The credit card processing company NOT to use..
FIRST AMERICAN PAYMENT SYSTEMS
Corporate Office Address:
201 Main Street
Suite 1000
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: (800) 701-2831
Brief summary of details:
1. My client: A bride who came to my photography studio for final album/portraits selection and purchased $4,700 as the coverage and/or final book for wedding performed on March 10
2. After initial deposit from last year, ($1,250 to apply towards final book and $750 to pay for my labor on wedding day) her final balance was $3,079.
3. She had a credit card that she couldn't use because of identity theft, BUT a new one had been issued by her credit card company and it was in a different purse at her home 75 miles away.
4. I told her to call me with the card number and info. I usually require a 60% deposit of remaining balance and the rest on receipt. She said she would just pay in full as she said she might as well start paying it monthly via her credit card and she KNEW it would be 6-12 weeks before the custom handmade album would arrive from Italy.
I knew I would be charged a higher % from the processing company because I didn't have the card to swipe.
5. Two hours after she left, she called me and gave me the card info.
6. I suspected she would be contacted by her credit card company to verify the charge.
7. The transaction took place on a Sunday and on the following Tuesday, I received a call from a Michelle' from FAPS. She needed to verify the $3,000 sale. We did and then it began. What was the purchase? Does she have the product? When will she? I will need to verify from my supervisor whether we can PAY' the transaction to you.
8. She wanted a copy of my invoice, my clients name, phone number and when everything was verified, she'd get back in touch.
9. I immediately called my client and gave her the information, phone number of FAPS and asked if she'd be kind enough to contact them, verify the purchase.
10. FAPS called back and Michelle' said that she talked to her supervisor' and he decided that they would pay me 50% now and 50% when she received her album.
I WAS LIVID! I told her, How DARE you hold MY money and not let me get the payment my client paid. She said she could stop payment' on it. WHAT?
I told her that I'd done 90% of the work by creating a predesign album' that I learned from Gary Fong a worlds former leading wedding photographer, had retouched the images and had shot it, so it was basically done. All I needed to do is send it to Italy for printing and binding. She didn't care and said once again it is our company's guidelines we are following'. She was very terse and offered NO understanding the importance of the $3,000 payment to me as a small business.
I told her I would void the transaction, get a new processing company and they'd never do business with me again. I found out later that they could still tie up MY CLIENTS money AND take and keep the fees charged to me. I said I would then void the sale and run the card for $1,500 twice. Same story and it would be flagged by their computer.
I said what if I got it in two weeks? She said they could still hold the funds for the 6-12 weeks because it was written on my invoice!
At this point I was getting indignant and demanded to speak to her supervisor'. I'm sorry, but he's on another line. I'll have him return your call. He never did return my call.
FAPS said I'd signed a contract 3 yrs. Earlier and stated that my high average' sale had been listed as $2,000. Since this transaction was WAY ABOVE' that and my financial profile' was high enough, they could do whatever they wanted. Because I only did $29,000 all last year on credit cards, a $3,000 was too much' for my previous profile'. WELL GEE, AM I BEING PENALIZED BECAUSE I'M STARTING TO SUCCEED IN THIS NEW VENTURE?
I purchased the studio in June from a couple that had owned it for the previous 23 years and had built it into a large company. Since I took over, business dropped because their existing clients didn't know me and so in the three years, I'm slowly getting it back to where it was.
I've learned that the innocent' statement of high sale' would put me into a box that would allow FAPS to handle any credit card transaction and the disbursement of MY money to me at THEIR discretion. This is absolutely ludicrous and now my fast growing and $4,000 / wedding average is hurting me. Because I'm doing more and being successful, FAPS can hold funds at their company policy guidelines' and not give them to me EVEN IF THE CLIENT WANTS TO USE THEIR CREDIT CARD AND PAY IN FULL!
This is not my clients OR their credit card company's fault, but this is FAPS fault. Had I known this when I signed up with them, I would NOT have used them. They were the cheapest and sounded ok, so I used them.
It is now Wednesday, 3 days after the transaction, my client is now being charged her percentage from Mastercard AND I don't even have my 50% ($1,500) that the gracious FAPS said I would have.
I called Professional Photographers of America whom I'm a member of and they had never heard of such a thing! They are going to try and help however they can. At present, I don't have the time, resources or emotional time to fight this, so I'm sending this to as many people I can to see if any of you have any suggestions or help you can offer.
I'm sending this to as many consumer business groups, professional associations and foremost to SMALL BUSINESSES WHO ARE SETTING UP THE ABILITY TO TAKE CREDIT CARDS to ask LOTS OF QUESTIONS and specifically use my sick story to see whether or not you want to work with any processing company like FAPS.
If anyone out there can help, please contact me.
Thank you.
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