Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

12/16/
*** ***
*** *** Ave
*** ***, ** ***
class="MsoNormal">RE: ***
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to the complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to the Revdex.com on December 10,
Upon review of your record, you had contacted TPG in April
of regarding your tax refundYour refund, after deduction of fees,
totaled $Since you did not receive your tax refund, you spoke to
a TPG representative for assistanceAt the time you were asked to fill out an
Indemnity Bond for a reissuance of your check, but we were unable to process it
because it did not have the correct signaturesUnfortunately, we have not
heard from you since regarding your tax return until you contacted TPG again
with this Revdex.com complaint
Per our discussion today, TPG will send you another Indemnity
Bond to fill out and signWe will be able to process your tax refund once we receive
the completed Indemnity Bond
We hope this satisfies your inquiryIf you have any other
questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 800-*** Monday
through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Respectfully,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

February 26,
*** ***
** *** *** ***
**
*** *** ** ***
Dear Mr***,
This is in response to your
complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the
Revdex.com on February19,
Your complaint stated that you
used TPG to process your returnThere was an issue with your account and TPG
needed to put it on holdYou spoke with TPG’s customer service but were unable
to receive the information you needed to access your tax refund
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 returns the funds to the sender, in this case
TPGTPG has nothing to do with incorrect account information entered by the
taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to return the funds
We apologize for the
inconvenience this has caused you and the manner in which your inquiry was
handled by our customer service agents.
Customer courtesy is an extreme priority for us and in this case, we
apparently failed you. All the customer
agents involved have been reminded of their obligation to always process
customer inquiries in a respectful manner
After speaking with you on the
phone on February 19, we were able to resolve the hold on your accountOn
February 20, TPG was able to process your tax refund and mail it to the address
on your filePlease allow up to days for the receipt of the check
If you have any more questions or
concerns, you can reach me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

February 26,
*** ***
*** *** *** *** **
class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" "text-align:justify">*** *** ** ***
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to your
complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the
Revdex.com on February 19,
Your complaint stated that you
called TPG to request for a check to be mailed to your address because you
closed your bank accountYou were told the check would be mailed to you on
February 8th, but noticed it still has not been sent to you
When a taxpayer requests a
different delivery method for their refund, TPG has to follow the appropriate
procedures to ensure the taxpayer is the correct bank account holderTPG
allows taxpayers the opportunity to correct their initial mistakes which could
take several days or weeks. For corrections,
customers can go to the website change their account information online. TPG’s customer service efforts are highly
successful as customers each year utilize the web to change account information
prior to IRS funding
Upon review of your account, we
considered your delivery changes and mailed you a check to your address on file. The check was verified on February 20th
and it was cleared on February 25th
If you have any other questions
or concerns, please feel free to contact me at *** from Monday through
Friday between 7am and 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

March 3,
*** ***
*** *** *** ***
*** ** ***
Dear Mr***,
This is in response to your complaint filed
against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the RevDex.com on February 23,
Your complaint stated that
after you filed your
taxes, you were notified there was a hold on your accountYou did not receive
any explanation for the holdWhen you tried calling TPG to inquire about the
hold, you were unable to reach a TPG representative to discuss the status of
your funds
We experienced extremely large call volumes which correlates
to extremely large funding from the IRS. This unexpected spike in business
caused extreme demand on our resources such as our call center. We
apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you and the inability for you
to reach live customer support
Due to the amount of compromised SSNs along with non-public
personal information (NPPI) throughout the country, we have put controls in
place to prevent identity theft and fraudTPG feels this is the most prudent
course of action to protect taxpayers given the current environmentTPG is
committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that only you can access your
funds
Despite your history with us, your account was flagged for
further reviewOn February 25, TPG was able to verify your information and
release the hold on your accountYour return has been direct deposited into
the account you provided when filing your taxes
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our
service did not meet your expectations. Additionally,
we thank you for your loyalty in using our bank productWe 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 explanation and solution
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel
free to contact me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

*** ***
size="3">
*** *** Lane
Houston
TX ***
RE: Case ***
August 14,
Dear
*** ***,
This is in response to the complaint filed
against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to the Revdex.com on
August 13, regarding funds never received
On August 4, the IRS funded your federal
returnControls are in place to protect our customers from identity theft and
fraudOur regulators require that we follow Customer Identification Program
(CIP) and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, which are part of the statute of
the USA Patriot ActWe requested forms of identification based on these
controlsYour statement on the complaint confirms this event
Once you were verified as the lawful owner of
the funds, your refund was released to the account designated upon filingIt
is recommended that you contact Chase Bank directly to discuss your deposit
Please feel to use trace number *** when speaking with a live
agent
TPG is a third party processor which issued
your IRS funding into the account you designated upon filingYou will need to
direct all questions or concerns to *** *** if you made alternative
arrangements for payment of fees
If you have any further concerns or questions
regarding this complaint please feel free to contact me at 877-***, Monday
through Friday am to pm PST
Respectfully,
***
***
Compliance
Analyst

After my interactions with a representative and a supervisor ("***") this afternoon, I immediately decided to file a complaint with this companyAs a higher education administrator and based on my extensive experience with customer service and the relations with customers, this company is lacking quality and integrity to offer
For example, both representative did not listen to my needs and did not strive to meet the request in a polite and professional mannerThey were extremely rude and defensiveThe adequate skills in ensuring customer satisfaction was not presented...even after a second phone call
I will never recommend nor use this company againThe impact today was unfriendly and aggravating and more importantly unnecessary

February 15,
*** ***
** *** **
*** *** **
***
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to the complaint you filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to the Revdex.com on February 10,
In
the scenario described in your complaint you have chosen a do-it-yourself (DIY)
tax preparation software package such as ***’s popular *** productThe
taxpayer is entirely responsible for the information provided to the software
including the disbursement account where the refund will be depositedDIY tax
software requires that the taxpayer identify a bank account number where they
want the refund deposited
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 TPG.
Once TPG has received the rejected refund, the company has
the option of making another attempt to disburse the funds to the customer or
simply returning it to the IRSAs of now, there is a hold on your accountTo
release this hold, please log into your account on the TPG website,
***, and follow the instructions when promptedOnce verified and
approved, your funds will be re-disbursed as a Cashier’s Check.
If you experience any issues with this process or have any
questions regarding your account, please feel free to contact me at ***,
Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

March 23,
*** ***
*** ** *** *** *** *
*** ** ***
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March
17,
In your
complaint, you stated that when you did not receive
your tax refund, you logged on to TPG’s website and uploaded your
identificationSince then, you did not receive any information about your
refund or when a check will be issued to you
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 incorrect bank account informationIn
these cases, the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction and returns the fund
to the sender, in this case TPGPlease 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 issued
You uploaded your identification as per TPG’s requestTPG
was able to validate your information and released the hold on your accountOn
March 21, 2016, TPG was able to reissue your refund as a Cashier’s Check
Please allow up to days for the check to reach your address on file
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our
service did not meet your expectationsIf you have any questions or concerns,
please feel free to contact me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to
4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

Dear Mr***, This is in response to your complaint filed a***t Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on August 11, Your complaint stated that you filed your taxes on January 20, and the IRS approved your refund on May 20, Your refund was sent
to TPG on June 14, Your complaint stated that because of the amount of time it took for your identification to be verified, the IRS debited your account for processing feesYou claimed TPG deducted $in fees and is still holding onto your refundOn July 27, 2016, TPG informed you that your return was sent back to the IRS and explained it would take weeks for your return to be deposited into your accountYou claimed that TPG was collecting interest while holding 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 outlines the timeline of events and referenced specific dollar amountsTo respond to your Revdex.com complaint, we still summarize the events, but please reference the letter we sent you for additional details.On January 20, 2016, TPG received your electronic filing record from Turbo TaxThis means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and you elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software feesTPG received the data file and no monies were transferredOn June 14, 2016, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPGTPG deposited your refund into the account number you provided, but the deposit was rejected by your bank because it was deemed as an “R02: Account Closed”Due to certain fraud filters, your transaction was placed on hold in a non-interest bearing account.On March 23, 2016, TPG auto debited your personal account to collect the outstanding Turbo Tax user fees as agreed upon during the preparation of your tax return The auto debit was also rejected by your bank You requested that TPG update your account to reflect your new account number and addressTPG explained we were unable to process that request as it is a***t TPG policy and advised you to have your mail forwarded to your new addressTPG sent your refund as a Cashier’s Check to the address listed on your accountUnfortunately, your check was sent back to TPG as “undeliverable”On August 3, 2016, your refund was returned to the IRS because TPG could not proceed any further in our efforts due to two (2) failed attempts to deposit your refund: 1) to the designated account and 2) to the address on recordPlease allow 10-weeks for the IRS to process your refundPlease contact a tax advocate in your state for more information regarding your refund at 954-423-7677.Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up procedures to protect our clients from identity theftWe understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experiencedIf you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.Sincerely, *** ***Compliance Analyst

*** ***
*** *** **
*** **
***
Re: Case***
March 12,
Dear *** ***,
This is in
response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the
Revdex.com of San Diego on March 2, regarding service issues
In accordance
with your online contract, a temporary account was opened to receive and
process your income tax refund and pay your tax preparation fees from your
refundOn March 4, 2015, the IRS funded your federal return; fees were
deducted to pay your Turbo Tax user fees and an additional deposit product fee
The deposit product fee is a service fee charged when you select to have your
Turbo Tax user fees deducted directly from the tax refund amount instead of
having to front any out of pocket expenses at the time of tax preparation
Controls are
in place to protect our customers from identity theft and fraudOnce you were
verified as the lawful owner of the funds, your refund was released on March 5,
by way of deposit to an account designated by you
Please feel
free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday am to pm if you
have any further concerns or questions regarding this complaint
Respectfully,
*** ***
Compliance
Analyst

March 15,
*** ***
*** *** *** **
*** ** ***
Dear Mr***,
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 8,
In your complaint, you stated that
TPG required you to send
your identification and because we would not accept it, you requested to have
funds sent back to the IRSYou are requesting a refund of the refund transfer
fee
On February 24, 2016, TPG processing on behalf of *** *** ***
disbursed your tax related Refund Transfer (RT) proceeds to the account
directed by you in your electronic applicationFunds were deposited to the
account instructed on the *** *** *** Refund Processing AgreementYour financial
institution rejected the funds and declared the account invalid. You may contact your financial institution
and provide them with trace number: *** for further details
regarding the rejection of funds. The
funds were returned to TPG on February 26,
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 issued. On March 4, 2016, TPG was unable
to successfully verify the personal information you provided in order to release
the hold on the accountPer your request, the refund is being processed to be
returned to the IRSPlease be advised that once we have returned funds to the
IRS it can be several weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your
accountYou may contact the IRS directly at *** to determine the
status of your refund
TPG provided the service which we were contracted to provide
in deducting the applicable fees and depositing the funds into the account
which you directed on the online agreement; therefore we deny the request for
reimbursement of the bank refund processing fee
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel
free to contact me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Senior Compliance Analyst

*** ***
"margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">*** *** *** ***
*** ** ***
RE:
Case ***
Dear
*** ***,
This
is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group
to the Revdex.com on February 26, regarding wrong account
information
Upon
review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were
prepared through JacksonHewitt.comOn January 29, the IRS funded your
federal return; fees were deducted to pay your JacksonHewitt.com user fees and
an additional Bank deposit product feeThe balance was deposited to the
account instructed on The Citizens Banking Company Refund Processing Agreement
Your Bank rejected the funds and declared the account an R“invalid account
number”The funds were returned to TPG on January 30, According to your
contract, TPG issued two Cashier’s Checks on February 2, and mailed them to
the address on recordOn February 16, both checks where returned to our
office as “undeliverable”Our regulators require that we follow Customer
Identification Program (CIP) and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, which are
part of the statute of the USA Patriot ActOnce you were verified as the
lawful owner of the funds, your refund was releasedTwo Cashier’s Checks have
been reissued and mailed to you per our conversation on March 2,
Please
feel free to contact me at ***, Monday through Friday am to pm if
you have any further concerns or questions regarding this complaint
Respectfully,
*** ***
Compliance
Analyst

February 16,
*** ***
** *** ***
*** ** ***
class="MsoNormal">
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to the complaint you filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) with the Revdex.com on February 10,
You contacted TPG’s customer service regarding an error in
your direct deposit numberYour complaint stated that *** *** had a
numerical error and dropped the last digit from the account number during the
filing process
If a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the
refund deposit, the transaction is rejected to the receiving bankIn these
cases, the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction and returns the funds to
the sender, in this case TPGTPG will then re-disburse your funds via check
After speaking with our compliance department, you were
notified that your funds were released from the hold which allows TPG to process
a cashier’s checkOn February 12, 2016, TPG mailed your refund check to your
address of recordAllow up to business days to receive the check, please
note that Monday was a holiday
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to
contact me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

April 21, *** ***
*** *** ***
*** *** ** ***
Dear Ms***,
This is in response to your comments addressed in
your rebuttal to Santa Barbara Tax Products Group’s (TPG) response
As we previously explained, because your check did not reach
you when it was first processed and mailed in February, you will need to fill
out an Indemnity Bond in order to authorize a stop payment on the original
check and to allow TPG to reissue a new check
Please fill out the attached Indemnity Bond and send back
via fax or emailPlease note, you will need to have the Indemnity Bond
notarizedOnce you submit the Indemnity Bond back to me, TPG can begin to
process a new Cashier’s CheckTPG Compliance will provide you the form and
instructions via email
This procedure will ensure that you receive your
refund in a timely manner
We apologize for the miscommunication from our agent,
*** She read the notes incorrectly and suspected that a new check was
mailed on the same day that the supervisor had spoken with youTPG has
provided further coaching to the agent
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel
free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***

March 14,
*** ***
*** *** ***
*** ** ***
Dear Ms***,
This
is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 3, 2015.Your complaint stated that you called TPG several times and spoke with two specific representativesYou stated that one of the representatives hung up on you and the other promised to waive the $processing fee after you received your refund checkWe apologize for the inconvenience TPG may have caused you when receiving your fundsWe also apologize for the manner which you felt our customer service agents handled your inquiryWe have spoken with *** regarding your complaint and reminded him of his obligation to always process customer inquiries in a respectful manner.
You also stated that the representative with id #*** explained the process and reasoning for being charged the $processing feeThis representative also informed you TPG would not charge you the $processing fee and refund you the amountWe needed to verify this claim with the representative but we were unable to find this exact representative with the id #*** or #*** as they don’t exist.
TPG will refund you the $processing fee and have a Cashier’s Check sent to your address on filePlease allow up to days for the check to reach your address
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why out service did not meet your expectationsIf you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at ***, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

Below is my rebuttal statement to TPG w/attached documents:
The IRS has been contacted several times since 5/1/and as of today's date has no record of receipt from TPG of my refund return
It has been weeks well over the estimated weeks stated by TPG and the IRS has not received my funds back from TPGTPG has stated they are not responsible for incorrect account information, however, I contacted them several times prior to 5/1/and my address was corrected and reported to them yet they refused to re-mail my check using the correct information claiming they were unable to do that yet they managed to mail me a letter instead! As a result of their refusal to re-mail my check to the corrected address, additional charges were incurred needlessly to send my funds back to the IRS and to add insult the funds have been delayed in delivery an additional weeks as of today's date The letter mailed me is attached claiming TPG deposited my funds electronically to the IRS on 5/1/
Therefore, that is why I am requesting that TPG refund any and all fees for their inability to deliver my funds to me as stated Also, I am requesting TPG provide me with a batch number or check number of the electronic deposit they claim was sent to the IRS on 5/1/that allegedly includes my funds I will need to provide this information to the IRS in order for them to effectively investigate if said funds were ever sent by TPG.
Sincerely,
*** ***
cc:Revdex.com and *** M***

Dear *** ***, This letter is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February 27, In the complaint received, it stated you had issues with the enrollment process at TPGYou were never notified about
being rejectedAfter noticing you were not able to use their products, you attempted to contact TPGTPG’s automated system did not recognize you since you were not enrolled in their programYou attempted to contact TPG, but had trouble contacting a live personIf you were able to contact a live person, you could have resolved any issues instead of losing out of $Furthermore, you would like TPG to contact you and fix this issue to make the bank product availableWe would like to apologize for your negative experienceWe appreciate you reaching out and would like to address your concerns but we are having difficulty reaching you directlyOn March 3, 2017, TPG’s Enrollment Department called the numbers you provided on the Revdex.com complaint to discuss and clarify the enrollment processUnfortunately, TPG was forwarded to voicemailAs a result, TPG emailed you to discuss the details related to your complaintNo response has been receivedBelow is some information to help explain TPG’s enrollment processThe Tax Preparer would purchase the software and fill out the enrollment registration within the software applicationThe Tax Preparer would select TPG as the e-filing bankOnce TPG is selected by the Tax Preparer, the software provider will send TPG the enrollment applicationThe enrollment application is processed at TPGFinally, TPG sends a status update to the software provider when the ERO is Active, Conditionally Active or DeniedFields that are required, such a mailing address, will produce errors in the software which then allows the client to correct any issues before it is forwarded to TPGThese due diligence fields are implemented at the software provider and would prompt you to make changes if necessary. We value your business and would like to give you some assistancePlease contact TPG, Monday through Friday am to pm (PST) at *** or you may use *** to discuss the enrollment process furtherSincerely, *** *** Compliance Analyst

March 31,
*** ***
*** *** *** *** ** ***
Dear Ms***
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March
22,
In your complaint you stated that, that TPG
was holding your
tax refund without an indication as to whyYou tried reaching out to TPG and
was unable to speak to anyoneWhen you tried uploading your information, you
said the website would not accept your information
Please allow me to explain the role of TPG in this matter
TPG, on behalf of *** *** (Bank), offers tax related financial products
through a network of tax preparation franchises, 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 through Turbo
Tax, 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 (usually less than days from the
filing date), the Bank makes deductions from the refund to pay the tax preparation
fees and Bank feesThe balance of the refund is then disbursed to the taxpayer
by way of deposit to an account designated by the taxpayer
Due to the amount of compromised SSNs along with non-public
personal information (NPPI) throughout the country, we have put controls in
place to prevent identity theft and fraudTPG feels this is the most prudent
course of action to protect taxpayers given the current environmentTPG is
committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that only you can access your
funds
TPG was able to review and release the hold on your account
on March 23, Your funds were direct deposited into the account you
entered on March 23,
We experienced large call volumes which correlates to extremely
large funding from the IRSThis unexpected spike in business caused an extreme
demand on our resources such as our call centerWe apologize for the inconvenience
this has caused you and the inability for you to reach live customer support
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel
free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Sincerely,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved
Regards,
*** ***

">*** ***
*** S ***
*** IL ***
RE: Case ***
May 20,
Dear ***
Fields,
This letter is in
response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to
the Revdex.com on May 16, regarding service issues
In the scenario described in your complaint
you have not received the cashier’s check that was mailed to you on May 1,
Per our conversation today on May 19, if the cashier’s check has not
been received you will fill out an Indemnity Bond form for a lost or stolen
checkTPG will stop check number
*** and reissue a new cashier’s
check.
We thank you for
the inquiryIf you have any further concerns or questions regarding this
complaint, please feel free to contact me at ***-***-***, Monday through
Friday am to pm
Respectfully,
*** ***
Compliance Analyst