Fight My Fees · San Diego
Your vendors are overcharging you by thousands a year.
$3,100 – $30,700 a year
Overcharge on card processing alone, on the small-business statements we reviewed this month. One in seven was priced fairly. The rest were not.
- You do not need to switch anything to lower your fees.
- This packet shows you exactly how, vendor by vendor, for free.
- Don’t want to make the calls? We do it for a share of what we save you.
Option 1 · Free
Do it yourself
Pages 2–6. One page per vendor. The number to find, the words to say, what a good answer sounds like.
Option 2 · Free
Let the software do it
Connect your bank. It finds every vendor, flags what’s overpriced, and starts the negotiation. Free.
Upload your statements and it gets much more detailed — every fee, the junk by name, what the month should have cost.
Option 3
We handle it for you
We make the calls, with your vendors, on your accounts. Nothing switches unless you say so.
50% of verified savings
Billed only on what actually drops off your bill.
fightmyfees.com
Scan to upload a statement or book a call. Kevin · kevin@fightmyfees.com
Vendor 1 of 5 · Biggest number, fastest call
Card processing
Find your number, find the junk, pick your ask by size, make one call.
Step 1 · Find your number
Total card sales last month
Total fees last month
Fees ÷ sales × 100 = your rate
Sales ÷ number of transactions = average ticket
Over 2.8% in a shop or restaurant: you’re overpaying. Make the call.
Step 2 · Find the junk
- PCI non-compliance feeremove
- Non-EMV / non-chip feeremove
- Statement · batch · regulatory feeremove
- Annual feeremove
- “Discount rate”negotiate
“Discount rate” is not a discount. It’s what they keep.
Step 3 · Pick your ask by size
| Card sales / month | Ask for |
|---|
| Under $250k | Interchange + 0.10% + 5¢ |
| Over $250k | Interchange + 0.05% + 3¢ |
If they say it’s impossible, it’s the number they give the next customer who pushes.
Which number to fight for
Average ticket under $50 → the per-transaction fee is your money. 5¢ on an $8 coffee is 0.6% — more than the whole markup.
Average ticket over $50 → the basis points are your money. On an $860 job, 5¢ is nothing; 0.10% is 86¢ every time.
Step 4 · Call retention. Say this.
Last month I paid
on
in sales. That’s
% and it’s too high.
Move me to
interchange-plus at % and ¢ a transaction. Remove the
fee. Put it in an email today.
I’d rather stay with you, but I have a quote and I need this fixed this month.
A real yes: the words “interchange-plus”, junk fees removed, new pricing in writing, no new contract, no new equipment.
Not a yes: “a better program” (tiered pricing), “a free terminal” (a lease), “Visa requires it” (only interchange and assessments are Visa’s).
Vendor 2 of 5
Payroll
Gusto, ADP, Paychex all discount for customers who sound like they’re leaving. You just have to sound like it.
Step 1 · Find your number
Base fee per month
Per-employee fee × employees
Total per month
On your bank statement, look for the small line marked FEE next to the payroll company — not the big payroll debit. The small line is what you negotiate.
Step 2 · Ask for
- 15–25% off for 12 months
- The per-employee fee lowered, not just the base
- Price locked for the term, in writing
- Any tier you don’t use removed
Step 3 · Call and ask for retention. Say this.
We’re reviewing vendors and payroll is one of them. I have quotes coming in around
a month and I’d rather not migrate.
What can you do on the base fee and the per-employee rate if we stay another year? And can you lock it?
A real yes: a percentage off both fees, a lock date, and an email confirming it before you hang up.
Vendor 3 of 5
Software subscriptions
QuickBooks, Adobe, scheduling, CRM. The trick isn’t the rate — it’s the price increase you never got an email about.
- Pull 12 months of charges for each subscription from your bank or card statement.
- Circle any month the amount went up. No email, no new features, no added users — that’s a silent increase. We see $115 → $140 on bookkeeping software constantly.
- Ask for one of three things: the old price back, the annual-prepay rate, or the tier you actually use.
Say this — chat or phone, both work
My charge went from
to
in
. I didn’t add anything. I’d like the previous price back, or the annual rate applied to my account.
Your subscriptions
SoftwareThen → now
A real yes: the old price restored, or a credit for the months since the increase. Both are routine. Downgrade threats work faster than cancellation threats.
Vendors 4 & 5
Phones & internet · Waste · Shipping
Same move every time: name the number, name the increase, ask for the old price or a reason.
Phones & internet
Promotional pricing expires quietly. Ask for “current promotional pricing for existing customers.” If refused, ask for cancellations.
I’m paying for the same service new customers get for less. Match it, or I’ll need to move.
Waste & recycling
Look for fuel surcharges, environmental fees and container rental added since you signed. Check the auto-renewal date.
My invoice has fees that weren’t in my agreement. Remove them, or show me where I agreed to them.
Shipping — UPS, FedEx
Published rates are the starting point. Steady volume qualifies for a discount tier. Ask your rep for an account review.
I ship a month. What discount tier does that qualify for, and can you apply it to this quarter?
Write down every price you agree to — date and name. The next increase is easier to fight when you can quote the last call.
Before you sign anything
Five things not to sign
- An equipment lease.A $300 terminal becomes $3,000 over four years, and the lease outlives the processor.
- “Free” anything with a term.Read what happens in month 37.
- A new contract to get a lower rate.A rate cut doesn’t need a contract. A commission does.
- Tiered pricing.“Qualified / non-qualified” lets them pick the bucket your sales land in. Interchange-plus doesn’t.
- A markup they won’t state.If they can’t say the number above interchange, it’s high.
Do them in this order: card processing first, payroll second, the rest the same afternoon.
Don’t want to make the calls?
Upload your statements. Our system will show you what you can save.
Connect your bank and the software finds every vendor, flags what’s overpriced, and starts the negotiation — free. Upload your statements for a much more detailed breakdown. If you want us to make the calls, it’s 50% of the verified savings, billed only on what actually comes off your bill.
fightmyfees.com
Kevin · kevin@fightmyfees.com