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CB Tax Services Review of Debonair Financial Services
Debonair Financial Services

Debonair Financial Services review: Refusal to return funds for services cancelled 1

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5:12 am EST
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While recovering at home from surgery, I received a wage garnishment letter from the IRS. I contacted Hector Edeozu of Debonair Financial Services as suggested by a family member. My family member as well as myself explained that my income was limited due to being on disability, and Hector said for me to come in and he would look over my paperwork. I expressed constantly that I am being paid through a private insurance company for disability and really did not have a lot of money to pay him. At no time was I being charged for a consultation fee. Hector took other calls with clients while I was in his office. We even spent time talking about some of the same people we both knew. He asked for $500 to start and once I started back to work he may charge up to $2o00 to negotiate with the IRS. I never signed a contract, only a form for power of attorney solely for him to contact the IRS on my behalf.

A few days later, I called the IRS myself. I was advised that I needed to submit my missing returns for 2005 and 2007. I didn't even realize that they had never been submitted. I did not work long in 2005 and my father passed in 2008, so I completely forgot to file the 2007 return. I sat on the phone with the IRS agent for almost an hour. She gave me 2 weeks to file the returns, but I had to wait for her to send my wage information. I gave Hector $200 in cash and was to come back with the remainder $300 in order for him to repair the returns. Needless to say my payments from my disability didn't come on time so I didn't have the money.

I contacted Hector and told him that at this time I simply could not afford his services and that I would just come pick up my $200 that was going towards preparation for the returns. I told him that I did not want him to start work on something and I not be able to pay on time. I never even gave him the wage paperwork from the IRS becaue I wasn't sure that I really needed him afterall. Of course money hungry Hector didn't like that. He told me to borrow the money from someone. That was not an option. If I can't pay him, how was I going to pay someone back? He proceeded to tell me that he was keeping my money for consultation fees and that he would be billing me for several hours. What a joke! I did all of the work. That is just a rediculous as me billing him for coming there for the 45 minutes that I was there listening to him on the phone and laughing about common people that we knew. Or should I bill him for sitting on the phone with the IRS agent getting my information?

In my financial situation, there was no way that I would have ever agreed to pay just to talk about filing tax returns and talking to the IRS in the amount of $200. If there is no cancellation policy posted or on paper, no work done, no consultation fees discussed, and I did all of the work, why does Hector get to keep my $200? It may not be a lot of money to some right now, but wait until you are off from work for 3 months from surgery and have to rely on some insurance company to pay 70% of your income. Then $200 may be a lot of money. Please advise on what I should do? Someone has filed the returns for me for free and I didn't even owe money on those returns. It wasn't complicated. Hector's plan was to add deductions to keep me from owing which he said in so many words when he was trying to justify in our last conversation as to why I should give him the remainding $300. That is the last thing I want to do when dealing with the IRS. They will find out if you are cheating on your taxes. I just feel that he was taking advantage of someone whos back was up against the wall. He even had the nerve to suggest that he was charging for when I spoke to him back in 2005 (4 years ago) on some tax related issuse that I didn't end up needing him to work out. Should have known better...

Once again please submit any advice on this matter...

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

1 comments
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Misty MStevenson
, US
Jan 11, 2019 6:19 pm EST

Never go back to him.. I stop dealing with hector years ago after I had been doing my taxes for years with him.. he's a theft behind his desk.. what I mean is always over charging and talking other client business with other clients.. I took me years to realize that he was no good. Charging $400 for taxes or more up front then charge another $200 or more for efile.. I could say more but I'm too tried.