Jordan Tax Service, Inc.

Review: My husband and I have lived in [redacted] for 2 years at the same address, and Jordan Tax Service has never ceased to send us a bill addressed to either of us, until roughly June 10, 2015 when they sent a water shutoff notice. We went to JTS website and made a full payment of over $360 at 2PM on 6/20/2015. We received an email notification with a confirmation number letting us know our payment went through, including the exorbitant $9.50 'convenience fee' we had to pay to use their online billing system.

On 6/30/2015 Jordan Tax Service had [redacted] shut off our service for non payment of sewer service. We were of course pretty confused and upset when I went to get in the shower only to have no service. I have severe [redacted] and other [redacted] and am going in for surgery tomorrow, 7/1/2015. Not to mention that we PAID the bill, in full, 10 days prior. Immediately, we checked our bank account to ensure that the payment did debit from our account and to JTS. It most certainly did, my bank placed a hold on the funds immediately, and paid them out within 24 hours.

Next, my husband called JTS to resolve the issue and spoke to a customer service agent. He explained the issue right away, stated that we had made a payment 10 days prior, and asked what we were to do next. When confirming the account with the agent, my husband told her my first name (it's pronounced like the [redacted], the woman started to laugh out loud. That was beyond rude, and started a very disappointing phone call with them.

The customer service 'woman' then proceeded to tell us that payments take 3-5 days to post to an account, as well as our confirmation email states that we have to call them with the confirmation number. He was looking at both the online receipt as well as the confirmation email, and there is no mention whatsoever of the need to contact them with a confirmation number. In addition, even if the payment took the maximum (5 days) to post to our account, why after 10 days is our water getting shut off? The customer service person then found the payment and stated that they would let [redacted] know that the bill had been paid, and that we would have to wait for service to be turned back on. My husband demanded service be immediately returned and hung up to contact a manager at Jordan Tax Service.

After repeated messages to JQ (a manager at Jordan Tax Service in charge of sewer utility payments), JQ finally called us back. When my husband spoke to her, she was rude and made contradictory statements regarding payment policy as well as repeated that there is a requirement in the confirmation email that we call them. When my husband pointed out that is flat out untrue, and that we were told contradictory information by someone else at Jordan Tax Service, JQ kept stating that 1- This is not, and could never be JTS's fault, it was fully our fault. 2- that even though we paid the bill in full, they were under no obligation to get someone out to us to restore service the same day and that 3 - not only did she not care about my medical condition, that JTS doesn't have to follow Pennsylvania Utility Laws (at least as it pertains to people with a known and recognized medical disability). She then literally hung up on my husband after mumbling something rudely under her breath when my husband pointedly objected to her statements.

This is completely and totally unacceptable to be spoken to in that matter, and also to have our water shut off 10 days after the bill was paid in full. Thankfully, the actual water company (PA American Water) sent someone right back out to our house and they turned our water service right back on. In addition, they are also going to make arrangements regarding my medical condition so that JTS cannot turn our service off like this again.

In addition to filing this complaint, we are speaking to an attorney as well as writing our local and state representatives; as well as contacting the mayors office as well and the Pittsburgh Sewer Authority regarding this matter.Desired Settlement: First and foremost, I want JQ's supervisor to call me immediately and apologize to both myself as well as my husband for the rude and ignorant comments made during the phone call, and for her hanging up on my husband. Secondly, I also demand that we receive a written apology from JQ to be mailed to our house as well for her rude comments, as well as those made by the person in her customer service department and thirdly, we would greatly appreciate actually getting regular bills from Jordan Tax service for our sewer service

Business

Response:

Revdex.com Attn.: [redacted]Re: Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]Dear [redacted]:Pursuant to your letter dated July 1, 2015, please be advised of the following facts regarding the above referenced sewage service.Jordan Tax Service, Inc. (JTS) mailed the initial monthly sewage bill to account holder [redacted] at the above referenced service address on April 15, 2014. No payment was made of that bill or of the following five monthly sewage bills. As a result, four separate monthly delinquent notices were mailed to the owner of record. On May 15, 2014, the customer had enrolled in Sewage eBilling, agreeing to the terms and conditions of paperless billing. The customer provided the e-mail address of [redacted]. All sewage bills have been sent to this e-mail address since the enrollment date. A copy of the most recent eBill notification is enclosed. The customer’s first payment via Sewage eBilling was returned due to insufficient funds on October 28, 2014. The customer’s first successful payment was made via Sewage eBilling on December 10, 2014. To date, the customer has only made two payments on the sewage account for the above referenced service.On June 12, 2015, the above referenced property was posted with a 10 day termination notice for non-payment of sewage charges. According to JTS’ records, the customer made no attempt to contact JTS for payment arrangements. On June 24, 2015, JTS submitted a request to the [redacted] to terminate the water service at the above referenced address for non-payment of sewage charges. On June 30, 2015, the service was terminated, and [redacted] called JTS and spoke with Customer Service Representative, Kathy. Kathy documented this interaction at 1:51 PM. Mr. [redacted] informed Kathy that he had made a payment via the Online Payments option at [redacted]. Kathy took his confirmation number, verified the payment, and advised him that JTS would issue a restoration with [redacted]. Kathy documented his response as, “I want this water on now. Do you [expletive] understand me?”Mr. [redacted] then immediately called JTS back and left a voice mail message for Sewage Billing Supervisor, Julie Q[redacted]. This recorded voice mail message demonstrates Mr. [redacted]’s continued use of vulgar language. Ms. Q[redacted] returned Mr. [redacted]’s call and documented the interaction at 2:06 PM. Ms. Q[redacted] advised Mr. [redacted] that she had issued the restoration request to [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] complained about the fact that he had made a payment on June 20, 2015, yet his water service was still terminated. Ms. Q[redacted] explained that there is a message on this site which states, “please note that payments made in person with certified funds (e.g. cash, certified check) are the ONLY guaranteed methods of preventing such actions.” A copy of this message is also enclosed. Mr. [redacted] then asked when the restoration would occur. Ms. Q[redacted] explained that he would have to contact [redacted] directly regarding his wife’s medical condition, as they do not allow third parties to provide such information; not even the sewage billing agency. Mr. [redacted] began using expletives again, so Ms. Q[redacted] ended the call.[redacted]’s outstanding account balance for the above referenced sewage service is $40.89.We regret the unfortunate experience that Mr. [redacted] had with our company, and I do apologize for that. I am confident that our staff handles all calls, especially terminations related to unpaid sewage, with the utmost timeliness, courtesy and concern.If you have any further questions in this matter, please contact me at [redacted]Sincerely,Jerry A. P[redacted]TreasurerJordan Tax Service, Inc.

Review: I've had problems with this company for many years. I have delinquent real estate taxes. I have so much money that has been given to these people over the last, at least 10 years. Since 3/2014 alone I have paid 1800.00. I called for a balance in 2014, and was told I owed 4315.00, then called a week ago and was told I owed 4315.00. That's not even possible. When I started out making payments to these people, I wasn't keeping receipts, so I can't give you a amount that was never used for taxes. Where is my money going??? I'm trying to sell my house, but I have all these taxes that I have been paying off for years, and nothing to show for it. I asked for a print out, and it shows that I've not made any payments in a long time. Where is my money that I'm sending these people??? I need this resolved FAST. I only have 30 days to find a home to move to and I absolutely refuse to pay a dime more to these people when nothing I have given them has paid my taxes. I'm responsible for anything owed before I can sell, and I have above and beyond paid this off. I want this company to fix this issue so I can move and get my children into a safer home. Please, I only have 30 days due to the buyer needing me out by then. Thank you.Desired Settlement: I want the company to take all the money I have paid them and use it for my property taxes. I have above paid these off, now I want this fixed.

Business

Response:

[redacted] We apologize for this untimely reply to your original complaint in early August 2015. Please be advised that, on March 11, 2014, Jordan Tax Service, Inc. (JTS) provided you with an outstanding balance of $4,315.41 in unpaid real estate taxes for your above referenced property. Payments received by JTS since that date total $1,868.58. Attached please find copies of the receipts for these payments. Also since that date, JTS has received the following additional taxes to collect for your property: County of [redacted] - $306.41 for year 2013 and $260.89 for year 2014Borough of [redacted] - $337.28 for year 2013 and $390.92 for year 2014 In addition to the late charges that have been assessed to all unpaid taxes, there are legal fees associated with a lawsuit filed by the County of Allegheny. The second attachment to this e-mail is of the detailed statements of these charges. If you have any further questions in this matter, please contact me. Thank you, Julie A. Q[redacted]Utility Billing ManagerJordan Tax Service, Inc.[redacted]

Review: Jordan Tax collects taxes for my borough and school district

I bought a new townhouse a couple years ago and Jordan Tax sent me a tax bill based on interim tax increase.

My mortgage payments and tax payments are all in an escrow account and payed out of that account.

When I got a tax bill from Jordan of approximately $8,000 total, I called them to clarify since my taxes are included in my mortgage payments.

They explained that this additional tax is because of new construction and increased value when construction was complete and back taxes, etc.

I asked what should I do. Their advice was to just forward their bill to my mortgage company, which I did. I didn't hear from Jordan until about 4-5 months later when they sent me same tax bill but now with over $2,000 in late fees and penalties and threatening to put a lien on my house if I didn't pay within 30 days. Their are other complaints like this on Revdex.com and even their representative told me that this interim tax adjustment can be complicated. I don't think they should be giving bad advice and profiting from in by getting late fees from well intentioned tax payers. They act more like a predatory debt collection service than an tax collection service.Desired Settlement: I would like Jordan Tax to remove late fees and penalties from my tax bill.

I would like Jordan Tax to consider creating a more tax payer friendly service that includes easy to look up tax bill online and monthly statements alerting taxpayers of upcoming payment deadlines and potential late fees. At the least, they should avoid giving advice in what they know is a problem area (by previous Revdex.com complaints and by their own representative statements) that leads to misunderstanding and late fees.

Business

Response:

[redacted], Pursuant to your letters dated March 24, 2015 and April 8, 2015, please be advised that Jordan Tax Service, Inc. (JTS) has completed a thorough review of the borough and school taxes for [redacted]’s property at [redacted]. When a taxpayer purchases a home, especially a newly constructed home, they are informed of the real estate taxes by the real estate agent, bank, mortgage application, and loan closing officer. In the case of new construction, the bank generally escrows estimated taxes if the structure has not yet been assessed. If the yearly escrow reconciliation has already occurred, any escrowed taxes not yet assessed and paid would normally be refunded to the mortgage holder. JTS mailed original borough and school taxes to [redacted], which he acknowledges receiving. It was then [redacted]’s responsibility to follow up with his mortgage company to ensure that these taxes were paid. When borough and school taxes remain unpaid for two months, the penalty assessed on any unpaid face charges is mandated to the taxing district. JTS has no authority to dismiss the penalty amounts, as [redacted] is requesting. If you require additional information to resolve this complaint, please contact me. Thank you, [redacted] SupervisorJordan Tax Service, Inc.[redacted]

Review: Received a sewage bill, delinquent. However Jordan Tax Services added on $17.61 interest, $49.07 Service Expenses, and $35.00 in Fees to the bill taking it from $473.04 to $574.72. I feel this amount of penalty is excessive.Desired Settlement: I would feel it is fair to eliminate the add on charges or at the very least lower these excessive fees.

Business

Response:

Ms. [redacted],I have received a copy of your complaint to the Revdex.com on February 11, 2016. I have subsequently reviewed the sewage account for service at [redacted]. Attached please find the billing and payment history.Please note that you have initiated three separate payment plans; May 2014, July 2015, and November 2015. You have defaulted on all three payment plans due to missed installment amounts. The municipality only considers a waiver of late charges on delinquent accounts when the customer is able to pay the usage charges in full. The unpaid usage charges total is $565.25. Would you like me to see if [redacted] is willing to accept this amount to bring the account current?If you have any further questions in this matter, please contact me.Thank you, Julie A. Q[redacted]Utility Billing ManagerJordan Tax Service, Inc.

Consumer

Response:

A payment of $100 was made on Friday, February 12 and not reflected by Jordan Tax Services. If a proposed amount were to reflect this payment I would be willing to accept this proposal.

Review: After several months of paying my Castle Shannon Sewage bill, using my Bill Payer system with my financial institution, I received notification that my July 2013 payment had not been recieved by Jordan Tax Service(JTS). The bill payer service sends a paper check to JTS and since if was supposedly not received or posted to my account, I had it stopped and a new check reissued. Days later the "lost payment" was posted to my account BUT came back to JTS as a stopped check. I was then charged a $30.00 stop pymt fee by JTS for stopping a check that they supposedly never received. Now bear in mind all past payments by the same method had reached JTS and had been posted to my account.If that "lost" check did not get to the correct department within JTS, how can I be blamed and charged a fee for what I believe to be a lost payment? I spoke with a supervisor and the fee could not be waived, so by trying to do the right thing and get the new payment to them I get a $30.00 fee? This is unfair practices on the part of Jordan Tax Service.Desired Settlement: Refund the Stop Payment fee and use better measures to ensure payments are not "floating around" in the incorrect departments. How can all previous payments get posted correctly and in a timely manner, yet JTS says this one was NOT lost? If account numbers are posted on the rceived payments why are they not used to post to the correct ACCOUNT #, no matter which department it ends up in, although why payment checks end up in the incorrect depatments should be addressed also.

Review: Jordan Tax Service sent me a Taxpayer Annual Local Earned Income Tax Return for the 2013 year, which I completed and mailed to them (along with my W2) before the deadline. After waiting some time and well after receiving my Federal return, I called to ask if my return had been processed yet. They said my forms had been received but that I wasn't supposed to receive forms from them (due to my address, there was a mix up), and that Keystone Collections should take care of my return. They then assured me they would forward my information onto Keystone and even provided a number with which to reach them. It's now July, and I have not yet received my refund, so I decided to call Keystone. They were very kind but were sorry to say they had not received anything from Jordan Tax Service. At this, I called Jordan Tax Service to ask why my papers hadn't been forwarded on, and was met by a terse, unpleasant woman, who said (quote) "If they don't have it, that means we never had it... Got it?" I insisted that she DID have it in April when I originally called, and that it was never passed on like it should have been. She assured me I was wrong, and I decided to end the uncivil and unproductive conversation. I mustered up the kindness to thank her for her help, to which she muttered "hmm" and hung up. I was in shock. This is supposed to be a reputable tax agency, which deals with time-sensitive and heavily-consequential information. They handle PII, uphold deadlines (which, according to them, I missed), and by necessity deal with the general public. I doubt that woman would have given me her name, but it was at 11:20 on Tuesday, July 8th, 2014. So whomever was manning the phone at that time did a horrible job of representing her agency and left an inquiring taxpayer, whose PII SHE was entrusted with, back at square one.Desired Settlement: I would like that woman dismissed, I would like an apology for her unnecessary rudeness, and I would like my tax refund. If I am held to a strict deadline, they should be too.

Business

Response:

Please accept Jordan Tax Service, Inc.’s (JTS) apology for your recent negative experience regarding your Earned Income Tax (EIT) filing. Although we are not able to determine who you spoke with, we would like you to know that the treatment that you described is atypical and unacceptable.

Your EIT filing was located and was mailed back to you on July 14, 2014. As a resident of Wilkinsburg, your EIT collector is Keystone Collections. The tax monies collected and reported by your employer on your behalf are being forwarded by JTS to Keystone Collections.

If you have any further questions in this matter, please contact me.

Thank you,