1) I didn't need any in depth inspection.
2) I wish I would've came to your boss
3) I never mentioned full-service. I only wanted a CPA to file my taxes.
4) Are you nuts? If you brought your car in for an oil change, and the guy accidentally ruined your engine, would you say "The service was still done"??
As far as why I'm posting now, in May I spoke to the boss and my complaints fell on deaf ears. I'm not sure what took them so long, but they only called me last week to tell me my return is finally ready.
It boggles my mind that this is one of the more established Lakewood firms with a good reputation.
1) I would say discussion of an IRA is more in depth, but that's MHO.
2) If you're looking to pay $150 for your return, my boss is too expensive.
3) I'm not saying that you were looking for a full service, I was just saying you get what you pay for.
4) I don't think he ruined your return. He missed out on potential savings. If he had prepared the return assuming you made the contribution and you failed to make the contribution in time, that might be "ruining" your return, but this is not the same. It's not like he made an actual mistake on the return. I've seen that done, where someone puts a number in wrong, or sets something up incorrectly. Your return was filed, and presumably accepted by the IRS and NJ. There are tons of credits that not every accountant knows about or applies to every return. Missing out on an opportunity to save is not ruining your return. I understand that you hoped to take advantage of that credit, but the fact is that you paid him to prepare and file a tax return. If he prepared and filed an accurate tax return, he provided the service.
As for this being one of the "established Lakewood firms with a good reputation," I don't think what he did was clearly wrong or unprofessional, I think the situation is unfortunate, and mistakes happen to the best of us (and by us I don't mean accountants, I mean people in general). Obviously you don't feel comfortable going back to him, and you don't have to. I'm not saying that you should't tell this story because it might prevent someone else from making the same mistake. But just because you had a bad experience, doesn't mean that this is a bad firm or deserves a bad reputation.