Jackson Hewitt's Scorn and $1K Mistake Inspire a Crusade, Blog

Since this is the incident that started it all (my vendetta and this blog site), and since tax season has officially begun (note all the recently re-opened store-front tax prep shops), I thought it would be appropriate to rekindle my rage (albeit years after the fact) and renew a warning by re-posting this entry from June 23, 2006.

The Beef
The following in bold is excerpted from one of the faxes I sent Mr. Bhanbri (I think that's how it's spelled), owner of the Jackson Hewitt tax preparation franchise location in Beltsville, MD, at 11611 Beltsville Dr. (and the one in Hyattsville, MD, so beware of that one, as well). It sums up my on-going tragic dispute with this bumbling, disreputable establishment:

Since Jackson Hewitt has chosen not to respond to my repeated and numerous requests for restitution to the I.R.S., or to correct the problems it caused by making errors on my 2003 Federal Tax Return, I have no choice but to take drastic measures. If I have to pay the additional $900.00+ dollars due to your error, then I will do everything in my power to cause JH to lose several times over that amount in revenue. This final message is to notify you that I will be writing to the BBB, Washington Post and Times, WJLA TV “7 On Your Side,” and passing out flyers in my "free time" in the area around the JH Hewitt location (Beltsville, MD) that made the TWO costly errors. You have caused a major delay in my ability to get our 2004 taxes prepared by your failure to make things right with our 2003 return.

And even though Mr. Bhanbri assured me over the phone that he would "take care of" the error that his employee Veronica made, and even though I repeatedly notified JH's corporate offices of the problem, approximately three years later there has been no restitution. And I didn't even mention the small error that the same locale, same lady, made on our 2002 return! We received a refund that year, and at least the net result of the IRS catching that error was simply a reduction (I forget by how many hundreds) in the amount we got back.

Yes, I realize, of course, that the obvious question is, "Why would you go back to that place for 2003 tax prep after they made the mistake with your 2002 return?" But ain't that beside the point here? Plus, everybody makes a mistake here and there, but now JH falls into the chronic offender file, as far as I'm concerned.

When JH made the whopper of an error that caused us to have to fork over $900+ extra dollars to Uncle (Scrooge) Sam, Mr. Bhanbri had the temerity to point out at first that I had not shelled out the extra cash to purchase JH's guarantee (I think they called it "gold" or something)--even after Veronica admitted making the blunder in the return prep!!! I told him I didn't want to hear that nonsense, and pointed out that I shouldn't have to pay extra in order for them to make good on the gaffe they made and admitted to.

Now that we've moved on and have a CPA prepare our taxes we really see our folly. Our CPA pointed out that Jackson Hewitt and places like it are often staffed by very inexperienced tax preparers, with only hours of training on how to use the software, but very little experience with tax law or real return preparation.

Well, true to my word I contacted all those media outlets I mentioned, but none of them did anything. BUT, during the height of tax season this year I must have turned away at least 10 customers virtually at JH's threshold! I made up flyers that told my story in short order ("JH charged me $600.00 for tax prep, made costly errors on my returns two years in a row, and have refused to make it right!") and passed them out in the parking lot at JH to whomever appeared to be headed in that direction carrying a folder full of financial documents. One dude even exclaimed, "Man, you're an angel!!"

Epilogue
So, let's see: If JH charged me $600.00, and, guessing conservatively, would have charged those 10 potential customers that I turned away $400.00, it's clear that JH would have gotten off a lot easier (to the tune of about $3,000 in net lost revenue) by paying me to go away, no? And I ain't done yet, either! I'll be back out there every tax season, me and my flyers, until I get tired of going (or until Bhanbri or JH corporate come up with some creative way to make amends...and not by offering me [poor] free tax preparation for life.)

So, who's preparing your taxes?!

Rosalind's "Performance" at Academy 8 Theaters Really Delivered

Business: Academy 8 Theaters
Location: Beltway Plaza Mall, 6198 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, MD
Date of incident: Friday, December 22, 2006

Quick Hit
This will be a one of my quicker, to-the-point reads. Not much happened in the way of extracurriculars (unlike some of my past accounts) to convolute this story.

A concession-counter attendant at the movies went above and beyond the call of duty and the limitations of her training so that I wouldn't miss a single web that Charlotte weaved, and enhanced my family’s entire theater-going experience. Isn’t it amazing how in these complex, digitally-enhanced, Hi-Def times, the simplest, most common-sense gesture can make all the difference?

The Run-up
It was a dark and stormy night... Seriously. It was. So much so that I dropped my posse off at the curb near the mall entrance to preclude us from taking four or five wet umbrellas inside. That would've gotten nasty. We were feelin’ the holiday vibe "irregardless" (so not a real word) of the weather. We don’t normally venture out to the movies collectively on a Friday night (we typically do Saturday matinees), but I had gotten off work early for the pre-Christmas weekend (that’s right, I said CHRISTmas…not "holiday"!), and it had been the first day of a seven-day stretch off from school and work for my three Rug Rats and my wife. They had all been cooped up indoors the entire day due to the weather, and I was just in a festive mood, raring to do something. So, what’s a family to do during inclement weather but head to the local multiplex to take in a film. In this case, Charlotte’s Web, with Dakota Fanning. (I really dig that little raggedy-toothed child.)

We would normally hit AMC Loews Center Park 8, practically in our Beltsville backyard, for our cinema. As alluded to, it’s close, and, aside from a recent 6 month aberrant period, seems to be pretty well managed. But there must have been something about the timing of the show this night that led us down the road a bit to Academy 8 Theatres in Greenbelt. (Hmm, that’s the first time I’ve ever noticed that both destinations house 8 theaters. I wonder if that’s coincidence or whether all the big movieplexes are set up in multiples of 8 for some reason. Let’s see: AMC Magic Johnson Capital Centre 12, UA Snowden Square Stadium 14, Majestic Cinema 20, Muvico Egyptian 135…so much for that theory. That exercise only proved that movie theater names have gotten way confusing and over-the-top, and there's far too many of them under one roof these days. Whatever happened to simple, memorable and regal theater names like The Uptown, KB-Cerberus, Tivoli, and, well, Regal Cinema?)

Finding a parking space, getting tickets, traipsing inside and securing good seats...all that went uneventfully. And then came my task of getting everyone’s concession orders and heading back out to the lobby to fill them. I had performed this task numerous times, and could pretty much predict who wanted what. So when my eldest and I arrived back out at the concession counter to order we anticipated a drama-free transaction. When will I learn?

The Meat (how apropos...you’ll see why)
But it wasn’t a major conundrum that we faced. There just weren’t any hot dogs ready! After we began our order with "three hot dogs...," Rosalind, our leading lady in this yarn, abruptly stepped away and out of sight around to one side of the U-shaped counter. "Uhm, what just happened?" I wondered. "Was she even listening?" She was gone for what seemed like several minutes, and my daughter and I stood there vexed. Maybe she was preparing the hot dogs over there? But why wouldn't she just take my entire order before lurching into gathering mode? But when Rosalind came back empty-handed I wondered if she had just been goofing off! Come on. You know what kind of service some of these young people render. Over the years, I’ve taken many a youngling to task for poor manners or inappropriate behind-the-counter behavior. Just ask my wife and kids. But, thank God, that was not the case with Rosalind. She returned and apologized that there were no hot dogs ready at the time and that it would be about 15 minutes for them to cook (she had been around the corner placing them on that cool rolly-grill thingy). She asked if I would like to get everything else, pay for everything—including the dogs—and allow her to bring the hot dogs into the theater to me when they were ready! And there it was: The blog-worthy instance. To think that Rosalind would actually seek us out in a dark movie theater to deliver three hot hot dogs...This was one of those moments that take you completely by surprise. When you’re expecting the worse (Uh, man, we ain’t got no hot dogs rhat neah. You kin come back in ‘bout fiteen minits doe, Joe.), sometimes, the children, they just make you wanna' hug their neck, don't they?

So after I was able to collect myself, I responded "sure, that would be perfect." Rosalind asked which movie we were seeing, loaded us up with all our other high-fructose corn syrup and salt-saturated items, and sent us packing. We grabbed condiments, but when Rosalind brought the smoldering hot dogs in to us she even brought fixin’s and napkins herself! What. A. Gal!

Somebody at Academy 8 needs to know about this young lady’s admirable conduct. It needs to be nurtured, lauded, and, most importantly, promulgated up in there. (Nevermind the question dangling out there begging to be asked: Why weren't there any dogs on the rollers in the first place?!)

Epilogue
Rosalind’s performance in her role of concession-stand champion was a cinematic triumph of epic proportions. This is especially true when you realize that she improvised the entire thing. (I know because I inquired as to whether Academy 8 employees are trained—like McDonald’s employees who ask you to pull up from the drive-thru window so they can bring your order out to you once it’s ready—to do what she did. And they are not. She did this of her own volition.) Rosalind brought a refreshing presence and sense of responsibility to an otherwise pedestrian script. It was as if she wasn’t even acting; like it came natural for her. Her initiative and the way she completely lost herself in the role of servant make her worthy of a raise and employee of the month honors, if not Oscar consideration. Alas, if there were only more superb interpretations like hers in people-service roles.

A standing "O" and two emphatic digits up for Rosalind’s shining moment!