Flagship Merchant Services Overview
Flagship Merchant Services is a large merchant account provider that resells the products and services of First Data and iPayment. Founded in 2001, the company has grown steadily year-over-year to become a major super ISO within the credit card processing industry. Flagship’s homepage and marketing materials boast that the company has been “voted #1 merchant account provider for 8 years” by the website Top Ten Reviews, but the Top Ten Reviews website does not explain what factors it considers when determining this ranking.
Flagship’s products and services include EMV- and NFC-compatible credit card terminals, mobile phone processing, tablet-based point-of-sale apps, mail order/telephone order solutions, an online payment gateway, recurring billing, QuickBooks integration, and gift and loyalty programs. For years, Flagship has advertised rates that “start at 0.38%” (this exact quote is currently on its homepage), but merchants should be aware that this rate is unlikely to apply to most transactions that they accept. Flagship offers only a contact form for customer support on its website, but its general phone number may be able to offer some assistance to merchants in need. Sean McEvoy is the director of operations at Flagship Merchant Services.
Flagship Merchant Services is a large merchant account sales organization that has grown rapidly in the last 10 years. It is a reseller of processing services provided by First Data and Paysafe, but appears to handle its own customer service.
Flagship is listed at 30721 Russell Ranch Rd Ste 200, Westlake Village, CA 91362, the same address as iPayment, Inc. and its acquiring bank, Woodforest National Bank, The Woodlands Texas.
Has received more than 200 public complaints about its service, but does not appear to hire independent sales representatives.
Flagship Merchant Accounts may charge an annual PCI Compliance fee of around $99 and other monthly fees, which may be related to a merchant’s business type, processing volume, and the agent setting up the account.
Flagship Merchant Services advertises e-commerce services and payment processing services. However, it does not disclose pricing for these services.
Many merchants have complained about Flagship’s merchant account fees, but the company does not actively promote interchange-plus pricing.
Many merchants report negative experiences with Flagship Merchant Services, including being charged higher than quoted rates, sudden increases in fees without notification, hidden/undisclosed fees, and difficulty cancelling service.
Flagship can improve its rating in this section by revising its sales and billing methods so that merchants can easily find fees within their contracts.
Flagship Merchant Services has repeatedly made hostile attempts to suppress this review by intimidating and threatening our host as well as filing an illegitimate DMCA claim, which was rejected on the grounds that it was a “guise” to suppress free speech.
Flagship Merchant Services offers a dedicated customer service phone number, and an online form on its website for customers to submit support tickets.
The Better Business Bureau has changed the profile of Flagship, now showing that only 31 complaints have been filed in the last 36 months, and that 6 of the 31 complaints were resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant.
Flagship’s homepage used to advertise a “rates start at 0.38% plus $0.19 per transaction” quote on its homepage, which was misleading because it only applied to a certain transaction type, but merchants were still charged higher rates.
Flagship’s homepage advertises a “Meet-Or-Beat” Processing Rate promotion. The terms and conditions for this promotion are not found on the website.
Flagship appears to market its services primarily through inside sales agents, which may encourage deceptive sales practices. If you suspect that Flagship is charging you hidden fees, we recommend seeking a free third-party statement audit.
Flagship’s grade has remained the same since our last update, but it can improve its grade by eliminating future merchant complaints about billing and difficulties canceling service.
At a glance
Founded: 2001
Location: Charlestown, Massachusetts
Acquiring bank: Wells Fargo Bank
Website: flagshipmerchantservices.com
Phone number: 866-295-0537
E-mail: Contact page here
Online reputation and reviews
Flagship Merchant Services has received hundreds of negative reviews on various consumer protection websites and blogs. These reviews mention higher-than-expected rates, hidden fees, misrepresentation by sales agents, and difficulty cancelling service. The company’s $99 PCI compliance fee is a major point of contention among dissatisfied merchants. Positive merchant testimonials tend to cite the fact that the company does not charge an early termination fee.
Legal actions and lawsuits
There are no outstanding or recently resolved legal actions related to Flagship Merchant Services at this time.
Have you used Flagship Merchant Services for your business? Rate the company at the top of this post and tell us about your experience in the comment section below:
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