Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  $936.24 was paid to Certified Payments by Deluxe to settle an annual tax bill with Harris County WCID #*** (receipt received by email). My bank records show the money as going directly to ************* wc which isnt accurate per the county. They have no record of receiving funds and I currently have a delinquent tax bill. Certified Payments provides a payment ID confirming they received money from me but are refusing to provide any documentation was sent to *************. Im trying to avoid getting a lien on my property and need a refund to rectify this issue.

  Business response

  09/03/2024

  Dear BBB,

  On August 23, 2014 we reached out to the customer via email requesting additional information. We are still waiting a response from the second email sent to the customer. As of today, we have not received a response from the customer in order to track payment and provide a resolution. We will, again, follower up with the customer.

  Sincerely,

  Merchant Relations

  Customer response

  09/03/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I paid my Texas property taxes using certifiedpayments.net on January 11, 2024. I received two emails from said company that my payment had been accepted. Around May 13th, 2024, I received notice from the county that I was delinquent on my property taxes due to non-payment. Upon showing the county proof of my payment, they had no record of ever receiving the money. I had to pay penalty and interest on the amount I owed.After talking to certifiedpayments.net, they have a record of the payment, but never actually took the money or made the payment. Despite the fact that they caused me a large headache, they were very much like, "Oh well..."I find it hard to believe this transaction didn't raise some flags in the company. And yet, they did not bother to contact me about the issue.Here is the actual email I received on Jan. 11, 2024:-=-=-=-=-=PAYMENT HAS BEEN APPROVED This email is to notify you that your electronic check payment approved for ***************, ** Property Tax INT. Payment Detail Receipt Created: 01/11/2024 7:41:02 AM Bureau: ******* / ******************* Property Tax INT Payment Detail Payment ID: ************ Date/Time: 12/22/2022 1:06:33 PM Amount: $492.29 Conv. Fee: $2.00 Surcharge: $0.00 Agent Assistance Fee: $0.00 Transaction Type: Payment Payment Method Account Type: Checking -=-=-=-=-=This is obviously an error on their part. The email was sent Jan. 11th 2024, but "paid" 2022 taxes. In actuality, it didn't pay anything. My 2022 taxes were already paid. So, I paid, received notification that the payment was accepted, and went on my way thinking everything was taken care of. It was not.

  Business response

  05/28/2024

  Hello,

  We received the complaint and is researching the matter. We will respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  To whom it may concern, I paid the property tax at Denton ***************** via the e check of Certified Payments on Jan 27, **** (payment ID *************. On the payment website, it says "These payments may take 24 to 72 hours to clear your financial institution". Unfortunately, I got an email from Certified Payments on Feb 1, **** notifying me the payment was declined. It took 120 hours for this notice to reach me, which exhausted my options to arrange another payment to Denton County Tax County before the deadline (Feb 1). The lengthy 120 hours is way beyond the ***** hours claimed by Certified Payments. Due to the delay, I am now charged a total of $794.80 (penalty and interest) by the Denton *****************. I would like to resolve this issue to satisfaction with Certified Payments as soon as possible. The penalty and interest will continue to increase beyond Feb. I have contacted Certified Payments through by emailing ****************************** on Feb 2 and heard back an email response from their customer service staff ******** De ******* that she has submitted a request to adjust the language on their website.. While I appreciate staffs prompt response to update the wording on the website, nonetheless, I believe the original wording on the website has created an expectation that was misleading and certainly not met in reality in my case. Unfortunately, this delay left me no chance to address the payment issue on time, which has resulted me in facing penalty and interest for a total of $794.80 charged by the Denton *****************. This is a very unfortunate and unexpected situation. I have requested the Certified Payments on Feb 5 via email again to offer a solution and never heard back. Due to the monetary nature and time sensitivity of this issues, I am seeking for BBBs intervention to protect the customers benefit and interest, and to request a compensation of $794.8 to me from Certified Payments to settle this case. Thanks.

  Business response

  02/16/2024

  Good morning,

  The customer entered payment via our website on Jan 27.****,a Saturday. Our disclaimer states payment may take 24 to 72 hours to clear your financial institution. While most agencies post payments based on the transaction date, some do not.  Please see the attached for a copy of this information.
  
  The office has been in contact with ********* and has tried to address her concerns. From what we can see her payment declined due to no account/unable to locate account. We explained the turnaround time to receive a result and how weekends cannot be included, it runs by business days.
  
  We are trying to contact the customer. A voice message was left,and an email was sent to the customer on Feb 13, **** @ 3:52 PM. We are still waiting on a response from the customer. Please have the customer contact us at ************ and ask to speak with ******* (Operations Manager).
  
  Sincerely,
  Merchant Relations

  Customer response

  02/16/2024

  Complaint: 21258858
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This response does not reflect their willingness to share the consequences caused by misleading statement on their website. I have reached back to her a few time via calls and emails and was finally able to talk with **** on 2/15 afternoon. She is taking follow up action with Denton ***************** based on our discussion. 

  
  Regards,
  
  *************

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  Good morning,

  ******** made a payment over the weekend, which falls outside of ACH processing windows, and did not get sent/processed until Monday the 29th.We received notice on 2/1 and on the same date ******** was notified systemically.
  
  Certified Payments is the processor of the transaction.  The disclaimer language on the website is, as follows: "These payments may take 24 to 72 hours to clear your financial institution. While most agencies post payments based on the transaction date, some do not. If you have questions or concerns regarding the posting date of your payment, please contact the agency directly prior to submitting your payment", (see attachment).

  This clearly indicates that questions regarding the settlement date of any payment should be directed to the government agency.  Ultimately ******** provided incorrect banking information and that was the cause for the rejection.
  

  We have been informed by the county that they require a written request for a waiver of penalties/interest, and it must come from the homeowner. ******** was contacted by Denton County and informed of what needs to be done for her case to be reviewed.  

  Sincerely,

  Merchant Relations

   

  Customer response

  02/21/2024

  Complaint: 21258858
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it does not show the business is willing to take their responsibility which causes financial loss to the customer. It clearly does not care for customer satisfaction either. This payment platform is not technology mature nor ************* in todays era.  
  
  Regards,
  
  *************

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Certified payments is the authorized agent to accept Echeck tax payments for the Kanawha County Sheriff, **********, **. I was directed to Certified's web site by prompts at the sheriff's web site.I completed the Certified information on line; printed out verification of that. I received two emails from Certified; one that my payment was pending, the second that payment was declined due to the bank saying it could not locate an account. The explanation for that is quite simple; I entered the correct routing number for ************ the rep I spoke to at Certified today told me that payments were routed to *******************, where I do not have an account and ******** routing number is completely different than United. The Certified rep insisted that I put in wrong information; I have proof that I did not. Obviously, Certified is a sloppy company. That is why I want written verification that all my information is deleted from their database.

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  Dear **************,

  We are in receipt of ****************** complaint and has since reached out to her via phone (left message) and email.  We are awaiting a response from ************** in order to resolve the matter.

  Sincerely,

  Merchant Relations

   

  Customer response

  09/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Regards,
  
  *******************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩