Discussion:Looking for Work?

So if you are looking for work that won't fry your brain, go for it!!!!

Liberty corporate issued a notice this year letting franchise owners know that they are not to offer those paycheck loans beginning after thanksgiving. And also, this franchise owner, while still offering RAL's, actually counsels the client that a direct deposited efiled refund will be in their account shortly. Seems like they don't PUSH those products that Block does.

I have no problem with competition, I just have a strong dislike for companies whose client base tends to be lower income individuals and then they try to take advantage of them with almost usurious rates.

I have had several new clients this year and I have asked them the reason for coming to HR BLock. And each one has responded by saying that they need the money "now". I point out fees but they insist on the Loans.

I know I die a little whenever the client insists on a IRAL. Not only because of the fees, but because we've got an issue of W-2 fraud with the IRAL's

Some of the banking products are a pretty good deal for some of the clients though. The IRA's and savings acounts are pretty good for people new to saving. I'm less enchanted with the loan products.

And yes, people need the money immediately sometimes, but when they ask for RAL, do you tell them that by direct deposit into account, that the money will be there in 7 to 10 days? Or do you just check the box RAL and see what else can be sold?

If there weren't problems, why is the IRS holding a comments period on the fees charged for these items and for the fees charged for that bogus Audit protection. Sorry, but it would be a hard sell for me.

I picked up a couple of clients from the major houses last year who wanted fast refunds. I talked them into waiting the 7-10 days. They asked if there was an extra charge. I told them no. When I showed them how much it truly cost them to do the RAL, they were surprised. They were also happy I saved them money.

If people honestly knew how much it was really costing them to do these RAL loans, I doubt they would do them.

Tom

I don't offer them. Whenever I get a caller asking about RALs I try to sway them away from the dark side.

I still have to resist the urge to run over the Statue of Liberty person though.

We go through all the options for getting their refund, the time frames, and the fees, if any, for each. But it's up to the client to choose.

I'd do your taxes for free... and I'd split the profits with Tin Cook.

The New Tax Guy

TheTinCook and Newtaxguy, you seem like good guys and TheTinCook has a great board reputation. No offense. But here, the local offices of the major franchises "don't" push anything either (or so I am told) yet I hear from new clients a bit differently.

However, my wife has a friend whose husband owns some Block franchises and we talk about things from time to time. He won't push products and he says he does make money if people sign up for an RAL.. He has referred people to me who he told "you need a CPA not us" so there are honest franchisees out there. I know they exist.

We shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush. But sometimes it happens that the old paint on the brush gets mixed in with the new stuff.

Tom

And yes, your point should be taken. I also mentioned in my post a comment about painting with a wide brush and that exceptions exist. There are good franchises out there and I agree with Tao here that both of you seem like decent folks. But, when you follow the money, it is true that the more of these products that are sold, the more money someone in the office earns. These products are prominently featured in their commercials and their advertising and that after thanksgiving paycheck loan refund product, in my humble opinion, is borderline criminal to even offer.

Please feel free to adjust my understanding.

Still a chain, but I prefer the corporate thinking process at Liberty over Block. Now, as we get some Liberty clients, we might find different.

We DON'T give "quotes"... we give estimates, and if it takes five minutes to get a few facts over the phone to allow us to give a fairly accurate estimate, well, that's the cost of doing business.

Some places may work on the "It's better to ask forgiveness..." principle, but I think the triple check system at Liberty more than pays for itself at the end of the season. We have very few Federal rejections and only a normal amount of bank declines, almost always due to credit or lack of W2 income and very rarely due to a mistake in the paperwork.

Our "wavers" are uniformly happy with what they do and really enjoy the personal contact they have with passers-by (one of ours even has a fan club of sorts... a trucker pulled in and came in asking if she was ok when he didn't see her for three days in a row last year... came in with his taxes, too!) Won't address wage levels... they differ from place to place and situation to situation, but the preparers and wavers are being compensated promptly and everything is up-front before we start so there's no surprises for either end. Most wavers are school-age (at least in my area) college kids making a few extra bucks and having a blast doing it.

Yeah, we're a chain and I'll bet we have some offices which would not be where I'D wanna work, but on the whole it's a much freer and more friendly place to work and (IMHO)for the customers as well. The motto is "We make taxes fun." Well, "fun" may be too strong a goal, but a lot less painful is ALWAYS approachable.

I actually taught the rapid class this year for a Liberty Tax franchise and this was my first exposure to it. Like I said, I usually have contempt for the chain franchises, but this franchise owner convinced me that Liberty, while a chain, still operates more like a tax practice than a place to push products.

I also think the extra review process is beneficial and most clients understand that.