- Jurisdiction
- California
I received a notice in the mail from a tax debt relief company in Southern California. I live in Nevada. I contacted the company regarding help with my IRS Tax Levy.
The representative told me that they could help. She said that it seemed like it would be a relatively easy case since the IRS already had records from a recent case of mine. She said it would cost $1000 to start the work. I was desperate so I agreed and paid using my debit card. I had to complete questionnaire through e-doc.
It had almost been two weeks before I finally heard from them again. The person I spoke with told me that they could work on getting me a settlement possibly between $600 - $4000, but it would cost me $6500. He also said that if they couldn't do anything for me that I would get a refund. I told him that I was retired and lived on a fixed income and I couldn't afford to pay that.
He then lowered the amount to $4500. I told him that I still couldn't afford it. He said he could contact their finance company to work out a monthly payment. I needed help so I agreed.
Thankfully the finance company said they couldn't do it. He seemed adamant about trying to work some sort of payment plan to help me pay the fee. He finally said that he would call me back later that afternoon. So I waited.
In the meantime, I sought out advice from another tax relief company. They were very helpful and gave me advice at no cost.
I waited two weeks to hear back from the first company and finally I decided to contact them.
I told them that the representative never called back. I asked for a refund since they were not able to help me. I first sent an email with the request. When I got no reply, I called them. The woman told me it would take 7 - 10 business days to get a refund and I would have sign a statement.
I waited till the 10th day and called them back asking to speak with an office manager. They put me through to her but I had to leave a voicemail.
She called me back while I was on another call and left a message saying that the reason for delay of the refund was because she couldn't get through to the IRS, that they were so busy. She said that was waiting on a financial statement document from the IRS that was supposed to be emailed to me. Another ploy to withhold my refund.
Anyway, I've come to a conclusion they they don't want to refund me. This seems so much like a scam, though they do have reviews online. I don't know if they are valid or not.
Is there any recourse I can take to get my money back?
The representative told me that they could help. She said that it seemed like it would be a relatively easy case since the IRS already had records from a recent case of mine. She said it would cost $1000 to start the work. I was desperate so I agreed and paid using my debit card. I had to complete questionnaire through e-doc.
It had almost been two weeks before I finally heard from them again. The person I spoke with told me that they could work on getting me a settlement possibly between $600 - $4000, but it would cost me $6500. He also said that if they couldn't do anything for me that I would get a refund. I told him that I was retired and lived on a fixed income and I couldn't afford to pay that.
He then lowered the amount to $4500. I told him that I still couldn't afford it. He said he could contact their finance company to work out a monthly payment. I needed help so I agreed.
Thankfully the finance company said they couldn't do it. He seemed adamant about trying to work some sort of payment plan to help me pay the fee. He finally said that he would call me back later that afternoon. So I waited.
In the meantime, I sought out advice from another tax relief company. They were very helpful and gave me advice at no cost.
I waited two weeks to hear back from the first company and finally I decided to contact them.
I told them that the representative never called back. I asked for a refund since they were not able to help me. I first sent an email with the request. When I got no reply, I called them. The woman told me it would take 7 - 10 business days to get a refund and I would have sign a statement.
I waited till the 10th day and called them back asking to speak with an office manager. They put me through to her but I had to leave a voicemail.
She called me back while I was on another call and left a message saying that the reason for delay of the refund was because she couldn't get through to the IRS, that they were so busy. She said that was waiting on a financial statement document from the IRS that was supposed to be emailed to me. Another ploy to withhold my refund.
Anyway, I've come to a conclusion they they don't want to refund me. This seems so much like a scam, though they do have reviews online. I don't know if they are valid or not.
Is there any recourse I can take to get my money back?
