Optima Tax Relief LLC

As stated in our initial response, Optima Tax serviced the client’s case as outlined in the agreement and successfully resolved his caseOptima Tax understands the client’s desire to ease the stress caused by the IRS and therefore we take all available actions to help our clientsHowever, the IRS is not always willing to make concessions for taxpayersMoreover, of the client has the ability to pay their tax liability, the IRS will usually not entertain any form of reduction even though Optima Tax will take every measure possible to assist in providing such relief As for the Verification calls, each call is conducted before services commenceThe Verification process plays a crucial part of our transparency to ensure our client’s fully understand the services being provided in each phase Optima Tax took all possible steps to thoroughly represent the client during the Audit Reconsideration services given the lack of documentation that the client was able to provide to us in supportIf the client could have provided Optima Tax with full and complete substantiation there was a higher probability we could have eased some of the burdenHowever, the payment plan we established for the client falls in line with the IRS guidelines and it includes all accrued penalties and interestAny payment arrangement is discussed with a separate unit at the IRS and at no point will the Auditor propose a payment plan The IRS does have the right to issue a lien if the balance is greater than $10,Once the direct debit goes through it is possible to submit for a removal in an effort to release the lien on behalf of the clientAt no point did we refuse to help the clientWe simply provided an option to avoid a lien being filed Based off our review, Optima Tax associates were in constant communication with the clientAt any point we had an update on their case the client was contacted appropriatelyUnfortunately, given the client’s particular circumstances the IRS is unwilling to grant any relief in the overall tax liability, but this does not negate the fact that Optima fully performed it obligations as delineated in the Client Service AgreementOnce we establish communication with the client we’ll discuss their case in detail, and work towards achieving an amicable resolve

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management has been in contact with the client since receiving the complaint and we are confident an amicable resolution can be had RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management has been in communication with the client to address her concerns as outlined in the complaintAs the client stated in their complaint, Optima Tax conducted a thorough investigation into the client’s tax liability and presented her with our formulated strategy on how we can help resolve her case Prior to the client enrolling with Optima Tax and the investigation of the client's tax situation taking place, the client was quoted a price based off the information she provided her Optima Tax AssociateOnce Optima Tax completed the investigation of the client's tax file it was revealed that her case was more complex than initially explained, which consequently added to the services Optima Tax would need to provide during our Resolution Phase We understand that pricing can ultimately weigh in on the client’s decision to move forward onto our Resolution PhaseOptima Tax strives to be very transparent in our approach to each case we take on and this is why we feel the client was fully aware that there would be secondary cost associated with our Resolution Phase and that these costs are contingent upon the complexity of the client's case At Optima Tax we strive to uphold the philosophy that "clients come first" and all of our representatives go through rigorous training to assure we abide by that philosophyWe take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possibleOptima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and will continue to reach out to the client until we come to a final resolvePlease do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questionsThank you

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowIn short, I was completely misled by Optima Tax Relief to believe they were capable of handling my tax situation which they later admitted was not trueWhen I contacted Optima Tax Relief I explained my current situation as well as how I got thereI told them that while I was still operating as a business, my computers were repossessed and, as such, I was not able to produce records of payments, employees, and other documents normally required to file taxesThey told me that was common and they specialized in situations like mineI had an active wage garnishment at the time and they assured me they could terminate it as soon as they were “Officially” representing meNeither of these statements were true As such I paid them over $12,while I continued to pay the garnishment making it impossible for me to pay my billsI had to borrow the money from my parents to pay themThey kept telling me they were “working on my case” and to be patient while they continued to accept nearly $per month with no improvement in my case They claim that I was unresponsive but at every turn, they called at times other than the ones we had scheduled or they could not provide me an answer to why the garnishment continuedThey lied and manipulated meThe garnishment finally stopped when I was terminated from my employer but they continued to take their monthly payment of nearly $while my only income was $per week from unemploymentStill they did not finish my case Eventually, my parents credit card expired and they were no longer able to take their payment and they finally wanted to speak with me about resolutionThey have never given the impression that they cared about me or my tax issuesTheir motivation was purely financialAlas, they did wish to discuss my situation but it was only because I wouldn’t pay them any more money until I saw progress At this time they finally admitted that without the documents I told them I could not produce they could not help meThey went from passive and elusive to combative and aggressiveUnfortunately, I could have used the time and money from this debacle to pay down the IRS on my ownFrom the outset, I told them did not have the documents to file my taxes and that if I did have them I would not need the services of Optima Tax ReliefThey emphatically assured me that they are “the professionals” and they have “experience with cases like mine” and that they would provide the best outcomeAgain, those statements are patently false They did nothing to earn the money I paid them and I am no closer to resolution than when I startedI assure you I received no “relief” from Optima Tax Relief I am seeking a full refund of the money I paid for services I was promised yet did not receive Regards, [redacted]

Optima helped me both with resolving my credit card debt and getting my taxes back in order. With nearly 25,000 in unsecured creditor and tax debt. I completed the debt resolution program and settled it for about half of what I owed. The customer service team was responsive and helped me understand the paperwork and fill out the right forms. My reps were patient with me when I had questions. This is a first class team and I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management has been in contact with the client prior to receiving the complaint and we are working towards a mutual resolve RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management has been in communication with the client to address his concerns as outlined in the complaintAs the client stated, he hired Optima Tax to represent him on behalf of the IRSThe client did have an Installment Agreement in place prior to contacting Optima Tax however, the agreement would soon become null and void The Installment Agreement previously in place for the client prior to client seeking assistance from Optima Tax went into default status and was no longer validThereafter, Optima Tax was able to establish a new Installment Agreement for the clientThe newly acquired agreement Optima Tax negotiated was slightly lower then the original payment and ensured the client was back in compliance with taking care of his outstanding tax liabilityFurthermore, Optima Tax was able to prevent the IRS from taking any enforcement action against the client by renegotiating another agreement on behalf of the client and representing the client in their matters with the IRS At Optima Tax we strive to uphold the philosophy that "clients come first" and all of our representatives go through rigorous training to assure we abide by that philosophyWe take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possibleOptima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and considers the matter closedPlease do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questionsThank you

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management contacted the client to discuss her concerns as outlined in the complaint RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management contacted the client to discuss her concerns as outlined in the complaintIt is regrettable to hear that the client’s main point of frustrations revolved around communicationAccording to our review, however, it is our sincere belief that the communication was consistent with the flow of a typical case at Optima At Optima, providing an excellent customer service is our priority and that includes making sure that all significant and material events are clearly communicated to a client For most of the cases that we handle at Optima, we must gather all documents and have them analyzed by the assigned Tax Professional to assure its presentable for the IRSWith the amount of detail that goes along with every case that is enrolled, there naturally will be some down timeFurthermore, there often could be a significant amount of down time as the IRS reviews the case details once they are presented on behalf of a client We understand waiting could be frustrating, however, we attempt to assuage such frustration by informing each client of the process Even for this particular case, our staff had thoroughly informed the client on the process and the assigned team achieved a very reasonable resolution for the client that she respectfully rejected Although we are very successful in preventing liens, bank levies and wage garnishments, we make no promises or guarantees that such action will never happen while being represented by Optima TaxThe IRS also has no obligation to inform Optima Tax that they are in the process of issuing any type of enforcement as their obligations are to the tax payerThis is preciously why we inform all our clients to send in any IRS correspondence immediately to OptimaAlthough we are very pleased to know that the client appears to have resolved her case, we sincerely believe that the manner in which she was able to resolve her liability was a direct result of Optima Tax representationWhile we are happy to know that the client seems to have resolved her case, we do not want to discount the immense amount of hours that we had put forth in the caseAs we continue to discuss her concerns, we are hopeful that we will come to a mutual agreement regarding her dispute At Optima Tax we strive to uphold the philosophy that "clients come first" and all of our representatives go through rigorous training to assure we abide by that philosophyWe take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possibleOptima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately but we’ll continue to strive towards a mutual agreementPlease do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questionsThank you

Optima Tax answered many of my prayers and their customer service is impeccable They were very comforting and helpful through every step

Although the client may feel that he had presented his situation in detail to the Tax Associate, he was nonetheless given a thorough breakdown of our approach and was made aware of the fact that the initial phase is strictly an information gathering phaseThe client was clearly made aware that the initial phase was where Optima Tax would gather all information from the IRS in order to formulate a resolution plan for the second phase, the Resolution PhaseIt was explained to the Client that any potential resolutions Optima Tax deemed as a possibility for him would be presented to him accordinglyFurthermore, it was explained to the Client that each phase had a separate specific fee associated with that phaseKnowing this information the Client chose to enroll and signed our Client Services Agreement and paid the initial fee for the Investigation Phase services As stated in our initial response, prior to his enrollment the client had been given the Client Services Agreement for review and had went through a voice Recorded Verification Call to confirm the client understood the services Optima Tax would provideAfter the call was complete the client gave us a satisfactory rating demonstrating that he understood the Investigation Services to be provided to him during the Investigation Phase It’s unfortunate that the client has yet to return any of our messages or email correspondence to discuss this matter in detail, however, we will continue our efforts until a mutual resolve is met

A rebuttal was submitted because issues has not been addressedTwo attempts were made on both parties to contact each other but there has been a conflict of times in both attemptsI sent an email with times of availibility and now awaiting a phone call on Tuesday [redacted] ***

When I received my notice from the IRS that I owed more than one third of what I earned in the tax year in question I panickedI had no idea if this was legitimate and if it was - where would I get the money to pay that off in the one month the IRS had given me in their letter So, based on the ads on the radio that we've all heard, I called Optima - I expected typical lawyer crap: no free quotes, pay a retainer and still end up owing, etc What I got from Walter and the team at Optima Tax Relief was anything BUT typical: before asking me for any money he walked me through the letter and helped me certify that it was legitimateHe helped me understand all the options that are possible and helped me get an idea, based on my income and expenses, of what I could expectEssentially, at no cost and with no waiting period I received from Optima all the information I needed to know to understand my situation and grasp it logically Walter then explained, very clearly, their protocol - a stage process wherein they 1st file power of attorney to keep the IRS from simply taking the money from my check, investigate to see if I'm being overcharged and verify that it is all I owe (you DO NOT want to be hit with this twice) then, in the second stage, they determine what programs I'm eligible for with IRS for paying off the debt and how much my monthly payments would end up being and fighting, on my behalf, for payments I could manage BOTH stages were FLAT fee retainers with NO additional costs paid to Optima and BOTH were extremely reasonably priced with GREAT payment plans available for those of us who can't pay in full I went ahead with Stage and, luckily, came across the funds to cover my debt to the IRS and did not need Stage - however, if I hadn't I would've been confident in my ability to survive this BECAUSE of the services provided by Optima Tax Relief If you get a letter - Call Optima; at the very least they'll give you the information you need and, at best, you'll have a shield against the IRS (who could ask for more?)

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear belowOptima has not made any offer since we entered this claim The reason for that being they have not followed through on two telephone calls scheduled for discussion of the pending complaintOur rebuttal/rejection to OTR's response is itemized in detail on the attachment of this notice Regards, [redacted]

One of the best decisions we ever made was to contact Optima Tax Relief to assist us in getting our tax debt under controlOur family had experienced several unexpected occurrences which greatly impacted our finances and ultimately put us in the position to incur an enormous amount of tax debtThe tax professionals at Optima helped us to negotiate a repayment plan with the IRS and still be able to manage our current state of affairs

Optima Tax's management is still in contact with the client to discuss the concerns in her complaint as well as her follow up response. The statements Optima Tax made in our initial reply still remain true. As was stated, we have documented evidence that the tax years 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 were included in the Installment Agreement. Per the IRS agent, of which the client has a name and employment identification number, the client did not show a balance for the tax year 2012 and was issued a PIN number for the year to protect her from identity theft. When the client initially brought this matter to our attention, we asked that she send in the documents to show that the IRS has indeed initiated enforcement action. Our associate also presented the client with the option of conducting a Compliance call to ensure that the agreement we negotiated, per the IRS letter dated July 28, 2015, was still in place. The client subsequently refused to perform all actions. Unfortunately, the client will not allow us to validate her claim and is unwilling to comply with our requests to assist her in this matter and rectify any potential discrepancies. Optima Tax was more than willing to look into the matter at no additional cost to the client. This situation can be easily resolved if the client will accept our assistance in the matter. Optima Tax is more than willing to continue engaging in conversation with the client and hope that the parties can soon reach a mutual understanding.

I closed my business after years do to the change in the economy I ended up owing close to $25,in taxes Next up I lost my houseOut of desperation I consulted with Optima Tax Relief for help with my situationThey were extremely helpful After reviewing my financials and current income they contacted the I.R.Swith an Offer-in-compromise to settle my account My account was settled for the sum of $ I still don't believe how this turned outI am very grateful to all of the people who helped this come about and I would recommend Optima Tax Relief to anyone who would find themselves in my shoes Thanks again, Gary M

After several years of unfiled taxes and sleepless nights I finally made the call to Optima Tax Relief The gentleman who took my call was polite and understanding He explained my options and fees for their services He did not make any promises but did assure me they would do the best they could After the call I got my first good nights sleep in a very long time He was very precise on what information I needed to provide them and that time was critical From that day forward Optima Tax stayed in contact with me and kept me up to date on the progress of my case My case has been settled completely to my satisfaction I received two follow up calls from my consultant asking if I had any question or concerns with my case If you have an issue with the IRS I would strongly suggest you give the professionals at Optima Tax Relief call It's difficult to put a price on peace of mind

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved Regards, [redacted] As of 10/02/2017, I have received only half of $I've agreed to close this complaint [redacted] of Optima Tax assured me that the 2nd half of the $was issued and mailed to me via USPS with a tracking number as of 09/29/ I checked the tracking number with USPS, no such number have been recorded Attached is a copy agreeing to dismiss the complaint if I agree to the amount of $ I call OptimaTax Relief Office, 10/02/ After waiting at least minutes on the phone waiting to talk to [redacted] ***, they told me she was out to lunch, then later came back and told me she was gone for the rest of the dayThey claimed she has not send out the check yet but [redacted] claimed the check was issued and mailed last Friday, Sept29, So I don't know what is going on I would like to bring a closure to this complaint but it seems like I am getting the run around again

Optima Tax’s management was well within its process of attempting to resolve client’s concerns even before receiving the complaint Through such an effort, we unfortunately found that the client was mischaracterizing and undermining Optima’s business integrity With all due respect, we had no choice but to clearly convey to the client that such mischaracterization is inaccurate, and we further reiterated our process, in hopes of clarifying client’s understandingHere at Optima Tax, we employ a two phase approach: Phase I, the Investigation Phase; and Phase II, the Resolution PhasePrior to enrollment, the client went through a full consultation which discloses a full break-down of our two phase approachEven if we were to assume that our Tax Associate made a human error by not disclosing certain details of our services, each and every client goes through a separate and rigorous “Verification Call” to go over all disclosures including the details of our Resolution PhaseIt should be noted that the crux of the matter boiled down to an affordability issue – the client had expressed that the Resolution Phase may not be affordable, In light of such, it should be also noted that Optima Tax had made sincere and diligent efforts to work within the client’s budget After the complaint was filed, we continued our contact with the client to address his concernsWe were informed that the client admittedly filed the complaint by mistakeUltimately, the client has confirmed that he was happy with the end-result and we have since then parted ways amicablyAt Optima Tax, we strive to uphold the philosophy that "clients come first" and all of our representatives go through rigorous training to assure we abide by that philosophyWe take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possibleOptima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and considers the matter closedPlease do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questionsThank you

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint I have emailed and spoken with the business in response to the filed complaintThe information conveyed by them during those calls does not match the information conveyed in their response to the Revdex.comAmong other things, their representative made several statements regarding the revenue officer of the IRS (i.e., that they earn commission on taxes they collect and are therefore unwilling to be reasonable), and did not address the lack of communication, failure to timely return calls or emails, and failure to file necessary appeals paperwork with the IRS to prevent collections activity, none of which were dependent on the timing of my delivery of documentation to OptimaI am still demanding a full refund of all amounts owed Regards, [redacted]

When I first contacted Optima about my tax problem, I didn't know what to expectAfter speaking with them I felt very much at ease and was certain they knew how to handle my situationAfter paying the fees and sending them the paperwork they needed, they went right to work It took about months and they kept me informed throughout the process In the end it was worth it to me They got me a deal where I can make affordable payments to the IRSThank you Optima for having my back

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management made contact with the client to discuss her concerns as outlined in the complaint RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management has made contact with the client to discuss her claim as stated in the complaintIt is truly regrettable that the client is unsatisfied with the end result of our investigationIn order to clarify, Optima’s services are separated into a two phase approach, Investigation and ResolutionDuring our Investigation, Optima gathered extensive information which we presented to the client along with our proposed Resolution services In most cases, during the initial investigation, Optima Tax will discover that the client’s case is more complex than our clients may realizeMoreover, Optima uses the information it gathers during the investigation, to establish the services that we will provide in the Resolution phaseAdditionally, the IRS will often enforce collection action on our clients and our investigation allows us the opportunity to implement a stay of collections to assure our client’s are protectedAlthough it may appear that the information we obtained was virtually identical to the information the client had knowledge of, we ultimately conducted a thorough investigation, as outlined in the Client Services Agreement, and thus performed all of our obligations that the client enrolled forWe have yet to finalize any resolution with the client; however, we are confident that we will come to a mutually satisfying resolve At Optima Tax we strive to uphold the philosophy that "clients come first" and all of our representatives go through rigorous training to assure we abide by that philosophyWe take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possibleOptima Tax will continue its efforts in resolving this unfortunate dispute until a resolution is metThank you