I believe this was our third year with Andrade & Associates and in the past they have done an adequate job with our taxes. In the prior years, we would be called to inform us our taxes were done and if we couldn't file in time (for whatever reason) they would file an extension on our behalf. We appreciated and enjoyed that aspect of the service. We had a different experience for last year. We received no call and no extension was filed. We were not informed or warned this service would change and so we gave no thought to the fact we hadn't received a call about our taxes.
We followed up, but it wasn't until many weeks later because the office closes promptly at COB April 15. So, we finally got our taxes and we filed them, but we were surprised to discover no extension had been filed. This created a significant problem for us and we ended up with a penalty. When we called to ask about this issue we were told, quite rudely, it was our own fault and "everyone knows taxes are due April 15th." Well, of course, we know that, but we also knew one of our preferred services was that an extension was filed and you were called when the taxes were prepared.
The saga that followed is inexcusable and a lesson in how not to handle customer service. Repeatedly, we were told this was completely our fault, we will be given no refund of any kind, and we should have just known better. Out of "the goodness of their hearts" they agreed to "try and fix it." Well, nearly a year later and they had managed to write only a single letter to the IRS on our behalf, which, as it turns out, was filled out incorrectly and totally worthless. We ended up having to handle the situation ourselves for both our business and personal taxes.
After handling it ourselves, at our expense, we called back again to ask for a refund on their services. They said since the taxes were prepared correctly we get nothing and it is, once again, completely our fault. I think what galls me the most is they never even apologized for suddenly changing their services without notification. I tried explaining to them that having done this for the prior years we had a reasonable expectation they would continue to perform these services (after all, we pay for it) or, at the very least, inform us this would change.
My last call with Margie, the manager, was very unpleasant. She wouldn't even allow me to speak with the accountant we had been using for the last several years, but promised she would give him the message. Then, she accused me of calling her a liar when I stated she wouldn't let me speak to him. Frankly, it was a poor experience for us and we did not feel we had a partner in Andrade.
If you're looking for a firm to essentially copy and paste your P&L into a tax form, then this is the right place. You're not going to get any tax or business advice of any kind; and if something goes wrong it is completely your fault. If they offer to help out of kindness, think twice before accepting it since you will end up having to chase them down for a year before you just end up doing it yourself (or paying someone else to do it). read more