Headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, Main Street Merchant Solutions is a DBA of Symmetric Technologies founded in 1998, providing payment processing solutions to e-commerce and retail businesses. If you are planning to take their services then you should read our in-depth Main Street Merchant Solutions review.
The provider is a reseller of Clearent, Electronic Payments, and Payment Logistics, facilitating merchant accounts through these companies. It specializes in providing virtual terminals and payment gateways to merchants running online businesses.
Main Street Merchant Solutions is partnered with NMI, USAePay, eProcessingNetwork, and Authorize.Net to provide effective payment gateways to its merchants. The provider promises to take time to understand a merchant’s requirements, provide them with the necessary guidance about the available options, and help to make the right decision. Trust, Value, and Integrity are the company’s philosophy, and it takes its ideology very seriously.
Main Street focuses on more than just closing the deal and refrains from relying on the sales team. It is vocal about opposing the practice of making false promises and prides itself on its honest approach as a payment processing company. The provider’s goal is to provide transparency and reliability. It gives complete control to the merchants to see for themselves instead of solely relying on words. Here is a Main Street Merchant Solutions review laying out all its benefits and drawbacks for merchants to determine if they can put their confidence in the provider.
Main Street Merchant Solutions Products and Services
The provider offers substantial services and a range of products to carry out online transactions. It accepts all major credit card brands and supports ACH payments while offering multiple billing options. The company is solely designed for online payments, so it does not provide POS systems or credit card terminals. However, merchants may be able to offer gift and loyalty card programs to their customers and get value-added benefits.
Payment Gateway and API Integration
Main Street provides some of the highest-ranked payment gateways and offers custom integration to merchants. API integration effectively reduces the tedious steps in a task, gets things done seamlessly, and improves customer experience. Consumers can make online purchases in a blink of an eye without going through a long process. Merchants can use a third-party shopping cart with built-in support for the available gateway or take advantage of the custom solutions.
Reviews show that Main Street provides secure API integration, ensuring seamless credit card processing and e-check transactions. The company’s partner gateways support multiple processing networks and facilitate automated transaction settlement. Furthermore, merchants receive detailed and timely reports of each transaction.
Virtual Terminal
The provider enables merchants to accept card-not-present payments anywhere with its virtual terminals without buying or leasing a physical credit card terminal. Merchants do not need to store the cardholder’s data in their computer; instead, they enter it directly into the online account to avoid a data breach.
Main Street virtual terminals allow merchants to authorize each transaction and void it before settlement in case of any issue or error. Businesses can use the refund option when they need to return the amount of a settled transaction. With a two-step verification option and the capture process, merchants can secure their business and the customer’s information from the point of order authorization until it is shipped.
Customer Vault
Main Street Merchant Solutions reviews claim that the company provides a secure way for merchants to keep the customer’s e-check, bank account, or credit card information safe instead of storing it on their computer. A customer vault is a storage database to lock in sensitive information. Payment Gateways such as Authorise.Net and NMI provide customer vaults to help merchants save all the information via a web-based application or API method and avoid the headache of encrypting it.
Recurring Billing
With the recurring billing option, merchants can create a subscription-based billing profile with the customer’s payment information and the amount to be paid after each interval and set a payment schedule. This way, merchants can avoid delayed payments and increase cash flow. Customers and merchants can enjoy the convenience of automatic payments without worrying about manually making a payment or waiting for it each time.
Merchants are free from reaching out to customers in case of late deposits, so they can run their businesses worry-free. Both parties can keep track of the payments and save significant time and energy.
Main Street Merchant Solutions Review Based on Cost and Contract Terms
The company does not provide adequate information about its contract length, and its pricing is not mentioned on its website. However, some Main Street Merchant Solutions reviews indicate that the company offers variable contracts without an early termination fee. Depending on the business type and the partner companies, merchants may be provided month-to-month or long-term contracts lasting from 3 to 5 years.
Main Street offers an interchange plus pricing model and charges a monthly fee ranging from $5 to $35. The company’s swiped or key-in card rate is not confirmed. However, it charges 0.10% per transaction with a varying interchange rate with a virtual terminal rate of 1.00% to 4.99%. Merchants pay a $79.95 annual PCI compliance fee, but the rest of the pricing is undisclosed.
Main Street Merchant Solutions Review Based on Sales and Advertisement
Main Street Merchant Solutions reviews portray that the company relies on traditional marketing to promote its services. It does not hire independent sales representatives and promises honest advertisements by avoiding false quotes and deceptive tactics. However, the provider does not have an in-house sales team, indicating that some partner companies are involved in the publicity of Main Street services.
Main Street Merchant Solutions Review Based on Customer Support
The provider has mentioned a general phone number on its website, but it needs to be cleared out if it is reserved for customer support. A contact form is available for merchants to reach out to the company, where they can leave out a message or query. Main Street provides a knowledge base with basic instructions, and there are recorded videos on the website with guidance concerning its services and features.
Main Street Merchant Solutions Reviews and Complaints
The provider has a clean record, as a minimal number of complaints are filed against it on online platforms. Merchants have posted minimal feedback on the review sites, and it is impossible to know what they think of the provider. Main Street is not facing any class action lawsuit, and there are zero FTC reports against it. Overall, the company seems to be a reliable service provider.
However, the lack of online reviews hints that the company’s mark-less online record can only be apparent. There is a chance that merchants address their issues and concerns in person instead of posting them online. Businesses should not rely on the low complaint rate as very few positive reviews are also cited in favor of the provider.
Drawbacks
Main Street Merchant Solutions reviews convey that the provider caters to a limited business category and has specific services available for merchants. Even though the company provides decent facilities for payment processing and accommodates multiple e-commerce businesses, here is a review of its shortcomings to make merchants aware.
Works with Specific Business Types
Main Street has a limited clientele as it only deals with online businesses and provides payment processing to low-risk merchandise. The company lacks resources to support high-risk and brick-and-mortar companies accepting in-person payments. Moreover, it does not offer traditional credit card terminals and POS systems, its payment solutions are limited to specific companies, and there are no value-added services for merchants.
Undisclosed Information
Undisclosed information is an obvious red flag when choosing a service provider. When a company does not provide complete information, it either means it is hiding something or wants to keep changing its terms at any time, which is never a good sign. Main Street is not transparent about its pricing, and a large chunk of information is kept from the merchants. The company’s rates are a mystery, and merchants cannot know if they can afford the provider.
No Sales and Customer Support Team
Main Street needs a proper customer support and sales team. Resultingly, the provider outsources its customer service and depends upon partner companies to market itself. This practice causes several disadvantages. These partner companies keep changing their policies and do not provide stability to the merchants, which in turn causes inconvenience for their customers.
Final Verdict
This Main Street Merchant Solution review concludes that the provider is a reasonable payment processor for specific business types but does not fit the criteria of most companies. It is unpredictable and does not provide any details about its terms and pricing, making it unreliable. The company’s lack of customer support and reckless marketing methods makes it a below-average service provider.
Reviews prove that Main Street is only partially truthful, and the consumers are unsatisfied with the provider. Merchants looking forward to signing up with the company are advised to ensure their business is compatible with Main Street. They should hire third-party audits to detect hidden charges. Furthermore, merchants are better off with a payment processor that competes with well-rated providers, offering exemplary services and transparent pricing.
