Home > Tax attorney in Santa Ana, CA > Optima Tax Relief Review

Optima Tax Relief

Tax attorney in Santa Ana, CA
Reviews: 91 | Overal Rating: Bad
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Thursday 7AM–6PM
Friday 7AM–6PM
Saturday 8AM–12PM
Sunday Closed
Monday 7AM–6PM
Tuesday 7AM–6PM
Wednesday 7AM–6PM

Reviews

Review Left On 02/28/2020
Scottrian Corbin

The Optima Tax team did a great job at helping us with the IRS! The customer service was great and the specialist are really thorough with there work and follow up. Definitely recommend Optima Tax for anyone in need of quality service!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Leicht Family

I am so discouraged with the way this company works. I’m not sure who they have as resolution specialists but my resolution was not a resolution. They just literally took the easy way out. I’m working with another tax relief company and my gosh it is night and day experience as far as customer service and intelligence level of who they have handling my tax issues. Putting me on a tier payment plan with IRS is not a form of resolution. That’s something that you did as the easiest way out. Please think twice before using this company. I’ve been rovers over $9k with this company. Don’t make the same mistake.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Janice Lanier

They call 2 apologize for the mis understanding & they offer me a courtesy refund tha I accept
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Susan Kelly

Learn from my mistake – do not hire Optima Tax Relief. They have good marketing and really seem like they care when you call to ask questions and hire them. It is very expensive. You can call the IRS or your state board yourself and get the same results. They made a HUGE mistake on my account, they admitted it – I have documentation. When I had to take matters into my own hands I called the my state tax agency and the very nice person who helped me told me “I don’t know why people hire them, you can just call yourself and get the exact same results.” I regret hiring Optima, they cost me many thousands of dollars. When I brought the mistake and my dissatisfaction to their attention – they started avoiding my calls and were very difficult to get in touch with. I was even told one day that the person handling my account wasn’t available because “her phone is broken”. What? I ended up calling every day until I finally got through. It took over two weeks for them to address my concerns and I’m still very dissatisfied.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
bryan slade

Very happy I called Optima to handle my tax issues.they took care of everything.
What a load off my mind.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Keith Dryden

Optima did a great job. the work was through and complete. I would never have been able to have the IRS address my issues. Problems all now solved to my satisfaction
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Michelle Lucena

Optima is a scam. I paid over $2000 to have them help me with what i owe to the IRS. not only was my amount not reduced, but the IRS still contacted me about six months after i worked with Optima. While optima was able to work that out, now over a year later the IRS has contacted me AGAIN, claiming i owe another 8k, on taxes that optima addressed with the IRS!!! Please don't buy into their games. Now I don't have the money to pay IRS or any money to pay another company to work with them for me and may very well end up losing my house since now I am in debt over 7K because the IRS took 5k from me after working with Optima!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Michelle Levesque Lucena

Optima is a scam. I paid over $2000 to have them help me with what i owe to the IRS. not only was my amount not reduced, but the IRS still contacted me about six months after i worked with Optima. While optima was able to work that out, now over a year later the IRS has contacted me AGAIN, claiming i owe another 8k, on taxes that optima addressed with the IRS!!! Please don't buy into their games. Now I don't have the money to pay IRS or any money to pay another company to work with them for me and may very well end up losing my house since now I am in debt over 7K because the IRS took 5k from me after working with Optima!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
john johnson

Optima did nothing for us and acted like they were advancing in phases. They end up charging us $1500. They acted in awe at our situation....over and over again... Each call was like they were unaware of what we told them the previous call..We owed $34000 on an income of $64000 for a year of ACA (Obamacare) they did absolutely nothing for my wife and I... Scam.. They need reported to someone.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Angel Pawid

I've been waiting patiently for months now I'm in to them for alittle over 4000.00 I'm the beginning of get calls ..once I paid the 3900.00 I don't hear anything from them makes me kind of Leary...in still waiting it's been 4 or 5 months now.. still waiting on the mean time The IRS has put a lien on me...I'm beginning to think they scammed me...so sad
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Robert Neely

Don’t use them! Go to a real tax professional. Here is how they work!
First they contact the IRS on your behalf, the IRS then tells them that you owe $35,000 dollars. This number almost comes out of the air. This is before even your standard deductions have been calculates in. Then Optima calls you with that news and says it all has to be done within two weeks or the IRS will send you a bill for the full amount and you can’t have it changes. So I owed $8,900 or so and Optima charged me $5,400 to do the paperwork. If you think this is a good deal then use them. For me it’s time to file a complaint with the BBB and seek some counsel.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Christopher Hodge

Seems to be no better than the IRS gouging me for MONEY. My God, this is a resolution service? Make sure you find out all the fees upfront, they can help you.... if you can PAY UP. It's disheartening to say the least
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Barney Simon

Looking for BUSINESS TAX HELP? Keep looking. i called about my business problems and they insisted on tracking personal and tax information also. after 2 months of doing NOTHING but try to get my personal information, my business tax problems are worse than if i had done nothing which is exactly what they have done. Oh, they did take my money.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
John Martin

Never heard back from Optima, but they've sold my phone number to a slough of telemarketers. Non stop phone calls two days later.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Rob Diego

I paid a total of $7000 worth of fees for investigation and to have Optima file my taxes and work with the IRS. Not 1 single cent was removed from my irs balance of $38,000. I still don't understand the service I paid for , it was a total waste of money . That $7000 could have went towards my debt. They also stated they would file my state return, they didnt . Im honestly going to contact the BBB.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Bruce Jones

Thank you for sharing ALL of your experiences. I'm having issues with the IRS. I have heard the advertisements on both radio and television. These commercials are intimidating. I have read the responses of the company in response to each individual complaint. Funny thing is they are almost word for word. It seems to me they are computer generated. I will be looking in a different direction and again thank you. If you are a company representative, don't answer my review, I'm not interested in doing business with your company.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Chris Brooks

Explain to me how almost every single comments is saying SCAM!! How you people sleep at night? EVERYBODY PUT PEOPLE LIKE THIS OUT OF BUSINESS!!! Everything they do you can do yourself!!!! PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!! Plus their in California ya know they gonna steal your money anyway!!! STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Eddue Vazquez

They are just gonna take your money and not help. I paid 12k and at the end did things myself
Review Left On 02/28/2020
eddie Cruz

Horrible experience!! This company will rip you off! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY WITH THEM. After paying them thousands of dollars, they were able to do nothing for me. I kept getting run arounds and supposed extensions with IRS. THE IRS SENT ME A LETTER AND TOLD ME I HAD TO PAY BALANCE BY CERTAIN DATE. Optima never responded or made arrangements with them. I had to contact IRS myself and make arrangements. Optima would not refund my money.. This company should be shut down for abusing the public.

**No your company does not do its best to resolve the issue or help the clients. OPTIMA IS A SCAM! even though you guys dropped the ball you did not want to reimburse the thousands of dollars i paid. HUGE RIPOFF!!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Donna Donohue

Nothing but a overpriced tax collection agency ...scammers
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Crazy Vegas Girl

Love the ad with “Eric” ... highly entertaining!! However, this is something you can do YOURSELF for FREE if you call the IRS they are more than happy to work with you!
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Tony Ontiveros

Don't waste your money. This company claims to be on your side but will take the easiest way possible to say they "represented" you. I paid them over 13K to what amounts to file my taxes and get liens put on my home.
My income is significantly going to be reduced this year and i needed to get ahead of the situation. They base everything on prior years instead of actual accounting. Total WASTE i could have sent the IRS the 13k and set up the SAME payment arrangement they did perhaps without the leins. I will be requesting a partial refund for this worthless service.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Shar Rr

Thank you to all that posted their experiences with this company. Most we read had harrowing experiences. We will not be using their "services". You've saved us from future headaches and possible financial ruin.

We called them recently trying to explore options for elderly family members, and they seemed a little too slick and polished. They also hesitated to answer some of our basic questions. Their responses prompted us to seek out their ratings online. Thank you all for your frank reviews.
Review Left On 02/28/2020
Larry Wolford

Beware, they will take your money first and do nothing to help you get out of your situation.
Review Left On 02/27/2020
josh thornburg

Save yourself thousands of dollars and avoid this scam
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Tomeka Eady

Optima Tax Relief was very helpful.
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Sam Byrd

They are awesome! The got my account money back when the IRS cleaned it out and got me low monthly payments. Love you Optima!
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Richard Smith

I was in a jam with the i.r.s. Call optima tax. They were so professional and got me square with my taxes. I recommend optima tax for anyone with tax problems
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Mitchell Welt

These people saved me from being in debt forever.. Optima will guide you through the the whole process
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Ernesto Santillan

Optima tax relief really help me over come my tax troubles...they handled everything and had my best interest... I would definitely recommen them to anyone who's dealing with the IRS
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Patricia Dudis

Optima Tax will help you with the IRS and the State large amount money owe to them. They take over and they talk to them not you. They take care.
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Tammy Proctor

My entire experience with Optima Tax Relief was surprisingly calming. Optima's representatives are professional, patient, as well as empathetic. I would highly recommend Optima to others who are facing insurmountable tax issues.
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Ian Foster

They are here to help in a time of need. Worth the investment. Thanks Again Team
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Jamario Mulder

The staff was extremely friendly, they helped me with a debt of around $13,000 and got it lowered to $1,000. They went above and beyond to make sure sure I was good. Now I can proceed with my life, thanks optima tax
Review Left On 02/27/2020
Ana Cooper

Optima was great to work with! They are not scammers!!! You can try to solve your problems directly with the IRS but if like me, you don’t have the time and knowledge... they will make the process simple. I highly recommend them.
Review Left On 02/26/2020
Kenny

Terrible experience with Optima. Over Promise and Under Deliver. I paid $500 for them to investigate my case and then they wanted another $4000 for them to resolve my case with no guarantee of a positive outcome. Optima can't do anything with the IRS you cant do yourself. Rip Off!
Review Left On 02/25/2020
Melvin Thomas

I was in deep tax debt and worried to death . One simple phone call to the professional staff at OPTIMA TAX RELIEF and just like that my worries were gone .Thanks OPTIMA YOU ARE THE BEST
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Tyrone Isadore

Optima Tax has the greatest Tax team that's out there. They go for and beyond there ability to get you the greatest resolution. They will tell you your greatest options to go with. They are simply the best.
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Steve Mason

Optima Tax Relief is and was for me a port in the storm and the answer to my prayers. Due to circumstances that were caused by my ignorance I created a huge tax liability. I tried to pay it but was unable to. I made an agreement with the IRS but they set a payment schedule that I also could not afford. It was like living in quicksand; the more I tried to free myself the deeper I sank within the quagmire. I then, after hearing Optimas's radio commercial every morning, decided to call Optima Tax Relief. I followed their instructions to the letter. Optima was caring, sympathetic, and they were nonjudgmental. Optima supplied me with periodic updates as to the progress of my case reaching out to me by phone and emails. I would recommend Optima Tax Relief to anyone in need of such services. I rate them with ten stars but your survey's highest rating was only five stars. They pulled me out of the quicksand, dusted me off, and placed me on terra firma. I have and will continue my relationship with Optima Tax Relief to take care of future returns and to be my guardian with matters relating to tax liabilities. I am now totally free of ANY tax liabilities thanks to Optima Tax Relief. They are my angels, all of them that work there. I just wonder how those angels of mine fold their angel wings when they sleep!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Adam Boudreaux

Rip off .. doesn't do anything to help with your tax issues..they just take your money and move on to the next victim, there very rude over the phone, real aggressive, lie to you about dates to get back to you, this lady called me back one morning sounded to me like she was in her bedroom trying not to wake up the kids ...stay away from them they took thousands of dollars from me , I could have made my own arrangements with the IRS and saved money... STAY AWAY.!!!!!!!
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Dee Cunningham

Because of moving and losing a house and a job along with my heart attack and my husband's motorcycle accident then we moved again and I had another heart attack. Our tax information got lost and we didn't file then it was how do we file/who can help us file? We saw an ad for Optima Tax Relief - we called and spoke with Alex he calmed us and said his company could help us ! We Let him know we did not have any info except for social security information. Alex said it would not be a problem. They took what little we had and did all the work for us and got our taxes all straighten out. We can breathe again like their name says it gave us " Relief" from fear and worry over the IRS !! The people who worked with us were Amazing ans to us they are our Miracle Workers. I would recommend them to everyone.
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Jacqueline English

The worst ever!!! I gave them my deposit and was told it would take 10 days once they received my paperwork; took them less than 10 days for them to come back and tell me they could not help me due to a lawsuit I filed against the IRS!!! BS!!! They did nothing for me but take my money; then I called the IRS and they basically said that I should've contacted them before I called this fiasco of a company. People like them prey on desperate people like me!!! Of course when I tried to call them back I go directly to voicemail. Do not use this company it's a scam!!! Wish they had the poop emoji instead of a star!!
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Earl Union

They are not here to help you. They will take your money , they will tell you they're NOT A BOOKKEEPER..so if you have deductions it's best u do ur own taxes and work out deal with the IRS yourself. I paid 6000 I could have giving to the GOVERNMENT towards my debt
..YOU WILL NOT...get reduced amount on ur debt the way they claim on commercial unless you HAVE A HARDSHIP...crazy cripple ect...save
your money and go to IRS and work it out. It was the worst thing I could have done and I would have had a bout 6000 more dollars to put towards my debt. MY MOTHER AND I DID MY TAXES with the deductions to truly get my taxes right not optima SAVE yourself from a frustrating situation dealing with them...The commercial are FALSE AND MISLEADING
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Brian Mahne

I paid this company over $7,000 and they completely messed up my taxes. I owe thousands more than I would have had I did a little research and deducted my expenses correctly. They were no help and I could have paid all of that money straight to the IRS. They made my situation much worse.
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Alen Plivac

SCAM!
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Jeff Scribner

CAUTION!!! READ THIS FIRST!! I lost everything!! My husband and I have three young kids, and had a very successful business. Life was good! Then one day we found out that one of our foreign investors had been cheating us and stealing. Our business went under and we lost everything, jobs, income, house, cars, everything. We ended up owing the IRS over $40K in taxes for income we didn’t have. It should have been an easy offer in compromise settlement for any tax attorney. We made a huge mistake and hired Optima. They wanted $8K to handle our case which we really didn’t have. We entered a monthly payment program and hired them. As difficult as it was, we made the monthly payments with great sacrifice to our family. Then with only two monthly payments left, we came up short for the payment and couldn’t make it. They completely canceled our service with them keeping all the money we had payed and left us far worse than we were. We found out that they hadn’t even filed our tax return like they said and in which we payed for, but only filed an extension. We ended up owing much more money and had wasted nearly a years time and money we greatly sacrificed to pay them. Afterwards I spoke with a local tax attorney and he quoted me $3,600 to handle my case, less than half of what Optima charged me!
Review Left On 02/14/2020
Sean O

DO NOT GO THROUGH THIS COMPANY. They were very unprofessional they literally did nothing for me. When I say nothing I literally mean nothing they did not help me out with a thing just extended the inevitable payed thousands for them to basically set me up on a payment plan which I could’ve done myself for free. After you speak to someone and pay them thousands of dollars they will send you to multiple departments with several people working on your case treating you like a number if you need to get ahold of someone or would like an update. Good luck you can try and call someone will answer but they will have no clue who has your case and they will transfer you to the supposed person who’s taking care of your case all to get a voicemail and a call back weeks later also have no fear when you actually get a call back your case is getting shipped to another department and you will not receive anything notification from this company for months so after not hearing from someone for almost 6 months not knowing what’s going on I get a call surprisingly and guess what my case if being wrapped up with no results I promise do not go through these people they are scam artist and will only treat you like you are a paper on there desk you will not see results please I promise you I’m saving you a lot of hope that you think you will have with them
Review Left On 02/07/2020
David Peterson

Stay away from Optima Tax Service - they will promise-make you feel they care - then charge you $4k for a payment plan from the IRS. They will not do anymore than that. Save your money and seek a real tax consultant. Optima Tax took almost 2 months before we received a returned phone call from them after we complained - almost 2 months! Once we talked to the Sr. rep (who had no customer skills at all) - we knew we just got ripped-off. We suspect there are others who have been treated the same. Their representatives speak from prepared texts - they do not return phones calls if your seeking updates. Optima Tax will fool you - they will say "we'll see" or "your file is being reviewed by our next level team." This is all BS - they take your money and sign you up for a IRS payment plan with zero fight to help you lower the gross. Terrible company who takes advantage of people in need. Stay away!
Review Left On 02/07/2020
Jayson Son

I just want to know how to take these scammers to court to get my $5k back....they offered me my initial $527.00 back as long as i dont say anything NEGATIVE about this scam...Im telling the world and going to file a lawsuit about you scammers....LISTEN PEOPLE...STAY AWAY
Review Left On 02/07/2020
Roy Davoult

GOT A PHONE CALL BACK AND GOT SITUATION RESOLVED THANKS STAR FOR GREAT WORK
Review Left On 02/07/2020
Dawnie S.

Thank you everyone who reads this!
PROS - DIDN'T HIRE THEM!
CONS- Optima Tax Relief LIE! LIE! LIE! SCAME YOU! LEAVE YOU WITH NO RESOLUTION and TAKE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY! If this doesn't make you stop and think read the BBB reviews. If you don't believe the reviews you will deserve everything they put you through just like the rest of us. I am out $5000 paid in full payments, completely TRUSTED THEM and NO RESOLUTION.
Review Left On 01/31/2020
Frank Gregory

Nothing but a gaint RIP OFF! Stay away take money and run
Review Left On 01/31/2020
Erin Good

They over promise and under deliver. Anything they do you can do yourself. It will just take some time. Definitely not worth the 6 grand I paid them!! They told me before signing they would get me an affordable monthly payment and file all of my previous tax returns, they also stated the offer free tax filing for their clients because not filing will put you into non-compliance. Now that they have gotten my money... the payment is $300/month more than I stated I could afford and they do not offer free filing services going forward.
Review Left On 01/31/2020
Larry Ewing

Thank everyone for sharing experiences with this company! I’ve been watching these commercials and was about to contact them. I decided to check out the reviews first. Wow am I glad I did! I’m already in a bind it looks like a dodged a bullet! Thanks again to all of you and sorry for your bad experiences!
Review Left On 12/28/2019
ROBERT TAKAC

Caveat Emptor. This is a total scam, despite the heavy amount of advertising they do.

Ask them for a specific written description of their “Fresh Start Initiative” it’s a fallacy.

Don’t waste your time or money. There is nothing Optima offers that you cannot do yourself.

They employ high pressure close tactics. The rude lady on the phone kindly offered to wait on the phone, expecting me to execute a five page legal agreement which I had no time to review.

If you make the mistake of calling them, they will call you repeatedly every day until they reach you.

Provided my current employment information to IRS and my wages were garnished within one week after providing the information to them. I am convinced that this was done to make my situation
more dire than it was.
Review Left On 12/28/2019
Carlos Rodriguez

Don't do business with this company. It's a big scam. They charged me almost $5000 and they didn't do anything for me, after promising results!!!
Review Left On 12/28/2019
Juan Ortiz

These was no tax relief. I was charged so they could arrange payments with the IRS something which can be done online with the IRS . What a waste of money I wish I never used them.
Review Left On 12/28/2019
Carlos Bonilla

0 Stars, Scammers and liars. They took my money and forgot about me, ignoring me for months at a time. 2 years later the situation is now worse because of them. Save yourself time and money and don't hire them. Worse decision of my life. just wish i could get a refund since they didn't do anything for me. I called the IRS and they told me that i was given wrong information by optima tax scammers. i'm now having to fix everything myself.
Review Left On 12/28/2019
David Smith

Terrible. Promised one thing, delivered another. My tax issue is now so screwed up that I need to hire a tax attorney.. on top of the 8K I spent on this company for nothing. It;s like throwing 8K out the window. This company is so incompetent. You will regret it... Don't do it!
Review Left On 12/28/2019
NikoPaisa87

Excellent service! Thank you! :)
Review Left On 12/28/2019
Kelly Schipkowski

Please do not give them your hard earned money. The claim to help you with the fresh start initiative is misleading. The IRS has set guidelines for this program that you can find online and apply for online. They can do nothing different then what you can do yourself. They utilize high pressure tactics and work to instill fear of the IRS in you Then when you call them out on this, they increase those tactics.

This is a huge scam and this company and people that work there should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for the financial damage they actually cause.
Review Left On 12/28/2019
Emily R

Too many bad reviews, never mind
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Mark Sanders

Someone finally called me back and said everything is being taken care of.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Timothy James

I started working with Optima tax relief on May 2nd 2019. I sent them every levy and seize letter that i received from the IRS. I asked them 3 times if i need to be worried about the letters or being garnished. And they told me not to worry about it the IRS knows I'm represented. 4 moths later on September 6th my check was garnished. So I contacted Optima confused on why neither them or the IRS told me that i was going to be garnished. So on September 12th they put in the power of attorney form and put me on a installment plan. 4 months after i started paying them, So i told them i no longer wanted anything to do with them they're service is horrible. And they did nothing but waste my time and charged $3,795 and did nothing for me. And you are not protected from day one. I called the IRS while i was in the middle of trying to get a full refund from Optima. The IRS told me they had no contact with Optima or with me so it seemed like i was ignoring the IRS. Optima never contacted the IRS until after i was garnished. So that led to more back and forth conversations on the phone and through the better business bureau. All the while they insist they full filled their service. Look up the complaint on the BBB site and see how they throw out BS statements and not address the facts. I talked to a rep on October 30th and she still says they did nothing wrong. On November 1st the IRS sent me the rejected power of attorney form Optima tax relief put in on my behalf. These tax professionals can't do anything right. They had me sign a abatement form to try and get the fees and penalties dropped. And they never put it in, when i called the IRS to verify any contact they had with Optima. I told the IRS rep they had me sign a abatement form and did nothing with it. The IRS rep put in 2 forms for me and told me how to put in the rest in. For free i didn't had to pay her $3,795, and on 11/13/2019 the penalties and fees have already came off reducing what i owe the IRS. Optima tax relief is a horrible service and there is no money back guarantee. They gave me no service at all just more problems and refuse to give me a full refund. It's a scam.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
AMY GAMBILL

First off, I would like to say it is no ones fault that my husband I owe the IRS money except ourselves. But of course people get in bad situations or need help so they hire someone to help them. So of course we sought help from Optima Tax. I was like yourselves reading the reviews thinking well maybe then can help me and I wont have a bad experience like all the other people that have reviewed them as well. We were mistakenly wrong! And overall they did absolutely nothing for us except file our taxes, make us provide a TON of documentation (which I expected) and pay them to prepare our "case" for the IRS. Which by the way was never even presented to them after a year they had determined it was better for us to just pay our monthly payment to them. And most importantly we paid them just about $7,000 for this service, our IRS debt was not even lowered $1.00. The only reason it went down a little bit was because of the return my husband I had gotten back and it just went instantly towards the debt we owed.

I would save yourself the hassle and the stress of going through this process. I was pregnant with twins at the time we were doing all of this. Sick the whole time, but kept pushing through the process in hopes that would even be able to help us lower or debt. (which they do not guarantee, but putting your faith and a TON of money into the process. You would except for at least some of the debt to be gone)

If you case would be anything like ours. It was pretty black and white. We work in healthcare and construction we make pretty good money. We don't own anything so there is nothing to take from us. From the very first phone call you make with the company they gather all your expenses. What you pay out and what you have coming in. My problem with this whole process is that they should stop you right there after gathering information like that. These are tax professionals they base your case off the credentials of what the IRS considers to be hardship based etc. If right then and there they would have told us we are not good candidates I would not be so disappointed and upset or feel like this whole thing is a scam. You have to pay to $495.00 to get what they call the "investigation" phase underway.

After that you go through a lot of stuff providing them documentation etc. You have to provide it within a certain amount of time to their portal or they will dismiss your case. Then you just wait to see what they comeback with. To hear that after all that work, time and money you spend that they did not even submit your case is heartbreaking.

I wish we would have just gone through the IRS ourselves and set up our own payments because ultimately we would have just put that money right to them instead of paying an outside company to do nothing for us.

This is just our experience, I am sure they have helped people but we definitely were not one of them.

Edit made on 11/23/19:

I was reached out to by Optima Tax Representative. She was very nice and transparent about what happened with our case, I wish all of people we spoke to would have explained things the way she did. We would have took a different approach. Although they were not able to change the outcome of our case, they did resubmit for another review and we were able to part ways amicably. I do appreciate the follow up to my complaint.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Philip Nolan

DO NOT USE OPTIMA TAX RELIEF, they did nothing for me but take my hard earned money and have me send all kind of documentation and have me wait 3 long years to tell me that they can't do nothing for me but I have to pay them $1150 per month for the next 7 years. I am very hurt and upset with them, I will be filing a complaint with the BBB. DON'T USE USE OPTIMA TAX RELIEF
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Eric Anderson

I agree with many posts on here. We applied for help with a tax bill in July of 2018. After paying Optima Tax Relief over $6,000 and 16 months later, we're exactly where we were. We owe the same amount, we've been handed off to several representatives and we have no good options. So far, Optima Tax Relief has been a complete rip-off and they're advertisements are false.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Sherry Ianieri

Gave me same number irs gave me before contacting them. Paid them 12,000.00 to get me same deal.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Craig Willner

My family and I would like to thank Optima for assisting us with our tax issues. They have worked with us to the very end, doing all they could to alleviate the burden placed upon us.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Tony Richards

Trisha Crow of OptimaTax worked with me, she explained everything and was very nice. 100%
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Cam Sheets

Complete frauds. After sending documentation of a settlement and is paying over $39,000, we received notice from another tax service that there was a lien placed on our property!!! When we called Optima we were told they did not know and wires must have gotten crossed with the IRS. They then proceeded to tell us they couldn’t do anything to remove the Lien unless we paid another $24,000. They completely stole our money and should be very ashamed! Steer clear of this service!!!!
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Gtown Films

STAY AWAY! I called for info and was sold on what they possible can do. When I asked what will be the amount to assist me i was told between 1500-2000 in that range after brushing off the question a few times.They kept saying "They will work with me" Then try and charge almost 6K! after they took my $495! I wanted to save the time and have them handle it. Dealing with the IRS is back and forth but for that amount I will do it myself.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Heather Carpenter

They have been yanking my mom around for over a year now, every time she calls it's either the excuse of "it's under review" or "it got transferred to a different person" in which that person never calls back. Scam? Sure seems like it considering her taxes where done when handed over and all they had to do was work with the numbers giving.
Review Left On 11/28/2019
Oleg Cherem

Don't waste you time and money using services offered by companies like this one. They are all crooks. You can deal with IRS directly. They are actually very understanding and work with you to resolve your tax issues in the best and most convenient way.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Paige Weitz

Absolute scam, scam, scam... I can’t believe we trusted this business. It should be investigated by the better business bureau. We ended up paying 9,000 dollars to Optima and, of course with their pisspoor help, we owe 16,000 more to the IRS on top of our 100,000... My father had brain surgery to remove an aneurysm last year around this time. My family is struggling to stay afloat and this business just seemed to try to make us drown. Ridiculous. I wish I could rate 0 stars.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Bill Krutilla

Received a notice from the IRS saying I owed then$10,572 for 2017. I contacted optima who said they could help me. First they asked for$485 to investigate and see what was possible. When they returned they said to pay them an additional$4,075 as they could assist and work for a resolution with the IRS. After 3 more months, they came up with...
I can pay the IRS the full amount with a payment plan until paid in full and with a fee of $225, for the payment plan and 5% interest till paid in full.
So absolutely no help. They got me what was offered me from irs in my original letter and it cost me additional $4,600 I paid them so after it all my $10,600 irs bill they made into $16,000 plus interest.

Great help
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Jamey Ruddy

Biggest scam going thieves . Run far away from this company. Robbed me months of payments did nothing. No one knew my case or tried to help me. I wouldn’t even give them a star.i will be reporting to every agency i can so this won’t happen to other good people. They did nothing and forget a refund your screwed.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Joseph Ronczyk Sr.

I don’t know how the people get to be A+ rating + anybody can be very honest with you I have been dealing with this company now for just about a year into much they have done absolutely nothing but took $7000 I just received a phone call from them that supposedly I am no longer in collection of what DRS when in all reality I was never in collections with ERS my situation was totally different I paid H&R Block to file my taxes I I literally paid H&R Block $650 for the years of 2014 through 2017 and come to find out they were never actually filed so I soon as I found out about it I went and contacted Optima tax relief do you initial fee for these people to lift a finger was $550 they never got back to me for approximately a month and a half to two months then when I finally got back to me they proceeded to let me know if it’s going to cost me an additional $6800 I believe it was in total that it would be payments of 607 each and every month which I went ahead and agreed on providing that it was taken care of and that there would be no more problems with the IRS including late fees or whatever I was told by the end of the conclusion of dealing with The filing of the years that were missing that more than likely 99.5% I would oh absolutely nothing when I was done anyhow the long and short of it is is I got the runaround for approximately a year and two months I think it was you would send in documents through their pro folio as you call it in the pro folio is a computer that denied the document so therefore you would have to resubmit it again and again and again and again and constantly be really show me you would call down there to find out what was going on and nobody really knew anything at any given time in every person that I talk to was very rude enough noxious and act like I didn’t know what I was talking about or I didn’t have no right to be calling them nobody knew nothing I even had to sign a third-party release which initially allowed my daughter to sit in and be able to handle the situation in my place for me accordingly they could never find a third-party release no wonder this company is about as an Orthodox as a company can be I promise you the world and they actually give you absolutely nothing here we are our year and two months later and at the last payment of them receiving their fee in total of $7000 I get A telephone call today with the lady that I don’t even really know what her name is cause she talk to where I couldn’t even understand what she was saying she got upset at me because I asked for a hardcopy black-and-white to send it to me I told her that I would like to have them by Wednesday because Wednesday would be the day that I can sit and take the time to go over the documents myself personally the long and the short of it is she said she would put it in the mail but no matter what that I would have to be paying a payment installment plan in the total amount I won’t get in the details on how much it is but it all came about and Optima have done absolutely nothing to earn to $7000 that I have paid them and I do mean absolutely nothing so how they got an A+ rating I will never know the people are about at Orthodox as my dog ears and my dog likes to run around the house they can use a crazy little four but that’s OK that’s my dog but you don’t expect professional to be acting that way they have basically just ripped me off for $7000 and done absolutely nothing nothing whatsoever for this money I can go into Such details that would actually make your hair stand up on your head this company is about his workplace and phony as the day is long
You would think that by dealing with a professional company as Optima tax relief is supposed to be that they would keep you very well informed on what was going on never once have they called or even returned a call unless there was a payment that you could not go through because I change my card one time and forgot to add them they had to call me but other than that they never once ever called me ...
I’m out here f character or I would have a lot more to explain
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Cheryl Gray

Optima Tax Relief stole our money and refused to help once i filled for bankruptcy back in 2018 i lost at lease $10,000 grand and no refund to any money. They are thieves and nothing butt. I give them fat Zero in my book.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Delphine Fano

I would NOT recommend Optima Tax. I know of a professional individual that paid over $3400. since 2018 and till this day, No solution! The individual is still paying the IRS! Recently, Optima informed the "very professional & high paying" individual to pay the IRS over $300. MORE Monthly! I think Optima takes all your money and don't care if anyone has other bills to budget for. ITS ALL about $$$. It's VERY STRESSing. BAD Enough OPTIMA DOESN'T deal with the state taxes. Usually when the individual calls for answers, it's the same answer of " oh, we're working on it or the Rep doesn't even know what really going on!!??... WHOMEVER puts 4 or 5 stars is BS because OPTIMA takes your money and U must have no other bills. Not last but least, you're rich! And have no problem giving Optima your money or just work for them. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT OPTIMA SHOULD REFUND All indivuals that paid over $1000. A community group should be formed legally . PEOPLE work hard for their money OPTIMA!
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Ryan Rife

quick to respond, easy to follow guide to getting all of my legal matters dealt with and thorough.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Sherry Brown

This company has done nothing to actually work my case. I was lead into signing up with the smooth sales talk of how my case would be handled. Once they got me signed up and took my money I have not spoken to the same person or had any reliable answers as to the status of my case with the IRS. Despite sending them every document I had that had been filed correctly by accounts they repeatedly claimed I needed more documents filed. Once filed again, despite my many calls to follow up, I was getting no where and started getting lein and levy actions against me. This is precisely why I engaged them, to Prevent this action. The staff I spoke to in the supposed resolution department knew nothing of my case, were not tax professionals and basically were nothing more than service reps. I asked repeated who my tax professional was only to find out one was not assigned to me. Nor would I ever be able to speak to my tax agent, and was told they only speak to the IRS. Which makes zero sense. They didn’t move me into resolution it seems. I ultimately fired them for failure to perform as they state in their advertising. I then find out from the IRS directly that they never even filed a proper power of attorney to ACT on my behalf, only to request information. So there is proof they didn’t do as their advertising claims. For over a year they played this along as if working for me, when they did nothing.
Do not waste your time or money trying this company. They are a total rip off.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
roman czerepacha

Consumers BEWARE THIS IS A SCAM !!!
They ask for $ Up front before any negotiations have taken place they do absolutely nothing to remedy debt or contact you
They are only interested in your personal information
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Henry Prock

I paid them close to 4000 dollars and I got nothing for my money. I ended up with an agreement that makes me have to pay the full amount. I could have gotten that result all on my own. U call these people. Most of the time u get no response. For me it was a big waste of time and money.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Henry Atowo

Was finally able to resolve the misunderstanding I had with optima . Came out with a payment arrangement with the IRS.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
J&S

Do not use this company. They took our money, said that they were settling with the IRS and come to find out they told the IRS we were going to pay thousands over a 9 month period till our balance was paid in full. Thank goodness the IRS helped us straighten it all out. If we could afford to pay thousands, why would we contact this company!!! Save your money and call the IRS direct, they really are willing to work with people.
Review Left On 10/28/2019
Carla Crenshaw

Optima tax is a total scam!!!!! I feel deeply responsible for telling my husband about this company we have paid them over 5K and have received worst results ever !!!!! actually we had better deal with the IRS before optima tax came in, we were paying the IRS $100 a month now the agreement that supposedly optima tax made with the IRS is that we have to pay $700 a month for an 7 years.... This is appalling I have already contacted the better business bureau and filed a report against Optima tax I am going to try and get a full refund of our money because we might as well have given the IRS the 5K.and if they refuse to give me a refund I am going to file a class action lawsuit against them which I have already spoken to my attorney about and obviously after reading all these poor reviews I believe we have a strong case against them. They have cost us nothing but mental anguish we are unable to afford the $700 payment I feel if you continue with this company it's only going to end up worse.
Review Left On 09/28/2019
Liz Gagnon

So, saw the ads on TV. Looked up their reviews. Looked fishy but with the amount of reviews I figured, let's have them do the research and see what they figure out. 500 dollars? Sure, why not.

Quick response back. About 10 days. Sales Rep. calls to go over the tax debt owed. About what we thought. Interesting enough, they charge 10 percent of what you owe. Discounted if you pay if full right away.

So I ask what they think they can do for us for this 10 percent. They can't tell you. They give you a sales script about having to begin negotiations and such. Wait... you guys do this all of the time. You can't give me an idea of what to expect or what you typically see? Our taxes are not rocket science or a bunch of offshore accts. We owned a small business with 941s. Is this your first time dealing with this huge financial empire?

Notice none of the reviews tell you what they can save you. Any kind of typical resolution. They send correspondence to the IRS. They forward your info to them and get a response that they forward to you. I ask the salesman if there is anything they can accomplish that I cant do on my own? His response, no, if you have the time to deal with it.

So let me get this straight, I pay you 10 percent as a service fee in order to be a relay system between the IRS and myself?

Do not give these thieves your money. Suck it up and go talk to the IRS agent. They are people just like you and I. Just doing their job.
Totally sucks but just go see them.
Review Left On 09/28/2019
Lon Dog

Based on the reviews it sounds like a scam .Glad I did my research first.
Review Left On 09/28/2019
David Joseph

Just called. Heard rush Limbaugh selling their service. I called I asked how much to start the process. Ryan was his name. Depends on how much you owe. Think about that for a minute Big scam. Was told DC not to call back cause I asked questions
Review Left On 09/28/2019
Robert Phillips

This company is a total scam. They have a great SALES TEAM not tax pros. Hence you paid a lot of money and get no true professional help. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. Use a local company that you can meet at their office and get the same accountant each time.

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