H&R Block / HRB Digital review: emerald card scam/rip off 22

I will never get this card again the y took over half my 5000$ in atm fees surcharge fees cash back fees they screwed me so bad and there just nothing I can do to ever get it back now I'm almost homeless and could really use all that money I have never been so angry in my life DO NOT GET THE EMERALD CARD FOR UR TAX REDUND OR ANYTHING ELSE

I was doing my taxes with HR Block for 20 years never a problem but in2019 I got a Emeral avance huge mistake.

I got paid yesterday. They say 24 hours. Never had this issues. One after another rep telling me different stories. I just want my money. I switched to my actual bank. And will never use the emerald card again.

Oh they got me too. I didnt' get much back, but they took 1/3 of my federal refund. Then I get the card in the mail and call and activate it. So I think I'm good and go fill my tank while gas prices are low.. I go inside and try to pull 100 dollars out of the ATM and it says, "Insufficient Funds". I said well that can't be right so I check the balance.. I see two fees one for 1.50 and another for 3.00 so I hit cancel. I go back to my house to call and find out what's up and my card balance is negative 35 dollars for fees from sticking it in the ATM machine trying to figure out how it works. I don't have a bank account. I don't want one. I hate banks. And this is why. Why I cannot just get a check mailed to me like they've done since they started stealing people's earnings is beyond me, but actually it makes perfect sense. They treat you like this isn't already your money, which it is. But to be charged FEES on top of getting this money taken out of my check every week, well that's the straw that broke the camel's back. I am filing a complaint. And I will take it all the way to court if I have to. I am so tired of being taxed without representation. This is just plain theft. They are thieves.

refund check shows posted to card through the irs but does'nt appear on my card

This is a total scam i did my taxes april 13, 2014 and i was told april 19th i would have my money and i never got my refund via emerald green card in fact the card has come up declined number of times insufessent funds at atm's this bull crap last time i will use the H&r block company now i have to contact the states attorneys office i got builked out of $500.00

SCAM all the way. Emerald customer service (what customer service?) its a rip off. I paid them in full and a month later H&R BLOCK EMERALD came back with new additional fees. Spoke with 2 supervisors and 5 CS reps and nothing was resolved, accordingly to them, its my responsibility. I told them, how can it be my responsibility when I have no control of your system nor your customer service representative. In any case, if anyone reads all these complaints in this board. My biggest advice to you is DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH EMERALD OR H&R BLOCK (H&R BLOCK may say they do not deal with Emerald Bank it is H&R BLOCK client)

This is the reasons you should open up a bank account and have it directly diposited into ur account rather than getting this card that is full of scams. my mom has done her taxes at hr block for years and has had the money directly diposited to her account and she has gotten the amount they said she was going to get.she has been offered the emarald card but has rejected it. the only scam here is the emarald card. many of the people who get this emarald card are low educated people on opening up a bank account, opening up a bank account is easy and easy to use. all u do to open one up is first go to the bank and ask what u need to open up a bank account they usually ask for an id, social security number, etc. so all this crap with hr block has started with this emarald card!

well agents misinform people all the time as well. i work for att customer service so i know all about it. i was told i would get my loan feb 22 at 1pm cst. ok 1pm comes.. nothing.. 2pm comes.. nothing.. i call to see if anyting had changed. they rep said it may just be late, should be on there in a few hrs.. ok i take a nap and wake up.. 9pm.. i cll.. i was denied the refund for 2-3 days! id just got approved 2 months prior for an early income tax loan, been coming to h&r block for 4+ years. always got my money in 2-3 days. now their saying i have to wait 8-15 days? for what? nothing has changed. if anyting my credit has gone up since then. the rep gvae me some number to call that told me the ral was declined for some reason.. i called it.. they said something about a conflict in the treasury dept. i call that number.. they said there was no conflict.. so i gotta wait till tomorrow to find out wtf is goin on. i understand all the fees.. im getting back $7, 000 and i realllly need the money now. i already had to wait an extra month cuz they messed up sending me my w-2 and ive been on the runaround with that, now i gotta deal with this.. im not in the greatest of moods.. they better give me the money i paid to get the ral that was almost $200! thats a new flat screen monitor for my pc, or a used ps3, or a new bed for my kids, or half my rent! im not goin to h&r block next year.. and ive referred a lot of people to them, and theyre not gonna go back next year either..

I work in customer service for the Emerald Card and I have probably spoken with many of you. I can agree that it is a scam. After getting this job and seeing how much they scam people I have told my entire family not to even bother getting on. There are new fees this year to get your money off the card and they do not warn people about anything before hand. If you do go to H&R Block..ask the tax preparer for the details about the fees and limits on the card. The most outrageous fee is the over the counter withdrawal fee which is 1.5% or the funds you would like to take out. So that is about $15 per thousand. PLUS you have an additional feel that you have to pay the bank you use. They also aren't telling people that there is chance they can be denied for the RAL. The tax preparers are telling them that it's guaranteed that you'll receive your funds in 24-48 hours. This is NOT true...if you are approved it can take up to 4 days bc the IRS gets 2 days to approve it AND a large amount of people are being denied this loan and having to wait the 8-15 days for the RAC. It's really sad and I feel terrible to be a part of such a dishonest place but times are hard and I need a job.

Oh and 1 more thing...they changed it this year so that only the primary card holder can called to inquire about the card. So if you are the spouse you can give your husband or wife's name and info and we are required to look it up for you. So when it says "May I ask who I'm speaking to?"...give the primary's name.

Please remember that there is only so much we agents can do...we are not the IRS and we do not control the policies that our company creates. Calling and screaming at us won't help anything, it's rude, and it's pointless. I hope my tips help you guys...good luck and God bless.

Use the emerald card for the holiday money, then file your taxes with someone else and pay them once you get your refund via another tax prep agency or just make them send your return directly to IRS and wait the 2 week period it takes to get a refund, they will take the money owed to them out and won't charge you anything else afterward, plus you'll get all your money in a check to take to a bank and deposit, not some pre-paid card which has too many loopholes and continues to treat your refund as a loan. They want you to get involved with the card so that they can continue to charge you fees and you lose money every time you use it. If you are fortunate to get the 2 day RAL or card refund, immediately take it to your bank and they will take the money off the card and afterward if you want to keep their card as an emergency pre-paid, you can do so by placing maybe $50 to $100 on it and pay a $1.99 monthly maintenance fee. 1 more thing, make sure your prepare is certified as a CPA or is on record with the feds, they are less likely to help block cheat you because their rep is at stake also, do not use a block certified rep, they are no more qualified to do a tax return than you are.

Unfortunately, HnRblock sunk to a new level by preying on those who are not educated in financial matters.
Fine print? How many people do you know of that read the "fine print" of everything that they signed up for? Of everything that got offered (thrusted in front of them ) with only good bits given but the bad bits withheld, or glossed over.

Of course, the eyes of a person with a few pennies in their pocket would be glossed over if they have a few hundreds coming. The same would happen to a person who has a few thousands in their pocket if they have 10s, 20s, or 30s thousands coming.

So, DON'T look down those who are financially uneducated or those who are not financial stabled. YOU DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING.

The decent thing to do was to ask if a person have a checking account first BEFORE you offer them a card.
The decent thing to do was giving them all the pros and cons.

If can afford to own a computer and subscribe to internet service then you can afford to wait the appropriate significant time allotted to get your refund. If you are that desperate for money, then get a loan at your local bank at a much cheaper significant rate. However, it seems to me based upon your disgruntled blogs that your credit status is beyond negative and you will never be able to get the appropriate loan because you have failed in the past to secure employment and/or have not make good on previous loans which makes you a candidate as a high risk loan. The only way to get away from this type of thinking is to change your behavior and start paying off your bad debts, which is haunting you and your credit. You will be surprised at how many people think they can run from their bad credit. The truth is start paying off your debts as you can afford it starting with the smallest bills first and start subscribing to a credit reporting agency which is very cheap compared to what you are currently spending on astronomical interest rates to get a return from your money. Be sure to monitor all three credit-reporting bureaus to make sure that everything you pay is followed upon and updated as paid which will give a much better credit score. The utmost responsibility is to stop your frivolous spending. IF you really do not need it, DON'T BUY IT! Follow these simple rules of managing your money then you will reap rewards beyond your comprehension. Are you mad now? You should be, AT YOURSELF!

I filed my taxes on march 25, 2009, I had a wonderful experience with Mr. A Kendrick the agent who prepared my taxes in the state of GA. I received a total of 3 e-mails. The 1st one confirm that I had filed, the 2nd one confirm it was being processed, and the 3rd one let me know my money was on the card, this was around April 2nd and all I needed to do was set up my ID, password, and pin number. I did not have any problems; therefore, next year I will return to H & R block.

For those who have bad credit for whatever reason can indeed benefit from the emerald card. You don't have to go to a check cashing business, can now rent a car, and have direct deposit just to name a few.

You can't please everyone, you just need to know what is best for you and keep it moving.

It seems your haste to get your money has made you ignore the fine print. Nobody does anything for free and H&R block has the biggest scams going. Preying on people who are desperate and sometimes greedy. They realize people who have jacked up credit cannot get bank accounts and don't want to incur check cashing fees (btw Walmart will cash federal checks for 3 dollars, which is decidedly cheaper than any other place if one does not have a checking account.)

I used to work for H&R block and I know how people ignore every thing you tell them when they are fixated on getting their money quickly. They never realize it's a pay day loan and that H&R block doesn't get their returns processed faster!

Oh well. Maybe next time people will learn.

you are all grossly misinformed on the emerald card and supporting products. read the terms and conditions and that will save you alot of problems.

I filed my taxes on Jan. 29th I tried for the 1-3 days and was denied, I was then told on 8-15 days and was told there shouldnt be any problems getting it on the 13th, well guess what NOPE! so I called all day friday, saturday and finaly got through to a so called customer support person and was told they havent recieved my money from the IRS or my state check. but it should be there Tuesday the 17th well gues what NOPE! so I spent time on line to try and find the actual number to the H&R Bank in which the local office in my city did not know. and when I called I was holed for approximately 45 min. and when I asked where my money was they said I had to call the HSBC or something like that because they were with holding my money. So I called them and they said that they could not authenticate the validity of my taxes. I have never heard of this in my life. The HSBC also said they sent my money back to the IRS. I was then given a number to them to call next. So I did I did have to wait long at all maybe 5 min. and was told that my money was sent direcly to H&R bank and was deposited on Feb. 13th and I called the state of Oklahoma and they said my state money was deposited on Feb. 3rd well now what is going on here WHERE IS MY FRIGGIN MONEY H&R BLOCK! there nothing but liers and scam artist this is the first time my wife and I have ever used them and guess what never again. I hope someone who works for H&R Block reads this because I am going to my local News station, going to my city Mayor, and the state of Oklahomas Govenor I am also getting a lawyer and have printed of over hundreds of pages of people all over this wonderful country of America and will give copies of them to everyone I have mentioned in all the years that we have filled taxes this has never happened we moved to a small town in oklahoma from Texas and really miss using Jackson Hewitt who never did us wrong. I would also like to send a request to everyone out there who has been done wrong by H&R Block in any way not just with your taxes to do the same as I am this can not and will not continue. It needs to stop now before more people get ripped off. I have lost my cable, my home phone, my internet my apt. manager went to court on the 17th to have my family evicted I have a very wonderful wife and 3 young children who dont deserve this so please I ask everyone out there who is in the same horrible situation as I am please join with me in this.

I am with you on this scam/rip off...It is bull. I paid a few hundred dollars to get my money in 1-2 days. Well it did show up, but nothing was said about the fees for getting my money off the card. I went to Wawa (who doesn't charge a fee) and nothing showed up during the transactions saying I was being charged. Then I checked my account online and found that everytime I used the ATM I was being charged $1.95. This may not see like a lot of money, but in the end so far I have been taken for $17.35. If I use an ATM anywhere else I pay the fee for the ATM and the $1.95 fee too. Nothing was said to me about this at the time I was at H & R Block. Yet, H & R Block made sure to let me know it would cost $20.00 extra to get a check. Funny... Yet, because I had to pay rent and buy a car I hit the ATM for maximum amounts, but there are so many people using the ATM to withdrawl $20 or $50 at a time. Imagine their thoughts on the fees. This will be the absolute last time I ever use H & R Block. Next year I will use Turbo Tax and get my money back in appprox 4-5 days for the cost of $22.00 like my co worker did. There should be a lawsuit on the deception this company has used.
Ticked off in PA - Christine

I filed my taxes on jan.31, got my return on my card in two days(which I payed for). I opted to have 300 put into savings for the card wich never appeared. I have spent over 2 hrs. the last 5 days trying to get my money and all I get is the "runaround". Put on hold for an average of 14 minutes. They keep telling me the money will be in tomorrow. I am now in the process of filing a criminal complanin the Attorney General in Masshachusetts and a small claims suit not only for my $300 but for my tax prep fee and any time I have to take out of work. I have used them since 1996. Never again. NEVER NEVER NEVER!

Yeah ### them, they ###ed me over too. 8-15 days my ###in' ###, took them +30 days to get my money!