Complaint Review: Selig & Associates Inc - New York New York

I had the horrible misfortune of engaging this group at a time when i had severe tax liabilities. They do prey on this situation. Be careful, be very careful... read all that you can before you make a decision. It is understandable that you are under severe duress, working with the IRS or State Agency is a horrible experience. The PROBLEM is that these people make thier money from people in this position. 

Firstly, this is not a true Legal Office, they will allege, they will insinuate and since you are under pressure you will not hear what is really being said. Selig is NOT an a attorney, he is some kind of Mortgage Broker... do your own research. Dorin is allegedly an attorney. Dorin does nothing, knows nothing and functions only to take messages and tell you that Mr. Selig is reviewing your file and he will get back to you. 

Do NOT speak with them on the phone, go to the office. Once there you will see what flim flam really is. They rent a singular office, which the both of them share, in a multi-office suite. You will be lead to believe that the receptionist and all of the offices that you walk by are somehow related. This is a suite rental, it is as low as one goes. They rent the space and included is the illusion that there really is something. The receptionist answers the phone for all of the tenants. This is a two man operation... that is it. Do not believe anything else. 

At the first meeting they are pleasantly engaging they call each other Mr. Dorin and Mr. Selig which is just part of the charade. They will quote you a fee, once paid it is gone. In my case they actually came back to me after a few years and asked for more money. Mr Selig said, and i quote " we aren't making anything on your case" I actually wrote another check for $1,000.00, shame on me. Back to the first meeting, my case was handled by my CPA and i ended up owing six figures between the Fed and the State. They will tell you all about the concept of Offer in Compromise, you can also read about it on the IRS web site. The State of New York does not engage in this at all... You will be told that they will file papers and perform all types of motions to see that you get this Offer in Compromise. 

You will fill out all kinds of forms and you will feel somewhat covered, you will determine an amount that you will offer... Selig will agree with anything you say. You have to pay a percentage, i dont remember if i was 10 or 20% of your offer. This is an IRS regualtion... again, you can look it up on the IRS site. They will file your request... and that is about the end of it. You will call and call and call you will be given one story after another as to where it is in the process. The reality is that they do not know... My first fling was accompanied by a Cashiers Check in the amount required. After many many phine calls Mr Selig actually had news for me. My Certified Checks had sat around so long they were no longer valid... i believe it takes over a year for this to happen. He then asked me to remake the offer and this time i was to give him the funds and he would submit it from his esccrow account. I can only assume that he did this.

Again, all of the calls were answered by Dorin who NEVER had any information. After numerous calls eventually Selig would call me with some fancy foot work answer. He will tell you that the case has been transfered and that he is on it. He will tellyou that it has gone to one State or another, sometimes it will be good news. He knows the group and all will be good. Sometimes it will be bad news, it is in an office that he has no pull in. AL of this is an ummitigated series of lies. 

I happen to have graduated Law School, however i am not an attorney. I decided to start calling on my own. It took no time what so ever to find out what agent had my case and where he was. I spoke directly to him, it should be made clear that the agent you speak with does not make the decision, the one who does is not available to you and especially not to Selig, since he never even tries to get that far. i answered all of the questions and tried to find out what the process is, the one you speak to is not able to define it for you... eventually you will recieve notice that your offer was declined. Since all of the declinations went directly to Selig i never saw what the basis actually was. 

In going this far i was able to see what the illustorious Selig had written, his reason for asking for the compromise was that i had miserable personality and that i would never have a job again and as such all I would ever have was Social Security....this had nothing to do with anything. The reality was and remains that if you own ANY assets, no matter how much you earn, they will not even entertain a compromise. I owned a home and by thier calculations there was enough equity in the home to pay them in full. Since the IRS and the State had both filed Leins on everything i had they had no motivation to make any deals... they just sit and wait. I would assume that one day they would bring an action to take the home. Selig never ever discussed this. Not a single word until i reached out and contacted the IRS directly. 

I was able to see that response and it was very clear. They were not going to accept my valuation on the home, they had thier own, right or wrong it was what it was. Selig said that this was as close as we had come and that he was going to refile again and all would be good. 

After all of the calls without answers i contacted the IRS again and they told me how it was. Either i sell the house and let them take what they could or they would just keep thier lien on everthing i had... if you think you have credit issues wait to you see what a Federal Lien will do. 

It became quite clear to Selig and his lackey that i understood the situationa and that nothing could be done. From day one i was not qualified for this program. In the years that i worked with these frauds my interest and penalites went through the sky... i beleive i added in excess of $80,000 to my debt. Once they knew that i had the information i never ever recieved a single return call or letter. i attempted to contact them in excess of twenty times.

When reality became clear; i borrowed enough money to pay both the IRS and the State. Had i entered into a payment program with them from day one my life would have been better, and my total cost would have been less. 

If you can read English, everything you possibly need to know is on the IRS site... Selig cannot do a thing about it. I can only assume that if one really doesnt owe or that one truly has no assets and can prove that he/she will never ever have anything you might be able to do something. Nothing you cant do by yourself. 

I asked Selig if he ever actually had a offer accepted. I replied. alleging that he had one "nearly done". 

If you owe the money, pay it, there really isnt much one can do... you might see TV ads that show a happy couple that owed Ten Million and all they paid was Ten thousand...it just doesnt happen like that. The IRS is above the Law, in most cases a Bankruptcy will not relieve the full debt... it actually compounds it in some cases. 

If you really feel that you need the assitance of an attorney then look one up. Get a real lawyer who practices Tax Law, he wont be on TV and he wont have a big ad... tell him the exact situation and he will adivse you..

DO NOT GO TO A FLIM FLAM OUTFIT LIKE THESE TWO. 

Now that this is all over, my life is much easier...I only wish that i had known what i no know. I offer this to anyone in a similar situation...this isnt about punitive action to Selig and his lackey...i am sure that there are a plethora of these scam artists out there.. please be careful. Dont dig a deeper hole. This firm will surely assist you in getting so deep you wont know up from down. 

Please feel free to contact me through this site... i will reply and assist in any way i can... and no, i dont charge anything, This isnt my business. 

If you are reading this, i asume you have issues... do the right thing..RESEARCH AND RESEARCH AND THEN DO IT AGAIN. 

You will note that i left New York and relocated to Nevada... it was for my own benefit. Not because I had to, 

Good luck to youl