LIBERTY TAX SERVICE Franchise Complaints

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• The copy I was given said efiled in place of the information I had. I had what they gave me. Thanks.

• Kimberly. visit a Liberty office that is closer to where you live. Any Liberty Office will have access to the national database and they will be able to retrieve your 2017 tax return. Hopefully this will help.

• I can tell you that it's a new day at Liberty Tax Service. The leadership is very concentrated on franchisee growth and success. Gone are the days of mis-management.

• Very Quite for all the Zees, I like the leadership too, but the retail tax is evolving and can't support the exorbitant fees of a franchise system. The only way to survive is to become an independent owner that focuses not only on taxes but also financial planning, bookkeeping and financial statements. 19% haircut on the Gross is over 50% of the Profit. Its unsustainable!!

• Kimberly Grise, you can call the IRS on their 800-829-1040 number. You may have to be on hold for a bit, but they can send you a return transcript in a few days. You might be able to go the IRS website and download a copy, once you have validated your identity. You could also go to an Enrolled Agent, fill out a Power of Attorney, and ask them to get a copy of your return from the IRS.

• Concerned Z is correct. Even with great ownership and solid management at the top at Liberty now, franchisees will struggle to make enough for the investment and the time spent. Any franchisee already bought in has little choice but to try to make it work. But if your considering entering the tax prep business do not spend money on a franchise. It will force you to have prices uncompetitive and will all but ensure you a life of struggle and misery. And all that if the franchise is good one and has good management! The math and reality just doesnt support going with the franchise model! Take the money you was going to give the franchisor and instead buy yourself a education. Also use part of that money to set yourself up for a great tax season. If you wisely take the 40k that Liberty or other franchise models charge and spend that money smart along with setting up your business wisely you can come out if your first tax season in the black and then ready to roll! A franchise is not going to bring clients in the door. And what few they may bring they will be more than offset by the clientelle who refuses to enter your door because of what they have heard or experienced in the past. Trust me my first several years with Liberty I and my team brought in 99 percent of the clients! Liberty got paid allot for doing very very little.

  Focusing all your attention on early season clients also will never be a long term solution. To have a prayer of surviving you must expand your services while minimizing your expenses. Early season clients look good at first but they bring with them so many issues and so many nightmares they normally are not worth iy. If i was back into the tax industry i would heavily focus on real tax clients which will require some education. I would also highly suggest franchisees find non liberty or non franchise sources of income like selling financial products and annuities. This could be the difference between bankruptcy and a comfortable life!

  Franchising is not a good answer for the vast majority of people who want to succeed in business. Thats why you will hear 1000 times more nightmare stories than the very few success stories. Sure many will fail with or without franchising but your overall chances of success go way up if you choose to go on your own and invest your money and resources wisely.

  The truth about franchising is slowly getting out there but not nearly fast enough. So many franchise opportunities i would put in a class similar to Multi Level Marketing. Because the deck has been stacked against the vast majority of those buying into either before they even start! It doesnt have to be this way but is going to take a complete change in business culture and ethics for this to change anytime soon. Right now think long and hard before investing in any franchise opportunity. You will be thankful you did I can gurantee that;

• Now Some free business advice to anyone looking into the Tax Preparation business. This is free and a generalization but a great track to start running on. Its just a start not nearly everything.

  With the explosion of tech over the past 30 years it is now possible to gain tax.clientelle from all over this great land. You are no longer forced into accepting what has become the norm of only marketing to a small geographic area around a physical office and building a tax practice from referals around that same small area.

  Starting out marketing to those close to you will be the easiest way to get started but it isnjust a tiny part of what should be a much larger effort. With tech a client is no longer required to drive inyo your physical office and sit there in front of you. A client can just as easily upload docs via secure channels available today over the internet. Any conversations needed can be done by video call or telephone. When the return is done the client can pay your fees via electronic payment that is set up in your system and once payment is made and all electronic signatures are gotten the return can be sent to irs. The client can have access to all their returns and docs via there own online vault or locker. They can print out whatever they choose anytime they choose. Servicing a client does not need to be labor intensive or difficult. Also maintianing a strong relationahip with a person or family that lives hundreds miles away does not need to be any lrss than the relationships you have with yout local clientelle.

  The future of paid tax preparation business is going to be business owners who can build strong relationships while keeping expenses at a minimum by utilizing tech and all other tools available while being able to offer a product that has more perecived value than the price charged.

  Years ago if a client moved to another state they would need to find another preparer to build a relationship with Today those relationships can be maintained and strengthened by using tech and having some vision. Now you can get referals from clients nationwide! Also now your preparers can build large profitable tax prep client bases that will ensure your retention is near the top of the charts! Now you can start building real long term business profit!

  This is just the beginning of what can be done. And no you do not need to pay a franchisor a bunch of money to do it. You need to do your homework locate the tech that is available and secure it. Then go about the tasks of growing your business and possibly your empire! Most taxpayers of course would much rather have a professional tax preparer they know and trust assisting them year in and year out. The question becomes can they afford the cost of having the trusted advisor or will they have to accept something less that they can fit into their budget! What i see currently they can seldom afford the cost of the advisor so they eventually settle for less.

  Now that i have given you for free more valuable and useful business information than most any franchisor would charge you for do your homework and dont be afraid to help a fellow business owner out when they are in need and you are able too. You dont have to be part of a franchise to have those close bonds with other tax preparers or other business owners. You just have to put yourself out there and be willing to truely add value to their business and to their lives. Not because you will get something back in return but because it is the right way to conduct business!

• Thank you!

• Out. Would love to discuss this with you.

• I am already in trouble because I dared to prepare returns within the 25 mile radius, so I can not discuss anything negative about Liberty with anyone or face more serious trouble. I'm being sued now by them.