Platinum Tax Defenders

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10015782, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. You were most helpful in this delicate matter. This matter can be closed at this time.
Regards,
 
[redacted]

I am rejecting his rejection due to the fact of all the detailed activity that is attached here.  This man is untruthful and we helped him by releasing two bank levies, put him in two payment plans.  Yes, we started the offer in compromise process before learning that his 2014 taxes had $400K in reported income and equity of $700K + in his house.  No OIC will be accepted under those circumstances.  We resolved Mr. S[redacted]'s IRS debt by putting him in a payment plan and we got back his money from the bank levy.  That is all anyone will be able to do with his circumstances.  I feel this is completely unfair to my company by Mr. S[redacted] to distort the facts in his situation.   As I said before, we can only act on the facts and TRUTH of the information that is given to us.  He did not pay for an outcome, he paid for resolution.  (See attached contract page 4, section VI).  His matter is resolved and his case is closed.
Sincerely,
S[redacted]
CEO 
Platinum Tax Defenders

Complaint: 10629614
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
Dwyane Brown I did get upset with R[redacted] about the second rejection because the IRS said the paperwork they mailed wasn't in a timely matter. also I did tell B[redacted] and D[redacted] about my 401k. ive called THEM Back numerous timestheyd send me to the resolution department voice mail. I asked them in the beginning how many options did they provide because before I hired them I did my homework knowing a offer an compromise would be a long shot so they told me threr were a number of ways, payment plan would be last resort. well after speaking with R[redacted] , I asked him to let me speak to someone belse of higher status cause I felt he wasn't getting the job done. they haven't returned any of my calls since.  I mailed them every paper they asked for. how bcan I hide anything from the irs. they put a lien omn me a soon as they fidel the first offer. called and asked them to have it removed they never responded , called back three times on that.I just want to get what I paid for. they were nice as can be till they got my money

Complaint: 10699717
I am rejecting this response because: The response from S[redacted] was not accurate regarding my conversation with Amy today.  At no time, did I AGREE to drop this complaint.  The discussion we had went as follows:  She told me that not responding to the IRS for the meeting on June 11th regarding the CDP was planned.  She had no explanation or reason for not getting back to me about the papers I received from the IRS that I immediately faxed to them on June 29th.  I called and my wife called prior to the holiday both leaving messages regarding this missed meeting with the IRS and the certified letter from them that we recieved.  She asked me to lift the complaint and I told her that the only way I would lift the complaint was either by getting a refund from them for $7560.00 which was payment for the CDP or to complete what they told me they would do.   S[redacted]'s statement regarding the levy and collections was previously paid for and is not part of the $7560.  Please note in addition that on May 27, we received a fax cover sheet from them stating "Your power of attorney will soon have a collection due process hearing with an IRS agent to determine your financial standing and why you should not be collected upon."  Wouldn't you think this was the meeting they missed on June 11th?   I believe the only reason I received a phone call today was due to this complaint.  We want this to work out but at this time the complaint has to stand until we are satisfied and Platinum proves they truly are an accredited business.
Regards,
[redacted] M[redacted]

Please find attached by response with a listing of activities done on Mr. [redacted]r's case.
Thanks,
[redacted]
Platinum Tax Defenders

Complaint: 11489490
I am rejecting this response because I didn't know that what I was told verbally would be different than the paperwork sent to me to sign and I didn't know that I needed a lawyer to confirm that was I was signing was the same thing I was told verbally by a "law firm". 
They say they're there to "resolve" my tax issue without creating "a financial hardship" but I told Amy that I couldn't afford anything as, one, I don't have 401K asessts and the 401K Cory has already has a loan balance. I can't take another loan out on the 401K until the first loan is satisfied/paid. The only way to get money from his 401K is to close his 401K and pay a 10% penalty plus more taxes for 2016 and two, by mortgage is higher than the IRS system allows as I live in Orange County. I asked her to find a way to contact the IRS to see if there was anything they could do to understand my cost of living was higher than they allow on their website due to living in a high cost area, the fact that we are taking care of my father in law who doesn't work, and we have two children to provide for. I also explained that neither I or Cory could get a second job due to disabilities and asked if there was a disability act that could be considered. 
Amy told me she could due an "offer in compromise" that would reduce the debt with the IRS, but when she sent me the paperwork, she indicated that I would have to pay almost $400 to the IRS for them to even consider reducing the debt. I told her I couldn't afford the fees and she said there was nothing more she could do. 
I had already set up a payment plan with the IRS prior to making a call to platinum and would've stuck with that payment plan if I wasn't told that they could help me and that I wouldn't be paying them $950 and then still owing the IRS the full amount. This company has done nothing for me that I couldn't do myself, especially for the $950 I paid. 
I have had nothing but problems and lies since my initial phone call with Platinum Tax Defenders starting with putting my husband's incorrect social security number on the POA to not "resolving" anything for me. 
They want to hide behind a contract I signed under false pretenses because I trusted them based on that initial phone call question with Caleb instead of reading all the information that was sent. 
I deserve a refund as they are not only causing me "financial hardship" but also undue stress and anxiety of having to fight to get a fee given back to me that should have never been charged if I didn't "qualify" for the fresh start program. 
 
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: 11450299
I am rejecting this response because:
All documents and information was provided on time in advance of the April deadline for estimates of payment. Payments to the IRS was in excess of estimate provided by Air Azim and paid on time. I was personally told by S[redacted] that my documents were lost/misplaced by a former employee A[redacted] that was subsequently fired.  Only this year, I was notified that they found my file so the matter of lost property is closed but the complaint that their responsible for 'late filing' remains open.
The incompetence of Platinum Tax Defenders continues even today as I would expect them to know what information is provided by the IRS as official record. I was due a refund and I have proof from Platinum Tax Defenders and the IRS of this fact. The IRS penalty is due to 'Late filing' not failure to pay. I continually remind them of this for which they refuse to recognize. I also have proof that Platinum Tax Defenders admitted to the IRS that they were responsible for the late filing and Platinum Tax Defenders ignores this as well.
If Platinum Tax Defenders can successfully reverse or reimburse me of the penalty for 'Late Filing' completely, I would consider the matter closed.
Regards,
[redacted] P[redacted]

Complaint: 10341210I am rejecting this response because:
Everything that I was told to do I did with the exception of being able to pay every single month which they said was ok.  Also, they asked me for material and at no time did I send them anything that was falsified.  The IRS stated to me that Platinum Tax Defenders sent in the wrong information.  First of all, this makes no sense that they are blaming me, they asked me for records and I gave them records...this was not just something that I typed up or colored onto a piece of scratch paper, these were actual documents.  My child support, 401K amounts and everything else was on a legal document that I faxed into them, so for them to say that it was wrong meanst they altered or sent in the wrong info.  Now they are saying that I only paid just over $2,000.  They can't even get their numbers right, the last email stated that it was over $3,000.  Regardless, the numerous attempts that I tried to make to them stating that I had the money again to pay them and not hearing anything back is the reason that I am upset.  They contacted me, I never contacted them, I was upstairs on my computer when Kathy Lentz called me.  During that phone call, she stated to me that it would be ok to make payments to them.  It was extremely difficult for me to pay them $500 per month, but at times I did and they were nice enough to work with me.  However, when I was unable to make a payment for a short time, they started to harass me and even threaten to cancel my case with them.  It was ONLY at this point did I become offensive not all the way thru like the lies in their response state.  After paying them a lot of money, I got one result back from the State of MN rejecting my claim, not at all because of documents being falsified, but because I was still young enough and able to work.  I have no idea where Platinum Tax Defenders is getting their info, but they did absolutely nothing for me except gather info, harass me for payments when I was told they would work with me and still as you can see, they are fighting with me.  Get me my results you promised, I pay you, and we all move on.Regards,[redacted]

To Whom It May Concern: Please find below a detailed account of everything we have done with Mr. Horn since he became a client.  The bottom line is that we can not control the states or the IRS time frames.  All we can do is what we did here and present the information and...

diligent follow up.  He hired us to modify his garnishment and that is what we have done.   Case 83209 Client contacted us on August 29th 2016 regarding resolution, i.e.  Garnishment modification of outstanding state levies.  The levies were issued by the state prior to the client retaining us due to the client owing unpaid back taxes and not addressing the liabilities with the state in a timely manner causing the state to issue the attachments.  The FTB dos not issue garnishments on wages and bank accounts as the first action they take on a case but as a last result only when all other avenues of resolution have been exhausted or ignored by the taxpayer. As background it should also be noted that the state is under no obligation to release or modify garnishments but only do so at their own discretion. We sent the client our initial documentation to be signed which included our agreement and the power of attorney’s forms to contact the tax agencies on his behalf on August 29th 2016 at 4:51pm. Client sent the documents back to us signed and completed August 30th 2016 at 12:55pm. The client called us at 1:25pm pm August 30, 2016 to confirm we got his documents and we confirmed. We sent the client a  Financial Organizer to be filled out on August 31st 2016 at 4:31pm. We received the Financial Organizer and supporting documents September 1st 2016 at 12:50pm. For the FTB they require the 3561 form to be filled out and sent back. So we sent that to client September 2nd at 12:23pm. We called the client to explain we sent over the documents the FTB will need filled out to release or modify the levy at 12:31pm. They were received at 1:37pm that same day. The power of attorney forms were sent to the FTB September 6th 2016 at 8:17am. These forms can take up to 10 days to process with the FTB. Unless they are processed we cannot speak to an agent on a case.  The 3561 financial form was mailed and faxed to the FTB September 15th 2016 10:46am. The client called us at 11:46am for an update, we informed him we sent the information to the FTB for urgent review. We also asked for the fax number to his employer, which he gave us. The client called again on September 20th for another update, which we told him Maurice will be making the call today. Maurice called the FTB September 20th at 11:08am and the agent stated the form was under review to call back Thursday September 22nd 2016. The client called us September 21st 2016 at 11:51am for an update and we let him know the FTB is reviewing his documents. The client stated he needed to know by tomorrow because that’s when he payroll process the pay. Maurice called the FTB September 22nd at 9:20am and they transferred him to a collections agent who stated it has an assigned agent, so he, Maurice, was transferred again to the appropriate agent. That said agent did not answer so Maurice left a detailed message for an urgent call back. We sent the client an email l at 9:21am giving an update. The client wrote back thanking us for the update and the pay roll department is holding off for as long as they can. During this wait time we had established his disposable income is $X,XXXX.XX  a month. This is why the FTB was taking time to review and make a final determination as with that amount of disposable income, they need more substantiation to consider modification. The client called us on September 26th 2016 at 3:04pm to insist he also had an IRS levy to which we made a call to the IRS and was informed by the IRS agent that the client only owes $350 to the IRS and confirmed no levies had been issued.  We placed a collection hold until November 26th 2016. Maurice called the FTB on September 27th 2016 at 10:47am at which time the agent stated to Maurice he will make a determination with the documents in hand and will call back when he has reached the decision on a modification of the FTB levy.  The agent did not respond timely. The client called on September 30th 2016 at 3:21pm asking for the owner of the company, she was not available at the time. Maurice called the state agent back twice on October 3rd 2016 at 8:20am and 12:33pm. Both of which times the agent did not answer so Maurice left more detailed messages with urgent call back. Maurice called the client on October 3rd 2016 at 1:00pm to update him on the progress. Maurice called the FTB agent once more October 4th 2016 and left a detailed message for urgent call back. Maurice then proceeded to request the FTB Taxpayer Advocate Service to intervene due to the agent failing to contact us with a update on October 4th 2016 at 12:00pm.  We received a voicemail from the FTB agent on October 5th at 9:53am asking for the employer’s fax number. Maurice then proceeded to call the agent back, which again he did not answer and Maurice left a detailed message with the employer’s fax number.  We then emailed the client October 7th 2016 giving an update. The state as confirmed by the client through our efforts modified the wage garnishment from 25% to 15%. To affect release or modification of the bank attachment Maurice requested the client’s mortgage statement on October 11th 2016 and received the document that day from the client. Maurice faxed the mortgage documents to the agent at 12:59pm with a notation the attached bank funds were needed for the mortgage and for the agent to take into account the hardship the garnishment was causing and consider release or modification of the bank attachment. The client emailed us on October 11th 2016 at 12:09pm stating that concerning the bank levy he would be able to be okay with $2,000 out of the $3,000 levied if it were to help negotiations.  This has no bearing on the case as the FTB does not take into account the taxpayer’s wishes in consideration of modification or release of funds attached. We received notice of the client’s complaint on October 13th 2016. We have been in full contact with client and the state the entire 47 days we’ve been contracted. As we stated the client has large disposable income at the end of the month leaving the FTB to have to closely review this case to determine the course of action. We never promise any timeframe for resolution.   Our website clearly states “A bank levy is much more difficult to release than a wage garnishment, and can only be done by showing imminent financial hardship due to that levy being in place.” This client has both a bank levy and a wage garnishment. We were able through our negotiations to have the FTB modify the wage garnishment, a practice they do not usually take.   We were never given the chance to complete the levy lift or modification due to the complaint being filed.

Mr. E[redacted] was charged $2,500 for resolution.  We were performing an offer in compromise for Mr. H[redacted].  The only extra thing that was charged by Platinum Tax Defenders was a $35.00 service fees for late payments.  That aside, I believe what he is referring to is the $186.00 for...

the application fee and the 20% down payment of the offer amount.   On 2/23/15 we sent the following:
Sent to client: 2/23/15 Final letter: Need:
1.Last two most Recent paystubs 
2.Last two months bank statements
3.$186 Check for US Treasury (Application fee)  
4.$221 Check for US Treasury (20% of OIC amount) 
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------------------------------------------
Those two checks are made out to the Dept of Treasury and has nothing to do with Platinum.  We are paid for our services, not the agreement to pay the tax debt off for our clients.  In addition, we repeatedly asked him for the return of his Offer in Compromise package with the required back up above.  He refused and to this date he has never complied with his client duties.  In addition, he was verbally abusive to everyone he spoke to at this company.  He came on board with Platinum Tax Defenders on 10/24/2012.  He was cancelled on 2/23/2015 due to his refusal to return the necessary documents and checks to the Department of Treasury to proceed on his case.  See attached letter.   If you would like to see our contract that also lines out the client's duties, I am happy to provide.  We can't drag our clients over the finish line.  At some point they need to accept the responsibility and provide us the necessary documents for us to do our job.  
Sincerely, 
S[redacted] 
CEO
Platinum Tax Defenders

Platinum Tax Defenders’ experience with its client Ms. [redacted] was very pleasant.  She was very kind to work with and talked with each of our employees with...

respect and courtesy.  However, she was often confused about the procedure of working with the Franchise tax board and with the procedure of working with the IRS.  The attorney working on her case, Mr. Dustin Wetton (not the salesperson, who was [redacted]), had tried to inform her on multiple occasions of what documents were needed, what steps had to be taken, and the process of getting to the mutual goal, however Ms. [redacted] continued to call in repeating the same questions, sounding confused, and never complied with the requests of Platinum Tax Defenders.
 
Ms. [redacted] came to Platinum Tax with IRS and CA tax debt.  Upon the company’s initial contact with both entities, she was not in collections with either and was on a payment plan with the Franchise Tax Board.  The type of payment plan established with the state was one in which a state tax lien had been already filed.   As was explained to Ms. [redacted], the only way to remove a tax lien was to have the balance paid in full, and that luckily she qualified for a settlement based upon financial hardship and that if we prepare the settlement forms and that settlement is accepted by the state, once it is paid, the lien will be removed.  We also explained the same for her even higher IRS tax debt.
The franchise tax board requests proof of IRS balances and also requests any offer settlements in the works with the IRS.  Therefore, it was in her best interest to get the IRS offer in compromise out to the IRS first before the CA offer was prepared.  These documents were prepared, and sent to Ms. [redacted] with instructions of what Platinum Tax Defenders needed to be returned to the company.  These documents were initially sent to Ms. [redacted] on October 16, 2013.  After months of phone calls, emails, letters, and discussions with Ms. [redacted], she slowly returned one by one of the required information and documents to the company.  However, even till today, she had failed to attach the required IRS application fee that is needed to submit the offer to the IRS.  As was explained to her, as soon as that offer was mailed to the IRS and we received confirmation, we could move forward with the state.  In February 2014, she attempted to make this check, but accidentally wrote the check to the Franchise Tax Board rather than to the IRS.  Because of the length of time between the case being started, and the ability to gather the required documents under the necessary process, CA started collection actions in February 2014.  Platinum Tax Defenders was successful in holding off these collections from 9/16/2013 until then, but could not hold off collections indefinitely if no actions were taken.  This was once again all explained to the client, and she even responded that she understood she was taking a long time to return the required documents. 
 
On February 20, 2014, Ms. [redacted] stated she would rather use her tax adviser to resolve this situation.  The owner of Platinum Tax Defenders attempted to explain that she qualified for relief, that everything was okay, and what was needed and that the company could still proceed, but Ms. [redacted] responded that she would think about it and let the company know.   That was the last thing the owner heard from Ms. [redacted].  
 
As Ms. [redacted] stated she would think about returning, and as all the documents were prepared and almost collected in full from the client, Platinum Tax Defenders still has her case open and is still in retention of all of her documents.  At no time did Ms. [redacted] call to Platinum Tax Defenders asking to resume, nor did she call asking for a refund.  Platinum Tax Defenders has not heard from Ms. [redacted] at all since February 20, 2014.
Lastly, while Ms. [redacted] contracted for services totaling $3,000, at the time she cancelled, she had paid only $2,000.  The remaining $1,000 was temporarily waived until Ms. [redacted] decided to resume services.  The last payment was paid on January 15, 2014 in the amount of $500.
 
Platinum Tax Defenders is happy to do a partial refund to Ms. [redacted], even though the company believes she is confused about some things and wishes that she would have directly contacted the company prior to drafting this to the Revdex.com.  The company will reach out directly to Ms. [redacted] to attempt to satisfy her concerns once more.

To Whom It May Concern:
Platinum contacted C[redacted] M[redacted] to explain the process of the CDP and to discuss the next steps in his case.  The taxpayer came to us with an intent to levy.  The CDP was filed to protect the client from collections and to ideally submit an offer in...

compromise.    Our client has NOT been collected upon by the IRS since he has been with us.  His complaint was that we did not respond to him, however, our phone system shows only one call from him not answered on 6/26 but no message was left.  Unfortunately, we were closed on July 3rd.  We expressed our regrets to have missed his phone call which caused him concern.  We discussed our plans and he wants us to continue working on his case and agreed to retract his complaint on the Revdex.com.  Mr. M[redacted] is not looking for a refund at this time.
Sincerely,
S[redacted]
Platinum Tax Defenders

Complaint: 11762984
I am rejecting this response because:
To whom it may concern,
To start, I am under no illusion that the tax burden (i.e.: garnishment, and levy) are not a direct result of my own personal negligence in addressing them sooner and I do not think that this is pertinent to the lack of attention, detail, and overall sub-par service that has been provided by Platinum Tax Defenders.  I am also fully aware that Platinum Tax Defenders has no control over the state and IRS response times, nor have I ever made any comments as such.  I also reject that the firm was diligent in reaching out to the State of California, Franchise Tax Board, and I also reject that they were diligent in following up with me and I will provide email attachments when I repeatedly requested updates daily via email with no response.
The firm never informed me when the power of attorney was sent to the FTB and I was not informed that it could take up to 10 days to be processed nor was I informed that they could not reach out to an agent until after the document were processed.  As indicated in their response to my complaint, form #3561 is a requirement by the FTB to review my information.  I sent that back on September 2nd, but they did not send it to the FTB until September 15th.  That is a 13 day delay and in my opinion a wast of almost two weeks of time to address my issue.  It is important to note that after I initially sent back all of the documentation, I waited about a week, and I phoned my case worker, Greg Meyer who informed me that they had not heard anything back and he would reach out to Maurice the attorney working on my case.  
The response is accurate on my calls on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of September to get a status update and I received an email on the 22nd with a small transcript of Maurice's call with the FTB which did not resolve anything. (See attachment named "September 22nd, Eamil".  I was never provided any information that my established income was under review and the reason that it was taking additional time.  The attached email was all that was provided.  
In regards to the September 26th, call (after the initial garnishment went through without any additional information from the firm since the 22nd, I found out that my bank account had been levy'd.  When I called my bank Chase, they initially told me that it was the IRS that had placed the levy on my bank account.  I had called and spoke with my case worker (Greg Meyer) frantic (as my very first mortgage payment was due on October 1st) as all of the money I had to pay the mortgage was gone.  After going into my bank branch I found out that the initial information that I was provided by Chase was incorrect.  It was not the IRS, it was actually the State of California that placed the levy on my account.  I attempted to contact my case worker back but could not reach him by phone so I sent an email letting him know that I was incorrect.  In our brief email exchanged I agreed to go to the bank and get a copy of the levy document which I did and sent back within less than 24 hours. 
After I followed up again on the 29th, I received a response stating that my case worker would follow up with the attorney to get a status update.  I received a response stating that it was still under review and I responded again to remind them of the levy as that had not been addressed with the State of California yet.  (See attachment named "September 29th Email").
On Friday September 30th, I became frustrated because at this point it had been over 1 month.  The garnishment had not been modified or dropped, the levy had been placed and I was getting the run around.  After reviewing the Revdex.com website for information on that day, I saw that Sherri (Owner) had been responsive to people when submitting information.  I also found the same thing on Yelp, so I made the decision to call her directly and express my concerns with what was happening with my case.  It was a very lengthy voicemail but requested a call back to discuss my case.  I did not hear back from her, and after additional attempts to reach here (as she has stated in prior responses on Yelp to call her directly to resolve issues) she still has made no effort to reach out to me, a paid customer, however, I did received a call from the attorney working on my case on Monday (Oct 3rd) afternoon.  He expressed his apologies for not following up, let me know the steps he was going to take to work to get this resolved, and I expressed that I did not feel that the level of communication was satisfactory.  It was very reactionary.  I only received responses when I would call.  There was very minimal effort to keep me informed from their side on their own. Maurice assured me that he would be my main point of contact and would keep me informed daily as the release of the levy was quickly approaching, and the next garnishment was about to go through.  That was the only day that I heard from Maurice.  I have not heard from him since.
On October 4th, I received an email stating that they would be reaching out to the Tax Advocate and then I heard nothing.  
I requested an update on October 5th - No response.
I requested an update on October 6th - No response.
I requested an update on October 7th - Finally I received a response that the State of CA FTB asked for my employers fax number and that I should check with my payroll department to see if anything has been sent.  No details.  No nothing.  I did in fact know that there was a reduction fro 25% to 15% that I did find out from my payroll department on the 6th, but I didn't hear anything from the firm that I hired and paid $1900 to help me resolve these issues.  This confirms that the communication level from this firm has been sub-par.  If they had an update on the 5th, why did it take 2 additional days of me asking for an update to let me know that there was a modification?  They only respond when you send them an email asking for an update and even then, sometimes they do not respond at all.  On this same day, I had asked about the status of the levy, and I was informed that they will talk with the State that afternoon but that they most likely would not get a response till Tuesday due to the holiday on Monday.  (Please see attachment "Updates" for email correspondence).  
Tuesday October 11th, was the final day before my bank Chase was going to release the $3000 they were holding from the levy.  On Tuesday morning I received an email requesting a copy of my mortgage statement showing how much was due.  I sent that back promptly and then never heard anything back.  Wednesday the 12th, Chase sent the money to the State of California.  
In regards to my "large disposable income", I am not sure where that information or how that had been determined.  Since working with Platinum Tax Defenders, I have had to take a cash advance of $2500 to pay my mortgage, I have been living on credit cards for the last 3 weeks, and I paid them $1900 to perform a service that ended up costing me a net $4400.  Had they reviewed my case properly and gave me advice that would have made more sense for me to simply pay the $5000 that I owed to the state, then I would not be in a worse situation now than I was before.  I still paid the state the $5000 through levy and garnishment and I am worse off financially than I was before.  
I fully reject Platinum Tax Defenders response and am still requesting at least a 50% refund for the services that they were supposed to provide.  The response is not satisfactory.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: 11489490
I am rejecting this response because although they are stating I'm requesting a refund "after" the work had been performed, this is not the case. I'm requesting a refund because they didn't do anything I couldn't have done myself and made false promises on what they were actually doing on my behalf. Whether they said it verbally and then tried to trick me by having me sign an agreement that stated otherwise, the verbiage used was unfair. Caleb knew what I was asking and answered in a way to satisfy me but then protect the company knowing they were going to actually be able to resolve my debt. 
It is comments like the one from Sherry "I do believe Ms. [redacted] is entitled to a refund for work we already performed" that confuses me and I'm sure other clients as well. Even if she meant to say she "doesn't believe", what the company says verses what they mean seem to be very different and difficult to understand. 
No, as a tax analyst, I wouldn't do work for a client and then refund them the fees if they didn't like the outcome, but I also wouldn't do the work without telling them of the fees involved first and have them acknowledge that they still wanted the work performed. In other words, I wouldn't amend a client's tax return and then tell them that they owe money for work that I did after the fact. 
I'm sorry that I'm a trusting person and still believe that a person's word is worth something. I would've never paid the $950 fee if Caleb would've answered my question honestly by telling me that there wasn't anyway for him to know if the taxes would be reduce and that he couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't be paying this $950 and not still owe the entire tax balance to the IRS. 
I deserve a refund as, even though Platinum Tax Defenders says they did the work I paid for, this is not true. 
Regards,
[redacted]

I listened to all the voice recordings as well as the all the emails and telephone records contradict Ms. [redacted]'s claims that she was told something else.  We DO NOT promise anyone a specific resolution outcome because we can't.  We have no idea what they will qualify for until we pull transcripts and look at the financial evaluation form which we ask the client to fill out with their information.  We can still do an offer in compromise but no company is going to 1) pay the application fee to the Department of Treasury or 2) Pay the 20% good faith payment of the offer amount.  If you are not even willing to do that, we cannot submit an offer.  The IRS will not adjust their standards just because you live in an expensive part of California.  This is a HARDSHIP program defined by the IRS for people with little to no disposable income or assets.  
Ms. [redacted], in her own verbiage, acknowledged that she did not fully read the PTD Agreement which we specifically instruct all clients to do before signing and returning. That is the security for both the client and our company. It is unfortunate that her understanding of the conversation with Caleb appeared to contrast the verbiage of our PTD Agreement in her recollection. In addition, there are multiple email conversations noted in her file where she was given options and appeared to fully understand her case.  She instructed us to move forward with the offer in compromise which we did.  Once that was completed and sent to her, she decided she wanted a refund.(after the work had been done).  I am positive that Ms. [redacted], as a tax analyst herself, would not do work for her clients and agree to refund once the work was completed.   Again, in strict accordance of our binding agreement, we have completely fulfilled our obligations.  Again, I have offered to proceed with the offer in compromise as originally discussed with her, however, her potion would be the $186.00 application fee and her 20% down payment (both of which go to the Department of Treasury - not us).  I do believe Ms. [redacted] is entitled to a refund for work we have already performed.  If she does not wish to proceed with the Offer in Compromise that we have already prepared, I will close her case.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sherri Gastelum

Complaint: 10966334
I am rejecting this response because:
 
I always disclosed my income to them back in March.  I have never made $400K and yes, I do have a house with a mortgage balance of $730K.  I am enclosing a letter from them where they  are telling me that an Offer In Compromise was to be submitter for $2000 which the IRS has not received but their latest position was for me to pay the full amount and agreed to the amount suggested by the IRS for $620 (again Mrs. M[redacted] gave me this amount) .  Furthermore, It was my action that allowed me to get some of the money back from the IRS when I spoke to them since I noticed that Platinum had not taken action to do so; in fact, they waited to last day to contact the IRS to request a levy removal.  This levy was imposed because Platinum failed to communicate to me back in April 2015 they had submitted a letter with a payment plan for $601 (amount given to me by Mrs. M[redacted] from the IRS on 10/28, thus the reason for the IRS to impose a second levy since neither the payment was made nor did they provide a direct deposit authorization to the IRS to withdraw the payment directly.
 
I don't live in Puerto Rico but rather in Colombia, which I also disclosed to them back in March 2015 with the first levy was imposed by the IRS. To this date, I only received emails back in Sept for me to fill out some IRS forms to submit the Offer In Compromise.  They did not do any work nor did they act with due diligence in this matter, thus my request to get the full fee amount refunded back to American Express.
Regards,
P[redacted]

Hello to anyone having to owe the the IRS. The IRS is scary when you've crossed them foolishly. I want everyone to know there is help. You are required to do your home work that's given you. Be diligent. In all request asked of you, act promptly as possible because there are items that are time sensitive. Stick with it. It truly worked for me. I was receiving calls from anonymous company's sounding harsh on my voice mail. Little did they know, I already had my debt taken care of by Platnum Tax Defenders. Everyone was friendly, and professional. I forget how I heard about them because I was so distraught at the time. That's why I choose the Revdex.com to do my review. To get the word out! Thank you Bill Cherry, Christen, Cecilia and Ari . From 14,000 plus, down to 100.00. Yes!!!!!! This is to new beginings. Thank you forever

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 11762984, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]
To whom it may concern;
Platinum Tax Defenders owner Sherri Gastelum and I spoke over the phone yesterday (10/18/16) and discussed our varying views about how my case was handled.  It is now clear to both of us that there were some misunderstandings on the process that I was not aware of and that there were some miscommunication within the firm that were not made clear to her.  I believe after my discussion with Ms. Gastelum, that there was indeed a desire to ensure that all of their customers (including myself) receive the highest level of service.  At times there is an unfortunate mistake that happens which I can understand.  Platinum Tax Defenders and I have come to an agreement to complete my service and I am extremely appreciative to Ms. Gastelum for reaching out to me to address and resolve my concerns to my satisfaction.

My experience with Platinum Tax Defenders has been 100% positive! They succeeded in winning a very favorable settlement. During that process I never felt neglected or overlooked. They were always available to advise either immediately or with a timely return phone call. And beyond all that, here's what impressed me most:
Every person I spoke with was equally well informed both about the details of my case and about the process in general. The professionalism, and intercommunication within their staff is amazing! They are also pleasant and friendly! I have complete confidence in this team!

Platinum Tax Defenders were very professional and result minded. The experience was a pleasant and painless one. Their estimates on what they could accomplish were spot on. I would use them again in a heartbeat!