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Business Profile

CPA

Lawler & Witkowski, CPAs PC
BBB accredited business seal
BBB Accredited BusinessA Rated by BBB

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 2 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 2 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:09/24/2024

    Type:Order Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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.
    My husband owed the IRS alot of money and hadn't done his taxes in the past 4 years. I consulted Lawrence Lawler on March 12th 2024 wanting to get the old returns filed 2020-2023, and maybe a resolution for 2019s $40k in back taxes. I expressed my concerns for the bad reviews I saw and was assured that his firm could assist us with our taxes and communication would not be a problem. I paid the requested $3500 retainer immediately and took the requested info in. 6 months later and it has been a horrible experience. The communication was definitely a problem. I could never get a call back from Lawler. Our taxes were completed in June and based on our income we were told we wouldn't qualify for a resolution of the 2019 taxes without Lawler even obtaining any detailed financial info from us or submitting anything to the IRS. We were ok with that and agreed to make an arrangement with the IRS independently. We were billed $1940 for their tax services and when we requested a refund of the balance of the retainer Lawler refused to issue one stating the retainer is just to accept the case, which he never disclosed initially or provided a retainer disclosure. The lack of communication has been so frustrating, and now Lawler won't refund the balance of the retainer. Lawler thinks we want the refund of the balance of the retainer because we didn't get a resolution and that is not the case, we want a refund on the balance because we paid for the billed services that they provided and at no time did he disclose that the retainer was just for them to accept our case.

    Business Response

    Date: 10/23/2024

    The taxpayer was delinquent if filing tax returns for several years when they contacted our firm we explained our fee policy and it is posted in plain sight in our waiting room. They were advised that our standard retainer was $3,500 and there would be added fees for tax return preparation. Once the returns were completed and we were then aware of their total tax liability, we advised them that they were not candidates for an Offer in Compromise as they were able to pay the amount owed, but we could arrange a payment plan. We will not file Offers in Compromise for taxpayers who are obviously not eligible for an Offer in Compromise. They wanted to pay less than they properly owed and decided to fire us and just pay the tax. Note that if they were able to pay the tax as they decided to do - they were certainly not eligible for an Offer in Compromise. When they decided to fire us they were told that our fees were all earned and there would be no refund. However, we allowed them to cover the multiple years of tax returns with the retainer. This t/p refused to understand that, like other taxpayers, they were required to pay their taxes and that the programs they wanted to take advantage of, do not apply to those who just don't want to pay. In 51 years in practice with virtually no complaints we will rest on our reputation. This complaint was posted after we refunded their fees and was posted with malicious intent.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 10/23/2024

    I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint of poor communication and withholding our retainer based on the sign posted in his office. Our conversation and payment wasn't in the office it was via the phone.  Furthermore the business did settle before our court date and returned the balance of our retainer therefore you can close the case.  Regards,  ******* ******** ********

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/30/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Answered
    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.
    On February 7 and 13, 2024 I filed tax documents for 2022 and 2023 because I need help with IRS because I'm getting a divorce and my husband didn't file in 2022 for us. The woman I spoke to at Lawler to told me to upload the documents and wait for a response. I called in March and was told I was "in the cue." On April 7 I messaged them using the portal they insist on using and said I was worried. No response. On April 15 I did my own taxes for 2023 but my 2022 taxes, which are complicated because of the divorce and an extension that was missed are still not done. Today I deleted all my files from the Lawler portal. It's stunning and shocking how irresponsible this company is, especially with a client in need of help and navigation with the IRS which they particularly advertise and that it's their field of expertise.

    Business Response

    Date: 05/23/2024

    ****,  We sincerely apologize for the oversight regarding your return during the busy tax season. We understand your frustration, and we are truly sorry for any inconvenience caused.  You are correct in noting the issues with handling her case this year. As part of our standard procedure, we requested that you upload her documents to our portal for us to download and print. Unfortunately, we encountered technical difficulties when attempting to download the documents. After resolving these issues, we printed the documents and placed them in the tax file for preparation.  Regrettably, the disruption in our usual workflow led to your return being overlooked until it was too late to complete it by the April 15th deadline. To address this, we filed an extension for you and promptly contacted you to offer to complete your 2023 and 2022 tax returns at no charge. You informed us that you had already completed her 2023 return elsewhere and planned to have the same service handle the 2022 return as well.  Despite our error, we made every effort to mitigate the problem. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and appreciate your understanding.  Sincerely,  John J. Witkowski, CPA, CTRS

Lawler & Witkowski, CPAs PC is BBB Accredited.

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