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:09/05/2024

  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.

  We have paid for multiple years of tax preparation and returns dating back to 2019. He failed to prepare and file the returns correctly, causing our business to suffer from a bank forfeiture and business license suspension as well as lost returns for failing to file during the adequate windows resulting in business and personal loses in the 10s of thousands of dollars.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2024

  Thank you for sharing your experience with Semper Tax Relief. We truly apologize for any frustration and inconvenience you have encountered, and we take your concerns very seriously. 

  I want to clarify that all necessary work on our end has been completed. We provided you with detailed written instructions on the actions required to move forward, which included e-sign requests for e-filed tax returns and instructions for the mail-in returns. These instructions have been communicated multiple times, both verbally and through email, as well as mailed out to you. Unfortunately, no action has been taken on your part to complete these steps, which is necessary for resolution.

  Additionally, we want to address the interactions with our female staff members. While we understand that tax matters can be stressful, some of your communications with our team have been hostile, which has made it difficult for us to assist you effectively. We always strive to maintain a professional and respectful environment for our clients and our staff alike.

  We remain committed to helping you resolve your tax issues and are available to guide you through the necessary steps. We encourage you to take the actions outlined in our instructions so we can move forward with the process.
  Thank you for your understanding.

   
  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/21/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Hello, I hired Semper Tax Relief to help me resolve a 2017 tax issue. I hired them in Feb 2022. On May 30th, 2023 I terminated our agreement-based on poor performance, dismal communication and no roadmap for resolving the issues with the IRS.
  
  Although the initial intake was okay, I never heard from them for several months afterwards. Finally, after weeks of trying to get their attention, they responded. In the year, they had my case they only did one thing, which was to request previous tax submittals and notices from the IRS. I spoke once to their lead attorney, Sergio Melendez. They blamed some of the communication issues on one of their employees who was not available. This is not my problem, and they should have found a work around rather than making it my issue.
  
  All direct communication with the IRS for the past year was undertaken and completed by me. They never filed any appeals or reached out to the local IRS Tax Payer Advocate, which is in Newport Beach, CA. Only miles from their office.
  
  During this time, the penalties and interest continued to accrue. After one year of inactivity, I decided it was time to move on. I sent them an email on May 30th, 2023, informing them their services were no longer needed and that I expected a refund from my $4500 retainer. I had hoped to resolve this cordially but when I never received a phone call or email, I was forced to posted a negative review on Google.
  
  In the past two months since I terminated SemperFi, I have worked with a new attorney to file an appeal with the IRS and see a real path forward in resolving this problem. This was all done in a matter of two weeks.
  I would agree to settling for the return of $4000 dollars of my retainer, which should cover the time their admin put in for the IRS document request and the one phone call with Mr. Melendez.
  
  Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
  Sincerely, ***** ******* ************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2024

  Thank you for sharing your feedback. We genuinely appreciate your perspective and apologize for any
  frustration you experienced.
  Your case involved several complexities, including the defense of your innocent spouse relief request.
  This process can be lengthy as an IRS agent must review all submitted information and conduct
  thorough financial assessments. Additionally, your ex-spouse&#**;s filing and other tax year issues required
  careful guidance, which we provided to help resolve these matters.
  Regarding your request for a refund, we acknowledge your concerns and will review your case in detail
  to determine an appropriate resolution. Our team will reach out to you directly to discuss this further, as
  we aim to resolve this issue amicably and fairly.
  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through this together.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/06/2023

  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.

  I contacted Semper Tax in 2021 regarding a tax issue I have. I was told the cost of their service. I didn’t want to pay over $3000 if they were not able to help and speak to the IRS on my behalf. I was assured at the time, they wouldn’t take my money if they didn’t believe they could help. I agreed to monthly payments and my payment was taken out monthly by the company.
  In the meantime, I received a notice from the IRS and contacted the company. I was told not to worry about it, it was being looked into by the attorneys and not to worry about the interest being accumulated since they were working on it with the IRS.
  I emailed and called the company throughout 2022 and was assured my file was being worked on. In 2023, none of emails or calls were returned.
  I came to find out, my file was never worked on although they took my money monthly and interest of over 10k accumulated on my account.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2024

  Thank you for sharing your experience with Semper Tax Relief. We deeply regret any frustration or
  inconvenience you have encountered.
  Upon reviewing your case in detail, we see that when you joined us, we conducted a thorough financial
  analysis to determine your eligibility for tax relief options. While we strive to assist every client to the
  best of our ability, we have always been transparent that we cannot guarantee specific results.
  During our due diligence process, we assess all possible submissions based on your unique financial
  situation. We understand that life events impacted your finances, which affected your eligibility for a tax
  settlement. In such cases, we often recommend alternative solutions, such as a Fresh Start installment
  plan, to help manage tax obligations more effectively.
  We apologize if this was not communicated clearly and for any distress this may have caused. Our
  team is committed to helping you find the best path forward and will reach out to discuss how we can
  assist you further.
  Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this matter.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  Business originally hard sold me to use their services. Promising me to set up an installment agreement with the IRS and get fees and penalties forgiven.
  
  Once signed up, they took no action for over 2 months after me urging them too. This incurred more fines and penalties from the irs for me.
  
  After which they claimed to take action but I received a letter from the irs that everything is rejected, 3 months later. This incurred more fees and penalties.
  
  Eventually I had to step in and file the document myself (one page simple document) as I couldn’t afford another error by the company.
  
  Services were absolutely not rendered, I requested a refund from them in email after stating my complaint and now they are ignoring my email.
  
  By taking money and not providing service, this company seems fraudulent. They have fake ads on Facebook as an example after closer inspection.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2024

  Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We deeply regret any frustration you have
  experienced and appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.
  ***** case involved an Automated Under Reporting (AUR) procedure for the sale of stock. Our
  records indicate that we needed to perform a recalculation to correct the tax and file for a
  penalty abatement. Upon receiving Nate&#**;s case, we took immediate action. Unfortunately,
  there was a delay in obtaining the necessary brokerage statements from ****, which were
  crucial for proceeding.
  During this period, we maintained communication with the **** securing additional time to
  gather the required information. We provided **** with spreadsheets to clarify the missing
  data and requested his feedback. Once we received the necessary information from ****, we
  promptly submitted the recalculation and successfully removed the civil penalties.
  Despite resolving a significant portion of the case, a balance remained, and we determined
  that **** qualified for the Fresh Start installment agreement. We communicated that we
  needed to wait for the *** AUR department to finalize and process the balance before
  completing the installment agreement.
  We understand that waiting for these processes can be frustrating, and we did our best to
  explain the situation to **** throughout. Once the *** processed the balance, **** finalized
  the Fresh Start installment agreement.
  We apologize if there were any misunderstandings or if **** felt impatient during this process.
  We strive to provide clear communication and efficient service to all our clients. If there are
  any remaining concerns or questions, we are here to assist and resolve them.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/24/2024

  the communication in their message is false

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/24/2024

  We have his case well documented. Dealing with *** Tax problems is difficult, and **** was impatient, **** often calling in getting agreesive with the staff. He went through a procedure similar to an Audit, in which we had to resolve the issue with that department. This process is the under-reporting department, in which we needed several additional documents from the client to have an appropriate response to the iRS. Once that was completed, the client was infomred of the next steps, which was the **************** of the *** would take assingment of the balance due, and an installment plan could be set up once that department recieves the case. When it got to that stage, we made a request to the ***, which was rejected due to the ***. Before we were able to respond to the ***, the client reached out to the *** and set up the installment.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/26/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me.  I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/21/2022

  Type:Order 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.

  Date of transactions: Jan - Dec 2022 Cost of services: $1000/ monthly = $12,000 What the business services was: Monthly bookkeeping for 2021 and tax preparation. Issue: No communication and lack or response. Did not properly close out books and have been avoiding ** to complete our books for 2021 tax filing. Caused our business not have proper books to file taxes. Past the business tax deadline by over 4 months. Have they tried to resolve?: No, they've been avoiding our calls. Specifically the owner who is responsible for our books and case. We have reached out many times, however, been ignored and dodging us. We've asked to speak to him many times but have been blocked by his assistant *****. ***** says she pass along our list of concerns since Feb 2022 however, to this day has not gotten us answers we need about our business ***************. Truly unprofessional and has cause our business tax penalties.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2023

  We appreciate the feedback from the clients and have been in communication with them to finalize services. We were engaged to provide several engagements from Audit Defense, Entity Setup, Payroll & Accounting. There was some miscommunication between our firm members and the members from the client; business in relation to certain deductions to take on the 2021 Tax Filings. Since there were some conflicting tax laws on the issue, we advised the pros & cons with the client. I met with the clients in the office. to gather all details and facts. Subsequently, we finalized the tax filings with all the input from the clients to their satisfaction.