We love sharing success stories from people we've helped; in this particular case it wasn't the easiest road to success…but we got there.
Mr. S, who used to own several bread delivery routes in Ohio and ran up a big tax bill, finally called us because he was dealing with an IRS issue that "was a beast." He had been so beaten down by the IRS over the years that he truly thought there “was no way out." He felt that his was a "hopeless" tax problem. He was very reluctant to give us a call — he had himself halfway convinced that we would laugh at him or try to "pitch" him on some slick sales routine.
During our initial teleconference, we let him know that we weren't there to judge him, and that he could trust us to fix his tax problem. So many of our clients tell us that their friends or family say things to them like "Well, why didn't you just pay your taxes?" We know it's not that simple. He enthusiastically hired us, telling me that he was tired of feeling like a failure. We were excited to help him get this issue behind him forever.
Old habits die hard — and we weren't getting anywhere
I'd like tell you that as soon as he hired us, we quickly solved his problem and his life was a field of sunflowers swaying in a warm breeze. It didn't quite work out that way.
For us to do our job — and this is something that we explained to Mr. S during our initial meeting — we just can't wave a magic wand. Rather, we need our clients to contribute to solving their own matter by getting us the documents that we request and staying in current compliance.
We kept asking Mr. S. for the same documents and proof of his 1040-ES vouchers, but Mr. S was beginning to procrastinate — even though he paid us our fee — and was going into a failure spiral. He refused to return our phone calls. He seemed to lack any motivation and desire to resolve this issue. Every transaction with him was like pulling teeth.
He was close to going back into "enforced collection" status if something didn't change quickly. I knew I needed to take action so I called, and called, and called until I reached him. I again told him that we weren't there to judge him. I told him we knew how lousy he felt. I just reassured him that we were on his side and that we help people like him all the time.
I wish I could remember what magic words I said to him, I really do. Because finally, somewhere in the call, he said, "Tim, I will make good on my word."
Weeks later, I joined Mr. S. in a teleconference with our resolution department. He sounded upbeat. He was very lively, in fact. He was reviewing documents and was sending signed checks for his estimated tax payments — something that he hadn't done in years. It was clear that he was feeling on top of things.
As I listened along with my two colleagues, we could hear him choking up on the speakerphone. "You know, I'm not going to bore you with what I've been through, but I want to let you know that I appreciate you guys sticking it out with a guy like me. I know I haven't been easy."
We got Mr. S’s Offer in Compromise accepted. For me, helping people is my greatest source of pride working at IRSMedic. If you need assistance with a tax issue, contact us. We can help.
Names and certain details have been changed to protect client confidentiality. Read reviews of Parent & Parent LLP here.
