A few of the Real Scam Reports from real people on http://www.consumeraffairs.com
I filed my taxes the 3rd of February with the understanding that the return would be here in no later than 14 business days. Now being the 24th, I am pissed. H&R Block knew about the IRS delays at the time I filed and yet I was not informed nor have they tried to contact me. I have filed with them for almost 20 years. I am glad to say that I will never open their door again. They should give the money that they charged people this year back to them because we could have mailed them off ourselves and got them back by the time they will have them to us. I spent $391.00 to e-file.
I took my taxes in the H&R Block office to be processed and I left them there. I got a phone call from a person that had a question and I didn’t hear any more. I waited and waited for about two weeks. I went to the office to see if they were done and they were. They charged an outrageous $157.
My 18 year old son went into H&R Block here in Hemet, CA to file a 1040EZ under their ad of free tax preparations. Expecting her to guide him, he told her he lives at home with his parents (and we support him) and showed that he only had $4,100.00 income for the year. She filed him as “not being able to be claimed on someone else’s taxes return”.
We called to her to see what can be done about this, she said she needs to file an amendment and it will cost him $100.00 to do this (which is what the tax board charges). That was a lie (we found out). The tax board doesn’t charge for this service, she does! My husband called her “superiors”. They told him to have our son call her back. He did for 2 days. She was always too busy to take his calls. My son and husband went into the office. She admitted that it was her fault, but it will cost to fix it.
That’s just not right! I don’t do taxes but I know enough to know that an 18 year can’t survive a year on $4,100.00 and when they say they live with their parents, obviously, they are being supported by someone. So is this how they get their money for doing “free taxes”?
My husband and I were expecting a rapid refund to pay our bills and some debt. We did our taxes on the 3th of Feb. and were told that we would get our money on or two days around the 15th. On the 17th we called to find out why we haven’t received them and were told it was a hold up from the IRS. I’m steamed! We have this in writing so I was wondering if there are any law suits against H & R Block that we could possibly be a part of. This is totally fraud on H & R blocks part. My thoughts are that H & R Block should wave the fee or at least give us a large discount on doing our taxes. They should not be allowed to tell us we are getting our money at a specific date when we don’t receive it I would say that is fraud? I have read many of these complaints and fall into the same category as the rest of the folks who have complained on this web site. To top it all off our Emerald card has been charged now for even checking to see if the money is there yet. Of course we called the IRS and they told us that we will probably see the money by the 27th. That’s a far cry from the 15th.
I already filled a complaint, just making a statement .I find it funny that everyone that has filled with H&R Block has had nothing but issues, rude service, and when you ask them a question about your return that you paid for, they have no INFO and are blaming the IRS. When everyone that has used Turbo tax and other online sources have had no Issues what so ever and have already received the refund, while everyone that filled with H&R Block are stuck fiddling our thumbs hoping we receive our return within the next month or so. I have used them for over 6 years now and I have never felt so screwed in my life. I will be filling my taxes with Turbo tax next year and will only have to pay $80.00 to fill not $360.00.
I went to H&R Block to do my taxes last February 2, 2012 here at El Paso, Texas. I was told I was requiring additional information. I had to schedule a second appointment and nothing was resolved. I called the IRS office and got the information requested, scheduled a 3rd appointment and they submitted the documentation to the IRS, they told me that I will receive my refund after 2-3 weeks. One day after that, I received a call from the H&R Block representative saying that the case was rejected. That day, I paid around $194.00 for the service.
I had to call again the IRS to verify the information and re-scheduled an appointment today, February 20, 2012. I had an appointment at 4:00 pm and the representative had other appointment at the same time. She attended the other person and after 45 minutes, I was not attended and I had to leave the office very angry. So I am frustrated, I am really disappointed and don’t know what else to do. I asked the person in the front desk to change my representative and asked them to return my money back and to do my taxes in a different place, but they told me that is not possible.
Any help is welcomed! I recommend you to think before you go and do your taxes with this company. Per my experience, I think some of the representatives are not well trained, they do not respect your appointments, the equipment or devices for electronic signature is continuously failing,etc. I suggest you to better analyze other options.
I had a situation at my local H&R Block office in Boonville, Indiana where the “tax specialist” (who was a barking nimrod) omitted a lot of my information, told me my husband and I owed the state $900, then had the gall to say the cost for their “services” would be almost $300. I collected my W2’s and proceeded to leave. She said I could try to do them myself, but that it was doubtful I’d have any different results. Then she said she’d be more than happy to keep the info in the system for me for when I returned. I told her not to bother and left.
There had been quite a few commercials for their deals and guarantees to get you the most back, etc. This is definite misrepresentation of services and they are pulling a bait and switch to get people in the door. Had I not had the presence of mind to realize something was terribly wrong, I would have just put my head down and paid it and accepted it that “well, they are the experts”.
I went home and did them through TurboTax and while my husband and I did indeed owe the state, it was only $211 and not $900. It was all e-filed and we were only charged $66. H&R Block should spend less on their misleading commercials and more on training their so-called “specialists”. I hope people realize that you don’t have to file through them just because you visited their office. You can leave at any time and you are not obligated to file through them.
I called to see how much they would charge me and I was told free for federal and $30 for state. I went in on February 2, 2012 and first, the woman said, “Oh, you don’t have to file because you made under $10,000.” I said well they did take taxes out so she did them and at the end, I was charged $70. Then she stated 7 to 10 days. So at the 10th day, there was nothing on my card. I checked the paperwork and it stated the 15th. So I called and they said it’s 7 to 10 business days. Okay, it’s now February 18th and I still have nothing on my card and I am getting the runaround from them. They said the IRS is having trouble with their website so I should try back in a few days.
I went in to file a simple tax return, and ended up spending 2 hours and $178, only to be told that I owe $450. What the **!
I can’t believe I was charged $327 by H&R Block to file my taxes. The kicker for me was I started online on their website and had trouble with a couple forms and made an appointment. Well, all my info that I had entered at home carried over to the H&R Block office and the lady made a few typing corrections. I think some of that charge should have been waived, considering I entered probably 98% of the information for them.
On February 9th, I walked into the H&R Block nearest to my place of work (55 John Street) hoping to file my taxes for 2011. You see, the city of New York has made an agreement with H&R Block stating that individuals who made under $41,000 in 2011 and who have dependents are eligible to file their taxes for $29 with a sponsored coupon. I was greeted by a young girl who was sitting at the front desk and who took down my information. Very pleasant and polite, she passed on my information to a tax preparer who was also very pleasant and all smiles, that is, until I mentioned to her that I was interested in the promotion listed on the city sponsored coupon. It was then that this woman’s attitude went from very friendly and polite to dismissive and short.
Since I did not have my coupon printed, she could not see me stating that I would need to pay up front and when I offered to return to her with the printed coupon, she told me to go elsewhere. Not letting her poor attitude get to me and not letting me make quick judgments, I decided to give H&R Block another shot and this time, I met with a new tax preparer and a new front desk person on February 13th, 2012 who were also very friendly and eager to assist until I explained that the $29 coupon is what led me to their office.
As soon as I sat down and I mentioned the coupon, the tax preparer rolled her eyes and her entire attitude changed. She expressed her annoyance over the fact that this coupon is being offered and she kept asking (at least three times within the 20 minutes I sat down with her) me whether or not I thought that $29 for her services was too little; all the while there are other staff and customers in the office. The tax preparer did not seem interested in the least to help me with my taxes. She did not answer my questions and she kept trying to get me to agree to a tax credit I know I did not qualify for. It got to the point where this woman’s unprofessionalism and money hungry ways (apparently she makes a commission preparing taxes and my $29 wasn’t good enough for her) were just so blatant and so disrespectful that I could no longer take it and I asked to speak to a manager.
Unfortunately, the manager was not in the office at the time. I was so humiliated and so embarrassed that I had to force myself not to break down and cry. I expressed to the tax preparer how important it is for me to get my taxes done in a timely manner and why paying $29 would help me since I am a single mother. My tax preparer then decided to inform me that she was planning on writing a letter to Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NYC, to inform him why this coupon is an inconvenience to her. I then informed her that while she writes her letter to Mayor Bloomberg, I would be filing a complaint with H&R Block’s corporate office and with Consumer Affairs and that she should seek another employer who doesn’t have this kind of agreement.
As a working professional, I understand the meaning of making a living and I totally get she makes a certain percentage off of whatever the customer pays; however, as a customer service professional, you need to be empathetic and sensitive towards the consumer because you are providing a service. I have never used H&R Block in the past. This was my very first and last experience with this company. I work Monday through Friday full time and attend school evenings and weekends full time as well, all the while I am raising a small child on my own. I did not need nor did I deserve to be treated this way. Whatever happened to “service with a smile” and “the customer is always right”? I have filed a complaint with their corporate headquarters and I will be taking my taxes elsewhere.
I went to H & R Block and had my taxes done. Well, I had 2 W2s and a 1099 I had received for doing side work. She entered that I was a small business owner! I ended up paying $337 because she messed up and now they will not fix the problem!
Went to H & R Block to do my taxes like I do every year. I usually get the rapid refund for around $250, but they no longer offer the rapid refund, so I figured it would cost me a lot less since I was not getting that much back anyway. I spent about an hour there and the lady told me my refund amount and then she told me the charges. I nearly fell over in my chair when she said $400. That was a 1/3 of my refund amount. She said that was the price for the forms and preparation. I feel ripped-off and I will never go there again. I have been getting my taxes done from them since 2000. $400, that is close to how much I pay for rent every month. To top it off, I am a single mother going to school and I am unemployed at the moment.
I went to H&R Block to have my taxes done and I couldn’t believe the price jumped up over a $100 from last year. And then the agent spent most of my time answering the phone. Never will I have them do my taxes again or recommend anyone to go to them. It’s not like I am a big business with a lot of paper work to do. Just two people retired!
I went to an H&R Block office on February 7, 2012 and on the paperwork they told me I would receive my money on or around February 15, 2012. They sent me an email on February 15, 2012 telling me that there is a delay with refunds due to the IRS. I called H&R Block’s customer service line and they said my new return date was going to be February 23, 2012. I then went to the IRS website and they quoted my date being February 28, 2012. I called back H&R Block’s customer service line and they still quoted me the 23rd of February. I told them what the IRS website said and they told me to go by that date instead of the date they gave me. In the paperwork that H&R Block gave me when I got my taxes done they guarantee your money in 7-14 days. Now it is going to be 3 weeks before I will receive my refund! Anyone who reads this: do not go to H&R Block to get your taxes done. They just tell you what you want to hear and quote you dates that are incorrect! I paid over $350 for their ** “services”.
Tax preparation fees of almost $400.00! I did not realize, until it was too late that they charge by the form, and I have a lot of them. I had no idea that TurboTax has a version with all the forms I needed for under $100.00. So I let H&R Block do it. I opted for the Emerald Card. I was told when I got the H&R Block Emerald card that I could transfer the money in one fell swoop. This is true, but it costs you $25.00 to do so. I was not told this. It costs money to check balances at the ATM; it costs money to get money from the ATM. My refund did not come in time to pay off the Emerald Card before it was due. I called the call center to pay off the account on time and was told I had to go to either Wells Fargo, Bank of America, or US Bank to do it.
I went to all 3. They knew nothing of this. I went to the local H&R Block office. I was then told I had to go to Wal-Mart and buy a card for more money, load it with the money, and then I could pay off the account or use Western Union which again costs money. The only option that would not cost me more money is to send a check, which will now cost me more money because it is late. H&R Block have been doing my taxes for 20 years. Never ever again.
I had an appointment that an ad was running, saying $99, however no price was spoken until the end, and I was hit with a $329 fee, another $30 fee for interest, or some **. I was told my taxes would be back on a certain day. That day has come and been gone, after I questioned it. I was told it wasn’t their fault, and to wait another 7 to 14 days, but I paid. Now, after the long wait, some weeks, I checked and it’s another amount. Not what’s on my paperwork.
I called the IRS, and there was no problem. I called them. I guess you know I waited over 8 hours, before I got a call back, only to say we don’t know what happened, or where your money went. Up until this date, there wasn’t even a call, and $800 gone. I don’t owe money to IRS or anyone, but all they can say is, it’s not our fault. Finally, IRS called. They messed up the e-file info, but they keep denying that, but I won’t rest until this is resolved, and after 18 years, I will never ever use their services, and I will tell others, however, I see I’m not the only one with these experiences. H&R block has been ripping off the poor for too long. They have no sympathy, no remorse, no apologies, no discount or anything for their errors. I’m not gonna accept that.
My son’s family went to you. The guy did short form for both, state and Federal. And he was charged $250.00. That is crazy! How can you take that much money for about 1 hour of work from a young couple starting out. I hope you can sleep at night for taking that kind of money from people. I’m going to make sure I tell as many people as possible. You will never get any of our money again.
Filed State and Federal simple forms charged for each entry including $22.00 on $1500.00 unemployment. Total charges $237.00 asked for itemization of charges was told by preparer. He could not give a print out. This is unacceptable. Why is this allowed? I would have walked out and filed returns myself if I knew I could refuse to have them file. I was also told if I had the fee for the service deducted from my return H&R Block charges another fee. Wait I said, I have money in the bank and wrote a check. They wanted me to sign up for some emerald plan additional $33 for what (?) it was not explained to me. I declined this fee. I will tell everyone I know to avoid H&R Block. I will file my taxes myself next year and save the expense of the H&R typist.
My husband and I got our taxes done last year with H&R and it was expensive ($220). We did get our money quick and the man who did it was helpful and answered our questions. We said though we would not go back next year. Well, we made the mistake of going there this year again. We thought since we had a baby this year and they new all our information, we would go again. For starters, we got there at 5:20, 10 minutes before our appointment with a baby in hand. Well, we waited 50 minutes for the girl to show up! We were not walk-ins. We had an appointment. I was about to leave and I should have.
An hour and a half later, our taxes were done and guess how much our bill was with it deposited into our bank account. $ 380. We were about to leave and we were told as well we could not. They tried saying that they charge per form now! The worst part is this is not the worst part. We went into the office on 1/25/2012. One week later, I called because the IRS was not showing any information. No response from them.
A week later, I called again and was told it was never filled! Wow. Really? I was told that the girl never had a senior worker sign it. Now, they just changed my direct deposit date to the 25, a month to the date we filed. I have tried to contact their main office. I do not think I should have to pay for any of their services since they are guaranteed certainly not for the direct deposit. Do not waste your time or money with these people. Next year, I am going to an accountant.
A simple form cost me $185.00, last year $88.00. This year more simple will not go back, next year a rip-off.
I am appalled at the fee that H&R Block has just charged me. It is almost three times what I have paid for other professional services in the past 20 years. They get you by estimating a low fee. Once they prepare the return, you are hooked. I will never go there again!
Both I and my girlfriend had our taxes done through H&R Block. We both had probably the stupidest so-called “Tax Professional”. It took them over an hour to do my taxes and almost 2 hours to do my girlfriend’s. We both had simple taxes. We thought by going to them that it would be better. I was charged over $200 to do mine and she was charged $178. Soon after having out taxes done we checked online to find out that TurboTax can do the same thing for only $66.
We called H&R Block to try to stop everything but they said, “We are sorry it is already sent and in the main frame. Sorry.” We then called customer support and they said, “We cannot do anything, we are just here to direct you to and H&R Block Tax Professional.” Well they have lost our business and we strongly recommend that you go to someone else or do your own online. H&R Block you suck and you are a scam!
I went to H&R Block this year, because I had a coupon for a free 1040EZ tax return. Well, since I had child care credit, the coupon was not acceptable. The charge was outrageous, and I will never go to them again, and I will let everyone else know what kind of a ripoff company they are. I am a single mother of three children, and need every penny I can get. They charged me $321 plus $55 to have it deposited into my account. Where does the $55 come into play? It doesn’t cost anything to have your money direct deposited. I will be sending a letter to the Better Business Bureau. I could have gone to a CPA, and my charges would have been much less. I am now waiting on my refund. I wonder how long that will take! They take advantage of taxpayers. I called and complained, and of course, they will do nothing! I’m sure they won’t be in business much longer, if word gets out like I plan on doing.
H&R Block have an ad on channel 6 in Bozeman, MT. It claims that if you file your taxes by the end of February, they are free. Not so. I had a simple form and it cost me $178 and when I asked why, the preparer said, “Oh, our manager opted no to do that.” I said how can that be when it is advertised on TV. His reply was, “I wish I could help you but that is the way it is.” I told him that is false advertising.
I normally do my income tax filing online with TurboTax. I did it at home and found out I had to pay in so I figured I was doing something wrong. Well, after listening to the commercials on TV about H&R Block, I decided to call. Well, they came up with the same results I did but it cost me $249 to file. I was shocked. I figured because she took the time to go through them, I had to pay. I was and still am very pissed off! I then went home and re-processed (didn’t send in) my taxes on TurboTax and H&R Block. Both were going to charge me less than $90. I then called H&R back and said I wanted a refund! They said there was nothing they could do as my taxes have been processed. No, an unacceptable answer! I am continuing to argue this. I will never go to them again nor will I refer them to anyone!
I went to H&R Block at 4300 Sonoma Blvd. in Vallejo, Ca. in January 2011 to have my income tax prepared and I paid $250.00 for that. Its okay since I have had them prepared my income tax there every year for four years. As soon as the preparer saw my refund, she asked me if I wanted to avail of the Emerald Card to save me $35.00. I asked if there is a charge for that, she said no. I asked if I can withdraw money from it, and she said yes again. Yes, she retrieved the disclosure form (in fine prints and was about three pages long) asked me to sign which I did, thinking she would print a copy for me and put it in my records. I asked again if I could transfer it to my account, all at one time. And she said YES.
I used it at Wal-Mart to buy a $25.00 worth of groceries, it was okay. But when I went to the B. A. counter to transfer the balance to my savings account, the teller said they could not do that, because that could only be done at the atm. I used the ATM and it read that the bank charges $2.50 in addition to card institution charges. When I called H&R block emerald card the representative told me these;
Every time I used the card to buy something or get cash from an ATM they charge $25.00. I cannot believe H&R block can do this. Beware this particular H&R block is not licensed. Anyway, I filed a complaint at the California board of complaints. Also, my son signed up for the peace of mind services (they will take care of any errors that may have been made on the tax returns.) they did not. This is not the time to steal people’s money. Many people like me are now unemployed and suffering.
I went to get my tax done, 1040ez with one dependent. They charged me $220, which was ridiculously expensive. I was not happy about the charge, hope if there is any amendments of tax, or audit, they will not charge me any penny.
When I visited the H&R Block, the person who started preparing the tax never gave me any idea of how much it would cost. First point and next just for filing a federal tax having just interest income the cost they are charging is $99 which is ridiculous. For tax filing, $51. I have not paid them and not planning to file through them.
H&R Block has been doing my taxes for 16 years now. It has always been a bit expensive, but we felt it was worth it to have ‘professionals’ handle it and save us the headache of figuring it all out and the heartache if we did it wrong. We now realize that we have been ** ourselves these 16 years. A chimp can fill out a simple tax return like ours and we’ve been paying some fat cat to do it. This year they charged us twice what we were charged last year, secured a return of less than half of what we received last year, and promised us that we would receive our refund no later than the 6th of February, which was 4 times longer than last year! It is now the 11th and we still haven’t received a dime. This year I have resolved to quit allowing myself to be robbed by fat cat down-pressers. I am so sick of it. I have pulled the plug on T-Mobile this year, Commerce Bank, Sprint, my landlords (trying to figure out how to quit paying utilities, too), and H&R Block–you are on notice and your services will no longer be required. And I’ll be sure to “tell a friend” or a thousand! How’s that for telling you something good? Bloodsuckers!
Every year my fees go up at H & R Block. I complained about it, but continued to go. Today I was charged $209.00 to do my tax returns. Now last year, I was charged $200.00 because I waited so late and was told they charge more during the time period (in April). Whatever. Well, here it is ** February and I’m being charged even more. This time I was told it was because of my HSA (Health savings) form. I have that every year! Anyway, I took all my papers and got up and left. They’ve just lost me as a customer. They are liars, cheaters and in fact, a couple years ago, one of their employees stole my wallet when I left it there. Needless to say, the employee denied it and my wallet was never found.
My wife and I filed a joint income tax return. We indicated that we were interested in filing the 1040EZ as it was advertised to be a free filing. We sat with the preparer during the process, which took approximately 30 minutes. Most of this time consisted of waiting for the preparer to click through the screens, sign our name electronically, etc. Then there was a mistake. All this information had to be re-entered. So much for being fast.
When the filing was completed, the preparer asked us how we wanted to pay. We indicated again that we requested to file the 1040EZ for the free filing. The preparer stated that because we had received a dividend, the long form had to be filed. At this time, the branch manager had overheard the conversation and walked into the cubicle. The branch manager then confirmed that the taxes had to be filed on the long form because of the dividend.
The dividend in question was in the amount of $111.00 which was from a class action lawsuit my wife was involved in years ago. H & R Block was now requesting a payment of $140.00 because the long form had to be filed.
We discussed this fee with the preparer and the branch manager. Evidently, there is nothing they could do. The long form had to be filed and we owed $140.00.They would take cash or check then for the $140 or we could have it taken out of our refund, at which time they would recoup a service fee of $35. Nice job H & R Block. You lost my business & hopefully the business of all those who would talk to me
HRBlockScam 