I have been expecting my stimulus check for over 3 months now. I received the letter in the mail from the IRS stating that it should be here within the next few weeks and I was really looking forward to it to help out with tuition and books for college for the upcoming summer term. That was back in April. It is now August and I still haven't seen my check.
About a week ago I started getting extremely concerned, taking into account that everyone I know has already received their money, so I called the IRS. On the automated voice recording, I came to find out that they had deposited the check into my account on May 9. There never was a check deposited into my account! I am an extremely busy person who goes to school full time, works as a draftsman at a surveying firm, and I have a small online business as well. This information took roughly 30 minutes to aquire which can shatter a days tasks and can cause an A to slip into a B.
Then, after some thought I connected the link that I filed my taxes through H&R Block six or eight months ago, so I called them up. First of all when you call H&R Block they have a specific recording for stimulus payments that says, "If you are calling about Economic Stimulus Payments press 1...", or 2 or one of the numbers they list and when you press it, H&R Block either transfer you to the IRS or says you will receive your check in the mail. Ok, at this point I have invested over an hour of time on this subject that shouldn't be occuring in the first place, and it's beginning to get ridiculus.
I finally went through the loops of H&R Blocks voice prompts and arrived to a customer service rep (1.5 hours of multiple calls and over 3 months of waiting). She had no idea and still tried to say that I should have received a check in the mail. After some convincing, she finally took my name and number and said someone from their corporate office would return my call (2 hrs.). Five days later, today actually, I received a call back from their corporate office. She said she did her own investigations on me, called the IRS with my social security #, and came to find out that I did indeed have a deposit on May 9 into an unknown bank account and gave me an 800 number to a bank to find out if they had my money.
I called the bank and they had no idea who I was, were extremely rude to me on the phone, and told me to call back the woman I had previously talken to (3 hrs. Of wasted time has now elapsed). Luckily I had caller ID because she never left her number.
I called her back and told her they don't know who I am and said they don't have any money that is mine. I get put on hold and she finds another number and says she is going to call their other bank. (3.5 hrs.) After being on hold for what seemed like forever on my cell phone during peak hours, she finally says she'll have to call me back. She then calls me back and says she thinks she has found the place that has my money and gives me another number to call (4 hrs.).
I call another bank and after a good 15 minutes on hold, and after wondering aimlessly through voice prompts, I get a real person. She is an extremely rude woman who is very educated in the language of ebonics (4.5 hrs). She informs me that she has my money, after relinquishing more information about myself than my own mother knows, and said the funds were in my emerald card account (An emerald card is a bank card that the IRS gives you when you file taxes through them. They charged me $40 when I transfered my funds from the card into my bank account after paying the fees of H&R Block doing my taxes.) and to use that card. I explained to her that I no longer have the card and do not wish to pay more fees to receive money that is rightfully mine. After some persuation, arguing, and getting around the ebonics language barrier, she finally confided to send me a check in two weeks and still wouldn't inform me if their were charges involved in this transaction (5.5 hrs. Of time wasted this week).
I have not received my check yet, due to the final outcome occuring a few hours ago, but I beleive compensation for the 5.5 hours of my time invested and interests occrued over a period passing 3 months should be delivered. I can only hope now that when I receive my check the full amount of payment will be there and that this company did not charge any fees to send my check in the mail.
I am not only writing this to vent my frustrations, but to also inform people of the alleged fraudulant activities I beleive H&R Block is commiting against the citizens of our great country. I truly beleive that if I hadn't wasted nearly 6 hours of my extremely valuable time in pursuit of this money, that I never would have received a dime from this company. I only wonder how many other people are in the same situation I am, that may not have the time to pursue their money, or are unaware who is in possession of money which is rightfully theirs.
Coinman
Jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.
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