Just a few random thoughts.
First, those people who advise you to talk directly to the IRS are absolutely right. The IRS is not nearly as frightening as it used to be, and will be more than happy to work with you if it can. The Taxpayer Advocate is always a good place to start. The IRS is more interested in getting at least some of its money, and in chasing the truly bad offenders, than it is in going after people who have legitmate problems and a desire to pay.
Second, no tax company can ever guarantee that an OIC will be accepted, or that it will settle your case for "pennies on the dollar." Very very few Offers are accepted, ever. Don't waste your time or money, and only do an Offer if the IRS has already indicated that it will consider one.in any case, it's easier and quicker to do it yourself. JKHarris has a really bad track record as far as actually showing up to talk to the agents or responding to IRS phone calls. Just like they're unlikely to respond to yours!
Finally, the main reason JKHarris has you fill out all that paperwork in the first meeting is to figure out how much it can charge you. And it will take whatever you've got. The "specialists" working on your case have, at most, a high school education, and the turn-over is incredible. They are overworked, underpaid, and both undersupervised and undereducated.
There are a lot of complaints, and getting in touch with the Attorney General in your state is always a good idea. So is writing to Consumer Affairs in South Carolina. Peter has some experience and some very good ideas about how to sue them in small claims, and how to actually collect when you win. He's right that they don't show up, unless you sue them in Charleston SC, and they do show up there. Attaching property is hard, because JKHarris (the company) rents everything and doesn't really have any property.
Unfortunately the people who work there and are really trying to help the customers don't last long before frustration and burn-out kills them. Most of their high-level officers worked up through the company and are idiots themselves, in charge of other idiots, and nothing ever gets done.
Don't ever sign a release or waiver. And go public as often as you can! Finally, going to accounting boards or the bar association doesn't help. John Harris surrendered his license as a CPA, and they don't report to anyone any longer.
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