Complaint Review: TAX INC - LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Nationwide

When I worked at Tax, Inc., back in the 2006-2008 years, i resolved about 1,000 tax resolution cases.

The case of the client from Phoneix, AZ is UNKNOWN TO ME. I was listed on the firm's power of attorney filed with the IRS along with other licensed representatives.  There has been no direct ontact with the clients, and I was not assigned to their case file.  

The case of Joanne in Washington DC was one of her inheriting a tax liability from her relative. She was instructed that she just ahs to pay the taxes over time in a payment plan.  She complains but that is the correct resolution. She likely wanted the refund to pay the taxes. As am employee, I was not authorized to issue refunds. I am sorry that she went through the experience, but she needed advice and there is a fee for that.

Please remove these reports from my name as i was only an employee at the company, not the client's tax representative.

Thank You,

Signed Michael Maynard, EA

As former employee of Tax, inc., I am familiar with this case. Most importantly, I did not sell  resolution services. Secondly, I am a person with a conscience enough to return this lady's calls. So I ask that my name be removed from the case as I am not to blame for the sale of services.

Otherwise the case is like the plaintiff states: She had a lien on a house that needed to be cleared for financing.  The sales person sold her a resolution for $2500 and dumped it into the tax professionals lap. Then moved on to the next sale. This is a common practice in the tax resolution industry.

So I reviewed the case. The house had equity in excess of the taxes owed on the lien. The IRS is not authorized to release the lien under these circumstances. So I offered the client consultation on the matter. I advised her that due to the circumstances just refinance and pay off the lien.  And, I explained to her that she should call me for assistance if the bank refuses the loan because of the lien. We could then drive a wedge between the bank and the IRS lien.  In that sense I provided a consultation.

When she called back to complain, I referred her to the sales manager.

If the salesman had offered her a consultative sale for $2500 she would not complain. Instead, she  hired Tax Inc. for $2500 to avoid paying taxes of $9,030.  So she complained. The sales person should have offered her consultation, as there is no legal resolution. A lien generally cannot be removed from a house that has enough equity to pay the taxes.

Again, remove my name from the case and the case header.  I was stuck with this bone case just as the client was stuck with the sales person's incompetence. 

     

 

  

To all of our valued clients, and to those considering;

Hiring a tax relief firm to settle your tax debt 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 service.

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 management 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.

Joanne, Mr. Freitas, Mr. Maynard and Mr. Caico have not been with the company for several years, so this case must have been remedied a while ago. As it's anonymous, it's hard for us to get specific. As for lifting tax liens, the entire principal must be paid in full before a tax lien can ever be lifted. When clients hire us for this, we act as a bridge between the taxpayer and tax authority to help expedite the process. Failures to respond to our requests or provide timely information to our office can result in poor outcomes or denial of the lien subordination. As for lifting the lien, yes, it can be done by the taxpayer, but it can be an arduous, tedious process. Failures by Tax Inc. representatives to respond to phone calls are unacceptable by the firm, and if there was an oversight in this regard, the firm extends it's sincerest apologies. Sincerely, Tax Inc.