Business ProfileforBrown, Brown & Associates

In May 2021 I simply phoned the firm for a quick meet and greet and asking them how they worked to see if I wanted to use them. Fast forward to April of 2022. I had decided to use them and was paying for my bill. They told me my total was $750. I responded with surprise because it was so much and when they showed me charges.. an additional $125 "consultation fee" was there. This 20 minute phone call approximately 11 months ago had been charged to me and I did not know it. I don't have a problem paying for a consultation fee when I realize that is the case. Had I known there was a consultation fee I would've either considered whether it was worth it to talk to them or I would've put all of my questions together and came into the office to meet face-to-face. I asked them to reconsider the $125 consultation fee. When the woman returned she said "Ervin said he will takeoff the $125 fee but, next year you can go somewhere else to do your taxes" I was shocked for his reply but the shady way they do business did not stop there. They claim the amount you're charged is generated by the system for how many forms you have in your filing...my colleague and I have the exact same filing. we compared them and we have the exact same things. Their original bill was shown to be $925 minus a "$400 customer appreciation reduction". Bringing his taxes to $525. my $625 fee that I paid made sense because my filing was exactly the same as my friends and I asked for a little bit of additional information separate. The processor filing my return told me that my $625 price included all of the work so I paid it. The additional information was not available April 18 when my return was filed so I had to touch base with him about it the following week. Now, all of the sudden what I had already paid did not include this additional work I asked for and she said "Irvin said he will do this additional for you but you have to pay the $125." Terrible business practices!