Tax Rise

Hired taxrise 10/11 after hearing voicemails from a company with the FRESH START PROGRAM offering to assist with my $18,000 in back taxes owed for 2018/2019. After speaking with taxrise, I realized they were not officially affiliated with the FRESH START PROGRAM, but I hired them anyway. I paid $3,500 for their services, with the first $500 covering an initial investigation into my tax account. On 10/21, they confirmed the investigation was complete. Later, they requested information to file my returns, which was unnecessary as my fiance handles my taxes. My fiance, aware of my high income, doubted my eligibility for the Fresh Start Program and showed me numerous complaints on Complaintsboard.com. She managed to arrange a payment plan with the IRS for free and advised me to seek a refund from taxrise. In January 2022, we emailed taxrise about a partial refund. They asked to discuss it over a call or meeting, but due to my busy schedule, I couldn't follow up, and they didn't reach out again. After months of silence, I received an email on June 7, 2022, from taxrise to schedule a 'CLIENT SUCCESS RESOLUTION' call. I chose the same day for the call, but they never contacted me. I've since been trying to get a response from them about the missed call and to request my money back, but to no avail.

Earlier this year just after the tax filing deadline when we realized our tax debt was increasing and our ability to pay was going to make that challenging we contacted TaxRise. They promoted they have and can assist taxpayers with their taxes needs and would work with the *** to "successfully resolve our case" and reduce our tax debt.After a interview and information gathering intake process in either late April or early May and Tax Rise staff strongly indicating they could get our taxes quickly completed and filed, our full tax debt determined AND negotiate an agreement with the *** to reduce out total tax debt we agreed to pay a fee, $500 deposit and $4,500 more to *** and sign with TaxRise to perform these tasks. A case review was done and the conclusion was we would benefit if we signed on. We did so and case # *** was established.We have made every payment and submitted documents as requested. Our tax return, actually a very simple return has not been completed as of today, September 22, 2022. To my knowledge TaxRise has had no contact with the *** on our behalf. Case manager *** repeatedly since we signed on in May insisted the taxes, a simple return, is in the works, is being done. It has not been done. I have sought all updates be in writing while he insists updates be via phone call. On September 12 I made an email request for results now. I requested his manager contact me, an update be provided in writing, a new case manager. I also asked for name and contact info for the tax preparer. I indicated if these things are not being done, cannot or will not be done then they are derelict in their duties, and not meeting the terms of our agreement. Given that being true I requested a refund in full. As of today there has been no response to that, my last and strongest request things begin to get done. I have reached out to Special Financing who has attempted to contact TaxRise on my behalf with no success.

TaxRise took my case on 8/11 offering a "Fresh Start" with the *** Proceeded to assure I was qualify and that should only have to pay "0" Zero or *** "$500". To begin the investigation TaxRise asked for $500 deposit and the remaining fees of $4,893.90 to handle my case. As of this date 7/28/2022 TaxRise has done absolutely nothing!. All these stalls calls strategy they have used just to buy time to tell me they could not resolved my issue with the *** and now I am back into a payment plan. I took a loan from my retirement to pay TaxRise the total amount of $5,393.90 which I am sadly still making payment. TaxRise swore they would get the initial debt of $18,224.00 taken care as they used the same system/software as the *** and had Tax Professionals who had the experience of working with the *** and that I should not worry as this case was proven to be taken care and I will probably not have to pay the *** as my financial situation proved to qualify for a complete write off. I submitted paystubs, bank statements, credit card statements, car note statement, loan statement, to them. No one ever mentioned Credit Card Debt was not acknowledge by the *** as an expense. Until later on my case one of their representative mentioned about the credit cards debt not being taking into consideration by the *** and for this reason my case denied as the *** reviewed my Financial statement and it proves that I could pay them. I request to have the calls audited so TaxRise knows the services being offered and nothing being done in their part. I want people to know how TaxRise misled people, lure people into their game simply to take people's money. This is a company scamming people with license. *** should not be conducting business with the public. TaxRise needs to be honest and upfront about what they can do and they cannot, instead of luring people to take their money. Please see attached the timeline I recorded from the moment TaxRise took my case. Now I owe $20,310.39.

I initially discussed my tax situation with someone named David *** at a site advertised as Fresh Start. He later connected me with someone else named Frank ***. I made numerous efforts with both of them to discover how their organization could assist me. They insisted that they could reduce my debt load significantly if I would just pay them $500.00 to investigate my case with the IRS. I decided on 2/16 to take this gamble and gave them my credit card information. They immediately withdrew the $500 and sent to me via email forms to sign giving them permission to act on my behalf. I signed these forms and submitted them. My wife did not. I was told that I had three days to change my mind. On 2/19 my wife and I decided against pursuing this program and to just pay the IRS what we owed them even though we can no longer afford to do. Unfortunately, this date 2/19 fell on a Friday. My computer was unavailable because to us because we had left it in the camper that we are living in that was in repairs for the day at an RV Dealership. My cell phone had gone dead and our charger was also in the camper. It wasn't until the following day (Saturday 2/20) that I was able to communicate our wishes to renege on this contract. I did this in an email to David ***. I asked David *** to stop representing me and to refund the $500 to my credit card. I never heard back from him, but received a phone call from Frank *** on the following Monday trying to convince me to stay with them. I explained that my wife was not going to sign their forms and that I had told David that we were not going to pursue their help and that we would just pay the IRS what we owed and be done with it. He said that that he would ask his supervisor (I guess) what could be done to refund us. A few days later I received a voice message from someone else who said that I alerted them too late and that they were not refunding me the $500 and would pursue this effort on my part whether I wanted them to do so not.

Originally contracted with Taxrise to help me with the *** matter. They requested I take out a loan to fulfill the payment process to a third-party. The person I spoke to at the third-party company did not recommend It. I informed tax rise that I was not going to contract to make another *** to cover services to deal with the ***. Initially, I was told that at the worst I might come out still owing the *** $3000. After paying monthly payments to TaxRise in November *** January I contacted them because my Social Security check was being garnished. On February 10 I received a message from *** reporting that they had a resolution. Unfortunately, I was unable to speak to her that day and explain to her that my mother had just passed away earlier that morning. I contacted *** in March and requested to speak to a supervisor. Later that afternoon I received a call from a gentleman named *** who reported he was not a supervisor but wanted to discuss the resolution. I explain to him that the resolution was unacceptable and wish to speak to someone about a refund of ***+ a retainer fee that I had paid for their services. In April the *** contacted me and confirmed that I now had a lien against me and that there was no resolution it would stay on my credit report moving forward until either paid or dropped off. I spoke to *** Who reported to be the quality assurance coordinator. I explain to him my situation and put it in writing on March 17 which was faxed to him directly. He informed me that theres a *** would need to make the decision about the refund and that they did on occasion give partial refunds. I contacted *** later in the same week he informed me *** was no longer with the agency. He would be the one I had to deal with. After several attempts to reach *** and faxing him letters, He confirmed that he would get back to me with regards to the refund. He is not taking my calls.