, point-of-sale systems, wireless terminals, and merchant cash advance. The company provides dedicated phone and email contact information on its website. Todd McCartney is the president of Smart Choice Payments.
At a glance
Founded: 2013
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Acquiring bank: Wells Fargo Bank
Website: smartchoicepayments.com
Phone number: 888-381-6800
E-mail: [email protected]
Online reputation and reviews
Smart Choice Payments has received over 20 negative reviews, some of which also name Federated Payments, MSI Merchant Services Inc., and Wholesale Merchant Processing. Complainants describe fund holds, difficulty cancelling service, poor customer support, and expensive long-term equipment leases. These complaints are less severe than those posted against Wholesale Merchant Processing and Federated Payments, but there is also a great deal of overlap between the negative reviews for all of them. Smart Choice’s apparently close affiliation with Wholesale Merchant Processing is enough to damage its reputation significantly.
Legal actions and lawsuits
There are no outstanding or recently resolved legal actions related to Smart Choice Payments at this time.
Have you used Smart Choice Payments for your business? Rate the company at the top of this post and tell us about your experience in the comment section below:
I had no idea what Smart choice was. I was charged $44 for 2 months. I want this canceled now.
Again I do not have Smart choice don’t know what it is and I would like for you to stop taking money out of my account or trying to get me out of my cash app because it’s not going to happen I’m canceling it and I am not putting nothing in there so whatever this is you can cancel it
I don’t know who this is and I would like for it to stop trying to get money out of my cash app I want this app to be cancel every night you are trying to take money out of my account it’s not going to happen because I am going to close my account so please cancel whatever you trying to get because you’re not going to get anything.
I didn’t know i was going to be charge monthly so cancel my order
Worst company to use for a Merchant Account! I continually had issues with the card machine throughout a period of more than 2 years and eventually when I asked the company to fix an additional issue, the only solution they could come up with was to get another merchant number. When I did get another Merchant number the machine would still not work and because I had to run credit cards I went back to my previous company. I had about 7 months to go with the original agreement I signed, so if I did not charge anything for those months I would owe $319.92. The representative on the phone told me I would be responsible for $893.98 to cancel early. They could have offered me to stay with them until the original agreement matured and I would have only paid $319.92. This company in my opinion does not care about the service they provide but only how they can get the most money out of a situation. STEER CLEAR OF THIS COMPANY!!!!
I have a recent dealing with Smart Choice Credit Processing and find their business practices to shady. They team up with a machine leasing company, Ascentium in our case, to do their dirty work. They have use high pressure sales and then have merchants to sign contracts that are confusing and not clear on who you are actually dealing with. The machine leases are ALWAYS over priced. Their contracts are one sided in their favor. Their contacts make if very difficult and expensive for an unsatisfied customer to get out of contract. The are specialist in using self-help to collect fees from your account when there is a dispute. The get authorization to run ACH charges on your account if they feel that you owe them any money. They recycle their credit card machines and lease them to unsuspecting merchants at prices way above their actual values. I advise my clients to stay clear of their machines and find another more cost efficient way to process credit cards, i.e. Paypal, Square, or just a better deal on their non-cancelable leases. More regulations is needed in this area.