Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

June 23,
"">
[redacted]
Re: ID#: [redacted]
TPG ID: [redacted]
Dear Ms[redacted],
This email is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group regarding your missing tax refund.
I'm sorry that you had that experience and have yet to receive your refund. Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) is a third party processor which issued your IRS funding into the card you designated upon filing. You will need to direct all questions or concerns to the card company as we have no access to the deposit information after it was disbursed on February 20, 2014.
It is recommended that you contact [redacted] Service line at [redacted] to reach a live agent who will be able to assist you further
Thank you for your inquiry
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Compliance Assistant
Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

March 9, 2016
[redacted]
Bartlett, IL 60103
Dear Mr. [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed
against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the RevDex.com on February 29, 2016.
Your complaint stated you did not...

receive notification
there was a hold on your account and you experienced long waits or no responses
to your email inquiries from customer service.
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 fraud. TPG feels this is the most prudent
course of action to protect taxpayers given the current environment. TPG 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 review. On March 1, 2016, TPG was able to verify your information and
release the hold on your account. Your return was 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 product. As a one-time
courtesy, we have reimbursed your refund processing fee. Please allow 48 hours
to post to the account on record. No interest is earned on your deposit and
your deposit is not being used by any financial institution during the
processing of your refund.
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 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.
 [redacted]
Compliance Analyst

March 3, 2017     Dear [redacted],   This letter is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February 24, 2017.   In the complaint received, you state that you received no disclosure of...

fees when selecting TPG’s service on the [redacted] website.  Furthermore, you do not have an account or contract with TPG and they did not have consent to take any fees out of your return.   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]. TPG, on behalf of [redacted] (Bank), offers tax related financial products through a network of independent tax professionals and online tax preparation providers. These products provide the taxpayer a method of having their tax preparation fees deducted from their tax refund without paying any upfront fees. When your taxes were prepared through [redacted], you chose a Refund Transfer (RT) product. When the taxpayer selects an RT, they direct the IRS to deposit their tax refund into a temporary account at the Bank. When the Bank receives the IRS refund, the Bank makes deductions from the refund to pay the tax preparation fees and Bank fee. The balance of the refund is then disbursed to the taxpayer by way of deposit to an account designated by the taxpayer. According to our records, on February 1, 2017, TPG received your electronic filing record from [redacted]. This means that you used an online software provider to prepare your tax return and elected to utilize a “Refund Transfer” (RT) to pay for your tax preparation fees. On February 14, 2017, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG . On that same date, TPG deducted the fees related to your Refund Transfer and [redacted] user fees and made payment to the bank account you indicated on your tax return. Details will be provided in the letter mailed to your address on record. For purposes unknown to TPG, the IRS offset your expected refund to pay off past-due tax obligations. Refund offsets reduce the amount of the expected Direct Deposit or paper check but they do not delay the issuance of the remaining refund (if any) after offset. The IRS sends taxpayers offset notices if it applies any part of their refund to tax debts. Taxpayers should contact the IRS when offsets occur if they dispute the tax debts or have questions about the offsets. If taxpayers need further clarification, they may call the IRS Call Center at [redacted].  To keep you informed about the status of your refund payment, please use the following tools, which are updated in real time: •             Please utilize the “Where’s My Refund” tool at the IRS to check on the status of your refund including any notices of refund reductions - https://www.irs.gov/refunds. •             Please log into your TPG account on our website to get up-to-date information about your Refund Transfer filing.  Additional information is available through our help center and automated phone center. The RT paperwork provided will establish that our fees and references to the Bank were adequately disclosed to you prior to the transmission of your tax return by [redacted] and as required by banking regulations. The taxpayer electronically signs this application and disclosure document before the refund product is offered.  We hope this clarifies any questions you may have related to your refund and fees. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact TPG directly at [redacted], Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.     Sincerely, [redacted]Program Operations Specialist

March 7, 2017 [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted], We are writing in regards to a complaint filed through the Revdex.com against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) on February 26, 2017. Your account was placed through enhanced due diligence at TPG to protect your account from fraud.  Please 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 processes. Certain factors in your tax return caused your account to be flagged as potentially suspicious. TPG is restricted from disclosing our fraud monitoring rule set and is unable to share these criteria with taxpayers as it could compromise the protection we have for our clients, including yourself. Please note: Rather than rejecting the funds received by the IRS, which can delay your refund up to 12 weeks, we allow our customers to submit an unexpired government issued photo ID go through ID authentication. Once we can validate that you are the taxpayer associated with the tax return filed, we release all funds received by the government agency. Funds are held in a non-interest bearing account while we are waiting for the customer to respond to our enhanced due diligence request. If the customer does not respond to our request within a timely manner, we return the funds to the IRS. We appreciate your patience with regards to our process of verification and releasing holds. According to our records, as of March 3, 2017, TPG validated your identification and issued a direct deposit to the account on file. Once again, we are very sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced, but please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, TPG is required to set up processes to protect our clients and help limit identity theft. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at 877-­908­-7228, Monday through Friday between 7:00am to 4:00pm (PST), or you may utilize our live customer support chat by logging on to https://help.sbtpg.com/hc/en-us/[redacted] Monday through Friday between 6:00am to 6:00pm (PST).   Respectfully, Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

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.
"Again, Turbo Tax is the party responsible for
communicating all activities regarding your tax refund via email."
The company responsible for communicating activities regarding my tax refund is the company processing them, which is you. You have been blatantly disrespectful regarding the processing of this tax return. Ignored emails, referred me to communication phone lines which are not answered by humans, and neglected to keep me informed during the process. In addition, the tax return is still not at the remittance address.
If you do not wish to refund this fee then I will have an unresolved complaint. Your efforts to solve this complaint are not satisfactory - nor has your customer service been even in the slightest, helpful.
Regards,
[redacted]

August 26, 2016 [redacted] 410 West Juniata Parkway [redacted]   Dear Ms. [redacted], This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on August 17, 2016. Your complaint stated that you used [redacted] to...

file your 2015 tax return. [redacted] advised you to call TPG regarding your tax return. TPG explained that your refund was deposited into your bank account, but your bank rejected your refund. When you spoke with your bank, you were advised that TPG sent incorrect information to your bank which caused your refund to be sent back to TPG. TPG mailed your check to your address on file, but you did not receive it. TPG charged you an additional fee to process the check. TPG advised you to have an Indemnity Bond notarized, which you are worried would incur more charges. To address your complaint while still protecting your identity, we have written you a detailed letter with specific information related to your account. Our letter outlines the timeline of events and referenced specific dollar amounts. To respond to your Revdex.com complaint, we still summarize the events, but please reference the letter we sent you for additional details. On April 18, 2016, TPG received your electronic filing record from [redacted]. This means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and you elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software user fees. TPG received the data file and no monies were transferred. On April 26, 2016, the IRS approved your refund and payment was made to TPG. On April 27, 2016, your refund was rejected by your bank because it was deemed as an “R03: No Account/Unable to Locate Account”. Once your refund was rejected, it was sent back to TPG and placed on a hold in a non-interest bearing account. On April 28, 2016, TPG mailed your refund to the address you entered when you filed your tax return. Unfortunately, you did no receive the check in the mail nor was it returned to TPG. On August 5, 2016, a TPG representative emailed you an Indemnity Bond to your preferred email address. An Indemnity Bond would authorize a stop payment on the first Cashier’s Check sent to you and allow TPG to reissue a new check. You stated that you did not want to pay a notary fee for the Indemnity Bond to be validated. In order for TPG to reissue a new check for you, you will need to have the Indemnity Bond notarized. If you choose not to have the Indemnity Bond notarized, TPG will have to send your refund back to the IRS. This process can take the IRS 10-12 weeks to process your refund. TPG will have to charge you $25 for a reprocessing fee if your refund is sent back to the IRS. If you complete your Indemnity Bond and send the form to TPG, TPG can reissue a new check and send it to you within 2 weeks from the time TPG receives it. Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up procedures to protect our clients from identity theft. We understand your frustration and apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm. Sincerely, [redacted] Compliance Analyst

February 24, 2016
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
Dear [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February
16, 2016.
In your...

complaint you stated that there was an issue with
your account and TPG needed to put your account on hold to verify your
information. You tried updating your banking information and was still unable
to know whether your information was processed.
Since there was an error with your account information, TPG
had to put your account on hold. As of February 17, 2016, TPG was able to
verify your information and release the hold on your account. Your record
confirms that the check was cashed on February 24, 2016.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to
contact me at [redacted]8 Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Compliance Analyst

Dear [redacted],   This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group through the Revdex.com on May 25, 2017.   Please allow me to explain the role of TPG in this matter. TPG, on behalf of [redacted] Bank (Bank), offers tax related...

financial products through a network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals and online tax preparation providers. These products provide the taxpayer a method of having their tax preparation fees deducted from their tax refund without paying any upfront fees. This service is optional. When your taxes were prepared through Turbo Tax, you chose a Refund Transfer (RT) product. When the Bank receives the IRS refund, the Bank makes deductions from the refund to pay the tax preparation fees. The balance of the refund is then disbursed to the taxpayer by way of deposit to an account designated by the taxpayer. Please reference the enclosed RT Agreement for your records.   To help you understand our process we have listed out the events associated with your account as follows:  According to our records, on April 11, 2017, TPG received your electronic filing record from the online software provider, TurboTax.com. This means that you elected to initiate a Refund Transfer to pay your tax preparation fees instead of using a personal credit card. On April 25, 2017, TPG received payment related to your 2016 federal tax refund. TPG deducted your tax software fees and Refund Transfer fee and deposited the remaining balance to the account indicated on your tax return. Upon review of your prior year filing, it is confirmed that there was a difference in account numbers provided. Please reference the detailed client letter mailed to the address on record for details regarding the deposit.On April 27, 2017, the funds were returned to TPG due to your financial institution rejecting the deposit and declaring the account an R03/“No Account/Unable to Locate Account”. Please contact the ACH Department for [redacted] at [redacted] and provide them with trace the trace number provided in your detailed client letter for further details regarding the rejection of funds. If 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. While the process of converting the rejected deposit to a paper check ultimately provides benefit to the customer, there is a substantial cost to TPG for handling these items. TPG charges a commercially reasonable processing fee of $20 to cover the expenses associated with processing these items. Most banks typically charge between $25 and $35 for return item fees. Please review your application and agreement for full disclosure. Note that once TPG receives the rejected refund, we have the option of making another attempt to disburse funds to the customer. On April 27, 2017, TPG delivered your refund through an alternative delivery method, which was a paper check mailed to the address of record.  As of May 24, 2017, TPG has record that the check was negotiated at a financial institution.  Thank you for your inquiry, we hope this clarifies any concerns you had regarding your fees. 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. Additionally, please understand TPG charges a Return Item Fee of $20.00 if the refund cannot be delivered as directed on your tax return. However, as a courtesy to you, we have refunded the reprocessing fee of $20.00. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at [redacted], Monday through Friday between 7:00am to 4:00pm (PST).   Sincerely,       [redacted] Compliance Analyst

March 21, 2016
[redacted]
[redacted]
 
Dear Mr. [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed
against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the RevDex.com on March 16, 2016.
Please allow me to explain the role...

of TPG in this
matter and clarify the information provided to you by the IRS. TPG, on behalf
of [redacted] (Bank), offers tax related financial products through a
network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals and online
tax preparation providers. These
products provide the taxpayer a method of having their tax preparation fees
deducted from their tax refund without paying any upfront fees. When
your taxes were prepared through Turbo Tax, you chose a Refund Transfer (RT)
product. When the taxpayer selects an RT, they direct the IRS to deposit
their tax refund into a temporary account at the Bank. When the Bank
receives the IRS refund (usually less than 21 days from the filing date), the
Bank makes deductions from the refund to pay the tax preparation fees and Bank
fees. The 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 fraud. TPG feels this is the most prudent
course of action to protect taxpayers given the current environment. TPG 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 review. On March 16, TPG was able to verify your information and
released the hold on your account. Your refund and RT fee have been direct
deposited into the account you provided when filing your taxes.  The RT fee was refunded on March 21, 2016.  
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our
service did not meet your expectations and the additional feedback to serve our
customers notification of these holds to provide better service. We are
currently evaluating how we can enhance our process and avert this problem from
occurring again in the future. 
If 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

Dear Ms. [redacted],   This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 30, 2018.   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] Bank (Bank). TPG is a third-party processor for the Bank. Through this relationship, [redacted] can offer tax products which are sold through TPG through independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services. The product you have used through TPG, called a “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax preparation fees and RT processing fee directly out of your tax refund. This service is optional. This saved you the difficulty of paying these fees upfront to the software provider. You electronically agreed to these terms and conditions through your online service provider, [redacted] Tax.   To address your complaint, we have listed the timeline of events below: According to our records, on January 23, 2018, TPG received your electronic filing record from [redacted] Tax. This means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software fees.On February 21, 2018, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG. On that same date, TPG deducted the fees related to your Refund Transfer and made payment via direct deposit to the account indicated on your RT Application and Agreement.On February 23, 2018, your financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account an R02 / “Account Closed”, and the funds were returned to TPG. Please reference the detailed client letter mailed to the address on record for RTN, DAN, Bank ACH contact and trace number.When a taxpayer enters a bank account that does not accept the refund deposit, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bank. Once the bank returns the rejected refund to TPG, TPG makes another attempt to disburse funds to the customer by mailing a Cashier’s Check to the customer’s address of record. We feel that this is a better option for our customers rather than rejecting the funds back to the IRS. You may also reference the RT Application and Agreement for these terms.  On February 23, 2018, TPG made a second attempt to disburse funds related to your return via a Cashier’s Check mailed to the address on record. On February 28, 2018, TPG received confirmation that the check was verified by a financial institution. However, you have contacted  TPG stating that a check was never received and wanted an update on the process. On March 9, 2018, TPG advised you that since your check was verified we would need to follow policy and allow 21 business days to process an Indemnity Bond (IBOND). You were advised the IBOND would be sent to you on March 23, 2016 and could not be processed until March 26, 2018.On March 13, 2018, you informed TPG that you found the missing check. Due to it being verified, you were advised to return the check along with the IBOND for TPG to place a stop payment on the cashier’s check and issue a replacement check. Unfortunately, as of April 4, 2018, TPG has not received the check or IBOND to process the reissuance of your refund. As a courtesy, TPG has provided you with another IBOND via email and to the address on record for you to complete, notarize and return. Please follow the instructions on the form and return at your earliest convenience so that TPG could reissue your refund via certified mail.   TPG is very sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced. Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients and help limit identity theft and fraud. If you have any questions or concerns, please, do not hesitate to contact TPG directly at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.   Respectfully,       [redacted] Program Operations Analyst

June 27, 2016Annette Parker6969 Shepherd Oaks RdLakeland, FL 33811 Dear Ms. [redacted] This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on June 21, 2016.Your complaint stated the following:You filed your taxes on March 9...

and have yet to receive your refund.You contacted TPG multiple times and were told that your refund was being sent back to the IRS. The IRS has not received your funds.To give you some background and help you appreciate our role in your complaint, we would like to explain TPG’s relationship with Green Dot Bank. TPG is an affiliate of the Bank. Through this relationship, Green Dot is able to offer tax products which are sold through TPG through a network of tax preparation franchises, independent tax professionals, and online tax preparation services. The product you have used through TPG, called a “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax software and tax preparation fees directly out of your tax refund. This saved you the difficulty of paying fees upfront to your tax preparer or Software Company. To address your complaint, we have listed the timeline of events below:According to our records, on March 10, 2016, TPG received your electronic filing record from Turbo Tax. This means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and you elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software fees. TPG received the data file and no monies were transferred. On April 5, 2016, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG in the amount of $732.00. On April 5, 2016, TPG deducted the fees related to your Refund Transfer in the amount of $69.98 and made payment of $662.02 to the bank account you indicated on your tax return. On April 7, 2016, your financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account frozen. You may contact your financial institution and provide them with trace number: 096017416941319 for further details regarding the rejection of funds.On April 7, 2016, your refund was rejected, it was sent back to TPG and a hold was placed in a non-interest bearing account. To remove an account hold, we ask customers to simply provide us a copy of their unexpired government issued identification, such as a driver’s license or passport.  This allows us to verify your identity and remove the hold from your account.  If TPG does not receive the customer identification, the tax refund is sent back to the IRS.    On May 9, 2016, you called TPG inquiring about your refund. A TPG representative notified you of our verification procedures and advised that you submit your SSN, ID and W2 to be validated. They also explained to you that once TPG receives the specified documents, it would take TPG 7 business days for processing and once approved, TPG would disburse your funds as a Cashier’s Check via regular mail.You refused to submit a copy of your photo identification. On May 23, 2016, you called TPG asking for an update on your return. You stated that you wanted your funds returned to the IRS. On June 17, 2016, TPG sent your refund to the IRS. Please allow the IRS 10-12 weeks to credit the account and reflect the funds. Please contact the IRS at 800-829-1040 if you have additional questions regarding your refund.TPG is very sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced. Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients and help limit identity theft.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Respectfully, Cathy KissingerSenior Compliance Analyst

Dear Ms. [redacted],   This letter is in response to the rebuttal complaint filed through the Revdex.com against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG).   The purpose of this letter is to confirm that, as of April 6, 2018, TPG has processed the return of funds associated with your 2017 Federal Tax Return filing back to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), specifically the RICS/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno. Please utilize the “Track a Package” tool on the www.USPS.com website and input the following tracking number, [redacted], for confirmation regarding the receipt of shipment at the IRS. As a courtesy, we have mailed a screen shot of this confirmation to the address on record. Please be advised, it can take 10-12 weeks before the IRS acknowledges receipt and post to your account. It is recommended that you contact the IRS at 800-829-0922 for further details.   Again, TPG is very sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced. Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, we are required to set up processes to protect our clients and help limit identity theft and fraud. If you have any questions or concerns, please, do not hesitate to contact TPG directly at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.   Respectfully,    
[redacted] Program Operations Analyst

March 23, 2016
[redacted]
Dear [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March
16, 2016.
In your complaint, you stated that on...

February 24 the IRS
funded your tax return, but your deposit did not show up when you checked on
March 5. After contacting [redacted].com, they informed you about TPG. After
logging on to TPG’s website, you learned there was an issue with your account
and followed the procedures to verify your information in order to release the
hold on your account. You waited the full 8 days for your identification to be
approved, but your refund was still not released.
Upon review of your record, an RT was chosen when your taxes
were prepared through [redacted].com. On February 23, 2016 the IRS funded the federal return; fees were deducted to pay
the [redacted].com user fees and an additional Bank processing fee for the RT.
The balance was deposited to the account instructed on the Civista Bank Refund
Processing Agreement. Your financial institution rejected the funds because the
specified account could not be located. The funds were returned to TPG on February
25, 2016.
If 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. In these cases, the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction and
returns the funds to the sender, in this case TPG. You may contact the ACH
Department of your financial institution and provide them with trace number: 044111197687170 for further details regarding the
rejection of funds. Please 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 request. TPG
was able to validate your identification on March 18 allowing TPG to release
the hold on your account. The refund was reissued as a Cashier’s Check on March
21, 2016. Please allow up to 7 days for your check to reach your address on
file.
Please also note that there is no interest earned on your
deposit. Your deposit is not being used by any financial institution during the
processing of your refund.
Thank you for taking the time to communicate to use why our
service did not meet your expectations. If you have any questions or concerns,
please feel free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7am to
4pm.
 Sincerely,
[redacted]
Compliance Analyst

April 19, 2016
[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Product Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on April 8,
2016.
In your complaint you stated that your tax refund is...

being
held after your refund was rejected by your financial institution. When you
submitted your driver’s license to TPG to release the hold, you were told your
license was invalid. You also claim TPG’s customer service are extremely rude
when speaking with them.
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 return. On March 16, your funds were placed on an automatic hold due to
risk control triggered by information transmitted in your return. During this
process, TPG requested you to submit documents such as your Driver’s License to
verify your identity. Please upload your ID again or another option is to fax
clear copies or your ID, social security card, W2 and proof of address to
858-430-3101.
TPG is sorry for any inconvenience that you may have experienced.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me
directly at 858-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7 am to 4pm.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Compliance Analyst

February 15, 2016
[redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed
against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) with the Revdex.com
on February 10, 2016.
You contacted TPG’s...

customer service regarding an error with
your direct deposit account number. Your complaint stated that [redacted] had a
numerical error and dropped the last digit from the account number during the
filing process.
On February 9, 2016, TPG processing on behalf of Civista
Bank disbursed your tax related Refund Transfer (RT) proceeds to the account
directed by you in your electronic application. Funds in the amount of
$3,820.03 were sent out via ACH to RTN: [redacted] and DAN: [redacted] as
directed by the RT application from [redacted]. The deposit to the above account
was confirmed by the outgoing trace#[redacted]. The routing number in your
record belongs to ** [redacted] and the ACH Department can be reached at
[redacted].  Please use trace number
[redacted] and work with them directly to recover your funds. 
If
a taxpayer enters a bank account that will not accept the refund deposit, the
transaction is rejected by the receiving bank. In these cases the receiving
bank “rejects” the transaction, and returns the funds to the sender, in this
case TPG. TPG will then re-disburse your funds via check.
New funds cannot be re-disbursed until the rejected
transaction is returned to the Bank. At this time, no funds have been
rejected back to TPG.  If funds are not
available or the bank refuses to return the funds, TPG cannot compel the bank
to do so.  The case may then become a
civil matter between you and the financial institution and/or the owner of the
account into which the funds were deposited. 
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

March 3, 2016
[redacted]
 
Dear Mr. [redacted],
This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February
23, 2016.
Your complaint stated that...

after filing your tax return, you
were notified there was an issue with the routing number.
In the scenario described in your complaint you have chosen
a do-it-yourself (DIY) tax preparation software package such as [redacted]’s popular
[redacted] product.  The taxpayer is
entirely responsible for the information provided to the software including the
disbursement account where the refund will be deposited.  DIY tax software requires that the taxpayer
identify a bank account number where they want the refund deposited.
If a taxpayer enters a routing number or 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. In your case, the routing number associated with this
electronic funds transfer belongs to a bank that doesn’t accept ACH
transactions or there was a typo when entering the routing number. 
TPG has nothing to do with incorrect account information
entered by the taxpayer. We do not have access to change information that was
transmitted to us by any software provider. Once TPG receives the rejected
refund the company has the option of making another attempt to disburse funds
to the customer.
On February 25, TPG was able to verify your information and
release the hold on your account. TPG delivered the refund through an
alternative delivery method, which is a paper check mailed to your address of
record. Your account confirms the check was received and verified on February
28, 2016.
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

Dear Mr. [redacted], This letter is in response to a complaint filed through the Revdex.com against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) on March 5, 2018. 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] Bank (Bank). TPG is a third-party processor for the Bank. Through this relationship, [redacted] is able to offer tax products which are sold through TPG through independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services. The product you have used through TPG, called a “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax preparation fees and RT processing fee directly out of your tax refund. According to our records, on February 13, 2018, TPG received your electronic filing record from TurboTax. This means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and you elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software fees. Due to certain fraud filters, your account was placed through enhanced due diligence at TPG. An email notification was sent on February 20 to inform you of the account hold. The notification also included instructions on how to have the hold released by uploading a copy of government issued photo identification. Unfortunately, TPG did not receive your identification prior to the IRS funding your account. On February 27, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG in the amount of $28,049.00. Funds were placed on hold in a noninterest-bearing account for additional verification. On March 6, TPG was able to validate the submitted photo ID identification and released the account hold. On that same day, TPG deducted the fees related to your Refund Transfer in the amount of $216.69 and made a payment of $27,832.31 to the account indicated on your tax return. The deposit may be confirmed by the outgoing trace # enclosed in the mailed response. Please allow your financial institution 24-48 hours for the funds to be received and posted. TPG is very sorry for any inconvenience you have experienced. Please understand that with the heightened fraud in the tax industry, TPG is restricted from disclosing our fraud monitoring rule set and cannot share these criteria with taxpayers as it could compromise the protection we have for our clients. If you have any questions or concerns, please, do not hesitate to contact TPG directly at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.   Respectfully,   [redacted] Program Operations 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.
The letter states you placed to hold to protect me from fraud. However you told me while the hold was placed due to unusual activity. Not to mention you never explained why you refused to explain what the fraudulent activity was that occurred. Despite it being my right to know In fact to me you just admitted to lying about any fraudulent activity and instead are trying to use another excuse to justify your action. I have filed taxes for years now and this is the first time I have ever had not received my refund immediately if not a day later after the IRS had approved and sent it.
Regards,
[redacted]

February 16, 2016
[redacted]
Dear Ms. [redacted],
This is in response to the complaint you filed against Santa
Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) with the Revdex.com on February 10,
2016.
You contacted TPG’s customer service...

regarding an error in
your direct deposit number. Your complaint stated that [redacted] 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 bank. In these
cases, the receiving bank “rejects” the transaction and returns the funds to
the sender, in this case TPG. TPG 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 check. On February 12, 2016, TPG mailed your refund check to your
address of record. Allow up to 7 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 [redacted], Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Compliance Analyst

Dear Mrs. [redacted],   This letter is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on April 5, 2018.   In the complaint received, you state your refund was significantly lower due to miscellaneous and unexplained fees...

charged. Additionally, you were overcharged for the initial tax preparation services used online. To resolve your issue, you would like a refund in the amount of $118 for the additional fees charged.   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] Bank (Bank). TPG is a third-party processor for the Bank. Through this relationship, [redacted] can offer tax products which are sold through TPG through independent tax professionals and online tax preparation services. The product you have used through TPG, called a “Refund Transfer”, allowed you to pay for your tax preparation fees and RT processing fee directly out of your tax refund. This service is optional. This saved you the difficulty of paying these fees upfront to the software provider, [redacted] Tax.   To address your complaint, we have listed the timeline of events below: According to our records, March 14, 2018, TPG received your electronic filing record from [redacted]Tax. This means that you used tax software to prepare your own tax return and elected to utilize a Refund Transfer to pay your software fees. On March 27, 2018, your refund was approved by the IRS and payment was made to TPG in the amount of $391.00. On that same date, TPG deducted the software tax preparation fee of $94.98, the RT processing fee of $39.99 and deposited the remaining balance of $256.03 to the bank account you designated on your tax return. On February 28, 2018, your financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account an, R03 / No Account / Unable to Locate Account, and the funds were returned to TPG. Please reference the detailed client letter mailed to the address on record for ACH Bank contact, RTN/DAN, and trace numbers regarding the rejected deposit. When a taxpayer enters a bank account that does not accept the refund deposit, the transaction is rejected by the receiving bank. Once the bank returns the rejected refund to TPG, the taxpayer is charged a $20 reprocessing fee and TPG makes another attempt to   disburse funds to the customer by mailing a Cashier’s Check to the customer’s address of record. We feel that this is a better option for our customers rather than rejecting the funds back to the IRS. You may also reference the RT Application and Agreement for these terms.  On February 29, 2018, TPG made a second attempt to disburse funds via a Cashier’s Check mailed to the address on record.   TPG has 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. The SAMPLE screen shots and RT paperwork enclosed with this letter will establish that our fees and references to the Bank are adequately displayed throughout the [redacted] Tax website as required by banking regulations. Additionally, we have mailed a copy of your Refund Transfer Application and Agreement, provided by [redacted] Tax, for review. Please reference sections 1, 3, 4 and 6 for the disclosure of the RT Processing fee. You electronically agreed to these governing terms and conditions through the software application, therefore we must deny the reimbursement of the RT in the amount of $39.99. Furthermore, TPG has no authority to reimburse fees charged by the software provider. You will need to contact [redacted] Tax directly for fees associated with your tax preparation.   However, as a one-time courtesy TPG will remit and refund the reprocessing fee. TPG will process a Cashier’s check in the amount of $20.00 to the address on record. If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact TPG at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday between 7:00am to 4:00pm (PST).   Respectfully,   [redacted] Program Operations Analyst