H&R Block

Worst experience EVER! I wouldNever ever deal with any H H R block again in my life. They ended up owing me some money and I’ve been tossed through so many loops. They even sent me a check thatt wasn’t even cashable. Wells Fargo said they couldn’t bdo anything with that piece of paper literally. It’s been 3 months and I can’t even get past tallking to a floor supervisor!

I have gone to this H&R Block for many years, and I always have been pleased with the work of the tax preparers there. In recent years my tax preparer has been Steve Miller. This office has the latest soft ware for preparing taxes, and when you go there every year, the record of taxes prepared for the previous year is readily accessed to speedily assist the preparer in updating your data with the information for the current year. This year the soft ware was new and worked faster than I have ever seen it in previous years. The training given to the employees must be excellent. Quickly my taxes were completely finished and signed off by me electronically to be forwarded to the IRS when the IRS starts reviewing taxes for this year. Additionally, I was provided with a hard copy of my taxes for my own use. I was informed about how long it would take for me to receive my tax refunds into my bank account.

My wife and I recently moved to California from different states and decided to go to H&R Block for professional tax prep. We chose Maureen Plimier based on all the reviews below. It was a singularly unpleasant and unprofessional experience every step of the way.
Maureen did not have a NY state license to process my return from before I moved to CA. A detail she chose to leave out for a good week and half after taking our case. When we checked in to see progress on the file, she casually informed us that she still needed to renew her license. From there onwards at every point in time, her evaluation of our Federal and State tax liability was full of inconsistencies. The numbers she quoted at every point were different from those mentioned on previous communications. If asked, she said «that is what the HR block tax software system says». She seemed unclear about what could and could not be deducted from our returns or whether we should file MFS or MFJ, which coming from a supposed «tax expert» is severely alarming. Keying in the numbers into a tax software black box is essentially a clerical job; one would expect more from a paid tax consultant.
At the end of several phone calls and return visits, once our tax prep was finally final, she presented us a tax prep fees of $ 1,000. We were shocked at the number and expressed our dissatisfaction. This was followed by some extremely unprofessional communication from Maureen insinuating that although we made a lot of money, we didn’t seem to have any (we did, it must be noted, pay the fees and have H&R file our taxes). In Maureen’s mind, having a lot of money presumably equates to complete disregard for fees (and fees for bad service to boot). My wife and I are stunned that a professional and reputable company like H&R Block would hire a woman who feels it is ok to email a client in this manner. We want this not to go unnoticed. To that end, we want to include an excerpt of her email to us — verbatim.
«I do understand that you are frustrated that you make a very commendable salary, but seem to have no money. You may want to go to a Consumer Credit Service (find one online that does NOT charge fees) to find help. I can recommend going to the public library and asking the librarian for help in living frugally. Also, there are many websites on budgeting, saving money, living frugally, etc. that are worth studying.»
Frankly, we never asked the aforementioned «tax expert» for «frugality» advice and will never be going back to H&R block with our tax papers again.

I wish I could give this place a worse review. I made an appointment to get my taxes done and was first paired up with an advisor who barely spoke English. He was extremely rude, refused to look at all my forms, and (incorrectly) told me that since I was a grad student I was ineligible for a refund. I spoke to a manager and was transferred to another advisor, Maureen. She was very kind and helpful. As we were going through the process I asked how much this would cost. She said, «with what you’ve got here, you’re looking at about $ 300.» This was more than I was expecting, and she gave me a $ 50 discount. Turbo Tax charges $ 200 for me because I have to file as a small business, so I didn’t mind paying the extra $ 50 to have somebody who knows what they are doing. Towards the end of the process I am asked for my debit card so they can «get the transaction started.» When I was asked to sign, I am looking at a bill of $ 420. Maureen then tells me the $ 250 was «just a quote» although she NEVER made that clear to me, nor did she tell me that the price had gone up by TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS before taking my debit card. I was never told how much they were going to charge me before they ran my card. I honestly feel like H&R Block just committed fraud against me and will be pursuing this matter as such. They should shut this place down for being fraudulent criminals.

I wish i could have meet Maureen too.
unfortunately, my appointment was set up with some one else (Mr. Afework). Given that i am also a finance professional, i had my questions prepared to evaluate with the services i was about to purchase is worthy or not; but none of my questions were answered as the Mr. Afework confused to prior my committment to purchase the services. Anyway, i walked out as i believe that professional services should gain customer trust first as it is different from selling physical goods.
If i have a chance in the future, i still look forward to consulting with Maureen

I dont know who Maureen is she sounds great, wish she helped me at this location.
Went in for April 15 2012 tax time and it was awful. Went in and was made to feel like my little bit of money didnt matter. Guy told me «why are you filing you dont shouldnt»… well i want too and the $ 900 I got back was great.
I booked an appointment for 2 people, they called to reschedule. The booked the 2 of us for one appointment. We got there late because parking was a nightmare but when we went in were told it was ok because our person was not ready.
THEN we sat down for our double appointment, our taxes were a little difficult to file and we are youbg so we had question, he told us since we were late he didnt have time to do one of hours… BUT as stated he wasnt ready and we waited for 15 minutes for him. He was so snotty about not being able to help one of us. didnt offer to reschedule another appointment, and then the above comment about not needing to file before we even at down.
In the end we jut left and went to the Alameda office were customer service is excellent every year I go.

Maureen Plimier is a delight — patient, knowledgeable, and has a genuine concern for her clients. This is the second year I’ve worked with her and once again, I’m glad I did. I actually found her through Unilocal,since the people below were signing her praises.
I used to prepare my taxes with software that was either free or cost roughly $ 60 online, etc. A year ago, I was mortified to find that for the first time ever, I owed money! Close to $ 1,000. In a panic, I looked on Unilocal and made an appointment with Maureen. Sure, it was more expensive than doing it online, but I got the money back fivefold — not only did I not owe anything when I was done, I actually got some money back.
This year, I did my taxes online before I met Maureen, just to have a reference point for comparison. Apparently, I was only going to get back $ 225 or so. After I was done with Maureen, I got back close to $ 1,000. Sure, your mileage may vary, but the great thing about it is that she finds very simple things you may have overlooked and knows exactly what to do.
I can’t vouch for H&R Block as a whole (had a bad experience at another branch when I wanted to check on something and got a bozo), but Maureen gives the company much credibility.
EDIT: Maureen has retired. Long live Maureen!

my husband and I moved here from NY. we usually do our own taxes but it was way too complicated this year due to the move. so we reluctantly came to h&r block. we saw Maureen based on Unilocal!reviews and she was awesome! knowledgeable, funny, and experienced! she was helpful and it was totally painless! we totally reccommend Maureen!

I came here cause I was in need of some cash and wanted the instant refund that they offer. My tax preparer was with Maureen Plimier and I couldn’t have got a better person to do the job. She is very nice, efficient, and goes out her way to get you the most on your refund.
I had got my 2008 taxes done for free at the Oakland Public Library, but didn’t get the amount of money that I should have because no one ever told me about the education credits that I was eligible for since I pay for my books and tuition. With Maureen’s help, I got an extra $ 1700 on my refund. I’m going to take her advice have my other refunds amended to get was owed to me.
Unfortunately, since I’m moving later this year, I won’t have the pleasure of having Maureen do my taxes again, but I recommend anybody who comes to this location to have Maureen do them.

There are angels all over this world.
When I was lost while traveling, my travel angel suddenly appeared to guide me.
When I was confused about my taxes, my tax angel was serendipitously recommended to me, and I decided to try H & R Block again.
MAUREEN PLIMIER is my tax angel!!!
She is smart, efficient, organized, and extremely knowledgeable.
In addition, she is just an amazing woman. Taxes can take a long time, and there is nothing I dislike more than having to make awkward small talk with strangers. Maureen is one of those wonderful, authentic human beings who can have a real conversation while getting you a huge refund.
NOTE– This review is specifically about Maureen. I have to warn you that H&R Block has pretty high fees and that I’ve had a negative experience with a different tax advisor (see my previous review).

Perfectly adequate service if you get frustrated with TurboTax and want a real human do the work for you, or if you’re a newbie to the whole tax-​paying-​citizen thing. I went a month in advance, so the office was relatively quiet, and the woman who helped me was pleasant and efficient.
I’m sure there’s better out there, but this office was convenient and left me with no complaints.