Tax Inc TAX Alleviators rip-off! They're irresponsible and don't return calls. They're no help at all. Los Angeles California
In October 2003 my wife and I out of desperation decided to hire this company we found on the internet called TAX INC to do an Offer in Compromise for us. They say that they can get the IRS to accept an offer for pennies on the dollar and all collections will stop once you hire this company and you will not have to correspond with the IRS at all while the process is going on. At first TAX INC was alright they sent us a packet requiring us to submit a lot of financial info SS# bank info mortagage info everything. It's quite extensive then you send this to them along with a reasonable reason why you fell behind on your taxes.
Next about 3 weeks later they send you the actual 656 form from the IRS that has the offer amount typed in by TAX INC along with all of our financial info and we sign it and send it to the IRS certified mail. Then several weeks later we got it all back from the IRS saying they rejected it because they said we were in Bankruptcy. We were were not in Bankruptcy so I called TAX INC and couldn't get to talk with my "TAX Strategist" Steve Kitchen.
I kept calling and still got no response after leaving several messages on his voicemail. I grew tired of this and sent him a letter demanding he return our call. Finally he returns our call and says oh yeah that same thing happened to other of our clients and he said he would straighten it out.
Then about 2 weeks later I get another 656 form in the mail to re submit our offer and likewise several weeks later it was rejected again because the IRS said we didnt send the $150.00 check [application fee] the reason we didnt send another check is because we already sent them a check on the first offer we sent so we ended up sending another offer in with another check. In April 2004 the IRS sent it back again saying we didn't send enogh financial info and that they wanted more info.
We called TAX INC and again we got the same response NO RESPONSE! So I really started to get upset and made a compalint to the Michigan Attorney General well when Paul Valentine from TAX INC found out about it he was all upset and asked me to retract my compalint which we ended up doing after he promised to handle our case responsibly, well nothing changed phone calls still never got answered for days and days I had to email them numerous times and more phone calls and then in June 2004 we got another rejection from the IRS.
I called Paul Valentine and again no response for days then we get an intent to levy in the mail. I type a letter and fax it to him saying "this is a Time Sensitive matter and will you please respond?" Still no response.
Days later he responsed with excuses and apologies by email. I asked him if on June 28 2004 at 4:30pm est would he do a 3 way phone meeting with myself and my accountant and he said he would and if he couldn't make it he would contact me ahead of time. I set it up with my accountant and guess what? You got it. Paul Valentine is a NO SHOW!
When I call his office his receptionist puts me on hold and then she comes back on and says "Please hold" and she redirects me to his voicemail which is typical and I left him a polite message saying how diappointed I was with him and that my accountant wasted his time and how I still had to pay him for his time and would he please call back. Again no call. No nothing.
About 3 days later Paul Valentine emails me with an excuse and how sorry he was so I emailed him back and told him that if he didn't start doing something for us that I would demand our $3200.00 back and I would file complaints with the Attorney Generals office. Well to make a long story short he refused to be responsible. He blamed my wife and I for not giving the IRS the right info when in fact that is what we paid $3200.00 to TAX INC to do.
All this company did was fill out one 656 OIC form and had us sign it and mail it to the IRS 3 times. When the IRS sent them letters to submit more info they never contacted us and told us what we needed to do all. All they've done is ignore our calls and then they turn around and blame us.
We gave them Power of Attorney to represent us before the IRS. They got the letter asking for more info from the IRS and didn't do anything with the IRS request for more info. Now we are still at square one only now we owe thousands more in penalties and interest since this has dragged out for 9 months now.
My accountant told me that we could have done the offer in compromise for free and the IRS said the same thing. All TAX INC did was fill out our info on the form and send it back to us to sign and mail to the IRS thats all they did for $3200.00. They lie to you they are rude as hell to you so you are too intimadated to call them which I am not. they are professional Con Artists at least in our case they have been.
I called the BBB to hear the reports on them the other day and everyone seems to have the same complaints that we have no shows no calls back.This company also knew that in our present financial situation being that we have some equity in our home we dont even qualify for an offer in compromise. They knew that and took our money anyway. In my opinion I feel they are scammers and ripoffs! I have every email they sent me with all of their false promises. I saved everything I have a file on them as thick as a phone book.
Steve Kitchen is the one who sold me the BS package in the first place and then later on Paul Valentine took over our case. We paid it with our bank debit card and when we asked for a refund Paul Valentine called back on my voicemail and said that its too late for a refund.So I filed another complaint with the Michigan Attorney General and FTC and I will make more complaints.I will not rest until they refund us our money. I will take legal steps of course.
Mark
warren, Michigan
U.S.A.
STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!
4 Updates & Rebuttals
j.silver@taxincorporated.com
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Letter from the CEO
#5UPDATE Employee
Thu, December 03, 2009
To all of our valued clients, and to those considering;
Hiring a tax relief firm to settle your tax is one of the most important financial considerations of peoples lives. You need to be assured that the firm you hire will live up to your expectations and provide reliable support and outstanding results. The Ripoff Report (ROR) has been a popular, reflexive research tool for many consumers as it promises to bring clarity to the sometimes foggy hiring process by illuminating both bad service and poor results. The ROR has the potential to be a terrific, impartial forum to base decisions off of. Its shortcomings, however, are very important to consider.
In the nine years Tax Inc. has been in business, we have received roughly 30 anonymous statements on the RORs website. Some of these statements I'm sure are valid, while others seem to be less so. The problem is, the complaints are all anonymous. There is no verification process from the ROR to validate the source of the complaint and no feasible way for our firm to mediate the issue. The ROR is simply an open forum allowing anyone to post derogatory statements on our company with complete uncertainty that those statements are accurate or truthful. This contradicts the RORs ultimate agenda: to help consumers make impartial, informed hiring decisions. If the statements were verified, and mediation sought, it would better highlight the steps our company has taken to successfully manage complaints and allow for stronger decision making. It does not.
Though we strive to avoid complaints altogether, the unfortunate reality is that, as in any healthy company, complaints will invariably arise. This can be for a variety of reasons, and as we enter our tenth year of doing business and our 20,000th client, we've tried to isolate the causes and repair any inconsistencies within our organization that may have been a contributing factor. The complaints generally fall into one of several categories:
Not returning phone calls promptly
Poor handling of account
Errors on paperwork
Unhappy with outcome of the case
Admittedly there have been valid instances where we have not serviced the client to the standards we expect, and where appropriate have made every attempt to reconcile the mistake or oversight. But failures, fortunately, do have their importance. They allow us to better understand the service process within our firm and tighten the screws, thereby strengthening our approach to customer .
On a final note, I have provided a few of the standout accomplishments this firm has achieved in the nine years since we first opened our doors. Im hopeful one day the ROR will provide a section for this alongside the disputes:
To date, our approval rating is greater than 99%. Thats better than GM, Apple
or H&R Block, combined.
The odds of having a poor experience with our firm are less than 1%.
We generate 30% of our business through referral. Happy clients happily promote.
We pioneered a proprietary information system to expedite form
drafting and increase resolution response by 80%. We know of no other company to
provide this type of cutting-edge technology, and have been approached to license
the software numerous times.
We provide pro-bono work for the elderly and economically hardshipped.
We get letters from satisfied clients every month, and proudly post them in the office and list them as success stories on our website for inspiration. We hope to someday count yours among them.
Sincerely,
Josh Silver, CEO
Tax Inc.
Steve
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Response For Mark of Michigan, They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.
#5Consumer Suggestion
Mon, March 07, 2005
Hi Mark!
If you are still pursuing this company, you should know:
1) Stephen Kitchen is no longer employed with this company and has moved on to American Tax Relief, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA
2) Both of these companies have "F" ratings with the Better Business Bureau as neither of them perform as promised.
3) As to your claim with the Michigan Attorney General, you should know that Mr. Paul Valentine is a fictious name. His real name is Joseph Caico and he uses the name Paul Valentine so that noone will know he is working for Tax, Inc. as he has been prohibited from working in the industry.
This company never met a potential client, who had the financial capacity to pay them, that they would refuse to sign up as they are only interested in the money. They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.
Steve
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Response For Mark of Michigan, They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.
#5Consumer Suggestion
Mon, March 07, 2005
Hi Mark!
If you are still pursuing this company, you should know:
1) Stephen Kitchen is no longer employed with this company and has moved on to American Tax Relief, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA
2) Both of these companies have "F" ratings with the Better Business Bureau as neither of them perform as promised.
3) As to your claim with the Michigan Attorney General, you should know that Mr. Paul Valentine is a fictious name. His real name is Joseph Caico and he uses the name Paul Valentine so that noone will know he is working for Tax, Inc. as he has been prohibited from working in the industry.
This company never met a potential client, who had the financial capacity to pay them, that they would refuse to sign up as they are only interested in the money. They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.
Steve
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Response For Mark of Michigan, They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.
#5Consumer Suggestion
Mon, March 07, 2005
Hi Mark!
If you are still pursuing this company, you should know:
1) Stephen Kitchen is no longer employed with this company and has moved on to American Tax Relief, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA
2) Both of these companies have "F" ratings with the Better Business Bureau as neither of them perform as promised.
3) As to your claim with the Michigan Attorney General, you should know that Mr. Paul Valentine is a fictious name. His real name is Joseph Caico and he uses the name Paul Valentine so that noone will know he is working for Tax, Inc. as he has been prohibited from working in the industry.
This company never met a potential client, who had the financial capacity to pay them, that they would refuse to sign up as they are only interested in the money. They do not care if a case is resolved or not as long as they get paid.