Please let UPS be United Payment Services, Inc.in this document. As a very small contractor, I came across a client who wanted to use a credit card. Going online, I found United Payment Services with guaranteed lowest rates and called, connecting to salesman, Jeff Urquhart. From the beginning, Jeff stated that as much as possible, all correspondence was to go through him. He repeatedly asked me what my monthly volume was going to be. I repeatedly told him "no idea". Ater playing some best case scenarios, we arrived at some numbers at his suggestion.
After entering my business info on their form, he told me UPS was directedly online with the Federal Reserve. Then he had me very very quickly answer 3 personal questions which I was extremely astonished he had privilege to. He then whizzed me through a contract, stating that I was agreeing not to commit fraud, when I questioned what I was electronically authorizing. He failed to tell me there would be a monthly minimum of $25.00 and that I was agreeing to a $299.00 1 year early termination fee, because I told him previously in the conversation that was not acceptable.
I processed one transaction for $267.00 and received my statement at the end of the month for $37 and change. I was expecting about a $20.00 charge). I processed another for $567.00 but it was not on that first statement. I had another for $566.00 for which I still have not processed. Needless to say, I was outraged at the charges. I only authorized Jeff to take out the Visa/MC % charges at the time of the transaction. He asked if I preferred to have it taken out at the time of the transaction or at the end of the month. I asked what was better? He said other customers felt having that money in the account was misleading to them and messed up their books. But he said they would bill me at the end of the month. (Not give me a statement). The same evening I got my statement (what I thought was going to be a bill) from UPS I received an email to get quotes from 4 credit card service companies and contacted one the next day and found them much better.
I then called Jeff fully prepared to leave UPS (not knowing I had agreed to an early termination fee) and questioned the minimum monthly fee and guaranteed lowest rates. He said my volume was not high enough. I told him I had another transaction and he became anxious to process it. I told him I wanted to straighten out our agreement first when he repeatedly asked me to process it immediately.
When I questioned the guaranteed lowest rate again, he said he would beat it by 10% but he would need the infomation. I contacted the other company and they sent an email stating their rates. Forwarding to him, he said he needed the application that I signed and that he was good at reading them so he could quickly determine where their hidden fees or phrases would be which would escaltate their true costs. I recontacted the other company and they emailed me an application which I forwarded to Jeff. He emailed he would review and get back to me.
I had to recontact him late the next day and he said it was still in review. I told him I wanted to close the account and that he thougt their may be an early termination fee of $99.00. Then, pulling up the other comppny's application contract, he first attacked the other company's bank, asking, didn't they file for backruptcy last year? And attacked the other company's credibility. I told him I would think it over and get back to him.
I went to my credit union and did a stop payment for Bank One. The bank UPS uses. I then emailed Jeff, requesting him to close my account, refund my monthly minimum and that I would not pay the early termination fee and to forward that email to the appropriate person or department, if need be.
Exactly a week later, I called back and asked him if he received the email (In the meantime, I am trying to on board with another company). He said yes. I asked if the account was closed, he said no, would you like me to transfer you to customer support? I said yes (I was furious he did absolutely nothing with my email). Customer service Michelle answered. I told her I wanted to close. She said there was a 299.00 early termination fee and I would be much better off staying with UPS because it would cost me more to leave. I told her i never agreed to that and was not going to pay it.
I eventually talked to a customer support manager Scot Rosen at phone extention 103. I told him my story. He said he did not believe me and that I was just shopping around. After several more phone calls, I emailed him a copy of the email sent to Jeff the previous week asking to close my account and why and asked Scott to reconsider my appeal to rescind the 299 in my signed cancellation letter. He explained that the courts would go by the electronic contract i agreed to and not by what was said, so that if i did not pay the early termination fee of $299.00 that UPS would completely ruin my credit.
Fearing that, I told him to bill me. He said they don't bill people but only accept credit cards. I asked him who his director was, but he said he has no boss, there is no one above him. So I paid the $299.00 with my credit card to keep my credit from being destroyed.
The main reason I write all this is to warn anyone who wants to do business with United Payment Services. I blame myself for allowing myself to be hurried and not reading the extremely long contract, and believing Jeff Urquhart to be a responsible person who would tell the truth about a contract. I blame myself for believing that a company's managemnt would have some integrity and do the right thing. I can, first hand, tell you that you will be dealing with liars.
To me, not disclosing important financial information about an agreement is the same as lying. There was never a meeting of the minds in their contract with me. Nor did they ever try to deal fairly with me. Do not trust United Payment Services or their management until you have read and understood your agreement. If you do, you will not use their service. Stay away from them or get ripped off. It seems very clear to me that they have ripping people off down to a science and I hope somehow you read this before entering into a contract with them.
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