A U.S.-based merchant account provider headquartered in Lodi, California, C&H Financial Services was founded in 2008. The company is affiliated with First Data, Priority Payment Services, and Merrick Bank as their reseller and acquired Regal Payment Systems in 2015. Our experts did an in-depth C&H Financial Services Review to understand the strength and weaknesses of the company.
The company provides payment processing services to most standard-risk businesses in the US and offers convenient solutions for debit and credit card processing. The provider is an authorized ISO/MSO of Wells Fargo Bank, Woodforest National Bank, Esquire Bank, and Synovus Bank.
C&H claims to reduce the payment processing cost with its advanced patent technology and uses a cash discount software program that customers can avail of at checkout. Corporate Vision Magazine acknowledged the company as an outstanding payment processor in 2018. Inc. magazine listed C&H in its Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the fastest-growing companies in the US based on their revenue. Its name comes under the top 59 US merchant acquirers serving businesses, including restaurants, retail, e-commerce, non-profits, hospitality, petroleum, education, C-stores, and municipalities.
The company’s priorities expedite the tedious process of manual paperwork and provide cash advances and assistance programs in as little time as possible. It is well aware of merchants’ needs and aims to provide a user-friendly financial environment where businesses can grow without spending an unjust amount for essential services.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Features and Services
C&H Financial Services offers complete assistance for merchants to accomplish their goals. Its payment solutions support most business types and provide merchant loans to small companies. The company serves with advanced POS systems, payment gateways, and ACH processing while offering its clients merchant financing and loyalty programs.
The provider offers CBD merchant solutions to high-risk CBD businesses. Its digital marketing solutions, chargeback management solutions, and member benefit programs attract merchants looking for a payment service provider for their business. Here is a review of the products and services provided by C&H Financial Services that can benefit your business;
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Point of Sales Solutions
C&H helps merchants increase sales and influences their customers with its advanced POS systems. It offers ‘impress POS’ that includes cash drawers, card readers, integrated receipt printers, and POS terminals. These POS systems promise smooth transactions with inventory tracking and reporting that is cost-effective and time-saving.
Merchants won’t have to pay for repair or new hardware as the company offers a lifetime warranty with free installation and live support. C&H POS terminals accept all payment methods, including Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay, and have built-in menu creation and SKU load to save merchants from manually entering their items.
With Parse Pay customer-facing POS terminals, merchants can control and enhance the user experience while enabling signatures and tips. Customers can collect loyalty awards and give feedback with flip terminals. Merchants can leave special notes on products for their employees and add product instructions on customers’ receipts.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Payment Gateway
The company’s Impress Pay payment gateway allows merchants to process high-speed transactions and provide electronic invoicing to their customers. C&H provides fraud management tools and detailed reporting of each transaction. The provider offers multiple merchant identification numbers (MIDs) and recurring payment options. Merchants can give cash discount programs to their customers.
The company is compatible with various payment gateways, including Authorize.net, Bridgepay, Bambora, and CHFS gateway. Merchants can choose their choice of payment gateway.
EMV and NFC Facilities
C&H Services facilitates EMV and NFC payment methods compatible with Android and iOS devices. Its countertop and wireless systems have colored touchscreens and an optional pin debit feature for customers who prefer debit card transactions. Customers simply have to enter their pin at the POS.
The provider’s EMV facilities reduce the risk of counterfeit fraud and allow secure transactions without worrying about card theft. With the near-field communication (NFC) payment method, customers can make instant payments on their smartphones, and merchants can process their payments with just a few taps on their devices. Although, reviews indicate that NFC has limitations and can only benefit merchants under certain circumstances.
ACH and Check Processing
Merchants can facilitate their consumers with various payment options and attract more customers, increasing their sales. Making payments with checks can be challenging as it demands going to the bank physically and can lead to NSF charges. Customers may lose their paper checks or get them stolen. All of it can be very times consuming.
C&H provides a check guarantee and conversion program that allows customers to convert their paper checks to e-checks and deposit them anywhere on their phones or computers with an internet connection. This payment method is popular for many businesses, especially property management, medical offices, and storage facilities.
eTab Digital Solutions
C&H provides eTab that enables independent restaurants to display their menu online with flexible features that merchants can choose as per their needs. Merchants can get the digital version of their restaurants up and running within hours and earn additional money on take-outs. This feature can significantly increase sales as most customers prefer online ordering and avoid waiting in line.
C&H assists businesses with digital marketing and provides mobile-ready, responsive websites and online stores to reach customers across the globe. This service comprises daily backups, bug fixes, SEO tagging, domain names, and monthly website hosting. The company provides email marketing campaigns, post-engaging social media content, and targeted advertisement. C&H enhances a business’ online ranking and ensures a protected reputation by managing its online reviews and posts.
CHFS Chargeback Management Solutions
The company identifies and resolves payment and transaction disputes and sends automated chargeback alerts to prevent potential chargebacks. Merchants can determine a threshold and receive trigger notifications if some activity reaches that threshold. Businesses can customize chargeback responses depending on the product type, sales method, evidence, and geography and decide when to fight the chargebacks and when to let go.
With DisputeFlow, merchants can fight chargebacks by compiling evidence and sending automated responses without spending enormous amounts of time. You can receive all the dispute cases and report ROI while monitoring the results in one dashboard.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Cash Discount Solutions
Merchants can reduce the credit card acceptance cost by providing cash discounts to encourage customers toward alternative payment methods. When customers pay in cash, they are not charged a service fee, and a discount is applied to their total payment instead of credit card payments. The company provides fully compliant software that determines discounts based on the payment type.
Business Loans
CHFS provides an easy alternative to an otherwise complex process of requesting a loan and offers merchant cash advances and credit card receivables for small businesses. These loans can be received within 10 business days and used for any purpose without requiring personal collateral. Merchants are exempted from extra paperwork and avail of these cash advances without paying any advanced charges.
StrongBox eSolutions
StrongBox is a revenue management platform that offers cloud-based solutions to healthcare providers. With this feature, merchants can reduce overhead costs, improve security, and gain efficiency in case of an increase in patient self-pay receivables. It provides financial services for patients and revenue cycle management for healthcare providers. Merchants can accept all payment types and set up recurring payments.
StrongBox eSolutions offer discount programs and reduce acceptance costs for card payments. It eliminates patient billing and provides patient financing solutions. Merchants can determine and capture self-pay receivables at the counter. Users can request a demo on the website to establish how this service can benefit them.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Contract Terms and Pricing
The provider binds its merchants to a three-year contract with a varying early termination fee. It facilitates equipment lease through First Data leasing, and its terms are set accordingly.
An average C&H Financial Services contract includes varying transaction and recurring fees; its early termination fee is $500 or more, depending on the business type and time of cancellation. Merchants must pay 1.00% to 4.99% per swiped card transaction, which is the same as the company’s keyed-in transaction rate.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Sales and Marketing
The company trains its in-house staff, hires independent sales representatives, and utilizes calculated partnerships for marketing its services. Hiring independent sales agents can lead to unsatisfying results and cause chaos for merchants. Even though the company does not portray any deceptive strategies or false quotes to advertise its products, there are complaints about its sales agents.
C&H Financial Services Reviews and Complaints
C&H is one of the well-recognized merchant service providers with a vast clientele. Businesses affiliated with the provider benefit from its services and facilitate their customers. Companies of various sizes prefer C&H Financial Services are their payment processor. However, merchants have posted reviews stating that the company does not provide adequate information and that its customer support is not cooperative. Other negative reviews can be alarming for merchants looking forward to signing up with the provider.
BBB Report
The provider is not accredited by Better Business Bureau but has an A+ rating on its BBB profile. Merchants have posted 3 formal complaints on the platform displaying their unpleasant experience with the provider. These complaints revolve around the company’s poor customer service and unexpected charges.
Some informal reviews claim sudden withdrawals from the merchant’s account and unreliable sales agents. C&H has not responded to these complaints, proving that the BBB rating is not authorized and cannot be relied upon.
Drawbacks
Our experts in their C&H Financial Services Review found that the company provides some of its contract documentation on its official website and seems quite reliable on the surface. It offers a long list of features and services that can redefine business growth and help merchants generate significant revenue for their businesses. However, some red flags cited by the provider can make it undependable for any business.
C&H Financial Services Review Based On Customer Service
C&H has only reserved a phone number for customer service, and no other contact options are listed on the website. One helpline is not enough, and merchants do not get a timely response considering it is a big company with various businesses to cater to. The call either does not get through, or the provider does not respond well to merchants’ concerns which is frustrating for them.
Consumers have complained that they were left hanging, waiting for a satisfactory response from the company’s customer support.
Undisclosed Information and Unexpected Charges
One crucial tip-off about a merchant service provider is its obscurity. The provider is not transparent about its pricing and conceals all the necessary information from the public. C&H offers a wide range of services, and its hardware has good features, but merchants are not given any details about their costs and lease terms.
Merchants are left in suspense about the company’s pricing and are unsure what to expect regarding its long list of undisclosed charges. Moreover, there are complaints about being tricked into paying unexpected charges. The company’s contract cancellation terms are unclear and deceiving. The provider expects a written letter for cancellation and later claims to have lost it, forcing merchants to keep paying the fees for services they do not want.
Inconsistent Sales Agents
Some negative reviews specified irresponsible sales representatives. Merchants have complained that the company’s sales agents are untrained and provide inaccurate information about the C&H contract terms, causing confusion and frustration. Moreover, the sales agents are notorious for pressuring merchants and using intimidating sales tactics to entrap them.
Final Statement
In our C&H Financial Services Review, we found that it is a decent merchant service provider offering affordable products and expertise to businesses. However, its rates are not competitive, and it charges a high termination fee and many unexpected fees, making it too expensive for most companies. Its average customer service and secrecy about contract terms and pricing make it unreliable for merchants. Moreover, the company’s third-party sales agents have tarnished its reputation with their irresponsive and inconsistent behavior.
All these factors make the provider untrustworthy for businesses that prioritize honesty. The company can be a reasonable option to large-sized firms with enough revenue to afford its unjust pricing if they are unbothered by its poor customer service and other drawbacks. Merchants are advised to research and compare their options to find a better-suited service provider for their company.
