Gary K.

The company made multiple errors in processing and filing my client's 990. For what I paid them I expected much better service than I received.

First, they neglected to check a box on page 1 authorizing the IRS to contact me as the Preparer, after they told me I should e-mail them after filing the return, and they'd take care of checking the box before filing. The feature wasn't included in their software until several users, including me, complained about it not being there; then they added the feature.

Because they forgot to check the Preparer contact box, an amended 990 had to be filed. They prepared the amended return and filed it before I could review it. When I did review it I discovered they omitted several significant amounts on Schedule A. I then had to prepare another amended return myself so it would be done correctly. I had to spend several hours of my time I couldn't bill my client for.

Within a couple of weeks I requested a refund of 75% of the fee I paid for using their software, as recompense. The best they could do, their rep told me, was to issue a credit of 30% or $21 towards my next tax return preparation using their software.

Obviously, to save themselves $40 or $50 by not issuing a refund for poor service means more to them than their customers' goodwill. I'm a CPA with several 990s to file and was treated this way; imagine how you'd be treated if you only have one return to file with them and they made all these mistakes!

The good things I can say about TaxBandits and their service is that their 990 program is fairly easy to navigate, which is helpful when preparing a 990, and that their customer support was helpful and supportive for the most part.