Last year I switched from an accountant to H & R Block to do my tax return and that of my mother. Although the charge to do the return was about the same, it was easier to get to H & R Block. This year, however, the amount I was charged for my tax return more than doubled and my mothers was $225.00 more than last year. Although my return included rental property income which was not on last year's return, I did not feel that $242.00 more for that one additional piece of work was warranted. I really felt ripped off. Worse yet, there was no difference between my mother's tax return for 2006 and 2007; but the charge to prepare her return for 2007 was $225.00 more than last year. The final slap in the face was the fact that they made the very nice lady who did our returns "clock out" because she had too many hours for that week, she spent 30 minutes of "her own time" going over the returns. I was so angry when I left at the charges for preparing the returns and the fact that they were ripping me off and not even paying her for her time.

Not only will I never return to H & R Block, but I will tell everyone who will listen about their abusive over exorbitant charges. Good word of mouth is great advertising, bad word of mouth much more damaging.

My husband and I filed our taxes for 2007 at H&R Block in Feb. 2008 and we always have had a decent experience. All the times we go we get an anticipation loan and we wait to see if we are approved. Then when we are we get our $. And we always were. But this Time the lady (Darlene Shrag) had said that we "can get a check today" with the anticipation instant loan... wich we thought was the same exact loan we have always received, "ANTICIPATION LOAN" just faster (in an instant), instead of 2days-2wks for approval, we got it that day. Well were we wrong, it WAS an instant anticipation loan BUT a different type an ANTICIPATION loan. It is NOT APPROVED, H&R BLOCK basically "does a gamble on you"(the Distric Manage Georgette Rollin explained, after everything was said and done) "They say you guys are good customers" and we are basically good for it. I was not informed of this, neighther was my spouse. Everything was already said and done and I called to complain about it. When I was signing papperwork she(the receptionist at H&R) said nothing of the sort she just said that "the instant anticipation loan is so you can get your check today instead of waiting". I was under the impression that this was already approved and we(and our taxes) were good for it. But it was not that at all, and it wasn't explained like this, otherwise I would've said no thank.And that is because I have some back taxes I know could show up at any time when we do our taxes, I told the district mngr. "and if I knew that H&R was just" "gambling"(I quote dist.mngr.Georgette Rollin) "with it's customers I would've refused and it would have been completely out of the question."

After we did our taxes at H&R, several weeks later IRS sent us a letter stating that we have back taxes and owe them our tax returns, and the letter stated it took all our returns! I couldn't believe what was going on! And this is after we had already paid our current bills with the "instant ANTICIPATION LOAN". So the Loan people didn't get paid by our tax returns and are telling us to pay them $597.00 as a first payment to start paying them there $ that was loaned thru H&R. After speaking with the manager at the H&R on 35 AVE I asked why it wasn't explaid this way she said, "I don't know I wasn't there" and I asked her why they approved me for a loan I shouldn't have been approved for? and she said "how can I believe you I wasn't there" and she also said "I don't know" when I told her why wasn't the vital information explained to us? and it is now putting us in further with back taxes, and when I asked if her 2 employees that assisted us knew how to do there job, she said "Idon't know, I don't care" so I asked well are you not the manager? and she was about to hang up because I had all these questions and concerns along with complaints. So in the end of talking to her I asked if there are a lot of complaints about these types of things and she said, "no".

But when I called the district manager she said, "unfortunately we get a lot of complaints and phone calls about this". She told me she would have to do some research about this and get back to me.

I am very upset by the fact that we go to these tax places for them to help us and explain to us what is going on and we trust them to know what we need to know... all the details.

In 2001 my father went to his local HR Block location to file his taxes, as usual. They gave my father incorrect advice on his taxes and filed incorrectly for him. They continued to file incorrectly for him in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.

The IRS is now telling my dad that he owes money for all those years, money that has spend the last 6 years accruing interest and penalties. My father has had Multiple Sclerosis for 20 years. This terminal disease is very stress related, so my dad leads a very simple life. He can't work, and hasn't been able to for a very long time. The stress of this horrible situation caused his large intestine to fail permanently, adding an additional $100, 000 in hospital bills to his now existing financial stress.

The stress of H&R Block completely dropping him after 35 years of being a loyal customer, and refusing to help or correct the problem that THEY CAUSED has also made him lose the use of his legs. I have tried going to the Better Business Bureau, the media, and H&R Block WORLD HEADQUARTERS.

I was wondering if the whole H&R Block company was off during the weekend. I used the wrong pin number at an atm machine and now my card is locked. I tried the toll free numbers and the help desk, but to no avail. So now i'm wondering if I had most of my banking & company tax services done with this company, and there was an emergency, there would be no way to access the money or talk to a person until Monday. I thought this was a rather large company & we all had "people". Or is that just during the tax season. It's going to be a long weekend without access to my funds, but it'll give me time to ponder why I need services from a financial company that's only available to me 8am to 8pm monday thru friday, with no emergency services after hours.

On March 3rd, 2009 I presented, upon request, a tax claim application with an amount of $35.00 to Mr. Bruce Bulla, tax consultant. He said "I will e-mail that today & you should receive your $ in about 2 weeks. On March 20, because I had received no return funds I phoned H&R Block. The desk clerk told me it was because I had not paid the $98.00 service charge!! This was the FIRST & ONLY request that I had heard. I was immediately confused & frustrated to think that I had waited all this time for my refund & it hadn't even been dealt with because of this $98.oo!!! I told the clerk that I would like to talk with Mr. Bulla ASAP. Rather than wait for his call I immediatley went up to his office. Unfortunately our conversation was most uncomfortable. Mr. Bulla, of course told me he had informed me of this service fee. I told him that he certainly had not because if he had, he would have had the $98.00 and I would have my $!! He insisted that he had told me..which I very defensively construed as him calling me A LIAR!!! He told me that it was his job to inform me of this and quickly responded to him that it was my job to pay him $98.oo!!! Furthermore I could not understand why I had not received any further communication regarding this matter. The answer to that was that he had written a memo on my file to say that I would be in with the $ on Mar. 3. I did take his $ in on Mar. 3..the $35.00 adjustment fee..the ONLY $ he requested!!! Mr. Bulla commenced at our meeting to say "What do u want..do u want me to apologise?" I replied "I don't care what u have to say, I just want u to know I will never set foot in this door again!!! It is my complaint that as a customer I should not have been spoken to in this very rude manner & certainly do not appreciate being called a LIAR!!! I had dealt with H&R Block in Hlfx, N.S. for 5-6 yrs & never had a problem, but now they have lost my business as I WILL NOT TOLERATE BEING TREATED IN THIS MANNER!!! I believe that he may have thought he relayed this message to me but a mistake was made..I do not have a problem with anyone making a mistake, but will not understand his treatment to a business client!!! Thank-you for your time. Shirley J. Finnie