H&R Block
GOVERNOR'S PLAZA 9124 UNION CEMETERY RD
CINCINNATI Ohio 45249
United States of America
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H&R Block Charged $300 to basically take a second look at taxes I did myself on TAX ACT for $30 CINCINNATI, Ohio
*Consumer Comment: Quite different
1Author
3Consumer
1Employee/Owner
I sent my daughter to H&R Block after doing her taxes on TAX ACT thinking that I may have missed something that could save her money. The company she works for hired her as a subcontractor and gave her a 1099. That means she has to file as a Sole Proprietor.
With TAX ACT I used my own computer from home and just followed the prompts and the paperwork was filled out for me as I went. When I was done, the outcome was that she would owe about $900.
Buying into H&R Block's commercial that keeps playing on TV regarding how they give you a second look and save people soooooo much money. I sent her to the local office to see if they could find something I missed and save her $. She also had a $25 off coupon to use. Turns out they came up with the EXACT same figure I did and then charged her $300. She texted me the bad news because she was in shock and doesn't have that kind of money.
I called my daughter and asked to speak with the person who did the return. I asked her how she could possibly charge so much for the return. I also said that it had only taken me about 1/2 hr to come up with the same answer with TAX ACT for only about $30 and I thought this was a RIP OFF. She said they charge you for every form they fill out! I told her she should be ashamed to charge that much and that it was a ridiculous amount for what she did. I also asked if she offered any kind of advice before she did the taxes . . . most upstanding business professionals tell you what the cost is before they so business. She said it wasn't a rip off because of all the hours people like her go to school to do this type of work.
Moral of the story - it's a franchise and it needs to make money. They use a program to do taxes just like what's on line and scare tactics to make you think you'll miss something doing your own taxes and get audited. My biggest regret is not trusting my gut. I recommend EVERYONE try Tax Act. It is a great program and I've used it for years. DON'T BE A SUCKER like me and give all of your money away to H&R Block for something you can do yourself!
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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
1Author
3Consumer
1Employee/Owner
Updates & Rebuttals
#1 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Robert - Irvine (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, February 06, 2012
POSTED: Monday, February 06, 2012
You are comparing a $30 software program that you went and bought yourself, that you are doing on your computer on your time. With a $300 service where you are having someone else do on their time, in their office, on their computer, using software that they had to purchase.
Do you see the difference yet?
Well let me see if this helps. Say one night you want to have Cheeseburgers. You can make them at home for about $1-$2 each, but if you go to a "Sit Down" restaurant they are going to charge you about $10 for that same Cheeseburger. Now, are you going to come here and write a RipOff report on the Restaurant because they charge more?
most upstanding business professionals tell you what the cost is before they so business.
- And most customers know what the price is going to be BEFORE they buy the product or have them do the service. Say you go into that same restaurant and the prices were not listed. Would you ask what the price is before you order?
#2 Employee
AUTHOR: anonymous - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Monday, March 19, 2012
POSTED: Monday, March 19, 2012
Supposedly, the Second Look is free, or if not offered free in all areas the base price is $29. If the tax preparer gets the same results as the client did on their return, and the return was already filed - as I'm assuming was the case with the daughter and father using Tax Act - then H&R Block simply gives their Guarantee to the return. If the return had not already been filed, the young woman would have been within her rights to leave the office, go home, and file the return on Tax Act. You are not required to file your return simply because you sit down with an H&R Block tax preparer. If you don't like the price, you can leave. I'm sure the tax preparer at that particular office gave the "hard sell" to the young woman and failed to advise her of this little fact. In addition, as regards to the remark about "knowing the price before you sit down", there is no possible way to know the price of an H&R Block return before you actually sit down and show all the documents you have to the preparer. It's true that some of the preparers are well-trained and the client is paying for their expertise, but it is equally true that many preparers are vaguely aware of taxation. This will all change in the coming year when the IRS requires a standardized test for all tax preparers.
#3 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: Jeanski - Buffalo (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
POSTED: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
I had always done my taxes myself because they were fairly simple. But the year I got divorced I decided to give H&R Block a try in case I missed something. They offered a free consultation. The bottom line was several hundred dollars in fees to them, and a balance due to the IRS of another $700. I had always gotten a refund in the past so I decided to go home and do them myself with software (Turbo Tax).
H&R Block refused to return my W-2s, saying they did my taxes. I pointed out it was a "free" consultation and I did not sign a contract for their services. They refused to return the W-2s so I went home and called my brother (an attorney) for advice. Fifteen minutes later the H&R Block manager called and said I could pick up my W-2s. Turns out my brother's firm also represented H&R Block and they were definitely in the wrong.
I did my taxes myself and it turns out H&R used the wrong filing status. I got a huge refund for the cost of the software :-)
These tax preparation places are a rip off. With the free programs through the IRS and the low-cost software, there's no reason for most people to need a preparer.
#4 Consumer Comment
AUTHOR: MochaG - Springfield (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
POSTED: Tuesday, March 20, 2012
It is different when you file 1099 and W2. The 1099 (contractor) employees can claim more deductible (expenses) than W2.
In this case, the OP wants to verify his/her calculation by using so called expert-in-the-field to look at. Regardless the so called expert is really an expert, there could be fees for the service. In this case, $300 is a bit too much. However, the daughter might not know and instead authorized the service. As a result, she incurred the charges.
Most sit-down tax preparing offices will charge a lot more than an off-the-shelf software. If you think that they will ensure your filing, you must expect a high cost for using the service. Even off-the-shelf software may contains tricky part that keeps asking you for authorization for more non-free services. I used H&R Block online tax return filing. I was not satisfied with it because it kept asking me to authorize for more expenses on unnecessary services including this type of service - real person expert to look at my whole filing data again. I have to be careful while filing, so I would not authorize any extra charges.
Anyway, it is an expensive lesson for the OP to not underestimate services with real people. In this country, it is not cheap at all.
