Use of misleading tax relief review, rating, or referral sites.  Avoid these companies like the plague.  These so-called “experts” will gladly send you and your information to some of the most notorious tax relief companies still open.  Tax relief companies that have been successfully sued by state attorney generals for consumer fraud, tax relief companies that have literally hundreds of online complaints and negative reviews.  Their ratings are given for your click.  I have been approached to join some of these scams and instantly declined the invitation on the spot. I consider not being listed on them a badge of honor.  See further information below about each and every one of these sites that have come to my attention.

Anonymous company ownership. What kind of company does not want you to know who the owners are?  There can be only one answer, and it is not a good one.  I obviously believe in complete transparency with this website provided for your benefit.

Unlicensed company ownership. If the company owners are not licensed, and highly experienced tax professionals, what business do they have operating a tax relief business? Would you believe some tax relief companies are owned by people with real estate, or consumer lending backgrounds, rather than being highly experienced tax relief pros?  It’s true.  All they have to do is hire someone with IRS practice rights to hold themselves out as a tax relief company.  And IRS oversight of them is negligible.  Which is why the industry is filled with unethical, under qualified operators. I am a licensed Certified Public Accountant, and have been doing this work as a focused niche service since 1992.

Unlisted or virtual company location. Why do they not want you to know where they really are located? Again, there is no good answer to this question.  You can find all of my contact information on the Contact page of this website. I have a real office where I can really meet face to face with any of my clients whether local or from out of town if and when the need arises.

Unknown professional staff with unknown or unproven experience. Do you want just anybody handling this vital service for you? Don’t you want to know who is working for you? And their qualifications and track record in doing so? Don’t you think you deserve better service than a rookie, a cub attorney, or other bottom of the barrel help? Most tax relief companies employ people that are too inexperienced to have your life in their hands.  I will tell you with the greatest degree of confidence what I can do for you, and be able to prove it with all tax relief case closure letters received from IRS and state tax agencies since 2012.  There are literally thousands of them.  See them yourself at www.taxhelp.pro/recent-cases/  or at www.theofferincompromisecpa.com/accepted-offers.php.

No history. The company can not prove how long they have successfully been providing tax relief services. In my decades of experience I have seen literally hundreds of companies, big and small, rise and fall. Don’t take a chance with someone who plans on closing the doors and disconnecting the phones soon. They will not give your money back to you. I have been successfully self employed tax professional since 1990.  And have done tax relief work since 1992.

Complaint record. Even the best run and squeaky clean company can get a complaint on occasion due to an honest misunderstanding or an unreasonable client. A double digit number of complaints means trouble. Unethical or incompetent management. Or both.  As previously mentioned, the largest tax relief companies have hundreds of online complaints, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.  I may get one complaint in a decade, from an honest misunderstanding or unreasonable client.  See examples here here here, and here.

Meaningless sales puffery. Use of hot air to reel you in, such as…As Seen On TV, The Most Trusted, Nation’s Best, Most Credible, Industry Pioneer, blah, blah, blah. You have heard this stuff a million times, and take it with a grain of salt.  I will only tell you what I know I can do for you, because I know I can do it for you and can prove I can do it for you.  No need for hype here.

Use of mass media (TV/radio) commercials. Guess who has to pay for this extra layer of business overhead packed with misrepresentations and outright lies?  You do.  You will not see me on TV or hear me on the radio for this good reason.

Excessive fees. Any company wanting more than $5,000 for a full service representation engagement is ripping you off. Period.  And they will gouge you for all they can since the person you are likely to speak with when you call them will be a commission paid salesperson.  My fee schedule is fixed, flat, and fair.  $2,500 to $4,955 depending on complexity of case, and amount of tax, interest, and penalty owed.  Not one red cent more no matter what it takes to get you to the promised land.

Cold calling. Having telemarketers make uninvited sales calls to your home or office. Need I say more? I have never engaged in this rude, intrusive type of marketing effort.

What’s their refund policy? If they can’t help you, do they give all your money back? Most reputable tax relief professionals have a full money back guarantee.  I do as well and it is front and center, first paragraph of my guaranteed tax relief service contract.

Bait and switch contracts. Bait and switch low initial fees. Use of cleverly worded contracts that make you think one thing, but end up meaning something very different. My service contract is very simple, straight forward, written in plain English, with no double talk or fine print.  It only takes one minute to read it, sign it, and date it.

Does the company talk about their “affiliates” or “associates”? If so, they might be a lead generation company — which means they sell you and your personal information to the highest bidder, who may or may not be a qualified or ethical tax professional. Or maybe not a tax professional at all. I acquire all of my leads myself, with my own websites.  I do not buy from lead wholesalers.

High pressure sales tactics. Arm twisting, brow beating, and fear mongering are not the means by which real tax professionals will win your trust and business. If you are thinking about signing up with a company just so they will stop calling you all the time and stressing you out…watch out. If the so-called “Consultant” comes off to you like some kind of a pushy jerk, guess what. You’re on to them!  You will never get this from me.  I will typically do one follow up contact after an initial consultation is done. If the prospect does not want to get back to me I respect that choice, and just hope they do not go with one of the companies I tried to warn them about.

RED FLAG BONUS – Commission paid salespeople posing as “Tax Consultants” who will tell you anything you want to hear in order to convert you into a paying customer. I have secretly shopped ALL of my tax relief competitors and can tell you for a fact that these people do not know what they are talking about. Their “consultation” is almost always wrong and is dangerously detrimental to you best interests. Trust me on what I am telling you about these posers! They will promise you the moon.  I will not.  I will tell what is and is not possible.  The best thing is I know a lot of possibilities since I have done a lot of tax relief cases in nearly thirty years of service.

Fake video testimonials: Inside the world of fake reviews (CBC Marketplace).

PBS NEWSHOUR: Spotting fakes among the five-star reviews.

ABC News Nightline investigates deceptive practices of the popular tax firm — Tax Masters.