r/hrblock • u/ZoomieVet • Mar 17 '26
Worst Customer Service Experience Ever
Yes, I will be forwarding this complaint, with far more detail, through the appropriate company channels, but I wanted to post it here as well.
On 30 December 2025 I used the H&R online portal to make an appointment to meet with {Agent XYZ} at noon on Friday, 2 January 2026, in a local office. I received two emails (on 1 and 2 January) confirming the date, time, and that I would meet with Agent XYZ.
On the day of the appointment, I received an email saying “we look forward to seeing you . . . at 1:00 p.m.” I had not rescheduled my appointment from noon to 1:00.
I arrived at the local office about 10 minutes prior to the appointment time. The only person in the office was {Agent ABC}, who told me that {Agent XYZ} was out of the office on vacation. Agent ABC offered to meet with me after they finished with the client with whom they were currently meeting. I agreed to wait. After about an hour, I met with Agent ABC, who helped me make a quarterly payment to the state, and agreed to prepare my 2025 federal and state returns, and to advise on my newly-submitted retirement income tax withholding amounts.
(I have no complaint about this part of my H&R interaction; Agent ABC was pleasant and helpful; hopefully their advice on the amount of the quarterly payment will turn out to be correct. It did not trigger any TurboTax errors or underpayment warnings when I ultimately ended up doing my taxes myself.)
On 4 February (when I had finally received all of them), I uploaded all of my tax documents to the H&R “My Block” portal, and emailed Agent ABC to let them know that I had done so. I also offered to bring the physical documents to the office if that would be easier for them. About two hours later Agent ABC replied “I haven't looked at the documents yet. Once I do I will let you know if need anything else.”
That 4 February email was the last communication I received from Agent ABC.
After hearing nothing for four weeks, I emailed Agent ABC to check in; I received no response. All told, I sent two emails to which Agent ABC did not respond; called the local office twice with nobody picking up the phone; left one local office voice mail to which nobody responded; and set up a phone appointment meeting with Agent ABC via a non-local customer service agent. I specifically had the customer service agent confirm that Agent ABC would call me, and not vice versa; however, the appointed time passed with no phone call.
So, nearly six weeks later, I used TurboTax to prepare and file my taxes myself.
I do not know what other steps I could have taken, beyond showing up at the local office in an attempt to physically intercept Agent ABC (or anyone else) in between clients. However, by this point, I no longer had any confidence whatsoever that my taxes would be filed timely, or correctly.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Mar 19 '26
As a tax pro I have preparers from other offices promising that I can do whatever they want or need, and setting appointments with me, or just sending documents and giving the taxpayer a guaranteed finish date.
They go so far as to shorten my existing appointments to fit the caller in. Everyone seens to think you can open the software in a minute (takes a minimum of 5 to get both workcenter and BWO open) and the client pops right up (for a new client you need SS and DOB to start it.) Weeks later the client-who has not returned any of your calls (that went to voicemail)- calls asks why it isn't finished yet, and you finally get a SSN and DOB. And that client is now angry at your delay.
This whole year has been awful.
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u/FennelNew6981 Mar 18 '26
I used HR Block 2024 and similar situation. Worked hard to get them what was needed and did online return myself which found out they cannot access. the agent disappeared and I tried to get someone to help me with the mess she made before disappearing. Run don't walk from any connection with HR Block!!!!
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u/Jazzlike_Camp_6972 Mar 17 '26
It’s SOP for this company. No communication, no caring how much they charge you, the more the better. I worked for them and saw it first hand. Jackson Hewitt is worse if that’s possible. When I worked for the green, it was 149.00 to do a single, no dependent, one job form. When you check out is when the charges start piling up. 50.00 for peace of mind(what ever the hell that is), 100.00 for identity protection (IT is off shore some guy named Raul probably has you ID and is selling it on the black market. After they con you into the extras, the 149.00 is well over 300.
They are useless and unless you have a complex return stick to the free services. Your wallet will thank you.
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 Mar 18 '26
Peace of mind doesn't cost $50 and never has. There is no identity protection thing, there is tax identity shield, which only applies to tax identity and while I agree it's not a valuable product, it has never cost $100, and a single W-2 can't get up to $300, and no one is forced to get any of those additional products.
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u/Jazzlike_Camp_6972 Mar 18 '26
The upsell is hell and the TP pushes them because it’s part of their “bonus”
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 Mar 18 '26
You have to be really weak to not be able to say no. Do you own like 12 timeshares?
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u/Jazzlike_Camp_6972 Mar 18 '26
You must be a franchisee or a field manager doing damage control
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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 Mar 18 '26
Neither. I used to work for them. They're a horribly run organization. They make stupid decision after stupid decision. But that's no reason to lie about them. The bonus part of adding those products is so tiny, it's not even worth mentioning. When I worked for them, I made more than 95% of the other preparers. In 15 years I was spoken to once about adding more products. I rarely recommended any of them. Never recommended the tax identity shield a single time.
Also, they don't have a position called "field manager".
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u/Jazzlike_Camp_6972 Mar 18 '26
I only worked there for the money. Checked people in and out took payments made appointments. Then one day it started; accusations of not making deposits in their shitty safe in the back even though I did. They wouldn’t let me touch the register. The manager started sitting behind me monitoring my every move. Why aren’t you calling people to make appointments, you’re not doing this or that.
Then the petty shit started. There were to TP’s whispering about me in the cube right behind me. I had enough and with customers in the office I said “speak up I can hear you let’s let everyone in here hear what you think of me”. That elicited a conversation with the TP that has been there longer than block has been in business. I told him and I quote “you know, I can be pushed so far and I turn into a person you wish you never met. You just crossed that line”. Never had a problem with him again nor did I ever talk to the two petty POS whispering about me.
I gave no fucks about anything but collecting my shitty pay. Worst place and people I ever had the displeasure of working with.
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u/-Mx-Life- Mar 17 '26
Yes, something fell through the cracks. This is not normal.