This User Agreement (“Agreement”) is a legal agreement between you (“you”, “your”) and your payment facilitator (“PF”) governing your use of PF’s payment processing services and PF POS System, as defined below (together, the “Services”). Your PF is the entity that sent you a welcome letter following the submission of your PF Application, as defined below. If you have not retained a copy of your welcome letter, please log on to the merchant portal for the identify of your PF.
1. Relationship: PF is what is called a “Payment Service Provider” or “Payment Facilitator”. As such, PF, and not you, will serve as the merchant of record with MasterCard International, Inc., Visa International, Discover Network, PayPal, American Express and other networks or associations (the “Card Associations”) with regard to purchases (each, a “Transaction”) by your customers in which credit or debit cards bearing the service mark of VISA, MasterCard, Discover Network, PayPal, American Express or another specified network or association (each, a “Card”) are presented for payment. PF is not a bank, it does not offer banking services as defined by the United States Department of the Treasury, and it is not in the business of providing money transmission or other money service business services as defined by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. PF serves as your agent in completing Transactions with your customers. In furtherance of this relationship, you authorize PF (i) to submit Transactions to, and receive settlement from, the Card Associations and the applicable payment processors and bank sponsors through which PF processes your Transactions (collectively, “PF Providers”), (ii) to hold, receive, and disburse funds on your behalf and/or to direct PF Providers to hold, receive, and disburse funds on your behalf, and (iii) to generate a paper draft or an electronic funds transfer to process each Transaction that you authorize. Your authorizations will remain in full force and effect until your PF Account is closed or terminated. As part of your agreement to use PF, you attest that you are a Citizen of the United States, or other U.S. Person. You are considered a U.S. Person if you are a legal resident of the United States, a partnership, corporation, company, estate (other than a foreign estate), domestic trust, or association created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States.
2. Payment Transactions/Acceptance of Cards: You have been given a unique PF Account (the “PF Account”) through which your Transactions will be recorded by PF. Your PF Account will permit you to accept and submit Transactions using a PF POS System. Your use of the Services will be subject to, and you agree to be bound by, all of the rules and requirements of the PF Providers, as applicable to your activities under this Agreement, and as modified from time to time.
Without limitation, you agree to abide by the following terms and conditions:
a. You will accept all Cards in accordance with the rules adopted by the applicable Card Associations.
b. You will only submit valid and completed Transactions produced as a direct result of bona fide sales of goods or services made to a customer by you, and such Transactions will accurately describe the goods or services sold or delivered. All such Transactions shall be free of any liens, claims, and encumbrances other than ordinary sales taxes. You will not use the Services for any fraudulent or illegal undertaking. No Transaction will represent a sale to any principal, partner, proprietor, or owner of you, if you are an entity. There are some business types which are prohibited from using PF. By creating an account with PF you agree that you will not be accepting payments for or in connection with the following prohibited businesses:
(1) Any Illegal activities or Goods, (includes marijuana services/paraphernalia) (2) Adult Sexually Oriented Material, (3) Age Sensitive Products sold direct to consumer, (4) Business or Investment Opportunities / Multi-level marketing, (5) Business physically located outside the U.S., (6) Dating / matchmaking, (7) Deceptive/Negative marketing practices, (8) Any division or agent of a foreign government, (9) Essay Mills/Paper Mills (ghost writing), (10) Financed Payments via Card, (11) Gambling or Sports Forecasting, (12) Internet/Telecom Services, (13) Magazine Subscriptions, (14) Money services, (15) Online auctions, (16) Products or Services with Unreasonable Guarantees or Claims, (17) Travel Services (18) Government Grants or Will-Writing kits.
PF reserves the right to modify, alter, or change this list at its sole discretion at any time with or without notice.
c. You will maintain a fair policy for the exchange, refund and return of goods sold and the adjustment of services rendered. You will post that policy at or before the Transaction occurs and in accordance with the rules adopted by the applicable Card Associations, and such policy must comply with the rules adopted by the applicable Card Associations. You will not give cash refunds to a customer in connection with a Transaction, unless required by law, and not accept cash or any other item of value for preparing a Transaction refund.
d. You will not bill or collect from any customer for any purchase or payment on a Card unless a chargeback has been exercised, you have fully paid for that chargeback, and you otherwise have the right to do so.
e. You will ensure compliance with rules adopted by any Card Associations relating to the privacy and security of cardholder and card transaction data, including without limitation the Payment Application Data Security Standard (“PA DSS”) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”), as they may be amended from time to time;
f. You will maintain fraud and chargebacks below thresholds set by the Card Associations;
g. You will accept, without discrimination, all valid Cards properly presented by customers for payment for goods or services. With respect to VISA and MasterCard products, you may elect to accept credit cards or debit/prepaid cards or both, as reflected on the merchant application you completed with PF (the “PF Application”), and you must display appropriate signage to display the same. You agree to pay for any additional fees incurred as a result of your subsequent acceptance of Transactions with any VISA or MasterCard product that you have elected not to accept.
h. You may establish a minimum Transaction size for accepting Cards so long as such amount does not exceed $10, or such other amount established by law, and such minimum Transaction size requirement does not discriminate between Card issuers or between Card Associations. You may not impose a maximum Transaction size on Transactions, or add a fee to a Transaction.
i. You may offer discounts or in-kind incentives for payment by the use of cash, checks or Cards, provided that the terms of the discount or in-kind incentives do not differentiate on the basis of the Card issuer or Card Association.
j. You will not accept a Card as payment (other than for a preauthorized mail order, telephone order, or other sale), if the customer seeking to use the Card does not present the Card to permit you to examine it and obtain an imprint or otherwise use the physical Card to complete the transaction.
k. You will comply with all requirements and restrictions regarding the display of Card Association tradenames and marks, and will implement any changes to your website or otherwise that PF deems necessary or appropriate to ensure that you remain in compliance with the rules adopted by the Card Associations governing the use of Card Association tradenames and marks. You acknowledge and agree that the Card Associations are the sole and exclusive owners of their respective trade names and marks, and that you will not contest the ownership of such tradenames and marks for any reason. You also acknowledge and agree that the Card Associations may at any time, immediately and without advance notice, prohibit you from using any of its or their trade names or marks for any reason.
Any inconsistency between the rules adopted by any Card Association and this Agreement shall be resolved in favor of the rules adopted by such Card Association. You may use the Services only to the extent that you obey all laws, rules, and regulations applicable to your use of the Services. You may only use the Services in the fifty states of the United States of America and the District of Columbia. You may not act as a payment intermediary, aggregator or service bureau or otherwise resell the Services on behalf of any third party. This means that you may not use the Services to handle, process or transmit funds for any third party. You also may not use the Services to process cash advances. PF reserves the right to reject any Transaction that you submit for settlement.
3. PF Fees: You agree to pay the applicable fees listed on the PF Application (“Fees”) whenever you use the Services. You agree that if the account is not used to process a transaction for twelve (12) months, it will be considered inactive and will be subject to an inactivity fee of $3.99 beginning the 13th month of inactivity, and each month following, until processing resumes. If processing resumed on your account, the inactivity fee will no longer be charged until the next twelve (12) month period of inactivity. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, PF reserves the right to change Fees. If PF changes its Fees, it will give you thirty (30) days’ notice of any change. You will not be permitted to continue to use the Services unless you consent to the changes in Fees. To withdraw your consent, you will need to close your PF Account.
4. Next Day Funding: PF will deposit, or will direct the PF Providers to deposit, to your PF Account the amounts actually received by PF or such PF Providers for Transactions submitted through PF (less any applicable Fees). Once your bank account information is verified, PF will automatically deposit or will direct the PF Providers to deposit, your money in your designated bank account. A deposit to your bank account in connection with a Transaction will normally occur one (1) business day after the completion of that Transaction. However, Transactions may not be deemed complete in PF’s discretion until PF has or the PF Providers have, received or sent the funds and/or when PF or the designated financial institutions have accepted the Transaction or funds. PF may, in its discretion, provisionally credit, or cause the PF Providers to provisionally credit, amounts to your PF Account, subject to receipt of final payment by PF or the PF Providers in respect of a Transaction.
5. Suspension/Reserve/Recovery/Pooling of Funds: PF may temporarily suspend or delay payments to you or withhold or reserve your funds in order to secure your performance of your obligations to PF. This action may arise for any reason, including the occurrence or suspected occurrence of Transaction chargebacks or refunds, for which you are responsible. A chargeback will occur if the Transaction (a) is disputed, (b) is reversed for any reason, (c) was not authorized or PF has any reason to believe that the Transaction was not authorized, or (d) is allegedly unlawful, suspicious, or in violation of this Agreement. The amounts suspended, delayed or reserved shall be initially determined, and may be increased or decreased, in PF’s reasonable discretion as necessary to cover potential financial exposure on the part of PF. You grant PF a security interest in and lien on any and all funds held in any such reserve, and also authorize PF to make any withdrawals or debits from such reserve, without prior notice to you, to collect amounts that you owe PF. This security interest survives for as long as PF holds your funds in reserve.
PF may recover, recoup, set off or deduct the amount of any chargeback and any associated Fees, fines, or penalties listed in the PF Application or assessed by the PF Providers, or any other amounts due under this Agreement, from your PF Account (including without limitation any reserve), any proceeds due to you, your bank account, or other payment instrument registered with PF. In furtherance of this right, you authorize PF to debit your bank and/or to initiate reversal or adjustment entries with respect to your bank account. If PF is unable to recover funds for which you are liable, you will pay PF the outstanding amount immediately upon demand. You agree to pay all costs and expenses, including without limitation attorneys’ fees and other legal expenses, incurred by or on behalf of PF in connection with the collection of all such amounts, along with interest on the unpaid amount calculated at the highest legal rate.
You understand that your funds may be commingled and held with other PF merchant funds in one or more pooled accounts at one or more FDIC-insured banks by PF for the benefit of you and other PF merchants (each a “Pooled Account”). PF has sole discretion over the establishment and maintenance of any Pooled Account. You will not receive interest or any other earnings on any funds that PF handles for you. As consideration for using the services provided by PF, you irrevocably assign to PF all rights and legal interests to any interest and/or other earnings that may accrue or are attributable to its holding of your funds in a Pooled Account or reserve.
6. Transaction Errors: You are responsible for monitoring your Transactions and ensuring that PF’s payments to you are correct. You must notify PF of any errors in payments made to you within sixty (60) days of the error first appearing on your electronic transaction history. Failure to notify PF of such an error will be deemed a waiver of any right to amounts owed to you.
7. Information: You authorize PF to disclose all Transaction data and other information about you as required by the PF Providers, and their affiliates, agents, subcontractors and employees, in order to process your Transactions. You also authorize each of the foregoing parties to use such information to perform their responsibilities in connection with the programs offered by them and for such other purposes as they may reasonably deem necessary, including such purposes as are described in rules adopted by any Card Association. PF may request additional information and documentation from you at any time. PF may also ask for permission to inspect your business location. You agree to advise PF immediately of any change in the ownership or nature of your business, or in your or your business’ financial condition, location or name, or in your approved monthly Transaction volume, average ticket or description of goods sold and services provided. You authorize PF, at any time during which this Agreement remains in effect, to make any credit inquiries of you or your business, including but not limited to requesting reports from third party credit reporting bureaus.
8. Conversion to Direct Merchant: You acknowledge that you will be converted from being a merchant of PF to a direct card acceptance relationship with the applicable Card Association or PF Provider, as applicable, under the following circumstances:
a. With regard to American Express, if and when you become what American Express calls a “High CV Merchant”. Upon such conversion, (i) you will be bound by American Express’ then-current card acceptance agreement, (ii) American Express will set the discount and other fees payable by you for its Card acceptance, and (iii) you will have the option of continuing to use PF to provide Services to you subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement. A High CV Merchant is one that has greater than $1,000,000 in charge volume in a rolling 12 month period, or greater than $100,000 in charge volume in any three consecutive months.
b. With regard to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and/or PayPal if and when you exceed $100,000 in charge volume for any of the applicable Card Associations in a rolling 12 month period. Upon such conversion, and in the event that you wish to continue to accept and submit Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and PayPal Transactions, you will be bound by the terms of the card acceptance agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (as amended in accordance with its terms, the "Direct Agreement") at the Fees, or at such discount and other fees to be determined at the time. Upon the conversion, if you continue to accept the applicable Card Association Transactions, you agree that (i) you will automatically be deemed to have accepted the Direct Agreement, without any further notice, consent or action by PF, the PF Providers or you, (ii) the PF Application will be incorporated into the Direct Agreement, (iii) the terms of the Direct Agreement will thereafter be independently enforceable against you by the PF Providers, and (iv) the Direct Agreement will replace this Agreement.
8. Conversion to Direct Merchant: You acknowledge that you will be converted from being a merchant of PF to a direct card acceptance relationship with the applicable Card Association or PF Provider, as applicable, under the following circumstances:
a. With regard to American Express, if and when you become what American Express calls a “High CV Merchant”. Upon such conversion, (i) you will be bound by American Express’ then-current card acceptance agreement, (ii) American Express will set the discount and other fees payable by you for its Card acceptance, and (iii) you will have the option of continuing to use PF to provide Services to you subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement. A High CV Merchant is one that has greater than $1,000,000 in charge volume in a rolling 12 month period, or greater than $100,000 in charge volume in any three consecutive months.
b. With regard to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and/or PayPal if and when you exceed $100,000 in charge volume for any of the applicable Card Associations in a rolling 12 month period. Upon such conversion, and in the event that you wish to continue to accept and submit Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and PayPal Transactions, you will be bound by the terms of the card acceptance agreement attached hereto as Exhibit A (as amended in accordance with its terms, the "Direct Agreement") at the Fees, or at such discount and other fees to be determined at the time. Upon the conversion, if you continue to accept the applicable Card Association Transactions, you agree that (i) you will automatically be deemed to have accepted the Direct Agreement, without any further notice, consent or action by PF, the PF Providers or you, (ii) the PF Application will be incorporated into the Direct Agreement, (iii) the terms of the Direct Agreement will thereafter be independently enforceable against you by the PF Providers, and (iv) the Direct Agreement will replace this Agreement.
9. Representations and Warranties: You confirm that: (i) you are at least 18 years of age; (ii) you are either a legal resident of the United States, a United States citizen, or a business entity authorized to conduct business by the state in which it operates; (iii) you are eligible to register for and use the Services; (iv) the name identified by you when registering for the Services is your legal name or business name under which you sell goods and services; (v) all information contained in your completed PF Application is true and correct in all respects; and (vi) this Agreement is your valid and binding obligation, and does not violate any provisions of law, or conflict with any other obligations to which you are subject.
10. No Assignment: You may not assign or transfer to any third party this Agreement or any payments due to you in connection with your Transactions.
11. Third Party Rights: You hereby authorize the PF Providers, and their affiliates, agents, subcontractors and employees, to enforce the terms of this Agreement as against you, without establishing any obligation on their part to do so. You also authorize the PF Providers to use your name, address, and website address in any media from time to time. You also acknowledge and agree that the Card Associations have the right to enforce any provisions of their rules against you, and to prohibit you from engaging in any conduct that they deem could injure or could create a risk of injury to them, and that you will not take any action that could interfere with or prevent the exercise of such rights by the Card Associations.
12. PF Provider Agreements: PF is a party to certain other agreements with the PF Providers. You acknowledge that you are not a beneficiary under any of those agreements. You also agree to abide by all limitations of liability contained in those agreements with respect to such PF Providers.
13. Wireless Carriers: PF does not warrant that the Services will be compatible with your mobile device or third party carrier. Your use of the Services may be subject to the terms of your agreements with your mobile device manufacturer and your carrier.
14. Privacy: Your privacy is very important to PF. You confirm that you have read, understood and accepted PF's Privacy Policy, available at http://pfprivacypolicy.com/ PF's Privacy Policy includes important information on what information PF and the PF Providers collect about you, how each uses that information, and with whom each shares that information. Also, to ensure the quality of the Services and for other lawful purposes, PF may monitor or record calls between PF and you (for example, your conversations with PF's customer service or sales departments). PF's privacy policy may change from time to time, so please review PF's Privacy Policy with regularity.
15. Disclosures and Notices: You confirm that you have become a party to, and become bound by, this Agreement by completing the PF Application and accepting it electronically over the Internet or through your wireless carrier. This is done by clicking or entering "I Agree" where requested on an electronic version of the PF Application. By providing this consent, you acknowledge that you have received and reviewed all applicable pages, terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Direct Agreement.
16. Termination: PF or you may terminate this Agreement for any or no reason, and at any time. In order to terminate this Agreement, you must close your PF Account, at which time all pending Transactions will be cancelled. This Agreement will immediately and automatically terminate to the extent any PF Provider deregisters PF. Any funds held by PF for you at the time of closure or termination, less any applicable Fees, will be paid out to you, subject to PF's rights to suspend, delay or reserve funds. All provisions of this Agreement necessary to accomplish or enforce this Agreement shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
17. PF POS System: A PF POS System is any point of sale system, including tablets, Card readers, printers, cash draws, dongles, and associated devices, software, components, content, information, data, media, materials, and “online” or electronic documentation or files, delivered to you in connection with the Services, which enables you to accept credit card and/or debit card payments on purchases by customers, including but not limited to all intellectual property rights associated with such system. You may elect to receive a PF POS System in one of two ways, as designated in the PF Application: (i) through PF’s placement or licensing of that system; or (ii) through PF’s sale of that system.
If you have elected to receive a placement of a PF POS System (a “Placed PF POS System”), then the following terms and conditions shall apply to such placement: (a) you agree that the Placed PF POS System is PF ’s property, is being licensed to you, and must be returned to PF in good and working condition within ten (10) days of the termination or expiration of this Agreement; (b) if the Placed PF POS System is not returned within ten (10) days, you agree to pay PF the value of such equipment, which shall be the same as the amount PF charges for the same equipment to PF’s other merchants; (c) you agree to pay the license fee, as set forth in the PF Application, if any, on the Placed PF POS System, plus the applicable sales or use taxes, beginning in the month the Placed PF POS System is received by you and continuing until the Placed PF POS System is returned by you or this Agreement is terminated or expires; (d) you agree to be responsible for any damage to the Placed PF POS System as a result of misuse or negligence; and (e) you agree to pay PF a shipping/handling charge for each delivery of replacement Placed PF POS Systems, regardless of the reason. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you subscribe to certain level(s) of PF’s “Mybizperks Program”, you will not be responsible for failure of a Placed PF POS System for any reason, so long as such Placed PF POS System is returned to PF. Under this program, PF will also provide overnight replacement of a Placed PF POS System free of shipping/handling charges, after remote troubleshooting efforts are unsuccessful. The replacement Placed PF POS System may be new or refurbished, or a different brand or model, and such replacements are limited to two (2) in any consecutive twelve (12) month period.
If you have purchased a PF POS System (a “Purchased PF POS System”), then the following terms and conditions shall apply to such purchase: (a) you agree to pay the purchase price of the Purchased PF POS System, plus the applicable sales or use taxes, and shipping/handling charges, as set forth in the PF Application; and (b) upon PF’s receipt of full payment of the purchase price and applicable sales or use taxes, the Purchased PF POS Systems will become your property, subject to the restrictions set forth in this Agreement.
With regard to any PF POS System received by you, whether placed or sold: (a) you agree to indemnify and hold PF harmless from and against any and all liabilities, losses, claims, damages, disputes, offsets, claims or counterclaims of any kind in any way related to the use (or misuse) of the PF POS System, which includes any damage resulting from an act of nature, fire, or theft, or from misuse or negligence by you or your agents; (b) you agree to use the PF POS System only to process Transactions through PF, and only in accordance with this Agreement and PF’s, or its manufacturers’, instructions and requirements; (c) you agree not to reverse engineer, jailbreak, disassemble, disable or modify the PF POS System, or any components thereof, in any way, work around, bypass or circumvent any of the technical limitations of the PF POS System or and components thereof, wipe, delete or alter in any way the operating system or preset configurations of the PF POS System, or do anything else that would interfere with the authorized and intended working and use of the PF POS System; (d) you agree that you may only install, access and use PF POS System with compatible devices, and you will run a validly licensed copy of the operating system for which the PF POS System was designed (devices with disabled hardware and software controls are not compatible devices, and your use of any such modified device in connection with the PF POS System is expressly prohibited); and (e) you agree that you will only permit duly trained and authorized persons to use or access the PF POS System. You agree that you may not , nor may you permit any third party to, resell, lease or distribute in any way the PF POS System. Please refer to Section 23 below for a discussion of applicable, limited warranties relating to the PF POS System.
18. PF Ownership/License: You agree that the PF Provider’s name and mark are owned by the respective PF Provider, and that the respective PF Provider owns the title, copyright and all other worldwide intellectual property rights associated therewith. The Services are protected by the copyright laws of the United States, international treaties and conventions, and other laws. Except as otherwise expressly stated below, you have no intellectual property rights in the Services, and PF reserves all rights not expressly granted to you under this Agreement.
PF grants you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable license, without the right to sublicense, to electronically access and use the Services in accordance with this Agreement. You may not, nor may you permit any third party to do any of the following: (i) access or monitor any material or information on the PF POS System or any other PF system using any manual process or robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means unless expressly authorized by PF; (ii) copy, reproduce, alter, modify, create derivative works, publicly display, republish, upload, post, transmit, resell or distribute in any way material or information from PF; (iii) permit any third party to use and benefit from the Services; (iv) transfer any rights granted to you under this Agreement; (v) work around, bypass, or circumvent any of the technical limitations of the Services, use any tool to enable features or functionalities that are otherwise disabled in the Services, or decompile, disassemble or otherwise reverse engineer the Services, except to the extent that such restriction is expressly prohibited by law; (vi) perform or attempt to perform any actions that would interfere with the proper working of the Services, prevent access to or use of the Services by PF’s other users, or impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on PF’s infrastructure; or (vii) otherwise use the Services except as expressly allowed under this Agreement. You may not export the Services directly or indirectly, and you acknowledge that the Services may be subject to export restrictions imposed by US law, including US Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. Chapter VII). You must comply with all laws when using the Services, as well as all applicable copyright, trademark or other legal notices or restrictions.
18. PF Ownership/License: You agree that the PF Provider’s name and mark are owned by the respective PF Provider, and that the respective PF Provider owns the title, copyright and all other worldwide intellectual property rights associated therewith. The Services are protected by the copyright laws of the United States, international treaties and conventions, and other laws. Except as otherwise expressly stated below, you have no intellectual property rights in the Services, and PF reserves all rights not expressly granted to you under this Agreement.
PF grants you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, revocable, non-transferable license, without the right to sublicense, to electronically access and use the Services in accordance with this Agreement. You may not, nor may you permit any third party to do any of the following: (i) access or monitor any material or information on the PF POS System or any other PF system using any manual process or robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means unless expressly authorized by PF; (ii) copy, reproduce, alter, modify, create derivative works, publicly display, republish, upload, post, transmit, resell or distribute in any way material or information from PF; (iii) permit any third party to use and benefit from the Services; (iv) transfer any rights granted to you under this Agreement; (v) work around, bypass, or circumvent any of the technical limitations of the Services, use any tool to enable features or functionalities that are otherwise disabled in the Services, or decompile, disassemble or otherwise reverse engineer the Services, except to the extent that such restriction is expressly prohibited by law; (vi) perform or attempt to perform any actions that would interfere with the proper working of the Services, prevent access to or use of the Services by PF’s other users, or impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on PF’s infrastructure; or (vii) otherwise use the Services except as expressly allowed under this Agreement. You may not export the Services directly or indirectly, and you acknowledge that the Services may be subject to export restrictions imposed by US law, including US Export Administration Regulations (15 C.F.R. Chapter VII). You must comply with all laws when using the Services, as well as all applicable copyright, trademark or other legal notices or restrictions.
19. Support Services/Updates/Modifications/Discontinuance: PF may provide you with support services related to the PF Services. Any supplemental software code or hardware provided to you as part of such support services will be considered part of the Services and subject to this Agreement. If you are accessing the Services via a distribution channel (hereinafter, a "Distribution Channel"), such as Google play, the Apple App Store or the Android Marketplace, you acknowledge that the Distribution Channel is not a party to this Agreement, that PF is solely responsible for the Services, and that the Distribution Channel will not provide you with support or maintenance of the Services. PF may in its sole discretion from time to time update or modify, or at any time discontinue, temporarily or permanently, your access to or use of the Services, or any part thereof, without notice.
PF may also impose certain limits on certain features or restrict your access to part or all of the Services without notice. You acknowledge and agree that even if a copy of PF's software continues to reside on your device after such action, the Services may not work as they did prior to such action. PF shall have no liability to you or any third party for any of the foregoing actions.
20. Content and Data: In using the Services, you will be delivering or uploading data to PF-owned or third party servers (hereinafter referred to as "Account Content"). You will not upload any Account Content unless you have created the data yourself, or you have permission from the owner thereof to do so. You are solely responsible for the export of your Account Content to your local computer or device to the extent that it may reside within the PF POS System. Your Account Content maintained within the PF POS System may be deleted by PF at any time on or after the ninetieth (90th) day following termination of your use of the PF POS System.
You grant PF a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, fully-paid, transferable, and sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, prepare derivative works of, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display any your Account Content throughout the world in any media in order to provide and promote the Services, the PF POS System and PF's business. You will retain your rights in Account Content, subject to the rights granted to PF herein.
You agree not to upload Account Content or otherwise post, transmit, distribute, or disseminate through the PF POS System any material or data that: (a) is false, misleading, unlawful, obscene, indecent, lewd, pornographic, defamatory, libelous, threatening, harassing, hateful, abusive, or inflammatory; (b) encourages conduct that would be considered a criminal offense or gives rise to civil liability; (c) breaches any duty toward or rights of any person or entity, including rights of publicity, privacy, copyright or trademark; (d) contains corrupted data or any other harmful, disruptive, or destructive files; (e) advertises products or services competitive with PF's or its partners' products and services, as determined by PF in its sole discretion; or (f) in PF's sole judgment, is objectionable, restricts or inhibits any person or entity from using or enjoying any portion of the Services, or which may expose PF, its respective business partners, third-party suppliers and providers, licensors, officers, directors, employees, distributors, agents and/or customers to harm or liability of any nature.
Although PF has no obligation to screen, edit, or monitor any Account Content, PF reserves the right, and has sole discretion, to remove, screen, edit, or disable any Account Content at any time and for any reason without notice. PF assumes no responsibility or liability for any Account Content, including any loss or damage to any Account Content.
PF may share Account Content with third parties, and PF is not responsible for the use or treatment of such data by such third parties. If you instruct PF to share Account Content with third parties, you agree to indemnify, defend, protect and hold PF, and its business partners, third-party suppliers and providers, licensors, officers, directors, employees, distributors, agents and affiliates (hereinafter referred to collectively as the "PF Parties") harmless from and against any and all third party damages, losses, claims and expenses, including but not limited to governmental penalties and reasonable attorneys' fees, which may be asserted against or incurred by PF Parties or any affiliate arising out of or resulting from the sharing, use or ownership of such data.
You understand and acknowledge that PF is not responsible for the delivery of or access to Account Content. PF will use reasonable efforts to ensure that Account Content uploaded on to the PF POS System is accessible on a 24/7 basis. However, there will be occasions when the PF POS System will be interrupted for maintenance, upgrades and repairs, or because of failure of telecommunications that are beyond PF's control. PF will not be liable to you for any suspension or interruption of the PF POS System.
Due to the open nature of Internet communications, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be secure, and thus PF cannot guarantee that communications between you, on the one hand, and PF, on the other, will be free from unauthorized access by third parties.
21. Account and Password: To use the PF POS System, you may be assigned a user ID and temporary password. If assigned, you will be asked to change that temporary password. You will: (i) keep the user ID and password confidential; (ii) not allow any other entity or person to use the user ID or password or gain access to the PF POS System or Account Content; (iii) be liable for all action taken by any user of the user ID or password; and (iv) promptly notify PF if you believe the user ID or password has been stolen or used inappropriately, or if the confidentiality or security of the information or systems made available through such use has been compromised. The use of the user name does not grant you ownership of such user name, which is retained by PF. PF may revoke your user name at any time for any or no reason and without liability to you.
22. Indemnification: You will indemnify, defend, and hold PF and the PF Providers harmless from and against any and all claims, costs, losses, damages, judgments, tax assessments, penalties, fines, interest, and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of any claim, action, audit, investigation, inquiry, or other proceeding instituted by a person or entity that arises out of or relates to: (a) any actual or alleged breach of your representations, warranties, or obligations set forth in this Agreement; (b) your wrongful or improper use of the Services; (c) any transaction submitted by you through the Services; (d) your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any right of privacy, publicity rights or intellectual property rights; (e) your violation of PA DSS, PCI DSS, or any law, rule or regulation of the United States or any other country; (f) any other party's access and/or use of the Services with your username, password or other appropriate security code.
23. Warranties: EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED BELOW, AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. USE OF THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED BELOW, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM PF OR THROUGH THE SERVICES WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, PF DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME OR LOCATION, UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR FREE OR SECURE; THAT ANY DEFECTS OR ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED; OR THAT THE SERVICES ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. ANY CONTENT DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES IS DOWNLOADED AT YOUR OWN RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM SUCH DOWNLOAD.
The following express, limited warranties shall apply with respect to each PF POS System:
(1) PF warrants all tablets and Card readers sold or placed with you against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of one (1) year from the date delivered to you. PF will replace such defective tablet or Card reader at no cost to you. However, you must return the defective tablet or Card reader to PF at the designated address and in the designated box, with all accessories, cords, cables, parts and documentation included, within fourteen (14) days of receiving your replacement tablet or Card reader, as applicable. In the event you fail to return your defective tablet or Card reader pursuant to the process and time frame specified, PF will charge your bank account and/or pursue other available collection remedies. Such replacement is your sole and exclusive remedy for defects in your PF POS System. This limited warranty is only available to you as the original purchaser of a tablet or Card reader. Warranty coverage terminates if you sell or transfer your tablet or Card reader. No reseller, agent, or employee is authorized to make any modification, extension, or addition to this limited warranty.
This limited warranty does not apply to tablets or Card readers that have been subject to alteration, repair, tampering, accident, abuse, misuse, fire, acts of god (including, without limitation, earthquake, flood, hurricane, lightning, or tornado) or other external causes. This limited warranty does not apply to any third party hardware such as, without limitation, any printers or cash drawers, any consumable parts, including batteries, or any software, even if resold or included with the tablet or Card reader. All third party hardware resold or included by PF is provided solely according to the warranty and other terms specified by the manufacturer, who is solely responsible for service and support for its product. For service, support, or warranty assistance, you should contact the manufacturer directly.
(2) If you are not fully satisfied with your tablet, Card reader, printer, cash drawer or other equipment comprising the PF POS System, you may return it within thirty (30) days of delivery so long as they are in their original condition and packaging and you enclose the original packaging slip. Tablet returns must be unopened. PF does not accept returns of tablets where any part of the original packaging has been opened, broken, or altered. PF will refund your purchase price in full and cover the cost of return shipping. You must return all cords, cables, parts and documentation that were included with the original package. PF POS Systems purchased from PF through an installment plan are not eligible for partial returns, and must be returned with all other products included in the installment plan purchase. Refunds will be applied to the original purchase method. Only PF POS Systems purchased directly from PF can be returned to PF. A restocking fee may apply to all returns that are in open packages.
24. Limitation of Liability: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL PF OR THE PF PROVIDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, INABILITY TO USE, OR UNAVAILABILITY OF THE SERVICE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL PF OR THE PF PROVIDERS BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE, LOSS, OR INJURY RESULTING FROM HACKING, TAMPERING, OR OTHER UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS OR USE OF THE SERVICES OR YOUR PF ACCOUNT, OR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN. IN NO EVENT SHALL PF OR THE PF PROVIDERS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIMS, PROCEEDINGS, LIABILITIES, OBLIGATIONS, DAMAGES, LOSSES OR COSTS IN AN AMOUNT EXCEEDING THE AMOUNT OF FEES EARNED BY PF IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES DURING THE THREE (3) MONTH PERIOD IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM FOR LIABILITY. PF is not responsible for any liabilities, losses, claims, or damages of any kind in any way to any device(s) with which the Services are used, or to the software, applications or data downloaded or maintained on such device(s). You acknowledge that any software or content downloaded or otherwise obtained in connection with the Services is downloaded at your own risk and that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your property or loss of data that results from such download.
25. Governing Law: This Agreement and any dispute relating to it will be governed by Michigan law as applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within Michigan, without regard to its choice of law or conflicts of law principles that would require application of law of a different jurisdiction.
26. Disputes: PF and you each agree that any dispute or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Services (each, a "Dispute"), shall be settled by following the procedures:
a. The party initiating the Dispute shall contact the other party and provide a written description of the Dispute, all relevant documents/information and the proposed resolution (the "Claim Notice"). You agree to contact PF by calling or writing to: Claims Administrator, 250 Stephenson Hwy, Troy Michigan 48083, Tel. No. 1-855-733-7264.
b. The Claims Administrator for PF and you shall then seek in good faith to resolve the Dispute. As part of this process, each party to the Dispute shall provide a monetary amount that, if paid to the party initiating the Dispute, would settle the Dispute (the "Settlement Amount"). If the parties do not agree to a Settlement Amount, or the parties are otherwise unable to settle the Dispute within thirty (30) days of the date of delivery of the Claim Notice, then the parties shall proceed to arbitration, as set forth below.
c. IN THE ABSENCE OF RESOLVING THE DISPUTE, AND INSTEAD OF SUING IN COURT, PF AND YOU AGREE TO SETTLE AND RESOLVE FULLY AND FINALLY ALL DISPUTES EXCLUSIVELY BY ARBITRATION, EXCEPT IN THE FOLLOWING LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES: (I) PF OR YOU MAY COMMENCE AN INDIVIDUAL ACTION IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT WHERE THE AMOUNT OF THE DISPUTE DOES NOT EXCEED THE JURISDICTIONAL LIMIT OF SUCH COURT; AND (II) YOU MAY FILE A DISPUTE WITH ANY FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY THAT CAN, IF THE LAW SO AUTHORIZES, SEEK RELIEF AGAINST PF. THE AGREEMENT TO HAVE DISPUTES RESOLVED BY ARBITRATION IS MADE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT EACH PARTY IS IRREVOCABLY, KNOWINGLY AND INTELLIGENTLY WAIVING AND RELEASING ITS RIGHT TO LITIGATE DISPUTES THROUGH A COURT AND TO HAVE A JUDGE OR JURY DECIDE DISPUTES.
d. The foregoing arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association (the "AAA") in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules in effect when a Claim Notice is duly provided under this Section 26. If any AAA procedure or rule conflicts with the terms of this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement apply.
e. The arbitration set forth in this Agreement and any proceedings thereunder shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (the "FAA"), 9 U.S.C. Sections 1-16. Any award by the arbitrator may be entered as a judgment in any court having jurisdiction. Any arbitrator's decision and award is final and binding, subject only to those exceptions under the FAA. The award of the arbitrator shall be accompanied by a reasoned opinion. PF and you agree the FAA's provisions, not state law, govern all questions of whether a Dispute is subject to arbitration.
f. Unless PF and you agree otherwise, the foregoing arbitration will be conducted by a single neutral arbitrator selected by utilizing the process provided in the AAA's Commercial Arbitration Rules in effect when Claim Notice is duly filed. The arbitrator shall be a licensed attorney and/or retired judge. Except as otherwise provided below, the arbitration shall be conducted in the county where the principal address of the party against whom the Dispute is initially commenced is located - and for any claim against PF, that address shall be the address of the Claims Administrator. The federal or state law that applies to this Agreement will apply during the arbitration.
g. For Disputes of $10,000.00 or less that are initiated by you ("Small Disputes"), the following rules shall apply notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the procedures or rules of the AAA and/or in this Agreement: (1) the arbitration shall be conducted in accordance with the AAA's Expedited Procedures; (2) the arbitrator shall include a finding as to whether the initiation of such Dispute was frivolous and, if it is determined by the arbitrator not to be frivolous, then PF shall pay the fees and costs assessed by the AAA in administering the arbitration; (3) If the arbitrator finds that PF is liable to you for an amount greater than the Settlement Amount presented by PF prior to the commencement of arbitration (after all offsets and counterclaims are applied), then PF shall be required to pay in addition to any award of the arbitrator an amount equal to the greater of (x) $1,000.00, or (y) twice the amount of your reasonable attorneys' fees; (4) you may choose to conduct the arbitration in the state of your principal address. h. PF AND YOU EACH AGREES NOT TO PURSUE ARBITRATION ON A CLASS-WIDE BASIS. ARBITRATION WILL BE CONDUCTED SOLELY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. PF and you each waives the right to trial by jury of any Dispute.
27. Right to Amend: PF may change or add to the terms of this Agreement at any time, and to change, delete, discontinue, or impose conditions on any feature or aspect of the Services with notice that PF in its sole discretion deems to be reasonable in the circumstances. Any use of the Services after PF's publication of any such changes shall constitute your acceptance of this Agreement as modified.
28. Entire Agreement: This Agreement, including the PF Application, any schedule of fees, and information contained in websites or electronic links referenced in this Agreement, expresses the entire understanding of the parties with respect to its subject matter. Reference to "this Agreement" also includes all documents, websites and electronic links incorporated into this Agreement by reference.
29. Notices; Consent to Electronic Communications: You agree to the receipt of electronic communications by email or by the posting of such information by PF at one or more of its sponsored Internet websites. In addition, all notices and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement by PF to you may also be delivered by FAX, overnight carrier or first class mail, postage or other charges prepaid. All notices and other communications required or permitted under this Agreement by you to PF shall be delivered by you by overnight carrier or certified mail, postage or other charges prepaid, addressed and transmitted as set forth below.
30. Consent to Text Messages: YOU HEREBY AUTHORIZE PF TO SEND, AND YOU CONSENT TO THE RECEIPT OF,"SMS" (I.E., "TEXT") ALERTS, FOR THE FOLLOWING DESIGNATED PURPOSES: (I) TO NOTIFY YOU WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS APPROVED OR ACTIVATED, OR WHEN YOUR EQUIPMENT IS SHIPPED OR REPAIRED; (II) TO NOTIFY YOU THAT PF NEEDS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION, TO SECURE APPROVAL, OR TO AUTHENTICATE YOUR APPLICATION OR YOU; (III) TO NOTIFY YOU OF NEW PRODUCTS OR FEATURES OFFERED BY PF; (IV) TO NOTIFY YOU THAT PF IS TRYING TO REACH YOU; (V) TO NOTIFY YOU OF CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES; (VI) TO NOTIFY YOU OF SERVICE OUTAGES; (VII) TO PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION REGARDING ACCOUNT BALANCES, CARD TRANSACTIONS, CHARGEBACKS, RESERVES, AND SIMILAR MATTERS; AND (VIII) TO NOTIFY YOU OF ANY MATTERS RELATING TO YOUR MERCHANT ACCOUNT. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE FUTURE SMS ALERTS FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED PURPOSES BY OR ON BEHALF OF PF TO THE WIRELESS PHONE NUMBER DESIGNATED IN THE MERCHANT APPLICATION AND, HAVING RECEIVED AND REVIEWED THESE DISCLOSURES, YOU UNAMBIGUOUSLY AUTHORIZE PF TO DELIVER OR CAUSE TO BE DELIVERED, AND AGREE TO RECEIVE, VOICE AND SMS ALERTS USING AN AUTOMATIC TELEPHONE DIALING SYSTEM OR AN ARTIFICIAL OR PRERECORDED VOICE. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE WIRELESS PHONE NUMBER PROVIDED IS IN YOUR NAME AND CONTROLLED BY YOU, THAT YOUR CONSENT IS VOLUNTARY AND NOT REQUIRED (DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY) AS A CONDITION TO YOUR RECEIVING PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FROM PF OR ITS AFFILIATED COMPANIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS AGREEMENT, AND THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW THIS CONSENT AT ANY TIME BY PROVIDING PF WITH WRITTEN NOTICE OF SUCH WITHDRAWAL IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 29 ABOVE.
RECITAL AND DEFINITIONS:
Parties to these Merchant Processing Agreement Terms (this “Agreement”):
“Merchant” - The Merchant identified on the Merchant Application, as defined below.
“Guarantor(s)” - The Guarantor(s) of Merchant’s obligations under this Agreement, as set forth in the Merchant Application.
“Member” –Member Bank identified on the Merchant Application or Bank Disclosure Page accompanying these Terms.
“Agent” –The agent identified on the Merchant Application.
“Processing Partner” – Any third party provider of electronic transaction processing services that has contracted with Agent to provide certain services to Merchants from time to time; provided, however, that with respect to ACH processing services identified under Article 7 and First National Bank of Omaha is the Originating Depository Financial Institution
(“ODFI”), EPX Acquisition Company, LLC d/b/a EPX, shall be the third-party provider of such services.
“Servicers” - collectively refers to Member, Agent and any applicable Processing Partner.
“Merchant Portal” – The Merchant Portal is the online portal Merchant can access information and documents pertaining to the Merchant Account.
Additional definitions are located in Article VIII - Glossary
ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS BY MERCHANT:
Merchant has completed and submitted to Servicers an application for services that provides information about Merchant’s business and processing needs (the “Merchant Application”). As part of the Merchant Application, Merchant has certified that it has read this Agreement, and understands and agrees that the terms of this Agreement will be binding upon it if and when Servicers approve the Merchant Application to receive requested services. A MERCHANT’S SUBMISSION OF A TRANSACTION TO SERVICERS SHALL CONSTITUTE RATIFICATION OF EACH AND ALL OF MERCHANT’S OBLIGATIONS UNDER THIS AGREEMENT. To the extent Merchant accepts American Express (“AXP”) cards, the provisions in this Agreement with respect to AXP apply if Merchant does not have a separate agreement with AXP.
THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION PROVISION IN SECTION 1.50 THAT AFFECTS MERCHANT’S RIGHTS. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. If Merchant has a dispute with Servicers that cannot be resolved informally, the arbitration provision in Section 1.50 below requires resolution of the dispute in an individual arbitration or sm
The General Provisions set out in this Article I govern the relationship between Servicers and Merchant for all services provided by or through Servicers. The subsequent sections of this Agreement define the terms of service for different service offerings of the Servicers and shall apply to Merchant at such time that Merchant commences receiving such services
1.1 Compliance with Rules and Servicers Guidelines.
Merchant agrees to comply with and be subject to all Rules of Mastercard International, Inc., (“Mastercard”), Visa International (“VISA”), JCB, International (“JCB”), Discover Network (“Discover Network”), American Express (“AXP”) and the National Automated Clearing House Association (“Nacha”), and certain non-bank card association fleet card services, including, but not limited to, Voyager and/or WEX cards (“Fleet”), as they may exist from time to time and as applicable to Merchant’s activities under this Agreement. Merchant also agrees to comply with all guidelines, policies and procedures for services provided to Merchant by Servicers from time to time. Additional information and links to locations where Merchant can see or obtain copies of the Rules are located at http://www.myresourceportal.com/programguide, https://usa.visa.com/support/c... and https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/about-mastercard/what-we-do/rules.html. The Mastercard and Visa Rules are subject to change at any time without notice including, without limitation, the hyperlinks in the immediately preceding sentence. MERCHANT UNDERSTANDS AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT DISCOVER, AXP, JCB, NACHA AND OTHER SERVICES ARE NOT PROVIDED TO IT BY MEMBER,, BUT ARE INSTEAD PROVIDED BY AGENT, THE PROCESSING PARTNER AND/OR THIRD PARTIES. FOR PIN DEBIT TRANSACTIONS, SUCH THIRD PARTIES MAY INCLUDE SPONSORING OR ACQUIRING BANKS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO MEMBER BANK. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT REGARDING DISCOVER NETWORK CARD TRANSACTIONS, AXP CARD TRANSACTIONS, JCB CARD TRANSACTIONS, NACHA TRANSACTIONS, OR ANY OTHER NON-BANK CARD TRANSACTIONS CONSTITUTE AN AGREEMENT SOLELY BETWEEN MERCHANT, AGENT AND THIRD PARTIES. MEMBER IS NOT A PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT INSOFAR AS IT RELATES TO SUCH TRANSACTIONS.
1.2 Enforcement of Servicer Rights.
To the maximum degree permitted by law and by the Rules of Mastercard, VISA, JCB, AXP, Discover Network, NACHA, and any applicable Fleet card provider, it is the intention of the parties that the rights of Servicers set forth in this Agreement, or arising from this Agreement, may be exercised solely by Agent or an applicable Processing Partner, or its or their authorized designees.
1.3 Warranties of Merchant.
Merchant hereby represents and warrants to Servicers at the time of submission of the Merchant Application and during the term of this Agreement that:
(a) All information contained in the Merchant Application or any other documents delivered to or on behalf of Servicers in connection therewith is true and complete and accurately reflects Merchant’s business, financial condition and principal partners, owners or officers.
(b) Merchant is duly organized and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, and is duly qualified to conduct business in each jurisdiction where failure to do so would have a material adverse effect on its business.
(c) Merchant has the power to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, and this Agreement is duly authorized, constitutes a valid and binding obligation of Merchant and will not violate any provisions of law, or conflict with any other agreement to which Merchant is subject.
(d) Merchant has all licenses, if any, required to conduct its business and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction where it is required to do so.
(e) There is no action, suit or proceeding at law or in equity now pending or to Merchant’s knowledge, threatened by or against or affecting Merchant which would substantially impair its right to carry on its business as now conducted or adversely affect its financial condition or operations.
(f) Unless Merchant notifies Servicers in writing (either on the Merchant Application or otherwise) and is approved by Servicers, no other processing relationship for any of the services offered by Servicers under this Agreement may exist between Merchant and another Card processing institution, for any business owned or operated by Merchant.
(g) (i) the taxpayer identification number (“TIN”) provided on the Merchant Application is Merchant’s true and correct TIN; (ii) Merchant is not subject to backup withholding because (a) Merchant is exempt from backup withholding, (b) Merchant has not been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified Merchant that it is no longer subject to backup withholding, and (iii) Merchant is a citizen of the United States of America (“U.S.”) or other U.S. person. (For federal tax purposes, Merchant is considered a U.S. person if Merchant is: an individual who is a U.S. citizen, or U.S. resident alien, partnership, corporation, company or association created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States, and estate (other than a foreign estate), or a domestic trust (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code section 301.7701-7.))
(h) No owner, officer, director, employee or agent of Merchant is a current or former “senior” official in the executive, legislative, administrative, military, or judicial branch of any government (elected or not); or an official of a political party; or an executive of a government-owned commercial enterprise; or a family member of any of the foregoing officials; or a close personal or professional associate of any foregoing officials.
1.4 Notifications Regarding Changes in Merchant’s Business or Application Information.
(a) Merchant must provide Servicers with immediate notice of its intent to: (i) transfer or sell any substantial part of its total assets, or liquidate; (ii) change the basic nature of its business, including selling any products or services not related to its current business; (iii) change ownership or transfer control of its business; (iv) enter into any joint venture, partnership or similar business arrangement whereby any person or entity not a party to this Agreement assumes any interest in Merchant’s business; or (v) alter in any way Merchant’s approved monthly volume and average ticket. (b) Merchant must immediately notify Servicers of any Bankruptcy, receivership, insolvency, levy or similar action initiated by or against Merchant or any of its principals. Merchant will include Servicers on the list of creditors filed with the applicable Bankruptcy Court in connection with any such Bankruptcy, whether or not a claim exists at the time of filing. (c) Merchant must notify Servicers in writing of any changes to the information contained in the Merchant Application, including but not limited to, (i) a material change to Merchant’s financial condition (within three (3) days of such occurrence), (ii) any additional location(s) or new business, (iii) a change in the business location or contact information, both physical and email addresses, (iv) the identity of principals and/or owners, (v) the form of business organization, (vi) type of goods and services provided, and (vii) how sales are completed. Merchant must also notify Servicers in writing if Merchant sells or closes its business. Except for a change to the financial condition, all such notices must be received by Servicers seven (7) days before the change. Merchant will also provide updated information to Servicers upon request. Merchant acknowledges that Servicers are relying on Merchant maintaining current contact information with Servicers for all manner of notices allowed under this Agreement. Merchant’s failure to timely notify Servicers of any change(s) to its contact information will be a waiver of any defense of Merchant that timely or proper notice was not agreed to or received by Merchant. (d) Merchant must immediately notify Servicers in writing if Merchant is threatened with or becomes party to any action, suit or proceeding at law or in equity that could substantially impair its right to carry on its business or adversely affect its financial condition or operations. Merchant must provide separate notification regarding changes to service providers used by Merchant in connection with Servicer-provided services, including but not limited to AXP, and equipment leasing companies.
1.5 Credit and Financial Inquiries: Anti-Money Laundering; Additional Locations: Inspections.
(a) IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT. To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, Federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person (individual, corporation, partnership, trust, estate, or any other entity recognized as a legal person) who opens an account. In order to comply with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act, Member may require the Merchant to provide its legal name, street address, taxpayer identification number and other information that will allow Member to identify Merchant prior to establishing accounts under, or in connection with, this Agreement. Member reserves the right to require that Merchant promptly provide, to Member sufficient identification documentation upon request and in connection with USA PATRIOT Act compliance. U.S. Economic Sanctions. Prior to establishing accounts under, or in connection with, this Agreement, Member may require identifiable information on the Merchant’s Cardholders to allow U.S. Bank USA to remain in compliance with U.S. Economic Sanctions. Merchant agrees to promptly provide any such information to Member.
(b) Merchant hereby authorizes Servicers to make, at the time of submission of the Merchant Application and at any later time during which Merchant owes any obligation to Servicers, any credit inquiries which, in their discretion, may be necessary or prudent. Merchant, and each individual owner thereof (in the case of an unincorporated business), general partner thereof (in the case of a partnership), Guarantor, individual executing this Agreement, and individual who is or becomes personally liable for the performance of the obligations of Merchant under this Agreement, hereby agrees that such inquiries may include, in the Servicers’ discretion and without limitation, obtaining a consumer credit report of each of them. If requested to do so by Servicers, Merchant shall provide the written consent of any other person for which an inquiry has been or is to be made. Merchant will also provide any financial statements, income tax and business tax returns and other financial information as Servicers may consider necessary to perform initial or periodic reviews of Merchant’s financial stability and business practices.
(c) Information obtained under Section 1. 5(a) above may be used by Servicers, without limitation, for one or more of the following purposes: (i) to evaluate current and ongoing credit worthiness; (ii) to evaluate continuing eligibility for the services provided under this Agreement, and to establish, administer, service, and enforce provisions of this Agreement; (iii) to verify the identity of Merchant, and each individual identified in Section 1. 5(b) above, including matching records or credit information; (iv) for detecting and preventing fraud and complying with anti-money laundering and terrorist financial regulations, including checking identities against watch lists established by regulatory agencies or similar bodies; (v) to meet legal, regulatory, audit, processing and security requirements; (vi) to support merchant retention operations; or (vi) from time to time, to determine Merchant’s eligibility for and occasionally to communicate with Merchant regarding additional products, services or business opportunities.
(d) Merchant, and each person identified in Section 1. 5(b), acknowledges and agrees that a permissible purpose exists under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to support the Servicers request for consumer credit inquiries identified in Section 1. 5(b). Merchant may withdraw the authorization to obtain consumer credit reports by contacting the Agent customer service department in writing.
(e) Merchant agrees to permit Servicers at any time from time to time, to inspect locations to confirm that Merchant has adhered or is adhering to the terms of this Agreement and is maintaining the proper facilities, equipment, inventory, records and licenses or permits (where necessary) to conduct its business. However, nothing in this Section 1.05(e) shall be deemed to waive Merchant’s obligation to comply in all respects with the terms of this Agreement.
(f) Merchant may process Card transactions only at locations and websites approved by Servicers. Additional locations may be added, subject to Servicers’ approval. Either Merchant or Servicers may delete any location by providing notice as provided in this Agreement.
(g) Representatives of Servicers may, during normal business hours, inspect, audit and make copies of Merchant’s books, accounts, records and files pertaining to any Card transactions processed by or through Servicers.
1.6 Guarantor Notifications and Authorizations.
The decision of Servicers to enter into and continue processing Card transactions for Merchant is based on the financial condition of Guarantor and the ability of Guarantor to guarantee Merchant’s obligations under this Agreement. Accordingly, Guarantor must provide Servicers with information regarding changes in his or her contact information and financial circumstances. Guarantor agrees to take the actions required under Section 1.4(b) through (e). Guarantor also authorizes Servicers to make ongoing inquiries about Guarantor as detailed in Section 1.5. For purposes of understanding Guarantors obligations and authorizations under this Section 1.6, Guarantor will apply the provisions of Section 1. 4 and 1. 5 to Guarantor by substituting the term Guarantor in place of Merchant where it appears in such sections.
1.7 Account.
(a) Merchant will establish and maintain an Account at a depository institution approved by Servicers. Merchant will maintain sufficient funds in the Account to satisfy all obligations, including the fees, Chargebacks and returns contemplated by this Agreement. Merchant irrevocably authorizes Servicers to debit the Account for fees, Chargebacks, returns, fines and any other penalties or amounts owed under this Agreement. In the event the Account lacks sufficient funds, Merchant and Guarantors authorize Servicers, without notice, to debit any bank account in their name(s) or the name of any affiliated entity. Merchant must obtain prior consent from Servicers to change the Account. If Merchant does not obtain such consent, Servicers may immediately terminate this Agreement and may take other action necessary to protect their interests.
(b) Servicers will settle all valid Card transactions to the Account subject to the terms of this Agreement. Merchant authorizes Servicers to initiate reversal or adjustment entries and initiate or suspend such entries.
(c) Servicers, in their sole discretion, shall grant Merchant provisional credit for Card transaction amounts, subject to receipt of final payment by Servicers and subject to all Chargebacks and other amounts owed to Servicers under this Agreement.
(d) Merchant authorizes Servicers to initiate ACH debit/credit entries to the Account, as the Account may be changed from time to time and to any other account maintained by Merchant at any institution, all in accordance with this Agreement. In the event Merchant changes the Account, this authorization will apply to the new Account. This authorization will be effective until both: (i) Servicers have received written notification from Merchant terminating this authorization, and (ii) all obligations of Merchant to Servicers have been paid in full. Merchant may be required to provide to Servicers with a voided Account check and/or fill in the required Account numbers on Merchant Application.
(e) If the Account is closed or is otherwise unavailable to Servicers for ACH debit, Merchant consents to Servicers locating additional deposit accounts or assets by using any means legally available. In this event, Merchant waives all rights to their privacy in favor of Servicers until such time as all unpaid Chargebacks and fees owed to Servicers have been paid in full.
1.8 Reserve Account.
In addition to any other rights granted to Servicers under this Agreement, Merchant hereby authorizes Servicers to establish a Reserve Account, with or without prior notice to Merchant, at any time prior to, during or after termination of this Agreement, to ensure the recovery of any liabilities owed them or reasonably anticipated by Servicers in their sole discretion to be owed by Merchant pursuant to this Agreement. Servicers may also require as a condition of providing continued services, that Merchant fund and maintain a Reserve Account with Servicers as security against any costs, losses or expenses incurred by Servicers in connection with the provision of services to Merchant. Merchant’s obligation to maintain any Reserve Account shall survive the termination of this Agreement by a period of two hundred seventy (270) days (or longer depending on Merchant’s product and business practices) during which time Servicers’ right, title and interest therein shall continue. In addition Merchant further agrees:
(a) Liabilities to be paid from the Reserve Account include, but are not limited to, those arising out of actual and/or potential post termination Chargebacks, as well as any and all Termination Fees, charges and expenses due or anticipated to be due Servicers from Merchant.
(b) The Reserve Account shall be in such amount Servicers deem reasonable under the circumstances in their sole discretion. The Reserve Account may be funded and/or replenished by Servicers by withholding from Merchant’s Card transaction proceeds, and/or withholding or withdrawing from, or freezing all or any part of, the Account and/or any other deposit accounts maintained by Merchant wherever found by any means legally available. Unless Servicers agree otherwise in writing with Merchant, the Reserve Account shall not bear interest.
(c) Servicers may enforce their right, title and interest in the Reserve Account without notice or demand being first made to Merchant. Servicers’ right to sums owed them by Merchant pursuant to this Agreement shall in no way be limited by the balance or existence of the Reserve Account. Servicers’ right, title and interest with respect to the Reserve Account shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
(d) Servicers may exercise their rights under this Agreement to collect any amounts due to Servicers including, without limitation, rights of set-off and recoupment. Merchant shall have no right to withdraw funds or debit the Reserve Account.
(e) It is stipulated and agreed that the funds placed in the Reserve Account are trust fund monies legally and exclusively held for the benefit of Servicers. In the event of Bankruptcy proceedings, Servicers may exercise their rights under this Agreement to debit the Reserve Account for amounts due Servicers regardless of the pre-petition or post-petition nature of the amount due Servicers. In the event of a Bankruptcy proceeding, Merchant also agrees that it will not contest any motion for relief from the automatic stay which Servicers may file to debit the Reserve Account.
(f) Servicers may retain funds in the Reserve Account for as long as Merchant may be liable to make payments under this Agreement. Funds are typically retained in the Reserve Account for a minimum of two hundred seventy (270) days from the date of the oldest Card transaction in question or the date of termination, whichever is longer, and may be retained longer depending on the nature of Merchant’s Card transaction activity. Servicers will have sole control of the Reserve Account. In the event of a Bankruptcy proceeding Servicers do not consent to the assumption of this Agreement. Nevertheless, if this Agreement is assumed, Merchant agrees that in order to establish assurance of future performance within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. Sec 365, as amended from time to time, Merchant must establish a Reserve Account in an amount satisfactory to Servicers.
(g) In addition to any other rights granted to Servicers under this Section 1.8, Merchant understands that a separate Reserve Account is required for the use of Agent’s ACH Services and authorizes Servicers to establish, using Merchant funds, a non-interest-bearing ACH Reserve Account held by the Member processing Merchant-originated ACH Entries to offset returned or disputed ACH items or other liabilities under this Agreement. The initial reserve shall be in such amount Agent deems reasonable under the circumstances in its sole discretion, but no less than ten percent (10%) of Merchants approved ACH Exposure Limit. Agent shall maintain the right to review and adjust the ACH reserve requirement based upon the Merchant’s actual performance. If the amount of returned ACH items exceeds the balance in the reserve account, Merchant authorizes Servicers to fund the excess via the Merchant’s operating account at its own DFI. Changes in reserve fund requirements will be determined by Agent according to Merchant's financial condition, Transaction volumes, Transaction amounts and ACH Return ratios; any such changes shall be effective immediately. Notwithstanding the ACH reserve fund, Merchant shall be liable and reimburse Agent for any returned items as set forth in Section 7.8 of this Agreement. The ACH reserve fund shall be funded, maintained and/or replenished by Servicers withholding from remittances hereunder. Agent may hold any or all reserve funds for a period of up to two hundred seventy (270) days (or longer depending on Merchant’s product and business practices) following the termination of this Agreement by either party. After such a period, any amounts remaining in the reserve fund will be promptly returned to Merchant.
(h) Where Reserve Account funds are held with Fresno First Bank, the Reserve Account is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and is not protected by FDIC pass-through deposit insurance coverage.
1.9 Recoupment.
Merchant acknowledges and agrees, notwithstanding anything set forth in this Agreement to the contrary, that any and all credits provided to Merchant by Servicers for collected Sales Drafts under this Agreement are provisional and cannot be equitably finalized until the respective periods permitted for Chargebacks, returns, fees, fines, penalties and other adjustments to be assessed or implemented have all expired under this Agreement. These Chargebacks, returns, fees, fines, penalties and other adjustments are an integral part of the credit to be given to Merchant in respect of such Sales Draft. To the extent that any Chargeback, return, fee, penalty, fine or other adjustment is assessed or implemented, Servicers may exercise their right of recoupment with regard to the credit provisionally paid for the respective Sales Draft. In the absence of this remedy, Merchant acknowledges that it would be overpaid for the respective Sales Draft, and such overpayment shall be held in trust by Merchant as the legal and equitable property of the Servicers. Merchant also acknowledges that, in order for rights and obligations of the parties to be fairly and equitable administered, the various Sales Drafts presented by Merchant to Servicers shall constitute a single, integrated transaction, and not a series of separate or discrete transactions.
1.10 Security Interest.
To secure Merchant’s and Guarantor’s respective performance under this Agreement, including without limitation Merchant’s obligations arising out of Chargebacks or returns, Merchant and Guarantor each hereby grants to Servicers, pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code of the State of Michigan, as amended from time to time, a security interest in all of Merchant’s and Guarantor’s personal assets and property, including but not limited to the following assets and property: (a) the electronic terminal, printer, imprinter and imprinter plate; (b) all Sales Drafts, ACH deposits, credit drafts, and in all Accounts and Reserve Accounts, regardless of source, wherever found, standing in the name of Merchant and/or Guarantor, whether established or designated and maintained pursuant to this Agreement or not; and (c) the proceeds and products of such assets and property. In the event of Merchant’s default under this Agreement, Merchant and Guarantor(s) stipulate: (i) that all personal accounts standing in their names shall be subject to this Agreement and ACH debit; and (ii) all ACH debits, whether made against the Account or Guarantor’s personal account, shall bear a commercial account code designation (CCD) for purposes of electronic collection via the ACH system, and (iii) Merchant and/or Guarantor irrevocably consent to Servicers using any means available to locate such deposit accounts until such time as all amounts due have been paid. Servicers may enforce this security interest as applicable by:
(a) Making an immediate debit/charge via the ACH system to any deposit account standing in the name or names of Merchant and/or Guarantor, without notice or demand of any kind; and/or interrupting the electronic transmission of funds to any account through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system;
(b) Freezing the entire Account and/or Reserve Account, without notice or demand of any kind, upon Servicers determination that Merchant has breached any term of this Agreement;
(c) Taking possession of any or all of Merchant’s or Guarantor’s personal assets or property;
(d) Placing a receiver within Merchant’s place of business without notice or bond to intercept and collect all income derived from Merchant’s operations until such time as any indebtedness owed to Servicers arising under this Agreement has been satisfied in full;
(e) By obtaining either a writ of attachment or a writ of possession without bond pertaining to Merchant’s and/or Guarantor’s personal assets or property. Merchant and Guarantor hereby irrevocably authorize the Servicers at any time and from time to time to file any financing statements and amendments thereto, in any jurisdiction required for the proper perfection of the Servicers’ security interest, and shall provide any statement or notice that Servicers determine to be necessary to preserve and protect this security interest. Merchant’s and/or Guarantor’s granting of this security interest in no way limits Merchant’s and Guarantor’s liabilities to Servicers under this Agreement.
1.11 Fiduciary Relationship.
Whenever Merchant and/or Guarantor has a deposit held with Servicers that arose from or is subject to this Agreement, to which, pursuant to this Agreement, Merchant and/or Guarantor is not entitled, Merchant’s and Guarantor’s entitlement to such deposit shall be as a fiduciary of Servicers until any claim by Servicers against Merchant and Guarantor has been resolved. Merchant and Guarantor each agrees that its failure to repay, within five (5) calendar days of notification by Servicers, funds to which Merchant or Guarantor is not entitled to, shall result in a presumption that Merchant and/or Guarantor intends to misappropriate such funds. Merchant and Guarantor each further agrees that in the event Servicers seek to enforce their rights herein in a court of competent jurisdiction, that any receivership, temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, writ of attachment or writ of possession may be issued against Merchant and/or Guarantor without bond.
1.12 Guarantors.
As a primary inducement to Servicers to enter into this Agreement with Merchant, Guarantor, whether by signing the Merchant Application or by acknowledging consent by electronic means, jointly and severally (where more than one Guarantor), and unconditionally and irrevocably, guarantee the continuing full and faithful performance and payment by Merchant of each of its duties and obligations to Servicers pursuant to this Agreement, as it now exists or is amended from time to time, with or without notice. Guarantor understands further that Servicers may proceed directly against Guarantor without first exhausting its remedies against any other person or entity responsible therefore to it or any security held by Servicers. This guaranty will not be discharged or affected by the death of the Guarantor, will bind all heirs, administrators, representatives and assigns and may be enforced by or for the benefit of any successor of Servicers. Guarantor understand that the inducement to Servicers to enter into this Agreement is consideration for this guaranty, and that this guaranty remains in full force and effect even if the Guarantor receives no additional benefit from the guaranty.
1.13 Payment of Fees and Other Amounts Owed.
Merchant shall pay to Servicers the fees and charges set forth on the Merchant Application, any separate schedule of fees, and the fee provisions of this Agreement, including those fees set forth in Sections 1.14 and 1.15, all of which are subject to change pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. Merchant agrees that Servicers may collect their fees, fines and other amounts owed under this Agreement by netting against the proceeds of Merchant’s processing activity. The Account will be debited through ACH for such amounts and for any other fees, charges or adjustments incurred by Merchant and associated with the services provided under this Agreement. Merchant is obligated to pay all taxes and other charges imposed by any governmental authority on the services provided under this Agreement. Servicers have the right to change fees as set forth in this Agreement. Any changes in fees under the Agreement implemented in connection with changes in a Card Network’s fees, interchange, assessments, Rules, gift card systems or any law or judicial decision will become effective at such time that Servicers may specify, which may be sooner than the beginning of the next billing cycle following the date of notice.
1.14 General Fees.
In consideration of the services provided, Merchant will be charged, and Merchant agrees to pay, any and all fees set forth in this Agreement (for the purposes of clarity, this includes the Application and any additional pricing supplements or subsequent communications), all of which shall be calculated and payable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and any additional pricing supplements or subsequent communications. Additional fees specific to each service offering are set forth in the Pricing Schedule section of the Merchant Application. Merchant is encouraged to review these additional rates and fees as set forth on the Merchant Application. If no per transaction fee is specified, AXP transactions will be subject to the same communications fee as VISA/Mastercard/Discover, specified on the Merchant Application. Different discount rates and other fees may apply to different types of Card transactions. Servicers will process Merchant’s Visa, Mastercard and Discover Card transactions at the Qualified Discount Rate only when Merchant transactions meet certain criteria set by the applicable Card Network and Servicers. When Card transactions fail to meet those qualification criteria, Servicers will process Merchant transactions at the higher Non-Qualified Discount Rate (or, in certain circumstances, at an intermediate Mid-Qualified Discount Rate) indicated on the Application. For example, a higher “Mid-Qualified Discount Rate” may be charged on other types of Card transactions, including without limitation, keyed cards at retail locations or keyed cards with valid AVS response and order number for “card not present” transactions; and a higher “Non-Qualified Discount Rate” may be charged on other types of Card transactions, including without limitation, Business, Corporate, or Purchase cards (collectively, “Commercial Cards”), International, or Government cards, keyed cards where AVS is not present or missing any of the required data elements, batches not closed within one calendar day of transaction, all rewards cards as defined by the Card Issuers, and any pre-authorized sale that is not processed/captured within 7 business days.
If Merchant selects Interchange Plus or Qualified Incentive pricing on the Merchant Application, the Merchant will pay the actual interchange rate and the applicable discount rate appearing on the application for each transaction. If Merchant elects Qualified Incentive pricing on the Merchant Application, then any Card transaction failing to meet the qualification criteria for the Qualified Discount Rate will be assessed an additional surcharge of up to 1.49% of the Card transaction amount in addition to the actual interchange and discount rate identified on the Merchant Application.
Certain Commercial Card transactions may benefit from lower interchange rates if certain information is passed to the Card Networks at the time of the Card transaction. Merchant may at any time opt to provide such additional information directly to the Servicers as part of the Card transaction and may recognize the entire interchange rate savings. In the event that Merchant fails to provide such additional information to the Card Networks, Merchant hereby authorizes and directs Servicers to provide such additional information to the applicable Card Networks, on Merchant’s behalf, in order to permit the qualification of such transactions for any available discounted interchange rate programs offered by the applicable Card Networks. The Servicers may provide a portion of these interchange rate reduction savings to Merchant, and Merchant can calculate such amount through a review of its monthly statement. If and when any Card Network implements merchant-level interchange incentives or other discounts relating to small businesses, industries/business sectors, or other groups, such incentives and discounts will be retained by Servicers; provided, however, that a qualifying Merchant with Interchange Plus or Qualified Incentive pricing as set forth in Merchant Application may request in writing that such incentives or discounts instead be passed through to it, and such requests will be processed by Servicers within a reasonable time frame, and implemented proactively thereafter. For additional information and disclosures, Merchant should review Card Network press releases and announcements, and/or may contact the customer service number provided on its statements and in its welcome letter. For more information on Visa’s and Mastercard’s interchange rates, please visit usa.visa.com and www.mastercard.us or contact Agent.
A Merchant is billed a transaction fee each time communication is made with the host. The amount of this fee is initially assigned by the Agent or sales representative at the time Merchant submits its Merchant Application, and it is subject to change as described below. Merchant is required to annually validate PCI DSS compliance, with the initial validation required to be completed within ninety (90) days of the effective date of the Agreement. After such date, Merchant may be charged a fee (based on the equipment Merchant uses) in accordance with Agent’s PCI Plus Program, which is subject to change at Agent’s sole discretion, to offset the costs associated with maintaining compliance with PCI DSS and other governmental and regulatory requirements. Merchant may also be required to pay an early Termination Fee as fully set forth in Section 1.16 below. Furthermore, Merchant may also be assessed a fee in connection with enrollment into the Payments Hub, as fully set forth in Article VI.1. Additional charges that may occur from time to time include, but are not limited to, Chargeback fees, re-presentment fees and retrieval fees. A monthly minimum fee will be deducted unless Merchant has met its minimum processing volume. The standard delivery method for monthly statements is in an electronic, online version that will be generated each month and located on the Merchant Portal.
SERVICERS MAY MODIFY ALL FEES PAYABLE BY MERCHANT UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING THOSE DETAILED IN THE MERCHANT APPLICATION AND ANY SEPARATE SCHEDULE OF FEES, OR INTRODUCE NEW FEES, IN EACH CASE BY PROVIDING NOTICE TO MERCHANT OF CHANGES TO SUCH FEES, WHICH MAY INCLUDE BY STATEMENT MESSAGE. If Merchant is affected by a fee increase or the introduction of new fees, other than a fee increase or new fees caused by a Card Network or other third party and passed through to Merchant, Merchantshall have 30 daysfrom the date of itsreceipt of the first monthly statement reflecting such fee increase or new fee to provide written notice to Servicers of Merchant’s termination of the Merchant Agreement without incurring the early Termination Fees set forth in Section 1.16. In addition, a minimum of thirty (30) days advance notice will be provided to Merchant in the case of any fee increase or introduction of a new fee related to Mastercard and Maestro, and in such event Merchant will have the right to terminate Mastercard or Maestro acceptance under this Agreement within ninety (90) days of receiving notice of such fee increase or introduction of a new fee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this termination right as to Mastercard acceptance will not apply to any fee increase made in accordance with a pre-determined fee schedule included in this Agreement.
1.15 Card Network Fees.
If fees are not listed on the Merchant Application or separate schedule of fees to the contrary, the following fees are applicable. These fees represent processing-related costs that are passed through to Merchant as a result of Merchant’s acceptance of VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover Network and JCB Card transactions. These fees may include fees charged by the applicable Card Networks and/or a markup by Servicers, and may be adjusted from time to time to reflect increases implemented by Card Networks, Servicers or third parties in the delivery of processing-related services. Servicers also reserve the right to bundle all such fees. The names of the fees that will be charged on Merchant’s statement include those listed below. Merchant understands that every Credit Voucher issued will be subject on a daily basis to a transaction authorization, interchange, discount, network assessment or other applicable fees and there will be no refund of any such fees or charges associated with the original transaction. Visa International Card - Purchase, Visa ISA (US) - Single Currency, Visa Misuse of Authorization Fee, Visa Zero Floor Limit, Visa System File Transmission Fee, Visa Credit Voucher (Credit), Visa Credit Voucher (Debit), Visa FANF, Visa Debit Integrity Fee, Visa Zero Dollar Verification Fee, Visa NAPF Fee - Credit, Visa NAPF Fee - Debit, Visa Assessments-Debit Fee, Visa Assessments-Credit Fee, Visa International Service Assessment-Enhanced Fee, Visa International Service Assessment-Base Fee, Visa Transaction Integrity Fee, Visa Account Verification, MC Assessment, MC Acquirer Brand Volume Fee, MC Acquirer License Fee, MC Cross Border - Single Currency, MC Cross-Border Fee - Foreign, MC Global Acquirer Fee - Purchase, MC Processing Integrity Fee - Final Auth (Max), MC Processing Integrity Fee - Final Auth (Min) per Auth, MC Processing Integrity Fee - PreAuth/Undefined per Auth, MC Digital Enablement Fee, MC Location Fee, MC NABU Fee, MC AVS - Card Present, MC AVS - Card Not Present, MC Card Validation Code Fee, MC Kilobyte Access Fee, DSC Assessments, DSC International Processing Fee, DSC International Card - Purchase, DSC Network Authorization Fee, DSC Data Usage Fee, AX Assessments, AX Global Acquirer - Purchase, AX CNP, PayPal Participation Fee, PayPal Assessments Fee, Debit Switch Fee, Processor Fee - CU Account Verification, Processor Fee - JCB Account Verification, Processor Fee - Diners Account Verification, Processor Fee - DSC Account Verification, Processor Fee - CU Digital Investment Fee, Processor Fee - JCB Digital Investment Fee, Processor Fee - Diners Digital Investment Fee, Processor Fee - DSC Digital Investment Fee, Processor Fee - CU Address Verification Fee, Processor Fee - JCB Address Verification Fee, Processor Fee - Diners Address Verification Fee, Processor Fee - DSC Address Verification Fee, Processor Fee - AX Acquirer Transaction Fee, Processor Fee - MC Digital Enablement Fee (max per item), Processor Fee - MC Decline Reason Code Service Fee, Processor Fee - MC Digital Enablement Fee (min per item), Processor Fee - Visa Declines - Issuer Will Never Approve (Int'l), Processor Fee - Visa Address Verification Fee, Processor Fee - Visa Declines - Issuer Will Never Approve.
1.16 Term: Termination.
This Agreement shall remain in full force and in effect for an initial term of three (3) years. This Agreement shall be automatically extended for successive one (1) month periods on the same terms and conditions expressed herein, or as may be amended, unless Merchant gives written notice of termination at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the initial term or any extension or renewals thereof, in which case this Agreement will terminate at the end of the then-current term. (a) This Agreement shall not become effective until the Merchant Application is approved by Servicers. Any party may terminate this Agreement or one or more services delivered under this Agreement at any time with or without cause by providing written notice to the other parties and such termination will become effective on the date specified by such notice. If Merchant terminates this Agreement, Servicers shall have thirty (30) days from date of receipt of the notice to close Merchant’s Account. All rights and obligations of the parties existing hereunder as of the effective time of termination shall survive the termination of this Agreement. If Merchant has applied for Card processing and is approved by Servicers, and if Merchant exercises its option to terminate this Agreement within three (3) years after such approval, then Merchant will pay to Servicers a Termination Fee as follows: all monthly fees assessed to Merchant under the Agreement and due to Servicers for the remainder of the then existing term of the Agreement, including all minimum monthly fee commitments, shall be immediately due and payable to Servicers (the “Termination Fee”); provided, however, that in no event shall the Termination Fee be less than $295; and, provided further, that in no event shall the Termination Fee exceed the maximum amount permitted by applicable state law. Merchant hereby authorizes Servicers to deduct the Termination Fee from Merchant’s account referenced in Section 1. 7, or to otherwise withhold the total amount from amounts due to Merchant from Servicers, immediately on or after the effective date of termination. For purposes of calculating the Termination Fee, Servicers reserve the right, in their discretion, to calculate such remaining fees based upon the anticipated annual volume and average transaction levels contemplated by either (i) the Merchant’s actual volume and transaction levels during the period in which it actively processed with Servicers, or (ii) published industry volume and transaction levels associated with the Merchant’s MCC, as selected in Servicers’ sole discretion. If the Merchant’s account does not contain sufficient funds for the debit or the amount cannot be withheld by Servicers from amounts due to Merchant, Merchant shall pay Servicers the amount due within ten (10) days of the date of servicers’ invoice for same. The payment of accelerated monthly fees as described here is not a penalty, but rather is hereby agreed by the parties to be a reasonable amount of liquidated damages to compensate Servicers for its termination expenses and all other damages under the circumstances in which such amounts would be payable. (b) Servicers may terminate this Agreement for any reason immediately without prior notice, including, without limitation, if (i) they have reason to believe that fraudulent Card transactions or other activities prohibited by this Agreement are occurring at any Merchant location, (ii) such action is taken to prevent loss to Servicers or Card Issuers, (iii) Merchant appears on any Card Network’s security reporting, including the Member Alert to Control High-Risk Merchants (“MATCH”), (iv) Servicers’ merchant acceptance criteria changes, (v) Merchant breaches this Agreement, (vi) Merchant violates the rules and regulations of a Card Network, (vi) Merchant engages in conduct that creates harm to or loss of goodwill to any Card Network, or (vii) Merchant fails over a consecutive one hundred eighty (180) day period to process Card transactions at or above the anticipated annualized volume and/or average transaction levels as contemplated by published industry volume and transaction levels associated with the Merchant’s MCC. All rights and obligations of the parties existing hereunder as of the effective time of termination shall survive the termination of this Agreement. In the event that the Agreement is terminated under any of subparts (i) - (iii), or (v) - (vii), of this Subsection (b), then Servicers shall have the right to calculate and assess the Termination Fee set forth in Section 1.16(a) above. In addition, an administrative account closure fee of $1,000.00 will be charged if Merchant if terminated under any of subparts (i) - (iii), or (v) - (vi), of this Section 1.16(b). All rights and obligations of the parties existing hereunder as of the effective time of termination shall survive the termination of this Agreement. (c) Merchant will be assessed a software recovery fee if it: (i) received a free promotional copy of any third party software (such as QuickBooks or Quicken) upon entering in this Agreement, and (ii) terminated this Agreement, in its sole discretion, within two years of acceptance by Servicers. Such software recovery fee shall be determined by Servicers in their sole discretion, but will be no greater than the then current direct, retail price charged to the public to purchase such software. This software recovery fee shall be in addition to any Termination Fee set forth in this Agreement. (d) If any case or proceeding is commenced by or against Merchant under any federal or state law dealing with insolvency, Bankruptcy, receivership or other debt relief, this Agreement shall simultaneously therewith automatically terminate, and any amounts due to Servicers under this Agreement shall become immediately due and payable, without the necessity of any notice, declaration or other act by Servicers. Notwithstanding such termination, Servicers, in their sole discretion, may determine that consent to Merchant’s subsequent assumption of this Agreement is in Servicers’ best interests. In such event, the assumption will be made under terms and conditions that are acceptable to Servicers and comply with the applicable federal or state laws governing such assumption. (e) Merchant acknowledges and agrees that a Card Network can limit or terminate processing in its sole discretion and at any time. (f) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if within forty-five (45) days of Merchant’s execution of this Agreement Merchant provides Agent with written notice that it wishes to terminate this Agreement immediately and, if applicable, returns at Merchant’s expense any free terminals Merchant received in connection with this Agreement within thirty (30) days of the date of such notice, Merchant shall not be responsible for the payment of the Termination Fee, but shall be responsible for compliance with all other terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement, including but not limited to payment for all fees incurred prior to the termination of this Agreement.