Has this ever happened to you? Unbelievable!

[Mo Sheets]

"Willing" to pay me $40

I had a similar situation this year...client who has a wife and two kids...been with me five years and I have never charged anywhere near what I should have....called this year to schedule an appointment. He says "my return is so easy [in my mind, yes, it is easy...for YOU to hand it to me] that I will give you $40 to prepare it this year." My response was, I'm so sorry, but my fees have gone up this year...not down due to an increase in my tax software cost. His reply was "Oh, you don't need software...mine is so easy you can do it with a paper and pencil." I told him to feel free to check with other preparer's in the area. He called back three weeks later wanting to make an appointment. I told him I was booked solid for the rest of tax season (which I am) but wished him well in finding a new preparer. It felt SO GOOD!

Mo

[Black Bart]

Not necessarily

Did you say $300? That's outrageous! Turbo tax only cost $29.95, and how much effort does it take to punch in a couple of numbers and hit a "Print" button?

Acutually it's a little more; https://turbotax.intuit.com/personal-taxes/

but on the other hand that first price is pretty hard to compete with (I do those for $0 to $75 depending on how much I like/need/want their parents). But anyway I guess the next three would be what we're competing with (although the OP's talking about a true DIYer with no help).

Cheapskates? I'd put ours up against anybody. Years ago I had a dozen or so oldsters inherited from my dad, but fiinnnaaallly (it takes a while) priced them all out of the office (My God, what a relief!). That technique works just fine, but you have to be able to withstand the trauma of watching a heart break ("What!!! You're going to charge me $50 for that little bit of paperwork? Why, $20 would be a big price for it! What gall! I never heard of such...") and then bluster, spit, cry, moan (one shrieked) and so on while staggering out the door.)

[oceanlovin'ea]

had one this year too

I only take new clients by referral and my clients always send me people every year....for which I am grateful. One of my clients sent an fellow worker to me. A very nice single mother with 2 kids. I did her return and all was well. So she referred a friend of hers to me. They both live in another town. So I made a late in the day appointment for this lady so that she could bring her "spouse" with her. Well, it turns out he is just a boyfriend/father of her child. They came in a downpour. I did the man's return first. He had a small W-2 and a 1099-misc. He works for a courier company and is considered a subcontractor. With mileage and a couple of other expenses, I got his net income down from 52,000 to about 15,000. But he still owed money. He couldn't believe it because he had always gotten money back. I told him if he filed any other way the IRS has a copy of that 1099 and they will be contacting him and wanted taxes on the whole amount if he doesn't put it on his return. He drives the same route each day so I told him he had to let me know the exact mileage of his route because that was based on an estimate. Then I did her return. She had a W-2 and child care expenses for which she had to get me the woman's name before she could actually claim it. They were talking to each other in an African language most of the time I am working. I spent about an hour and a half with them. Then she tells me she wants to get a second opinion. I just looked at her and said "what did you say?" She said she wanted to get a second opinion. I told her that was fine but with what she had no one would come up with something different.
I too was dumbfounded!!!!! I asked him if he wanted his papers back too and he said yes. So I gave them everything back. She said they would call me in 2 days. Never heard from them again. Why would you drive 40 miles one way and then not accept what I did!!!!!
Actually my husband had to be gone that evening and so I was here alone. I was a little uncomfortable the whole time they were here. I don't usually have those kind of feelings. So am not sad they didn't come back.
But I SHOULD have charged them for my time. I only gave them back their W-2's. None of my paperwork.
We can be so trusting that we are shocked when someone does these things to us.

Linda, EA

[Uncle]

Why be shocked?

We are in the service business. If a customer comes into a grocery store, checks the veggies, and leaves without paying anything, the manager does not contort herself all over the store with guilt and anger. Why would we? If someone walks out on me, fine. I go on to the next one. The walk-out is built into my fee. If someone wants extra work or explanation, no problem. I simply smile at them and tell them it will be $200 per hour, my normal rate. If they leave, I go on to the next one. If they stay, I collect and then go on to the next one. My ego is not involved either way. As a matter of fact, it is now time to go on to my next one.

[geekgirldany]

We are in the service business. If a customer comes into a grocery store, checks the veggies, and leaves without paying anything, the manager does not contort herself all over the store with guilt and anger. Why would we?

Not sure if that is good comparison as we provided a professional service. Time is money. The manager is not standing there with the customer going through all the vegetables, picking out which one is the healthiest for them, which one is less likely to cause gas, is the most ripe, or listening to all types of family matters and how picking the wrong veggie could upset someone else.
A grocery store has many hundreds coming through the door in a week. I have a couple of hundred in a few months. Time spent doing a return and giving it back to client could be spent helping another client and getting paid. Ego is not involved but it is aggravating.

If they want another opinion then they are welcome to it but pay me for my time. I just started doing it this year. The two I've dealt with paid me for my time. I do not keep their paperwork hostage but will ask for some type of compensation. I don't work on a return for 2 or 3 hours for fun.

[oceanlovin'ea]

hasn't happened in quite a while

Well, that hasn't happened to me in quite a while. But I am awake to that possibility now and better prepared. Maybe I will mail her a bill for my time. Not that I would expect to be paid but it would let them know that my time is valuable and since they didn't return, they should pay me for my time.

As I said, I was not exactly comfortable when they were hear so I really don't care that they didn't come back. But next time it happens I will produce a bill at that moment for them.

Linda, EA