Overall Score
How did they treat you?
Stax by Fattmerchant Reviews & Complaints
| Pros: | Cons: |
|---|---|
| Level 2 Processing Support | Additional Add-On Fees |
| Terminal Protection | Only for US Merchants |
| Custom Branding Options | Not for Low-Volume Businesses |
| Next-Day Funding Available | Reports of Billing Issues |
| Offers Digital Gift Cards | Customer Service Complaints |
| QuickBooks Integration | E-Commerce Limitations |
| Diverse Hardware Options | Equipment Return Fee |
| ACH Processing Capabilities | Monthly Fee Required |
| No Per-Transaction Markup | |
| Integrated Payments Platform |
UPDATE:
We have recently lowered Stax's rating due to the company refusing to provide its customers with detailed account statements regarding individual transactions and the associated interchange fees. Stax claims to pass along base interchange fees with no markup; however, refusing to provide detailed statements makes it impossible to verify that the company is doing so accurately. We cannot recommend Stax until the company provides complete transparency to its customers in an easily accessible format.
Overview
In this review of Stax by Fattmerchant, we'll take a detailed look at this unique player in the payment processing field. We focus on their subscription-based pricing model, which offers a flat monthly fee without percentage-based rates, potentially benefiting high-volume merchants. Key features such as the Omni software platform, integrated inventory management, and an advanced virtual terminal with invoice management are highlighted, showcasing the company's commitment to streamlined and efficient payment solutions.
We'll also compare Stax by Fattmerchant with competitors like Stripe, noting its competitive advantages like lower transaction fees and QuickBooks integration. Our review covers customer support options, the company's legal and operational framework, and provides an overview of customer and employee reviews. Additionally, we'll analyze the company's transparency in pricing and its position in the overall payment processing market. This comprehensive review aims to provide a clear picture of what Stax by Fattmerchant offers in the rapidly evolving world of merchant services.
About Stax by Fattmerchant
Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Stax by Fattmerchant is a subscription-style merchant account provider that was established in 2013 but began operations in early 2014. The company was previously known as “Sunshine Payment Services” and is a reseller of NPC/Vantiv (now Worldpay).
Stax by Fattmerchant Products and Services
Payment Processing
Stax by Fattmerchant operates on a straightforward pricing model, charging a flat monthly fee and a fixed per-transaction fee, without percentage-based rates. This service offers merchant accounts with mobile payment processing and a comprehensive virtual terminal for e-commerce. The Stax mobile app is available on iOS and Android and can function independently or as part of an integrated platform for both card-present and card-not-present transactions. Transactions, drafts, catalog items, and inventory updates made in the mobile app are synced in real-time across all devices, including Stax’s virtual terminal.
Subscription-Based Pricing Model
Stax's subscription-based pricing model sets it apart from many other providers. This pricing structure offers businesses a cost-effective alternative to traditional percentage-based fees, which can result in significant savings for merchants processing a high volume of transactions.
Omni Software Platform
The Omni software platform by Stax consolidates payment processing across various channels, providing a unified view of a business's transactions. The platform features a user-friendly interface and real-time analytics, simplifying payment management for merchants.
Integrated Inventory Management
Stax includes an integrated inventory management system within its suite of services, allowing businesses to maintain accurate inventory records and streamline operations. This integration helps merchants optimize their workflow and reduce the time spent on manual tasks.
Virtual Terminal with Invoice Management
Stax's virtual terminal offers advanced invoice management features, enabling merchants to create and send customized invoices, track outstanding payments, and set up automated reminders. These functions help businesses manage their invoicing and receivables more efficiently.
Developer-Friendly API
Stax provides a developer-friendly API for seamless integration with third-party platforms and custom applications. This flexibility allows businesses to tailor their payment processing solutions to specific needs and integrate them with existing systems.
A Competitor to Stripe
Stax by Fattmerchant's e-commerce solution includes features similar to those of the popular payment aggregator Stripe, with several enhancements. Both services offer an API for developers, month-to-month contracts, and integrated mobile payment options. However, Stax offers a lower per-transaction fee, a customer support phone line, next-day funding, and QuickBooks integration. Stax’s mobile solution also supports invoicing, manually keyed transactions, saved payment methods, and camera-scanned cards. Businesses can add a Bluetooth reader or terminal for card-present transactions if needed.
Stax by Fattmerchant Customer Reviews
Here's What Their Clients Say
| Total Online Complaints | <10 |
|---|---|
| Live Customer Support | Yes |
| Most Common Complaint | N/A |
| Recent Lawsuits | No |
Limited Complaints
We have only found a few negative Fattmerchant reviews, and there is no suggestion that the company is involved in any scam or fraudulent activities. The existing complaints mostly revolve around negative sales experiences or unfavorable pricing, without a consistent pattern in the negative feedback received by the company. If you have your own Stax by Fattmerchant review to share, please feel free to do so in the comments below.
Email Invoicing Service
Stax by Fattmerchant’s virtual terminal offers the flexibility to send one-time email invoices, schedule future invoices, or set custom payment due dates to ensure timely payments.
Fattmerchant Legal History
No significant class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints have been filed against Fattmerchant. Dissatisfied clients seeking non-litigious resolutions with the company are advised to report any concerns to the relevant supervisory organizations.
Stax by FattMerchant Support Options
Stax by Fattmerchant offers phone and email contact details on its website, with additional in-house after-hours support available. This sets it apart from competitors like Square or Stripe in catering to mobile businesses and e-commerce merchants.
Stax by FattMerchant Customer Service Number
- (855) 979-1080 – Toll-Free General Customer Service
Other Support Options
- Live chat
- Customer service form
Fattmerchant is a relatively newer player in the industry, and while it may accumulate complaints over time, its strong customer support options, legal track record, and clean complaint history in its initial years of operation have contributed to its “A” rating in this category.
Stax by Fattmerchant Online Ratings
Here's How They Rate Online
| BBB Reports | 105 |
|---|
Over 60 Complaints
Stax by Fattmerchant currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been accredited with the BBB since 2020. The company has received 66 complaints in the last 36 months.
What Merchants Say
In addition to those 66 complaints, Stax by Fattmerchant has also received 41 informal reviews, although it should be noted that these informal reviews are not subject to authentication by the BBB. Of the 41 informal reviews 28 were negative in tone while 13 were positive. This is a major uptick in negative reviews from the 3 at the time of a recent review, but it appears that the company does respond professionally to most reviews. The most recent negative review mentions faulty equipment and poor customer service:
We started with Stax payments 2 weeks ago. It has been nothing but trouble from the beginning. The first Dejavoo terminal wouldn’t turn on. The second took transactions but wouldn’t batch (at all). I am still waiting for those funds. The third seemed to work, but when I self batched, no funds have hit my bank in 3 days. Only the portal got funds into my acct. Of course that takes a lot more time and keyed-in expense, I assume. They said that they were working on it (a week ago). But now waiting on those that “batched” this week too. Communication is lacking. I hope I get this resolved before we run out off money? Looks like we will have to put sales through the portal again today, as those are the only funds that get to the bank! We are a small retailer. I’ve lost too much sleep over this!
Clients in this situation should familiarize themselves with how to cancel their account without paying any fees.
A Well-Deserved “A”
Given the high resolution rate of Stax by Fattmerchant, we agree with the BBB’s rating at this time.
Stax by Fattmerchant Fees, Rates & Costs
A Closer Look at The Contract
| Cancellation Penalties | No |
|---|---|
| Monthly & Annual Fees | Yes |
| Processing Rates | Interchange + |
| Equipment Leasing | Likely |
Month-to-Month, No Termination Fee
The standard Stax by Fattmerchant merchant agreement is typically a three-year commitment through Vantiv with automatic renewal for two-year terms and a liquidated damages early termination fee. However, according to a company representative, the early termination fee is actually $0, as specified on the merchant application. The Fattmerchant website also states a month-to-month contract with no cancellation penalty. Merchants should ensure their documentation aligns with a $0 early termination fee or overrides the NPC contract’s language. Additionally, the website clarifies no charges for statement, PCI compliance, annual, batch, or monthly minimum fees.
Subscription-Style Pricing
Stax by Fattmerchant offers two plans: a $99 per-month standard plan for businesses processing under $1 million annually and a $199+ per-month enterprise plan for those over $1 million. The standard plan doesn’t include percentage-based markups above interchange but charges either $0.08 or $0.15 per transaction based on the sales environment. It includes analytics, 24/7 support, with no additional fees or long-term contracts.
Lacks Interchange Pass-Through Transparency
Despite claiming to pass base interchange fees without markup, Stax by Fattmerchant lacks transparency in transaction fees on statements, raising concerns. Detailed statements on each transaction’s interchange fee upon request were declined. This refusal raises doubts about fee transparency, potentially indicating undisclosed fee padding. Providing detailed transaction information should not be an issue if rates are based on base interchange.
Virtual Terminal and Payment Gateway Pricing
Apart from storefront payment processing, Stax by Fattmerchant offers virtual terminal and payment gateway services. Monthly fees for the Standard Plan are $99, and for the Enterprise Plan, $199. Both plans charge interchange plus $0.15 per transaction.
ACH Payments
Bank-to-bank payments are accepted through Stax by Fattmerchant at a flat rate of $0.25 (standard) or $1.50 (expedited) per transaction, included with all Fattmerchant accounts.
Enterprise-Level Options
The $199+ per month plan also skips percentage-based markups above interchange. Its per-transaction rates vary based on the sales environment and include additional features like risk monitoring, dedicated account manager, analytics reporting, and chargeback assistance. The pricing page mentions enterprise plans starting at $199 per month, with higher quotes possible for clients processing well over $1 million annually.
Stax by Fattmerchant Employee Reviews & Sales Tacitcs
Should You Work For Them?
| Uses Independent Resellers | No |
|---|---|
| Telemarketing | No |
| Misleading Marketing | No |
| Discloses All Important Terms | Yes |
Keeping Sales In-House
Fattmerchant appears to utilize conventional advertising and an in-house sales team to market its services. There is no evidence that Fattmerchant is a typical industry “hiring mill,” and we cannot find any Fattmerchant reviews that accuse the company’s sales reps of unethical conduct. Two complaints from the past few years do mention aggressive telemarketing tactics by Stax sales representatives, but this does not seem to be a widespread issue at the company.
Full Disclosure
Stax by Fattmerchant provides a link to its contract terms on its website, and it lists its full pricing details for anyone to review. There is no indication that these fees are quoted in a misleading way. Fattmerchant’s commitment to transparency is uncommon within the industry and has earned it an “A” in this category, as well as a spot on our top-rated all-purpose processors list.
Our Stax by Fattmerchant Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts
Stax by Fattmerchant has recently faced criticism for its lack of transparency concerning detailed account statements and interchange fees, prompting a reevaluation of its rating. The company asserts that it passes on base interchange fees with no markup, yet its refusal to provide detailed statements obscures the accuracy of this claim, challenging its integrity and transparency. This lack of clarity has led to a lower recommendation for Stax, pending improvements in how openly it shares financial details with its customers. Stax by Fattmerchant stands out in the payment processing industry with its subscription-based model, which appeals especially to high-volume merchants by eliminating percentage-based rates, favorably impacting overall costs.
Despite this innovative pricing model and the comprehensive features of its Omni software platform, Stax by Fattmerchant’s reluctance to offer complete transactional transparency raises concerns. Potential clients and existing users deserve clear, accessible information to verify billing accuracy, fostering trust and satisfaction. Businesses considering Stax for their payment processing needs should approach with caution and insist on complete fee transparency to avoid potential overcharges or discrepancies that could affect their financial operations.
Location & Ownership
Fattmerchant is a registered ISO/MSP of Fifth Third Bank, Cincinnati, Ohio. Fattmerchant is located at 618 E South St Suite 510, Orlando, FL 32801. Suneera Madhani is the founder and CEO of Fattmerchant, while Sal Rehmetullah is also listed as a founder.
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Jay Feldman
Run!!! After enrollment I processed a few small payments with no issues. At the time of enrollment, advised the sales person that occasionally I get a charge for a larger amount. Received remittance advice from my customer’s 3rd party payment service an presented it for payment. Was advised that it was on hold and additional documentation needed to be provided. I provided requested documentation. They also wanted me to submit additional profile info which I had just provided months earlier. They have processed the charge. They have the funds. Phone calls and emails go unanswered. Should have done my homework better. These people have numerous complaints files with Florida BBB.
Adam
FattMerchant (Sid Masso was our onboarding rep) did a good job of breezing us through onboarding and consistently represented their transparency and simplicity in their fee structure.
A short while after we started with them (with several different companies we own) we noticed our rates increasing in the form of fees we were never informed about.
When we initially onboarded with FattMerchant (stax) there was one site to login to actually process cards and see credit card activity with clients, and a separate portal to access to see our statements and fees from FattMerchant (Stax). Note: We did not have access to the site to login to see our fees and bills until several months after onboarding with Stax.
Once we did eventually get access to see our detailing billing, we noticed that we were being charged “Data Analytics/Performance Analytics Fees” as well as “Chargeback Fees” as well as PCI non-compliance fees, despite our never hearing about analytics fees before and despite our being walked through PCI compliance on a lengthy phone call with Stax.
The analytics fees are instituted in an “opt out” manner, wherein at the very bottom of your detailed billing statement, there’s a small one-line notice that they will start billing that fee and providing that “service” unless you opt out. As I mention, we didn’t even have access to see these detailed bills until months after onboarding. And even if we did, there was ZERO explanation of the imposition of additional opt-out fees like this at the outset.
As to the chargeback fees — FattMerchant said these were supposedly charged to us in error and would be refunded. Again, no mention of these at all in our contract or during onboarding. How many clients don’t catch these fees?
As to PCI compliance, we spent more than an hour on a phone call with Larissa Poidmani with Stax and walked through each question. The questions that we weren’t comfortable answering yes to, we were instructed to mark that it did not apply. At the conclusion, Larissa with Stax confirmed our satisfactory PCI compliance. Then we got billed for noncompliance anyway. We’ve gone back through and re-done the PCI compliance repeatedly and still get billed for it periodically.
Upon complaining about these fees, we engaged in a LONG email back and forth with seven different parties from FattMerchant/Stax. The initial response about the opt-out fees is that they were explained in our contract. That was not true, there was no mention of them. Then the next level of support eventually just said that Stax had employees to pay and had to have a way to generate additional revenue. Finally, we ended up with Samantha Karpovck and then Nick Wilson (the highest person we reached) and Nick eventually offered a partial refund of these fees and then just stonewalled and stopped responding to us.
Nobody ever acknowledged the suspect nature of the imposition of thes fees. Stax has a reasonable pricing model based upon what they advertise as their fee structure. BUT, they have additional fees they will institute in an opt-out manner, with essentially ZERO notice, and they won’t tell you about these. This is deceptive, especially for an entity that advertises as being simple, straightforward, and transparent.
BUYER BEWARE
Athena
Sales rep claimed Stax offered NO-contract, month-to-month services with no termination fees. He sent over the application and in small, fine print and one check box to left, there was mention of agreeing to the “Services Agreement”. Which is very much a contract. 50 pages. Fraud
Joshua Raboy
They are a Terrible Company. Once you end the Service they keep Billing you.
Adam
AMEN to lowering the rating. The lack of ability to provide detailed statements is what initially prompted us to discover thousands in additional fees we were being charged by FattMerchant/Stax. I couldn’t understand how with our previous provider we got detailed statements of every fee, interchange rate, etc. but with FattMerchant/Stax they simply say they can’t provide this.
I left a detailed review of our experience here: https://www.trustpilot.com/submitted/review?correlationid=5761d94f-d13b-4b5f-920a-4e729439f56c
Not sure if outside links are allowed, but I can provide emails, documentation, bills, etc. detailing our unfortunate experience with FattMerchant/Stax. Really disappointing.
Cheryl Truong
Beware: We signed up and never received our terminals. However, was being charged monthly fee of $209. We tried to cancel and ask for refund but the refused to refund. Eventually, we got more terminals but we called to return them and was told that I would receive return shipping labels in an email. Never received that either. I thought we could get this resolved but we were ignored and monthly drafts just piled up to upwards of $2900.00. We just had to stop payment on the drafts to our account. Probably going to seek legal advice. Never once used terminal, never once used service, never once received any cancellation notice from them even though I cancelled. I think it is illegal to charge for services/goods never received or used.
Fattmerchant aka Stax is Unreliable
Fattmerchant has been really inconsistent and ultimately we chose to leave them for Dharma after several bad customer service experiences. For us Fattmerchant could never manage the most base level customer service actions- like updating a bank account – something that should be super easy was met with inaction, mistakes, and delays so we almost left them a month into signing up but we liked the interface and figured it was a bump. However a year later and we received a threatening letter from WorldPay the merchant services because Fattmerchant failed to update a 3d cart storefront we were setting up and never could once Covid caused layoffs so we cancelled it- but low and behold we found out from a collections person that Fattmerchant had created a completely separate MID for our storefront, failed to update the bank account to it and then when we closed the storefront we never built they forgot to tell World Pay that too so monthly charges accumulated for over a year that we never were told about. World Pay said Fattmerchant had access to the billing breakdowns and could not explain how not even the account manager assigned to us knew anything about charges accumulating. But Fattmerchant blew it and when we found out and reached out- we asked for a supervisor to our account manager to contact us and they never did.
Our account manager even assured us in writing that upper management was aware and she could not explain why they were not reaching out to resolve this. We had a collections reported to our credit because of the incompetence of Fattmerchant to simply update our account information which they had confirmed in writing repeatedly they had done when they had not.
I am disgusted with them. They have a good interface but when it counted Fattmerchant was terrible. No one took responsibility. No one helped. And worse, they even tried to suggest it was our fault for “not completing a PCI compliance” but I contacted World Pay and challenged that and they said it had nothing to do with PCI and everything to do with Fattmerchant not updating our account so yeah, in our experience, Fattmerchant aka Stax, sucks.
Brad L.
This is the first processor where I understand my fees. I also have been paying about half of what I was paying with my previous processor.