CREDIT CARD PROCESSING COMPANY REJECTS FIREARMS INDUSTRY

[jerry]

CREDIT CARD PROCESSING COMPANY REJECTS FIREARMS INDUSTRY
REFUSES TO PROCESS TRANSACTIONS . . .
Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corp. are refusing to process any credit card transactions between federally licensed firearms retailers, distributors and manufacturers -- a move which will severely limit available inventory of firearms and ammunition to military, law enforcement and law-abiding Americans.

The first company to be affected by this decision appears to be firearms distributor CDNN Sports Inc.

"We were contacted recently by First Data/Citi Merchant Services by a June Rivera-Mantilla stating that we were terminated and funds were being seized for selling firearms in a non-face-to-face transaction," said Charlie Crawford, president of CDNN Sports Inc. "Although perfectly legal, we were also informed that no transactions would be processed in the future, even for non-firearms. I find this very frightening."

To voice your concern to Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corp., please contact June Rivera-Mantilla at 631-683-7734 or her supervisor Robert Tenenbaum at 631-683-6570.

To change to an NSSF-affiliated credit card processing program, contact Payment Alliance International at 1-866-371-2273 (ext. 1131).
Illinois State Rifle Association

[two-70]

this will be their demise

[jerry]

can only hope

[two-70]

gonna be a lot of people cancel their accounts with them , hopefully and push them into extinction,stuck their foot in their mouth kinda like jim zumbo

[toolman]

CDNN is a local company and I'm picking up the phone right now to call the a**wipes at CitiCard right now.

[Cyrano]

What is being done to CDNN Sports is intolerable. It may even be illegal. We as firearms owners and shooters cannot let this pass unchallenged. It's a new weapon in the gun-banner's arsenal and potentially a very scary one.

Take a minute and email the clowns at questions@firstdata.com and let them know you don't think much of what they are doing to CDNN. Don't bother trying to call the two numbers in the initial post. Robert what's-his-name has a message that says he is not June what's-her-face's supervisor; and she has a message referring you to the email link above.

And send a copy of your email to your Congressman and your Senators and demand the Federal Trade Commission be sicced on Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corporation for unlawful restraint of trade, discrimination, and anything else you can think of that might apply to this case.

Potentially, our Second Amendment rights are at stake if a corporation, which is not a government entity and does not make the laws, is allowed to dictate whether or not they will process firearms-related transactions. To help you get started, here is what I sent the jerks. Go ahead and modify it as you see fit.

"Employees of a corporation, at whatever level, from the mailroom to the boardroom, may be as politically correct as they choose - OFF THE JOB.

"However, when they are on the job, they have no right to permit their politically correct attitudes to affect performance of their work. Your conduct in regard to CDNN Sports is intolerable.

"I concede that there are circumstances under which a credit card processing company may cancel an account with cause. My understanding of the way this works is that the principal one is when the account holder does not pay its bills. This is not the case, so far as I know, with CDNN Sports. You have arbitrarily and capriciously canceled an account simply because you don't like what they sell.

"What CDNN does is completely legal. They sell the firearms to individuals, true. But those firearms must be shipped to the holder of a Federal Firearms License; and before the FFL holder turns the purchased firearm over to the buyer, the FFL holder runs a NCIS background check on him or her to insure the buyer has the right to purchase the weapon. It's the same process that takes place when a buyer walks into a gun shop and buys directly from a dealer. The only difference is the buyer must pay shipping charges and a transfer fee to the FFL holder.

"What Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corporation are doing is blatant discrimination. It should not and will not be tolerated by the firearms community. I sincerely hope that everyone who deals in firearms and firearms-related items - a mulitbillion dollar industry, by the way - changes their credit card processing to one not affiliated with your company.

"Furthermore, I will send information copies of this email to my senators and my congressman, with a demand that they have the Federal Trade Commission take a long, hard look at the way you do business. I also will ask my shooting friends to do the same.

"With the request that you cordially go screw yourselves,"




***THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY FORUM..WATCH THE LANGUAGE***

[BattleRifleG3]

Just double checked my wallet. Future ads from that company will not only be destroyed, but may be burned ceremonially.

[Cyrano]

I sent an email to Citi Merchant Services, as you know. This is the reply from the pusillanimous weasels.

Thank you for your message. The posting at www.nssf.org regarding Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corp. is inaccurate. Further, while we generally do not comment on individual merchant customers, we would like to briefly address the 12/26 letter posted on the web site. Regretfully, that letter did a less than satisfactory job of expressing applicable policies. Those policies are more properly detailed below.

Citi Merchant Services and First Data do process firearms transactions. Our policy restrictions address only the sale of firearms in a non face-to-face environment. Non face-to-face transactions occur when a cardholder is not present in front of a merchant and includes mail order and online purchases. It is our policy not to service merchants that make non face-to-face sales in a number of industries, including firearms.

It is not the policy of Citi Merchant Services or First Data to refuse to process transactions from duly licensed merchants that sell firearms in face-to-face transactions at the point of sale.

Please direct any questions to Questions@firstdata.com.
The posting also incorrectly states that Robert Tenenbaum is the supervisor when, in fact, he is not.


See the weasels trying to squirm their way out from under their actions. Squirm, squirm, squirm. I am sure they are aware of just how much ammunition and accessories, and how many firearms, are sold over the Internet. As I pointed out in my email to them, the background checks the law requires still are made, only at the point of pickup from the FFL holder instead of from the merchant doing the selling. Until you pass the checks, you can't take the gun home. A difference which makes no difference IS no difference!

By all means, let us boycott these bastards, and be sure to tell them why. Tell all of your shooting friends. And if it turns out that Citi Merchant Services is a branch of Citibank, consider boycotting Citibank as well, and tell THEM why.

[BattleRifleG3]

Are they going to stop servicing Amazon too because the buyer isn't buying in person?

Someone doesn't have a clue how firearms transactions take place. They seem to think some criminal can just ship them to his door.

[toolman]

Cyrano, you did better than me , they didn't even reply to my message.

[troy2000]

That was a very well-written letter, Cyrano. You got your points across firmly and clearly, without unecessary blather, sidetracks or insults. I doubt I could have written one that good.

[two-70]

wrote em a letter and told them i thought it was ridiculous, and that i was glad i did not hold a citi bank card or i would trash it

[lastman]

Originally Posted by Cyrano

What is being done to CDNN Sports is intolerable. It may even be illegal. We as firearms owners and shooters cannot let this pass unchallenged. It's a new weapon in the gun-banner's arsenal and potentially a very scary one.

Take a minute and email the clowns at questions@firstdata.com and let them know you don't think much of what they are doing to CDNN. Don't bother trying to call the two numbers in the initial post. Robert what's-his-name has a message that says he is not June what's-her-face's supervisor; and she has a message referring you to the email link above.

And send a copy of your email to your Congressman and your Senators and demand the Federal Trade Commission be sicced on Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corporation for unlawful restraint of trade, discrimination, and anything else you can think of that might apply to this case.

Potentially, our Second Amendment rights are at stake if a corporation, which is not a government entity and does not make the laws, is allowed to dictate whether or not they will process firearms-related transactions. To help you get started, here is what I sent the jerks. Go ahead and modify it as you see fit.

"Employees of a corporation, at whatever level, from the mailroom to the boardroom, may be as politically correct as they choose - OFF THE JOB.

"However, when they are on the job, they have no right to permit their politically correct attitudes to affect performance of their work. Your conduct in regard to CDNN Sports is intolerable.

"I concede that there are circumstances under which a credit card processing company may cancel an account with cause. My understanding of the way this works is that the principal one is when the account holder does not pay its bills. This is not the case, so far as I know, with CDNN Sports. You have arbitrarily and capriciously canceled an account simply because you don't like what they sell.

"What CDNN does is completely legal. They sell the firearms to individuals, true. But those firearms must be shipped to the holder of a Federal Firearms License; and before the FFL holder turns the purchased firearm over to the buyer, the FFL holder runs a NCIS background check on him or her to insure the buyer has the right to purchase the weapon. It's the same process that takes place when a buyer walks into a gun shop and buys directly from a dealer. The only difference is the buyer must pay shipping charges and a transfer fee to the FFL holder.

"What Citi Merchant Services and First Data Corporation are doing is blatant discrimination. It should not and will not be tolerated by the firearms community. I sincerely hope that everyone who deals in firearms and firearms-related items - a mulitbillion dollar industry, by the way - changes their credit card processing to one not affiliated with your company.

"Furthermore, I will send information copies of this email to my senators and my congressman, with a demand that they have the Federal Trade Commission take a long, hard look at the way you do business. I also will ask my shooting friends to do the same.

"With the request that you cordially go fuck yourselves,"

Thank God!!!!!!I do not have their card---- just ordered a new 270 barrel from NEF and put on my master card and had no trl.And that was a wonderful letter , complety dinamite, thanks must be given to members like yourself--well DONE
Lastman

[SPOCAHP ANAR]

Who sells firearms through the mail? Only licensed dealers can purchase firearms through the mail and NO dealer is going to risk their license for a quick buck.

[Windwalker]

Cyrano, that was a great letter. If we don't protest their actions then others may follow them. I sent a letter to my Senator as well.

[meatloaf]

just destroyed my citi card

[Dookiebutt]

Okay, I can understand them not wanting to do processing in non-FTF transactions. My business takes credit cards, but only FTF. My processor will not allow me to take a payment over the phone, etc. because of fraud.

I guess the real question is, what other industries are they prohibiting non-FTF transactions? All non-FTF transactions? Is there a list? Who decides? Is this more BS like Ebay not selling gun parts?

Citi can set their own policies. It's up to us to decide not to use them.

[dogman2]

If you get an advertisement from them throw the ad away and send them an empty envelope back. This costs them money for mail and the cost of someone to open them up plus all the labor costs involved.

[knightRider]

i emailed them

[Chris]

CDNN is a legal distributor....this is discrimination of a legal product.

I will be not be using my Citi Card any longer. I will do my best to spread this word to everyone I can.

Remember - do not close the account at Citi Card. Keep the account at a balance of 0. Wait 2 years and then close it. Doing it earlier will hurt your credit rating.