Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

March 2, Dear Ms [redacted] , This is in response to your rebuttal filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February 19, Thank you for taking the time to clarify and communicate to us why our service did not meet your expectationsWe have every desire to address your needs and provide the best solution available to resolve your issueWe hope you will find that the points below offer a fair solution We offer our sincere apologies, the timeframes you were given should have been consistentDue to the feedback we’ve received, TPG has modified the timeframe advertised on our website to allow more time for processingUnfortunately, we experienced large call volumes which correlated to extremely large funding schedules from the IRSThis unexpected spike in business caused extreme demand on our resources which crossed over into our processing times We are evaluating how we can enhance training for our agents and processes to avert this problem from occurring again in the futureI reviewed your case with the Manager and Lead team in order to clarify procedures and provide further trainingThe Manager will also be determining what corrective action needs to be taken for the agent involved in your claim We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and the manner in which your inquiry was handled by our Customer Service agentsAll the customer agents involved have been reminded of their obligation to always process customer inquiries in a respectful manner We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and thank you for your input and feedbackIf you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Senior Compliance Analyst

[redacted] Dear Mr [redacted] Banks are free to use anything as an account number Most bank account numbers range from 4- digits long Payroll services are usually the only ones to initiate direct deposit in order to ‘prenote’ the account (validate it by performing a ACH transaction) Otherwise, most companies do not validate and/or verify account numbers Once TPG receives the rejected refund, the company has the option of making another attempt to disburse funds to the customer or return the funds back to the IRSTPG delivered the refund to you through an alternative delivery method, which is a paper check mailed to your address of record We are currently evaluating how we can enhance our process and avert this problem from occurring again in the futureWe appreciate you bringing this to our attention and thank you for your input and feedbackIf you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm [redacted] Senior Compliance Analyst

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'm actually highly confused by thisWas this supposed to be a resolution? Because in no way, shape, or form am I satisfiedNot even closeThe IRS says that they still have not released my tax return back to them, despite it being over two weeks since it was sent to youThey still have received absolutely no word from youOther than my complaint to the Revdex.com, I have no received no contact from youWho thinks it is acceptable to steal money from someone? I will NEVER again due business with [redacted] if they continue to do business with SBTPGFortunately, from my talks with [redacted] , it appears that your contract will not be renewed next yearI will not be satisfied until I receive my money, IN FULL, as soon as possible Regards, [redacted]

April 19, [redacted] Dear Ms ***, This is in response to your complaint filed against the Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on April 10, In your complaint, you stated that you filed your taxes on January and was accepted by the IRS on February When you checked your account, you found that your refund was not depositedYou called Turbo Tax who explained that your refund was with TPGOnce you called TPG, you waited a long time to speak with someoneAs of now, you were given different timeframes for when your refund would be sent to the IRS We have experienced large call volumes which correlated to extremely large funding from the IRSThis unexpected spike in business caused extreme demands on our resources such as our customer service call center We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and the manner in which your inquiry was handled by our Customer Service agents All the customer agents involved have been reminded of their obligation to always process customer inquiries in a respectful manner On February 9, the IRS funded your federal returnOn March 16, your funds were placed on an automatic hold due to risk control triggered by information transmitted in your return TPG began the process of returning your funds to the IRS, specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, CAOnce we have returned funds to the IRS it can be several weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your accountIt is recommended that you contact the IRS at 800-829- [redacted] for further detailsYou may also log onto IRS.gov to seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your State I spoke with you and explained the timeframe for TPG sending back your fundsAs discussed in our conversation, if this timeframe changes, I will contact you with further information TPG is sorry for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedIf you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 858-550-***, Monday through Friday, am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

April 26, [redacted] Dear Ms***, This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on April 18, In your complaint you stated that since February 18, TPG has been holding your refundYou stated that TPG mailed your check on March but you never received your checkAfter calling multiple times, you were asked to fill out an Indemnity BondYou were told it would be sent within hours, but never received itAfter a week, you called and requested it to be sent againYou receive the Indemnity Bond on April 12, sent it back, but was told TPG did not receive itUpon review of your account, your refund was rejected by your bank because the account number you submitted to Taxslayer.com was an invalid account numberIn the scenario described in your complaint you have chosen a do-it-yourself (DIY) tax preparation software package The taxpayer is entirely responsible for the information provided to the software including the disbursement account where the refund will be depositedIf a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the refund deposit, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bank Often times this occurs because the taxpayer has entered incorrect bank account information or the account is closed In these cases the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction, and returns the funds to the sender, in this case TPG TPG has nothing to with incorrect account information entered by the taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to reject the fundsOnce you were verified, TPG mailed your refund as a Cashier’s Check on March 17, but you informed TPG you never received itTPG requested that you fill out an Indemnity Bond to allow TPG to cancel your first check and reissue a new oneOn April 21, TPG was able to process and approve your completed Indemnity BondYour refund was reissued as a Cashier’s Check and mailed to you on April TPG confirmed that the check was negotiated on April 25, Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our service did not meet your expectationsIf you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

February 25, [redacted] ** [redacted] Dear [redacted] , This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group through the Revdex.com on February 16, Your complaint stated that you were unable to receive your refund because there was an error with your accountSince you have moved to a new address, this has caused an additional delay in the release of your refund Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were prepared through [redacted] *** On February 9, the IRS funded your federal return; fees were deducted to pay your [redacted] user fees and an additional Bank processing fee for the RTThe balance was deposited to the account instructed on the [redacted] Refund Processing Agreement Your financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account an R04/ “Invalid Account Number”You may contact your financial institution and provide them with trace number: [redacted] for further details regarding the rejection of fundsThe funds were returned to TPG on February 10, We were unable to successfully verify the personal information you provided as part of your tax filing and therefore cannot process your refund For your protection the refund is being returned to the IRS You may contact them directly at [redacted] to determine the status of your refund If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

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 meWhen I have received the check in the mail as notedI will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolvedThank you for your response in a timely manner [redacted] was so helpful and prompt with her response I appreciate it greatlyI am confident with this company and their promise Regards, [redacted]

[redacted] * [redacted] RE: Case [redacted] Dear [redacted] ***, This email is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com on February 22, regarding service issues We realize that you personal confidential information has been compromised and your tax refund, in effect, has been stolen Be assured that the [redacted] has a process available to provide restitution for taxpayers who have had their identity compromised and their refund stolen We will help you as a victim get restitution from the *** Unfortunately this process will take some time and restitution won’t be immediate We will supply some forms and information to help you initiate the process Additionally, you should take measures to enhance the security of your confidential personal information in all areas We have performed analytics and are confident that this breach did not occur at TPG or your online tax provider and unfortunately it is likely that the breach occurred through one of the large national data breaches that has been publicized in the past 12months or through a phishing scheme directed to one of your personal devices We are working with you to help you resolve this issue in a more timely manner [redacted] with our office has contacted you with a suggestion that we believe will resolve your issue completely If you are not satisfied with Mr***’s suggestion, please let us know As a victim of identity theft, you should take immediate steps to protect your personal information File a report with the local policeFile a complaint with the [redacted] or the [redacted] at [redacted] or TTY [redacted] Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud alert’ on your credit records: [redacted] , [redacted] , [redacted] , [redacted] Close any accounts opened without your permission or tampered with It is recommended you take these additional steps: Respond immediately to any *** notice; call the number providedComplete [redacted] ***, [redacted] Use a fill-able form at [redacted] , print, then mail or fax according to their instructionsFor your convenience, I have also included a copy of this formContinue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paperIf you previously contacted the *** and did not have a resolution, contact the [redacted] at [redacted] Respectfully, [redacted]

February 24, [redacted] Dear [redacted] ***, This is in response to your complaint against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February 16, Your complaint stated you entered the wrong account information while filing your taxes with [redacted] Upon realizing this, you tried calling TPG to correct your initial mistake If a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the refund deposit, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bankOften times this occurs because the taxpayer has entered the incorrect bank information or the account is closedIn these cases the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction and returns the funds to the sender, in this case, TPGOnce TPG receives the rejected refund, the company has the option of making another attempt of sending it to the customer Upon review of your record, you have already taken the necessary steps to verify your account information with TPGTPG was able to release the hold on your accountYour refund check was issued on February Please allow up to days for your check to be delivered to your address on record If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

My boyfriend filed his taxes like he does every year with the same tax lady, but this year she offered this direct2cash from Walmart (which is Santa Barbara Tax Products Group) we didn't have a bank account so we opted for this choiceShe informed us we would be getting a text or email when she money arrived at Walmart ready to be picked upWe never got a text or an email, I had to check the website myself (which I also had many problems trying to do so) and I saw that the money was there on the 17th of Feb....it wasn't until Feb 20th that I had to manually check myself to find out if it had comeWe went to three different Walmarts and went back and forth with SBTPG and my tax ladyWhen my tax lady called SBTPG she was told one thing, and when we called we were told anotherNobody gives us an explanation as to why we cannot get OUR moneyFinally, they told us they would have to send the money to my tax lady and she would have to print out a check--this will take 3-business days to receive.....ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! This is absolutely ridiculous, and I will NEVER in my life recommend this business to a friend or even my worst enemy, please fix your PROBLEM Signed, disappointed and angry victim

Dear [redacted] , We are writing in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 2, To give you some background information and help you appreciate our role in your complaint, we would like to explain TPG’s relationship with [redacted] BankTPG, on behalf of [redacted] Bank (Bank), offers tax related financial products through a network of independent tax professionals and online tax preparation providersThese products provide the taxpayer a method of having their tax preparation fees deducted from their tax refund without paying any upfront feesWhen your taxes were prepared you chose a Refund Transfer (RT) productWhen the taxpayer selects an RT, they direct the IRS to deposit their tax refund into a temporary account at the BankWhen the Bank receives the IRS refund, the Bank makes deductions from the refund to pay the tax preparation fees and Bank feeThe balance of the refund is then disbursed to the taxpayer by way of deposit to an account designated by the taxpayerIn the complaint filed with Revdex.com, it was stated that there were problems surrounding the receipt of your tax refund You stated there was a hold placed on your account due to unusual activity and were informed by TPG to upload identification for the releaseOn February 7, 2017, you submitted your ID and were told to wait daysAssuming everything cleared and verifying that the IRS website states funds will be received February 23, 2017, you waitedSince you did not receive these funds then, you called TPG and were told they received your email without attachments on February 7, 2017, therefore the hold on your account was not releasedYou were again instructed to re-submit your identificationAfter re-submitting, your funds were still not releasedYou have since called in several times requesting confirmation of ID receipt, but told that TPG cannot confirm and you should wait for the processing of business daysFinally, you were told your case would be escalated to management, but have not heard anythingTo address your complaint, we have listed the timeline of events below: · According to our records, on February 3, 2017, TPG received your electronic filing record from [redacted] ***This means that you utilized tax software to prepare your tax return and elected to initiate a Refund Transfer to pay your software feesThe following occurred on February 3, 2017: o Your account was placed through enhanced due diligence at TPG to protect your account from fraudPlease understand that as a financial services business we are required to perform reasonable monitoring procedures to ensure fraud, such as ID theft, has not occurred through our business processesCertain factors in your tax return caused your account to be flagged as potentially suspiciousPlease note: Rather than rejecting the funds received by the IRS, which can delay your refund up to weeks, we allow our customers to submit an unexpired government issued photo ID go through ID authenticationOnce we can validate that you are the taxpayer associated with the tax return filed, we release all funds received by the government agencyFunds are held in a non-interest bearing account while we are waiting for the customer to respond to our enhanced due diligence requestIf the customer does not respond to our request within a timely manner, we return the funds to the IRSOn February 3, 2017, you were sent an email to the address noted in your tax return to inform you of the account hold and instruct you on how to release the holdOn February 22, 2017, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG, but remained on holdUnfortunately, the identification documentation you sent to TPG was unsuccessful to release the hold and you were asked to re-authenticate On February 27, 2017, you called into TPG inquiring on the status of your returnYou informed TPG that you uploaded your ID over weeks agoA TPG rep notified you nothing was received and asked you to re-upload again and allow business days for your identification to be reviewedAfter attempting this a second time, you called TPG once more to ensure the ID upload went throughOn February 28, 2017, TPG was able to validate your identification and released the account holdOn that same date, TPG deducted the fees related to your tax software fees and Refund TransferIt was deposited to the account filed on your tax returnTPG has disbursed your Refund via ACH Direct Deposit to the account information you provided on your tax returnPlease contact the ACH Department for your financial institution at [redacted] Please refer to the detailed client letter mailed to the address on file for tracking informationIf the funds have not posted to your bank account in 1-business days from the disbursement date, please check your records and make sure that the bank account number you provided is correctIf the information you provided is for a closed or an incorrect account number your refund may be returned to TPGIf the receiving bank returns your deposit, you may receive a check, which will be sent regular mail to the address on your tax return Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients from identity theftWe understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedAs a courtesy, TPG has refunded the RT fee of $via direct deposit to the account designated on your tax returnIf you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at [redacted] , Monday through Friday between 7:00am to 4:00pm (PST)Respectfully, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

February 18, [redacted] ** [redacted] Dear Mr***, This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Better Business Bureau on February 12, Your complaint stated that you were unable to receive adequate answers regarding the hold on your accountYou also stated that you had an unpleasant encounter with one of TPG’s Customer Service agents Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were prepared through Turbo Tax On February 9, the IRS funded your federal return Your bank rejected the funds and declared the account “No Account / Unable to Locate Account” You may contact your bank and provide them with trace number: [redacted] for further details regarding the rejection of funds If a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the refund, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bankOften times this occurs because the taxpayer has entered the wrong account information or the account is closedIn these cases, the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction, and returns the funds to the sender, in this case, TPGOn February 18, the rejected funds were reprocessed and converted into a checkThe check will be issued within the next hoursPlease allow up to days for the check to be received at your address of record On behalf of TPG, I would like to formally apologize for the manner in which your inquiry was handled by our Customer Service agentsThe customer agent you named has been reminded of their obligation to always process customer inquiries in a respectful manner If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

[redacted] size="3"> [redacted] Blvd Apt [redacted] AZ [redacted] Re: Case [redacted] April 21, Dear [redacted] , This is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com of San Diego on April 12, regarding service issues Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were prepared through Turbo TaxOn February 13, the IRS funded your federal return; fees were deducted to pay your Turbo Tax user fees and an additional bank deposit product feeThe balance was deposited to the account instructed on the [redacted] ***, N.ARefund Processing AgreementYour Bank rejected the funds and declared the account an [redacted] “No Account/Unable to Locate Account”You may contact your bank and provide them with trace number [redacted] to discuss the rejection of fundsThe funds were returned to TPG on February 19, According to your contract, TPG issued a Cashier’s Check on February 19, and mailed it to the address on recordThe cashier’s check was returned to our office on March as “undeliverable” You state in your complaint that an Indemnity Bond was filed for a reissue of the cashier’s checkThis form came in after we initiate the process of returning your funds to the IRSThis was explained to you on March and again on March In regards to fees, TPG charges a commercially reasonable processing fee to cover the expenses associated with reprocessing these itemsMost banks typically charge between $and $for return item feesIn this case, you were charged a $reprocessing fee for the rejection of funds and an additional legal processing fee of $to return funds back to the IRSNo interest is earned on your deposit and your deposit is not being used by any financial institution during the processing of your refundThis process along with the associated fees is disclosed in different sections of the Turbo Tax RT applicationPlease review the attached application and agreement for full disclosure TPG has returned your funds to the IRS on March 26, Please be advised that the IRS can take several weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your accountIt is recommended that you contact the IRS at 800-829-for further details Please feel free to contact me at ***-***-***, Monday through Friday am to pm, if you have any further questions or concerns regarding this complaint Respectfully, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

[redacted] RE: Case [redacted] Dear [redacted] , This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com of San Diego on April 9, regarding held funds and customer service issues As part of routine audits we undertake in cooperation with the IRS, if a record is flagged funds are held in order to verify the identity of each record holder These controls are in place to protect our customers from identity theft and fraud As a third party processor for Sunrise Banks, N.A., our regulators require that we follow identification procedures, which are part of the statute of the USA Patriot Act, by requesting and processing copies of your unexpired government-issued picture ID, Social Security card and other supporting documentationThank you for your cooperation in forwarding the required documents, we realize this is a sensitive issue with the rise in ID theft and fraudPlease note that all confidential information is handled securelyOnce you were verified as the lawful owner of the funds, your refund was released on April 9, Thank you for the inquiry and the opportunity to resolve the issueIf you have any further concerns or questions regarding this complaint please feel free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday am to pm Respectfully, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

March 9, [redacted] Dear Ms [redacted] , This letter is in response to the complaint filed by the above referenced consumer with the RevDex.com against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG)According to your complaint, you filed her tax return through [redacted] on January 21, 2016; however, you entered an incorrect account number and the funds were rejected back to TPGYou stated you have contacted TPG multiple times, but have been unable to resolve this matterUpon review of your record, an RT was chosen when your taxes were prepared through [redacted] ***On February 9, the IRS funded the federal return; fees were deducted to pay the [redacted] user fees and an additional Bank processing fee for the RTThe balance was deposited to the account instructed on the [redacted] Refund Processing AgreementYour financial institution rejected the funds because they were unable to locate the specified accountPlease note, as a risk control, rejected transactions are placed on hold until TPG can verify the taxpayer’s identity, at which time a Cashier’s Check is issuedOn February 12, 2016, you contacted TPG regarding the status of your refund and alerted TPG that you had entered an incorrect account numberTPG explained that the account was placed on hold and once your identity was verified, the funds would be released via Cashier’s CheckYou informed TPG multiple times that you uploaded the appropriate documents to identify yourself as the account holderPlease note, due to the volume during the same time frame, TPG retracted the standard two business day SLA and extended the review period On February 29, 2016, TPG was able to verify your information and released the hold on the account The refund was reissued as a Cashier’s Check on March 1, TPG confirmed that the check was negotiated on March 8, TPG is sorry for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedIf you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday 7:am to 3:pm Respectfully, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

May 5, [redacted] Dear Mr [redacted] We are writing in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbra Tax Products Group (TGP) on April 25, To give you some background and help you appreciate our role in your complaint, we would like to explain TPG’s role with Civista Bank (Bank)TPG is a third party process for the BankThrough a network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals and online tax preparation servicesThe product you have used through TPG, called the “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax software or your tax preparation fees directly out of your refundThis saved you the difficulty of paying these fees upfront to your tax preparer or Software CompanyYour complaint stated that on January 21, 2016, you filed your taxes through Turbo TaxYou received a notification from the IRS indicating that your taxes needed further information, which delayed your refund 12-weeks You constantly checked the IRS website for any new updates regarding your refundOn April 20, 2016, the IRS informed you that your refund would be deposited to your bankUnfortunately, you were unaware of an email TPG sent you in February requesting you to submit your identification through TPG’s online portalYou attempted to call TPG to learn more information regarding your refund, but was unable to get through to someoneOnce you did, you spoke with a representative named Rochelle, who would not provide you with the information you needed regarding your accountTo address your complaint while still protecting your identity, we have written you a detailed letter with specific information related to your accountOur letter outlines the timeline of events and referenced specific dollar amountsTo respond to your Revdex.com complaint, we will summarize the events, but please reference the letter we sent you for additional details.\ In summary, TPG received your refund from the IRS on April 19, Due to certain fraud filters your transaction was placed on hold in a non-interest bearing account for additional verification This account hold was placed on April 19, (the same day payment was received from the IRS) You were sent an email to the address on file with instructions for how to verify your account TPG requested that you submit a valid form of identification in order to validate your accountThis validation process allows TPG to release the hold on your account and deposit your refund into your accountOn April 26, 2016, TPG was able to validate your identification and release the account holdYour refund was deposited into your account on April 26, Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients from identity theftWe understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedSincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

March 4, [redacted] ***> Dear Mr***, This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February 24, You complaint stated that you were told to send your identification in order for TPG to release your refundYou waited two weeks and still have not received your refund Controls are in place to protect our customers from identity theft and fraudOn February 25, TPG was able to verify your information, released the hold from your account and as contracted, mailed a check to your address on recordOur records show that your check was cashed on March 4, Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our service did not meet your expectations We have every desire to address your needs and provide the best solution available to resolve your issue as soon as possible We hope the points listed above offered a fair solution If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted] , Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

I've been doing with turbo tax for a few years never have I had a problem with them getting my asking information wrongSo now They can't find my returnSaid that Santa Barbara bank Has it and has tried sending it twice!! You all are doing that to collect moneyAnd must have changed my account information

Dear [redacted] , This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Product Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on April 5, First and foremost, TPG would like to apologize for your negative experience with TPG’s customer service departmentWe take this complaint very seriously and are committed to providing each customer a positive experience with our companyWe appreciate you as a customer and value your businessTo help you understand our process, we have listed out the events associated with your account as follows: According to our records, on January 27, 2017, TPG received your electronic filing record from your online software providerOn February 22, 2017, TPG received payment related to your federal tax refundTPG then deducted the fees related to your tax software fees and RT feeOn that same date, the funds were deposited to the account designated on record, as requested when you filed your tax returnPlease refer to the detailed client letter mailed to the address on record for the account detailsOn March 1, 2017, the financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account an R23/“Credit Entry Refused by Receiver”Please refer to the detailed client letter mailed to the address on record for the details regarding your Banks ACH Department and tracking number, for further details regarding the rejection of fundsThe funds were returned to TPG on March 1, If a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the refund deposit, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bankOften times this occurs because the taxpayer has entered incorrect bank account information or the account is closedIn these cases the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction, and returns the funds to the sender, in this case TPGOnce TPG receives the rejected refund the company has the option of making another attempt to disburse funds to the customerTPG delivered the refund to you through an alternative delivery method, which is a paper check mailed to the address on record On March 2, 2017, TPG issued a check and mailed it to the address on recordOn March 17, 2017, the check was returned to TPG as undeliverableFor your protection and due to two failed attempts in disbursing your refund we could not proceed any further in our effortsTPG is obligated to return the funds back to the IRS, specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, California On April 10, 2017, TPG began the process of returning your funds to the IRSThis process can take up to business daysPlease be advised that once we have returned funds to the IRS it can be several weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your account Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients from identity theftWe understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced If you have any additional concerns, you may contact TPG at [redacted] , Monday through Friday between 7:am to 4:pm (PST) Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

May 5, [redacted] Dear Ms***, We are writing in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) on April 21, To give you some background and help you appreciate our role in your complaint, we would like to explain TPG’s relationship with [redacted] (Bank) [redacted] is a third party processor for the BankThrough this relationship, [redacted] is able to offer tax products which are sold through [redacted] through a network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals and online tax preparation servicesThe product you have used through TPG, called the “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax software or your tax preparation fees directly out of your tax refundThis saved you the difficulty of paying these fees upfront to your tax preparer or Software CompanyYour complaint stated that [redacted] would not send your refund You requested that [redacted] send your refundTo address your complaint while still protecting your identity, we have written you a detailed letter with specific information related to your accountOur letter outlined the timeline of events and referenced specific dollar amounts and account informationTo respond to your Revdex.com complaint, we will summarize the events, but please reference the letter we sent you for additional detailsIn summary, on February 8, 2016, [redacted] received your electronic filing record from [redacted] TaxThis means that you used [redacted] Tax software to prepare your own tax return and you elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay for your software fees [redacted] received the data file and no monies were transferred The IRS funded your return on April 5, and [redacted] submitted payment to the account you stated on your tax returnOn April 12, 2016, you called [redacted] to inquire about the status of your refund A [redacted] representative explained that your funds were deposited to the account you had listed on your tax return on April 5, [redacted] provided you a trace number and confirmed payment was sent to the account number from your tax return To help you, [redacted] sent a “Letter of Research” to [redacted] *** This letter was sent on April 12, and requested detailed information regarding the payment [redacted] had made to your account On April 12, 2016, [redacted] responded that your account was closed On April 19, 2016, your bank rejected payment and your funds were received at [redacted] because the account was closedDue to heightened fraud within the tax industry and to help protect our customers, [redacted] requires that all accounts with a rejected bank payment are placed through additional verification before funds can be released Due to this requirement your transaction was placed on hold on April 19, in a non-interest bearing account for additional verification In order to provide us comfort that your transaction is not fraudulent, we ask that you submit an unexpired government identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, to validate your identity You were sent an email with instructions on how to release the account hold [redacted] received your identification on April 21, You were told that it would take up to days to review your documents and validate your account As a courtesy to you, [redacted] escalated the risk review Your refund, was sent as a Cashier’s Check on April 25, According to our records, this check cleared on May 4, Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients from identity theftWe understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedSincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst