Hmmm. I am starting to second guess how I handled the rebate. I already filed taxes and then purchased my home March 30. So, I decided to file an ammendment so that I could get the rebate this year.
Well, I originally did my taxes using H&R Block's online software. I called H&R Block to see if it was possible to do the ammendment online. They said "no" and that I would have to go into a local office. So, I called the local office and told them I needed to do an ammendment and they set up my appointment. I went to the appointment thinking it would be real simple--I mean, they already have all my info since I did my original return with H&R Block, right? WRONG! No one in that office had any clue how to do an ammendment. The manager actually argued with me about whether or not I could even claim the rebate on my 2008 return since I purchased it in 2009.
Well, the rep stumbled and fumbled through their software and appeared to just start filling out random forms. They needed ALL my W-2 info all over again, my student loan interest, child care info, etc. which I was not prepared for since I already filled this all in on my original return. They had no way to access anything from my original return so they had to set up a computer for me with online access so I could log in to my online return and page through it and relay all the info to the rep to fill in.
By the time it was all done, I was about 5% sure that it was done right. They ended up re-doing EVERYTHING and then charged me $191, which was broken down as follows:
1040x - Amend Tax Return.....................................83.75
1040 Page 1 - Student Loan Interest Deduction.........6.75
1040 - Page 2 -Recovery Rebate Credit....................7.50
Child Care (With Empolyer-Paid Benefits)...............21.00
Interest and Dividends Interview and Determination.....8.00
Child Tax Credit Worksheet Preparation...................31.75
5405 - First-Time Homebuyer Credit........................12.00
Head of Household Determination of Filing Status.......9.25
Dependency Determination.....................................11.25
Now, keep in mind that I already filed my return and received the refund, so they should not have charged me again for anything other than the ammendment and first time homebuyer stuff. I protested the bill and they said I would have to call corporate cuz that is what their system was telling them I owed and there was nothing they could do about it. So, I called corporate, and they told me to call the District Manager. I called the District Manager repeatedly, but he never returned my calls and eventually his office shut down for the season. So, I called corporate again. They said someone would call within 24 hours, but no on did, so I called back. They said they meant 6 days. Well, 2 weeks went by and I finally just filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and I am still waiting on the results.
To add to it, they told me it would take 6-8 weeks to receive my refund (and that's if they actually did it right). It has now been 9 weeks, so i called the IRS and spent 45 minutes on hold to hear that ammendments actually take 12-18 weeks to process and that H&R was wrong to tell me 6-8. The IRS said they saw no sign of it in their system and once it did finally show up in the system, it would STILL take another 4 weeks MINIMUM before I would ever see the check in the mail.
In the meantime, I have been planning to trade in my current truck the day I got that rebate check since I have had a bad feeling about it. Sure enough, last week it broke down and required $1000 in repairs (it is only worth about $2750). If I would have gotten my rebate check sooner, I would have had that truck gone before that ever happened.
AAGGHHH!!
Sorry for the very long rant--I had to vent somewhere.
