How to Make the H&R Block Corporate Office Listen

It is easy to feel like you are standing up to a giant when H&R Block isn’t living up to their promises.

This is particularly true when H&R Block makes a mistake that costs you money. What’s more, if you use H&R Block for your taxes, you might have to pay for the error even if it is wrong, or they won’t offer their services.

Phone calls with the H&R Block customer service team you don’t have the power to fix anything or just a waste of your time. Email complaints generate nothing but Auto responses, no evidence that a human actually read them. Sometimes requests to talk with someone who has the authority to make a decision and give you compensation gets ignored or takes months you don’t have. In some cases they’ll tell you that they’re going to fix the problem but they never do.

So what can you do when you feel that you’ve been taken advantage of and no one is listening?

Use Arbitration to Settle Your Complaint with H&R Block

Doing business with tax preparation services like H&R Block can leave you feeling a little powerless when there’s a problem. It seems all well and good when you are easily able to virtually submit information, scan tax documents, and have everything submitted with just a few clicks of a button. But when something goes wrong and a mistake is made it can be next to impossible to get customer service on the phone because everything’s so heavily virtualized. With limited choices when it comes to tax preparation services a lot of us are forced to do business with companies that knowingly have unresponsive staff members or low customer service standards.

Arbitration is a way for you to get a satisfactory solution for the complaint you have with H&R Block without having to sue them. With this, you request arbitration and an independent arbitrator is appointed to the case, someone who is impartial and familiar with the type of situation involved. H&R Block then has to do a lot of work and they lose control over the outcome because the arbitrator examines the facts presented by both sides and then makes a binding decision.

Arbitration is Just, Fair, Reasonable, and Transparent

Arbitrations handled by the American Arbitration Association® is an option that complies with the Statement of Principles of the Consumer Due Process Protocol which means:

• The process has to be fundamentally fair for everyone involved, and that includes fair appointment of an impartial, competent, and qualified arbitrator who conducts fair hearings.
• A reasonable standard is applied to the process which means you all get access to relevant information, a good time for the hearing, a good location, and affordable cost.
• The transparency standard requires clear arbitration agreements which include all the necessary information and provide you and the other party with the ability to hire representation.
• An alternative to arbitration, which takes the form of small claims court and, in some cases, mediation, has to be available.
• The process should be just and allow the arbitrator to award you the same outcome you could get in the courtroom, an award which is a legally binding decision.

Arbitration Gives You Leverage

When you notify H&R Block that you’re going to pursue arbitration, they know immediately that they are going to be required to pay more expenses out of pocket. What’s more, they now know they might lose and they have to give you what you’re asking for on top of the additional expenses for the arbitration process. Once H&R Block knows that they’re going to have to pay more money, they become much more willing to meet your demands if those demands are reasonable.

If they don’t meet your demands, you can get a reasonable, transparent, and just hearing without having to spend any money by using our FairShake process to help you file for arbitration. It won’t cost you anything unless you win.

Leverage Leads to Faster Settlements

Once you start the arbitration process, H&R Block loses its advantage. They aren’t the big bad wolf anymore. You are both on equal footing with a neutral arbitrator.

The first step is to give you the leverage you need to really resolve your complaint by formally raising the issue with H&R Block. At FairShake we help you do this. We send a demand letter to the H&R Block corporate office to start the process of resolving your case before you file arbitration. Usually we give them a 30 day limit but this depends on the length of time required by your arbitration clause in your contract with H&R Block.

In about 50% of cases the H&R Block headquarters will make an acceptable settlement offer during this time and the issue gets resolved without arbitration ever being required. But if they don’t offer you a reasonable settlement, the next step is simply file the appropriate paperwork with the American Arbitration Association. FairShake will put together all the official arbitration paperwork for you and guide you through the next steps.

Do I need an attorney?

If your case goes to arbitration you might consider hiring an attorney. In legal terms, if you don’t have an attorney with you that means you are bringing your claim “pro se”. If you decide that you want to go forward without an attorney, check out some information from The American Arbitration Association’s Pro Se Case Administration Team.

There are some complaints that are quite common and for these it’s easy to get higher compensation because of the specific laws under which they fall. However, it might be in your best interest to get help from an attorney if your issue involves things like illegal debt collection techniques or robocalls.

What can I do next?

Start by telling us your issue with H&R Block. With FairShake we take away the frustration of working with a big bank and we give you a solution. We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, which means if you aren’t completely satisfied with our service, you don’t owe us anything.