Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hill Barth & King LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Hill Barth & King LLC

  5121 Zuck Rd Erie, PA 16506-4950

• 

  Hill Barth & King LLC

  100 Pinewood Ln Ste 201 Warrendale, PA 15086-7617

• 

  Hill Barth & King LLC

  310 Grant St Ste 3130 Pittsburgh, PA 15219-2242

• 

  Hill Barth & King LLC

  15942 Conneaut Lake Rd Meadville, PA 16335-4730

• 

  Hill Barth & King LLC

  3110 Highland Rd Ste 101 Hermitage, PA 16148-4505

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:03/12/2025

  Type:Billing 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.

  -I hired HBK to complete my 2023 taxes. -I was charged $10,000 to complete my taxes. The invoice outlines 62.5 hours at $200 an hour; items I was charged for "2023 quick books clean-up, reconciling bank and credit cards, and correcting prior year book keeping issues." -I hired them explicitly to perform my accounting, and stated that I pay a book keeper, ***** *******, on the intake call. I was quoted approximately $2000 total for the services I desired.-*******, CPA, admits to having a conversation with ***** regarding her book keeping, expressing that it was "a mess"-I was never made aware of: the condition of my books and that an accounting firm had to clean them up.-I should have been made aware of the issues with my books as I was paying a book keeper. If I was made aware of the issues, I would have hired a new book keeper and not an accounting firm.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/31/2025

  To Whom It May Concern:
  
  Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.  ******* Barth & ******** (HBK), we take all client concerns seriously and are committed to providing professional, transparent service to all our clients.
  
  After a thorough review of *** ********* complaint and our records, we would like to provide the following information:
  
   
  
  Regarding the Tax Preparation and Bookkeeping Services
  
  *** ******* engaged our firm to complete her 2023 taxes and address significant bookkeeping issues. It's important to clarify that ***** ******* is not an employee of HBK, but rather was *** ******** bookkeeper who worked with us on this engagement. The work came to HBK through ***** ********, an HBK employee who was acquainted with *** ******** The client was assigned to **** ********** book of business, with ***** as the assigned associate on the job.
  
   
  
  During our initial review, our team identified numerous discrepancies that required substantial additional work beyond standard tax preparation, including:
  
  Reconciling bank and credit card statements for the entire 2023 year
  Correcting prior year bookkeeping issues that affected the current tax filing
  Organizing financial records that were, as noted in the complaint, "a mess"
   
  
  The scope of work required 62.5 hours at our discounted rate of $200 per hour, which was disclosed to *** ******** While we understand there may have been a miscommunication regarding the anticipated total cost, we maintain detailed time records for all client work performed.
  
   
  
  Regarding Communication
  
  We regret that *** ******* feels there was inadequate communication about the state of her financial records. When our associate ***** identified several issues with the books, he consulted with his reviewer about how to proceed. A call was subsequently arranged between *****, his reviewer, and *** ******* (*** ******** bookkeeper).
  
   
  
  During this call, *** ******* acknowledged that she was aware of major issues with the bookkeeping, which was the reason *** ******* had engaged our firm. The call addressed the significant work that would be needed to properly prepare the taxes. However, the extensive nature of the required cleanup work was discussed on this call with *** *******, who was serving as *** ******** representative.
  
  We acknowledge that there may have been a disconnection in communication between *** ******* and *** ******* regarding the extent of the issues and the corresponding costs.
  
   
  
  Proposed Resolution
  
  In the interest of good faith and customer satisfaction, we propose the following resolution:
  
  A detailed review of the hours billed with *** ******* to ensure transparency
  An offer to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss future bookkeeping needs and strategies to maintain better records moving forward
   
  
  We value our professional reputation and are committed to resolving this matter fairly. We believe this proposed resolution addresses *** ******** concerns while acknowledging the substantial work that was performed on her behalf.
  
  Please feel free to contact me directly if you require any additional information or clarification on this matter.
  
   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ********
  Chief Operating Officer
  Hill Barth & ********
  ************
  ********************************************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/03/2025

  *33373536353435313639*:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

  The services provided by *31343239353930303633* were not transparent or professional.

  I was completely unaware that *31343239353930303633* was performing bookkeeping services on Far North's behalf.  In fact, I was completely transparent in that ***** ******* was my bookkeeper (the one who told me my books are a mess - I wouldn't know.)  If *31343239353930303633* needed to clean up my books, I should have been the first phone call as the owner to be made aware that I am paying someone to perform a service that she is not fulfilling.  Then we can discuss how to move forward: A) have *31343239353930303633* perform my bookkeeping at an exorbitant rate or B) find a new bookkeeper for a fraction of the cost.

  In fact, I am using * & R Block now, and the agent recommended a local bookkeeper because again my books are "a mess this year."  She was transparent upon our first meeting that I would be treated better with a bookkeeper vs. the * & R Block rates, but did say ultimately the decision was mine.  She has my business now.

  I engaged *31343239353930303633* to perform my 2023 taxes - again, transparent in the fact that I have a bookkeeper.  On the initial intake, I was quoted $2000 to do my taxes, which I agreed to.  My total bill was $10,000, which I did pay, however, there was no invoice attached.  When I asked for the invoice and saw it was for bookkeeping, I had some concerns with the level of trust I was putting in my current bookkeeper and the association she may have had with this firm as I was not contacted a single time - via text, email, or phone call- that *31343239353930303633* was cleaning up my books.  Again, had I known this, I would have hired a new bookkeeper to cut costs for my small clinic.

  The invoice provided does not outline the detailed time records, and as I said the initial invoice was simply an amount.  Although it would be nice to have a consultation outlining what was performed on my account, this consultation should have transpired prior to the firm performing them.  Instead, they spoke directly with ***** *******, who bears no ownership or partnership of my company.  I was transparent upon intake that I own everything 50/50 with my spouse.  ***** owns nothing, and had absolutely no business being a point of contact for large issues, particularly for ones that she was getting paid by my company to complete without issues.

  "*owever, the extensive nature of the required cleanup work was discussed on this call with *** *******, who was serving as *** ******** representative."  Again, ***** is not my representative- she was my bookkeeper.  *** ******* did not tell me about this correspondence, as you can imagine, since this is the work that she assured me she was completing.  

  I am dissatisfied with the resolution: 

  "A detailed review of the hours billed with *** ******* to ensure transparency
  An offer to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss future bookkeeping needs and strategies to maintain better records moving forward"
  

  A detailed review of the hours billed should have been provided with the invoice.  The consultation should have occurred with myself, the owner prior to accuring exorbinate costs.  

  My suggested resolution: $10,000 refund and removal from the *31343239353930303633* email list.

  Thank you for your time, 

  **** *******

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/30/2025

  I understand that my complaint (ID ********* is now closed and marked as unresolved. However, I have since reached a settlement agreement with Hill Barth & ******** and would like to provide this update for the record.
  
  Please add this information to the file as a consumer update indicating that the matter has been resolved privately between the parties.
  
  Thank you for your assistance.
  
  Sincerely,  
  
  **** *******