cant close merchant account

Hello there, @qvander 

I understand how challenging it is when you can't close your Merchant account. Rest assured I'm here to assist you in handling that.

You've mentioned that you already have contacted our support multiple times. To get updates about the status of your case, I recommend contacting them again. 

I'd like to drop this article for you, as you may need this in the future: Common questions about payments deposits in QuickBooks Online.

If you have any more questions or need further assistance, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for the response... however as stated in my post I receive nothing but a run around from them and each time its the same process.

waste my time...

tell me they need to escalate..

I get a auto response stating that they cant close my merchant account and to contact support.  Which is HOW I GOT THE ESCALATION IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!.. they then close the case so there is no status on it.  Calling back in starts the process all over again with the same dumb 100 questions leading to yet... you guessed it.. another ticket and another escalation.

Forced to upgrade to Online and end up with more issues than ever.  

I am beyond frustrated at this point. 

We are in the same boat. We have an old partner who left the country and the merchant account was unfortunately in his name. (long story...I'm taking over the books from a pretty "hippy" company). It took us a few years to discover the account was still in his name, and now we cannot get ahold of him to close the account. (although we are absolutely certain he would like this closed because he is no longer a partner in this company.)

The issue is the multi factor authentication number asks for verification through a phone number that no longer exists.

This has immense implications for tax purposes given the fact that several hundreds of thousands of dollars may have been reported to his tax ID over the past few years. But alas we cannot access any of those details so although it is not perfect, we are ok with just cutting the losses and trying to close the account and open a new one.

However, we CANNOT close the account. We too have been in contact with merchant services and told it was "scrubbed" and we would be able to send verification and get them to close it, but NOPE. Still OPEN!

What are our other options? We need to fix this ASAP.

Should we try to move our QBO to another file and then open a fresh account thereby letting the old one just sit and rot? 

I appreciate you reaching out and sharing the details of your situation, Stephanie. I completely understand how crucial it is to sort this out quickly, especially with the tax implications and all the challenges you've been dealing with. You've made significant efforts to close the merchant account registered under your previous partner's name.

Opening a fresh account and moving your QuickBooks Online file is a great option. However, I still recommend contacting our payments team to ensure the merchant account will be closed. I understand that you've already been in touch with them, but due to security reasons, we are unable to access the account in this public forum.

Here's how to reach out to our payment experts:

1. Open your QuickBooks Online account, then head to the Help menu.
2. Hover to the Search tab. Click Contact Us.
3. Choose a specific topic or Ask about something else. Type in a short description in the box provided.
4. Press Continue.
5. Pick the Chat or Callback option.
    

Once connected, you can explain your situation in detail or request to speak with a higher-tier support representative. Ensure you mention the inability to complete MFA due to the inactive phone number.

For future reference, here are some articles you can check out for more in-depth information about QuickBooks Payments:

• Find transactions, deposits, or fees in the Merchant Service Center. 
• Send Payment links in QuickBooks. 
• Understanding Payment Holds in QuickBooks

I truly appreciate the diligence you've shown in trying to fix this. Getting this sorted out quickly prevents any more challenges. Keep me posted after reaching out to our support. I'm here to help you every step of the way. 

I am having a similar issue. Our merchant account was established by the former president. The phone number and email address are no longer active or accessible. I have wasted more than two hours on 3 separate calls, including having the former president on the phone for an hour earlier today. At the time, the rep provided some information to update the contact information; however, that is impossible because Intuit still wants to send a confirmation text to a phone number which no longer exists. When I called the third time, the rep asked me to get the former president on the phone, even though he was already on the phone earlier when we asked to close the account, so that she could elevate this to a supervisor. What a circus!