Complaint Review: H&R Block Premium - Madison Tennessee

It would be great if we would all STOP trusting these big tax prep. agencies and stop believing all of their lies and start doing our own taxes or going to the REAL professionals like an Accountant or CPA. You can look up the latest tax laws online by searching "tax laws 20??" and then fill out your appropriate forms (also listed in the tax law documentation) and then filing it yourself online or by mail, and just waiting for your return.

Why make these deceitful "loop-hole" artists richer just to get your returns quicker, when you pay all of that money for an "anticipation" check and (sometimes) your waiting longer than you would have had you done it yourself?? I had my taxes done through an accountant a few years ago, and never got a definite time from them when I was to receive a refund, (they were just truthful, they are not the IRS) and I didn't have to sign 20 minutes worth of paperwork!

By the way, the book of paperwork that you do sign at these seasonal tax giants usually has clauses in them that cancels your rights to hold them responsible in cases of false advertisements or claims by them or their representatives (such as telling you that you should receive your refund by a certain period of time) or that your preparation fees will be a certain amount or "FREE" and you wind up paying $300 or so for their "services" for receiving it quicker. (and then that doesn't always happen, right?)

I can't believe the nerve some people here have to try and defend these shady practices, especially if you don't work for them. How do you know some people aren't getting screwed? If you do work for the big tax prep. giants, maybe you do know, but you shouldn't defend it, you should only report things that you may know to be a fact.

Trying to confuse an issue to save your employer from, hmmm I don't know, say a class action law suit, just shows your character and I don't know about you, but I don't care how much I'm getting paid, I would rather be known as honest. I have worked for a corporate giant recently, making good money. One of my deciding factors in quitting them was due to their heartless practices that I didn't want to be associated with.

I believe, in the end, there will be special punishment for those who financially dupe the masses, just like some of those clowns on Wallstreet, equal to that of killers and rapists, because it is hurting innocent and unsuspecting people.  Avoid tax prep. giants and save yourself some grief!!!

Just a couple of points I want to make.

1.  The fee for a refund anticipation check is a flat fee of $34.95, all other fees were either a part of the basic cost for tax preparation and/or the Peace of Mind guarantee.  The OP is confusing the total cost with the cost for taking the tax preparation fees from their refund.  The OP walked out of the office without having to pay any upfront fees.  That is a service provided by a tax preparation office.

2.  To contradict the statement that the refund was in the form of a loan, that is incorrect.  The OP will received exactly what the IRS sends to H&R Block Bank, minus agreed upon fees.  If it were a loan, and the IRS withheld money, then the OP would have to repay money to the bank.  This is not what happened in this case.

3.  Congress does not like Refund Anticipation Loans (RAL), and has enacted legislation to end those loans.  Block has not offered the loan for the past 2 years.  Currently only one large tax service offers the RAL, and they will not offer it next year by agreement with Congress.  Admittedly the fees for those loans were outlandish.

4.  The IRS had a computer software problem which delayed processing of returns by one week.  That is not the fault of Block, but was a delay caused byt he IRS.  Also, if the OP requested a direct deposit, there could be as much as a four day delay in crediting an account by the receiving bank.

The "anticipation refund" is really loan from H&R block, do does not depend on when the feds send the money. That being said, it is an absurdly high-cost loan, so it is a bad deal anyway, but the OP has a valid complaint if it was late. 

BTW, never heard the expression "grinds my beans" before. Love it. 

I work for a competitor of H&R Block (think turquoise statue lady) so I don't know why I'm bothering to defend them.

The refund money comes from the IRS, not the tax preparation company. Block (and all the rest) have no control as to when the IRS funds the return.

This year the IRS has announced delays in processing and refunds.

Often, if a taxpayer owes money to a government agency that can delay processing as well. The IRS can hold a refund or even take part or all of it until a debt is satisfied. I personally have heard hundreds of complaints trying to blame us when the refund did not appear when we predicted. We have no way of knowing that the taxpayer didn't pay their bills.

As to the satisfaction guarantee, what part were you dissatified with? The part where your tax preparer did your tax return correctly for the price agreed upon in a friendly professional manner, or the part that was beyond their control and maybe even caused by you?

There's lots to dislike about Block which drives customers to patronize the company I work for, but this is something that just grinds my beans. Block has no control in determining refund dates. The IRS does.