Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Avalara Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Avalara Inc

  255 S King St Ste 1200 Seattle, WA 98104-3317

  
• 

  Avalara Inc

  6465 Greenwood Plaza Blvd Ste 200 Centennial, CO 80111-4910

  
• 

  Avalara Inc

  512 S Mangum St Ste 100 Durham, NC 27701-3973

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:10/03/2024

  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.

  I received an invoice on 9/11/2024 for an automatic upgrade for my current year service from 11/28/2023 to 11/27/2024. The prior tier was 2000 transactions for $352.80 which equates to 0.17 cents per transaction. The upgrade to 2500 transactions is for $2912.45 which equates to $1.16 per transaction. The total invoice is for $3260.39 and they want me to pay for the total year even though it wasn't upgraded until 10th month of the service (it was not prorated). And the increase is HUGE and not affordable for a small business. When I contacted support they said that the increase was in the terms and it was just an increase. It is not in the terms and they can't show me on their website any pricing. Which means they can increase the rates to what ever they want. THEY ARE A HORRIBLE and ****************** I need help from the BBB to reduce the bill to a reasonable amount. I want it to go to Zero, but I would be willing to pay the $1.16 for the extra 500 transaction which would be and extra cost of $582.49. They also added another service that I cancelled last year so that should also be removed. That is the ******************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2024

  Erin, thank you for giving us the opportunity to address these concerns. We apologize if pricing expectations were not clearly expressed and we understand how unexpected costs would be upsetting. Our team has reached out to you since your complaint to schedule time to discuss more and find a solution for your business. We look forward to working towards a resolution with you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2024

  Type:Billing 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.

  From the beginning, we were misled by the sales representative during the sign-up process and ended up being charged more than the initial quote. ******* through the contract, they abruptly canceled the services we had paid for in advance, claiming they no longer offered them. To continue, they demanded an additional $6,000 for managed returns. When we requested to cancel everything, they still continued to invoice us. Now, eight months later, they're attempting to bill us again. It's been impossible to reach the account manager or support team.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  ****, thank you for bringing this to our attention so we could look into the matter. We understand how expected costs would be upsetting and we apologize that your experience has been more frustrating than anticipated. After receiving your complaint, our team looked into your account to resolve your concerns. 

  Upon researching your account, our team discovered the following: 

  - The Small Business Returns contract lists the subscription dates as April 11 2023 - April 11 2024. We recognize the free-trial that started in July maybe have caused some confusion around the the subscription term lengths, but we have confirmed Avalara did not cancel a service in the middle of the contract. 

  - The cancellation request has now been processed and backdated. The billing for the ***** term has now been reversed. 
  
  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to support these concerns. We remain committed to supporting you in these concerns should you have any additional questions.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 22369625
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  You cancelled Small business returns in the middle of my contract. Everything i was utilized Avalar for was for the same reason to fill out and pay all sales and use taxes.  When you discontinued this product and told me to sign up for managed returns which was significantly more this interrupts the other services im using with Avalara.  You guys went about this in a very deceitful way.  in addition to this invoice you reversed there are several other invoices that need to be reversed as well since you guys charged me for managed returns which i refused to sign up for.

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/29/2024

  ****, we have reviewed your account and confirmed the charges for the ***** subscription have been reversed, as well as confirmed refund for all other erroneous charges. Please see the attached invoice log for reference. Though we have worked to confirm there are no additional concessions needed, our team has reached out to request proof of any additional outstanding charges that need reversal so that we can assist in case of oversight. Please follow up with this team directly so we can continue to resolve as needed. Otherwise, we wish you and your business all the best.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 22369625
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There were other charges invoiced for "Managed Returns", which i never agreed to.  I also received emails and calls from collections team.  You guys have wasted a lot of my time with this.  The invoices were invalid and no one is willing to help or get them figured out.  Please confirm nothing is owed and i want to put this to rest.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/15/2024

  Our team has confirmed there are no outstanding charges that are owed by ***** Business. ***** All invoices billed after your cancellation request will be removed upon completion of cancellation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2024

   
  Complaint: 22369625
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I want a refund for the services i paid for upfront for the previous year.  I did not receive what i was promised and it was a headache dealing with support and the sales rep.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/09/2024

  ****, we have processed a cancellation and reversed the charges for the current ***** subscription. Per our Terms and Conditions, we are unable to offer an additional concession for the previous ***** term.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/02/2024

  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.

  Our company has been working with Avalara for a couple years. This past year, we got stuck with backfilling's and amendments due to incorrect filing status. When Avalara was notified of this, it took a couple months for them to even respond. It took a while for the filings to be prepared and they filed with the appropriate states. But did no follow-up, leaving us to handle any other communications when we thought we hired a tax professional company to guide us through this. I have recently contacted our account manager multiple times about setting up a monthly contract renewal and another notice, but no response. We have consulted with other companies to continue services, but with no response from Avalara, I would be left 60-90days with out a sales and use tax filing and compliance services, so I was forced to sign another year extension. We have put so much money in with Avalara and received no communication from our designated account manager, and the support Avalara provides as a company is far from good to begin with. I got stuck in a bind, and just stuck with them. I am willing to continue another year if all goes well, but haven't even received a thank you for signing the new year extension. No communication or help for the smaller businesses whatsoever!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/09/2024

  Jacob, thank you for bringing your experience to our attention. We apologize for the delay in communication that you’ve experienced and we appreciate you sharing this feedback with us so we can continue to improve our customer experience. We understand that your account manager’s extended time off has contributed to the delayed communication you’ve experienced and we apologize that we did not equip you with an interim contact. Following your complaint, our Customer Excellence team reached out to discuss more. This team also connected internally with your Customer Success Manager to express your concerns and had them initiate contact with you. We remain committed to supporting you and connecting you with any additional teams needed. Please reach out to us directly if there are more items to resolve.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/01/2024

  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.

  I started an Avalara starter plan for my business to test out its functionality for a potential business. I never used it besides a couple tax calculations on small test purchases made by me, so I wanted to cancel the plan. They make it extremely difficult to cancel anything and do not clearly tell you how to cancel the services without doing a deep dive into their documentation. Because it wasn't clear how to cancel, I changed my business on the Avalara site from Active to Inactive thinking this would stop the service. It did not, they kept billing me. I put in a support case telling them that I did not use the service and needed to cancel. They did not reply for months until after auto-renewing the contract for another year, meaning I have to pay for yet another year for a service that I don't use. I would give you dates, but instead of closing the support case so I could go back and review it and get the exact dates, they have since deleted the support case altogether. So no evidence besides the email they sent saying they wouldn't cancel till 4/18/2025, which was sent to me on 5/15/2024.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2024

  ****, thanks for sharing your concerns with us here. We apologize if the cancellation procedure was not clearly expressed and we appreciate this feedback. After receiving your complaint, our team looked into your account to ensure there were not any missed cases or missed requests to cancel. We have confirmed we received a cancellation request on March 15 2024 which fell after the renewal date of April 18 2024, and unfortunately we were unable to find any written documentation that requested cancellation prior to renewal. We therefore must adhere to our Terms and Conditions. However, we are able to confirm that your account has since been canceled for the current term and your service end date is April 19 2025. 

  
  Our Customer Excellence team reached out to you regarding this complaint on Oct 1 and Oct 7 to provide an opportunity to discuss more and we understand this team has not heard back from you regarding the matter. Nevertheless, our team remains committed to supporting you throughout the remainder of your term. Thank you for your understanding.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 22362802
  
  I am rejecting this response because: as the reply from Avalara Inc. said, "We have confirmed we received a cancellation request on March 15 2024 which fell after the renewal date of April 18 2024". March comes before ****** therefore my cancellation request was put in before the renewal date. How can you not honor a cancellation request that was put in before the renewal date? 

  January, February, ****** ****** **** June, etc. 

  Sincerely,
  **** *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/22/2024

  ****, apologies for the error in our last response. The cancellation request for your account was submitted May 15 2024, not in March as incorrectly stated in our last response. Please find the updated response with the correct date below:
  
  Thanks for sharing your concerns with us here. We apologize if the cancellation procedure was not clearly expressed and we appreciate this feedback. After receiving your complaint, our team looked into your account to ensure there were not any missed cases or missed requests to cancel. We have confirmed we received a cancellation request on May 15 2024 which fell after the renewal date of April 18 2024, and unfortunately we were unable to find any written documentation that requested cancellation prior to renewal. We therefore must adhere to our Terms and Conditions. However, we are able to confirm that your account has since been canceled for the current term and your service end date is April 19 2025.
  
  Thank you for your understanding.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 22362802
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I want to cancel this service right now, not in April. Or better yet, I'd like if it was cancelled back in May. I do not want to pay for a service that I am not using and have not been using for some time. The cancellation process was not clear and quite hard to find, which seems like it might be done that way on purpose. Also, I should have received a response from my cancellation request immediately. I know that Avalara has cancelled other peoples services before the end of the term so I know that it is not outside the realm of possibility. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/30/2024

  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.

  My business has been a customer of ********************** since 2021 when I set up my E-Commerce business. When I set this up, Avalara was a low cost option for my small business and looked like a great option for growing my company and doing taxes correctly. Fast forward to this fall; I received an invoice from Avalara for nearly $900 as I had been charged for an upgrade for the plan I was on. I had never and would have never agreed to this upgrade, and have completed the cancellation of my Avalara account in its entirety. Looking at other resources online, this seems to be something this firm has just began doing to customers; I would have never agreed to this upcharge. I have talked to customer support and they are understanding of this need to cancel, but are they not receptive to my request of cancelling the invoice I'm being billed for even when I have not used the service since being upgraded. I am hoping to have this resolved as no value has been exchanged from Avalara to my firm since the automatic upcharge.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2024

  Luke, thanks for bringing this to us so we could investigate. We understand how unexpected charges would be upsetting which is why our team works hard to provide a timely notification of any price increases. We understand you received a renewal notice with the updated charges in April 2024. We unfortunately did not receive a cancellation request until September 2024 which falls after your renewal date of June 28 2024. Since this request falls outside of the cancellation window per our Terms and Conditions, we are unable to offer a refund for the renewal charges. Since receiving your complaint, our team has been in communication with you regarding this matter and has confirmed your cancellation request has been received and processed. As communicated with you, you will have access to the system through 6/28/25 which is your current term end date. We remain committed to supporting you throughout the remainder of your subscription term in any way we can. Thank you for your understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/27/2024

  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.

  I have a small business and use ****** to process our state sales tax returns. Avalara has egregious business practices. 1) They bill for future use on inactive services. 2) take no responsibility for service malfunctions, and 3) have deplorable customer ********** July 2024, we moved from the Avatax service to the ************************* with the assistance of ***** *****, our account ****In August, the ***************** incorrectly imported ****** historical transactions and debited our account for $32K in sales tax in error. I immediately notified my new **** ****** **********, and customer service; I pleaded for assistance and asked that the returns not be filed. There was no response from either party for weeks, and the returns were filed anyway. August 18, 2024: I received notice of proposed future usage fees ($3K) for the inactive Avatax service; I immediately emailed ******.August 28, 2024: Meeting with ****** about the $32K Extractor error and the $3K future usage fee error. I asked Avalara to amend the tax returns at no charge (since this was their error), and I reminded her that we should not be billed for Avataxs future use.August 30, 2024: ****** said they wanted $6K to amend returns. I declined, and now my small team and I will manually amend 22 state tax returns to claw back the $32K sales tax. September 18, 2024: I received an invoice for the Avalara future usage fee that I had already discussed with my **** I emailed her again with the issue and asked her to cancel it and refund me. I received no response for over a week, and then she said she forwarded it to support.On September 19, I was charged $2,879.66 for "future use" on the old Avatax "to upgrade to a new 5000 Tier." There is no Avatax service, so there can be no additional usage fees!September 26: Support emails to say there is no refund.Avalara now charged $32K for erroneous tax filings and $3K for an inactive account and wants $6K to file the amended returns.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/04/2024

  ***** thank you for sharing your frustrations with us here so our team could jump in to assist. We understand how expected charges would be upsetting and we apologize for the inconvenience. Following your complaint, our Customer Excellence team has stepped in to research and provide updates to you on the matter. We recognize that you communicated to Avalara that May/July would be the last time we would be receiving transactions. However, weve discovered that since the subscription was not canceled therefore remaining active on your account, the voided transactions have been contributing to the billable usage which pushed your account tier to upgrade. We understand how this is frustrating after communicating you would no longer be using the subscription, and so our team is working with other department leaders to see what can be done for you. We are also in communication with leadership regarding the Returns amendments and what actions Avalara is willing to take to support you in this concern. Since there are many moving parts to this complaint, we appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work towards an appropriate resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because: there has been no resolution at all and no communication besides the note above on October 1. 

  There are two massive issues here:

  1. Avalara Connector misfired and imported ****** historical transactions and an erroneous debit of $32,000 from my small business checking account. I alerted both my Avalara rep Alison Woloszczuk  + customer support of the issue PLEADING to NOT FILE these returns, as there was still 3 weeks to file!! I must have sent a dozen emails and messages and NONE WERE RESPONDED TO, resulting in 22 STATES RETURNS BEING FILED IN ERROR. And then Avalara asks me to pay another $6K for them to fix their filing error due to their own integration/technical problems. To make matters even worse, the *** states are unwilling to amend the returns because AVALARA is the payor on record! I have also brought this new and related issue to Avalara support, and no response. 100% of this nightmare could have been avoided if someone actually responded to my original request on a timely matter. This entire experience, and lack of response is unacceptable. 

  2. On top of this issue, Avalara then charges me $3K for an unused service!! We do not use Avatax, we use the Avalara Connector and we have PAID for our use. When Avalara sent me a notice of a future Avatax use bill, i immediately reached out to my rep, Alison **********, and had a live video conference where we discussed the issue, and that the invoice was an error. Then.. the ***** MY ACCOUNT ANYWAY. And again, not response from anyone. Additionally, I book another video with Alison ********** to review the issue, and she CANCELS the meeting, and says to work with support, who does nothing. 100% of this nightmare could have been avoided if someone actually responded to my original request on a timely matter. This entire experience, and lack of response is unacceptable. 

  AVALARA business practices are egregious, and unacceptable, and consumers and small businesses should be warned. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2024

  ***** we appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve. We recognize that this resolution is taking some time as there are many moving pieces and we do apologize for the inconvenience. We understand that our team is working on scheduling a meeting with you for next week to work through the amendement details. In the meantime, we remain committed to supporting you and updating you on the matter. Please follow up with our Customer Excellence team directly.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because I have new information and this should be publicly posted so that other customers are aware of ********************** business practices. 

  This complaint has two issues:

  1. Import Error on ****** documents for July ****************************************** 22 states and a debit to my account for over $31K.

  UPDATE: I had a call with ********* ******** at Avalara on October 17, where she communicated that Avalara would not file amendments for my company without compensation. This is in spite of my attempting to contact my *** and support for weeks before the tax filings were even made. It's important to recognize that Avalara had ample opportunity to resolve this before it exploded and failed to do so.

  Stephanie's communication to me October 17 was that Avalara remained firm that I would have to pay them to amend the tax filings due to the import error and due to their failure to respond.

  I then attempted to file returns in 14 *** states and was not able to do so. I spent hours upon hours researching this, holding on state sales tax support lines, booking appointments with various state entities to attempt to file these amendments. Finally, a NJ state employee introduced me to the Streamlined ************************** and I had an enlightening email exchange where they stated: 

  "Avalara is the current *** with a ******* first filing period date. The seller is a ***-compensated (Volunteer) seller for NJ, and it is my understanding that the *** will also file amended returns at no charge for a ***-compensated seller for periods while they were the current *** ."

  ***** ******, Director of Tax Compliance responded: " it is correct that we will file amended returns at no charge to the seller, if we filed the original return within the *** Model 1 program."

  BOOM. Avalara has been attempting to collect funds for amending *** returns where they should be offering to this at no charge. I am three months into this journey with Avalara and was astounded to learn this. 

  2. The second issue is the Overage Fee charged for a discontinued service. I had a call with ********* ******** at Avalara on October 17, and she communicated that Avalara accepted liability for this issue and acknowledged a failure in their process and communication regarding platform migration. Avalara offered to refund this erroneous fee of $3K and cap usage. I accepted that resolution. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/08/2024

  ***** thank you again for your cooperation as we continue working to resolve. We understand your frustration and are working to expedite the process as we acknowledge the time and effort you have already spent with these concerns. As our team has updated you, we have submitted a refund request for the overage fee of $2879.66 that is pending approval from leadership. We will continue to update you as this concession moves through the approval process. As for the import error cited in your complaint, our team is working to file the amendments on your behalf and we are again speaking with leadership to establish a fair billing practice for this. As mentioned, we remain committed to supporting you throughout this process and we appreciate your understanding and patience. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2024

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because this has not yet been resolved, and there are more issues with Avalara:

  1. IMPORT ERROR SST STATES: Avalara has filed the 13 SST state amendments on our behalf for a total of $10K in money due to to *************. That is the easy part. Avalara has now informed us that we must contact each state to understand how that amendment will be credited and file additional paperwork. Some states will give this money to Avalara, some will apply as a credit, and then we have to request a refund. This will take at least 50 hours of work from my team and 3-6 months to claim these refunds. 

  2. IMPORT ERROR NON-SST STATES: I requested Avalara to file the remaining six Non-SST state amendments for a total $10K due to *************. They said they would get back to me in two days. It's been two weeks, and I have emailed them several times about it.

  3. REFUND ISSUE: The Avalara Extractor does not calculate tax credits on refunded transactions. I have submitted this issue to support, who cannot provide a solution. I have raised the issues with the customer support team that has been assigned to us, and the answer was to manually upload your returns for 22 states every month! I spent 4 hours trying to do that, and the Avalara import system overrides the data and applies incorrect values. All of this is documented and submitted to support. 

  4. NON-TAX STATE ISSUE: The Avalara system overrides tax values from Shopify Extractor and applies taxes for non-taxable items, where no tax was collected. I have raised this issue with support many times. They advised that we need to change the tax code for the items. Well, that does not work. Even with the new tax code, the system applies sales tax to the non-taxable items in these states, e.g. **********. Based on this reporting issue, I have asked the *** team to file amended returns to correct the data from **************************************************** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/12/2024

  ***** we appreciate your patience and cooperation as weve worked to address the concerns youve outlined. As communicated, Avalara has approved the backfilling for SST state and non SST states at no cost to *************** 
  
  While Avalara is unable to file a claim for refund with the states on behalf of *************, we understand the process can be cumbersome and so we have communicated the steps needed to contact the states directly. We remain committed to supporting you through this matter as much as we are able. 
  
  We have created a case for the ******************* (Project ID# ********** by which the backfilling team has been in contact with you regarding next steps to complete this. Please continue to follow up with this team directly so we can expedite the project. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/14/2024

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. NON-*** STATES:

  The backfiling on non-*** has not begun. I have been requesting that Avalara file the amendments for the non-*** states since August. Although you final, after four months, approved the request, there are no amendments that have been filed. These amendments represent $10,700 in refunds. 

  2. *** STATES:

  We are still attempting to collect the $10,000 in refunds from the *** states, and have spent over 100 hours calling states. There are NINE *** states that owe refunds to us. Of these nine remaining *** refunds, approximately $2000 will be sent to Avalara, not us. We have requested that Avalara refund these monies to us, but there has been no action or resolution here.

  3. AVALARA CONFUSION and CONTINUED RISK TO MY ACCOUNT:

  Additionally, I had a call with my rep ******* ***** on Friday, December 13. He thinks KIRAGRACE is still on BigCommerce using the Avatax app. I reminded him again that we are on ******* using the Avalara Extractor and ******* Tax. We made this transition in July, which started the entire fiasco. We have managed returns through February, but he thinks we need to pay for Avatax for BigCommerce in order to file the returns for December and January. I sent him copies of the invoice for the Extracror, and snapshots of our Shopify using the Extractor, and reminded him again and again, that KIRAGRACE is not on BigCommerce.

  I am very concerned that the continuing lack of communication within the Avalara support community will cause additional harm by not filing our returns. ******* ***** said he is elevating this NEW issue to the Customer Excellence team who will need to review this and somehow align their team. My faith in resolution is very low. 

  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/26/2024

  ***** we understand our backfilling team reached out regarding the amendment project, please continue to follow up with this team directly so we can resolve. We acknowledge that you may experience a delay throughout the holiday season and we appreciate your patience in this time. Nevertheless, our team remains committed to supporting you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1. NON-*** STATES $9,000 in refunds due:

  After four months, Avalara finally approved my request to amend the NON-*** states due to their import error. I sent the information to the backfiling **** on December 9. It has been three weeks, and there are NO AMENDMENTS filed. Due to this issue, I have filed several amendments, including FL on this list, and this takes only a couple of hours per state.The fact that it has been 21 days and nothing has been filed, continues to illustrate the low priority Avalara places on this issue. These amendments represent $9,000 in refunds since we filed FL ourselves.

  2. *** STATES $5,200 in refunds due:

  We are still attempting to collect the $5,200 in refunds from the *** states, and have spent over 100 hours calling states. There are NINE *** states that owe refunds to us. Of these nine remaining *** refunds, approximately $2000 will be sent to Avalara, not us. We have requested that Avalara refund these monies to us, but there has been no action or resolution here.

  3. AVALARA CONFUSION and CONTINUED RISK TO MY ACCOUNT:

  Additionally, I had a call with my rep ******* ***** on Friday, December 13. He thinks KIRAGRACE is still on BigCommerce using the Avatax app. I reminded him again that we are on ******* using the Avalara Extractor and ******* Tax.

  We made this transition in July, which started the entire fiasco.

  We have managed returns through February, but he thinks we need to pay for Avatax for BigCommerce in order to file the returns for December and January. I sent him copies of the invoice for the Extractor, and snapshots of our Shopify using the Extractor, and reminded him again and again, that KIRAGRACE is not on BigCommerce.

  I am very concerned that the continuing lack of communication within the Avalara support community will cause additional harm by not filing our returns. ******* ***** said he is elevating this NEW issue to the Customer Excellence team who will need to review this and somehow align their team. My faith in this is very low.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/21/2025

  ***** thank you for your patience as weve been working diligently with the states to determine a timeline for the refunds. Weve been informed that the process requires a minimum of six weeks to receive a response from the state. For non-SST states, our backfilling team is actively working to expedite the amendment process for your account. We want to assure you that our team is fully committed to overseeing this process until completion. We encourage you to continue reaching out to our team directly for the most accurate and timely updates. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/21/2025

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We are still waiting for $14K in refunds. 

  This is the status:
  
  SST STATES:
  We are still waiting for refunds of $5.2K, of which $1.7K (from OH & IN) will be refunded to Avalara.
  We have not received any payments/refunds from Avalara. I have been requesting these OH & IN refunds for months and receive no reply.

  
  NON-SST STATES:
  We are still waiting for $9K in refunds
  After SIX MONTHS, Avalara finally filed CO, VA, and CA amendments worth $6.5K.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/04/2025

  ***** thank you again for your patience as we continue working through this process. As mentioned in our previous response, we are still awaiting refunds from the remaining SST states and are actively working to identify a timeline. Unfortunately, Avalara cannot issue a refund until OH and IN complete their portion of the process. While we are closely monitoring the situation and will share updates as soon as we receive them, the timeline remains dependent on the states processing times. 
  
  Additionally, we have confirmed that Avalara has filed the amendments for the NON-SST states. Our team has been informed that ************* will need to reach out to the state DOR for further details on refunds associated with these amendments as refunds are provided directly by the state. 
  
  We remain committed to assisting you as efficiently as possible and appreciate your continued understanding. For the most accurate and timely updates, we encourage you to reach out directly to our Customer Excellence team, as responses through the BBB may be delayed due to the review process. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/04/2025

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because

  We are waiting on $14,200 in refunds. 

  $9,200 is due from NON-SST 
  $5,000 is due from SST
  
  NON-SST:  $9,200 is due

  $2.7K KG filed, and we are calling the states to try to get our money back.
  $6.5K in refunds is awaiting. 

  
  SST STATUS: $5,000 in refunds still due to us. 
  $2K in refunds from ** and IN will be refunded to Avalara, not KG. Avalara has refused to refund us for this, and forcing us to wait for 7-12 months to eventually get this money from the states and to then send this back to us. This is unacceptable since the entire mistake was due to Avalara lack of customer service, and I should not have had to bear the time and money to fix it all myself.
  
  $3K is due from six other states. We have been calling the states, trying to get them to refund the balance to us. Very difficult to get them on the phone and to help. No-one is helping.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2025

  Kira-- As weve outlined in our previous responses, Avalara is unable to issue a refund until the states have completed their portion of the process. Our policy does not permit us to issue payments on behalf of the states before receiving their concession. Our team has kept you informed of these expectations, including the estimated six-month timeline provided by the state. We remain committed to finalizing this resolution as soon as we receive the necessary approvals. 

  Regarding the refunds owed directly to KiraGrace from other states, Avalara has attempted to reach out on your companys behalf but has encountered similar delays in responsiveness. We encourage you to continue following up with the states directly, as we are unable to facilitate this portion of the process. 

  We appreciate your patience and will continue to provide updates as soon as new information becomes available.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/19/2025

   
  Complaint: 22347100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We are waiting on $14,000 in refunds. 
  $9,000 is due from NON-SST 
  $5,000 is due from SST
  
  Since our last posting, we have receive one $192 refund.

  This issue has been open for seven months, and Avalara is 100% responsible.

  This entire issue is due to Avalara's data issues, inadequate customer service, and delayed amendment filing.

  Sincerely,

  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/23/2024

  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.

  I am writing to formally complain Avalara Tax , a company that has provided me with unsatisfactory service and has engaged in questionable business practices.On 09/13/24 I discovered unauthorized charges on my account related to a subscription that I did not consent to. Upon receiving the invoice, I promptly contacted BigCommerce, requesting the cancellation of any subscription automatically enrolled without my knowledge or permission.I have reached out to their customer support multiple times via phone and email but have not received satisfactory assistance. Despite my efforts, my concerns have not been adequately addressed, leading to a loss of trust in their services.I am seeking a prompt resolution to this matter, including the cancellation of any unwanted subscriptions and a refund for unauthorized charges.I hope the Better Business Bureau will be able to assist in facilitating a resolution to this issue. Thank you for your attention to my complaint. I look forward to your response.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

  I am formally writing to address my ongoing dispute with Avalara. I recently noticed that my case was closed; however, I would like to update it and request that it be reopened. To date, I have not received the full refund for one of the disputed invoices amounting to $171.94.

  Avalara has not issued any amendments in this regard. Fortunately, my bank assisted me in disputing these fraudulent charges, as I provided evidence confirming that I did not authorize these transactions the amount of $1694 was refunded to my account. The amount of $171.94 was charged on 2023 and  I couldn't dispute it because was about a year ago and I just realized this unauthorized charge because of the recent one. 

  *******, one of Avalara's customer account managers handling my case, stated that the amount still pending is a valid charge. However, I have already provided screenshots demonstrating that this is not the case. Specifically, Avalara placed me on a standard subscription plan, which is supposed to be free of charge.

  As a consumer, I trust the Better Business Bureau to uphold my rights and advocate on my behalf in this matter. This experience has significantly eroded my trust in this company, given the prior unauthorized deductions from my account.

  I respectfully request your assistance in resolving this issue and ensuring that the appropriate actions are taken to secure the remaining refund.

  Thank you for your time and consideration.

  Sincerely,

  ***** ********|
  Traditional Arms 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/26/2024

  *****, thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist further. We have reviewed the information you shared with our team and have confirmed the screenshot you provided is for our Support Plan, representing the free support plan you had. Support plans are separate from the Big Commerce integration to AvaTax. 

  As for the Big Commerce subscription, we have confirmed your company was a Freemium user. We recognize your complaint indicates you were unaware of this being added to your account, but we have confirmed our team followed up with you on January 17 2023 regarding this 60-day free trial you added and whether your team had any questions. The copy of this message was included in our Customer Excellence teams update to you on November 21. 

  The freemium program ended and auto-renewed the service per our Terms and Conditions as a paid subscription with a rate of $171.94 in 2023. We understand how unexpected costs would be upsetting which is why our team works hard to deliver notice of programs ending. We have confirmed that Avalara sent a notice to the email we have on file in June 2023 advising that the program was ending. As per our Terms, we require a written request of cancellation prior to renewal to opt out of renewing the subscription. 

  Since our team has no record of a request to cancel the service, the $171.94 is a valid charge and does not qualify for refund.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/19/2024

  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.

  I was a customer of ********************** in 2023. The Avatax service provided by Avalara was beneficial to my company. The contract ended in February of 2024 and I was planning on not renewing. A few days after the contract ended I received correspondence from Avalara stating that the service had renewed. I immediately contacted them and cancelled the Avatax service. I created several support tickets with Avalara to have the invoice cancelled as service was cancelled and not provided. I did was assured the issue would be handled. I did not hear from Avalara for months until I received an invoice in September for the exact charges they were to remove.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/30/2024

  David, thank you for giving us the opportunity to look into your concern and clarify. After reviewing your account records, we were able confirm that we received a cancellation request in writing on March 7 2024 via case #24690648. Unfortunately, because the written cancellation request was not received before the renewal date (Feb 27 2024), your account was automatically renewed per our Terms and Conditions: https://legal.avalara.com/#serviceterms. 

  Our team shared this explanation with you directly following your complaint and we understand that you remained unsatisfied. We then escalated to our leadership team who you met with on Sept 27 and we understand they are requesting with Account Management to process your cancellation request outside of our Terms and Conditions.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/30/2024

   
  Complaint: 22310418
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  The matter has not been resolved yet. I am waiting to hear back from Avalara management team.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  David Pitts

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/14/2024

  David, thank you for your patience as our team worked to resolve. We reached out on October 8 to confirm the cancellation of INV-236197. We wish you and your business all the best.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/14/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 22310418, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  David Pitts

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/05/2024

  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.

  Want to *************** Avalara will not uphold their ******************* We notified them in writing to cancel service prior to the renewal date but they continue to charge us & ignore the request. They closed the original request without contacting us & then would not communicate unless we created a new request to cancel.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/12/2024

  ****, we appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention so we could correct it. We understand how unexpected costs after requesting cancellation would be upsetting and we apologize for the inconvenience. Since receiving your complaint, our Customer Excellence team reached out on Sept 6 to notify that we are researching the case and more recently, on Sept 11 with the following update:

  We recognize that you submitted a cancellation case (Case #********) dated May 29, 2024 which is two days prior to renewal date. We understand that because a cancellation form was not received, our system did not register your cancellation and therefore continued to bill you. We have been working to backdate your cancellation as it was made within our cancellation terms, and working to refund the charges since renewal. As explained in this update, we must get approval to stop your monthly billing and our team is working to expedite this process by escalating to the appropriate management.

  We understand our team has not heard back from you regarding this matter, but nevertheless we remain committed to resolving. Please follow up with the Customer Excellence Manager directly with questions regarding this case.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/27/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  We were in touch with Avalara in December 2023 for exploring using their services. Thereby certain terms were decided between us, however they thereafter sent a contract and thereby an invoice which was not as per our terms. We contacted them again and they said they are cancelling this and sending a new contract, which never got executed.Now if the new contract was not signed and the integration never completed with them due to complexity of the same at their end, they never asked for any money thereby assuming they are following terms decided that invoice shall be raised once we use their software and integration is complete. After one year they raise an invoice to us of an amount double of what was agreed, stating services starting after a month, we reached out to them stating that services have not started how do we have an invoice and that too double of the amount. To which they state this is a new invoice which starts in April 2024, but you have to also pay the older invoice, if the older invoice existed why did you never ask for money of it, how can the older or new invoice exist when the contract was rescinded and no new contract signed. When did we agree for a new pricing, when I raised all these questions it went to deaf ears. Thereby they sent an email that our account and services are terminated 27 March 2024, what termination when services were never used? And how is it that they raise a new invoice for services starting 31 March 2024 onwards when they state they have terminated our account.Now they are harassing us by sending a debt collection agent to force us to pay for invoices we never agreed to, services which we never rendered and for a new invoice of a amount never agreed to for this year when according to them our account is terminated. I have attached the reply we sent to the debt collector, but it is still continuing the harassment. I have seen multiple customers complaint he same and for sure believe fraud is their very intent.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/05/2024

  *****, thanks for sharing your concern with us. We understand how unexpected costs would be upsetting. Our team has looked into your account. In reviewing our records, we see ************************** signed an agreement with Avalara in December 2022 for a term lasting from December 30, 2022 to March 20, 2024. 

  Though signed, and thus binding, we understand you had some concerns with the billing structure and requested an amended contract that reflected different billing requirements. As indicated in your complaint, this amended contract was not signed and, thus, never went into effect. However, NR Wardrobe was still liable for the original contract, which is governed by Avalaras Terms and Conditions. Those Terms provide that a customer is responsible for fees regardless of implementation and is enrolled in automatic renewals unless the customer cancels prior to renewal. Because Avalara did not receive payment for your subscription, we eventually placed the account with collections and suspended your account with us. 

  Since receiving your complaint, our team has decided to close the case with collections and write the invoices off for nonpayment. We wish you and your business all the best.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/08/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************