She's talkin',

[Black Bart]

but I'm not walkin'.

Do-it-yourselfers are one thing, but low-down upscale tightwads are another. I thought that doctor asking for free advice the other day was pretty bad, but a few minutes ago a pharmacist (substituting for our regular guy) one-upped him -- she called and said: "I filed my own tax return electronically, but I'm having just a little bit of trouble doing the state taxes. I moved here from another state last summer and I understand there might be some complications about the two states, so I wonder if I might come out to your office and you could walk me through that?"

Told her "we don't do that," that we do taxes for a fee, and she huffily hung up.

Wonder if she'd walk me through the pharmacy shelves and let me mix up my own prescriptions?

[Brian EA]

She has got some nerves pal

brian

[JohnH]

Sounds like she's already mixing her own prescriptions.

[BP.]

"I filed my own tax return electronically, but I'm having just a little bit of trouble

It's nuts! The call I got, she asked me if she could give me her password to her online-whatever-filing, so I could go in and fix it for her.

[Lion]

Call us for free help

As the hold time gets longer at the IRS, TurboTax, etc., they call us for free advice and help with software we don't even use! When I was with Block, we got so many calls like that that I think they think we're part of the IRS too and already paid for with their tax dollars.

[erchess]

Have only had one absolute freeloader

She told me she is disabled, just spent $300+ on one prescription, and thus cannot afford to pay HRB $35 to do a return so she could get a stimulus payment. My fee for that is only $25 but I didn't mention that because she is far enough away from me that I would want a minimum of $100. I found out where AARP is having offices nearest to her and gave her the contact information. I kind of felt sorry for her because she said a stroke disabled her at age 26 when she was an up and coming business woman with $100K in the bank that was wiped out by the care needed to save her life. At the same time, I have not yet opened my charity clinic.

[JG EA]

Nerve

I've got you beat. Maybe I already posted this? Client asked me to pay their 1Q ES and they'd pay me back!

[geekgirldany]

I've had that too. I've had a couple call and ask to bring their laptop by and show them how to do their return on TT or fix an error it is causing.

I had one call today about my charges. They wanted to do MFS so I had to do two returns. They said they did not know it would be so much. $200 for both returns versus $100. I apologized and just said "I thought I told you". Which I think I did. They just sat looking at me. Finally settled up.

[geekgirldany]

I've got you beat. Maybe I already posted this? Client asked me to pay their 1Q ES and they'd pay me back!

Now that takes alot guts to ask that.

[JohnH]

I agree, it does take a lot of guts.

Say, JG, if you're stepping up to the plate, how about paying mine?
I'll make it up to you later.

[Black Bart]

Agree with John & dany

I've got you beat. Maybe I already posted this? Client asked me to pay their 1Q ES and they'd pay me back!

You've got me beat -- I just thought mine was the worst case.

[JG EA]

By the way I said No. I tried to be as tactful as possible but really, I mean really, who would ask that. This isn't a con or anything, just regular people. I am not conveying a sufficient professional air I guess.

[Burke]

I think it is the relationship. Over the years, we are privy to so much personal information, in addition to financial situations, they begin to think we are family. I told someone the other day, I feel like part-counselor, part-priest, part-lawyer with the confidentiality thing.

[JohnH]

Joking aside for a minute, I have advanced money to pay clients' taxes on a few occasions and they would pay me back a few days later. Payroll tax balances due or sales tax mainly, usually amounts in the range of a few hundred dollars at most.

However, one time I advanced about $3K when the client had to be out of town unexpectedly and I was getting extensions to them at the last minute. But the client generates over $5K in annual billings so I put that one in the category of keeping things seamless between the client and the gov't, enhancing client goodwill, and covering for my own tardiness. And of course I knew I'd get my money back as soon as they got back into town.

In any event, each time I've done this it was my idea, not the client's.

[Black Bart]

There's something to what you say, Burke.

...we are privy to so much personal information...they begin to think we are family...I feel like part-counselor, part-priest, part-lawyer...

Some years ago I had a late appointment -- this particular client had recently been criticized very harshly by his fellow lodge members for something he'd done and it had become common knowledge around town. He was still quite upset about it. We finished his taxes, made small talk, and he gradually began to relate his side of the story. Half-way through, he stopped and said "I don't know why I'm telling you this." I remember thinking that must be how a bartender feels.

Had an out-of-town preacher in yesterday; I see him once a year for his tax return. He and his wife/me and mine all had a good 30-minute chat about the springtime goings-on at his church, their bake sales, social activities, gardening projects, and so-forth and so-on. Bland stuff, but he's a really nice and thoroughly decent human being (we need more of those), so I enjoy our annual chat and story-swapping.