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  • Report:  #327950

Complaint Review: United States Tax Relief Agency - Seal Beach California

Reported By:
- San Francisco, California,
Submitted:
Updated:

United States Tax Relief Agency
12340 Seal Beach Boulevard, Bldng B., Fifth Floor Seal Beach, 90740 California, U.S.A.
Phone:
800-819-7499
Web:
N/A
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
I had searched for a firm to assist me in filing an offer in compromise with the IRS including doing a search for good and bad things said about them. It appeared that United States Tax Relief Agency was reputable, so I initially spoke with James Thomas, Executive Director who told me they resolve issues for the client. He is the one who initiated the contact with Michael Gill, who, in turn, sent me a letter highly recommending Richard Hargus, E.A. as their best man to get my issue taken care of. So I completed all the paperwork, filed my offer and was assured by Richard that he was working on it.

After approximately a year of being assured he was working on my offer, he told me that we had to file another offer and the IRS was inclined to accept it once they received it. I filed this second offer in addition to making the monthly payments while they were reviewing it. I received a rejection of the offer in September and immediately got in contact with Richard. He assured me he was filing an appeal so I left it in his hands and that I should continue to pay my payments which I did. Around the end of December or first of January, I recieved a computerized letter from the IRS, so I again contacted Richard. He emphatically told me this was a mistake and he would be contacting the IRS so I would not be receiving another one.

In the middle of March, I received a copy of the letter to my employer that I was having my wages garnished. This was a total shock after my conversations with Richard. Now for the bad news, when I called Richard, his voice mail said he was called away for a family emergency and would be back in the office on Monday (however, I listened a second time, and he should have been in the office since the return date he indicated was March 3 and my call was in the middle of the month). I was really frustrated and have subsequently gone to the IRS office and am now making extremely high payments to them thereby making it very difficult for me to live and save anything for retirement.

After talking to the IRS, I subsequently called Richard Hargus's office and his voice mail disavows receiving any monies from the United States Tax Relief Agency and that he has no association with Michael Gill (this is really a "crock" since I have correspondence from Michael Gill stating that Richard Hargus was the best man to handle my case). In addition to leaving Richard Hargus a voice mail and an email, I have received no reply.

I am at my wits end and do not even know how to proceed from here. I would be interested in joining in a class action suit against Richard Hargus since he claims not to be involved with United States Tax Relief Agency and Michael Gill who have filed bankruptcy. In addition, I would like to somehow be named a creditor in the bankruptcy. To have predatory people like these ruining people's lives on top of these people trying to get their back tax issues resolved is a total, cold insult.

Cheryl

San Francisco, California

U.S.A.


2 Updates & Rebuttals

S.

Lufkin,
Texas,
U.S.A.
IRS OIC

#2Consumer Suggestion

Thu, May 15, 2008

Did you know... that if you contact the Revenue Officer in your state (yes some have local offices) that they will do the exact same thing for you BUT free of charge. Don't be scared of the IRS. Just talk to them like they are normal human beings. You will get this solved. I am/did and it worked out extremely well.


Richard

Phelan,
California,
U.S.A.
Response submitted to Complaintant

#3UPDATE EX-employee responds

Tue, May 13, 2008

Your contract was with Mr. Gill and USTRA. I took no money from clients nor did I hold any contracts. I did have a family emergency which took me out of the state for several weeks in March. Mr. Gill and USTRA filed for bankruptcy, closed their offices, shut down their phone systems, shut down their computer systems, and I have not been able to locate Mr. Gill since. This also shut down the USTRA email address you may have been using. He has not paid me to contine work on cases, nor have I recieved any money from clients. Richard

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