Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

Review: I have contact this company several times to updated my Banking information for my IRS refund. I have gotten nothing but lies and misinformation. I haven't sent them what they ask for and still they have not updated my records but are holding my funds to get more money and not being truthful. Now there are saying they will hold my money until their verification process is don then send a check. I just need help to stop getting the run around.Desired Settlement: Help and my account to be change for direct deposit.

Business

Response:

February 24, 2016

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,

Compliance Analyst

This is the worst place to go through I don't think I'll use TurboTax again since they use this bank in this bank sucks I've been waiting for my ID verification for over 1 week and when I call I get the run around and nobody will tell me anything never again will I use this.

Review: I filed my taxes through turbo tax. My bank account was closed in between filing and receiving the payment from sbtpg (the bank turbo tax uses) so money could not be deposited to my account. According to turbo tax, the money should have been sent back to the irs after attempts to deposit it into my account.

The irs sent the money to sbtpg on April 22nd. So I'm thinking if my bank rejected the money they should immediately send it back to the irs. Unfortunately not! They said they sent the money on June 11th and it should take 8 to 12 weeks for the irs to receive it. The IRS claim that once the money is sent, they receive it immediately! Any I call sbtpg at about 10 weeks to inquire about the status and they tell me they can't do anything until 12 weeks are done. I called them in 12 weeks and they said it would take them 2 weeks to contact the irs and I should check with the irs in another 2 weeks. Fast forward 3 weeks after apparently the 12 weeks are done and the irs has not received any money from them. It's mid September! I filed in April. Can SBTPG do something about my money! They are just using my interest free money to advance their agenda! So what do I do now!? My money is nowhere to be seen!

After going through this, I may stop using turbo tax. Get a more reputable bank! And sbtpg, stop hoarding people's money.

Please email me to correct this stupidity!Desired Settlement: FIx this!

Business

Response:

Maryanne

Re: Case [redacted]

September 22, 2015

Dear [redacted],

This is in response to the complaint filed

against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to the Revdex.com of

San Diego on September 18, 2015 regarding

service issues

Upon

review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were

prepared through Turbo Tax. On April 21, 2015 the IRS funded your federal

return; fees were deducted to pay your Turbo Tax user fees and an additional

bank deposit product fee. The balance was deposited to the account instructed

on The [redacted] Company Refund Processing Agreement. Your Bank rejected

the funds and declared the account an R02 “Account Closed”. The funds were returned to TPG on April 23, 2015.

TPG has nothing to with incorrect account information entered by

the taxpayer. Once TPG receives the rejected refund our company has the option

of making another attempt to disburse funds to the customer or simply returning

the funds to the IRS. This second

attempt to deliver the refund through an alternative delivery method, which is

a paper check, was returned to our office on June 5, 2015 as “undeliverable”.

No interest is earned on your deposit and

your deposit is not being used by any financial institution during the

processing of your refund. Since we could not proceed any further in our

efforts, TPG has returned funds associated with your tax return filing back to

the Internal Revenue Service, specifically the RICS/IVO Division of the IRS in

Fresno, on June 11, 2015. The funds were sent back electronically via the FMS

ACH Credit Gateway process. Please allow approximately 10-12 weeks from the

date for the IRS to acknowledge receipt of funds.

We thank

you for the inquiry. If you have any further concerns or questions regarding

this complaint, please feel free to contact me at 877-[redacted], Monday through

Friday 7 am to 3 pm.

Respectfully,

Compliance Analyst

Review: My husband and I filed our taxes Apr. 6, 2015. I was notified by the IRS Apr. 10, 2015 that somone had already filed under our social security numbers. On June 18, 2015 we received a small tax refund credited to our checking from Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG). This was NOT our refund. We then found out through SBTPG the people who used our SS numbers filed through either a [redacted] or [redacted] Service that uses SBTPG. The thieves had received a $9,450. refund for their fraudulent return. SBTPG notifies the fraudulent individuals through the email address provided on the returns and sends them an Amazon Gift Code to access the funds. This one was [redacted]@inbox.com. I feel this company along with the company that filed the tax returns (either [redacted] or [redacted] Service) is negligent because they do not identify the filers and they assist the criminals in commiting the identity theft crime and taking the unauthorized funds from thre IRS.Desired Settlement: I feel this company along with the tax filing company should pay me interest on the actual refund due to me because it was delayed and has not been received yet - and will take at least 180 days. They should alsocompensate any other victims for the delay in receiving their refunds. SBTPG and the company filing the taxes should have to make some kind of restitution to the IRS. I heard on the news the IRS is out millions of dollars because of fraudulent tax rteturns. I wonder how many go through Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service, and use Santa Barbara Tax Products.

Business

Response:

RE:

Case [redacted]

August 24, 2015

Dear

Mr. and Mrs. [redacted],

This is in response to the complaint filed

against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com on

August 18, 2015 regarding identity theft.

Please allow

me to discuss who we are and what products we offer to taxpayers in order for

you to gain a better understanding of our role in processing your tax return

refund. The Citizens Banking Company

(Bank) offers tax related financial products through a network of tax

preparation franchises, independent tax professionals and online tax preparation

providers. Santa Barbara Tax Products

Group (TPG) is a third part processor for the Bank and is providing a response

on behalf of its partner. The Bank provides a product known as the Refund

Transfer (RT). The RT provides the

taxpayer a method of having their tax preparation fees deducted from their tax

refund without paying any out-of-pocket costs.

When the taxpayer prepares their taxes through Turbo Tax, they can

choose to deduct their fess from their refund.

When the taxpayer selects our bank product, 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 software user fees and deposit product fee. The balance of the refund is then disbursed

to the taxpayer by way of deposit to an account designated by the taxpayer

(either a personal bank account or prepaid card). TPG is simply a third party processor which

serves as an intermediary between the IRS and the taxpayer and has no direct

access to the tax preparation event or the transmittal of the return to the

IRS.

The return

was acknowledged and verified by the IRS, TPG has no reason to question the information

provided. We had to assume that the application sent to us was sent by the

taxpayer and that the sensitive personal and confidential information provided

therein was your account information.

From

your inquiry, it appears that you may be a victim of identity theft. It is

recommended you take immediate steps to protect your personal information.

File a report with the local police.File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or the FTC

Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-438-4338 or TTY 1-866-653-4261.Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud

alert’ on your credit records: Equifax,

1-800-525-6285Experian,

1-888-397-3742TransUnion,

1-800-680-7289Close any accounts opened without your permission or tampered

with.It is also recommended you take these additional steps:

Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided.Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Use a fill-able

form at IRS.gov, print, then mail or fax according to their instructions. For your

convenience, I have also included a copy of this form.Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you

must do so by paper.Please

feel free to contact me at 877-[redacted], Monday through Friday 7 am to 3 pm if

you have any further concerns or questions regarding this complaint. Respectfully, [redacted]Compliance

Analyst

Review: They said and their web site also stated that my tax refund was mailed out on May 1 as of now I have not recieve my refund. When I calls no one seem to be able to tell me when I will receive my refund. They told me at the latest it should be May 15 but I have yet to receive it.Desired Settlement: To at lest know what is going on with my refund and if and when I'm going to receive it.

Business

Response:

[redacted] S [redacted] IL [redacted]

RE: Case [redacted]

May 20, 2015

Dear [redacted]

Fields,

This letter is in

response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to

the Revdex.com on May 16, 2015 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,

2015. Per our conversation today on May 19, 2015 if the cashier’s check has not

been received you will fill out an Indemnity Bond form for a lost or stolen

check. TPG will stop check number

[redacted] and reissue a new cashier’s

check.

We thank you for

the inquiry. If you have any further concerns or questions regarding this

complaint, please feel free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through

Friday 7 am to 3 pm.

Respectfully,

Compliance Analyst

Im so fustrated with the customer service from tax product group I filed my taxes online and had chosen to have my refund direct deposit to my account well it got sent back and as soon as I found out I contacted tax product group and they said I would have to verify my identity so I did they said it would take 2 days to clear and they would mail me a check so I called 2 days later and nothing again they said to verify my identity so again I did and still till this day nothing every time I call I get the same thing they have my money and wont send it this is ridiculous

Review: I filed my taxes through Tax Slayer online and was due to receive income tax on 02/24/15. All was good until my bank card I setup direct deposit could not receive over 5,000.00 at one time. I got an email from Tax Products Group saying they have the refund and they need a new routing number to send it to because the bank rejected the amount. I then call TPG and the first rep told me he could not make the changes over the phone I would have to do it online. No problem, I went to the website logged on and received error messages saying I was logged out. I re-logged in clicked to change my account information answered some security questions then it gave another error message and logged me out. Struggled with this a couple times, then called back and the 2nd lady told me I was locked out the system they could not reset it and would have to wait 15 days for them to send it back to the IRS and then have IRS send it to me in paper format 2-3 weeks later. If there terrible website didn't log you out every 10 seconds there wouldn't be an issue. My internet is fine 40mbs and i'm very computer-savy . Its also an issue it takes over 40 minutes to talk to a live rep who cannot help.Desired Settlement: Let me change my Routing information to receive my income tax.

Business

Response:

Re: Case[redacted]

March 12, 2015

Dear [redacted],

This is in response to the complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com of San Diego on March

2, 2015 regarding your refund direct deposit.

Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was

chosen when your taxes were prepared through Taxslayer.com. On February 23, 2015 the IRS funded your

federal return; fees were deducted to pay your Taxslayer.com user fee. The

balance was deposited to the account instructed on The [redacted] Company

Refund Processing Agreement. Your Bank rejected the funds and declared the

account an R17 “File Record Edit Criteria” and the funds were returned to TPG

on February 25, 2015.

Per our

conversation, we have reached an agreement that you were satisfied with.

Please feel free to contact me at [redacted], Monday

through Friday 7 am to 3 pm, if you have

any further questions or concerns regarding this complaint.

Respectfully,

[redacted]

Compliance Analyst

Review: I used a personal tax preparer to file my taxes. I was told that my tax refund was mailed out on February 4, 2015 but I have not received anything. Every time I call I'm given a different date to expect my money but I still have not received anything and it has been two weeks.Desired Settlement: 4,826 plus state refund of 200 plus dollars

Business

Response:

RE: Case

02.24.2015

Dear [redacted],

This is in response to the complaint filed against

Santa Barbara Tax Products Group to the Revdex.com on February 17,

2015 regarding funds never received.

Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer

(RT) was chosen when your taxes were prepared through [redacted]. On February 2,

2015 the [redacted] funded your federal return; fees were deducted to pay your [redacted] user fees and an additional Bank processing fee. The balance was deposited

to the account instructed on the [redacted], N.A. Refund Processing

Agreement. Your Bank rejected the funds and declared the account an R02

“account closed”. The funds were returned to TPG on February 4, 2015. According

to your contract, TPG issued a Cashier’s Check on February 4, 2015 and mailed

to the address on record. The check was cleared on February 24, 2015.

Please feel free to contact me at

[redacted], Monday through Friday 7 am to 4 pm if you have any further

concerns or questions regarding this complaint.

Respectfully,

Review: I have been waiting since February 18th to receive my funds from sbtpg they have done nothing but make my wait longer I first called when I realized my account was closed I was told that my funds will be put on hold and not sent to the bank I called the morning my DDD was suppose to go to sbtpg and they told me they released my funds to the back anyways I was then told that they would have to send my refund back to the IRS after a 15 days I been going through this process since the 18th everytime I call they are rude to me and tell me they don't know when my funds will go back just alot if different stories the supervisor or rude ND hang up in my face I just want my money .Desired Settlement: I just want my refund to be in my hands and speak with someone high in the company just so my situation can be resolved .

Business

Response:

March 21, 2016

Dear Ms. [redacted]

This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 9,

2016.

Your complaint stated that since February 18, you have been

waiting for your refund to be deposited into your bank account. You realized

that the account you entered for your refund to be deposited to is closed. You

called to inform TPG about your account but learned there was a hold placed on

your refund. You requested your refund be sent back to the IRS but have been

given different timeframes when the refund would be returned.

We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced and the

manner in which you felt our customer service agents handled your inquiry. We

have spoken with the customer service representatives regarding your complaint

and reminded them of their obligation to always process customer inquiries in a

respectful manner.

Controls are in placed to protect our customers from

identity theft. As explained to you during our phone conversation on March 17,

since there was an error in your account information as well as the address you

entered while filing your tax return, TPG is obligated to send your refund back

to the IRS. TPG has begun the process of returning your funds to the IRS,

specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, California. The funds

will be sent back via Cashier’s Check and you will be provided a tracking

number to enable you to track the delivery status. This process can take up to 15

days. Please be advised that once we have returned funds to the IRS it can be 10-15

weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your account.

Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our service

did not meet your expectations. 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,

Melissa Gaines

Compliance Analyst

Business

Response:

March 21, 2016

Dear Ms. [redacted]

This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on March 9,

2016.

Your complaint stated that since February 18, you have been

waiting for your refund to be deposited into your bank account. You realized

that the account you entered for your refund to be deposited to is closed. You

called to inform TPG about your account but learned there was a hold placed on

your refund. You requested your refund be sent back to the IRS but have been

given different timeframes when the refund would be returned.

We apologize for the inconvenience you experienced and the

manner in which you felt our customer service agents handled your inquiry. We

have spoken with the customer service representatives regarding your complaint

and reminded them of their obligation to always process customer inquiries in a

respectful manner.

Controls are in placed to protect our customers from

identity theft. As explained to you during our phone conversation on March 17,

since there was an error in your account information as well as the address you

entered while filing your tax return, TPG is obligated to send your refund back

to the IRS. TPG has begun the process of returning your funds to the IRS,

specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, California. The funds

will be sent back via Cashier’s Check and you will be provided a tracking

number to enable you to track the delivery status. This process can take up to 15

days. Please be advised that once we have returned funds to the IRS it can be 10-15

weeks before they acknowledge receipt and post to your account.

Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us why our service

did not meet your expectations. 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

Consumer

Response:

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.You ask me to call but when I call no one can tell me anything about my account because I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com this is unacceptable I am very disappointed because you guys have been holding on to my refund for 5 weeks now then I hear today that it's going to take another 3 weeks this is ridiculous now they telling me 3 days to speak with someone in the compliance analysis I just want my money and I need it so tried of hearing different things my money has been in the process of going back to the IRS for 22 days there is no way you guys should still have my refund in your possession no one should have to go through this the IRS says it should only take up to three weeks for SBBT to release the funds back and another to weeks for me to have my funds they also said that there is no reason for SBBT to hold anyone's return if you can't get them to me then you are to simply return them to the IRS . ALL I WANT IS MY MONEY IN A TIMELY MATTER BUT IN THIS CASE I SEE THAT THAT IS TO MUCH TO ASK FOR FROM THIS COMPANY .

Consumer

Response:

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.You ask me to call but when I call no one can tell me anything about my account because I filed a complaint with the Revdex.com this is unacceptable I am very disappointed because you guys have been holding on to my refund for 5 weeks now then I hear today that it's going to take another 3 weeks this is ridiculous now they telling me 3 days to speak with someone in the compliance analysis I just want my money and I need it so tried of hearing different things my money has been in the process of going back to the IRS for 22 days there is no way you guys should still have my refund in your possession no one should have to go through this the IRS says it should only take up to three weeks for SBBT to release the funds back and another to weeks for me to have my funds they also said that there is no reason for SBBT to hold anyone's return if you can't get them to me then you are to simply return them to the IRS . ALL I WANT IS MY MONEY IN A TIMELY MATTER BUT IN THIS CASE I SEE THAT THAT IS TO MUCH TO ASK FOR FROM THIS COMPANY .

Business

Response:

March 31, 2016[redacted]Dear Ms[redacted]

TPG has

returned funds associated with your tax return filing back to the Internal

Revenue Service, specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, CA on

March 30, 2016. The funds were sent back via Cashier’s Check; please use

USPS certified tracking number[redacted] to confirm delivery of funds. It is recommended

that you contact the IRS at 800-829-0922 for further details. You may also log

onto IRS.gov to seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your State. Sincerely,[redacted]Compliance Analyst

Business

Response:

March 31, 2016[redacted]Dear Ms[redacted]

TPG has

returned funds associated with your tax return filing back to the Internal

Revenue Service, specifically the RISC/IVO Division of the IRS in Fresno, CA on

March 30, 2016. The funds were sent back via Cashier’s Check; please use

USPS certified tracking number[redacted] to confirm delivery of funds. It is recommended

that you contact the IRS at 800-829-0922 for further details. You may also log

onto IRS.gov to seek assistance from a Taxpayer Advocate in your State. Sincerely,Melissa GainesCompliance Analyst

Review: On February 15, 2016, I [redacted] contacted Santa Barbara Tax Group about my 2014 federal tax return. I noticed on my tax return the account information was wrong. I extended this information to kristal and she stated that a hold and direct deposit would be stopped, would be place on the account and papers would be sent to confirm my identity and for check reissuing. Tpg customer service agent stated I would receive papers within 24 hours. I called on the 16 and 17 of February. The 16 I called to make sure that the form was on its way and on the 17 I stated that I did not receive the paper via email , stpg stated that the account was on hold and all they need was the form I would receive later on that night. February 18 , I check my account to see if they were in my account regardless of the possible typo. My federal refund was not there. February 18, 2016. I spoke to [redacted] he did not understand what happened. I have been contacting STPG. They are blaming me for them depositing my money in the wrong account.. They state its my fault, I state I paid them for service that have not been rendered. I have not receive my money they have not tried to retrieve the moneyback. To reissue a check . Intially the check was supposed to be placed on hold . I noticed the they made a mistake and called them in enough time to resolve it. They have receive money . I have not received service.Desired Settlement: STPG retrieve funds and reissue check. The intial agreement from 2/15/2016.

Business

Response:

March 7, 2016

Dear [redacted],

This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February

25, 2016.

You complaint stated that you were told that you alerted TPG

that the account you submitted was wrong.

You asked that we retrieve your funds and reissue as a check.

Upon review of your record, a Refund Transfer (RT) was

chosen when your taxes were prepared through Turbo Tax. On February 17, 2016 the IRS funded your federal

return; fees were deducted to pay your Turbo Tax user fees and an additional

Bank processing fee for the RT. The balance was deposited to the account

instructed on the [redacted] Refund Processing Agreement. Your financial

institution rejected the funds and declared the account an R23 / “Credit Entry

Refused by Receiver”. The funds were returned to TPG on March 4, 2016.

On February 15, 2016 you called TPG to advise that you

entered wrong account information and needed to place the account on hold. Unfortunately, this request was not processed

immediately and the funds were disbursed as scheduled. Our sincere apologies, as this shouldn’t have

happened. On March 4, we spoke on the

phone and I advised that the funds were returned by the financial institution

and were currently on a hold until we could validate your identity. Per your request, I forwarded instructions for

this process via email. You then

confirmed receipt of my email and advised that you completed the verification

process. On March 7, TPG verified your

information, released the hold from your account, and mailed a check to your

address on record. Tracking information was forwarded to you via email.

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 explanation and solution.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel

free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.

Sincerely,

Senior Compliance Analyst

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], 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,

Review: I HAVE SUBMITTED THE CORRECT INFORMATION ON MY ACCOUNT BUT IT WAS THE WRONG TYPE OF ACCOUNT. MY REFUND WAS SENT BACK TO YOUR COMPANY TO WHICH I HAD TO RESUBMIT INFO TO RECIEVE MY REFUND. WAS TOLD IT ONLY TAKES 2 DAYS FOR PROCESS TO GO THREW.. 3 DAYS LATER WAS TOLD THEY HAVENT RECIEVED ANY INFO YET AND THAT IT COULD BE ANOTHER 3 DAYS BEFORE INFO IS EXCEPTED.. WAITED THOSE REMAINING DAYS AFTER ON HOLD ANOTHER HOUR AND HALF TOLD NOW I WOULD HAVE SUBMIT MY WIFE ID AS WELL BUT IT MAY NOT EFFECT MY ACCOUNT OR IT MAY NOBODY KNOW FOR SURE. TOLD AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME I CAN REQUEST IT HANDED OVER TO A SUPERVISOR TO WHICH I WAITED AND DID.. CALLED BACK AGAIN ANOTHER HOUR LATER IM ON THE PHONE THEY SEND MY INFO TO THE PROPER SUPERVISOR. I GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM THEY TELL ME IT GONNA BE ANOTHER 2 MORE DAYS FOR ME TO HAVE A TOTAL OF 7 DAY TO CONFIRM MY ID.. WHICH DOESNT MAKE SENSE SENSE I WAS TOLD AFTER 5 DAYS I WOULD BE PUSHED FORWARD , NOW IT 7 DAYS. IVE BEEN TOLD TOTAL OF 2 DAYS .. 5 DAYS AND NOW 7 .. IVE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM FOR 2 WEEKS NOW AND STILL NOW WERE NEARING GETTING A HOLD TAKING OF MY REFUND. I ASK THEM TO SEND IT BACK TO THE IRS BECAUSE I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE DEALING WITH THEM THEN A COMPANY WITH Revdex.com HISTORY OF NEVER OR SEND PEOPLES CHECKS OUT YEARS TO MONTHS LATER.. THE AMOUNT OF TIME I WASTED DEALING WITH A COMPANY WHOS OWN EMPLOYEES ARE UNAWARE HOW THEIR SYSTEM WORKS. AND ON TOP OF THAT TELL YOU SOMETHING DIFFERENT EVERYTIME JUST TO PROLONG YOUR BUISINESS WITH THEM .Desired Settlement: EVERYTHING I PAID TO THIS COMPANY..BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO DEAL WITH THEM AND THE 100 PEOPLE IM CURRENTLY TALKING TO ON A BLOG DOESN'T EITHER!! BEEN A CUSTOMER FOR 6 YEARS NEVER HAD A DISPUTE OR COMPLAINT UNTILL NOW..VERY VERY UNSATISFIED SPECIALLY WHEN IVE BEEN UNEMPLOYED ALL YEAR AND THIS MY LIVING INCOME I EXCPECTING TO SURVIVE OFF OF.

Business

Response:

February 29, 2016

Dear Mr. [redacted],

This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February

19, 2016.

In your complaint, you stated that after submitting you tax

return, you entered the wrong account which caused your refund to be rejected

by your bank and sent back to TPG. After speaking with TPG’s customer service,

you were give a number of different answers as to when your refund would be

released.

Our sincere apologies, I agree that this should not have

happened. The information you were given

should have been consistent and reliable. Your case has been reviewed with the

Manager and the team in order to clarify procedures and provide further

training. We appreciate you bringing

this to our attention and thank you for your input and feedback.

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 the incorrect bank account

information or the account is closed. In these cases, the receiving bank

“rejects” the transaction, and returns the funds to the sender, in this case,

TPG. TPG has nothing to do with the incorrect account information entered by

the taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to reject the funds. Once TPG

receives the rejected refund, the company has the option of making another

attempt to disburse the funds to the customer or simply returning the funds to

the IRS.

Controls are in place to protect our customers from identity

theft and fraud. TPG was able to verify your information and released the hold

from your account. On February 20, TPG issued and mailed your tax refund as a

check. Your account establishes that on February 27 the check was received and

cashed.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel

free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.

Sincerely,

Compliance Analyst

Review: My tax refund was released to this company Feb. 10 and it was never put into my bank account. I had to go online to find out that something happened to where they were unable to place the funds in my account. I uploaded my identification to their website as requested and according to their instruction itshould have been reviewed within two days, which should have been Monday. Not once have I been contacted about this issue. I have also called this company and they keep you on hold for 30 mins after which they hang up on you and tell you to try calling later. The 1 out of 10 times that I did actually reach someone, she just fed me some crap about it actually taking up to 4 days and that the funds hadn't been rereleased to them, which is also false because the first thing that their automated service told me when I called their customer service line is that "the ach was returned" to them. I would like my money sooner rather than later and quite frankly don't understand with the hold up is. I will NEVER use [redacted] or any of it's affiliate companies again. This is the second year in the row I've had problem with this company.

Business

Response:

February 26, 2016

Dear Ms. [redacted],

This is in response to

your complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the

Revdex.com on February 17, 2016.

Your complaint stated

that on February 10 your tax refund was released but was not placed into the

bank account you provided. Since then, you have been trying to contact the TPG

customer service but were unable to receive the information you needed regarding

your tax return.

If a taxpayer enters a

bank account that is closed, incorrect, or the account is associated with a

different issue the transaction is rejected by the receiving bank. In these

cases when the receiving bank rejects the transaction, the funds are sent back to

the sender, in this case TPG. TPG has nothing to do with incorrect account

information entered by the taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to reject

the funds. TPG allows taxpayers the opportunity to correct their initial

mistake by validating their current, valid government-issued photo

identification through our website, something you completed successfully on

February 13.

TPG was able to verify

your identification and released the hold from your account. TPG processed your

refund as a check on February 20. Please allow up to 7 days for your check to

be delivered to your address on file.

If you have any

questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted], Monday

through Friday, 7am to 4pm.

Sincerely,

Compliance Analyst

Review: [redacted] uses this company to take out the fees they charge for processing tax returns. I made the mistake of providing the wire transfer routing number instead of the ACH routing number for my account. Because of this error my tax return was not able to be direct deposited into my account. I was told my several customer service reps at TPG that all I need to do is upload a copy of my DL to them so they can confirm I am in fact the person on the tax return and in 2 business days they will be able to mail me a check for my tax return. We are currently on business day 6 and they will not send me my money. I have uploaded my DL 5 times and they continue to tell me they dont have it. Now today their phone lines will not allow you to speak with a live person. I have asked them to simply send my refund back to the IRS and allow them to issue a check, but they have refused to do so. I'm afraid this company is a scam and has received my tax return and won't send it to me.Desired Settlement: I would like the money mailed to me or send back to the IRS so they can issue a check

Business

Response:

February 16, 2016

Dear Ms. [redacted],

This is in response to your complaint filed

against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the RevDex.com on February 11, 2016.

You contacted TPG’s customer service regarding an

error with the routing number you entered. You stated that you provided your

wire transfer routing number instead of your direct deposit routing number.

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. TPG will then re-disburse

your funds via check.

Your refund was rejected by the receiving bank which

allowed TPG to reprocess your refund and mail it to the address on record. Your

check was mailed on February 11, 2016. Please allow up to 7 days for the check

to reach your address.

We are experiencing extremely large call volumes

which correlates to an extremely large, and unexpected, funding from

IRS. This unexpected spike in business has caused extreme demand on our

resources and unfortunate delays in processing. We apologize for the

inconvenience this has caused you and the manner in which your inquiry was

handled by our Customer Service agents.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel

free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm.

Sincerely,

Compliance Analyst

I recently used [redacted] to file my 2015 taxes in which I chose to have the fees taken out of my refund as I do every year without a problem this year has however been very different. The IRS sent SBTPG my refund on 2/17 which they took the fees and then said they sent them to my Bank to be deposisted but my bank rejected the funds. I checked my Bank account on 2/18 which was my direct deposit date and still had nothing snowing. I then called my Bank to ser if any thing had been sent and they had nothing from SBTPG and did not reject any thing. I then found out that SBTPG has but a hold on my account and refused to send my money until I verified my id. I sent that id in on the 18th like I was told. They Lady I spoke to that day told me to take a front and back photo of my id( the primary name on The account) and upload it and they would verify and I should call back on tuesday and they should know something. I called on tuesday and was told it was still processing. I asked to talk to a supervisor who was completely rude and kept telling me this was my fault and she was doing me a favor by placing a hold on my account and funds.She then told me that I needed to send both ids( mine and my husbands) vía email and that she would have her supervisor look it up when he came in and to give it 24 hrs before I would see progress in my account. Today makes 48 hrs since that phone call and I still have the hold and no progress with getting my refund. I would not recommend any one use this company as they are rude and useless seems to me as they are id verify everyone to charge them another fee to send a check. I just want my money and for them to be a little more understanding that people are upset that they have already waited 21 days for this money and another 2-3 weeks is just crazy.

My return was done through Turbo Tax, to have the fees taken out of my refund. NEVER AGAIN! I inadvertently listed the incorrect routing number. IRS sent my money to SBTGP group, who proceeded to try to deposit it into my account. I have spoken to a different representative every time that I have called, all getting different information. They have assured me the funds would be refunded to their account, and that they would verify my identity by today (I submitted it on the 11th). Still nothing. No one there can give me any information. If you use Turbo Tax, PAY FEES UP FRONT, to avoid this group!!!

Hello everyone , my review tonight is about this tax product not releasing my funds into my account . My money is now on hold in which it shouldn't be . This is the time for this experience . I've called them a number of times to be spoken to rudely the last time . I truly believe that they think that it's over but it's not .

Review: My tax refund of 8027.00 was mistakenly deposited into an account that was not mine and was not agreed on when I filed. I have tried several channels through this business and received no help even was accused by one agent of being a thief and running a scam. ([redacted] was the agents name). Supervisors were unavailable I caught them in several lies. At the end of the day nothing has been done to resolve this. I can prove the bank account is not mine and that its different than the account on printed return. I was told by the bank all they had to do was reverse the deposit however they refused to do so.Desired Settlement: I would like the deposit reversed and given back to me. I would just like my money.

Business

Response:

February 19, 2015

1 S[redacted]

Wa[redacted]

Dear Mrs. [redacted],

This letter is in response to the

complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) to the Revdex.com of

San Diego and Imperial Counties on February 9, 2015 regarding your tax refund

deposit.

As I confirmed with you on the phone, after

a thorough investigation into your account, we believe that you are a victim of

Identity Theft. We have placed an identity

theft indicator on your account. Please

disregard any written notices or statements you may have received regarding

this fictitious account. No information

concerning this account will be reported to any credit agencies.

We encourage you to contact the IRS at

the Identity Theft Specialized Unit, toll free at (800) 908-4490. The IRS can assist you with questions

regarding identity theft related to your account. You will need to fill out the IRS Identity

Theft Affidavit, Form 14039, please locate this form on www.irs.gov.

As a victim of identity theft, you

should take immediate steps to protect your personal information. We have provided a link to the Federal Trade

Commission’s website for information on what you should do as a victim of

identity theft:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft

So that we may investigate this matter

more thoroughly and help provide as much information as possible to the

authorities, please provide us with a copy of the signed for 10439 and a government

issued photo ID for our records. This

will help us validate your identity and your claim of identity theft.

If you have any further concerns or

questions regarding this complaint, please feel free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through Friday 7am to 3pm PST. Please reference case #[redacted].

Respectfully,

Chr[redacted]

C[redacted]

Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

Review: The Tax Products group received my income tax refund on February 2, 2016. My refund was suppose to be direct deposited but it was denied for whatever reason and a paper check was mailed to me on the 8th. Today is now the 18th and I still have not received my money! I NEED my income tax refund now. I have filed with turbotax for years and have never had a problem until now. When I call they tell me it is out of their hands and in the mail. I talked to the United States postal service and it only takes a max of 7 days for mail to get from California to [redacted]!! Something isn't right.Desired Settlement: I just want my check

Business

Response:

February 29, 2016

Dear Ms. [redacted],

This is in response to your complaint filed against Santa

Barbara Tax Products Group (TPG) through the Revdex.com on February

19, 2016.

Your complaint stated that after learning your refund was

directed to TPG on February 2nd, you were told that instead of a

direct deposit, TPG was going to send you the check via mail, which would take

7 days. After two weeks, you still have not received your check.

Upon review of your record, a

Refund Transfer (RT) was chosen when your taxes were prepared through Turbo Tax. On February 2, 2016 the IRS funded your federal return; fees were deducted to

pay your Turbo Tax user fees and an additional Bank processing fee for the RT.

The balance was deposited to the account instructed on the [redacted]

Refund Processing Agreement. Your

financial institution rejected the funds and declared the account an

R04/“Invalid Account Number”. You may contact your financial institution and

provide them with trace number: [redacted] for further details regarding the rejection of funds. The funds

were returned to TPG on February 5, 2016.

If a taxpayer enters a bank

account that is closed, incorrect, or associated with other issues at the

financial institution, 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 has nothing to do with the incorrect

account information entered by the taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to

reject the funds. Once TPG receives the rejected refund, the company has the

option of making another attempt to disburse the funds to the customer or

simply returning the funds to the IRS.

Controls are in place to protect

our customers from identity theft and fraud. TPG was able to verify your

information and release the hold from your account. On February 8th,

TPG processed your tax refund as a check and mailed it to you on or around the

same date. Your account confirms that the check was received and cashed on

February 25, 2016.

If you have any other questions

or concerns, please feel free to contact me at [redacted], Monday through

Friday, 7am to 4pm.

Sincerely,

Compliance Analyst

Review: I filed my tax return with turbo tax and on February 9th I received notification from the Oklahoma tax commission that I had an incorrect account number on my return at that time I reviewed my return and found that turbo tax had placed my account number from last year in front of my current years bank account number, the same day I contacted the IRS to attempt to stop payment of my federal return knowing that it would be rejected and was advised no way to stop it, I attempted to contact turbo tax the same day and they never returned my call to them due to high call volume. On February 11 I received an email from turbo tax that SBTPG had my return and contacted them for the first time. was told nothing they could do and that it would be mailed out to me... on February 17th I was able to log into my account and update my account information to the correct routing/bank account number. Talked to customer service again and they advised they saw the return and that it would be deposited soon. on February 20th still no change to my bank account or the SPTPG webpage so thinking something may have gone wrong I did attempt to re update the information again this time a delay between email services I was unable to verify account information and it locked me out. now the sight says it will be returned to the IRS in 15 days. contacted supervisor and explained situation and was advised nothing could be done it was going to be May or June for my return now. Which is completely unreasonable esspically considering all the attempts to contact and that the information was updated correctly in addition now I am being told they haven't received the return from my bank yet although my bank (Walmart money card) can't locate the deposit with they trace number. As of now I can't get any information about where my money actually is nor can I get a good date as to when the funds might actually come back to meDesired Settlement: I would like to know where my money is at this point, where exactly the money is lost in the system it took the state of Oklahoma 5 days to find the issue and I had the money via check its now been 15 days and I am no where closer to a resolution now then where I was when I first found the problem. I need research done to know what happened to the orginal deposit and I would really like the money to be deposited correctly into my account as originally requested to turbo tax before they included my old account number. and the account I corrected online on the 17th

Business

Response:

RE: Case[redacted]

03.10.2015

Dear [redacted],

This

is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products Group

to the Revdex.com on February 26, 2015 regarding wrong account

information.

In

the scenario described in your complaint you have chosen to have your refund

deposited onto a prepaid card. TPG has nothing to with incorrect account

information entered by the taxpayer or the receiving bank’s decision to reject

or deposit funds based on their internal policies. Per our conversation on

March 10, 2015, the funds have been located and you will be in contact with the

prepaid card company to discuss further action.

Please

feel free to contact me at 877-908-7228, Monday through Friday 7 am to 3 pm if

you have any further concerns or questions regarding this complaint.

Respectfully,[redacted]

Compliance Analyst

Consumer

Response:

I want to thank the representative who responded to me in regards to this complaint! She did an excellent job in resolving this issue! SBTPG was acquired by the Green DOT company (the same company that I use for my banking products) earlier this last year. I certainly understand that Green dot is very very large company and sometimes finding money that is missing can be difficult unfortunately. I have used 1 card for about 5 years now for various different purposes including my paychecks and tax returns. I personally love the products and the service that I have always received but this particular case just went down hill very quickly with an incorrect account number. please allow me to explain. I am a truck driver usually away from home for long periods of time. Last year my wife attempted to send me some money to my regular green dot card from home however she ended up purchasing a whole new card... we used the card only once then discarded it as we didn't have any further use for it. This year when my tax return came in it had an incorrect account number as previously mentioned so green dot was not able to route the money correctly to my regular card but did find that I had the other card in my name that as I mentioned had been discarded and placed the money there. I have talked to at least a half a dozen representatives on the [redacted] money card side of [redacted] to look for the money including the research department. No one even looked to see about a second card and I had forgotten about that card. The representative from SBTPG though was able to do a very good investigation including a trace from them to the federal reserve then back to [redacted] to finally reach [redacted] money card and found the money. I was then able to call walmart money card myself and report that card lost or stolen and they are mailing me a new card which should arrive in about 2 weeks. Had the funds of been returned I am afraid that it may have taken the original time frame of several months to resolve and without the representatives assistance following this complaint I am not completely sure that the money could have been found. She really did awesome in helping me very polite and friendly the entire time even when I was trying to drive though a snow storm in MO last week lol. Green dot and turbo tax will continue to receive my business following this resolution.

Regards,

Review: Santa Barbara Tax Product Group is a third party bank with Turbo Tax that withdraws service fees on tax refunds. In the process of this company withdrawing the fees related to my tax refund, instead of sending my refund to my bank account, they sent it to a green dot card. While researching I discovered that this company is affiliated with the green dot bank. I've tried on several occasions to get help from this company, Turbo Tax, and the IRS who is investigating this matter in having this company admit their mistake and return my tax refund. I have on two occasions sent an email to a rep in the lead dept at SBTPG in regards to a follow up pertaining to my severe matter. The rep claimed that their legal team is involved and had me to email personal identification documents but yet she nor management from this company will not return my calls or email. This matter is very upsetting when your hard own money gets taking away from you and no one is trying to go above and beyond to speedily resolve the issue. Tmey didn't hesitate to take my tax refund and send it to the wrong banking destination yet they drag their feet in resolving an error they have caused. This issue has put me in such a financial stress and no one seems to think that the matter is important enough to resolve in a timely matter.Desired Settlement: I desire that my tax refund be placed in my banking account as it should have been before the month of February is out. I would also like a sincere apology from executive leadership from Santa Barbara Tax Product Group regarding this matter. They need to know what issues are not being prioritized in resolving on the operating floor. I also would like to suggest a change in their policies and procedures. When issues like this arise. These issues should have a max turnaround time of resolution of 5 business days not when it's convenient for the company and when it's an error on the company's behalf!

Business

Response:

RE: Case [redacted]

02.27.2015

Dear

[redacted],

This

email is in response to the complaint filed against Santa Barbara Tax Products

Group to the Revdex.com on February 22, 2015 regarding service

issues.

We

realize that you personal confidential information has been compromised and

your tax refund, in effect, has been stolen. Be assured that the [redacted] has

a process available to provide restitution for taxpayers who have had their

identity compromised and their refund stolen. We will help you as a

victim get restitution from the [redacted]. Unfortunately this process will take

some time and restitution won’t be immediate. We will supply some forms

and information to help you initiate the process. Additionally, you

should take measures to enhance the security of your confidential personal

information in all areas. We have performed analytics and are confident

that this breach did not occur at TPG or your online tax provider and

unfortunately it is likely that the breach occurred through one of the large

national data breaches that has been publicized in the past 12months or through

a phishing scheme directed to one of your personal devices.

We

are working with you to help you resolve this issue in a more timely manner. [redacted] with our office has contacted you

with a suggestion that we believe will resolve your issue completely. If you are not satisfied with Mr. [redacted]’s

suggestion, please let us know.

As

a victim of identity theft, you should take immediate steps to protect your

personal information.

File a report with the local police.File a complaint with the [redacted] or the [redacted] at [redacted] or TTY [redacted].Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud

alert’ on your credit records: [redacted]Close any accounts opened without your permission or tampered

with. It is recommended you take

these additional steps:

Respond immediately to any [redacted] notice; call the number provided.Complete [redacted]. Use a fill-able

form at [redacted], print, then mail or fax according to their instructions. For your

convenience, I have also included a copy of this form.Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you

must do so by paper.If you previously contacted the [redacted] and did not have a

resolution, contact the [redacted] at [redacted]. Respectfully,[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have been in contact with [redacted]s regarding this issue and the company has refunded my account on 2/27/15. The complaint can be closed.

Regards,