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    #1

    First idiot appeared

    A taxpayer appeared unannounced this morning and he said I prepared his 2007
    return and that he made the mistake of going to Liberty last year. I told him that I generally will not
    prepare returns again after a client fails to come back to me.
    He started off by saying he wanted to deduct CHILD SUPPORT payments. I asked are
    you SURE you paid child support payments? He replied: "YES". I then advised him that
    child support payments are NOT deductible. He then said NOW I remember it was ALIMONY
    I paid. I advised that I needed the name and social security number of his ex-wife before I
    could allow a deduction for alimony and if it was not alimony, IRS would disallow it. At
    that point he said he would go back to Liberty and he left. I do NOT want this type of
    client. Watch for them. They will be coming in now. I have a SENSE or ESP about clients
    and as soon as I see them, I can tell that I do NOT want them as my client.
    Last edited by dyne; 04-09-2010, 09:05 AM.
    Tags: None
    #2
    Wow....

    you got to April 8th before the first idiot appeared at your office? You have great clients. Seems like my first one was back in uh, like January 21st. We had a new Liberty office open last year in town and I did lose some EITC clients to them. Have had several return this year, no bickering about my fees this time, and happy I was willing to give them a second chance.
    "A man that holds a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way." - Mark Twain

    Comment

      #3
      Fees

      Originally posted by taxmandan View Post
      you got to April 8th before the first idiot appeared at your office? You have great clients. Seems like my first one was back in uh, like January 21st. We had a new Liberty office open last year in town and I did lose some EITC clients to them. Have had several return this year, no bickering about my fees this time, and happy I was willing to give them a second chance.
      A TP that returns after leaving for a year because they wanted to try to get it done cheaper somewhere else should be an automatic 10% bump in current year fees------minimum!!!
      That's all I have to say ... for now.

      Moses A.
      Enrolled Agent

      Comment

        #4
        Originally posted by taxmandan View Post
        you got to April 8th before the first idiot appeared at your office?
        I know! Why do you get all the geniuses, dyne?

        Comment

          #5
          Re: idiots & non-returning clients. Call at 9:30pm last night from client who says she has no money to pay me, so doing DIY and she needs to figure how much from W-2 box 12a code E to transfer onto 1040 line 16b. I told her sorry cannot do taxes over the phone, but then I actually felt bad for her the rest of the night. Who is the idiot?

          Comment

            #6
            Maybe the guy IS a genius in a sense. Perhaps this client had no intention of returning, but he needed to know what to say to the next preparer about the alimony/child care (whatever it needs to be.) He got what he wanted at no cost, and Dyne didn't have to worry with him once he was out the door.

            I've had a couple of situations like this - by simply asking the relevant questions we're unintentionally coaching them. I had one like this concerning the FTHB credit a couple of weeks ago. He reversed himself 2 or 3 times in response to my questions, then said he was going to try it himself when I told him I wouildn't be able to help after I became suspicious. After thinking about the conversation, my guess is he went straight to HRB with all his answers neatly lined up and maybe an altered HUD-1 in hand.

            As Dyne says, you're better off without these types of clients cluttering up the landscape.
            Last edited by JohnH; 04-09-2010, 10:03 AM.
            "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

            Comment

              #7
              SECOND idiot: I received a call at 11 AM from a lady for whom I have never prepared a return and she wanted me to prepare her tax returns including a BUSINESS. She said it is very simple. Yeah. These types of people often do not have the depreciation schedules needed and often only bring a bag full of receipts. And WHY did she not go back to her prior tax preparer? I told her I could not help her. That is number TWO today.

              Comment

                #8
                I had a client which I had been doing his returns for six or seven years. The last few years he had owed around $2k. He went to a big franchise for his 2008 taxes. He thought I was doing something wrong and didn't understand why he owed so much. He had little withholding, still works, wife still works, SS, pension, etc.

                He took the franchise five year challenge. I understand they will review your past five years of returns for errors. They didn't find any errors and said it is very rare that they find a preparer who has done all five years correctly. He called me this January and left a long voice mail. He wanted me to do them again this year, and said he understood if I would not take him back.

                I took him back and continued to charge him the same fee. He must have removed the invoice from the big franchise firm. I imagine it was three times my fee or more. I do some of his relatives returns and hopefully by not jacking up my fees I'll build more clients from him and his relatives.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Whew, close call... I saw the words "Second Idiot" popping up right behind my last post and I thought for a minute that you were onto me. I'm relieved to see that we're still confining the conversation to idiot clients only.
                  Last edited by JohnH; 04-09-2010, 10:49 AM.
                  "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

                  Comment

                    #10
                    duh! I know what dyne can do with his idiot clients he doesn't want.

                    Just send them up the road a piece to John H.!
                    ChEAr$,
                    Harlan Lunsford, EA n LA

                    Comment

                      #11
                      Yikes!
                      Not a chance.
                      I'm following your sage advice - "No Ugly Clients" - not in this office anyhow.
                      "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectful" - John Kenneth Galbraith

                      Comment

                        #12
                        JohnH: Your comment was hilarious. Thanks. I probably should not have used the
                        word idiot but I could not think of a better word to describe them.

                        Comment

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