"H&R Block apologizes for gays' tax snafus" [Gay.com] (Thanks to Sharon!)

Your email was sent to me and I wanted to respond to you personally. We do not refuse to prepare tax returns for gay and lesbian couples. Unfortunately, we are a public target of some pretty nasty allegations that are not true. I believe the media and other like to sensationalize issues. Here is what is really going on...

The federal government does not recognize same-sex civil unions for the preparation of federal income taxes. However, Connecticut has recognized these civil unions for state taxes. In our online tax program, TaxCut, the federal tax return programmatically feeds the tax return information into the state tax return. Since the federal return can not be filed as a same-sex civil union (like a joint return) the correct information is not flowing to the state portion of the tax return to file a same-sex civil union state return. In this instance, like any other area that may not be handled well with the online program, we provide some guidance that our H&R Block tax offices will be able to assist you with your return. In general when we have complicated tax return situations, we feel that the best outcome is to have one of our tax professionals assist the consumer.

We are accused of is discriminating against same-sex civil unions because we presented the option of visiting one of our offices. Our competitors recommend that three returns be prepared (two individual returns for the federal return, and then a "proforma" return where the information is combined for the federal return that will feed into the state return. The customer is instructed to print the "proforma" return and mail in the state return). We have the same workaround available in our online and software products. Additionally, we have offered to refund the price of the "proforma" return so that the couple is treated financially on parity with a married filing jointly couple. Our competition does not offer the refund or parity pricing with a married filing jointly couple.

I want to assure you that we do not discriminate against any individuals and value all our customers. We do not refuse to prepare tax returns for gay and lesbian couples that live in US states where their marriage is recognized. We are in fast offering a better solution than the competition for those customers.

Please feel free to email me directly with any other questions.

Warm regards

Paula Drum
Vice President, Marketing
H&R Block

PREVIOUSLY: H&R Block Doesn't "Support" Gay Civil Unions

(Photo: Ben Popken)

I went ahead and used their site to file without much trouble (my taxes are pretty easy) but I noticed a very serious security issue with the site.

To log into the site and access your account information, you just need to provide your name and social security number. Your account is not protected by a password of your own choosing. Unfortunately, this isn't readily apparent until you've created an account. Anyone who knows your name and soc sec can pretty much find out everything else there is to know about you if you use this site to do your taxes.

While I appreciate the free e-filing, I would like my personal information to have just a little more security.

I entered everything into I-Can and got a big refund... which, sadly, doesn't sound right. I double-checked in TurboTax and, sure enough, I owe a little bit. I used I-Can's online chat support to find out what went wrong, and they were entirely unhelpful. Basically, the line in the summary for my total income (which he told me was my total taxable income) would, according to the IRS tax tables, be a lot more than my withholding, meaning no refund for me.

follow-up: according to their Email tech support (which I had already discovered on my own), their software just didn't input my 1099-MISC onto the actual document. So BEWARE — read very carefully through the actual forms it generates before free-filing.

RELATED
"I-CAN! Files Your State And Federal Tax Returns For Free"
www.icanefile.org
(Photo: paolo margari)

Unbelievably, the IRS' Free File Alliance limits participation to commercial tax preparers who charge for their services. The poor private sector apparently can't compete against non-profits. Alliance members make their money by limiting free eFile to people with an adjusted gross income of $54,000 or less, and by charging to file state tax returns.

By contrast, I-CAN! was created by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County to help people qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and is now supported by the Legal Service Corporation. They have no incentive to gouge their customers. Just look at our favorite part of their FAQ:

Can I get "instant cash" or a loan if I use I-CAN!™ E-File?
No. I-CAN!™ E-File does not support or promote any type of "same day loans", "refund anticipation loans", or "instant cash." These loans can come with interest rates up to 700% APR. If you e-file and use direct deposit, you will receive your refund within 10 to 14 days without paying unnecessary and excessive fees.

I-CAN! (Thanks to Jeremy!)

Argh!

First of all, refund anticipation loans are bad news. Last year, despite our frequent warnings, nearly 9 million American taxpayers paid $900 million dollars in RAL expenses. The typical RAL only lasts 7-14 days according to the National Consumer Law Center, and carry APRs of up to 161%.

"For a free quick refund, file electronically and have your refund direct deposited to your own bank
account," says Jean Ann Fox, Director of Financial Services for CFA, "You'll generally receive an efiled,
direct deposit refund within 8 to 15 days."

Add those costs to the fees associated with a pre-paid debit card and you're really wasting money (our favorite is the $1.00 H&R Block charges just to check your balance. Clever!)

H&R Block suggests that you "save money" by rolling the loan over onto their "Emerald Card." The main sales pitch for this card is that you are not required to pay H&R Block up front for the tax prep, and are instead given a magical debit card full of money! This is probably especially tempting for consumers who are otherwise "unbanked" and would have to wait longer for a paper check from the IRS. Worst tax product ever. Avoid.

Terms And Conditions (PDF) [H&R Block]
Emerald Pre-Paid Mastercard [H&R Block]
Positive improvements For Refund Anticipation Loans, But Consumers Still Warned To Avoid Them [National Consumer Law Center]
(Photo:meghannmarco)

The company reported losing $85.5 million, or 26 cents per share, during the February-April period, which is when the nation's largest tax preparer sees the majority of its revenue. By comparison, the company earned $587.5 million, or $1.79, during the same period a year ago.

Yikes. Other than the subprime lending, H&R Block is doing well. The rest of the company earned $591.2 million. —MEGHANN MARCO

H&R Block reports $85.5 million 4Q loss [BusinessWeek]
(Photo: Maulleigh)

US Government Sues Jackson Hewitt Alleging "Pervasive Fraud"
Costlier Tax Preparers Encourage More Fraudulent Returns
Avoid H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, Says Accountant
Elliot Spitzer Sues H&R Block for Tricking Customers
H&R Block Gets Man in Tax Trouble, Doesn't Care
H&R Block Leaves Guy With $3100 Bill

Results may vary and there are certainly good franchise locations for each of these places, but you're probably better off getting a referral for a good accountant (although by this point, any accountant worth his salt is probably booked up), or using TurboTax to do your taxes yourself. — BEN POPKEN

Taxpayers are increasingly forgoing the tax advance loans, and opting for electronic filing with direct deposit of the refund within seven to fourteen days. No fees, unlike what H&R Block charge for refund anticipation loans:

...about 3 percent for sums of $4,000 or more and as much as 12 percent for smaller sums because the base fee is usually $20 or $30. The interest rate, though it applies only until the refund arrives, would make a loan shark drool.

Don't get a refund anticipation loan. They're dumb. Just file electronically and get your refund direct deposited. Come to think of it, don't go to H&R Block or JacksonHewiit. They're ripoffs. Do TurboTax or get a real accountant. — BEN POPKEN

Tax Loans Are Losing Some Allure [NYT]
(Photo: Ben Popken)

Peter Klaus, with Fleishman-Hillard Digital, apparently worked with H&R Block on its SecondLife branch I blogged about yesterday morning. According to Klaus, the SecondLife version of H&R Block gives pretty good deals on services (for whatever those are worth), plus tax advisors available on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give free advice.

Are there really that many people dying to get business done in SecondLife? This isn't the first business that has tried setting up there.

Paul's e-mail and a couple more screengrabs after the jump.

Hi Sam, I saw your post on Consumerist about H&R Block Island in Second Life. My name is Peter Klaus. I worked with H&R Block to develop their H&R Block presence. I work with the folks over at The Money Blog Network (including All Financial Matters) regularly and saw your post. I've attached some screenshots per your post and the official press release. The real world value points of H&R Block Island for consumers?

1.) H&R Block's newest online tax prep service, Tango, costs $70 in the real world and sells as part of a product bundle in Second Life for $L100 (Linden dollars). That's well under .50 cents at current SL exchange rates: http://secondlife.com/whatis/economy-market.php

2.) H&R Block has tax advisors in world on Tuesday and Thursdays to give 100% free advice to those seeking it. This means no need to wait on congested 800 number help lines etc.

Thanks for the post! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Peter
202-828-9702

p.s. Very cute avatar in the post! ;-)

— SAM GLOVER

AllFinancialMatters reports that H&R Block is opening up H&R Block Island in SecondLife, where, according to the press release, there will be "digital tax professionals sharing free advice, providing access to the latest tax preparation products, and hosting tax-related events, tax time may never be the same."

Can we get some screenshots of this, please? The last time I was on SecondLife, the only things to do were gamble and watch badly-rendered avatars gyrate awkwardly on laggy dance floors. Some of that, and a giant robot, and H&R Block Island sounds like a rocking party. — SAM GLOVER

(Photo: feniks)

Like TurboTax, Tax Cut Basic asks you a series of questions to fill out your forms. The software lets you import last year's data from Turbo Tax, and features error checking, and advice for changing tax situations.

To download, H&R Block asks for a name and address and whatnot. However, there's nothing to stop you from registering as Seymour Butts of Privacy Lane.

The program touts the ease and convenience of e-filing, though that costs an additional $15.95. Better just to print them out and mail them in.

TaxCut Basic charges $24.95 to purchase the ability to file a state return. TurboTax offers a very similar free program that doesn't require a download, but state returns are $25.95.

Overall, a decent quckie tax prep software for the tax payer who just wants to get 'r done. — BEN POPKEN

TaxCut Basic [H&R Block] (Thanks to Krispfeiffer!)

More on Tax Refund Anticipation Loans [CL&P Blog]

Glen sends this scan from a glossy, full-color 8.5x11 ad insert for H&R Block in this past weekend's Provo Daily Herald newspaper in Utah:

"It's estimated Americans overpaid their taxes by nearly a billion dollars.* Don't be one of them. H&R Block will get you the maximum refund you're entitled to, or your tax preparation is FREE. So every dollar you've earned is where it belongs. In our pocket." (emphasis added).

Guess they need the extra bucks to hire copy editors. — BEN POPKEN

OrganizIT asks you a series of questions and builds a tax preparation checklist of the forms you'll need.

DeductionPro helps you find deductions. Only works in Internet Explorer, so fire that up or use the IE tab Firefox extension. After you're finished entering deductions by category, you can save the results to your computer and/or print your report.

The tools are pretty basic but could be a boon if you're just looking to get a quick start on this year's returns. After all, even harder than doing your taxes is getting started doing your taxes. — BEN POPKEN

Tax Advice Central [H&R Block via AllFinancialMatters]

In all, Travis will not be paying more money than he originally owed, but he is being hit by a large and unexpected tax bill when he was expecting a refund. What should Travis do? According to H&R Block there's not a whole lot he can do, other than make sure that H&R Block steps up and covers any fees and penalties. Alas, it seems that this is a cautionary tale.

From Travis' email:

Please....anyone out there. DO NOT USE HR BLOCK. I think they hire the people that the DMV rejects and gives a crash course in tax preparation.

Do you think there is anything I can do? If I was going to cheat on my taxes I sure as shit wouldn't go to HR Block.

Any tax gurus out there want to give Travis some free advice? We're afraid this sort of thing is beyond our ken. —MEGHANN MARCO

Related:
Tax Preparers Encourage More Fraudulent Returns
Worst Company In America H&R Block vs USPS
Avoid H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, Says Accountant
Elliot Spitzer Sues H&R Block for Tricking Customers

Travis' email inside.

Dear Consumerist-

I should have known better....plain and simple

I used HR Block's online tax help for my 2004 return. I input my information on their site and sent my receipts off to one of their "Tax Professional" to prepare my return. I was relocated for work that year and had a nice deduction because of it....or so I thought.

The ever so competent "Tax Professional" made a huge mistake on my return and I know owe the IRS $3100.00. I was told since I didn't pay the "Piece of Mind" insurance...that it was my responsibility.

Please....anyone out there. DO NOT USE HR BLOCK. I think they hire the people that the DMV rejects and gives a crash course in tax preparation.

Do you think there is anything I can do? If I was going to cheat on my taxes I sure as shit wouldn't go to HR Block.

Travis

"You'll learn how to help others get the most from their taxes by spotting the most overlooked deductions," — like listing fake babies! (An undercover report in April found H&R Blocks encouraging customers to list non-existent children to get more tax credits).

Question: is learning how to prepare fraudulent returns part of this class or is that an advanced curriculum?

(Thanks to Christy!)

In 2005, California introduced Ready Returns, aimed to make the process of filing easier for people with simple taxes. Essentially, the state sent out 50,000 tax forms that were already filled out to citizens. All you had to do was double-check, sign, pay-up. Sounds convenient, doesn't it?

Except H&R Block and TurboTax threw a lobbying conniption fit, claiming that filing transparency would jeopardize their business. Even worse, they are succeeding: even though citizens love the program, a California senator has introduced a bill to halt the program and it's very likely to be passed.

As the Wired Article points out, this is like a tire company lobbying to prevent the state from filling in potholes. Their excellent closing summary: "Free markets aren't pro-business - they don't favor incumbent companies if upstarts do the job better. Competition is good wherever it comes from - even the government - so long as it lowers social costs and increases wealth. And efficiency is good regardless of who it might hurt; it is especially good if it hurts those who feed off inefficiency. Thus, lawyers are good, but a world that needed fewer of them would be much better. Doctors are great, but that's no argument against better health. And TurboTax is fantastic, but it shouldn't prevent the government from making paying taxes easier."

Not to channel Glenn Reynolds here, but indeed.

Crushing Competition [Wired]

NY Attorney General Elliot Spitzer announced yesterday he had evidence the H&R Block's executives not only knew the company wheedled customers into money-losing retirement plans, but they also systematically punished employees refusing to recommend them.

Emails from managers ignoring complaints from tax preparers about the deceptive marketing of Express IRAs are in Spitzers hands. The internal documents exhort employees to "sell more IRAs" or "there's the door." The LA Times reports:

"Court papers say the amount of money in the retirement account decreases because the only investment option is a money market account with an interest rate so low that it does not cover the fees — "fees that H&R Block fails to adequately disclose."

For instance, an old man was charged a $15 account opening fee, a $10 account maintenance fee, and a $25 closing fee when the account was closed after 18 months. These fees dwarfed the interest earned on the account ($5.18) and he ended up losing 15 percent on his investment.

Spitzer claims that of the more than half a million Express IRA accounts opened, 85% failed to earn more in interest than was paid to H&R Block in fees.

For their part, H&R Block said they, "[look] forward to the attorney general's office presenting its case in court rather than through the press."

"Spitzer Says H&R Block Urged IRA Fraud" [LA Times]

Previously (Mar 16): "Elliot Spitzer Sues H&R Block for Tricking Customers"

"Now I'm receiving an insane amount of spam from all manner of scary loan people, mortgage companies and so forth. All of the spam seems to be financially related, and all of it refers to me by my full legal name (which is a thing I have never associated with any of my dealings online with exception to my hrblock.com return). Now, I'm receiving phone calls on my cell phone, from mortgage lenders, credit card companies and scholarship "opportunity" sources.

I'm receiving literally hundreds of spam messages each day.

I blame HR Block. All of the spam, all of it, started on April 9th."

The same day she used H&R Block, w~e~i~r~d.

Sven's letter reminds of that part in Atlas Shrugged where they come across a scientist Hugh Akston who was forced out of the workforce as part of the global wave of (communist) mediocrity. With no where else to apply his formidable talents, the former particle physicist or whatever he was philosopher simply makes the most finely crafted and delicious sandwiches.

We wonder what Roy was before becoming Sven's number one tax dude...

"Hey guys,

After seeing all the bad H&R block stories, I had to write in and defend our tax guy.

I get the impression that H&R Block is like any franchise; depending on how tightly the service procedure can be controlled, you can have good stores and bad stores.

Our tax guy Roy is brilliant in his own right; he runs an H&R Block storefront here in San Diego. He knows the ins and outs of the tax code, even the strange stuff like what to do for investment property or unmarried partners. We've been going to him for years, and he always knows what to look for, and what the IRS likes and doesn't like. We've consistently gotten good financial advice from him as well, and sing his praises to anyone we meet who doesn't yet have a tax guy.

Roy also makes sure the people who work for him are as knowledgeable as he is; I don't know if that means he makes sure they know more than the standard H&R Block training procedure says to, but they all seem to be as knowledgeable as he is, and we always hear him trying to make sure the other customers (and us) are happy.

I don't know what to tell people to look for when trying to find a good tax person; we were just lucky I guess. I don't know if I'd choose another H&R block if we moved somewhere else right off the bat, but Roy is definitely a lucky find for us.

(Also, I did notice a lot of the H&R block complaints seem to be for their online tax prep service; we always take our pile of papers in to have the taxes done in person. Not sure if that makes a difference, too, but we've always been happy.)

-Sven"

We feel bad for the 70 out of 800 people who responded to our tax poll saying they were going to do their taxes this year at the big green block. Obviously you don't read The Consumerist closely enough.

D. should really be thanking H&R Block. Because of their incompetence, he's learned how to do his taxes himself.

Another gas can on the fire, after the jump...

D. writes:

"Two years ago I signed up for H&R Block's online tax prep form, since I am totally useless with numbers (I once thought I had a $2000 tax rebate coming, and was about to file until I saw the second set of forms). I only had one job that year (generally rare). They charged me 25 bucks for the priveledge, which even in Canadian funds is not small change for an impoverished techie.

Clicking through a few pages and putting in the appropriate numbers (actually pretty straighforward and not at all tedious) I was informed that I could expect a $40 rebate, minus $25 for the return. Still, better than doing my returns repeatedly until I came up with the same number twice.

The fee (plus taxes, natch) was deducted from my credit card and I waited for my cheque.

What I got (in mid-May) was a friendly letter from the Fed informing me that I had failed to file my taxes correctly, and that I actually owed them about a buck-fifty. Under Canadian tax law, if you owe the government less than two
dollars, or vice-versa, no one pays anything (cost of postage, etc).

So I'm out twenty-five bucks when I was expecting at least a few bones to be tossed in my direction. No such luck. I sent an email to H&R Block, who blamed it on a "computer error" which I know is tech-speak for "we don't know what the fuck is going on and can't be bothered to check." The actual reasoning was that since the error didn't result in me owing the government money, it shouldn't be a problem. Like a CSR has better things to do. It probably came down to the fact that I'm small potatoes compared to the big fish (spuds? I hate to mix my metaphors) they deal with on a regular basis.

In terms of total time wasted, I may as well have done the damn taxes myself, which is what I've done every year since.

Keep up the good work,

D."

[photo cred]

UPDATE: We realize the relationship between the bars and numbers are off. We're sorry if this hurts your feelings. The numbers are correct, the bars are not.

"After punching in all my information," he writes, "I was told I owed 2k in taxes, to which I replied "what the hell? My brother and sister paid like 500$ and both had their taxes prepared by professionals."

John had an IRA with $700 in income attached but $14,000 invested. The 14k was not income and already been taxed. H&R Block couldn't understand this, John claims and so he tried taxengine.com.

They calculated his taxes correctly and he avoided H&R Block's infamous hidden charges.

"Congrats," says John of H&R Block, "lost a future customer."

(Sheds some light on their callousness indifference to fixing Farkle's tax return after their incompetence got it all screwed up and audited)

"I have seen utter stupidity in preparation, past advise and other incompetence that are forever doomed to the pile marked "AUDIT," writes Peter. "Go to the local tax preparer, buy software, ask the bum on the street, but please don't ever support these unqualified idiots that make us legit people look like fools."

He also tells us, "Good luck in sticking it to the "man."

Who knew accountants were so irascible?

Even as a debate in the House rages on why the IRS can't just set up a simple internet form to allow people to e-file, many filers are turning to IRS approved tax preparers who will supposedly do your taxes for free, but nevertheless squeeze charges out of the process.

H&R Block, for example, tries to bilk free filers by asking if you want your refund on a special debit card from everyone's favorite incompetent Bermuda bank, HSBC. Using this debit card requires you to pay H&R Block and HSBC hidden fees, buried deep in the cryptomaniacal ramblings of the terms and conditions.

Don't want your refund on that debit card? H&R Block apparently doesn't care, issuing your refund on them even if you refuse it.

Asked before the House why the IRS wouldn't just set up a form on the Internet, they claimed they wouldn't compete with the private tax preparing sector. You know, a sector that largely exists because of the absolute madness of US tax codes. Trying to make your way through applicable tax laws is like staring into the unfathomable maw of Cthulhu. God forbid you make an already maddening process easier for tax payers.What bozos.

Senators Push for Electronic Tax Filing [Consumer Affairs]

The ad is said to have violated Intuit's "intellectual property."

Acrimony betwixt the two companys has been high leading into tax season.

In an earlier skirmish, Turbo Tax got a class-action sued filed against it for failing to disclose that its software couldn't be loaded onto more than one computer, which turned out to be a big problem if, as it did for many users, the first installation malfuctioncted. Smelling the fart of defeat, H&R Block, which had previously been considering employing the single activation function in its sofwtare, swooped into the fray. The big green block deployed a campaign trumpeting, "Switch Today. TaxCut imports from TurboTax. No product activation required."

For the gallery, how are you preparing your taxes?

"H&R Block Sued Over Advertisement" [Yahoo Finance]

"Intuit Sued Over Product Activation" [PCWorld]

At H&R Block, they advised the intern, posing as a waitress who earned $11,000, to not report her $4,000 in cash tips.

Here's a select transcript:

Woman (to man): I mean, you know, that's a legal loophole.
Man: There's no paper trail on it.
Woman: Exactly.
Man (to intern): You're not making a lot of money. It's not like the IRS is going to track you down.

Jackson Hewitt was likewise compliant and helpful.

Intern: So what about my cash that I made? Does that not get taxed or something?
Man: That's not taxed. It's one of the perks for... you know.

It's certainly not a perk, it's illegal. Taking it, though, would've saved her $585. Jackson Hewitt was even willing to help the girl have an immaculate conception.

Intern: So if I had kids or something would I get more money back?
Man: We can make up a kid and put it in there, just to show you, if you want to do that.

We wonder, however, what would have happened if the investigative reporters hadn't been asking leading questions.

Vid here at MSNBC (requires IE). [via Hit and Run]

Here's an .mp3 link as to why.

"The suit alleges that the H&R Block Company steered hundreds of thousands of its clients...into IRAs that were virtually guaranteed to lose money because of a combination of hidden fees and low interest rates."

For instance, an old man was charged a $15 account opening fee, a $10 account maintenance fee, and a $25 closing fee when the account was closed after 18 months. These fees dwarfed the interest earned on the account ($5.18) and he ended up losing 15 percent on his investment.

"Spitzer s lawsuit specifically alleges that H&R Block...failed to adequately disclose its fees to its customers, failed to warn that the interest paid would not cover the fees in certain instances, and misleadingly described the interest rates as "great" when they were at times less than one percent annually."

See, we knew there was a good reason why H&R Block got nominated for Worst Company in America. Likewise, a good reason why once again we'll be turning to our old friend Turbo Tax this year.

Press Release [via Blogsnow]

Jon followed the free efile link from here on irs.gov to this H&R Block page. Notice the word 'free' appearing four times.

After following the instructions, Jon was charged $19.95.

He connected to an ineffectual H&R chat bot who tried to blur the issue. Jon wasn't having any of that and forced a secret number out of them: call 1-888-4TAXCUT to get the discount code necessary to complete the free efile, a discount code that is not disclosed anywhere else.

The aforementioned coffee klatch, after the jump.

Welcome to H&R Block online technical support. Please wait while we find a technical support agent to assist you.

Feel free to minimize this window. When an agent is available the window will pop to the forefront.
All agents are currently busy. Please stand by.
You have been connected to Raziel C.

Raziel C: Hello Jon, welcome to H & R Block's Live Technical Support Chat! How can we assist you today?
Jon: hi
Jon: i clicked the start now button from this page
Jon: http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/partner/index.jsp?otpPartnerId=180
Jon: and i am under 50 and have an AGI of less than 50k
Jon: but i am still being charged for a federal return
Jon: can you please fix that?
Jon: thanks.
Raziel C: Let me help you with that.
Jon: thanks.
Jon: please don't send me any canned answers.
Raziel C: May I ask if you already e-filed your return?
Jon: i want to talk to a human being, not an FAQ.
Jon: not yet
Jon: i don't want to be charged $19.99 for it
Raziel C: Okay. One moment please.
Jon: thanks
Raziel C: Thank you for waiting.
Jon: no problem.
Raziel C: Jon, since you haven't e-file your return and for you to file your return using the Free File option, please create an account by going to http://www.hrblock.com/goto/ffa. Select TaxCut Online Premium to do your federal return for free. If you select to receive your refund via the H&R Block Refund Visa Prepaid Card, you will also get your state return for free.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Thank you for choosing H&R Block.
Jon: right
Jon: that's what i did.
Jon: so, please help. thanks.
Jon: also
Jon: i don't *have* to go to the URL you provided
Jon: the URL i provided to you is enough.
Jon: http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/partner/index.jsp?otpPartnerId=180
Jon: or rather, also works.
Jon: in theory.
Raziel C: Jon, you need to create new account on the site http://www.hrblock.com/goto/ffa for you to e-file for free.
Jon: NO I DON'T
Jon: READ THE URL THAT I AM PROVIDING YOU
Jon: Here-
Jon: http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/partner/index.jsp?otpPartnerId=180
Jon: I DON'T NEED TO CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT.
Jon: READ THE PAGE.
Jon: PLEASE HELP!!!!
Jon: Hello?
Raziel C: Jon, you created your account to the partners site only not to the FFA site. Partners site only offers discount not the free e-file.
Jon: that's not correct
Jon: the partners site says
Jon: FREE TAXCUT Online Premium
Jon: hello?
Jon: in fact, the promotion uses Free four times in the text.
Jon: 1. "Qualified Taxpayers: File your taxes today for FREE"
Jon: 2. "FREE Taxcut Online Premium"
Jon: 3. "START NOW FOR FREE"
Jon: 4. "Start today and do your federal taxes for free!"
Jon: hello?
Jon: are you still there?
Raziel C: Yes. I apologize for the inconvenience, Jon.
Jon: unfortunately, i don't need an apology, raziel. i need the problem to be fixed.
Raziel C: Inasmuch as I want to help you with that, the problem is beyond my scope of support. Please call 1-888-4TAXCUT regarding your concern. Thank you.
Jon: thanks.
Raziel C: You're welcome!
Raziel C: Is there anything else we can assist you with today?
Jon: no.
Jon: thanks for your help.

Previously: Consumers Speak: H&R Block's Free Offer, Only $5.95

One of the few comforts you can enjoy about tax time is that your information — your wages, assets, expenses, and personal data — are shared only between you, the government, and any tax agents you may use. No third parties can use it to target you for advertising or offers.

But the IRS may be revising its rules to allow tax preparers to share or sell customer information to third parties and database brokers, as part of a sweeping change to its privacy regulations.

The information that goes on your tax return is probably the most sensitive information that can possibly be in circulation. Income, assets, bank accounts, social security card numbers — this information is a gold mine for identity thieves. Given the recent slate of data loss and security breaches in companies we trust with our personal records, who feels comfortable with H.R. Block distributing this information willy-nilly to the highest bidding database broker, thereby increasing the chances of the information being stolen by Siberian hackers somewhere? Raise your hands, so I can lop them off at the wrist.

We already know this isn't going to benefit consumers at all, so you've just got to wonder how this revision of the current tax rules works out to the advantage of the I.R.S.

Link: IRS May Let Tax Preparers Sell Customers' Information

Previously: Worst Company in America, Tier 1 Results

Despite our best efforts to cast Target as an evil interloper, Walmart took the gold. Sprint barely beat Verizon by 18 votes, despite Verizon having such vaunted customer service. And in a surprise upset, the US government, despite not "officially" being a corporation, beat Enron by 169 votes! You go, girl!

We understand Tier 2 will be filled with trouncing. This is our first ladder we've ever made, sorry. While you were betting on basketball, we were touching ourselves.

Having eliminated all the lesser of two evils, Friday's shakedown for Tier 3, will be hot.

We're talking Paris Hilton hot.

In other news, NPR's Marketplace says they're going to interview us this afternoon about this poll. This will be a great way to reach all those execs and vp's who can't read the New York Times. We wonder if we're allowed to bring in our own sound effects.

1) Gather receipts
2) Scrounge up W-2(s)
3) Don't go to H&R Block...

Seriously. I'm in the middle of a huge battle with them right now, and they are SUCH a$$holes. The gist of it is: My 2002 tax preparer failed to file a part-year resident tax return (I moved from state to state during that year) Massachusetts got pissed and wrote a letter in 2005 demanding money Another H & R Block preparer (the original guy was in a seasonal office and not available) filled out an amended return, which I sent out at the end of December 2005 I got another letter from the Mass Department of Revenue, which basically said "Thanks, but there's still a discrepancy and you still owe taxes" I tried to contact the woman who put together the amended return, but she 1) didn't remember me, 2) didn't have me in her files, 3) wouldn't even let me explain the situation (she kept interrupting me every two seconds) and then 4) refused to give me H & R Block's corporate office address so I could file a complaint. I'm STILL dealing with them. I'm so furious right now, I can't even tell you. What a waste of time and money they are. It's THEIR error and they should take care of it, but no. The whole saga and all the gory details are in my dumb blog: Farklebarkle Please tell your readers: Don't go to H & R Block!

Anyone got an extra copy of Turbo Tax?

H&R Block Goofs on Its Taxes [Redherring]

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Previously:

• Halliburton vs. Monsanto
  
• Worst Company Competition Ladder

"I have heard some real horror stories from people that attempt to get their taxes done there by what I can only assume are chimps in people clothes. I find it especially terrifying because when your taxes get messed up you are being screwes over not once, but twice," said Christy, H&R Block submitter.

Wikipedia H&R Block fun fact: "On November 30, 2004, Ken Jennings lost after winning 74 straight appearance on the national quiz show Jeopardy! when he incorrectly responded "What is FedEx?" instead of "What is H&R Block?" on the Final Jeopardy! clue. The clue read "Most of this firm's 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees work only four months a year."

H&R Block subsequently offered Jennings personal finance and tax preparation services for life."

Here is the IM exchange I just had with H&R Block after attempting to use the "free" 1040 return service they pitched to me via e-mail. I own to some early crankiness but keep in mind their "fast" online response had kept me waiting a lot longer than it would have taken to do my taxes the old fashioned way:

Welcome to H&R Block online technical support. Please wait while we find a technical support agent to assist you.

All agents are currently busy. Please stand by.
An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience.
The next available Agent will be with you in a moment.
All agents are currently busy. Please stand by.

An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience. The next available Agent will be with you in a moment. All agents are currently busy. Please stand by. An agent will be with you in a moment. Thank you for your patience.

You have been connected to Leonardo G.

DANIEL F: Why are you trying to charge me $5.95 when the words "FREE PREPARATION AND RETURN" have been plastered over every link I've followed to get here? Here is what you sent me in your email: "Come back to TaxCut and get FREE federal tax prep with eFile, no qualifications - just use the links in this email!" Then, once I get through the whole process, it tells me I have "selected" to pay $5.95. Why? I never "selected" that. This is dishonest.

Leonardo G: Hello DANIEL, welcome to H & R Block's Live Technical Support Chat! How can we assist you today?

DANIEL F: See above.

DANIEL F: The word FREE literally appears ten times in your email

Leonardo G: Yes Daniel, and I am currently reviewing it, one moment please?

Leonardo G: Have you been charged already Daniel?

DANIEL F: Nope, I stopped when it asked me how I "wanted" to pay

Leonardo G: Sorry to keep you waiting Daniel.

Leonardo G: I am currently processing the information so please bear with me.

Leonardo G: Daniel did you create a new account with the link that was provided to you?

DANIEL F: No I used the one I used last year

DANIEL F: That's why you had my email address in the first place

Leonardo G: Thank you for that information.

Leonardo G: Sorry for the confusion, please be informed that in order to avail the promotional program, you have to create a new account with the link that was provided to you.

DANIEL F: OK, Leonardo, why would it send me a promotional offer to an EXISTING ACCOUNT, with my user name highlighted, to get me to sign up for a NEW account? That makes no sense at all. Nowhere does it say that I have to sign up for a new account

DANIEL F: It says, "just use the links in this email" which I did, where it led me to sign into my already existing account.

Leonardo G: I am referring to the link that was sent to you by e-mail Daniel.

DANIEL F: Right, and I am telling you that the promotional offer in the email referred to my existing account. Why else would it say, "Get started now" with a link to my account sign-in?

Leonardo G: Okay I am checking the matter right now, one moment please?

DANIEL F: Sure.

Leonardo G: Thank you for patiently waiting Daniel.

Leonardo G: If you wouldn't mind Daniel, may I ask for the link that was e-mailed to you? Or if it is possible for you to have that e-mailed posted here?

DANIEL F: The email referred to this link: http://www.hrblock.com/taxes/blahblahblah

Leonardo G: Thank you for that Daniel. I will be looking for the link right now to check about the matter, one moment please?

Leonardo G: Thank you for all the information Daniel.

Leonardo G: Well Daniel the reason why your username is indicated within the e-mail that you received is for verification purposes only.

DANIEL F: Why would it tell me to "login to get started today" instead of telling me to create a new account, Leonardo?

DANIEL F: Why would H&R Block send a promotional offer requiring the setup of a new account to their existing customers?

DANIEL F: Hello?

Leonardo G: Sorry to keep you waiting.

Leonardo G: Inasmuch as I would like to help you with that, I have already exhausted my resources and did not find the correct resolution for that, I do apologize.

• Amazon has the ironically-named Back to Basics TEM500 Egg & Muffin 2-Slice Toaster and Egg Poacher for $40 with free shipping. This is a so-so deal, but we got one for Christmas and have been utterly entraced at its redundancy.

• Dell Home is selling the Olympus IR-500 4MP 2.8x Zoom Camera for $159.20, after you apply the coupon code: PSVPPT40QDS3W0.

• Today's Woot! is the Boston Acoustics 5-Piece Speaker System for $65, shipped. '5-Piece' means it's technically a 4.1 system (no center channel), but if you've been longing for a bit of surround for your PC, they might not be a bad deal. They don't sell for too much more on Amazon, but they did review very well—in 2002.

Highlights from Dealhack

$600 in Free Upgrades with One Price Sale at Dell Home
(No decisions to make—all the upgrades included for free)

• Kodak EasyShare One WiFi Camera $400 at B&H Photo
(For the early adopters: ditch the dock. WiFi included)

• Voice Over IP USB Phone Free After Rebate at Geeks.com
(Use Skype? Get a free handset to go with your free calls)

We like the idea in spirit—who doesn't like learning how to screw the government?—but we give you fair, obvious warning: The longer you listen to H&R Block's free advice, the more likely it is you'll find your taxes done by a middle-aged house wife making so side money to buy her kids a new (tax-deductible) iPod.