I called my credit card company for a charge back in regards to BankCard Empire. Reason code - they promised me income and services that I didn't receive. I have since learned that
Merchant Referral Solutions aka
Maximum Business Concepts used to be
Bankcard Empire which has numerous (in the hundreds) complaints against it and was told to “cease and desist” their business practices by the State of Illinois.

I called BankCard Empire in regards to a charge they made on my credit card for $xxxx. I was pressured into buying a marketing package. They claimed that their services were for “Advertising, 3500 direct telephone calls and 3500 emails and a personal website that would drive traffic to my personal website” and that I was guaranteed to produce customers for my personal business with Bankcard Empire.

BankCard Empire and Maximum Business Concepts told me that by investing $xxxx in their company (Bankcard Empire) I would realize a return of up to $35, 000 within 2 months, plus for an extra $500 I would be given a Web Site so I could monitor my earnings. The money would be generated by calls and emails that would be made on my behalf by them. When I saw no action I filed a complaint with the BBB. The response I get from them is; it takes six months for the program to complete and if at that time I made no money then they will reinstate it for another six months.

After trying to get more details and being tossed from representative to representative, I found out that they really only offer “credit card, check processing and merchant financing services”. That is NOT what they informed me that they were offering.

During my telephone call I asked for them to cancel their service and refund my $xxxx.
I received absolutely nothing in return for my $xxxx, except a packet containing an invoice and a 1099 form, along with some information about the “business opportunity” we had “invested” in. I told MRS representatives I was not interested in this business, at which point I heard “no refund” and was hung up on.

Absolutely nothing promised was provided for me, and Bankcard Services provided false or unsubstantiated claims in advertisement and also a false contract. I also claim that the sales presentation misrepresented the service, their sales presentation used dishonest sales practices and they used high-pressure methods.

I am also claiming that Bankcard Empire failed to provide promised assistance or support for products or services. They also failed to honor their money-back guarantee.

I was told that I could not cancel my service, and that I would not win with my credit card company. I asked if this was a threat, the representative said, no, it’s a promise.

The FTC *requires* a financial “disclosure statement” be provided to potential investors/business owners, along with the names of at least ten people and their earnings, ten days before a contract may be entered into. This was also not provided.

They got my name as a lead from somewhere indicating that I want to own a business or make money from home. They have several reseller companies some of which as far as I can tell are Universal Business Solutions, AIG Promotions, HBO Media, Edgemont Productions, etc. In their initial sales call to me they told me that if I spent $xxxx that I would make $2, 000 per month forever and would turn a profit on the original $xxxx within 2-3 months. This is FRAUD. They know perfectly well that this won't happen. If it did, they would spend their OWN $xxxx and not MY $xxxx to turn their own profit in 2-3 months. I asked them what percentages of people who buy make a profit. They continually deflected the question.

Based on BBB files, BankCard Empire has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F. Reasons for this F rating include:

BBB concerns with the industry in which this business operates
Length of time business has been operating
354 complaints filed against business
5 complaints filed against business that were not resolved
7 serious complaints filed against business

Complaints filed by consumers through the Better Business Bureau allege refund and sales practices. According to information in BBB files, customers purchased a business opportunity for $100 to $500 plus an additional $19.95 per month for a personal website. Customers indicate that after the product was purchased, they were then contacted by affiliates of Bankcard Empire and were offered advertising campaigns for costs up to $60, 000. Bankcard Empire typically responds to complaints by stating they are not responsible their affiliates' actions and that Bankcard Empire and their affiliate’s charges are non-refundable.


Based on BBB files, Merchant Referral Solutions has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F. Reasons for this F rating include:

BBB concerns with the industry in which this business operates
Length of time business has been operating
42 complaints filed against business
2 complaints filed against business that were not resolved
4 serious complaints filed against business


Based on BBB files, Maximum Business Concepts has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A+ to F. Reasons for this F rating include:

BBB concerns with the industry in which this business operates
Length of time business has been operating
Complaints filed by consumers allege refund and sales practices. According to information in BBB files, customers purchased a business opportunity for $150 to $500 plus an additional $19.95 per month for a personal website. Customers indicate that after the product was purchased, they were then contacted by affiliates of Merchant Referral Solutions (MRS) and were offered advertising campaigns for costs up to $35, 000. MRS typically responds to complaints by stating they are not responsible for refunding their affiliates' charges and that Merchant Referral Solutions charges are non-refundable.

I am requested and received a charge back of my entire payment of $xxxx for the reasons stated above from my credit card company.

Merchant Referral Solutions or Superior Enterprise Solutions
2990 E Washington Street #600
Phoenix, AZ 85034 1(800) 304-6970

Sells you on becoming an affiliate which costs $19.95/mo. for a web site and $150.00 that buys you a nice color brochure that promises (approximate) compensations for getting local merchants were you live to buy their VISA, MasterCard and DiscoverCard Swiping machines AND processing services. OR SO IT SEEMS. A week or two after you have charged the $150.00 to your VISA card a "Trainer" calls you, to train you? NO! To get you to give them all your VISA and MasterCard numbers and balances so they can charge your accounts to the maximum limits using your money to buy advertising on various types of media. Then promising to later build you a business account and transfer all your advertising AND home debt into this business account so if your company goes bankrupt "it wont effect you".
REALLY? IS THAT HOW BUSINESS WORKS IN THIS COUNTRY?

For the SERIOUS people who have made a post and ARE unhappy regarding a specific situation, please call us directly at the number provided in your business package. We value customer satisfaction. We realize every so often a customer may become confused, feel disappointed or believe that we have not met their expectations. When that occurs, we want to address and resolve any misconceptions. Before posting any negative statement online, we ask that you contact us at (480) 894-3111. This will allow us an opportunity to discuss your concerns and assist you in building the success of your associated business program.
If you have posted any negative statement, we recommend that you take the necessary steps to remove or retract those comments immediately. This will help avoid our company from possibly taking legal action against you. Please understand that our main goal is to work with you.

THIS IS NOT A COMPLAINT IT IS A COMPANY STATEMENT:At Merchant Referral Solutions, we value customer satisfaction. We realize every so often a customer may become confused, feel disappointed or believe that we have not met their expectations. When that occurs, we want to address and resolve any misconceptions. Before posting any negative statement online, we ask that you contact us at (480) 894-3111. This will allow us an opportunity to discuss your concerns and assist you in building the success of your associated business program.
If you have posted any negative statement, we recommend that you take the necessary steps to remove or retract those comments immediately. This will help avoid our company from possibly taking legal action against you. Please understand that our main goal is to work with you.

At Merchant Referral Solutions, we value customer satisfaction. We realize every so often a customer may become confused, feel disappointed or believe that we have not met their expectations. When that occurs, we want to address and resolve any misconceptions. Before posting any negative statement online, we ask that you contact us at (480) 894-3111. This will allow us an opportunity to discuss your concerns and assist you in building the success of your associated business program.
If you have posted any negative statement, we recommend that you take the necessary steps to remove or retract those comments immediately. This will help avoid our company from possibly taking legal action against you. Please understand that our main goal is to work with you.