I had been with Rich Holmes and Associates for my tax work since 2002. Mike Violette (who is still…read morethere) had always done my taxes and I like him very much. He's a sweet guy, a sharp accountant, and very helpful with my prep (as I always need guidance).
A few years ago Rich Holmes passed away and the Gibbar's took over the company. Elizabeth is named, but she and her husband, David, now run it. I've always somehow felt an odd sense of being unwelcome since they took over. At one point, I brought them my company bookkeeping and payroll, but always felt like it was a burden to have me as a client. My relationship with Mike was good, but that sense of being unwelcome continued.
After one of my best financial years in 2017, I went through a difficult divorce that caused me some serious financial issues. These things happen, but I couldn't help but feel that my financial issues were a burden to the Gibbar's. During my prep for 2018 taxes, some prep issues (as I was told) made it so that my taxes were apparently unable to be completed in time. It was a complete shock to me, as it had never happened before in all my years with them. It was a month from the deadline and I had no options. I had no choice but to miss it and file late. I'm not the world's most organized tax prep person (as I'm sure many are not), but my taxes have always been prepared on time for the deadline through discussion and care.
This year, on 5/30/2020, as I was preparing for the extended tax date of July 15, and after 18 years with them, I received an unceremonious letter from the Gibbar's informing me that they could no longer do my taxes. Another shockwave from the Gibbar's considering the proximity to the tax deadline. I reached out to them and kept everything civil (as I always do) and persuaded them to at least finish the undone tax work from the previous year (which I felt was more than fair). When I mentioned that they'd sent me the letter informing me to find a new accountant for the 2019 tax year only six weeks before the tax deadline, I was told that, "since I file an extension each year, it shouldn't be a big deal to receive a letter that late." I didn't even know how to respond to that statement it was so discourteous. So much for caring about your long-term clients.
Since those two bad years, and despite a global pandemic, 2020 has become my best financial year (by far) in a decade or more, and there is a new business now as part of my profile that is doing exceedingly well. All of this could have been part of my accounting work with the Gibbar's, including enhanced bookkeeping (and more) for both businesses, had they cared about their long-term clients' ups and downs. It's a pretty dispiriting feeling to feel as though, while you're going through a divorce that has disrupted your business (and life) for a couple of years, your longtime accountants act as though your business isn't worth their while.
I have since found a new accounting firm to do my 2019 taxes and starting on 2020 with a new booming business. When they saw the revenue, they were pretty surprised to learn how the Gibbar's had handled this.
As a denouement to this little tale, I should say that I received a second, rather nasty, letter from them after they completed my back tax work that read (in part), "As we have discussed several times, we will not be providing any further tax preparation, accounting, or payroll services for you. This is effective today, -date-. We suggest you can obtain assistance from other qualified professional(s) as soon as possible." I should be clear that I have never kicked their dog, nor do I even know if they have one! Ha!
I should be clear that I am a calm, level-headed and, actually, pretty nice guy. I have never been unkind, unreasonable or difficult in any way toward them, but have now been treated as though I am a difficult client, I believe, because I went through a difficult post-divorce two years. I have never before been treated like this by anyone I have ever done business with.
For this reason, I STRONGLY advise AGAINST recommending this firm for anyone considering a new accountant. Not because their staff isn't qualified to do your taxes. They are...and some of them are truly very nice people. But because the Gibbar's are quite simply not, nor are they devoted to their long-term clients enough to see them through a difficult time. When Rich Holmes was alive, the company was incredibly friendly, happy, and everyone there was just a pleasure. It's an entirely different environment now.
This is the very first time I have ever written a review about anything but a restaurant...but the Gibbar's behavior toward me is what prompted it. I have since found a new firm that I think will be great for my businesses, but it's still hard for me to reason that I was treated as I was. Taxes are a sensitive thing to tackle, and we deserve to be treated with a considerably higher level of respect and sensitivity.
