Santa Barbara Bank And Trust Tax Preparer Beware. Biggest tax return ripoff out there. Santa Barbara California

I recently used a website by the name of www.taxbrain.com to file my taxes. I, like every other unwary victim was suckered into the Santa Barbara Trust & Bank scheme.

After filing my taxes on February 28 2008, I waited patiently for my tax return check to be completed and sent back to my checking account via ACH process. Well, that never materialized. I checked the Internal Revenue Service's website and they stated that they had submitted my check to the company that submitted my return on my behalf on the 21st of March. Here it was the 26th of March. No check. Before I go any further, let me just say that on the 24th of March I had contacted the company called taxbrain and asked them why my check had not been submitted to my checking account?

It was then reported to me that taxbrain is the company that just files the taxes on behalf of the customer. Apparently, when the IRS releases your check it does not go back to the folks over at taxbrain, it goes to a company called Santa Barbara Bank & Trust. This particular company claimed that the IRS submitted the check to them on the 21st and that I should receive it on the next business day which would be the 24th. That, of course, never happened.

Meanwhile, I checked back with SBBT's website to find out the status of my check and was informed by the website that my check had been sent to my checking account and that it should reach there in 3-4 working days. The next day I called my bank and they said that nothing had been deposited. This is of course, by now, the 26th of March. So, I went back to their website and was totally shocked to see an updated message that stated:

"The IRS has just notified us that they will release your check to use on the 28th and that we will place it in your account within 1-2 business days. I thought "what in god's name is this?" First they tell me that the IRS submitted it to them on the 21st and that I would receive on the 24th, and now their telling me that the IRS hasn't even submitted it yet and that they won't until the 28th. I was totally confused.

So, to make sure that I wasn't going crazy, I logged onto the IRS website to check my tax return status and sure enough the IRS stated that they released my check on the 21st to Santa Barbary Bank and Trust to be released to me. I then became pissed off because SBBT was apparently playing games with my hard earned check. So I called up and spoke to a customer service rep and they gave me some "BS" story about how the check was pending and that it would be deposited into my account on the 28th. When I questioned her about why their website stated that the IRS submitted my check on the 21st and that I'd have it on the 24th and now they were singing a different song and dance, she plainly said that sometimes the bank rejects the ckeck and we get it back. I asked her why would the bank reject the check? She said there could be several reasons. It could be because the account information entered for the funds to be submitted in where wrong or the recepient of the check's name is not on the account. I told her that was ridiculous! It does not matter who's name is on it the account for the most part. The routing and account number was already confirmed by me and the folks at taxbrain. So it was the correct bank account number. Basically, long story short, from what I was informed by a friend who works for Washington Mutual, Santa Barbara Bank and Trust has someway, some how become able to make people think that they are a legitimate bank when in fact, they are not. They are just a division of Pacific Capital Bank. With that being said, This division is making people think that they are going to electronically send you your tax return, deposit it into your account and that's the end of it all. Well, think again! This little scheme of their's allows them to pretend as if they sent your check to your account only to have the bank supposedly reject it for reasons unknown, it come back to them and them having to send it to you in the mail thus adding 2-3 extra weeks that you have to wait on you tax return. In the meantime, your pulling your hair out wondering where you check is.

Nice little scheme that they have going on because if we go full circle back to when you originally filed you taxes you paid close to $80dollars to have your check electronically returned to your account. You never get that money back. How they are able to do this and get away with it year after year is beyond me. The IRS apparently does not care about the tax payers that are being doped into this little scheme and how the IRS could do business with this company is beyond me. There are so many reports being filed on this company but yet not legal action has been taken against this company is totally nuts!!! I really don't know if or when I will see my $3061.00 tax return, but, rest assured, somebody is going to have to set me straight. There needs to be a class action law suit done against this company. News Channels should be made aware of this company and there needs to be some kind of prosecution taking place against this company. If you are dealing with a company that does not get your check back directly, my advice is for you to run in the opposite direction. More importantly, if they even mention the words SBBT or Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, you had better take flight and only deal with reputable tax firms like H&R Block. "o not fall for this quick return, e-file bologna that so many companies advertise. Especially on the internet. You have been warned.

Xman2008
fort lauderdale, Florida
U.S.A.