A one-star rating is too generous for Dan Fanelli (Fanelli & Co., LLC Accountants). For the first time in over 20 years of Dan filing our taxes, we had complicated taxes this year and Dan filed for an extension. The problem is he did not communicate to us that that the extension merely applied to the paperwork and that we needed to send in an estimated payment by April 15. As a result we incurred ~$1000 in penalty/interest. We incorrectly thought that with filing an extension any payment owed was also delayed. Now perhaps we should have been wiser...we're both well-educated, established professionals in our respective fields...far from clueless, but we are not fluent in tax law and were never before subject to an extension. We trusted Dan. He failed us.
When I called Dan to discuss the issue, I got two introductory sentences out before things got ugly. No one deserves to be berated and disrespected the way Dan spoke to me. Dan demonstrated no emotional regulation as he entered the conversation with both barrels blazing, ready to fight. His continued interruptions showed complete disregard for me and when I called him out for that and explained that I didn't appreciate it as it felt like bullying, he told me that I was the one who was bullying him...by telling him he needed to assume responsibility for the penalty/interest. He did not seek to understand our point of view, attempt to placate us in any way, or have any empathy for the situation he put us in. While I remained calm, Dan's tone on the call was loud, angry, and yelling. He gave the perception of being a misogynist, as he did not berate or interrupt my husband when he was speaking...just me. Dan fully exposed his true self in this exchange. The mask was off. He was unable to control his words or emotions. It was obvious to me that he cannot tolerate being challenged. His immediate defensive attack on me only reinforced to me that he knows he messed up and is deflecting. The complete disrespect he had for us was disgusting.
I can only hope that others see this review and not continue to support Dan Fanelli who failed us as clients by not providing us with the proper guidance related to a tax extension. His negligence resulted in our being fined by the IRS. In addition to zero guidance on the extension, Dan seemingly had no knowledge of an abatement as he did not offer that as a potential solution; rather, I discovered that by conducting my own research. I have nothing but disgust for Dan as a person and zero faith in his ability as a tax preparer. His ineptitude is matched only by his complete lack of understanding of how to treat others with dignity and respect.
Interestingly, after all this happened, I did some research on reviews of Dan, and while there aren't many out there, they were overwhelmingly negative with recurring themes that we too experienced...mistakes and horrible customer service. read more