H&R Block

Never again they blame you for their mistakes at least the lady that helped me did.
AVOID CHARLES MATHEWS unhelpful, hard to understand, had to amend my taxes and got blamed for his mistake.
Review Update from the bottom paragraph.
It takes alot for me to complain about something. This is going from two stars to one. Came in here today because I found out they screwed up my taxes so I had to make an amend. The Russian lady clearly saw that the old gentleman who did my taxes made a mistake. We took over an hour to correct things and at the end of it all. She told me to do my Homework for next time. How dare you lecture me on the mistakes you did. The only mistake I did was going to them for a little help I even asked the first time I went if I had everything I needed gave them the answers to the questions they asked and provided everything and more for them. And in the end I get lectured. Sorry for being a whiner and trust me it takes a lot to get me to complain.
Came in here to do my taxes obviously and did not enjoy the expereince.
I had my taxes done by Charles Mathews. Now, I am aware of ageism and in no way does this review have to do with his age, I say this because he is in his 80’s or 90’s. I thought it was amazing to see a man his age still working but I was unhappy with his service because I felt he was not at all helpful, and unfriendly. I understand that at that age your executive function is low, I just prefer not to have it done by him. After that experience I talked to my dads accountant (which I should of done in the beginning), had everything redone or corrected. All H n R blocks cares about is to get you in and out fast. Sorry H n R Block but I rather pay a little more to a real tax expert and have friendly service than you.

They do not bother to respond to client’s email or phone call.

No receptionist to let you in now if your Tax Person is running late and then you get attitude from a Tax person coming up to thw front desk to answer questions. Really, bad customer service.

AVOID — you have been warned! The customer service is a complete nightmare. No one to greet when entering and direct you to help. Representative did not even attempt to look at my prior year return which I was having issues with. Even though I used HR to file my taxes they offered nothing but a «its your responsibility» and then said I was being unreasonable for asking their help! Again, they DID NOT EVEN TRY to review what was previously entered to see what might have caused the issues I was having! If I could put swear words in here I would use every nasty one imaginable to describe them. HR Block should be ashamed of this office’s existence as I will never again consider using them again and will actively tell my friends to avoid their service.

This is probably the worst place ever. They booked me at 7pm and said I can come at around 6:30 if I’m early because the person doesn’t have any previous client. I got there at 6:15 and they told me the guy doesn’t even come in until 7:00 pm. Interesting, I said ok considering it was probably a miscommunication. When 7:15 came around, I asked the front desk where the guy is and they told me to not worry. 7:35 came around and the lady came and told me the guy stopped working at the H&R Block already… I waited there for over an hour to learn that the individual they made an appointment for me quit before I even made my appointment.
They then said they had no one to help me and scheduled an appointment for me 2 weeks later. I’m never going back.

It’s basically the Walmart of the tax world. I hope that about sums it up for you!

In about an hour, I was in and out with a fat refund check coming my way. I had the best tax preparer, Jacqueline, who answered all my questions thoroughly no matter how silly they may have been. It was definitely worth it despite the cost ($ 190 in my case). Even though I didn’t pay anything last year because I filed it online for free, it’s definitely great that I have peace of mind that someone who knows what they’re doing filled it out for me. In the slim chance I get audited, I’ll have expert support on my side. The cost for tax filing at H&R block, of course, varies by person depending on the complexity and amount of forms to be filled out. Aside from that, Jacqueline offered excellent customer service and was on time when it came to my appointment time (no waiting at all!). Best of all, she was engaging and friendly. Conversing with her made time move much more quickly.
Now, my taxes are done and I’m waiting for my refund to be directly deposited in my account. I’m ecstatic to having my taxes done early on in the year! Even better, I was entered into a sweepstakes to win $ 1000 everyday until mid-​February. I’m counting on my lucky stars for that one. Luckily, my taxes were pretty simple. In the end, I learned a lot from her and intend on coming back to get my last year taxes re-​checked to see if I am eligible for more deductions!

WORST PLACE EVER!
I had an appointment at 9am so I got there but there was no one there! I wait for 40 mins until 9:40am and still no one there! Don’t see Charles Mathews, he is unprofessional, hard to understand, hard to talk to, and dresses up like homeless.
Please, please, DON’T GO THERE!!!

Worst experience ever. I’ve used them for years, but this year was the deal breaker. I was told I didn’t have an appointment when I did. They found a way to fit me in. Then the next day I get a call letting me know that I missed my appointment.
We were quoted $ 250 for our personal/​small business taxes. After the preparer punched in our numbers, and that’s all he did, literally he told us the price was $ 500. Total bait and switch. We had to scramble to come up with the $ 500.
The tax preparer said that if the old office manager were there that she would find a way to work with us on the fees. He told us that the new office manager isn’t that amenable. That seemed like fruitless information and totally pointless.
I placed a call to the office manager the day after our return was completed. The receptionist said that she was out of the office and that she would get back to me on Monday. So far no call back.
I now have a call into corporate H&RB with an escalation number. Let’s see how this works.
I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND H&R BLOCK AGAIN.

There may be some good tax professionals at this office but I would urge customers to avoid working with Charles Matthews at all costs.
He made a serious error on my return, which means it should be amended and will up my chances of an audit. When I asked him about this, he was defensive and uncooperative — and he refused to acknowledge his mistake, blaming this problem on a new HRB computer program. Beyond this particular error, he communicates poorly, often seems confused and didn’t seem very interested in helping me maximize my deductions.
I have used a few different tax people over the years; this was definitely my worst experience.

If you get C.M., you are the unlucky one. He did not get me the maximum refund. I double checked with Turbo Tax and I was entitled $ 60 more than what H&R Block told me I was getting. Not only did my tax return have to be amended but the tax preparer took an additional hour to do it. After he was done he told me he couldn’t print the document. Meaning I had to come back and talk to the manager, whom is surely a phantom because I never see her or hear from her. After I had left the store I received a call saying he was able to print the document but I was not going to be returning that day. I went back on another day to pick-​up the amended version. I waited for another hour just to pick up. When I eventually got my amended tax return from the tax preparer he told me I had to mail it to the state myself. For some reason H&R Block won’t do it. So I have to pay for postage to correct his mistake? There were so many things that went wrong and never again will I go to H&R Block.

First time ever trying out HR Block, since my tax 2014 was fairly simple this year and i figured i can have them do it. First i got quoted a price that was even higher than my tax accountants fee from previous years, and those returns were dicy and a mess to get through.
Then i never got to see the person who was supposed to do the return for me in person, even though i showed up in the office 3 times. He was with a customer at all times despite the fact that i had an appointment with him. After waiting 45 mins i walked out with the assurance by the front desk person that he would call me back.
4 days later nobody had called me back yet and went in one last time to just pick up my papers and do my return on my own, which is what i should have done in the first place.
If you are considering going to this HRBlock, make sure you are not working with CHARLES MATTHEWS, as he is tough to work with and really impossible to understand on the phone.
HR Block, nice advertising, but no thanks! never again

I loved the customer service and the gentleman that assisted me answered each question I had. I was able to see everything that he was doing on his screen and he also explained each step! Thank you Marvin!!!

I had my taxes done here, and I was satisfied with their professional service. However, I find their prices too high for the type of tax filing service I was rendered.

As an international student growing up in California, I had a complicated situation. Thankfully I looked at other Unilocal reviews and decided to book an appointment with Katie Krohn because another international student review said she was very helpful.
I’m very happy I went because the other H&R Block I went to the previous years did not know how to deal with international students and Berkeley itself did not really have many resources for students in my predicament.
Katie was very patient and answered all of my questions with great detail. It was only supposed to be an hour appointment but it ended up being close to three because we had so much to go over. I could tell she really wanted to help me out! She checked everything and gave me clear instructions that were easy to understand.
I haven’t met the other professionals at this location, but I highly recommend Katie, especially if you’re in a weird situation!

If you haven’t figured out yet, flip through the reviews and you’ll note that people’s experiences vary dramatically by who helped them. Many of the people employed by H&R Block only work a few months out of the year (tax season).
This review is to recommend Marvin, who is retired but spends three months a year helping us poor students figure out our taxes. I was recommended to Marvin by a fellow graduate student who has used Marvin’s services since college. Marvin is kind, remembers people’s names and faces, and knows what he is doing. He’s especially great for students — he knows about fellowships, he knows what things you can and can’t deduct for fellowships, and other benefits specific to college and graduate students.
I had some tricky taxes due to an internship out of state, but he made sure I avoided being doubly taxed by both CA and the state where I did the internship. He also helped me set up my tax payments so that my estimated withholdings were properly filed (so that I can avoid paying a penalty next year!). I’ll be back to see Marvin next year — and if he’s not available, well, I’ll probably have to start looking around for recommendations again because as you can see, the reviews for tax consultants are a very mixed bag and gems like Marvin are hard to come across!

It takes forever and costs a huge wad of cash. But it’s totally worth it!
I come back every year for Katie Krohn. I learn from her and she cares about me, my life and my money.
Highly recommended. Also they have coffee and stay open late. One year I was here until 1130pm on April 14^th. True story.

I just picked up my return to mail from H&R – just 2 days before the deadline for filing and 3 weeks after I had first dropped off my documents at the office.
I worked with Martin – very kind and solicitous – who assured me that he could handle my international student tax return. Few days later, he told me that he did not know some of the rules for international student tax return and would pass on my return to Marvin. He assured me that Marvin would get in touch with me. I waited two weeks thinking that everything was under control. Come the third week, there was no call from Marvin. I called H & R. Marvin was out. The receptionist said she would ask Marvin to call me. Still no call.
I drop by the office on one of my jogging detours from YMCA in the neighborhood. Marvin is still out. I leave a message with the receptionist asking him to call me. Still no call. To his credit, Martin finally calls me and asks me whether Marvin has been in touch with me. I tell him no. He tells me that he’ll pass on my file to Katy and tells me to call Katy to remind her that he has passed on my file. It’s now five days to filing date.
I call H & R. The phone is busy. I drop by H & R block. Katy’s busy with a client. The receptionist tells me to wait. Twenty minutes pass. I see Martin. He says he will ask Katy whether she could leave the completed file for me to sign at the front desk that day. She says ok.
I drop by that night. There is no file to be found. I talk to the manager, Dorotha. She and the receptionist search high and low. Still no file to be found. Thirty minutes go by. I finally tell them that I’ll drop by next day.
I drop by two days later. The file is finally ready. I’ve made numerous phone calls and dropped by the office at least four times for a return that in the end costs me $ 198.
I had left a message earlier week with Dorotha asking for a discount. When I drop by there’s no mention of a discount – just the bill. Ironic thing is, I’m a return customer who had been very satisfied with the return prepared last year, if I’m not mistaken, by probably no other than Marvin!

This review is specifically for Jay. I thought about how best to deal with this and I will take this review down if there is some feedback going to Jay but I had really really bad service here the other night. I called Monday morning and was told I could get an appt that same day at 6pm with Jay. Perfect.
I arrived at 6PM on the nose and was told Jay was with another customer and I would have to wait. I waited, and waited and waited. The receptionist did a good job filling me on that I still had to wait and finally after 45mins she said that he was dealing with someone who had 2 years of tax returns. Normally they should have booked 2 hrs for this but didn’t and sorry it was running over into my time slot. After 60 mins of waiting in the lobby I finally asked if I could make another appt or just drop off my forms and have Jay work on them on his time since I’d already waited over an hour. I really only had a few quick questions. It seems like the responsible thing to do would be to make that customer make another appt and come back rather than completely ignoring me and my appt.
Anyway, apologies to Jay for the 1-​star review but he could definitely use a lesson in customer service. I know tax season is crazy for accountants but he never even came out to say sorry in person or even really to say anything. I never spoke to him in the hour and twenty minutes that I was there. If you get an appt with Jay be wary because you could end up waiting over an hour like me and end up with nothing. I finally spoke with Marty there who was able to answer my questions in a few quick minutes.

I’m surprised by the bad reviews. I probably had one of the few good tax prepares– Winston. He made sure I got all the money I was entitled to, and was fast and efficient. He even offered me candy! haha
My boyfriend also filed his taxes here and was happy with the service.