Optima Tax Relief LLC

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.
In 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 true. When I contacted Optima Tax Relief I explained my current situation as well as how I got there. I 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 taxes. They told me that was common and they specialized in situations like mine. I had an active wage garnishment at the time and they assured me they could terminate it as soon as they were “Officially” representing me. Neither of these statements were true.
 
As such I paid them over $12,000 while I continued to pay the garnishment making it impossible for me to pay my bills. I had to borrow the money from my parents to pay them. They kept telling me they were “working on my case” and to be patient while they continued to accept nearly $1000 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 continued. They lied and manipulated me. The garnishment finally stopped when I was terminated from my employer but they continued to take their monthly payment of nearly $1000 while my only income was $240 per week from unemployment. Still 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 resolution. They have never given the impression that they cared about me or my tax issues. Their motivation was purely financial. Alas, 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 me. They went from passive and elusive to combative and aggressive. Unfortunately, I could have used the time and money from this debacle to pay down the IRS on my own. From 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 Relief. They emphatically assured me that they are “the professionals” and they have “experience with cases like mine” and that they would provide the best outcome. Again, 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 started. I 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]

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 have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  I have emailed and spoken with the business in response to the filed complaint. The information conveyed by them during those calls does not match the information conveyed in their response to the Revdex.com. Among other things, their representative made several false 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 Optima.
I am still demanding a full refund of all amounts owed. 
Regards,
[redacted]

SUMMARY -
Optima...

Tax's management immediately made contact with the
clients upon receiving the Revdex.com complaint. We have addressed each of the clients’
concerns as stated in their complaint, and they are satisfied with the outcome
we have reached.
 
RESPONSE
-
Optima Tax’s management immediately made contact with the
clients to address their concerns. While speaking with the client, we informed
them that Optima had performed a full and thorough Investigation and that we
presented our findings to the clients, to which they agreed. Initially, the
client stated that they had not received the transcript of their case. Upon
reviewing the clients’ case, it was shown that the Tax Associate did provide
certain documents to the clients, however, it appears there was some
misunderstanding causing incorrect documents to be transmitted. Upon this
discovery, Optima Tax quickly remedied
this issue and provided the client with the requested documents. The clients have
confirmed they are satisfied with the outcome of our conversations and Optima
appreciates their willingness to work through
this issue.
 
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.

It was a pleasure doing business with Optima Tax, They were very helpful during what could have been a very stressful experience,I would recommend this company highly for any back-tax issues for professional and competent service that saved us thousands.
Thanks so much,
Mrs [redacted]

I was initially skeptical, and dodged Optima Tax Relief. I asked questions over and over, and was leery about giving them my credit card information over the phone. After, Optima Tax Relief asked me to come visit their office and meet with them, I then felt at ease.
I signed up with Optima Tax Relief over the phoneand I did not regret it. They informed clearly of the possible outcome for a delinquent $10,000 amount I owed to IRS.
In about 5-6 months time, Optima Tax Relief, through Power Of Attorney gathered all required tax papers from me, communicated with the IRS on my behalf, brought all my tax paperwork up to date, and at the end, they constructed a Settlement with the IRS for $50.00 because of my hardship.
I highly recommend Optima Tax Relief to anyone who is in the same position that I found myself in.......YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. [redacted]

I like a lot of people I was skeptical to use Optima Tax Relief even though I knew I needed their services. I called a couple of times but didn't feel confident in what was being said to me. Then I talked to Ethan at extention 152 and he took the time to help me understand the process. Through out the process If I had questions or couldn't get in touch with another department I could call Ethan and he would help. It's a lengthy process but it was worth it. I have already spread the word to my friends and family to work with Optima for tax issues.

SUMMARY -
Optima...

Tax's management made contact with the client to discuss
his concerns as outlined in the complaint and we’re still working towards a
resolution.
RESPONSE
-
Optima Tax’s management has made contact with the client to
discuss their claim as outlined in the agreement. We are still working towards
a resolution and, their concerns are being addressed accordingly. As part of
our representation, it is our job to build a case and present it to the IRS
and/or state tax authority in hopes of negotiating a favorable resolution. Part
of our process consists of gathering important financial and tax documents in
order to determine the best available services that we can provide to the
client. Unfortunately, during this process the IRS expressed serious concerns
with certain filings that the client had previously made prior to engaging our
services. The client could not locate the tax documents unfortunately and this
resulted in a delay of servicing.
It’s
unfortunate that the client feels that the actions taken by the state taxing
authority were a direct result of Optima’s representation, or as they stated
the lack thereof. However, the actions that the state taxing authority took
were a result of collection activity that the state had begun prior to the client
contacting Optima Tax Relief. In contrast to what was stated in the complaint,
Optima Tax does not guarantee that engaging our services will prevent any and
all collection activity from being initiated by the IRS or state taxing
authority. This is clearly disclosed to the client and each client acknowledges
this, in writing and verbally, prior to beginning our service. Although the
client did eventually provide us with the documents we requested from them, unfortunately,
the documents they would provide were sporadic and often incomplete.  The delays we experienced in receiving the
requested documents from the client prevented us from having an opportunity to
prevent any action being initiated by the state and/or IRS.
Furthermore,
the IRS and/or state taxing authority will often take several months to process
tax returns. As a result, this required us to ask the client for updated
financial information in order for us to negotiate with the IRS and state
taxing authority. We are disappointed that the client feels that this is due to
poor servicing on our behalf because we always strive to keep the client
informed of the progress on their 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
philosophy. We take all complaints very seriously, and we do our best to turn
them around when possible. Optima Tax
will continue their efforts in resolving this unfortunate dispute until a
resolution is met. Thank you.

Very satisfied with the service and only recommendation is that Optima work and keeping their customers better informed throughout the process as we had to continually contact Optima for status of process.

Sent this company $500 to start helping me with my tax problem, without getting any personal information on the years needing filed they came back with needing to pay them $18,000 to handle my case, saying I owe something like $200,000 in back taxes, when I know from the paperwork I have those figures are wrong. I set up a potential payment plan which had to be paid in just a few months, which if I had that kind of funds I would just give it to the IRS. When I called them to say I could not do it they never called back, so I sent an email, there was no reply that way either, but I did get several calls from them asking to speak to a Mike, (not my name). I was suppose to trust this company with my taxes and they cant even keep phone numbers straight. Basically I sent them $500 and got nothing, surly not $500 worth of work.

SUMMARY - Optima Tax's management has been in...

contact with the client and we 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 hiring Optima Tax happened to be the worst mistake he’s made. However, as the client stated Optima Tax did resolve his case in the manner that the client had agreed in our Client Services Agreement. To say that Optima Tax “preys” on people is a completely false statement. Each client that enrolls has contacted Optima Tax for assistance. Furthermore, each client is given complete and accurate information on our services, how we approach each case, and how Optima Tax will resolve their case. To ensure each client has a full understanding of the services Optima Tax will be provide in each phase of our two phase approach, each client will go through a voice recorded Verification Call that covers the services that will be provided, along with important legal disclosures that requires a “yes” response before moving forward. After reviewing both Verification Calls, the client agreed to all disclosures, including but not limited to, the fact that a reduction is not guaranteed and must be accepted by the Tax Authority. Additionally, at no point did Optima Tax promise, guarantee or insinuate that the client would receive any form of reduction. After speaking with the client, he did confirm that he had high hopes of receiving some form of reduction, but confirmed that he was never guaranteed that his case qualified for a reduction. We also discussed the fact that not every client meets the criteria to submit for a lump sum payment. After discussing these matters with the client, we are pleased to say that we have come to a mutual agreement that satisfies 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 consider this matter closed. Please do not hesitate to contact Optima Tax with any questions. Thank you.

After being scammed by several other tax relief companies I contacted Optima as advertised on a radio talk show. Optima stayed with my tax problem, including several detailed requests by the IRS, for a full year before getting a settlement that I can now live with in my retirement. After four years of worry I finally have peace of mined.

I would recommend Optima Tax relief to anyone in need of assistance with the IRS. They are extremely professional, hard working , and easy to get ahold of. I have tried numerous other companies with my tax issues and all have failed me. From start to finish Optima did exactly what they said they were going to do in a timely manner. Once again I am thoroughly impressed with everyone I worked with at Optima they get a, A+ from me

I had a back tax debt from my husband’s life insurance of $30,000 with penalties and interest. Optima Tax did everything that they said they would do. The filled my back tax returns, communicated with the IRS on my behalf. My debt was settled with the IRS for $150. That is it $150!!!
This was a very stressful situation for me, dealing with the death of my husband, and then getting notice from the IRS that I owed them over $30,000 and they had put a lien on my home. Optima Tax sorted through pages and pages of documents to get to the bottom line. I NEVER could have done this on my own. I would have lost my house that my husband and I made a home and I will forever be grateful.

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.
Regards,
[redacted]

It is unfortunate the client feels statements made by Optima Tax were not as they seem because the statements made by Optima’s management in our initial response are true and correct facts of the case. We have contractual documentation, IRS documentation and verbal evidence that we can provide to further support our statements.     The client mentions in their rebuttal that Optima Tax has two programs available. To be clear, we do not offer any type of programs. We offer a service that helps various tax payers resolve their outstanding tax liabilities with the IRS by providing our representation. We do, however, work in a two phase approach. Phase one being our Investigation Phase and phase two being our Resolution Phase. For the record, Optima Tax has fulfilled all contractual obligations pertaining to both phase one and two.   Although the client did at one point have an Installment Agreement payment plan in place with the IRS for $270.00, when they contacted Optima Tax on March 23, 2015 no such Installment Agreement was in place. Per the Compliance call Optima Tax had with the IRS in May of 2015, the IRS agent Optima spoke with confirmed that the client was in collections and that they were in active collections. To gain a full understanding of the client's current tax liability we had ordered their IRS transcripts. Per the IRS transcripts the client was at one point making a monthly installment payment of $270.00, however, the last payment received by the IRS was on December 10, 2014. Per the same transcripts the IRS cancelled this Installment Agreement on March 16, 2015. Coincidently, the client contacted Optima Tax on March 23, 2015 shortly after the payment arrangement previously set up had defaulted, which led client to seek the assistance of Optima Tax.   It’s unfortunate that the clients feel that Optima Tax did not earn the fees paid towards services. We understand and sympathize with the client that their goal is to have their debt with the IRS completely eliminated. However, what the client does not realize is that they never qualified for a complete reduction. The client was thoroughly informed that they did not qualify for a complete reduction before our Resolution Services commenced and client was fully aware of these facts when they decided to move forward with Optima Tax. Furthermore, based off our negotiations and efforts, we saved the client roughly $2,300.00 per month in payments to the IRS, protected their assets, and they are on a fixed plan that will prevent any future collection activity as long as the clients remain complaint with their resolution.      We appreciate the opportunity to address all of the clients' concerns and hope we were able to provide further clarification on the matter.

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.
I do not agree with Optima's response. We've have had on going emails back and forth.  The statements, email, names & dates I have provided to Optima in all of my replies remain true. The documented evidence Optima speaks of in this response was never provided to me.  Optima received this letter addressed in c/o [redacted] from the IRS back in July 28, 2015 but I was never provided a copy until Mr. [redacted] sent me a copy on January 28, 2016.  The IRS letter only covers a settlement which included only 2010,2011,2013, & 2014.  There is still the matter of 2012.  Contrary to the statement made from Optima, on several occasions I provided Optima with my 2012 tax returns which contained a balance owed. Information and emails discussing my 2012 taxes where made with Optima on the following dates:
Email 1/29/15 – email sent informing your investigating
department & [redacted] of the uploaded documents and explanation into
the 2012 tax returns that were also uploaded.
Email 1/30/15 – Acknowledgement of documents received by [redacted]
Email 1/26/15 – Email from [redacted] in which it states that
Optima was going to prepare my 2012 & 2014 tax returns.
Email 4/2/15 – Email from [redacted] in which she
attaches my 2012 prepared tax returns. And guess what even those taxes that
[redacted] prepared showed I owed the IRS an estimated tax of $3244 and $355 to the
state. WOW!!!!! And to think you keep saying I didn’t owe anything. What an
it!
Email 4/3/15 -  An email I sent to [redacted]
informing here that I did not need my 2012 taxes prepared because I already had
them done. I once again included in this email my 2012 Tax returns forms 1040
that show I owed the IRS $3031.oo and form 540 showing I owed the State
$234.00. 
So for Optima to make these statements to the Revdex.com is all false.  This same information I am providing here, I provided to Optima but they have been to lazy to research the dates, emails and names to who these emails where sent to.  So on February 4th, 2016, I forward copies of these same emails with all attachments to Mr. [redacted]. 
As for my not notifying Optima of the documents I received from the IRS demanding payment & enforcing action, this is also completely false as well. The following emails dates and names are the emails sent to Optima with attachments of the documents I was receiving from the IRS. Again, this same information was provide to MR. [redacted] as proof but as mentioned before he is to lazy to conduct any investigation or research into these dates or timeline I have provide. See below: 
Email 11/10/15 – email to [redacted] with attachments of all
the IRS notices I received.
Email 12/16/15 – sent the email from 11/10/15 because [redacted] couldn’t
find it along with an additional notice from the IRS I received
AS I stated from the start, I do not want nothing more to do with Optima to resolve the current position Optima has but me in with the IRS.  I provided Optima with all the information from the start of my association with Optima.  As I have presented all of the proof and fact, Optima failed to do their part. They claim that I will not allow them to validate my claim but yet I have provided Optima with emails, dates, names to look up and yet have done nothing. I do not trust Optima's business ethics any longer, I want nothing to do with them anymore. All their statements have been false. Their answer to the current problem with the IRS is that I failed to make my payments.  For all of these reasons I have stated above, I DO NOT want their assistance any longer.  All I want is matter settled and my refund for $2000.00 that I requested from the start.
 
Regards,
[redacted]

I would really like to take the time and thank Optima Tax Relief for all that they have done for me. Since 2001, I started getting into debt with the IRS. I was really young and naïve, made a few mistakes, which led me into owing the IRS up to about $15,000. I was lost and had no where to turn. As skeptical as I was, which I am about most things, I called OTR and moved forward with my tax resolution. This process didn't happen over night, but in the end it was all worth it. OTR was able to help me qualify and get an Offer in Compromise, in which we settled for $100. Plus a few other requirements. Although everyone's situation is different, I highly recommend OTR to help you with your tax situation. I also owe a huge gratitude to [redacted] and the rest of the team, they helped me move through the process with not a whole lot of stress and ease. Once again thank you. A tax debt that has been looming over my head for about 13 years is now settled, and I can now move on. Thank you OTR!

Optima Tax Relief helped relieve a lot of stress with owing unpaid taxes! They stopped all liens and garnishments and resolved all my issues in a timely manner. They were very professional and patient throughout the entire process! I will definitely use them again in the future!

One of the best decisions we ever made was to contact Optima Tax Relief to assist us in getting our tax debt under control. Our 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 debt. The 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.