In the Dominican Republic, a major standoff between fuel retailers and global payment technology provider Verifone is set to escalate later this month, after the National Association of Gasoline Retailers (Anadegas) formally announced a coordinated disconnection of the company’s electronic payment systems across all 780 of its affiliated stations starting September 25. The industrial action comes after years of growing frustration over what retailers describe as unsustainably high processing costs that eat into already thin profit margins.
Anadegas president Juan Elías Pérez explained that station owners are currently forced to cede 27% of their total gross profits to Verifone for payment processing services, a burden that has become financially unmanageable for small and medium-sized retail operations across the country. The sweeping decision to disconnect services was not made lightly: Pérez confirmed that the plan received unanimous approval from all of Anadegas’ regional branches, and leadership at both the national and local level has been holding ongoing consultations with affiliated station owners to finalize logistics for the nationwide action in the lead-up to September 25.
The association has acknowledged that third-party mediation efforts have already been attempted to resolve the dispute, with both the Dominican Minister of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs and the executive director of Pro Consumidor, the country’s national consumer protection agency, stepping in to facilitate negotiations. However, those talks have failed to deliver a resolution that meaningfully addresses the core concerns raised by fuel retailers, pushing the group to move forward with its planned disconnection.
Pérez added that the National Federation of Merchants has already publicly thrown its support behind Anadegas’ demands for fairer payment processing costs. He has also issued a call to action for other retail sectors across the Dominican Republic, including hardware stores, auto parts vendors, appliance sellers and small grocery chains, to draw attention to what he says is a widespread problem impacting nearly all businesses that accept card and digital payments.
“Out of 34 countries where Verifone operates, we pay the highest processing fees in the entire region,” Pérez noted. “That is not a burden we are willing to accept any longer from anyone.”
Throughout this week, Anadegas has planned a series of regional meetings and mobilization activities to update station owners on the plan and coordinate logistics for the upcoming disconnection. The organization stressed that support for the industrial action is massive across its 780 affiliated locations, with members remaining fully united in their demands for lower costs. Despite the planned separation from Verifone’s services, Anadegas has repeatedly emphasized that it remains open to good-faith negotiations, and still holds out hope that a last-minute agreement can be reached that establishes fairer, more sustainable pricing conditions for fuel retailers across the country.