H&R Block complaint: Extremely poor customer support

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   Kathy Searle 19 Mar 2021

   I have been waiting to receive my Emerald Card in the mail for the last several weeks, but never received it. When it was announced that the Stimulus Payments would be sent the same way as my tax refund, via my Emerald Card, I called to find out where my card was. They had no answers for me, and suggested I call the Emerald Card customer Service number, and if they could not track down my card that I should go to the nearest H&R Block Office to retain an Emerald Card in person.
   I called the Emerald Card Bank and after several attempts to get through I received a recording informing me that I would be helped by the next agent within 20 minutes. I held for 30 minutes and then began to explain how I had never received a card to the agent. The agent asked for my identifying information, and then we got disconnected. So, again I called and held for another 30 minutes to talk to an agent. This time after my explanation of my problem she obviously had not been listening to what I had just told her, because she then asked me what the last four numbers were on my Emerald Card! I do not have a card, I explained, and therefore I am calling! The agent then asked me for my social security number and then informed me that she could not find a card on file for me. I realized that…., and again… this was my reason for calling.
   After great frustration trying to get the agent to understand the reason for my call I asked to talk to her supervisor. The agent told me that her supervisor would just tell me the same thing she had, that she did not see a card for me, but I insisted on talking to him, who honestly seemed interested in helping me, until… he discovered that there was no record on my account for an Emerald Card, and then told me that he could not help me any further but would transfer me to the department that could investigate this further for me.
   So, the supervisor “cold call transferred” me without explaining the reason for my call to the next customer service agent, and I had to start all over again explaining the reason for my call. This agent then tells me that he cannot even find me in the system, and was I sure that I had filed my taxes with your company? Well at this time I was certainly wishing that I had not, but I was stuck with H&R Block at this point, trying to figure out where my tax return and my stimulus money was being sent, since I obviously did not have an Emerald Card for them to be deposited on to.
   The agent then told me to go to my local H&R Block Office because he could not help me and hung up. I was disconnected! So that’s what I did in hopes that going into one of your offices that I would get some customer service, but instead… after sitting down with a Tax Agent who went through the same questions as the Emerald Bank Agent told me that I had a routing and account number, but for some reason the system was not allowing her to give me an Emerald Card, and that I just needed to call the Emerald Card Bank back. She did not offer to help me further as she had another customer waiting, and so I left more disillusioned and frustrated than ever! I had already spent hours on the phone and then an hour at one of your offices, yet no one could tell me any more than that there was nothing else they could do for me.
   Later the following day I expressed to my original Tax Consultant Alicia Marty, that I still did not have an Emerald Card, and was no further in obtaining one or any answers. She told me to go to her office in Henderson, Nevada, so she could just issue me an Emerald Card herself. I did this, although her office was much further from my home, than several other offices, and then waited an hour to see her. Honestly, I did not mind waiting because I felt that I would finally be given the customer service that your company is known for, so I patiently waited, and then followed her back to her office.
   Alicia pulled up my account and tried several times to issue me an Emerald Card. She could not. She told me she did not know why she could not issue me one other than the computer program would not allow her too, and that she did not know what else she could do to help me. I looked at her so stunned, because I honestly was being told… yes ma’am we charged you to do your taxes, we filed them with the assurance that you would be protected in every way, and then when I can’t receive any of the money due to me, I just get the answer that there’s nothing further that she could do for me, other than tell me to call back the Emerald Card Bank, because they had the answer!
   Obviously, I looked at her with such shock that she did not know what more to say and so she just showed me the door. I have never been so lost or frustrated in my life about a situation like this. Why can no one help me? Why can no one take the time to ask someone else in your company what more they can do? Why does this responsibility all lie on me, who has NO information regarding your Emerald Banking processes, Card Distributions, Tax Refunds, etc.? Is this how you train your employees? To tell the customer they need to figure it out for themselves when we have no tools to do so? What did I pay my fees for? It feels at this point it was only to have her figure out my tax return, and then I have been holding everyone else’s hand while trying to find an answer! How can you possibly expect your customers to feel protected and supported this way?
   My final question is… what do you truly expect me to do now? How do I track down my refund and stimulus payments? Why can no one issue me an Emerald Card, why did no one notify me there was a problem issuing me one in the first place, and if it has been a problem with issuing them, then why do you instruct your Tax Preparers to encourage clients to use them if you do not have the knowledge or client support to back them up? What are you going to do about this because I certainly am demanding something be done!
   Please do not use the excuse that everything and everyone is so busy right now, because I am just as important as everyone else you are assisting during this busy time. I am insisting that I get some information and assistance now before I ask the IRS for any assistance, which I will be doing after sending you this letter. I hate to imagine anyone else having to go through this experience, and if I can prevent it from happening again… I will!
    

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