Complaints

The 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:06/30/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  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 logged onto the FileSmart E-File *********** in April of 2024. I filled out the tax extension form but when I saw that they were going to charge a fee, I moved to another service and filed through them. I just discovered that FileSmare E-File has been charging my **************** card $9.95 every month since April 2024 for a total of $149.25. I'm sure, somewhere hidden in the steps I went through this fee was indicated. But I never saw it. I've never used any service from this company and I would like to recover these fees. I have contacted FileSmart and am waiting for a reply. But regardless of the outcome. I feel that their process is deceptive and less than straightforward.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/03/2025

  Thank you for sharing your concerns. We understand how frustrating unexpected charges can be and appreciate the opportunity to provide some clarification.

  According to our records, the customer accessed our platform, **********************, on April 16, 2024, and submitted a tax extension, which was accepted by the ***. During that process, the customer enrolled in a ****** free trial of our FileSmart Membership, which includes benefits such as unlimited tax expert support, IRS Shield protection, and access to educational tax tools.

  The trial was presented during the checkout process via a pop-up window, which outlined the features, terms, and automatic renewal policy. At that point, there was an option to decline the membership. Additionally, a confirmation email was sent at the time of enrollment, along with a follow-up reminder seven days before the end of the trial. Both communications included cancellation instructions and a summary of membership benefits.

  Since the trial was not canceled before the 30-day period ended, the membership automatically renewed on May 14, 2024, at a rate of $9.95 per month. Billing continued monthly, resulting in 15 charges totaling $149.25. During this time, we did not receive any requests to cancel the membership or any inquiries regarding the charges. While the customer mentioned reaching out to us, we have no record of any communication from them in our support system.

  Although our policy states that FileSmart Membership fees are non-refundable, we recognize that oversights can happen. As a one-time courtesy, we have refunded the most recent $9.95 charge and canceled the membership to prevent any future billing.

  We remain committed to transparency and continually strive to make our services and terms as clear as possible. If you have further questions, we welcome you to contact our support team for additional assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2025

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  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.

  Hi, my name is ****** ****, and my complaint is that $9.95 was withdrawn from my account without my consent. I only paid for the tax filing extension fee. I'm asking for a refund of the $9.95 to be put back into my account, as I had no knowledge of the charge. Thank you. Sincerely, *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/26/2025

  Thanks for reaching out and sharing your concerns—we appreciate the opportunity to clarify.

  Our records indicate that the customer electronically submitted a tax extension through our platform, E.File-tax.net on April 14, 2025, and during that process, they also enrolled in a promotion offering a 30-day free trial of our FileSmart Membership. This trial included access to resources like unlimited support from tax experts, IRS Shield coverage, and educational mini-courses.

  
  As part of that enrollment, a confirmation email was sent outlining the membership benefits and how to cancel before the trial ended. A follow-up reminder was also sent seven days before the trial expired, with another opportunity to cancel if the customer chooses not to continue.

  Because the trial was not canceled, the membership automatically renewed on May 14, 2025, for $9.95, and again on June 14, 2025. Our records show that the membership remained active, and we did not receive any cancellation requests or communication regarding concerns or dissatisfaction with the service during that time. We’re always happy to assist and would have welcomed the opportunity to address any questions or issues had we been made aware. Cancellation could have been completed at any time through the customer’s account dashboard or by contacting our support team directly.
  

  As stated in our refund policy:
  FileSmart and IRS Shield Memberships: Subscription fees are non-refundable. Once a subscription is renewed or purchased, no refunds will be issued.

  That said, customer satisfaction is our top priority. As a one-time courtesy, we’ve gone ahead and refunded the most recent $9.95 charge and canceled the membership to prevent any further billing.

   Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything else we can help with. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/09/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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 just found an attempt from **************** to take funds from my prepay card. The card is at $0 in the account so my bank was not able to pull that money out.I did pay them a one time payment of $29.95 for a tax extension. I did not authorize additionally payments.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/11/2025

  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention.

   

  Our records show that on April 6, 2025, the customer purchased an electronic submission for a tax extension through **************** for a one-time fee of $29.95. At the time of purchase, the customer also opted into our FileSmart Membership Promotion, which provided a 30-day free trial of our monthly membership service.

  
  Upon enrollment, the customer was sent an email confirmation outlining the benefits of the membership and providing instructions on how to cancel before the trial period ended. Additionally, a reminder email was sent seven days before the trial concluded, again highlighting the benefits and providing cancellation instructions.

  
  The FileSmart Membership trial expired on May 6, 2025, and the membership was renewed that day for the standard monthly fee of $9.95. As the membership was not canceled, it renewed again on June 6, 2025. The initial attempt to charge the customers card was declined due to insufficient funds, but the charge was successfully processed on June 7, 2025, in the amount of $9.95.
  At no point during the trial or subsequent billing periods did the customer contact us via email, webform, or phone to inquire about the charges or request a cancellation. They had the option to cancel their membership at any time through their account dashboard or by reaching out to us directly.

  
  Per our published refund policy:
  FileSmart and *** Shield Memberships: Subscription fees are non-refundable. Once a subscription is renewed or purchased, no refunds will be issued.

  
  That said, as a courtesy, we have issued a refund of the most recent charge of $9.95 and canceled the customers FileSmart Membership effective immediately, and no additional charges will be incurred going forward.

  
  We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter and remain committed to transparent communication and customer satisfaction.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/23/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  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.

  E.file-tax.net I only used their service to file an extension on tax return. 1 month later I am charged $10 for membership fee. I never signed up for a membership/subscription yet this website took my card information and signed me up for a membership without my knowledge

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/27/2025

  Dear Better Business Bureau and & Customer,

  
  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. We take all customer concerns seriously and appreciate the opportunity to clarify the situation.

  
  On April 15, 2025, the customer used our platform, ********************, to successfully file a tax extension electronically. During the checkout process, he opted into a promotion that included a complimentary 30-day trial of our ********* membership. As disclosed at that time, the trial would automatically convert to a paid subscription at $9.95/month unless canceled before the trial period expired.

  
  This information was clearly outlined in the terms presented during the checkout process, and a confirmation email was sent at the time of enrollment. Additionally, we sent a reminder email prior to the end of the trial period with details on how to cancel the membership. We understand that these emails may have been missed, and we encourage checking spam or junk folders if they were not received.

  
  On May 22, 2025, Mr. ******* contacted us with concerns about the membership charge. We responded within the hour, explaining the nature of the charge, how the enrollment occurred, and included screen captures of the exact checkout page he was presented with at the time of sign-up. We also addressed his concerns about legitimacy by clarifying that we are not a scam, and emphasized our commitment to transparency.

  
  That said, we recognize the importance of maintaining trust with our customers and understand the customers' concerns. Although our refund policy states that ********* memberships are non-refundable once the free trial period ends and the subscription renews, we made an exception in this case.

  
  As a one-time courtesy, we issued a refund of the $9.95 membership renewal charge on May 22, 2025. The membership has also been canceled to ensure no further charges are applied. We advised to allow 5-7 business days for the refund to reflect on his statement.

  
  We take pride in being a legitimate and authorized *** e-file provider with over 18 years of service, and we are committed to transparency and customer satisfaction. We encourage all users to review our terms and FAQs during the signup process to ensure they are fully informed.

  
  We hope this resolution meets your expectations, and we thank you for your feedback.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/14/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  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.

  Unethical Practices and ********************* I am deeply disappointed with this companys handling of my situation and their refusal to refund $29.99 for a service they did not provide. As someone currently disabled due to cancer, I trusted this company to assist with a tax extension, only to discover my accountant had already filed one. The process took less than five minutes, and the *** immediately flagged it as a duplicate, meaning no actual service was rendered.Despite explaining this, the company insisted the fee was non-refundable, citing a policy that feels designed to exploit customers rather than prioritize fairness. Their responses were dismissive, ignoring the fact that no value was provided for my payment. For a disabled individual navigating financial and health challenges, this $29.99 is significant, and their refusal to refund it shows a lack of integrity and compassion.I strongly caution others against using this service. Their unwillingness to rectify an honest mistake and their prioritization of profit over customer care is unacceptable. Im pursuing a dispute with my bank and filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and other consumer protection platforms to ensure this issue is addressed.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2025

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond. First and foremost, we want to express our sincere sympathy to the customer. We understand that they are going through an extremely difficult time, and we wish them strength and healing.
  
  
  Regarding the concerns raised: our records confirm that the customer's tax extension request was submitted to the *** as authorized. Although the *** flagged the submission as a duplicateindicating that a filing had already occurredour service was fulfilled in accordance with the order placed.
  
  
  As clearly stated in our refund policy:
  There are no refunds allowed for successfully submitted tax extensions, or submissions that fail due to incorrectly submitted data.
  
  
  That said, we recognize that each customer's situation is unique. Given the personal and financial hardship described, we have issued a one-time courtesy refund of $29.99 as a gesture of goodwill.
  
  
  We hope this resolution offers some relief, and we appreciate the customer bringing their experience to our attention. Our team remains committed to providing transparent, reliable service, and we will continue working to ensure that our processes reflect empathy and fairness.
  
  
  We have since followed up with the customer directly and are pleased to share that the matter has been fully resolved to their satisfaction.
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/21/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Marii Kroutilin

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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.

  They advertised free tax extension filing. They collected my sensitive tax info including SSN and then asked for payment. Im furious.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2024

  We do help to facilitate the filing of tax extensions at no charge if you select the free option,which requires you to print and mail the extension to the ***.  This is 100% free!  If you choose to e-file, our service has a fee in order to cover the costs associated with protecting user data and to maintain our connection with the *** as specified on our site.  
  
  Our customer support team responded to ******* via email on April 8th to communicate that his account was cancelled, per his request, and that we have removed all of his account information as per our privacy policy and *** data retention requirements.

  
  Additionally, we 100% never sell or share any personal data.  We only gather what is necessary to communicate with the *** and to reach out to our customers, should we need to in regard to their account. Please let us know if there's anything else we can provide to further address your concerns.   Thank you. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/13/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 set up services for a tax return file extension on 4/18/2023. The costs was $29.95. I agree with the payment and it was processed. It has come to my attention that this business was taking out monthly installments of $7.95 since 4/20/2023 and there was no services used, rendered or agreed upon. I contacted the company by email and sent them a letter to cease all funding activities and cancel the account. I further stated in the email that there was never any offer for subscription, I never agreed to any subscriptions, and there was nothing in the confirmation email stating a subscription at all. They are refusing to refund the money they fraudulently withdrew from my account. They have not provided any proof of such agreement at all.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2023

  Please allow me to elaborate, as we take these matters very seriously.  The customer opted into an *** Shield membership while electronically submitting a tax extension to the *** using our platform. There is no accidental way to sign up, as you must navigate through a few screens to confirm you want this service. Furthermore, we send an email reminder of the subscription before we begin any charges.  The customer can also cancel the subscription at any time.  We have since worked closely with ***** to provide both the proof of the subscription and the refund. ***** was ultimately appreciative of the resolution.   We are proud of the exceptional level of support that our customer service team provides our customers, and we are committed to maintaining trust with our valued customers.  Our number one goal is complete customer satisfaction.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/16/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  On 07/13 and 07/14 (ACH cleared 07/15/2023) I was charged 3 times of $9.95 each for a reoccurring *********** ******* that should only cost $9.95 per month. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I don't remember specifically requesting nor consenting to join the *********** ******* at all! It appears it was "sneaked in" and an "add on" possibly in "the fine print". I submitted two online contact requests this morning as well as one phone contact request today asking fo a callback to correct this obvious error. This company does not have direct CSR availability and has not responded. Please expedite this matter to be corrected. Very disappointed in this company at this point and believe this *********** ******* is nothing more than a reoccurring charge scam. This company is NOT recommended.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2023

  Please allow me to address these concerns. When you filed your tax extension with e.file-tax.net, you also opted in to a FileSmart membership. There is no accidental way to sign up as you must navigate through multiple screens to confirm that you want this service.  We also send a welcome email and two follow up emails with the opportunity to cancel if you wish.  One was sent the week you signed up for the membership and then again 7 days before we charged your account. You also could have logged into your account to cancel at any time and managed your membership.  Our customer service team prides itself on responding to customer requests in a timely manner and email responses were provided on the same day that you reached out to us.  We communicated that there had been a backend error with our merchant bank that was out of our control and would absolutely be issuing the proper refunds. We take these matters very seriously, as our primary goal is to maintain trust and satisfaction with our valued customers.  We are committed to delivering an exceptional level of service. It was great to receive your recent email thanking us for a satisfactory resolution and that you appreciated our attention to this matter.     

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/19/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  Yesterday March 18th 2023 I was conned into paying 34 dollars from efile.tax.net I called my local tax office and they told me I had no reason to need to pay for an extension. I had looked up irs extension and efile.tax.net was the first one I saw. I found out not only did I not need to pay for an extension but this company was not going to help me even if I did need to pay. I was able to get the insurance info I needed so I dont even need an extension anymore as the tax office messed up but I got it fixed. I need a full refund as I feel completely conned.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/28/2023

  Please allow us to address the customers complaint that she was conned into paying for our services.  At e.file-tax.net, we provide our customers with two methods to submit an extension to the **** The first option is 100% free, which requires you to print and mail the extension to the ****  The second option is to e-file.  In order to e-file, our service has a fee to cover the costs associated with protecting user data and to maintain our connection with the *** as specified on our site.  We feel that these options are presented clearly on our platform.  However, we apologize if there was any confusion pertaining to this issue.  As a courtesy, we have extended a full refund to this customer, per her request.   We value our customers and wish to ensure that every experience is a good one.       
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/01/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. However there was no free way that they showed me. I will just take the refund when it comes to me but I dont think Ive received it yet. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************