Feefighters
{{Infobox website
| name = FeeFighters
| logo = FeeFighters2.png
| logo_size = 250px
| screenshot =
| caption =
| url = {{URL|www.feefighters.com}}
| commercial = Yes
| type = payment
| language = English
| registration =
| founder = {{unbulleted list
| Sean Harper
| Josh Krall
| Stella Fayman
| Sheel Mohnot
}}
| launch_date = 2009
| current_status = Active
| alexa =
}}
FeeFighters is a payment processing platform and comparison shopping website for credit card processors. The site was launched in 2009[http://feefighters.com/about About] and was acquired by Groupon in 2012.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/23/groupon-acquires-feefighters-the-billshrink-for-business-services/|title=Groupon Acquires FeeFighters, The BillShrink For Business Services|website=TechCrunch|date=23 March 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-07}} FeeFighters has been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur (magazine), Inc. (magazine) and TechCrunch, with BusinessWeek profiling it as "One of America's Most Promising Startups."Mandelbaum, Robb. [http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/in-battle-with-merchants-banks-still-hope-to-overturn-durbin-amendment/ In Battling Merchants, Banks Still Hope to Overturn Durbin Rules]. "New York Times". October 18, 2011Greenstein, Howard. [http://www.inc.com/howard-greenstein/fight-credit-card-processing-fees.html Fight Credit Card Processing Fees]. Inc.. May 25, 2011.Tozzi, John. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110523135040/http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20110211/america-s-most-promising-startups/slides/8 America's Most Promising Startups]. BusinessWeek. Feb. 4, 2011Parrish, Leni. [http://www.creditcardflyers.com/credit-card-news/2012/credit-card-comparison-service-feefighters-bought-by-groupon-3372.php Credit Card Comparison Service FeeFighters Bought By Groupon]. CreditCardFlyers. March. 27, 2012
History
FeeFighters started out as a comparison shopping site for credit card processors and eventually launched its own payment processing platform,{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/23/feefighters-launches-payment-gateway-samurai/|title=FeeFighters Launches Payment Gateway Samurai|website=TechCrunch|date=23 September 2011 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-07}} Samurai, to facilitate payment integration for software developers, achieve PCI compliance and reduce credit card processing fees.Chapman, Glenn. [http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/219681 How to Cut Transaction Costs on Customer Purchases]. Entrepreneur. May 20, 2011.
FeeFighters raised $1.6 million in funding from investors including 500 Startups, Hyde Park Angels, OCA Ventures and Sandbox Industries.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110113/BLOGS06/301139990/chicago-s-feefighters-raises-1-6-mil|title=Chicago's FeeFighters raises $1.6 mil.|date=2011-01-13|website=Crain's Chicago Business|language=en|access-date=2019-10-07}}
Controversy
In 2011, FeeFighters wrote a negative blog article claiming that a company bumped its rating from an "F" to an "A" by paying the Better Business Bureau.{{Cite web|url=https://www.feefighters.com/blog/the-bbb-is-a-scam/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317024755/https://www.feefighters.com/blog/the-bbb-is-a-scam/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-03-17|title=The BBB is a F*&#ing Scam - FeeFighters|date=2019-03-17|access-date=2019-10-07}} The controversy was covered by The Today Show.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43528394|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231192435/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43528394/ns/today-money/t/better-business-bureau-ratings-draw-flak/|url-status=live|archive-date=2011-12-31|title=Better Business Bureau ratings draw flak - Money - TODAY.com|website=NBC News |date=2011-12-31|access-date=2019-10-07}} As a result, the BBB pulled the company's accreditation.{{Cite web|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110919/14221016016/criticize-better-business-bureau-theyll-pull-your-accreditation.shtml|title=Criticize The Better Business Bureau... And They'll Pull Your Accreditation|last=Tue|first=Sep 20th 2011 11:45am-Mike Masnick|website=Techdirt.|date=20 September 2011 |access-date=2019-10-07}} The BBB later admitted the pay-for-ratings incident.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aol.com/2011/06/22/better-business-bureau-admits-mistakes-were-made-on-pay-for-rat/|title=Better Business Bureau Admits Mistakes Were Made on Pay-For-Ratings Issue|author=A. O. L. Staff|website=AOL.com|date=15 July 2016 |language=en|access-date=2019-10-07}}
Acquisition
In 2012, FeeFighters was acquired by Groupon. The company became part of Groupon's Merchant Operating System strategy which was designed to provide payment processing and online scheduling.{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/03/23/groupon-buys-feefighters/|title=Groupon buys FeeFighters to support merchant community|date=2012-03-23|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-07}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}