H & R Block Inc., U.S. Headquarters

After my father died, I hired Ronald Lee at the H&R Block office on 2990 East Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, CA, to complete posthumous federal & state returns. He advised me to mail the returns, not e-file, because the high amount of the refunds might trigger more scrutiny, and to include a copy of the Certificate of Trust with a letter explaining I was Successor Trustee. He never said that he knew nothing about filing returns for deceased persons, or that the IRS provides a form (1310-Statement of Person Claiming Refund Due a Deceased Taxpayer) that could have facilitated an e-filing and avoided months of waiting (although I asked him at the time if the documents he prepared needed any additions or review), or that he knew the IRS was backed up in processing returns and any avoidable mistakes would cause protracted delays. He gave me the finished returns on October 13, at which point I paid him $478 and sent the documents that day via certified mail. On March 2, after weeks of trying to contact the IRS to follow up on the federal refund, I spoke with Mr. Lee about the delay. He said his colleagues & clients have been telling him since May 2021 that the IRS is running late, and any error causes months of waiting, particularly since the IRS isn’t accepting calls or appointments. On March 8 I emailed Mr. Lee after finding Form 1310 online--a form the IRS explicitly states is mandatory--and asked if the delay could be due to having excluded this form from the return. His full answer was, “that might be helpful to submit---sorry but no prior exberience [sic] in this area.” He knew he was ignorant about this type of return, yet he never researched the process nor referred me to a better-informed colleague, choosing instead to guess and then dismiss his avertible blunder with a blasé reply while I wait for thousands of dollars that may never arrive because the proper forms weren't filed. Worst of all, I'm unable to put my late father's memory to rest until this is sorted.