Complaints

This profile includes complaints for LFS Tax Group, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  LFS Tax Group, LLC

  1361 Elm Street Suite 100 Manchester, NH 03264

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  LFS Tax Group, LLC

  607 Tenney Mountain Hwy Ste 131 Plymouth, NH 03264-3169

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  When I first learned that ************** Rhode, CPA PLLC was merging with LFS Tax Group, I immediately called LFS SPECIFICALLY to inquire about fee structure, as I had a feeling that the price was going to increase dramatically. I was unequivocally told it would basically be the same. I submitted my taxes on February 14th, 2024. At that time, I inquired about fee structure once again and was assured "it would be about the same".Between the date of submission and April 15th, 2024, I called LFS on 3 occasions to inquire about the status of my taxes. Those calls largely went unanswered, and on the rare occasion when I WAS able to speak with someone, there was no information forthcoming. Finally, on the morning of April 15th, 2024 I called to alert them to the fact that I would need an extension. After being on hold for 10 minutes, I was informed that my taxes were ready. When I inquired about the price, I nearly fell off my chair as the fee was approximately 3x what I am accustomed to paying. When I protested, I was told that they would offer a token discount which still amounted to a bill that was 2-1/2 times what it should have been - OR - I could have my taxes prepared by someone else....this on the very day taxes were due. They had me over a barrel. I had to pay the ******.In a very spirited email exchange with *************************, Managing Member at LFS, multiple internal problems were cited as contributing factors for the delay. I am not interested in his personal problems. This was a BUSINESS transaction. If he was having trouble getting the job done, he should have said that and I would have found someone else....but he didn't.***** also stated that their billing rate was $250/hr., which is not anywhere near what ***** had traditionally charged, as my total bill for past years was $200, not $550 - so all that talk about the fee structure "being about the same" was an outright lie.LFS presents an image of being an unprofessional, unethical company. Enough!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/27/2024

  January 16th, 2024, our firm acquired the Tax and Accounting firm of *********************, CPA. The acquisition was done with the intent of having ********************* and her assistant continue in our employ for at least the next 2 years, as we were acquiring a firm with 600 clients. ************** was one of those clients. Less than 2weeks after the acquisition, *****'s assistant quit, and ***** was pulled away regularly to deal with a very sick mom, who ultimately died near the end of March. Meanwhile, our staff was working 14 hour days to assist *****, as she was overwhelmed with all she was dealing with. It was physically impossible for us to process the volume of tax returns that we were handed. We attempted to hire additional help, but it took 4 weeks to bring on a qualified applicant, to assist with the phones and the data entry. In addition, with ***** pulled away, there was no way to keep up with the volume of tax returns that were coming in at a rapid rate. As the March 15th deadline for certain business returns approached, all emphasis was on those. After March 15th attention was placed on all those returns where it was perceived that there would be taxes due, so as to avoid interest and penalties. Meanwhile, we were handling phone calls which peaked over 200 a day, as with 1200 clients, each was wondering about there return, with many calling multiple times. These interrupted not only the data entry and processing, but the actual tax preparers who were trying desperately to get returns out the door. At the end of the 1st week of April, our newly hired employee was overwhelmed by the workload and quit - one week before the filing deadline.

  Normally speaking, about 1/3 of an accountant's tax returns will go on extension, which is usually voluntary. In this year, we wound up filing almost 600 extensions, which was almost exactly half of all clients. 

  As for ****************** complaint, I will acknowledge the fact that calls may not have been returned, and to be safe, we actually put her return on extension, before the filing deadline. When she called on April 15th, my associate told me her return was done. She was due a refund, and we let her know she could pick up the return at our office. She stormed in, furious at us for taking so long, and then proceeded to throw one expletive after another at my associate (*****) about our bill. As far as the bill, it was never discussed with her in advance by any member of our office, as we had no idea what she had been charged in prior years by *****. Our bills are based upon the forms filed or the time taken to do the return. The forms method returned a fee of $635 and the hourly method yielded a fee of $625, which I initially billed her. I came down the stairs when I heard the commotion, and cut the fee to $450. She was still angry, and I told her that she was on extension, and if she wanted, she could take all of her documentation to any other firm, if she felt we were being unfair.

  Nobody had her "over a barrel". She could have walked out the door, with all of her documentation, and gone to another tax preparer, without paying us a dime. She chose not to.
  

  She begrudgingly agreed to pay the bill. I left, she paid the bill, hurled a few more f-bombs at my assistant, and left. We then electronically filed her return. Several days later, I received notification that she was attempting to reverse her credit card charge. We objected to the reversal, but - to date - I have not received notice that our payment has been restored.

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 21714663
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: LFS Tax Service's comeback was not only untruthful, but laughable.

  For starters, whatever internal problems LFS struggled with in preparing returns for the 2023 tax season should not fall at my feet. This was a BUSINESS transaction. If LFS was incapable of getting the job done in a timely manner, someone should have contacted me so that I could have taken my business elsewhere. Further, LFS's response was dishonest. I was repeatedly told that "the fees would be about the same" when I asked this specific question the moment I found out about the merger, and again when I dropped my taxes off, so the bill had, in fact, been discussed in advance. Imagine my surprise when I was presented with a bill nearly 3 times what I had paid in previous years. ****************** stated that he had no way of knowing what my accounting bill was in the past, which again, is not true as my receipt for accounting for the calendar year 2023 was a deduction that was reviewed during the tax preparation process.

  Never once was I told that an extension had been filed before the deadline. If I had known this, I would have had picked up my receipts and had my taxes prepared by someone else. Further,  I didn't know the status of my taxes until the morning of April 15, 2024, which was the very day they were due, so yes...he did have me over a barrel. I had no choice but to pay what only can be considered to be ******.

  Contrary to ********************** response, his claims of me "storming in and dropping multiple F-bombs" is highly exaggerated. Additionally, he did not "come down the stairs when he heard the commotion", because there was no commotion. Truth be told, I have never laid eyes on him. I most certainly had words with him, but this was in the course of a phone conversation, not in the office. This portion of his response is a "beside the point" argument. Let's get to the heart of the matter, which amounts to this... LFS is not only incompetent, but they have a propensity to outright lie in an effort to get out of a tough spot 

  I have since had my taxes as prepared by LFS reviewed by two other accountants, only to find that there were multiple mistakes made in the return they provided. I was also informed, by both preparers, that the charge put forth by LFS was not what would have been considered "usual & customary". It's is interesting to note that I am not the only person that walked away being unhappy with their services. Danger, *********************! 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/28/2024

  I forgot to upload these emails I received from two other accountants to my complaint against LFS *** Services. Can you please add them to Complaint ID # ********?

  Many Thanks,

  ***************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/28/2024

  I forgot to upload these files in support of my response to LFS ************ Could you please add them to my complaint?

  Uploads 1 & 2 are emails from two different accountants, both of whom have reviewed my taxes as prepared by LFS *** Services. Please note that both estimates are in line with what I have historically been charged by ****************. Please also note that the email sent by ***********************, CPA, cites specific errors made by LFS for the calendar year 2023, which is what I am disputing.

  The 3rd upload is a receipt from my transaction with **************** for the calendar year 2022. This receipt should prove that LFS did, in fact, know what I had paid for tax preparation in the past, as I submitted this receipt as a deduction for the year 2023. This directly contradicts the statement to BBB that they didn't know what I had paid in the past.

  The fact that LFS repeatedly told me "the fee would be about the same" when I inquired about charges during both the merger between **************** & LFS *** Service and then again when I dropped off my taxes - only to charge me substantially more than what is considered "usual & customary" is simply unacceptable. 

  They are a terrible and unethical firm.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2024

  1. ************** cites a letter from ***************************, of ********************************* an ********** Services, who makes some ridiculous assertions. I'm wondering if he was looking at the same return we prepared.
       a. First, Form 8995 was included, and on Form 1040-SR, Line 13, he should note the $457 Qualified Business Income ************************************** b. ***** was no ************** how could there be a doubling of expenses between Schedule C and Schedule E?
       c. On Rental Property (a Schedule E), when there is a difference between the State Depreciation and the Federal Depreciation, a State depreciation report is always prepared. It becomes relevant if the property is ever sold. ****************** should know that, if he's been doing tax returns for 35 years.
       d. We don't compete on price, as we are a professional tax and accounting firm, and we try to provide excellence and quality in all we do. It's obvious from ********************** letter that he doesn't share our values.
  I stand by my original letter.  We charged ************** $450, for a return that should have been charged much more. Our original billing estimate is attached. She was told that the return was on extension, and that she could take her return elsewhere if she was unhappy with our price. She signed our engagement agreement and paid $450 for the services we delivered. We filed the state and federal returns - as we said we would. We received notice of the acceptance from the IRS.She then tried to rescind her credit card payment.*****'s nothing more for us to say.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2024

  One final point: There were no mistakes in the return prepared based on the source documents provided. Unless there were misrepresentations or omissions by **************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/29/2024

  In response to ********************:

  1). **************** did, in fact, review the document as prepared by LFS. He went through it page by page.

  2). There was no misrepresentation or omission on my part. Suggesting such weakens his position.

  3). ******************** assertions are not only ridiculous, but are not fact based or even truthful. It is clear that he knows hes in the wrong because hes now grasping at straws.

  4). I am asking to be charged what is reasonable and customary, nothing more. Please note that BOTH emails I submitted were from seasoned tax professionals. Both *** & **** reviewed the return as prepared by LFS and have been very clear about the fact that the job SHOULD have been billable at a fee of between $200-250.

  5). Please also note that the $200 figure as quoted by both *** & **** is consistent with what I paid ********************* (whom LFS merged with) in the past. This receipt is a matter of record with BBB. If this doesnt derail their argument, I dont know what does.

  6). In reviewing my receipts, it has come to my attention that several of my submitted expenses are missing - the most concerning of which is the receipt for my house insurance. Did LFS even deduct that expense?

  In conclusion, ******************** and LFS *********** have no business getting a decent rating from BBB. They are nothing more than shysters looking to make a quick buck. I am not alone in thinking this.

  This mess could have easily been avoided if they had been truthful about fee structure from the outset, but they werent. Their view was obstructed by dollar signs. Im so not good with that.

  I will apologize in advance for being a smart businesswoman who has a clear sense hard costs. They seriously underestimated me in assuming that I  was a sheeple. Im not.

  ********