FTC Files a Complaint Against H&R Block Over Issues Tied to Online Free File Option

The Federal Trade Commission last week sued the tax preparation company H&R Block for, in essence, allegedly making it more difficult for consumers to downgrade to a lower cost or free online filing package and for misleading many into believing they qualify for free filing when they don’t.

The consumer protection agency’s complaint alleges that H&R Block makes it unnecessarily time consuming and frustrating for consumers to downgrade to a lower cost tax-preparation option online after initially selecting a higher cost one.

Consumers must first contact customer service and then, if they make the switch to a lower-cost or free-filing package, they must re-enter all the tax data they had put in initially, according to the FTC. By contrast, the agency said, the experience is hassle-free when consumers upgrade to a more expensive option.

Read the source article at CNN Business