Varden H.

Authorize.net has been holding $8097 in customer payments for more than 56 days and refuses to release the funds to me for 90 days. All customers have had the funds withdrawn from their accounts and have signed written agreements to have the funds transferred via ACH. I have never had one customer cancel a check or credit card payment, and I have excellent credit. I've already paid for and shipped all the products to the customers, and they're satisfied with the products.

This is a painful dent in my small business cash flow. Business is hard enough without someone suddenly keeping your money for 90 days!

I first signed up for authorize.net as a payment gateway because I needed both credit card and ACH echeck services. I entered the first customer check payments as instructed, and the funds were withdrawn from the customers' bank accounts.

Then authorize refused to give the money to me and said it was on hold for 30 days. I asked if there was a problem with the customers banks being able to pay, and they said no. I double-checked with the customers and they confirmed the funds had been withdrawn from their accounts and they were satisfied with my products.

After 40 days, I checked with authorize and they said authorize was now keeping my money for 90 days. Still no explanation or justification. I sent written signed agreements from each of the customers showing they had agreed to have the funds withdrawn from their accounts.

Getting desperate because of this painful dent in my cash flow, I called and emailed support, involved my payment processor and asked my bank for help. Each time, was told the funds remain on hold for 90 days.

It's now been 56 days and I still have not received my first three customer payments via check totaling $8097.

Thankfully, I've found another gateway and payment processor and will avoid authorize.net like the plague.