H&R Block / HRB Digital review: tax refund scam! 155

LOL, Some people need to learn buiness!. If it dont make dollars it dont make cense. Of course there making money from are tax refunds. I know danm well I wouldn't Do people taxes for free.. READ THE FINE PRINT! Its as bad as the people crying over gamestop only giving five to 30 dollars for a game and selling it for 15-20 dollars more.. ITS BUINESS. IT you cant understand the concespt of profit I guess you was not born with common sense.

This is the first year that I used h and r block and i Iam soooooo mad. I have never had problems in the past. First of all, 228 bucks is the biggest rip off! I usually pay 50 with my other tax preparer. I would usually have had them back like a week and a half ago. The IRS said they were deposited today, but they are not there of course. I am sure they have disappeared into h and r blocks bank. I paid 5 times as much this year to get my taxes done and had nothing but problems. I will NEVER use h and r block again.

Ok... I just got off the phone with h and r block's bank and they said that they have received my money and that it will be direct deposited to my bank account today, but not at a specific time. Hmmmm... we will see about that.

I went to H & R Block for my taxes in Jan. The person that filed my taxes seemed pleasant enough. Finished my taxes told me my fees and how much I was suppose to get. Well guess what she made a mistake and my taxes were 250 less than what I was suppose to get. She didnt file the stimulus right so the IRS did an adjustment and now h & r block said it is my fault and they will not give me any fees back. I called the district manager and he said I was not getting any other help from them because they did them right. Oh yea they got people alright their own people that do what they are told. I will never give them anymore of my money I will do my own taxes. It doesnt matter if you are not a satisfied customer or not because they already got their money in their bank before "our money" ever gets to our bank.

I went to HR block to file my taxes this year only because I needed the money quicker this year they told ne I would receive my refund in 1 or 2 days well on the second day I went to HR block to see if they had my check they then told me I would not get it now untill 3 weeks and they could not tell me why but I would still have to pay the same charges since it was filled for the 1 or 2 day method if I knew this I would just have done it myself but they woult tell you this untill after you have done filled with them HR block is the worst tax place ever...

I have to agree that H & R Block has become a scam! I have used the service for basically 20 years and never complained about the fees as Iwas gladly paying them to get my funds faster. I filed as a single mom for the last two years and never had a problem with getting the 1-2 day refund - they included EIC & child tax credits as well (and many previous years included EIC). This year all of the sudden I am denied for no REAL apparent reason. They DID NOT throroughly explain that NOT everyone gets approved and that they have a higher turn down ratio this year with stricter guidlines (if that is the case).

I have not rcvd my money and was told by the manager I would get a check from the IRS on the 13th of February. After seeing through various blogs that people were being denied refunds because H&R Block are submitting files repeatedly resulting in the IRS putting a freeze on your account, I decided to check the status of my files with them. Turns out that at best the Irs will have my check to H&RBloick no sooner then the 17th - then I have to wait for them to get me a check - which can be whatever period in time they feel like getting it toyou. I hate the thought - but am now more then happy to take my business from H&R Block - and will tell everyone I know not to use them as well - hopefully taking even more business from them - if enough people do that - it sends a message

If you disagree with what people are talking about here you need to understand what we are complaining about. For many of us and many people who file for rapid refund checks - while we need or want the money in 1-2 days - we could save a huge amount of money as taxes could be done ourselves at home for a lot less as we typically can file on an 1040 form. The true issue is the fees they charge are outragous and we all know it is.. when we are told we WILL get a check in 1-2 days - we pay the fees. When it turns out we wont - and now have to wait till they get around to getting us a check - well quite frankly we are pissed as we have essentially been robbed of the 2-300 dollar fees. And just for the record the paperwork that was given to me was for HSBC just two days ago - the papers I signed are worthless and mean nothing - which legally means that H&R Block promised something they could not deliver on - I did not sign anything from Metabank - which is who they are using. I am in the process of trying to start a class action suit on this matter myself! Trust me I am not the type of person who complains or puts posts up like this - but they are out of control - and I am now angry so I will figure out a way to get the money they charged me back in full and I will be sure to tell everyone I know not to use their services.

I filed taxes with H&R on 1/19/09 with accepted 1/20 and asked for a paper check to be mailed.  The H&R lady said I would get refund within 8 to 15 days. The IRS website and their customer service line states that they deposited my refund in H&R Blocks account on 1/30/09.  That was 6 days ago (4 total business days). When I called my local H&R office in Gallup, NM, they said "no, we did not receive our batch of checks yet, we have not even received the 1st batch of checks yet...go ahead and give us a call back next week." I said, "So the checks won't be available until next week?" She said "yeah, call back on Thursday or Friday.  That is a wait of almost 20 business days for my refund check.  And remember the IRS says the money was direct deposited on 1/30/09! I actually spoke to a rep! Why is H&R Block holding my money for an extra 2 weeks? Does anyone know the answer to this? Was this in the fine print? Probably, I should have scrutinized every single world, which of course...I didn't. I should have stuck with filing on my own for free through the IRS website, what an idiot I am.  I don't need the money that bad but I feel like such a sucker.  Anyway, hopefully, I'll get my check next Thursday or Friday. (i didn't choose direct deposit because I'm having problems with my bank of america account which is connected to my visa.)  I wish I had known it was going to take this long to get a check, I would have just sent it to my account.

First off, H&R Block is a Business that happens to deal with tax preparations and uses HSBC as a funding source for their bank. People are being used by this RAL and Rapid refund service, but it is the person that chooses to use that service choice and they know the consequences by now.
Now H&R Block does not offer all of the details to this method, they are making money off of this and HSBC gets a big cut of the money as well. They know from the first few calculations when filling out your forms that you will not qualify for the express services, but approve you for a portion of a loan, say for instance 400.00 of which they deduct finance and processing fees from that at the time they cut your check. So now you have paid for preparation, processing fees on what they did approve you for, and when your refund comes in from the IRS, the take the whole 400.00 not the net amount of the check but for the amount you got approved plus finance fees and preparation costs.
And please don’t let the Government offset your taxes, not only do you not see your refund, now HSBC will start collection methods and continuously add interest and late fees to that 400.00, after a while that 400.00 will soon be up in the thousands. There was an article a few years ago, I forget where and when, but the article talked about how HSBC is a high priority loan company and their dealings when it comes to financing and tax refunds, they have knowledge of your filing status when they submit but let you continue to think that you will get these refunds lightning fast.
Those of you that are first time filers using this method, stay away from it and wait on your refund if you have one coming. You have done without this money for 365 days so why can't you wait 13 -17 more, plus your taxes can be prepared and filed electronically for free.

In response to the last post by the HRB tax preparer, I just have to say that if a company makes such an effort to convince costumers to stop by at ANYTIME and go for the RAL scam and "Get your return faster at HR Block" what do you expect people are going to say when they find out they just spent $200 on something they could have done absolutely FREE! If your banks have such a high denial rate then that should be apparent ahead of time. Stop trying to convince people to throw there hard earned money away.

Do you have any idea why people would pay so much for a RAL? THEY NEED THE MONEY! They are having problems. NO, that isn't HRB fault but does that make it right to feed on these people?

Defend it all you want, the law may very well be behind you all the way. Sure, it's ALL most likely legal. But does that make it right?

Are you really that oblivious to fact that people are led to believe that they WILL get their money withing 1-2 days? That this year especially, even returning customers are being denied for no describable reason? Eh, as long as you sleep well at night, whatever.

I'm reading these comments defending H&R block and I have to wonder why these people feel the need to voice there opinions when they obviously are uninformed about what is going on this year. I personally spoke to the manager and then several other representatives at H&R block in my attempt to get to the bottom of this. ALL of them has stated CLEARLY that my denial was NOT based on any kind of IRS debt or child support or ANY of the usual reasons. They assured me that the rate of denials are unusually high this year and are not being denied for the usual reasons. They are calling them bank decisions and tell me that the bank does not give them any further details. The manager of my local HR Block told me personally that she thinks this may have something to do with the failing economy but she is unsure of any specifics. I asked about how many people are getting denied and she told me that it may be around %50. I'm starting to think that number is even less. I personally now know at least 6 out of 6 of my friends and family that have had the same problem.

So, to anyone who thinks that nothing out of the ordinary is going on I suggest you get a little more informed before running your yap. I was lucky enough to have been able to speak to someone who was honest with me about the situation, sadly if I had known about what she was saying before I filed I would have never done it in the first place. Generally, you are not told about what is going on even after the fact. They smile and play dumb.

The banks that HR Block and Jackson Hewet use are making very few Anticipation Loans in relation to past years. Very few people use these places to have their tax prepared for the sake of tax preparation. They go for the RAL (refund anticipation loan). What it boils down to is that the banks do not want to loan money no matter how secure, yet at the same time they do not want to close shop and lose the millions they make from these tax preparation places. So, they are running business as usual to get your money and are not informing people of their private policy changes with their loans.

Is this legal? Probably, after all it IS a loan and they reserve the right to deny anyone at any time. Is it fair to not be straight with their longtime customers? NO it isn't. Should they be offering and boasting "refunds in 1-2 days" "get your refund faster" "Get your Rapid Refunds here!" when in reality there is little chance you will get any of this and there is no way to know whether you will or not until you rack up about $200 in fees with them first and promise to stick your refund in their bank? NO!

People absolutely should spread the word! If you don't agree, just stay out of it! We need to deter others who are in our financial situations to stay clear of these places so that they don't end up in the same situation!

If you do not believe this then you need not leave comments until you are sure you know what you are talking about.

I am so confused, I've used H & R Block since I was eighteen, which has been awhile. My husband is in the guard and we were told this year that military couldn't get RAL which is what we've always done for quite a few years, Fine, looked it up and saw that the government is the reason for this, I don't agree with it, but it's there none the less, nothing can be done about it...so was told we'f have to do the 8-15 day thing. OK, didn't like it, but not much of a choice. We filed the very first day 1/16/09 and each day I called and the # said the IRS has accepted your return and you will receive it in 8-15 days. Well today is 2/2/09 and still nothing? Online it says we'll receive it by 2/10/09, which makes no sense to me because my sister just filed hers and her's says the same thing? I called our H & R Block office and talked to the very person who did ours and she looked it up said she saw no reason why we shouldn't have gotten it yet, that it shows it was accepted on the 16th, but we're past the 15 day thing and it all still says the same thing? Just not sure what to do, should I call IRS ? We don't owe any student loans or child support or such as others have said could be a reason, so not sure what it could be. We have never had trouble like this before? If I haven't received this in the 8-15 day like we were suppose to then should I have to pay the fees for it?

I did qualify for the rapid refund. I called the number they gave to check on it. It said that the IRS had approved everything and the money was deposited on my card and that it was good to go! I took the kids out as we had not gone in a long time so you can imagine how humiliated I was when the card was declined. I had clients sitting at the next table over - there's a boost for the credibility! I scraped enough cash together and hurried hime. I was finally able to get through to them today. The system hung up on me all day yesterday! They said that yes, the recording siad that everything was OK but there was a delay on their end so The money would be on my account after 3:00 today - even though they received the money from the IRS yesterday. Something seems not right about that situation. I have talked 5 people out of using H&R Block and my campaign has just begun!

The tax preparers at H&R Block aren't professionals, they're just people that need a little extra income 3 months a year. For someone to enter the wrong social security number of a child on someone's return is a major mistake, and one that should never happen. Then for a manager to try to rectify the problem by asking me to claim a child that isn't mine is illegal, I believe it's called tax fraud. H&R Block is a scam, and they will never get my business again.

If you apply for a rapid refund and request a check this goes through HSBC Bank, your tax pro has no control what so ever with you being approved or not. If you get an Emerald card product that is H & R Block Bank and again you tax pro has no control over you being approved or not. Why were you not approved? Does your credit suck? Filing Bankrupcy? Owe the IRS, back child support or default on a student loan. This system they use will check for all these things before they will release the money to you. I have always been told that getting a RAL is based on bank approval. If you get denied if is automatically converted back to 8-15 days from the IRS. You still have to pay your tax prep fees, the fee for having your fees withheald (this year its 29.95) and if you get a check you pay 20.00 to have a check printed. but any intrest is put back into the refund and you don't pay it. i think people need to take responsibility for the fact that you have issues that the bank won't give you the money not h & r block! it would be the same as blaming a bank if you are turned down for a credit card or car loan or home loan. i have done taxes in the past and it really makes me mad when people would blame me when it is always them. people dont realize what they ask when you want your tax pro to do something that is illigal! ACCOUNTABILITY...HAVE IT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR ACTIONS!

I have been going to H&R Block for years, and this is my last time. My wife and I claim our stepdaughter every other year, and this was our year to claim her. We had our taxes prepared yesterday, only to receive a phone call this morning from the IRS that our daughter had already been claimed. After we looked into it we discovered the problem occured because when her father had his taxes done at H&R Block they put in our daughter's social security number instead of his son's. When we explained the problem to them their response was to advise us to claim his son on our form and get our refund that way. Let me repeat that... their advice to us was to claim his son on our form to get our refund. When I told them that would be lying to the federal government and commiting tax fraud they let us fill out an ammendment. But no refund on the $200 dollars we paid to have our taxes done. The error didn't occur on our return so my stepdaughters dad got the refund. Thanks H&R!

h&r block does not tell you that your credit will tell how you will get your irl refund. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM THAY WILL PUT YOU ON HOLD UNTILL YOU HANGUP. thay just want your money. thay "h&r block" will pass you from person to person untill you get so mad! you can't stand it. me i will not go back

MY FAMILY HAS BEEN GOING TO HR SINCE 2001, WE HAVE ALWAYS GOTTEN THE FASTSEST RETURN WE COULD WE HAVE ALWAYS PAID THE FEES. THE FEES AND PAPERS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GIVEN UPFRONT AND THERE IS EVEN A PERIOD OF 48 HRS IF U CHANGE UR MIND U CAN REDO UR LOAN OPTIONS AS LONG AS U HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE FULL REFUND. WE WALK OUT WITH SO MUCH THEN WAIT 1-2 DAYS FOR THE REST. FEES ARE HIGH WE KNOW THAT, BUT WE HAVE 3 KIDS AND LITTLE INCOME AND ALWAYS NEED THAT MONEY SINCE ITS RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS. WE DO NOT HAVE GOOD CREDIT, EVERYTIME WE GO IN THERE WE R BEHIND A MONTH IN OUR MORTGAGE AND SCHOOL LOAN, SO CREDIT PAYS A VERY LITTLE PART. THE MORE MONEY U R ENTITLED TO GET BACK THE HIGHER THE CHANCES U WILL GET A LOAN RIGHT THEN. SINCE THE LOANS COST ABOUT 300, IF U DO NOT GET BACK OVER 5000 DONT GO FOR IT. WE LOVE HR BLOCK THE FIRST YEAR WE WENT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND IT GOT FIXED THE NEXT DAY AFTER THAT WE HAD OUR MONEY THE NEXT DAY TOO. THEY DONT HIDE THE FEES U SHOULD KNOW IT IS RISKY ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN ITS A LOAN . WE LIKE THEM

Hi,

I am a tax preparer at H&R Block and have been for the past seven years.

I am dismayed by what people are saying.

To the person who just dropped by the office expecting someone to be available when you did not call to see if that would be the case, you have no reason to complain or file a law suit.

I am sick and tired of people thinking that there is someone waiting JUST FOR YOU and that we are at your beck and call. This goes for any business.

H&R Block (District Offices) are open year-round and we frequently see people without appointments. You just happened to stop by on one of two days a year in which we are ONLY processing the Emerald Advance Loans.

A simple phone call to see if someone would be available to address your needs would have prevented your hissy fit.

It must be nice to think the world is waiting just for you.

For those who say they didn't know they were applying for loans...

Where do I start?

First, on the screen when you are presented with your options, did you not read Refund Anticipation LOAN?

If not, did you not see the 4 INCH high letters in Pink that said LOAN on the application you were signing?

Or are you incapable of reading that simple 4 letter word?

I am sick and tired of reading how we are scamming people.

And on that note, H&R Block does NOT process either the RAL or RAC applications. That is done through HSBC.

We are not provided with the criteria they use, nor are we advised about WHY one is rejected.

And when HSBC is told about a debt, that is through the IRS. HSBC has no information about the debt.

To find out who put a lien against your federal tax refund, you MUST call the IRS offset program.

But yet you want to scream at everyone who doesn't have that information and then threaten with lawsuits.

If you would call the correct source you would get the information.

Stop yelling at the messengers. We don't know to whom you owe money and it is ILLEGAL for us to get that information.

Now, for those who are still reading, I guess you are saying that I am one of the people who don't provide customer service.

Afterall, look how angry I am in this post. I couldn't possibly help anyone.

You are right, and you are wrong.

I AM angry and I am making no attempt to hide it in this post.

BUT, I go over backwards, to the dismay of my supervisors, to help people.

To give an example, one of many I might add, I spent over 20 hours making phone calls to straighten out a problem for a client. Using TWO telephones so I wouldn't miss a call (which never came by the way). Yes, we the employees have our difficulties, too.

Not to malign certain entities, but there have been some problems with communications. I am the one that fights the system for my clients rather than having them fight it for themselves.

I also work in the "off-season" in which we handle everything that comes through the door - unfiled taxes, IRS letters, state letters. You name it, we do it.

Do to the very small staff (2 people) we are also answering the phones, making appointments, answering questions from those just "dropping in, " working with the clients at our desks, filing claims, typing letters for clients, etc. You are so busy most of the time you can't even take a personal break to use the facilities.

Yet the one who just drops in, no appointment, wants us to drop everything, as though we were just sitting there twiddling our collective thumbs.

I love my job and my co-workers. And I enjoy working with almost every client I meet.

I enjoy the challenges that the different tax scenarios bring. I enjoy helping make tax time less arduous for most people.

I help people turn what was a negative tax situation in prior years (having a balance due) and help them make it so they either break even or might even get a refund.

I help people to understand how their tax situations are going to change from year to year and help them plan accordingly, to help reduce the possibility of a nasty surprise.

I try to do everything conceivable to make tax time less anxiety ridden for people.

But I am not a miracle worker.

If people refuse to listen to what I am saying, I can't fix that.

I make sure people understand they are signing a LOAN contract.

And for the person who yelled about US changing the rules about the military -- it wasn't H&R Block, it is a new FEDERAL law. Something over which we have NO CONTROL.

Than the white house and congress for that.

Better yet, thank the spouses who were here, singing loan applications without the knowledge of consent of the spouse overseas, creating debt to which they had no knowledge or consent.

That is why that law was created and passed.

But you want to yell at the messenger.

You seem to fail to realize we ARE bound my laws, too.

I cannot tell you how many times, either working at H&R Block or at a previous employer, that when you tell someone something SHOULD be shipped or deposited BETWEEN day x and day y, all the person hears is they will RECEIVE it by the date they want it.

Get real folks.

I know tax time and money are sensitive subjects. And people need their money, especially in these difficult financial times.

But you want to hold us responsible for things over which we have no control.

We don't control the approval/ denial of the bank products.

We don't control whether or not someone has placed a lien against your federal tax refund.

We do NOT have the information as to why you are denied or why someone wants money from you.

Medical bills, student loans, and child support and some of the more common reasons for liens against a federal refund.

Those who have never applied for a RAL are usually DENIED the first time they apply. Why, I do not know. HSBC just usually denies the first application.

I hope you have better experiences.

Then again, I hope you take the time to read what you are signing BEFORE you sign it.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to verify the information of ANY document, tax or otherwise before you sign.

And for those who don't want to take responsibility... I guess there ísn't anything I can say to make you do so.

Unfortunately, your unwillingness to accept responsibility will keep the courts busy with frivilous law suits.

I hope the rest of you take some of this to heart and make tax time, and any other experiences in your life, easier for both yourself and those that are trying to help you.

I used H & R Block last year and this year (06 and 07 taxes).

This year I received a letter from the IRS saying my '06 taxes were wrong and I owed alot of money. I ended up owing a substantial amount of money to the IRS. This was due to a mistake on the part of the preparer last year. My input to him was correct; the mistake was where she included those amounts on the forms and some incorrect calculations (something I had no knowledge of).

Thank goodness I purchased 'Peace of Mind' protection. For all of the complaints, I have had a great experience. A representative handled all dealings with the IRS and I did have to pay the IRS. In my case, PEACE OF MIND WORKED. Our H & R representative was outstanding and I did get a reimbursement from H & R Block, although I did not do anything wrong and this reimbursement was only right, it could have gone another way. I am very happy that this worked for me. Thank you to my rep. and to H & R Block for doing the right thing.

Sorry about your experience. Good luck finding someone cheaper. Just remember you get what you pay for. Maybe you can do it yourself? That way it will be free.

I just wanted to say that after 5 years, I won't be using H&R anymore. If you can haggle them down to a cheaper fee just because you didn't feel good about how much they charged you, with no arguing, then they are overcharging. Seriously, I'll be doing them myself next year and save 150 dollars.

i to agree something is going on with this rapid loan.they say that if you are not approved they wont charge you the large fee for it, but i was charged the same amount as if i was approved.if you look you will see that you were too.

My boyfriend filed taxes the second week of Feb with an H and R rep at one of there offices and yet have not received our tax return. It has almost been 3 months. We are supposed to get it direct deposted into the account. No check! We have went back and worth with them for weeks and still nothing. First we went there after 4 weeks to ask what was goin on and they said oh it has been issued and that you should receive in by friday (this was a monday) go back on the following wednesday gave it a couple extra days and and they looked at it again and said we should recieve it just wait a couple days, waited and nothing. Went back up there and we are given a card with the number to call to locate your return call it and it says deposited nothing in our bank account, so go back to the office and the manager says that she will personally pick up the check from the main office in our area and she wouldnt be back to our area on a tuesday and we could pick it up then. We go back to the office that following tuesday and the office is closed what kind of ### is that. i joke about it with my boyfriend and say of course they told you to come back lol they will see ya next year, but its not a joking matter! it is such bull. .my mother filed her taxes like she does every year doing them herself and mailing them in and she received hers amonth and a half ago! Filed ours in feb and nothing. and we paid the fees we will never go back there and I will inform everyone i know not to go there! Guess you really cant trust anyone now a days.
Does anyone know what we can do to get our refund or who we can talk to besides h and r block cause obviously they are no help!

H and R Block are not all what they advertise in their ads. Priding themselves on customer service you say?

I filed my taxes 27th February 2008 with them. Like previously written, the girl had no idea what she was doing, but she was nice and I am a nice person so I went along with it. I was a second year student in 2007 and should rightfully recieve my educational credits. Well, for whatever reason...their computer system or their under-trained employee...my educational credits did not not flow through and so I did not receive them. So, they needed to do an ammendment for me. I did not receive this ammendment from them until a week later. Then I had to send off the form-myself.
About 3 weeks later I received a letter from the IRS telling me it was the wrong form. I called HR Block about this. The girl said, "OH yeah, I gave you the wrong form. You can come in and I have the right form here. " What that means is she knew she gave me the wrong form, but didn't do anything in the meantime to correct it. So, I went in and got the "right" form from them. I still had to send it off myself. By all this time it was the first week of April. I called the district manager of Colorado and spoke to him to see if there was anything they could do for me...like say federal expressing it to the IRS. He told me there was nothing he could do for me, but give me a $25 gift certificate for next year's taxes.

SO, after paying HR Block $272.00 to file my taxes, not only did they do it wrong...not only have I still not received my tax refund... they didn't take responibilty for their mistake...and their service was upright appalling. Thank you H and R Block for giving me the best service, the lowest fees, and the most tax refund possible. You are the best.
NOT! You ought to be sewed for false advertising. Congratulations for being first class ###s!

It gets better...I just found out since H & R Block CHANGED my bank info on my forms when I used Turbo Tax and easy pay my stimulus check will have to be mailed LATE. The IRS will try to deposit it into the bank on record and when it is refused it will then be mailed much later. Could be up to or after JULY. I should have gotten it the 2nd week of May.

I have used Turbo Tax for years...NEVER AGAIN!

I am having the same exact problem, I cant believe this. I was told that money would be on my card and available in 1 to 2 days. I am furious, I was told that now it will take 8 to 14. I could have had it direct depoisted in that amount of time, and not had to pay a fee for it. H&R BLOCK just lost a customer for life. Further more I plan to tell everyone I know that they are nothing more then criminals, and avoid giving them theyre business in any way shape or form. H&R block will never get my money again.

My original posting:
I had my taxes done this year for the first time with H&R Block. NEVER AGAIN.
1 w-2 is all I had to be completed. No other paperwork or forms to complete. That's it. Had the money efiled and direct deposited. No problem. WRONG. I got my money from fed and state in 2 business days flat. Wow, I thought that's great. Not exactly. My deposited amounts didn't matchmy tax forms, so I took everything back in to get an explaination. My tax preparer, admitted that she made an error in the paper work and had applied me for the $29.95 RAC loan. She admitted that she thought it was necessary paperwork to have my refund direct deposited and that she, as the preparer, didn't know that she was applying me for a loan, but thought it was just more paperwork that had to be done so that my refund could be deposited. She admitted she made theeroor and that I never applied for the rapid loan. $29.95 is the fees for the loan, and I was told "to bad for you", I should have examined the paperwork a little closer before I signed it, to ensure what I was signing, was what I wanted. I didn't want this loan and the preparer admitted she didn't know it was a loan paper. So when was I suppose to ask about it and what was the preparers answer for it? The manager states that since the money has been recieved and no computer were committed in the calculations, I am out of luck. Never again, nor will I ever ask someone to go to H&R Block. Why is there no law regulations for consumer protection from these kinds of people?

UPDATE: It has been explained to me, that when you file your taxes with H&R Block and ask to have the fees for completing the taxes taken out of your refund, you are by that applying for the RAC loan. You get the $29.95 feee for this as well. This is a total scam. I have to pay to get the taxes completed and now they have found the way to charge you to pay for the money used to pay them with. This should be fraud. None of the paper work given to me, explains that if I want this to be paid from my refund that it requires me to apply for a loan. BUYER BEWARE!

There's been a lot of comments on here about people being denied the RAL loans due to bad credit. However, there are other reasons why a person with good credit might be denied. If a person is subject to an IRS 'Refund Offset', the bank HSBC will not provide the loan and the refund will switch to an 8-15 day RAC. A refund offset could be caused by a number of things such as owing the government back taxes, owing an outstanding student loan or other government guaranteed loan or owing back child support. Neither H&R Block nor HSBC has any way of knowing if this applies to someone until after the return has been filed.

This is all spelled out on the multiple page loan application, which the preparer is NOT going to read to you. In my experience as a preparer, even when I try to summarize these details to people, most of them just brush me off with an attitude of 'Yeah, Yeah, whatever, my kids are crying, I'm hungry - Just show me where to sign and I'm out of here!' Then when the loan is denied, they complain that 'No one told me that could happen, boo hoo'. Its in the paperwork, if you can't read then get someone to read it for you. To the guy who commented that he didn't sign anything and got no paperwork - what a load! There's about 1/2 inch thick stack of papers that they print out. You can't get one of these RALs without signing about a dozen papers.

I hated working there I MADE THEM $9000 FOR THEM THEY PAYED ME $1800. ONE LADY CAME IN WITH A GUN TRYING TO GET HER MONEY. 1 OR 2 DAYS LIES. YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN TAXES WITH TAXES CUT BY H & R BLOCK AND PRINT IT OUT SEND IT TO THE IRS 6 TO 8 WEEK CHECK NO FEE $50 THAT ALL .

I WORKED FOR H & R BLOCK IN INGLEWOOD, CA . THIS YEAR. ALL THE POEPLE DID WAS TALK ABOUT PEOPLE AND THERE LIVES. ALL DAY LONG . WITH THE FRUAD GOING ON IN INGLEWOOD I WOULD THEY WOULD BE MORE IN TO THERE WORK . BUT WITH THE DIST. MGR. SLEEPING WITH TAX PRO. NO WORK WAS BEING DONE. WACTH OUT FOR FRUAD OUT OF INGLEWOOD, CA. SELLING OF YOUR INFO AT $100 A NAME. YOUR LIFE GONE?

My husband & I had our taxes done by H&R Block last week (3-28-08). I just want to say that we were NEVER told that we were actually "applying" for a loan (the lady seemed like she didn't know what she was doing or just very new at the job). If I would have known that, I would have told them my credit was bad & not to bother wasing our time & theirs. So, now I have had to do the same run around as alot of you have described. I think they should just tell people up front about this & then there would not be as many misunderstandings as for where our money is & all that. I am just another person that will not be going back or refering anyone to H&R Block. I hope they 1 either change the way they "explain" this & 2 make sure their employees are properly trained on it. Sorry for everyone who has had to deal with this & good luck to you!

I have filed with H&R block for years and did again this year. I had no problems with my return and everything went as planned but then again I filed right away 1/28/2008 I had half my money the day I filed and the other half the very next day. I have been with them for over 7 years and last year and this year I used the Emerald Card and haven't had any problems. I am not understanding why some people who have perfectly good credit aren't able to get their loans? I have TERRIBLE CREDIT and that is no lie my credit sucks, but anyways I was able to RAL mine with no problems could it be because I filed so early? I don't know but the best of to all of you who haven't received their returns, it has really made me think about whether or not I am going back to them next year.

Try calling the office in Bellevue, Nebraska, no answer, guess there is no such thing as Customer Service.

I have been an h and R block member for years.I never use the rapid refund I wait the 8 to 15 days for my refund.this year i did the emerald card, and i was told 8 to 15 days.and dont you know i received my refund on my card exactly on the 8th day.I have never had any problems with h and r block.I've always gotten my refund between 8 to 15 days. The earlier you file your taxes the quicker you will get your refund. If you wait till the last minute it may take awhile to get your refund, cause theirs so many folks doing it at the same time. I think if people read things completely before they sign them they wouldnt have all these problems. People are getting mad cause they 're credit wasn't approved .That is not h and r blocks fault.as u know RAL stands for REFUND ANTICIPATED LOAN. the word (loan), and we all know if your credit stinks your not gonna be able to get a loan, no matter where u apply, and if u do get one the rate will be very high.H and R block is not scamming people.They provide a service to you, and they get paid for the services they give you.Thats preparing and filing your taxes.Like I said i have had no problems with them ever.

THE COMPANY ITSELF IS A SCAM. I also never had a problem them( other than thier exstremly high fees). I recieved the emerald card, and lost it feb5. its now March 18- still no card. I call, Im on hold forever. Every few days they tell me thier system was down and they will mail me antother card. Sorry, but they keep transfering me to people who dont understand me, nor vis-versa. this is crazy! there is not even a physical place to complain. Word to the wise, dont trust your money in the cyber world! H&R block and me are OVER!

I filed my 2007 tax return with H & R Block the same as I have done for years but this year they put my physical address instead of my post office address and my state tax was returned because of this mistake. You pay these people a God awful lot to get everything right the first time and they should not be making mistake like these. When I called to tell them that the mistake was on them, they suggested that I call the state number, by the way is not toll free and give them my address. I have an 8:30 to 5:30 job and their hours are 8:00 to 4:00. When am I suppose to get in touch with these people. When I called the number, I was #28 in the que. I am on the job, how can I explain this to my employer. When I hung up the phone, I immediately called H & R Block back and told them I would never use them again. And I mean it. I know I am just one fish in the sea and they probably won't miss me swimming around.

I understand why you all are upset, but what do you expect from people who set up office inside walmart or a strip mall? Do your research. You all say they are looking to get as much money as possible from preparing your taxes, but aren't you trying to get your money just as fast by having them prepare them? If you weren't looking to get your money as fast as possible, you wouldn't go there. File your taxes like millions of other americans, and WAIT. The only reason people say it's a scam is because they were denied a loan or their money quickly. Read the fine print of what your signing. And to say they take advantage of single moms with children because you receive a large refund is stupid. My husband and I have no children, and we receive a substantial refund every year. Just because you are denied something doesn't automatically mean it's a scam. I'm not sure why you would go to H and R block anyhow.

I am not sure what to think about all of these comments. I filed with H and R block yesterday because I previously used their early loan in Jan. 2008, the conditions of the loan were that I had to file my taxes with H and R Block, which i just did. I did my own taxes and took them the papers, all forms complete and ready to file. They still charged me $100 for a girl who was not very competent to enter my figures into her computer. If I don't receive my refund as promised I will file a law suit and any one who wants to come on board will be invited and welcomed.
Look for my next comment in 3 days to see how things went.
I should say I have never had a problem with H and R block and I hope one doesn't occur this year. I also want to say I did my mothers taxes with turbo tax online and had the fees deducted from her account and that return was very fast; they said she would have the money on the 8th of Feb and on the 8th she was spending money.

I have been an H & R Block customer for over 30 years. In the past two years, I have received both a pre-Christmas loan and this year a revolving line of credit on the Emerald Card. My tax refunds have been credited to my card in exactly the time frame given and this year within the same day. I understand that people would be upset at not having this go as smoothly for them. My suggestion is that you first have the preparer check to see if you are eligible for instant refund so that you can make a decusion as to how you process your refund. It's as simple as that. I have always been given excellent customer service and not ever given unkept promises. It is just good business sense to thoroughly check and ask questions especially when using a new process and it concerns your money. I value H&R Block and have trusted them for many years. If I have ever had a question as to something I was unsure about before, during, or after filing, I have always been given the courtesy of expedient, professional attention and answers. If they ever wanted an honest, satisfied customer to be a spokesperson for them, I would be more than happy to do so.

I have now spent the last 4 hours on the phone with HSBC and H&R Block. Each person that I have spoken with tells me that they are unable to help me. This is my situation: I filed me taxes with TaxCut and chose the option to have my refund direct deposited (first mistake). I got my refund deposited at 12am last night just to find that H&R Block then withdrew the same amount out of my bank account. I sat on hold for 24 minutes before getting told "I am unable to assist you, you need to call HSBC, which is who we bank through". I then hung up the phone and called HSBC [protected]) and was told by them that I needed to contact the technical support line [protected]) the guy (though very nice and understanding) had no idea. He pretty much read me what I could read myself online and told me that I would have to wait until 2/22/08 to receive my refund, I again explained to him that I had received my refund but H&R Block took this money back out of my account and I wanted to know why. I do not owe back child support or anything to the government. I then called my bank and because (it even shows on my statement that it was taken out by H&R Block) they took it out, there was nothing my bank could do for me other then tell me that I needed to contact H&R Block. I then called the tech line back (the 2nd #) and after holding for 6 minutes the guy on the other line (I'm glad he didn't try to bull [censored] me) came back and told me that he could not do anything for me because they only deal with software issues, nothing online. He apologized and suggested that I call taxcut again [protected]). I called again. I was on hold waiting for someone to answer for 42 minutes. I then called the same number on my fiancee's cell phone and was on hold for 7 minutes when someone answered. I explained the situation AGAIN and after being placed on hold for another 9 minutes, she came back with "I can escalate your issue and have someone contact you within 24-48 hours". I asked her if she was in a call center or if she actually worked for H&R Block and with a laugh she answered, "I'm in a call center". Come on, I worked in a call center for 6 years and I know how they "escalate calls". (If you don't know, its a call center, they are usually provided with less information then the general public, therefore nothing gets done with your escalation) I then called a local H&R Block office and they directed me to call HSBC back and explain this over and tell them that they should be able to track the transaction by the trace number or the referance number that I have on my bank statement (I didn't think the local office would be able to help me but I thought they may be able to point me in the right direction). I called HSBC back and when someone answered after only about 5 minutes, the girl was very rude and told me because my social seurity number does not pull anything up, they can't help me but "I can give you the customer service phone number to H&R Block and they should be able to help you". I told her that I have already talked to them and they are pointing me back to HSBC. She informed me (in a very rude manner) that because I don't have a loan through them, she can't help me. I said "So I am being told that you are H&R Block's bank, correct?" She said yes. I said "and you can't tell me why you guys put a check into my bank account only to take the check back out of the account?" She told me that they are only H&R Block's LOAN bank. They do not do anything with checks, I would need to call [protected] (the number I called and got to her) for more information. I told her that that is the number I called and got her and she said, "They must not be answering their phones or noone is available right now. I would try back tomorrow". To make a long story short, I am now waiting to call back between the hours of 8am and 5pm to a new number given on my voicemail while on hold with H&R Block to an [protected] (they left a case number so maybe I can call for 8 hours tomorrow to not get anywhere). If you haven't filed with H&R Block yet, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU NOT! If you have, hope your luck with them is better then mine.

(Which was suppose to be done before I got there) To make a long story short, after an hour and a half nothing was resolved. I asked for a refund of my $309. and a voice from the back rudely yelled "She's not getting a refund her taxes are already filed! She has to wait until we straighten it out!" That enfuriated me and I followed the voice. Admittedly I was wrong! I lost it! It all ended up with the manager "Rosa Fiorentino" hiding in the bathroom and the rest of the staff waiting outside in the cold for the police to come. I was not arrested even though the manager did file a report and wanted me charged with property damage but the District Manager Harry Rodriquez did get involved and finally this morning I have my money and I am expecting a refund check as reimbursement of my filing fees.