Optima Tax Relief LLC

I contacted Optima after researching other companies and actually being taken advantage of by a so-called "IRS Specialist" several years ago. I was facing a $1,100 per month payment and a total of $54,000 in back taxes. After contacting Optima, they were able to negotiate a $450 per month payment and reduced my total down to $45,000. The individuals that I dealt with at Optima were constantly in contact with me from the very beginning to the very end. Several things that I liked about Optima, in particular, was their professionalism, caring attitude, courteous service and prompt phone calls. Any question(s) that I had were always answered in timely manner. I am very satisfied with the outcome of my case. I'm glad that I contacted Optima to take this weight off of my shoulders and relieve some of the stress that I had built up over the years from this issue. My wife is now a client of Optima and she has nothing but great things to say about the way her case is being handled. I would recommend Optima to anyone who needs assistance, with dealing with the IRS. I am going to continue to use Optima to prepare my taxes in the future. Overall my experience with Optima was an A+.

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 below.
Reason I rejected and here is a scan from what I got from the IRS. Optima never did any tax preps but yet on my behalf agreed to a pay off of 14k which after my taxes are done will pay less than what Optima wanted. This is what bothers me. I contacted my new Tax attorney and what they did by ordering this payoff is hurt me. Aug the IRS expects a check from me for 14k will never happen I couldn't even pay a quarter. All I wanted was my taxes done and once done the IRS would be off my back. All I want is a refund from Optima.  Since contacting Revdex.com person named [redacted] was working with me from Optima have called him several times and no returns. Called to tell me a resolution was reached and gave me his number and for past 2 days has not returned my calls and this is calling him several times a day and only able to leave messages with answering service, So I figured resolution was not in my favor. As I said they hurt me more than helped and I should be refunded. They failed to stop the garnishment. And by lying to the IRS does not help me saying I agree to pay 14k. I read what they said and not much is true.Optima contacted the IRS for a pay off without doing my taxes. They agreed I would pay 14k by Aug 19. Did all this before doing any tax returns. I do not even owe that much and they would of known this if they started my tax returns. They also did this without contacting me with amount agreed with. They have not contacted me with a resolution was contacted by a [redacted] from Optima but has since refused my calls. Have tried for 2 days straight several times a day only to be able to leave a message with operator who each time said message will be given and will be called back. I contacted Optima on May 212016 and spoke to [redacted].  We discussed my wife and myself tax issue’s with him concerning taxes not processed from  2011- 2015. Our main concern in this issue was being garnished 15% of both my wife’s and myself’s  gross pay. Mr. [redacted] insured myself that he would put a immediate stop to the garnishments with a immediate payment of $995.00 which was paid on Monday June 6, 2016. On June 17, 2016  both paychecks  were garnished. I tried to contact [redacted] as soon as I got off work the same day (June 17th)and he was not available. A message was left concerning the garnishments ($411). [redacted] did not contact till June 20th in the evening. At this point he requested all documents that were Pertaining to the garnishment issue and also informed me that the cost of the tax work he was providing jumped from the initial quote of $995. to $$4580.00. I asked him several times what did I get for the $995? and did not get a response. After discussing the fee with my wife we decided we needed to go a different route.  On Tuesday May 21st I released  Optima  from going forward price was to high . On Wednesday May 22nd I got a response from [redacted] which was unprofessional . Told him I contacted [redacted] which by the way is the company that recommended me to Optima.But contacted [redacted] Tax Relief on the 22nd discussed my issue and at the time was recommended to another Tax company that does not have the overhead as Optima. Three different emails [redacted] took upon himself to be very unprofessional about cheaper Tax companies which I took insult to. But did say in no way was he saying [redacted] was bad.(wonder why?) At this time I feel we should get a full refund. Optima has on their front page if unhappy will get a full refund 15 working calendar days. I understand I contacted Optima on May 31st but would not think it would start until payment was made which was June 6th 2016.To me what was promised was not kept which was stopping the garnishments. When [redacted] contacted me on the 20th he seemed upset when I told him I sent in the documents to the Optima upload page said I should of sent to him which by the way I did same night I came home. 
Regards,
[redacted]

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management has been in contact with the client since receiving the complaint and is actively working towards a mutual resolve.    RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management established communication with the client and addressed his concerns as outlined in the complaint....

It’s unfortunate that the client did not express his concerns to Optima Tax prior to filing the complaint because we feel as though this situation could have been easily resolved. However, once communication is established we’re confident that we’ll come to an amicable resolve. As the client stated in the complaint, he hired Optima Tax to conduct a thorough Investigation into his outstanding liability. Once we completed the initial Investigation, the client was presented our formulated strategy to help resolve his case. During the initial consultation, the client was presented with a quote of the costs associated with our Resolution Phase based on the information the client provided his Tax Associate. However, after completing the Investigation it was discovered that the client’s case is more complex then initially believed which required an adjustment to the quoted price in order to resolve his case.   After thoroughly educating the client on our process and the fees associated with our Resolution Phase, he now has a better understanding as to the reason for the increased cost of the Resolution Phase. The client’s case is currently being reviewed by management in an effort to present any potential options that will bring this matter to a close and in good standing with all parties involved. 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 philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possible. Optima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and will continue to keep an open line of communication with the client until we come to a final resolve. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questions. Thank you.

To elaborate, Optima Tax addresses each case we take on in a two phase approach. Phase One being the Investigation Phase and Phase Two being the Resolution Phase. During the initial phase, we strictly provide an investigation of the client's tax matter, which includes gathering all pertinent information related to the client's tax liability and formulating a strategy to resolve the tax matter during the Second Phase, the Resolution Phase. As stated in our initial response, the client was clearly aware of the services to be provided in each phase. This is evidenced by his signed Client Services Agreement and completed voice recorded Verification Call that clearly states that during the first phase Optima Tax would be strictly investigating his case only and no other services would be provided during this phase. Client was adequately made aware that the Investigation Phase did not include preparing his taxes. Optima Tax made it clear to the Client that it would prepare his taxes during the Resolution Phase.   When the client contacted Optima Tax he was up against strict deadlines and as such, we implemented certain strategy to avoid any further potential damage. We implement certain strategies to protect the client against enforcement action so we may gather the requested financial documents to submit and obtain the best resolution for the client.   A member of our staff has been in contact with the client as stated in his latest response. Although we did reach a preliminary agreement with the client to fully resolve this matter to the client's satisfaction, unfortunately the client came back and negated the agreement. We feel that the resolution presented and initially agreed to with the Client is more than reasonable considering all of the facts of this case. We will continue to our efforts in hopes of coming to a final resolve.

I had an IRS issue that went back quite a few years. I had been paying monthly on an agreed plan for several years, but the penalties and interest just kept me from making ever paying it off. I had herd many ads and received many offers in the mail to help me solve my debt and when I heard Optima's ad, I looked them on line and then made the call. From the first call I was very impressed, I knew I needed a team of tax attorneys and CPA's to help me and it' wouldn't be cheap, but I couldn't afford not to hire someone to help me. Once they took over I could sleep at night and not worry about calls or letters in the mail! They stayed in constant touch with me by phone and email throughout the process and responded quickly to my calls and emails. They filed an Offer and Compromise and thank goodness the IRS accepted it. Even if they hadn't I feel Optima was thorough and asked all the right questions. I kept them informed of any changes to my situation and responded quickly to their requests. Once my case was resolved they continued to stay in touch and help me make sure this doesn't happen again. Thank you to the Optima Team!!!

SUMMARY -
Optima Tax's management has made multiple attempts to contact
the client with no success. 
 
RESPONSE
-
Optima Tax’s management has attempted to contact the client to
discuss his claims as outlined in the complaint, however, the client has been...

unresponsive
unfortunately. Optima Tax had actually attempted to address his concerns back
in August but the client was also unresponsive then as well.
 
In hopes
of addressing the client’s concerns, we would like to state that contrary to
his claim that Optima Tax had closed his case without a resolution in place, Optima
Tax had provided its representation as outlined in the Client Services
Agreement. In doing so, we were able to release a levy that was in place,
protected his assets and set up an affordable payment plan to pay off the
balance without any further action taken by the IRS. As such, there were no
false promises given as we were very transparent with our clients and the
services Optima was providing. The IRS does have certain programs that will allow
a tax payer to reduce their debt. Based on our financial analyses, however, the
client was in a position to pay his liability in full, therefore, he did not
qualify for such programs.
 
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
philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn
them around when possible. Optima Tax
believes it took the necessary steps to address the clients concerns and
considers the matter closed. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with
any questions. Thank you.

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management had been in contact with the client prior to receiving the complaint to address their concerns.    RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management has been in communication with the client to address her concerns as outlined in the complaint. As the client stated in...

their complaint, she hired Optima Tax to help resolve her outstanding tax liability. Although highly successful in reducing a tax payer’s liability, Optima Tax does not make any guarantees or promises as to what the end result will be. However, we are very transparent with our clients on how we approach each case we take on. Each client will receive our Client Services Agreement prior to enrollment for their review. Once enrolled each client will go through a voice recorded Verification Call that covers all legal disclosures and pertinent details of their enrollment to ensure the client has a full and complete understanding of the services they’ll receive. In client's case, after going through all the disclosures, she was presented with our rating system where on a scale of zero through ten based on her understanding of the services that will be provided the client gave a ten rating, the highest level of understanding . At no point during the Verification Calls and enrollment process did Optima Tax promise any type of reduction of client's tax liability.  .   We fully acknowledge that the client had a previous resolution in place with the IRS however, that resolution had been cancelled and the client was in active collections when our Compliance Team conducted a thorough investigation into the client’s tax liability. Although we understand and sympathize with client's feelings towards their tax situation, we respectfully fail to see how the client is in a worse position after contacting Optima Tax, especially since the client had full acknowledgement of the services that would be provided. Furthermore, the resolution Optima Tax successfully achieved on behalf of the client removed the client from collections and ensured the client is now compliant with the IRS. Additionally, the resolution we have in place also prevented the IRS from issuing a lien against the client, protected her assets and will prevent any wage garnishments. While the client was enrolled with Optima Tax she did not receive a lien nor was a garnishment issued against her.     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 philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possible. Optima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and we feel that we’re close to finalizing a mutual resolve. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questions. Thank you.

In 2012, I felt completely overwhelmed and thought there was no way out of my situation - that I would be forever in debt with the IRS because I was a dumb, young kid.
Joining Optima Tax Relief was one of the best decisions I made when I decided to take control of my life. The harassing phone calls stopped and the liens on my bank account stopped. Removing that stress right from the get-go got me excited about this organization.
Now after a few years, Optima Tax helped me handle '07, '08, '09, '10, '12, '14 debts that amounted to over $25,000. I am happy to say I am paying a mere fraction of that in order to become compliant.
Thank you Optima Tax and more specifically, [redacted], for helping me turn my life around.
- [redacted]

I had a good overall experience.

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]

SUMMARY -
Optima Tax's management immediately
reached out to the client to discuss their concerns outlined in the complaint....

The
client has confirmed they are satisfied with the outcome.
 
RESPONSE -
Optima Tax’s management reached out
to the client to address their concerns as outlined in the complaint. The
client had referenced that he received berating emails about his payment he
failed to make to Optima Tax for services rendered. Like any service, if a
payment is not made as agreed upon per the signed agreement, the provider as
the right to cease their services due to non-payment. The emails that were sent
to the client were apologetic but stressed urgency to reschedule the payment so
we can implement our stay of protection. Optima Tax has a two Phase approach.
Phase I being the Investigation and Phase II being the Resolution. Optima Tax
went as far as including the remaining balance of the Investigation Retainer
into the Resolution Retainer so we can continue working his case as outlined in
the agreement. Although the client is fully aware of our efforts they decided
to work with the IRS directly.
 
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 philosophy. We take all
complaints very seriously, and we do
our best to turn them around when possible. Optima Tax
believes it has addressed the
client's concerns appropriately and considers the matter closed.
Please do not hesitate to contact
Optima Tax with any questions. Thank you.

SUMMARY -
Optima...

Tax's management has made multiple attempts to contact
the client to address his concerns but we have yet to establish communication.  
 
RESPONSE
-
Optima Tax’s management has attempted to contact the client and
we are hopeful that we can come to a mutual resolve. The client alleges that
Optima Tax is not diligent in its operations because it requested documents
from the client multiple times. When Optima requests documents from the client
it instructs the client on the specific requirements that are required by the
IRS for each document. Once we receive requested documents from the client, we provide
them to the IRS accordingly. The IRS agent receiving the documents will review
them and make the final decision of whether to accept the documents. In the
event that the agent decides not to accept a document, Optima Tax must ask the
client to resubmit the document. Given the sheer volume of documents the IRS
processes, there is often a lapse in time between when we send documents to the
IRS and when we are given a response. This explains the lapse in time between
our requests that the client identifies.
 
Although
the client believes his case is not complex, the IRS does not treat any case
with less scrutiny. Moreover, Optima Tax believes all of its client’s cases are
important and seek to provide the best possible result for our clients.
Therefore, we thoroughly analyze each case and this process can take time. In
contrast to the client’s belief, we were on the verge of finalizing a
resolution with the IRS on the client’s behalf when he became non-responsive.
 
Once we
were advised that the client wanted to cancel our services and was seeking a
refund, one of our Executive Relations representatives immediately reached out
to the client. We have no record of the client returning her calls. The agent
also sent out a non-responsive email urging the client to contact us to discuss
his concerns. Unfortunately the client never gave us an opportunity to address
his concerns prior to receiving the complaint.
 
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
philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn
them around when possible. Optima Tax
will continue its attempts to make contact with the client. We are hopeful that
we can come to a mutual resolve if the client returns our attempts to reach
him. Thank you.

SUMMARY -
Optima Tax's management has been in contact with the client and
have come to a mutual...

resolve.
 
RESPONSE
-
Optima Tax’s management has been in communication with the
client to address his concerns as outlined in the complaint. It is regrettable that
the client feels that communication and or our response time is not reasonable,
we have assured the client that communication will not be an issue moving
forward. After speaking with the client and providing a breakdown as to where
we’re at with his case he felt more at ease with his case. More importantly,
the client believes in Optima Tax and we have agreed to continue our business
relationship until we come to a final resolve regarding his tax liability.
 
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
philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn
them around when possible. Optima Tax
believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and will consider
this matter closed. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any
questions. Thank you.

We have promptly reviewed the client’s rebuttal to
Optima Tax initial response, and we offer the following response and
explanation in continuing hopes of coming to a mutual resolve with the client:
Our records reflect that since her enrollment into
our Resolution Phase, her Case Manager had informed her multiple times to make timely
Estimate Tax Payments and if otherwise, we also informed of the possibility
that the client would likely be levied. Such information continued to be
ignored by the client unfortunately. And as a result, the client had failed to
make her Estimated Tax Payments, which in turn was a direct cause of her
levy.  As such, Optima would like to
respectfully point out that her levy was not a result of Optima’s
communication, or lack thereof, with the IRS agent, but of her inability to
make her Estimated Tax Payments.
Furthermore, although we could have easily set the
client up on a payment plan, that would not have been the best solution for the
client. Optima Tax will represent their client’s to the fullest extent within
the applicable laws and regulations. In this particular case, we are confident
we could achieve more than a payment plan. In fact, Optima Tax had prepared and
packaged necessary documents to place the client on a Non-Collectable status
while we review for an Offer-in-Compromise. That Non-Collectable package was
mailed to the IRS and the client’s Case Manager called her on December 31, 2015
to provide an update. The client seemed pleased but has now decided to part
ways with Optima Tax even though we are on the verge of resolving her case.
Accordingly, given the work that Optima’s associates
performed on her case, we are more than confident that we have earned 100% of
the fees paid to date. However, we still value providing excellent customer
service and we are in communication and working towards a resolution that will hopefully
be satisfactory to all parties.

I am extremely happy with the way Optima Tax handled my case. I was told that I would be by Kevin in the very beginning. To have complete Faith in them. I can
Not tell You the relief I felt a few weeks ago when [redacted] called me with a offer to the IRS. It's been a burden for many years to have this over my head.
Thank You Optima Tax and to the Staff that worked my case. You are really amazing.
Dottie

I was very pleased with the assistance I received from Optima Tax - it was a long process but they were able to smoothly get me through the process with an acceptable outcome.

Received, thank you.  Regards,[redacted]

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management contacted the client to address his concerns and the client is satisfied with the outcome.     RESPONSE - Optima Tax’s management has made contact with the client to address his concerns as outlined in the complaint. At no point will Optima Tax ever us any...

type of unethical tactics to persuade our client’s to hire us for representation. We are completely transparent in our approach and provide our client’s with full disclosure of our service terms.   Prior to accepting payment for services, each client will receive the Client Services Agreement so they fully understand the services that Optima Tax will provide during each phase of our Two Phase approach. Additionally, each client will go through a voice recorded Verification Call that covers all legal and contractual disclosures with each disclosure requiring an acknowledgement of understanding before moving forward. After reviewing both Verification Calls the client gave each Phase an 8 rating with 10 being the highest rating of his understanding to the services Optima Tax will provide for each phase.    After going over the services that Optima Tax had been providing, the client has a better understanding of the direction Optima Tax was taking on his case. More importantly, we were able to come to a mutual resolve that satisfies both the client and Optima Tax Relief.   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 philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn them around when possible. Optima Tax believes it has addressed the client's concerns appropriately and considers the matter closed. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questions. Thank you.

I had a pleasant experience with optima. They were very informative and knowledgeable. Kept me informed on the progress of my case.

Optima Tax Relief was an enormous help to me in my financial situation. They negotiated an Offer in Compromise with the IRS and allowed me to settle my debt for far less than the amount the IRS stated that I owed. They were professional, courteous and extremely communicative throughout the duration of the time that they worked with me and I would be happy to recommend them to anyone.