START Merchant Services - Salt Lake City, Utah

Ian Y.

I can’t say enough great things about Start Merchant Services! From the very beginning, their team was professional, transparent, and incredibly helpful. They made the entire process of setting up payment processing seamless and easy to understand.

Whenever we have questions or need assistance, their support team is always quick to respond and genuinely cares about our business.

If you’re looking for a trustworthy and efficient merchant services provider, look no further. Highly recommend!

Stephen O. I.

Mr William , a representative of Start Merchant, is a patient and reliabe person with listening ears. He listens attentively to his client and responds instantly and appropriately. His endurance and polite approach of handling issues is highly commendable.

Zechariah T.

Working with Matt Ward has been an absolute pleasure. He has been incredibly helpful and made the entire process seamless for us. His responsiveness and dedication to ensuring everything runs smoothly are truly commendable. Highly recommend Matt and his expertise

Beverlys J.

Complaint Against Zen Payments (Smart Merchant Services) – Deceptive Fees & Lack of Resolution

Through Authorize.net, we were set up with a payment processor: Smart Merchant Services (Zen Payments). On October 10th, we discussed our processing fees, which initially started at 2.9% (Tier 1). They assured us they would try to reduce our fees to keep us satisfied. After reviewing, they offered us a 1% rate if we used them exclusively.

During a Zoom call, our rep Lucas explicitly stated:

"Your new pricing model will be 1% + standard, non-negotiable fees that all card brands charge. This is an exclusive model for clients like you. You'll see significant savings. After 90 days, we can begin reducing your pricing further. The more you process with us, the more cost-effective we can be. The final pricing will average around 2.9%, though if you accept American Express, those transactions will be 3.4-3.5%."
We never accepted American Express, yet our fees were substantially higher than promised.

🔹 September 2024 – Charged 5.74%
🔹 October 2024 – Charged 7.24%

Upon investigating, we saw extra charges and reached out for an explanation. We were told it was an American Express fee, even though we did not process a single AMEX transaction. When we questioned this, we were given vague answers and told they would "look into it." Meanwhile, every time we attempted to process an AMEX card, it declined.

Lucas later admitted:

“With US Territories, American Express isn’t enabled on our side. If you contact AMEX directly for processing, they can add it to your merchant account.”
This made no sense, as our rates were already inflated despite never accepting AMEX.

🔹 November 2024 – Charged 4.97%
🔹 December 2024 – Charged 4.49%

Frustrated, we requested a Zoom call on January 8th, hoping for real answers. Lucas assured us he was dedicated to resolving the issue. The call lasted less than 20 minutes, and he admitted the fees were high but offered no real solution.

We then contacted Authorize.net, who were shocked at our rates and offered to mediate a three-way call with Zen Payments. Lucas’s response?

"I will not be joining the call today. We have exhausted all options on our side, so if you need to find another solution, it’s no hard feelings."
At this point, we decided to close our account. After opening a ticket, we received no response, so we called and demanded to speak to a manager. Even after hearing how high our rates were, they did nothing to fix it—just agreed to close the account.

Final insult: Our last January statement showed a 4.49% fee in total.

Final Thoughts & Warning
🚨 This is highway robbery. Zen Payments made promises they did not keep, charged us fees they could not justify, and refused to resolve the issue. Their lack of transparency and unwillingness to address fraudulent charges should be a warning to any business considering them.

We demand answers and accountability. Businesses should beware before signing up with Zen Payments, as they misrepresent pricing, refuse to provide clear breakdowns, and fail to honor their agreements. This situation is unacceptable, and action must be taken to prevent others from being taken advantage of the same way.

Kale C.

Lucas was awesome! Very helpful helped me through the processes seamlessly. I will enjoy working with them :).

Haus O. C.

As a new small business owner, I really leaned into my sales rep to help me. I was so impressed with Matt at Start Merchant Services.
Matt was more than helpful in the initial stages of getting everything situated and guided me through the process.
I'm not the most savvy or technical person, so Matt walked me through everything step by step.
He was attentive and always got back to me by phone or email promptly.
I was able to secure a great rate that works well with my small business.
The app is very user-friendly and so convenient.
I've been a client for over 2 years, and I'm still impressed with this company and customer service.

Benjamin L.

I had an excellent experience with Kara at Start Merchant Services. Her willingness to help me was evident throughout our interactions. She was incredibly fast in addressing my concerns and always maintained a friendly and approachable demeanor. Kara made the entire process smooth and stress-free. I highly recommend her and the team at Start Merchant Services for their outstanding customer service!

SWAT O.

AWESOME! They had our company rocking in less than 48 hrs!