Know what a business service really costs before you sign.
Independent, source-cited investigations of the services US small businesses depend on, from card processing and phone systems to payroll and funding. We read the contracts, the fee schedules and the complaints so you don't have to.
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Every review follows the same forensic brief: real pricing versus published pricing, contract terms, hardware lock-in, complaints, legal record and a step-by-step exit plan.
60 companies tracked across 8 categories · 1 review published · 55 investigations completed and being prepared for publication.
Global Payments & Heartland Review: Fee Layering, Liquidated Damages and the Vertical Integration Trap
- Recurring “infrastructure upgrade” and administrative fees of $410 to $499 a year, disclosed only on earlier statements, can push a low-volume merchant’s effective rate past 4.5%.
- Three-year auto-renewing contracts with liquidated damages clauses; one merchant reported a $4,000 charge on cancellation.
- Vital and Genius terminals use proprietary encryption keys and generally cannot be reprogrammed for another processor, adding $400 to $900 per unit to the cost of leaving.
Categories
The services owners of businesses with 1 to 100 employees buy, renew and struggle to leave.
Merchant Services & Payment Processing
Card processing, POS systems and payment gateways: what you really pay, what the contract binds you to, and how hard it is to leave.
VoIP & Business Phone Systems
Cloud phone systems for teams of 1 to 100: real pricing, contract terms, call quality complaints and how support behaves.
Payroll Services
Payroll for businesses from one employee up: fees per run, tax filing guarantees, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Accounting & Invoicing Software
Bookkeeping, invoicing and inventory-aware accounting software, including the alternatives to QuickBooks.
CRM Software
Customer relationship management for small teams, from simple contact managers to CRM with marketing automation.
Web Hosting & Web Design
Hosting plans and design services: renewal pricing, migration lock-in, and what support really includes.
Website Builders
Do-it-yourself website platforms compared on cost over time, ownership of your content, and how easy they are to leave.
Merchant Cash Advance & Business Loans
Merchant cash advances and small business loans: factor rates, holdbacks, personal guarantees and the true cost of capital.
What every review answers
Written for owners, not payments or telecom specialists.
What it really costs
Published rates against what customers report paying, with every recurring and annual fee in dollars.
What the contract binds you to
Term length, auto-renewal windows, early termination fees, liquidated damages and personal guarantees.
How hard it is to leave
Leased or locked equipment, software dependencies and data you may not get back.
How the company behaves
Complaint patterns, holds and freezes, lawsuits and regulatory actions, with dates and sources.