H&R Block

I won’t be coming back.
Making an appointment online was easy. Watching my H&R Block professional input my salary and investment figures (a la TurboTax) into his computer was easy, although slow. Being charged $ 380 for 60 minutes of time felt like robbery.
I didn’t know what the fee was going to be until the end. The nice Block professional explained to me that the fee is automatically generated based on how many types of forms/​lines need to be filled out.
Block is probably a nice option for people with extremely simple tax profiles who could use the help of an in-​person tax professional to help with deduction questions. For me with a W-​2 and a handful of simple investment accounts, Block is a bad fit.

My parents get their taxes here and now that I am no longer a dependent my dad took me with him to get mine here as well. When I came back to sign the papers, I owed an outrageous amount of money for a student with a part time job. It’s like they don’t even care about getting you deductions, because they get paid regardless. I went home and did my taxes using Turbotax and actually ended up getting money back. Looks like a computer program cares more than the humans at H&R block.

I came here in 2008 because the person who did my 2007 taxes screwed up and then didn’t return my calls (not from H&R Block). I was fortunate enough to get Grace, who has done my taxes every year since then. She’s professional, friendly, and keeps your wallet in mind as she prepares them. I don’t ever feel like she’s pitching a bunch of services to me, and I appreciate that. She always manages to save me at least 25% off the estimated bill, and sometimes even more.
Grace is here only during the tax season, which is a damn shame, but while I don’t particularly like having my taxes done, I enjoy seeing her, and I know I’m getting them done right. And having H&R Block’s peace of mind Guarantee means that I’ll have them redone correctly and reimbursed for my fees in the remote case that anything like 2008 should repeat itself.

One star is one too many. I did my 2012 taxes with H&R block because I just moved from to NJ to CA in October. I usually do my taxes on my own, but I was hesitant this time because of all the changes with me moving to another state; it’s better to be safe than sorry. *HA! BIG MISTAKE!* I should have just done them at home, myself! Not only was it expensive, but I received a letter from the IRS in June stating I have a month to pay a few hundred dollars… I was shocked but I figured everything would be okay, that’s why I paid H&R block, they have my back. So I called the Clayton office where I had my taxes done, and I was told that the person who did them wasn’t in at the moment, so I left a message. I waited two weeks and received NO call or email. I called again and was told that the person I was waiting for, has been on an eight week vacation…*WHY COULDN’T THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT WHEN I FIRST CALLED?!* I became frustrated; all I had left was about two weeks to pay the IRS. I explained this to the H&R representative on the phone, and she told me that I have to come in so that they can see the letter. I scheduled an appointment for the next open business day in the Pleasant Hill location; the Clayton one is apparently closed. Today was my appointment. To start off, I had to wait even though I made an appointment. A man by the name of Roger Powell took me to his desk and browsed through my paperwork and the IRS letter. Then, he told me that he couldn’t help me, that it’s not H&R’s fault…*EXCUSE ME?!* He told me that I owe money…*WELL DUH! I CAN READ! WHAT THE HELL WOULD I BE DOING HERE IF I DIDN’T?!* So I told him that I know, but I don’t know why. He told me that I received a cancellation of debt form, so I explained to him that everything I received is in the paperwork I handed him and the other H&R employee who originally did my taxes. Roger Powell looked through my paperwork and said that it’s wasn’t there, so I told him that I must have not received it then, but he tells me that I did…*HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SIT THERE AND TELL SOMEONE WHAT THEY RECEIVED?!* REALLY frustrated now, I told him that I paid for the H&R block service for help which is why I made an appointment in the first place, I need help. I need to know who to call, what to do because I did NOT receive any form telling me about a cancellation of debt. Roger Powell tells me that he cannot help me, it’s not H&R’s problem, I have to pay it, then he points to a number and tells me that I can try calling it but it won’t matter, I still have to pay… All the money H&R block charges you to do what you can do for free on your own, and they don’t have the decency to help you when something difficult actually does happen?! Basically, I wasted my money on a service I’m not getting, wasted my time waiting for a call back I never received, AND wasted my time AGAIN at a useless appointment with a babbling buffoon named Roger Powell. HEED MY WARNING, DO NOT COME HERE! IT IS ALLLLLL A WASTE & BAD SERVICE!!!

I had to amend to my tax report and had a question. Our family uses turbo tax and I tried asking my question to the Turbo Tax reps but wasn’t getting good detailed answers, not to mention the wait time was 3 hours to on-​line chat and at least 45 minutes on the phone. I called H&R Block because I wasn’t comfortable with the advice given to me from turbo tax. Someone picked up right away and was very polite and went through my questions and thoroughly explained the answers.
*disclaimer this review is on over-​the-​phone customer service

No one in the office could explain a W4 for me.
I just graduated from college and got my first real job. I wanted to know how much taxes I will be paying next year and how much I should have withheld.
This seems like the basics of taxes!!! How can you do anything else in taxes if you can’t even calculate how much taxes I will be paying. I spent 3 hours there. Talked to 3 different «tax experts.» And no one could give me a decisive answer. I had to correct them at almost every step. They were looking at the wrong lines on my pay stubs.
Three hours later I am frustrated and more confused than when I went in.
Someone should have said, we can’t do that here, in the first 5 minutes of being there instead of wasting 3 hours of my time.
The worst part is I don’t even have a complicated case. I am single, have no dependents, no mortgage, no charitable deductions or investments.

There’s no such thing as appointment here. the day i came to my appointment they still let me wait for 30mins. WTH! that’s why i set an appointment so i dont have to wait! Bad Service at all!