Ruth to the Rescue: Tax return, money mistake

Taxpayer calls Ruth to the Rescue

Very few people enjoy tax season, and if something goes wrong that time of year becomes even more frustrating.

Toria Turner has had her taxes done at National Tax Services in Detroit for a few years. She never had a problem until this past march.

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"Just confusion on how it could have happened, but I knew , I said this was just a mistake," said Toria Turner, as she remembered her felling when she realized something had gone wrong with her tax return.

The mistake was simple, but devastating. Turner's $7,000 dollar tax return had been routed into someone else's account.

Money mistake

"It was a key punch error on one of my tax preparers," explained Rita Dowlen, the owner of that branch of National Tax Services. She told Ruth to the Rescue she spend many hours, and made many phone calls trying to get Turner's money back.

"It was never told to her that she was not going to receive her refund," said Dowlen. "I just asked her to give me time while I researched the information."

In fact, Dowlen advanced Turner $2,000 as she tried to sort things out. Still, Turner says she grew increasingly frustrated as the weeks went by.

"I was getting nowhere with them, it was just, I felt helpless as the consumer," said Toria Turner.

It turns out Turner's deposit went into the Chase bank account of another client who used Dowlen's tax service.

"You know that money did not belong to you and the situation could have been rectified so much easier," Turner told Ruth to the Rescue.

Chase Bank said since the mistake wasn't on its end, it cannot simply hand the money back. There are some complicated rules that govern how banks can handle that type of situation. For Turner, none of her efforts or Dowlen's were getting her money back when she called Ruth to the Rescue.

Money Back!!

After Ruth to the Rescue got involved, Dowlen decided she should give turner her money back, while she tries to reclaim the stray deposit.

"Being a good business owner, you have to make sure that you take care of your client," said business owner Rita Dowlen. "My company is still an excellent tax place to do it, and we proved that."

Toria Turner was not convinced she would have received her money, without a little help. "I went to Ruth to the Rescue and you guys truly helped me. I believe that if it wasn't for you guys. I would not have my money."

Turner does admit she should have double-checked her account information before signing the return, something we should all think about. "You should look over your paperwork and make sure all your numbers are correct," she advised other tax payers.

As for Dowlen, she says she's forced to pursue legal action against the person who mistakenly received Turner's refund.


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