United Tax Relief Center Of Santa Ana Complaints

After retiring from the phone company in 2002, one of my first projects was to solve my problems with the IRS. I worked for ma Bell for thirty years and they were offering big incentives to retire early. I was 50 years old, handicapped at 5 with Polio, married and a 10 year old daughter. I figured I'd retire and be able to enjoy my family. In 1996 I had made the most money ever in my life by working incredible amounts of overtime. That and fooling around with my W-2 led to owing the IRS alot of money. Somehow I came across UTRC (United Tax Relief Center in Santa Ana) and Charles Kabbani. I believe I got a letter from them. At the time I think I was being theatened with levy action by the IRS. It seems at different stages of action by the IRS, list go out and you get tons of junk mail from the people in that industry. I made an appointment with Mr. Kabbani and they agreed that they could save me pennies on the dollar by submitting what was called an OFFER IN COMPROMISE. The cost of them to do this for me would initially be $2500.00. The first meeting with Mr. Charles Kabbani came across that he was a very personable, friendly and caring individual. After he left I felt very good, thinking this person was really going to help me. It seem to take awhile to get all the paperwork together for the offer. Then weeks, months would go by. The IRS would request more information and additional paperwork. In the early stages with the IRS and UTRC I must admit that I would procrastinate and fail to answer the IRS in the proper amount of time. The following year, April 2003, in order to keep all the eggs in one basket, I had UTRC do my 2002 taxes. They charged me $500.00, which was the first time in all my life that I had paid over $100.00 do have my taxes done. The letters would go back and forth, IRS would ask for additional information, I would procrastinate and let time go by. T his epic went on and on. Again in 2004 UTRC did my taxes again. Both years they did my taxes, I got letters from the IRS that I owed additional money. I'd call Charles Kabbani or his partner Sergio Sandoval and they would tell me they would take care and send the additional form that was missing to correct the problem. Now I have a flood of IRS LETTERS coming on three different fronts. The offer in compromise, and so called additional taxes owed for 2003 and 2004. By this time I realize that I can't let this go any longer. Early 2005 I agreed to pay UTRC another $1150.00 to submit another offer. Towards the end of the year I get a letter from IRS that the offer was denied. So I called UTRC and talked with Sergio. I asked him that I was in the impression that when they're negotiating an offer and one amount is denied then you counter with another offer. So we offered $3000.00, they say no , and we come back with another figure. We don't have to submit the official OFFER IN COMPROMISE each time. A filing fee of $150.00 must be submitted with each filing. A couple weeks pass and I get a call from Sergio telling me that the IRS had accepted an offer for $6000.00 and they had paid it when IRS accepted. He said I had to pay them right away, since they had used there funds to payoff IRS before they change their minds. I was so happy with the thought that this nightmare would be over, I fedex a check the next day. It was cashed January 19th, 2006. Not only did I pay them the $6000.00 but I also took additional funds out of my pension fund to pay off some bills and maybe celebrate a little with a family vacation. All this was shattered a month or so latter when another letter came from the IRS asking me why I haven't corresponded with them. I immediately called them and found out nothing was noted about any settlement. I was extremely upset when I called UTRC and told Sergio what the IRS had said. He advised me to not worry he would call them and find out what happened. He called back to tell me the IRS said the check was lost and UTRC was submitting the offer again, the IRS agreed that they would accept it again and UTRC would pay the settlement out of there funds since they already had my money. Another month went by when I received the offer back in my return mail. By this time I called the IRS back and they said that nothing was indicated about any arraignment and also that UTRC did not have any negotiating power with the IRS. This time I confronted Sergio and said I just wanted my $6000.00 back. He laughed and told me if I tried to get my money back he would itemize and se t up so many charges there would be nothing left. When I started this process I owed the IRS over $20,000.00. Now with penalties and fines and the additional back taxes, I owe over $60,000.00 to the IRS. Not to mention how much $6000.00 would have earned in my pension account . I have been able to get in a payment plan with the Internal Revenue Service. Now I'm trying to get the two years that UTRC did my taxes straightened out. That should correct and remove another $12,000.00 to $15,000.00. In the beginning I do admit that i failed on my end, but at the end of my experience with UTRC they totally took advantage of my hope and faith in them. I really thought of them as friends. They kept saying how they wanted to help me buy a house or start a business so I didn't have to pay so much on taxes. Now I look back and realize they never gave me any type of paperwork or agreements to anything they did for me. As long as the checkbook was out, they'll promise you anything. Word of suggestion, always get a written contract.


About the Author

The author James T. Grant is a retiree of a major telecommunication company. After many attemps to negotiate with United Tax Relief Center Of Santa Ana it seems like they may have done wrong to others. Please add to his blog at -unitedtaxreliefcentersantaanacomplaints.info