I am a trustee and a small business owner. I had been engaging Chapman and Associates for three years in regards to both tax filings. I contacted Linda in late February regarding a very pressing concern that I had. A serious error had been made--not Linda's error, to be clear--but the situation made me very uneasy and I wanted to address it ASAP.
I reached out again to Linda a few times in March and she told me not to worry; it will come together soon; that the tax deadline had been extended and that she was in the weeds helping other clients file for unemployment, etc. And then another month passes and it's April 19. I reach out again. In her response, she cuts/pastes an explanation that she is sending out when someone inquires about their tax prep:
"As a result {of the COVID-19 crisis}, the tax preparation business has been mostly postponed until our clients have the government assistance in place to keep them afloat and keep their businesses from closing down permanently."
At this point, I was frustrated on two levels: First, why wait for me to check in again on April 19 to share this information in regards to the delay? Wouldn't it be more professional to notify the clients you know are waiting so that they have the opportunity to work with someone else if they feel their needs are also urgent? Second: I am a struggling small business owner who would greatly benefit from some guidance right now. I only recently found out about a few different opportunities (not from Chapman) but I found out too little and too late.
When I expressed my frustration, she told me to find someone else and flatly refused to file any returns on my behalf.
As tempted as I am to paste our entire email exchange into this review, I don't want to breach confidentiality. But I would characterize her tone as sarcastic bordering on abusive, which seems especially inappropriate coming from someone whose services I was counting on, and who failed me on different levels.
In a time of crisis, I hope you have an accountant you can count on. I have learned that lesson the hard way. read more
