Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:31/03/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To Whom it May Concern, I have been a loyal customer to ********************** despite them being bought out by another company. I pay about $400 a month for my bookkeeping and my taxes to be prepared and filed annually. I was recently informed that the price of my plan would be doubling and there would be a large additional one time fee right in the middle of tax season. Now it's the last day I can afford to keep my account active, and they still have not filed my taxes or even given me a year end tax package to take to someone else in order to file my taxes. Doubling the price without appropriate notice and in the middle of tax season is completely unethical- they have been collecting my payments for a full year in anticipation of the additional cost of filing me taxes (which are due in 15 days!) and I would like them to fulfill the expected service of filing my taxes for ************************************ with my year end tax package. Thank you very much.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:27/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  These guys are crooks. I signed up and they were consistently late. In a whole year never finish accurate books. Then, they make you sign up for a phone call to cancel services , I made an appointment that was missed by bench come to find out they closed: they were acquired now they still are having issues with 2024 year end and are charging my card every chance they get for 2025 I do not want this company at all , worst situation and I set a phone call to cancel now they are re-requesting my cancel since they have been acquired. I received an email stating that if I cancel all of their work stops. Why are they holding 2024 ******? I already paid. ************ and bench are crooked. Dont do it EVER.

  Business Response

  Date: 28/02/2025

  Please note that since ************ has acquired certain assets from Bench, it is a completely separate entity and is not liable for any previous obligations; including completion of any past services. That said, should the client keep an active subscription, they will honour and complete any outstanding work. Should she cancel at any point in 2025, we will not be able to complete any outstanding services if they are still incomplete at the point of cancellation. We will do our best to complete this work in a timely manner.

  Client has used rude language during our call and she has been disrespectful. We cannot complete any previous work unless she stays as a client or pay a one time fee.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2025

   
  Complaint: 22996600
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I signed up with this company to do my book keeping and they have been awful from the start to the abrupt closure to the business. ************ is no better, I did not curse at the agent, I simply told her that I hope she has the same Karma that she is giving people. Bench accounting is still trying to charge my card even after cancellation. This company is fraudulent and trying to extort money even after not rendering complete services.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****-******

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2025

  Client has been extremely rude and disrespectful during the call.

  I explained multiple times that since ************ has acquired certain assets from Bench, it is a completely separate entity and is not liable for any previous obligations; including completion of any past services. That said, should the client keep an active subscription, we will honour and complete any outstanding work. 

  Client did not respond to any written communication, where we asked multiple times how she wanted to proceed. Because of that, and based on the phone call we had, we decided to close her account. ********************** did not try charging her card after cancellation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/03/2025

   
  Complaint: 22996600
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Please have them roll back recordings. Just stating the facts. ************ is still working on behalf of ************************** and acquired their clients. Bench and employer have stolen my funds and not completed services. Bench cancelled my policy and then tried to continuously take money out of my account . This is robbery and they should not be in business. If they are not completing service they should have stated that in a timely manner. Bench stated that all 2024 services would be finished. Meanwhile I lost thousands and have incomplete books. This company should feel ashamed at how they conduct business. Their agents should feel ashamed to represent a company that takes funds and does not complete business. If ************ is a separate entity they should not have acquired bench customers under the pretenses of finishing year end financials. They were preying on peoples vulnerabilities. This is not acceptable 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****-******

  Business Response

  Date: 27/03/2025

  We would like to provide a comprehensive explanation of the circumstances surrounding this matter.
  
  Business Transition and Acquisition
  On December 27th, 2024, Bench Accounting, **** filed for insolvency. On December 30th, 2024, ************ formally entered into the process of acquiring Bench's assets. During this transition, we made clear efforts to:
  Communicate transparently with our clients about the business changes
  Offer alternative solutions to address ongoing service needs
  Provide clear information about the legal status of existing contracts
  
  Billing and Terms of Service
  The billing in question is directly related to:
  The client's original agreement to our Terms of Service (TOS)
  An auto-renewal clause explicitly agreed to during initial sign-up
  Standard subscription renewal processes
  
  Cancellation and **************** Efforts
  Our customer service representative:
  Actively attempted to communicate with the client
  Provided detailed information about account status
  Offered multiple resolution options, including:a) Completing outstanding work if the client renewed b) A one-time ****************** (YEF) Production fee option
  
  Legal and Operational Context
  It is important to note that Bench Accounting ********, established during ************'s acquisition process, is a separate legal entity from the previous Bench Accounting, **** As a new business, we are not legally obligated to fulfill previously paid work. However, we demonstrated goodwill by offering resolution pathways to the client.
  
  The client was informed that:
  The previous business had ceased operations
  ************ had formally entered into the process of acquiring Bench's assets on December 30th, 2024
  Specific options were available for service completion
  Despite multiple attempts to communicate and offer solutions, the client chose not to respond to our proposed resolutions.
  
  We maintain that we have acted professionally, transparently, and in good faith throughout this transition, providing clear communication and reasonable options to the client.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 28/03/2025

   
  Complaint: 22996600
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  ******** was **** and did nothing to remedy the situation. Bench stated that ************* was acquiring my books and that they would be finishing my year end books as I paid in full. Bench/Employer continued to try and extort my account even though I let them know that I just wanted to finish my books that I rightfully paid for. ******** cancelled my subscription and still charged me $299 for services and subscription. It was stated clearly that my books would be finished. I was Paid in full, ******** stated that They did not charge me $299 after her cancellation and in fact they did. If employer/Bench had no intention on finishing my books and pushing out the work and taking extended amounts of time to finish my books so that they could extort money is ridiculous. Consumers deserve better and small business owners deserve better. Bench & ************ should be ashamed and should not be in business. You shouldn't be able to operate like this and offer absolutely no remedy. Shame on you & insisting on tryong to charge my account over and over and over for terrible service is awful. Shame on you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *****-******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bench unilaterally cancelled its bookkeeping services for my business, ********************* PC in December of 2024. Bench explained that my business's data would be available for retrieval, specifically "As of Monday, December 30th, 2024, you will be able to retrieve your records at ****************************** using your Bench login credentials. This portal will be available for 10 weeks until Friday, March 7th, 2025 at 5pm EST." I attempted to download the data so that my business could find a new bookkeeping service. The attempt was blocked by agreeing to a "consent form".Apparently, Bench was acquired by ************. ************ (through Bench) is "now requir[ing the business] to consent to the transfer of services and data" before my business is permitted to access or download its data - data which Bench was already paid to keep on behalf of the business and offered to provide through a portal.Demand has been made to Bench to provide the data to my business without agreeing to the consent form. The demand has been rejected. As such, Bench, and ************ are unreasonably withholding the data, previously paid for, that it had already offered to provide to my business without restriction of any kind.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bench Accounting abruptly closed their doors on Dec 27, 2024. They provided no explanation and have held our bookkeeping data hostage. They charged my company $6,194.00 for the year and did not deliver a final product. Their site is shut down, they sent a BAD link for data retrieval which does not work. Nobody there is responding to email or phone communication. Action must be taken against them on behalf of all defrauded clients. A company called ************* has acquired Bench, but is unreachable.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:30/12/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ************************* had been our online bookkeepers for the past 8 years. They very unexpectedly shut down the website with no notice on 12/27/24, stating that we would be able to login and download all our data on 12/30/24. This is all our financial data for our 3 businesses, they do the PL, Balance Sheets, expenses, ect and have all our financial documents including bank statements and logins to our accounts to pull those documents. Today, on 12/30/24, we tried to access our data. It says that ************************* has been aquired by ************ and we have to sign up with them to access data. There is no pricing info, no contact info, and it all looks very amateur and sketchy. We declined to grant ************ access to our accounts with out knowing anything about them. It stated that we would be emailed a link to download all our financial data, there has been no link sent, and there is no way to contact the companies. If someone could help us access our own data that would be great.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:30/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to file a complaint against Bench, a bookkeeping and tax filing service provider, for failure to deliver the services promised and for issues related to their abrupt shutdown. I entered into a contract with Bench for their Premium Plan, paying $3,887 upfront for bookkeeping and tax filing services. Unfortunately, my experience has been plagued with numerous issues, including:Failure to **************** as Promised: Despite paying for the service, I experienced delays and errors in my financial reports and tax filings. Bench failed to accurately manage and update my financial records, leading me to continually address discrepancies that should've been resolved by their team. Poor Communication and Missed Appointments: Over the course of my engagement, there were multiple instances of missed meetings or rescheduled calls without notice. On several occasions, I was not contacted by my assigned bookkeeper despite scheduling appointments via Bench's platform, leading to delays and frustration.Platform Shutdown: I received an email today (Dec 27, 2024) informing me that Bench was shutting down, and that their platform would no longer be accessible. This has left me unable to retrieve any of my financial records or communicate with their team, including information needed to file my taxes.Request for Refund: Given that Bench has not delivered the services promised, I have requested a refund for the fees paid for the services I did not receive. As of now, I have not received any resolution, and I am left without the bookkeeping support and tax filing services that I paid for.I am seeking a refund of the $3,887 I paid for services that were not provided and that I can no longer access due to the companys shutdown. I am requesting that Bench or their representatives facilitate the resolution of this matter by providing a full refund or alternative compensation for the failure to deliver contracted services.Thank you for your attention to this matter.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:20/12/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In late November I spoke with Bench Accounting about handling my business books, business taxes, and my personal taxes. I paid them on November 27th, 2024 Within 14 days I had the following issues.1)Conflicting services sold vs provided I was told by a Sales professional that Bench would help organizing my contractor payments hence I submitted my entire years contractor payments that had been made via ***** only to be told that they do not do 1099s 2)Poor scheduling my first call was with an onboarding specialist who told me she would set up an appointment with a bookkeeper this bookkeeper turned out to be yet another on boarding person. Who was going to set me up with my bookkeeper once again a.During both these meetings I was told conflicting messaging on what paperwork was required.3)After asking to be set up with a bookkeeper I was instead set up with a Tax Advisor on December 12th 4)I arranged with another person to talk to the Tax Advisor who never called and missed the appointment 5)The conflicting information, different advice from each person, missed appointments, and availability of their on call book keepers and tax professionals is completely different than what I was sold and believed I purchased. Since asking to cancel I have been put in touch with a Senior Client Relationship Manager who has informed me that there is no refund policy.I have paid in advanced for services that have not been rendered the year of 2025 has not been completed.I also want to note they are charging me a full year ending in October vs November even though my services wouldnt officially have started until December so thats 2 months of service I was charged for that I would not receive if I had chosen to stay.I have communicated to Bench clearly that they have given me ample reason to believe that they are unable to be trusted with fiduciary duty I paid for. The services I have paid for are not yet rendered.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bench has been our business bookkeeping service for several years. This year, we enlisted them to do our tax return. Unfortunately, we very much regret having expanded our relationship with them. They have missed both the *** and California deadlines for filing our business returns. We are coming up on being 2 months late. This was in spite of me warning that they were well behind on our bookkeeping for the last month and a half before the deadlines. I even sought to help them catch up by providing answers to their questions on the same day or often within hours of receiving them.And because our business returns still have not been filed, I had to file provisional personal returns. To date, I have followed up with various Bench team members dozens of times. I have frequently cited the missed deadlines and the urgency around filing my personal returns. However, each time they have sent responses that completely lacked urgency and offered no clarity on the timeline for completing tasks / the returns. Often, it has taken several days to get a response from anyone. For example, it is Tuesday and my last outreach was on Friday.For some reason, there does not seem to be any concern that the returns are late, that there are associated penalties, and that there will be additional costs to amend my personal returns. There's also the inherent cost of my time being spent on chasing after this vendor.I take no joy in filing a complaint like this, but the reality is that this vendor as truly harmed my business this year. My hope is that this will help drive some urgency to get our returns completed. And if it does not, I am fully prepared to pursue remedies through any legal means available.

  Business Response

  Date: 15/11/2024

  Dear Better Business Bureau and ***** *********,
  Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We deeply regret the frustration and delays youve experienced during your engagement with Bench, especially in the handling of your tax return. Its clear that we fell short of our commitment to providing you with timely and accurate service.
  
  The challenges surrounding the completion of your business tax return were compounded by both internal miscommunication and technical issues with our software. While these obstacles were not representative of our usual standards, we take full responsibility for the delays and inconvenience they caused.
  
  Actions Taken to Resolve the Situation:
  -Prioritization and Escalation: Once the delays and errors were flagged, your case was escalated internally, and our team worked diligently to address the identified issues. Despite these efforts, I acknowledge the repeated timeline extensions and the impact on your ability to file on time.
  -Client Communication: Our team, including myself, maintained regular updates to keep you informed about progress and next steps. However, I recognize that these updates may not have met your expectations, particularly regarding timely resolutions.
  -Finalization: Your business tax return has now been completed and submitted, resolving the core concern of this complaint. Additionally, weve taken steps to improve our processes to prevent similar issues from recurring in the future.
  
  Steps Moving Forward:
  To demonstrate our commitment to accountability, we have offered to:
  -Cover any late filing fees or penalties incurred due to our delays.
  -Provide a significant discount on future services or account closure support, should you decide not to continue with Bench.
  
  We deeply regret the stress and additional costs this situation has caused, including the need for you to file provisional personal returns and potential amendments. Your feedback has been shared with our leadership and process improvement teams to ensure systemic changes are implemented.
  
  We value your business and trust, and its our sincere hope to rebuild your confidence in Bench. Should you have any further concerns or require additional support, please dont hesitate to reach out to me directly.
  Sincerely,
  **** Frazer 
  Senior Client Success Specialist 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:13/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Bench accounting has not filed my 2023 taxes that I paid for already and instead filed an extension and the extension has run out - NOW I AM LEFT LATE ON FILING TAXES AND HAVE PAID BENCH FOR SOMETHING I DID NOT RECEIVE.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  As a book keeping service, they also were handling my 2023 taxes. I did not receive any updates on my taxes even after the due date passed. After reaching out to them I was told that they filed and extension with the *** but I was never informed about this. After this every month I asked for an update on my taxes and I was repeatedly told that it is being worked on with no update until I contacted them. After 2 months, I informed them I wanted my account closed due to paying $500 a month with horrible service. My account was canceled but I was told that my 2023 taxes would still be filed and handled by them. 2 additional months passed and yesterday (8/29/2024) I was told that I needed to pay to now have my 2023 taxes to be completed when that was not what I was told and I already had paid for this service that they failed to complete and have still not completed. I have not been told the status of the extension, been provided a copy of that extension nor do I have any clue on my taxes. They delayed so much that I filed my own personal taxes which they were supposed to handle as well.