Consumer complaint received 2017-05-24
Company: First Data Corporation
State: MI
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
I am a merchant who has processed customer credit cards for many years. I signed an agreement with "  XXXX  '' a credit card processing company on  XXXX  Included in this agreement was a lease arrangement for terminal equipment. This was done to facilitate " chip compliance ''. However, my business was for sale, and I made clear to  XXXX  that the lease on such equipment would terminate upon sale of the business, and I indicated this in writing on the agreement. Subsequently the business was sold on  XXXX  and the equipment returned. Then I received billings on lease payments due and termination fees from a sub company known as  " FirstData ''.  When I contacted  XXXX  about this, they said  FirstData  is a seperate entity and there is a termination fee, and that I signed a document regarding this. When I asked for a copy, they sent me two documents. the first was the supposed original agreement that I had signed. When compared to the original in my possession, there were multiple alterations, including my  Tax  ID, my form of business, an altered personal guaranty section, phone number section and hand written notes pertaining to schedule of payments and a note stating " note ; lease dissolves when office sold '', which had been removed. The second document was completely fabricated using the first altered document, " whiting out '' pertinent info and utilizing an  XXXX   (   XXXX   XXXX   ) I  use which has no customers, processes no cards and conducts no business. They then put in the bank account from the first business, altered the " years in business " section, altered the " business type '' section, put in a fabricated billing address, including city and zip code, and expunged my handwritten notes, clearly utilizing the original altered agreement as a template to fabricate a second account  ( m ost likely to secure another sales commission in doing so. ) These fraudulent documents are then used  by FirstData  to establish a business relationship with the consumer/merchant and collect fees of various types. When confronted,  XXXX , did nothing except hear my complaint and. as of yet, they have not addressed the altered document stuation. and simply thrown the ball to FirstData, who, when notified on  XXXX  that I was making this complaint ( at   XXXX   XXXX   with one "  XXXX  '' ) simply laughed and hung up. I did ask, at the beginning of the call, if it was being recorded, and she answered affirmatively. it would be interesting to listen to  )   XXXX   XXXX  agreement to which FirstData is a party to is a clearly altered document, as well as extremely misleading to the consumer, and a document that the  XXXX  agent clearly did not explain when asked and who did not reveal when questioned that the word '' lease '' does not pertain to service agreements, as it does to equipment, and which terminology was conveniently expunged from the document. Now , First Data  is seeking monetary recompense based upon fraudulent documentationand trying to obtain so through misleading, underhanded and fraudulent means. I have the original copies and the faxed copies, along with copius notes, names and dates. The offending companies should also have these copies. I also note that I have filed a seperate complaint regarding   XXXX   alone.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation