We have been using a great CPA for the last 15 years. She was personable, meticulous, empathetic,…read moreand sometimes brutally honest. But she retired last year, and we were referred to Dorothy Hamilton for 2015 and 2016 taxes.
In the two years we have been with Dorothy Hamilton's office, I have never met Dorothy nor have I met the person preparing our taxes. Last year, the customer service resembled a wet towel. It was minimal and unpleasant. Some guy called me asking questions using what sounded like IRS jargon. I had to ask 20 questions to get an understanding of what he actually wanted when that is what he should be doing from the start. I pay someone to prepare my taxes because I don't want to spend my time learning about tax code. Not cheap either, by the way.
This year was worse. We had some very busy work hours, so we were unable to get an appointment with anyone at the office. After all, they work 9 - 5, and they have no weekend appointments. Not only that, but they actually are not there from 9 to 5. I showed up at 9:30 one day. Door was locked. I showed up at 4:15 another day. Locked door again. Don't forget hour and a half lunches too, so don't show up between 12pm and 1:30pm. So clearly, they have better-than-banker hours.
Finally, after scanning our tax packet to them four times and they claim they didn't receive it, I finally had to drive it down there. Come to find out, they have some kind of email spam filter that continuously filtered out my email. They could tell it was filtered, but they couldn't get the attachment. Somehow that was my fault.
We didn't make the deadline they have of March 31st for our packet, so they said they'll have to file an extension on our behalf. That's fine, but I have never filed a late tax return in my life. I have no idea what is involved. So now, in July 2017, after paying my taxes, I get a letter from the IRS claiming that I have not paid my taxes on time, and I owe penalties and interest. You could very well say this is my fault, but this is also something my expensive tax preparer should have told me somewhere along the line.
When I called to ask them about this "error," the lady told me that this is all disclosed in the paperwork mailed to me at the beginning of the year. Sure, I should have read the 50 page packet I received, but I would expect this to be conveyed to me verbally at some point over the 4 or 5 phone calls I had with them asking about the deadlines. But not a word about implications. Not a word about penalties.
When I mentioned this to them and how I never had any problems in the 15 years I was with my previous CPA, I was told that my previous CPA "worked 12 hour days for months, and we don't do that here." This was insulting to both me as well as my previous CPA. It is essentially saying, "We choose not to offer the level of service you were previously accustomed to because it's too much work for us. In fact, we won't even fake it."
Well then. If you want a tax preparer that does no more than crappy H&R Block would do but charges twice as much, by all means, choose Dorothy Hamilton's office. If you want a CPA that doesn't really care about her customers, this one is for you. If you don't expect to be given any critical information about your tax returns, go here.
Otherwise, if you value quality and direct communication that isn't hidden in 50 pages of a mailing, stay far away from this one.
