Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Anthem Tax Services's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 75 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 30 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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.
Initial Complaint
Date:02/10/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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 family was scammed out of $19,200 by Anthem Tax Services, and the IRS is putting a lien on our home because of Anthem's negligence and incompetence!
In July 2021, my husband and I retained Anthem to help resolve our tax debt after seeing a commercial on TV. Anthem uses compelling ads to prey on people like us who have IRS debt and don't know where else to turn. They use deceptive tactics to lure potential clients in. Anthem representatives told us that we would have a resolution within 30 to 60 days in writing, and we were promised an Offer in Compromise and that they would reduce our total payment to the IRS. They said they would negotiate with the IRS for us; but no reduced fee was negotiated, and we were blatantly dupped. Months turned into years and, we became very concerned of the delay. Anthem representatives constantly told us that the IRS was backed up with cases.
Months, turned into years and now, almost 4 years later, we still have NO resolution. Anthem dropped the ball, was extremely negligent, incompetent and did NOT reduce our debt by any stretch of the imagination. My husband and I are in the daunting process of taking out a Home Equity Line of Credit in order to pay the IRS in full all of the monies owed, which has ballooned to over $220,000 because of interest and penalties that have compounded astronomically over the years. To make matters even worse, in October 2024, we were advised and coached by an Anthem Tax Specialist to buy 2 cars in order to reduce our IRS disposable income. She said verbatim, “it’s better for you to pay for two new used cars, rather than pay the IRS.”
According to Anthem's mission statement and guarantee, if they are unable to save money, rework payments, or deliver the expected outcomes, clients are eligible for a refund. We tried to contact Anthem over 2 weeks ago but have not received any response from them about our request for money back.
No family should ever have to go through this living nightmare like we did!
Business Response
Date: 02/19/2025
We here at Anthem Tax take consumer concerns very seriously and always try to resolve issues when they arise. Upon receiving this complaint, we hired a third-party ombudsman to properly evaluate and to suggest a resolution. This mediator told us that other than one initial time, the consumer to refused to ever talk on the phone. He stated that this made his job very hard because tone and intent in emails can often be misconstrued, and instead of being able to just pick the phone up, its time consuming to send emails back and forth. He reported to us that after about 40 emails back and forth, he suggested that we refunded 76% of the fees that were paid to our company. We agreed to this, but it seems that this was not enough for the consumer. He also stated that the consumer made numerous complaints about our company prior and during his investigation. He stated he asked the consumer to hold off on reviews until a decision was made, but that the consumer refused. Additionally, he stated consumer made many claims about our company never telling the consumer that an OIC was a long shot. When the mediator provided proof of emails stating this exact thing to consumer, the consumer then claimed the mediator was lying, and they he was biased. Bottomline, the consumer is not being reasonable. The case has been with our office for over four years. The consumer expects us to give them a full refund and unfortunately, we do not agree. Consumer seems to have drawn a line in the sand and is not willing to budge. Our offer of more than 75% of their money back is fair and will always be available for the consumer if they choose to accept.Customer Answer
Date: 02/19/2025
Complaint: 22919541
I am rejecting Anthem's response. We signed up for Anthem
services back in 2021 for them to work on an Offer in Compromise [OIC] for our
tax debt. They strung us along for nearly 4 years until finally telling us that
we had never qualified for an OIC because of our income, home equity, and cars.
Anthem could have told us that from the very beginning. Instead, Anthem
repeatedly asked for bank statements, income statements, asset values over and
over every time we asked them for an [OIC] status update. We were misled from
day one and I firmly believe we were scammed.
When the Anthem
"mediator" contacted us in 2025, initially, he said he was neutral
and unbiased. However, my wife found out that the mediator, Todd Lewis had an “anthemtaxservices”
email address that he was using, so that was a huge red flag for us. We did
speak with the mediator over the phone, but there is a reason we preferred
emails because his dates and facts were often incorrect, and then he started to
claim our discussion of facts and refunds were somehow "threatening." At this point, we wanted conversations to be clear in writing, so he
couldn’t continue to make inaccurate statements. All Yelp and BBB reviews go
directly to Todd Lewis; this is very biased because Anthem Tax Services pays
him.
We let the mediator know
that Anthem misled us into thinking that they were working on an [OIC], and
that Anthem needlessly let it drag out for almost 4 years while we accrued more
and more enormous IRS interest and penalties over these years. The
mediator found one email from Anthem in 2022 (over a year after we had
contracted with Anthem) where they said "Again, we are going to review for
an Offer but it’s not a guarantee. We only push forward Offers that we believe
would be accepted". During these years, Anthem did not say NO, you
don't qualify for [OIC]. Anthem often said "we will have more
information soon" and please send more financials. Somehow, that
mediator believed that one email negated my emails to Anthem requesting a
status update on our [OIC]. Even Todd Lewis admitted that Anthem should have
known from the very beginning that we never qualified for an OIC by simply seeing
that we have always made over $80,000 combined.
Fact is Anthem never ever filed
an [OIC] for us with the IRS back in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. Never!!!
Yet, over the next two
years, Anthem then kept "pushing forward" and requesting more and
more bank statements, income statements, asset values from us which WE gave
THEM every single time….. Yet Anthem never filed an [OIC]. At any time, Anthem
could have said we will NEVER qualify for [OIC] without selling your assets and
retirement to pay the IRS.
Then again in March 2024, if
they said they only “push forward [OIC] Offers that they believe would be
accepted”, then why would Anthem ask for over $14,600 more money and promise
they would file an IRS [OIC] in about three months? - we have that in writing.
Again, Anthem never filed the [OIC] in 2024. In 2025, Anthem said
we can "pay in full" or setup an IRS Payment plan because they did
not file an [OIC] because we would not qualify.
Since we felt our case was
botched for the reasons above, we asked the mediator for a full refund and to
be compensated for the enormous IRS penalties because we were misled and strung
along by Anthem.
Even though my wife and I
signed up with Anthem in 2021, the mediator seemed to have his dates mixed up
and said 2022 was three months after we signed up we got the "we are going
to review for an Offer but it’s not a guarantee". But we let not three
months, but well over a year! He became agitated and aggressive because my wife
and I were attending her father's 75th birthday at a party and could not take
his call. He said we were ignoring his calls, when in fact we were at a family
event.
We asked again for the
full refund plus IRS penalties and interest, he even said we were "threatening"
and we responded that we never threatened and only presented our statement of
facts. His tone became sour and hostile, saying he would not recommend
refunding us what we asked based on our statement of facts and dates. He
gave us a final ultimatum, saying 76% was enough and that he believes the BBB
will see that as reasonable and we would have to sign something. He never said
what we would sign and never offered to show us.
I told the mediator that
we signed up with Anthem for an [OIC], they pushed for an [OIC] buy repeatedly
requesting bank and income statements from us, and yet Anthem Never Ever filed
and [OIC] for us. I said a "No guarantee" is irrelevant because they
never filed an [OIC] in the first place.
The mediator broke off
contact at that point.
Facts are that the IRS
cannot forgive accrued interest. IRS said they ONLY have three payment options
1. Pay balance, 2. OIC, but you will have to sell your assets first (home, car,
401K, etc), 3. setup a payment plan (while still accruing enormous IRS interest
and penalties).
[OIC] is the only form of
negotiating a lower tax debt, Anthem never filed an [OIC] for us anytime during
2021-2025, therefore "negotiating a lower tax debt" was not done by
Anthem. We stand by our belief that we are due a full refund with interest and
penalties. It is clear and evident that Anthem misled and misrepresented us for
nearly 4 years and we have all the documentation to prove this. What Anthem did
to us is wrong and we want to make sure they don’t continue to exploit or harm
innocent people like us.Business Response
Date: 02/19/2025
Our position remains the same. We are offering a 76% refund. We feel this is more than reasonable.
Customer Answer
Date: 02/20/2025
Complaint: 22919541
I am rejecting this response because Anthem has not refunded me for what I paid for their services and the interest that accrued as a direct result of their negligence and deceitful tactics.
Regards,
S****** *********Customer Answer
Date: 02/27/2025
I disagree with Anthem Tax Service's assessment of a "full refund." Anthem Tax Services scammed us out of $19,200, in addition to $72,192.54 from penalties and interest that accrued over 4 years because of their extreme negligence and incompetence. They misled and lied to us from the very beginning and won't refund us for the damages that they clearly caused. I have a plethora of documented evidence that will prove that they fraudulently misled us and neglected our case.Initial Complaint
Date:01/03/2025
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
I have been paying Anthem tax service for two years now to help reach an agreement with the IRS on back taxes. All I wanted was a payment plan setup so that I could begin paying off my debt. Over two years I have paid them roughly $20,000 and have accumulate $40,000 in penalties I also paid them to file my taxes last year. Two days before the tax deadline I had to get on turbotax myself and handle my taxes due to lack of communication from them. They have done nothing but cost me a lot of money. To this day they still have not reduced any of my debt or made a payment agreement for me. Knowing what I know now I want everyone reading this to just contact the IRS yourself. Anthem is nothing more than a scam. They take advantage of people like me who are scared and overwhelmed by taxes making it even harder for us to ever get back on track.Business Response
Date: 01/10/2025
We are currently trying to resolve this issue with the client. This issue has yet to be resolved. Consumer is going to get an email asking if they are satisfied but obviously, they are not because the issue has not been resolved yet.Initial Complaint
Date:12/23/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
Hired Anthrm to help eliminate or reduce my tax debt which was promised. They won’t call me or email me. I’ve been lied to and string along after paying thousands. Now the irs still says I owe same amount and they are putting lien on everything I own.Business Response
Date: 12/31/2024
We here at Anthem Tax Services take consumer concerns very seriously. Upon receiving this inquiry, we asked our third-party resolution investigator to reach out to the consumer to address their concern. While this issue has not been resolved yet, we are confident that this issue shall be resolved quickly. Unfortunately, by us responding to this email, the BBB is going to send an email to the consumer asking if they are satisfied. Obviously, they are not as this issue is still ongoing. Consumer, please understand, that we are fully aware this issue is not resolved, however we are limited by the amount of time that that BBB give us to respond.
Customer Answer
Date: 12/31/2024
Complaint: 22721137
I am rejecting this response because: I was promised a debt reduction by anthem regarding my IRS debt. I now owe twice as many late fees, penalties, no debt was reduced, and communication was very sparse. I had to borrow money against my home to avoid liens.
Regards,
A** ******Customer Answer
Date: 01/06/2025
I was informed that the irs already put a lien on my house I was never aware of no one let me know.Initial Complaint
Date:12/23/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
I hired Anthem Tax Services (ATS) on June 7, 2023, under a Tax Services Agreement to provide IRS resolution and tax preparation services for tax years 2011-2022. I paid $16,250.00 in two ACH payments ($8,125 each on June 8 and July 10, 2023). Despite their contractual obligations, ATS failed to perform any substantive work, including filing IRS forms, conducting financial evaluations, or proposing resolutions.
Additionally, on July 15, 2024, I entered into an Extended Services Agreement for additional representation covering tax years 2012-2026. I paid $13,700.00 under this agreement for services such as correspondence with a revenue officer, compliance protection, and additional tax preparation. To date, none of these extended services have been delivered.
In total, I paid $29,950.00 for services that ATS did not provide. They have also refused to provide a detailed accounting of how my payments were used, leaving me with no clarity on their actions. When I requested a refund, ATS falsely accused me of breaching the contract by contacting the IRS directly, which I can disprove with official IRS records.
I request a partial refund of the total amount paid, less any documented non-refundable costs, such as filing fees. I have complied with all obligations outlined in both agreements, and ATS has failed to honor their money-back guarantee.
I seek BBB's assistance in mediating a resolution. If this issue is not resolved, I am prepared to escalate the matter through arbitration, small claims court, and reports to consumer protection authorities. Thank you for your help in resolving this matter.
Sincerely,
D****** *********Business Response
Date: 12/31/2024
We here at Anthem Tax Services take consumer complaints very seriously. Upon receiving this concern, we immediately had our concern handler reach out to the consumer to try to resolve this issue. We are currently still trying to resolve this issue.Customer Answer
Date: 01/07/2025
Thank you for your email. I would like to inform you that this matter has not been resolved to my satisfaction. As such, I request that this complaint be reopened for further review and resolution.
Please let me know if any additional information or action is required from my side to proceed with reopening the case. I appreciate your assistance in addressing this matter.
Thank you for your time and support.
Best regards,
D****** *********Customer Answer
Date: 01/07/2025
Complaint: 22716440
I am rejecting this response because:There has not been a resolution at this time. While he has reached out to me, as of today 7 Jan 2025 there has not been a resolution. I have an email where is stating that he is still working on a resolution that I can send if needed.
Regards,
D****** *********Initial Complaint
Date:11/18/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
We paid Anthem Tax Services $6200 to help us get our IRS debt lowered. They never in 7 months of working our case contacted the IRS..Our debt is still unsettled and they've caused us to accumulate for interest on our balance. We struggled to pay them the $6200 to get this taken care of and they've done nothing. They kept telling us we have a new case manager every month or so. They won't answer my emails or texts. They basically stole our money and provided zero service to us and I've read the many complaints from others that had this exact thing happen to them. I want my full refund back from Anthem or I'm filing charges. I honestly don't see how these people sleep at night. I want my refund within a week because they sure didn't hesitate to stay on me to pay them for not doing anything to help our case. ZERO communication on their end. I want my money back NOW!Business Response
Date: 11/26/2024
We are currently working with this consumer to address her concern. We here at Anthem Tax strive to deliver superior customer service. Currently, we are in the process of working with this consumer to resolve this issue. However, based on the time limit of when we can rely to the BBB, we are forced to reply now, even though this issue has not been resolved The consumer is going to get an an email asking them if they are satisfied with this response. Well of course they are not because the issue has not been resolved yet. Consumer, we hope to have this issue resolved soon, but unfortunately it is not before the time limit the BBB gives us to respond. So we ask that you don't take this response as a sign of hostility. Thanks
Customer Answer
Date: 11/27/2024
Complaint: 22570219
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
A***** *****Initial Complaint
Date:11/06/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
I payed $10,000 to Anthem Tax Services to help me with getting a settlement dollar amount for me to pay off past due taxes.
The transaction happened in 7/2023 and they have not provided a solution a year and half later. No ine is responding to my emails not phone calls.
I am asking that my money is given back.Business Response
Date: 11/13/2024
We here at Anthem tax take consumer concerns very seriously. We are in currently in communication with this consumer and hope to have this issue resolved soon. We know that the BBB is going to now ask the consumer if they are satisfied. We anticipate the consumer not being satisfied at this point because the issue has yet to be resolved. Consumer, please be aware that you do have 7 days to respond so don't feel obligated to answer right away. Hopefully, we can get this settled out before then. ThanksBusiness Response
Date: 11/13/2024
We here at Anthem tax take consumer concerns very seriously. We are in currently in communication with this consumer and hope to have this issue resolved soon. We know that the BBB is going to now ask the consumer if they are satisfied. We anticipate the consumer not being satisfied at this point because the issue has yet to be resolved. Consumer, please be aware that you do have 7 days to respond so don't feel obligated to answer right away. Hopefully, we can get this settled out before then. ThanksInitial Complaint
Date:10/29/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
In November of 2023, my husband and I initiated obtaining services from Anthem Tax Service. We had a couple of phone calls but haven't received any communication regarding the outcome of the phone calls.
We have been paying for their service and nothing has happened. I'm getting phone calls from other tax relief services so I know there wasn't any closure.Business Response
Date: 10/30/2024
We here at Anthem Tax take consumer concerns very seriously. We immediately reached out to this consumer after receiving her inquiry. Regrettably, it would appear that there was a lack of communication on our part, and we have taken all steps necessary to make sure that this does not happen again for this or with any client. We apologize for any inconvenience they may have caused consumer. We believe that the consumer's concern has been resolved and they are satisfied with the result.Initial Complaint
Date:10/11/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
I chose Anthem Tax Service due to its A+ rating with BBB. I am filing this complaint against Anthem Tax Service because I have not received A+service. In fact, I am still in the resolution phase after two and a half years! My tax debt with the IRS is now well over $90,000.00.
I called Anthem feeling desperate after a threatening phone call with the IRS saying that liens and levies would be submitted if I did not pay my debt right away.I spoke with a very nice woman at Anthem, Charlene, in March of 2022. She was empathetic and assured me that a settlement could be achieved. Later that afternoon, I signed a contract and paid Anthem $12,500.00, maxing out all of my credit cards.Charlene told me that the process would take 8-9 months, one year tops.
A settlement was initiated within nine months December 2022 by Case Manager #1, Edward. I received a letter from Anthem on my birthday, December 9th and was told that the IRS approved a settlement where I would only pay $50 a month and that I would not be responsible for nearly $80,000.00 of my debt. Needless to say, I was elated and relieved.
In March 2023 I checked in with the IRS to confirm this approved transaction. They informed me that there was no record on file of an approval. I immediately called Anthem and spoke with Charlene. She said that my case was closed due to a "successful" resolution. I told her that there was no resolution, but she insisted that it had been achieved. A couple of months later, Case Manager #2, Leroy acknowledged the truth. No settlement with IRS. I was referred to Sandra, a manager, and she reopened my case and told me that it would take 3 months to complete. Case Manager #3 Apri,l suggested amending a return, which I did, $500 more, only to find out from Case Manage #4 Erin, that the statute of limitations passed and it would take 3-6 more months for that return to be processed by the IRS, moving a resolution to year 3.Business Response
Date: 10/18/2024
We here at Anthem Tax take consumer complaints very seriously. Upon receiving this complaint, we immediately had our third-party representative call the consumer to try to resolve this issue. We would normally not respond to this complaint at this time because consumer is now going to get an email asking if she is satisfied and of course she isn't because this issue is not resolved yet. However, the BBB forces us to respond before a certain date so this is our obligatory response where we are working with the consumer and will continue to do so until this issue is resolved. We look forward to working with this consumer until we achieve a satisfactory resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 10/28/2024
Complaint: 22408707
I am rejecting this response because:I have not as yet heard back from Anthem Tax Services as of this date. I am working with their representative, providing additional documentation regarding this matter. I am hopeful for a successful outcome.
Regards,
G******* *****Business Response
Date: 10/28/2024
We are still working on a resolution but forced to make a response. We hope to wrap this up this week.Customer Answer
Date: 10/28/2024
Complaint: 22408707
I am rejecting this response because:
No resolution provided to date.
Regards,
G******* *****Initial Complaint
Date:10/03/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
In July of 2024. J**** & R***** signed a service agreement for tax resolution services with Anthem tax services and paid an initial fee of $2500 to begin services. We were told we would be contacted by our team to gather or financial data to begin working our case. The next time we heard from Anthem Tax Services was in August 2024 when they needed account information to setup a monthly payment of $950. I requested an update via phone to Charles and he told me he would request one have someone get back to me, no one did. On September 27th, 2024 I reached out again, this time to Crystal via email requesting an update on our case. She said she didnt have an update but would request one. No one got back to me. I then reviewed my service agreement and determined that I could in fact request to cancel services and request a refund and could be refunded based on services that had already been performed. I reached out again on September 30th, and requested per them terms of our service agreement an update by end of day with what if any has been done in regards to: preliminary work, case reviews, correspondence, and all other Services provided by ATS from 7/27 through 9/30 and what a cancellation and refund would entail based on our service agreement. My husband then forwarded an email that he received from a case worker stating they tried to call but couldn't reach us (there was a nationwide phone outage with verizon that day) and the email never reached my because she miskeyed my email address. I replied that I did not want to talk by phone I wanted the requested documentation to be sent to my email. to which I still have not received. No one has responded to my request for status update, a request to cancel services or a request for a refund.Business Response
Date: 10/04/2024
We here at Anthem Tax take consumer concerns very seriously. When we received this review, we immediately reach out to this consumer to address this issue. Within 24 hours we resolved this issue, and we are confident that the consumer agrees. We are so appreciative to this consumer bringing her issues to our attention. Our team here works diligently to learn from these experiences to hopefully avoid these situations in the future. As tax professionals, we always try to prepare for the unforeseeable circumstances like this. By filing this complaint, the consumer has helped us to adjust our procedures so that we can be a better business.Customer Answer
Date: 10/08/2024
Complaint: 22373473
I am rejecting this response because: the business has responded and we have agreed to terms, however those terms have not been met as of yet. Once the agreed upon terms have been met, I will mark as satisfied and the case will be closed.
Regards,
R***** *****Business Response
Date: 10/08/2024
We here at Anthem Tax take consume complaints very seriously. As soon as we got this consumer's concern, we immediately reached out to consumer and solved the situation in one day. It is a bit surprising to us that consumer has rejected this response. We have a signed binding contract with the consumer and like we told her; a check will be mailed out today. At that time when the check is mailed out, we will be sending a certified envelope and shipped through the United States Postal Service. Tracking will be provided today. We have performed exactly as we said that we would. However, we are assuming that the consumer is not willing to close out the complaint until the discussed check arrives this week. Consumer, please note that the flaw with the BBB is they make you feel like you have to respond immediately. That is not the case. You can wait for up to 10 days to respond. So, before you reply to this response, we ask that you wait for the check to be delivered. At that point you can mark the complaint as satisfied.
Thanks
Initial Complaint
Date:08/21/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- 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.
Anthem Tax Services advertises on their website that they can save you money with the IRS or your money back. I’ve been paying for their service for the last year financed via a third party firm, but now that they say they can’t save me any money, they’re refusing to refund my fee in full, as advertised.
They’ve also submitted no paperwork on my behalf, nor even facilitated filling it out accurately. All that has been accomplished with their help is accruing more penalties and interest.Business Response
Date: 11/21/2024
We here at Anthem Tax treat consumer concerns with the highest of priority. We have already offered this consumer a refund prior to her filing this complaint. She was unhappy with that offer and demanded more. Unfortunately, this complaint is the consumer making good on her threats that if she didn't get more, she would make a complaint. Since the complaint, we had a third-party mediator reach out to the consumer to try to resolve this Issue. However, after more than 8 attempts to reach the consumer, she has never responded. We would love to try to resolve the issue with this consumer, but she needs to meet us halfway by having a conversation with us. Or a conversation with our third party.Customer Answer
Date: 11/24/2024
I am rejecting this response because:
I have had many conversations with Anthem regarding attempts to get my money returned. The offered “refund” is not a refund at all, but rather return of overpayment.I have no interest in speaking to a mediator hired by Anthem who is working towards their best interest, that is why I filed a BBB complaint.
Once it was clear that Anthem could not improve my situation as promised, and I terminated their services, they backpedaled on the money back guarantee entirely.
I have supporting documentation and explanation of events that are pertinent to whether I do indeed deserve my money back.
I will be mailing them to the BBB office as soon as possible.
Regards,
S******** ***********Business Response
Date: 11/25/2024
Unfortunately the consumer doesn't understand how the BBB works. The BBB acts as a third party to get the business and the consumer to come an agreement or resolution. Making a complaint and then refusing to talk to anyone is not how the BBB operates. Anthem Tax is more than willing to try to resolve this issue and have gone out of our way to do so. We have gone as far as hiring a third party mediator to try to resolve the issue and the consumer still refuses to talk to anyone. The third party complaint handler as reached out to.consumer over a dozen times and has yet to receive a response. Perhaps the BBB can educate the consumer on how the BBB's assistance works and encourage the consumer to work with our third party. Otherwise, at this point our hands are tied.Customer Answer
Date: 12/04/2024
Complaint: 22175109
I am rejecting this response because:When I first spoke to Brian Silver from Anthem Tax Services, I stressed, many times, that the only way it made sense for me to pay Anthem $10,000 on top of the $100,000 owed to the IRS
(that I couldn't afford to pay and is Significantly more than I make in a year), was for Anthem to save me many multiples of that 10,000. Note that in Mr. Silver's email he stresses the money
back guarantee promoted by Anthem. My need for a significant reduction in tax burden or desire *not* to proceed with Anthem should have been noted in my client file. Then, when I'd
submitted my financial documents and it was clear to everyone except me, apparently, that my only choice was to full pay, the ethical thing would've been for someone from Anthem to
contact me, explaining the situation and asking me how I would like to proceed. I could have paid their non refundable fee for hours spent at that point and we could have parted ways.It is worth noting that in all the time working with Anthem, they never submitted any paperwork on my behalf to the IRS because, even though I provided tax returns and divorce
agreement paperwork stating that I am entitled to claim my son on the financial paperwork for the IRS, Anthem never included him on any iterations of the form. This greatly affects what I'm
allowed to deduct from collection from the IRS, and was allowed to be included in the forms that I eventually submitted to the IRS myself.When I finally received a call from Melissa Northrup with Anthem telling me that my only options were to pay in full by paying a lump sum of $50,000 plus $800-some-odd dollars per
month for 6 years, or to full pay plus interest by paying $1700-some-odd dollars per month for 6 years, I was shocked into silence. When I could finally speak, I told her that this was not, at
all, what I had been led to believe we were working towards this whole time.Shortly after this, I contacted Anthem and told them I no longer needed their services and asked, as promised, for the refund of my payment. They had not only not improved my
situation with the IRS but made it worse due to penalties and interest now added to the initial amount owed.This is when Anthem began to backpedal on the refund promises, saying I was not entitled to my money back because I didn't already have a payment arrangement with the IRS. This
stipulation is not stated anywhere in the contract or their online information, nor was it ever mentioned in any phone calls that I needed to already have an agreement with the IRS to be
entitled to the promised refund.It is a strange thing to be defining the word "refund" to an organization of lawyers, but the $2,025.10 that Gina Moreno said Anthem would agree to "refund" is the equivalent of getting
your change back when you pay the cashier more than an item costs. Your change is not a refund - it is simply what is owed you. A refund is to, "pay back (money), typically to a
customer who is not satisfied with goods or services bought".The billing for hourly services for premature cancellation of the contract would've applied if Anthem had done the right thing and contacted me immediately upon seeing my only option
was some version of full payment.Anthem states I did not let them finish negotiations for me and that's why I'm not entitled to the money baek guarantee. The faet that I didn't let them submit inaceurate paperwork on my
behalf or enter into an agreement with the IRS that I couldn't afford to fulfill is just being responsible. They finished their services when they presented their proposed solutions and I
said, no, thank you.Finally, Anthem argued that they "might" be able to save me money in penalties and interest accrued, but this really doesn't matter and would not be saving me money because I'm entitled
to negotiate that for myself per the IRS website.The contract does stipulate a non refundable amount of $1 ,250.00. My payment to the creditor who then paid Anthem in full was $9,599.00 so my refund (or money back) amount
would be $8,349.00.I would prefer that Anthem pay this amount directly to me, because frankly, I don't trust them to pay the full amount if they pay the creditor, as my balance is less than the refund
amount owed to me.And lastly, yes, I "threatenedfl' to let other consumers know about my experience with Anthem, if they chose not to honor their money back guarantee. I have done that with this
Better Business Bureau complaint. Potential customers deserve to know about predatory businesses who take advantage of scared and desperate people, make promises until they
have your money, and then refuse to honor their agreements in the end.Regards,
S******** ***********
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