Merchant Lynx Services Review

Rates and Fees
50/100
Truth in Advertising
45/100
Consumer Reviews
45/100
Customer Support
40/100
2

Best for

Merchant Lynx Services is suited for online and in-store small to mid-sized businesses in the Retail, MOTO, restaurants, and e-commerce industries.

Specializes in

The company specializes in credit and debit card processing services. Check verification and guarantees are offered by the company to mitigate fraud risk. EMV acceptance, virtual terminals, and electronic payment gateways are also provided by the company, along with a loyalty program, gift cards, POS hardware, and digital check imaging.

Pricing Summary

Setup Fee: $0

Monthly Fee: Undisclosed

Swipe Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate: 1.00% - 4.99%

Early Termination Fee : $495

Contract Terms:

3 Years
Visit Merchant Lynx Services

The company offers card processing through iPayment, an ISO of First Data Corporation, and hardware leasing through First Data Global Leasing. Merchant Lynx Services is an ISO/MSP of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., in California.

Merchant Lynx Services Overview

 

Merchant Lynx Services is headquartered in Palm Beach Garden, Florida, with offices in Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, and Arizona and claims to have been in business since 1994. However, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) reports it to be in place since 2006.

The company's website does not offer sufficient information about service rates and applicable industry fees. Merchant Lynx is not a standup company and has a reputation for rampant customer complaints on numerous online forums, review sites, and the BBB for poor customer service, deceptive sales tactics, and hidden charges.

Merchant Lynx Services had an investigation launched against it in 2014 by the Florida Attorney General for unfair trade practice violations, which was only closed once the Merchant Lynx agreed to pay state legal fees of more than $40,000.

The company is currently a defendant in a lawsuit that the company may settle for excessive and undisclosed fees.

Quick Facts

Head Quarters

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Year Founded

1994

CEO

John Kucyk

Employees

150

Merchant Provider Risk Tolerance

What We Like

No setup fee.

Gift Card program.

Loyalty program.

Check verification and guarantee is offered.

Digital check imaging employed.

What We Don't Like

Early termination fee.

Monthly fee not disclosed.

Requires a three year contract.

Pricing is not transparent.

Equipment leasing is a forty-eight month period that cannot be canceled.

Industries Served

  • Clothing & Apparel
  • Convenience Store
  • Electronics
  • Gas Station
  • Hunting & Outdoor Equipment
  • Marketing Agency
  • Personal Service
  • Property Management
  • Restaurant / Bar
  • SAAS
  • Self Defense, Tasers & Stun Guns
  • Thrift Store
  • Travel

Business Types Served

  • Ecommerce
  • High Volume
  • Information
  • Low Risk
  • Mobile
  • Mom & Pop
  • MOTO
  • Online
  • Retail / Card Present
  • Small Business
  • Wholesale

Merchant Lynx Services Products & Services

 

Merchant Lynx Services offers payment processing services through iPayment, an ISO of First Data, at variable rates in a 3-year contract that auto-renews for one year. The company provides Virtual Terminals and Payment Gateway but does not disclose any pricing for those services.

Equipment leasing is available through a third party, First Data Global Leasing, for a non-cancelable 48-month period with an early termination fee of $495.

Merchant Lynx Services Payment Processing

  • Check Guarantee
  • Credit Card Processing
  • Credit Card Terminals
  • Debit Card Processing
  • EMV Processing
  • Gift & Loyalty Program
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Gateway
  • POS Equipment
  • Virtual Terminal

Merchant Lynx Services Billing & Invoicing

  • Online Invoicing
  • Online Payments
  • Payment Processing

Merchant Lynx Services Advertising & Sales

 
The company utilizes independent sales agents to sell its services. Such a practice is usually fraught with complaints since independent agents are generally less trained on company products and services and are often motivated by quick sales wins at the highest rate. They are less likely to build client relationships to benefit all mutually. Merchant Lynx Services is no exception, and we've found numerous complaints about hidden charges, deceptive sales tactics, and recurring undisclosed monthly fees on countless online forums. Merchant Lynx Services' website doesn't detail any pricing or additional charges.

Truth in Marketing

Discloses All Important Terms

No

Public Pricing Available

No

Merchant Lynx Services Pricing, Rates & Fees

 

The Company agreement is a three-year contract, followed by an automatically renewed agreement for another year and an early termination fee of $495. Additional fees include;

Keyed-in, Swiped, and Virtual Terminal rates - 1.00% - 4.99%

PCI Compliance fee of $159

Fees for a Payment Gateway or a Virtual Terminal are not available. There may also be other fees that Merchant Lynx Services doesn't disclose, such as a minimum monthly fee, a statement fee, among others.

An application submission fee of $99 is applicable for a non-cancellable equipment lease provided through First Data Global Equipment for 48 months.

Pricing at a Glance

Pricing Model

Flat Rate

Swiped Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Keyed-in Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Mobile Payment Rate

N/A

Virtual Terminal Rate

1.00% - 4.99%

Monthly Fee

Undisclosed

Payment Gateway Fee

Undisclosed

Batch Fee

Undisclosed

Early Termination Fee

$495

PCI Compliance Fee

$159

Equipment Lease Terms

48 Month (locked)

Address Verification Service (AVS)

Application Fee

Account Setup Fee

$0

Gateway Setup Fee

Undisclosed

Annual Fee

Monthly Minimum

Variable

Statement Fee

Variable

Merchant Lynx Services Contract & Terms

Merchant Lynx Services offers iPayment with a 3-year agreement with an auto-renewal of one year. The deal carries a very hefty termination fee. The company's equipment leases are a non-cancelable 48 months agreement. There are numerous complaints on various online forums about Merchant Lynx contracts being costly, with multiple charges added in invoices ad-hoc. Some complaints mentioned that the company's independently hired sales agents worked to get merchants to agree on expensive contracts with ambiguous terms and misrepresented charges.

Contract Length

3 Years

Early Termination Fee

$495

Merchant Lynx Services Setup & Support

 

Setup Highlights

  • Documentation / Knowledge Base
  • Recorded Video Training

Support Highlights

  • Domestic Phone Support (Business Hours)
  • Offshore Tech Support (After Hours)

Merchant Lynx Services Complaints, Ratings & Reviews

Overall, Merchant Lynx Services gets an abysmal score from merchants. Although the BBB rates the company an A-, the Merchant Lynx has 65 complaints in the last 36 months, 22 in the previous twelve months. Merchants have gone as far as labeling the company a scam or a ripoff.

A high portion of merchants view the company negatively, and there has been an investigation and a lawsuit filed against Merchant Lynx Services. In 2014, the Attorney General of Florida alleged that the company "violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act." Although the DA's office ended the investigation, it did so once Merchant Lynx agreed to pay more than $40,000 of fees. Also, Merchant Lynx is currently a defendant in a civil lawsuit that it is about to settle, filed against the company by Liberty Salad, Inc., alleging that the company charged unauthorized fees after Merchant Lynx's sales agent failed to disclose the company's program guide.

Ratings

BBB

A- (63 Complaints)

Google

3.8 Stars / 119 Reviews

Facebook

N/A

Yelp

5 Star / 1 Review

Reviews

Total Online Reviews

150

Total Online Complaints

100

Lawsuits

2

Merchant Lynx Services Alternatives

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