What IDIOT thought of this?

[Anakah]

Okay, it must have seemed like a good idea at the time BUT it totally makes a hectic day for me and my co workers.

H&R block has decided to make a credit card for their customers with their tax refunds on them. Sure, that seems awesome BUT the idiots didn't put their name on the freaking card!

Now EVERYTIME someone runs their card thought the atm they get charged, again for their own money that was taxed already AND they can't retreive it from us because...? Their names are not on them.

Now, I'd be glad that a casino would refuse to cash one of these with no names, how pissed would you be if your tax refund was given to someone else?

Me: *glances at the card and sighs* I'm sorry sir, we can't accept this card.

SC: But I already ran it! Put the money on my card right now!

Me: Unfortunately I can't do that... But if you wait a few hours it will drop out of our system and within a few days return to your account.

SC: This is BS!

Me: Thinking: I totally agree. Get your name on the card next time. What i said: I'm really sorry sir...

SC: This place f****ing sucks!!

I can understand why they are mad but I cringe everytime I get yelled at. I'd be mad too but I wouldn't take it out on the cashier.

They do put people's names on them, I got a lady who did have her name on it and I was so relieved. If you are getting a tax refund do not get it on a credit card. It's a total rip off.

[marasbaras]

H&R Block in general is a total rip-off ... especially their super-fast-refund LOANS.

[Gerrinson]

Ah yes, the loans. The last time I went to H&R block, I was assured that the 'loan' would be for the full amount of my federal & state returns. I asked specifically as I had thought it was only state and the fee for getting the money right away was almost as much as my state return.

When I got the check, of course, it was only for my state. I went in to get the error corrected and the manager told me that they only did loans for state taxes and that it was 'impossible' for the rep I worked with to have said otherwise. I explained that I explicitly asked if it was both federal and state taxes and the rep said yes, so I felt entitled to either all of my money or a refund of the fee. Eventually, I wound up going into SC mode and having a screaming match with her over the fact that the rep lied to me and now I either want my money or a refund of the fee. She kept responding that it never happened, I never asked the question, and she refused to question the rep or research the issue in any way. It ended with her telling me I'm a filthy f***ing liar because her reps would NEVER lie to a client and she was calling the police to have me removed.

Needless to say, I've never done business with H&R Block again. And I'm rather rude to their telemarketers who canvas the area every year to get people to come in and do their taxes. I'm rude only because I keep demanding to be removed from their lists and they keep rebutting to get me to 'give them another chance.' After about three go arounds of 'I want to be removed from your list' they say 'okay, I see you're having a bad day, we'll call back another time. <click>' It's now just easier to verbally tear them apart and have them remove my name on the first call because the rep doesn't ever want to talk to me again. Sad that I have to sink to that level, but it's the only effective tactic I've found with the H&R Block telemarketers.

Bleh - sorry I guess this is all off topic. Forgive me. Mods, please remove if you feel I've threadjacked.

[Geek King]

I'm sorry some of you have had problems with H&R Block. My Mom has worked for them for years, and does an excellent job there. Even she says the loans are only for people who need the money RIGHT NOW. They charge large fees for them, and the check from the government doesn't take that long to get to you, unless the state is one that mails them all in one lump mailing. Even then, unless desperate for the funds, wait for the check.

That manager was a jerk. All of the H&R managers I've met would double check on a situation like that. They really push to make sure that the people working for them know what they are doing, and require several training classes for their preparers every year, to get them up to speed on the changes to tax law. I've used them for several years now, mainly because they will stand behind you if they make a mistake. My only real complaint is the financial services they now try to upsell, but a polite "No Thanks" takes care of that.

Then again, I can get the low down from Mom if I have questions, so I might not be the best measure.

[Bright_Star]

Just get your refund direct deposited into your bank account. I used to get my refund through that Rapid Refund. Got tired of them taking out at LEAST a hundred bucks for the privledge.

[FuzzyKitten99]

I go to a private CPA... have been for 10 years. They always let us pay them when our refund comes in and we always e-file. Our money gets into our account in 10 days or less. Usually only 2-3 for state, and about 5 days for federal.

I have thought about H&R Block, but they charge more than my private CPA, and we usually have two W2's and three 1099's. We pay a fee per each one filed. H&R Block charges twice what we pay each year.

[Rine]

I hate H&R block. We have one of their offices in our store right now and they are the rudest people on the face on the planet. Every year, the tension between store associates and H&R block associates gets thicker and thicker...

But that credit card thing sounds so weird and stupid. I wouldn't want my tax return on a card; I would want it to go right into my bank account or something like that. At least at Sears, you have the option to take your H&R block refund thingies and get them cashed at the front office. Other than that, H&R block sucks...I have lots of stories to share about them but that's for another thread and another day.

[Chevy Nachos]

Just read that the IRS and Treasury Dept. are looking at restrcting these loans.

[powerboy]

I hate H&R. I do wish that they would be out of business. They are only there to screw the poor people. Or at least the ones around where I live.

[PCGameGuy]

I'm with the like H&R crowd on this one. I had a particularly messy bunch of stuff come up (capital loss, odd retirement plan) and it got to be more than I could do on my own comfortably. H&R does have a charge for services, but I have had them helping out until the numbers get back to what I can handle and I've always had good experiences with them.

Of course, YMMV with them as they hire locally as I understand. THe folks in our local office are all CPA and have a good grasp of our local needs and issues.

I do agree that unless Vinnie has a ball peen to your kneecaps, you should avoid the 'Instant Rebate' stuff, as it costs wayy too much for the service.

[Dark-Star]

H&R are very little better than pawnshops and those godawful 'paycheck-advance' places - they make almost every cent they earn out off of people who are very poor and/or very desperate to make rent or put food on the table.

Chevy Nachos - you gotta link on that? I would love to see if that's true or not because I hope it is!

[Seshat]

Please be careful to keep vehemence against a company to the specific ones you know: we apparently do have one person whose mother works for H&R Block, and we probably have some current or former staff reading the boards.

While I'm sure all of your bad experiences are real, I'm also sure that there are perfectly good people working there and doing their best. Let's only insult the sucky employees of H&R, not smear the whole company with a wide brush and insult the good ones too.

Thanks.

[marasbaras]

A friend from college worked for H&R one year. All they would tell me is "don't use them".

I go to a private CPA... have been for 10 years. They always let us pay them when our refund comes in and we always e-file. Our money gets into our account in 10 days or less. Usually only 2-3 for state, and about 5 days for federal.

For the past 15+ years, I've used the same CPA. They're a little expensive, but good. And, have consistently found write-offs and other legitimate items that have saved me considerably on taxes.