Flagship Merchant Services Review

We were using Flagship Merchant Services for about one year. Then we closed our business. I called FMS and asked how to close the account. I received a closure form. I completed the form and sent it to FMS via email. I spoke with customer service to verify they received the email and the form was correct. They did receive it and said that it looked correct. We then received a December bill. I assumed it was for the carryover from the end of November. Then we received a bill in February, which shouldn’t have happened. I called FMS and asked why and asked for a refund of the charges. They said the signatures did not match and an email was sent telling us that the account was not closed, but they would submit a request for the refund. I told them we did not receive an email. They said it probably went to my spam folder. If they sent it to us directly, that would not have happened. They lied. I completed another form and emailed it to them, requesting verification of correctness. I received no email. I called them again this morning to inquire about the closure and refund. The CS rep said that an email was sent, we did not receive any, again. I asked about the refund. She said there would not be a refund that it is written in the agreement they don’t refund. It was our fault and no refund would apply. I asked for a supervisor. One got on the phone, said hello and then hung-up. I called back. The person that answered the phone said an email was sent, it was our fault we did not receive it. I tried to explain the customer service was waning and not do their job properly. She said it was not their job to contact the customer directly and they had no way to verify a customer received an email. I informed her that they could request a receipt notification. She did not know what I was referencing. She did refund one of the two months. She did not understand how the CS department could be better. So I said goodbye! Avoid Flagship Merchant Services. They have a high rating and are great on the front-end, its that nasty back-end you have to avoid. With all CC processors, you really have to watch them. It is impossible to understand their billing and that’s the way they like it. It is a sad, necessary industry. They will take the unsuspecting for everything they can get. It is never black and white, just very muddy gray.

Flagship has a tendency toward bundled pricing and opaque statement reporting, and its interchange plus pricing is often accompanied by a surcharge above the typical markup. The bright spot of Flagship’s service is that it hasn't required cancellation fees on the applications that we've reviewed.