About Us
Based in the North west of England, Independent Business Solutions is the parent company of Independent Merchant Services who are number one on Trustpilot and the UK's reference point in Merchant Services.
The business was set up primarily by our Managing Director who in 2011 was a business owner looking to compare providers in an effort to reduce business costs.
What he couldn’t avoid in the whole process was a plethora of call centres, lead generation websites, pushy salesmen, mysteriously confusing quotations and reams of tedious contractual small print in the applications, he recognised that most business owners simply don’t have the time, let alone the knowledge to understand merchant services/energy/telecoms.. Does that sound familiar?
Even then there’s no guarantee you have made the right decision until you find yourself knee deep into a contract that shows hidden fees you were never made aware of at the time of signing and other commercially unsavory contractual obligations. Is this familiar to you?
Any business that simply wants to avoid being overcharged on their business costs needs to speak to us. It is not in our interests to do anything but help you source the best deals available to suit your needs.
Our business model differs from all the brokers and providers that flood an already confusing and crowded utilities marketplace.
Why use Independent Business Solutions?
We offer a refreshingly unique and free service to business owners that not only points you in the direction of Utility provider that is right for you, we also help you compare and dissect various providers and their confusing quotes.
Many providers hide various commercial pitfalls inside their contractual small print which can tie you into a contract that is costly to exit or turn a great deal into one which isn't.
Independent Business Solutions is always willing to help business owners by using its muscle, influence and knowledge of the marketplace to help Business owners being bossed around by commercially opportunitistic providers.
All our approved providers are tried and tested for service and competitive pricing and we are confident they will be able to offer you the most competitive rates.
Are we really Independent
Yes, we are 100% independent, and whilst we do have our preferred providers, we have no allegiance to any of them. We are not a broker, nor a reseller of Utilities nor do we have no allegiance to any one single provider.
We do, however, ensure that all our preferred providers are continually tried, tested, and approved by ourselves not just on price, but also the quality of their after-sales service, their products and the nature of their contracts.
If the above criteria are compromised, we would have no hesitation in removing them from our list of approved providers.
How we work
Every Utility provider offers incentives to their sales teams, agents, partners and introducers to protect margin for themselves. Our services are free to the merchant because we get paid a small commission from any of the providers that we believe are offering the best deal for you. If you don't agree that we have found the best deal for you, then walk away.
So, you can see we too have a vested interested in you achieving your objectives.
We help you differentiate between the most competitive quotes and the quotes that masquerade as competitive.
Why use Independent Business Solutions
- We are 100% Independent
- We arent a lead generation website
- We won't sell your details on to anyone
- We do not charge for our services
- We will save you time, money, and hassle
- We will give you the facts you need to know
- We promise to stand by you through your
contract with the approved providers
We are rated as Excellent
Unrivalled support
Most card merchant companies seem to be full of overly pushy salesman eager to do anything to close the deal, often without disclosing crucial hidden charges.
Independent Merchant Services provided unbiased help and support on choosing the right one to suit our business needs. So thankful we chose to give them a call!
I had a dilemma for weeks which card reader provider to choose after getting 3 quotes and reading lots of mixed reviews online.I am setting up a business for the 1st time so have a lot to learn and I am extremely cautious who to sign the contract with.The more reviews I read the more unsure I was. All I needed was to get an honest independent, unbiased advice from somewhere. During one of my online browsing I came across Independent Merchant Services and contacted them. I spoke to Roger and discussed with him my obtained quotes asking for advice.Roger was extremely helpful. He understood my reservations and concerns about hidden fees etc., answered all my questions and explained what I should be looking for.This has helped me enormously to make the best choice for the type of business I am starting. Almost immediately I received an email from Roger with a summary of a deal specifying all the rates and fees. Following Roger's advice I felt well informed and much more confident to make my choice.I would highly recommend Independant Merchant Services to anyone starting a new business and looking for advice.Many thanks Roger!
I'm starting a new business which needs a card reader. My bank recommended a company who I nearly went with until Geoff from IMS got in touch and gave me some advice and quotes. It turned out I was getting ripped off by my bank's recommendation and there were much better deals out there. Thanks to IMS I ended up with a very good deal.
I could not have done this without the help of Chris Day , such a lovely guy nothing was too much trouble for him, ive passed his details over to all my business contacts who are starting to look for chip and pin /merchant services,
Explained all the options and which would suit my business best, talked me through everything.
Fantastic service from Roger, helped us choose the best terminal for our business with the cheapest rates possible. Very quick, efficient and was our port of call throughout the process. Received the terminal very quickly. Highly recommended.
Finally, an independent company that are knowledgeable and give you competitive options with the back up of excellent customer service. They bent over backwards to help our small business. Would definitely recommend and will always use in the future.
It is a pleasure to be able to write a review in praise of the service provided. Roger, his team and their partners have exceeded expectations when it comes to service delivery, responsiveness and driving economies of scale for the small business owner, without compromising on the services recommended or products supplied. Open, honest and volunteer information, which may have been overlooked by business owners when reviewing packages. A company with a conscience and values to which they live up.
Thank you Roger for all your support. When everyone else turned us down, against all odds, the advice and support from Independent Merchant Services and Roger, in Particular, helped us get a Merchant Account within 2 weeks. Really appreciate the handwork. Many thanks
Very highly recommended
Making enquiries these days can open up a gateway of high pressured sales advisors who keep pestering you. NOT with Chris Day at Independent Merchant Services, he handled my enquiry so professionally and provided honest advice about pricing and services available. He also followed up when he said and didn’t bother me in between times.
Chris comes highly recommended and IMS are very competitive. Well worth getting in touch with these guys.