Unified Payments offers a number of point-of-sale solutions, primarily focusing on their own proprietary software and physical POS systems.
A former business associate of Oleg Firer created a website that claimed the CEO of Net Element had acquired Aptito from Unified Payments without compensating the creator, had artificially manipulated the company’s stock value, had been charged with grand theft, and had an organizational connection with Russian organized crime.
Oleg Firer and Vlad Sadovskiy have been accused of defaulting on agreements and there has been a court order prohibiting Gene Zell from posting any information about Oleg Firer online.
The company has received fewer than 10 public complaints, an A+ rating by the BBB, and has received 2 reviews in the past 3 years.
Unified Payments typically charges a monthly PCI compliance fee of up to $300, a monthly minimum fee of $25, a monthly compliance fee of $3.95, a monthly non-compliance fee of $19.95, and a monthly statement fee of $2.
The Unified Payments website advertises the company’s virtual terminal and payment gateway services and advertises a rate of 2.90% plus $0.20.
Unified Payments’ terms are more expensive than industry averages, with a large early termination fee. The company’s per-transaction pricing isn’t bad, but other providers can offer similar pricing without long-term commitments or large recurring fees.
There are only two negative Unified Payments reviews outside of the Better Business Bureau, and the contents of these complaints are discussed in previous sections.
We were made aware of Discover Data LLC in November 2018, which may simply be a DBA of Unified Payments. The vice president, Albert Takhalov, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2013.
The fact that the ringleader of the entire scheme was an admitted Russian mafioso should interest merchants and industry observers.
At this time, it is difficult to determine what the facts are, but Oleg Firer and Albert Takhalov are suspected of unethical conduct and may have criminal ties.
United Payments has been the subject of several civil and criminal suits, but no class actions have been filed against the company itself.
Unified Payments has received complaints from merchants about nondisclosure of fees, fund-holds, improper billing, and difficulty canceling service.
Unified Payments offers customer service contact information via phone and email, but these channels are not enough to qualify it as a top-rated merchant account provider for customer service.
Unified Payments has an “A+” rating with the BBB, and has received 7 complaints in the past 36 months. Of these, only 2 were resolved to the satisfaction of the merchant.
Unified Payments appears to market via outside sales agents, independent resellers, and strategic partnerships and has been accused of nondisclosure of PCI compliance fees and annual fees.
Unified Payments makes its merchant agreement and pricing structure available to the public on its website. It also charges a sales approach that is typical of the industry.
Unified Payments rates as an average merchant services provider based on our rating criteria, and we will continue to monitor feedback from merchants regarding this company’s leadership.
Leave a Reply