Jackson Hewitt Tax Service responded to a claim it refused to refund an El Paso couple that said they were overcharged hundreds of dollars.

Jeffery and Shana McKnight filed their taxes at the Jackson Hewitt located inside a Walmart in Northeast El Paso on Jan. 26.

The McKnights told KFOX14 they paid for the service with a debit card. But when they later checked their bank tatement they said they saw that they were charged three times, adding up to more than $700, including overdraft fees.

They brought the mistake to the attention to an employee of the Jackson Hewitt on Friday. The McKinights said they were directed to the Jackson Hewitt off  Hondo Pass where they then spoke to manager, Ron Tollette. Tollette directed the couple to the district manager, Ruth Medina. Medina reviewed the paperwork and told the family they would be refunded the original service charge of $278 along with the overdraft fees, said the McKnights.

Jeffery contacted KFOX14 on Saturday when he did not receive the refund promised

According to Jeffery, Medina said she told him she was still talking to the bank.

The McKnights told KFOX14 that they received their refund Wednesday.

Jackson Hewitt told KFOX14 on Tuesday that the McKnights hadn't received their money as of Tuesday because of a bank error.

"Still working with our bank and their bank to make sure that our bank says yes the funds were reimbursed to a total of over $800 and there bank just hasn't seen the transfer yet," said Tollette.

The following is an update from Medina regarding what happened:

"Even though there was an administrative error, and the customer was only overcharged once, I immediately reimbursed him for his alleged 'two charges' since that is the only documentation I had at the time. I conducted my research that evening and since I could not get clarification from our bank, I went ahead and reimbursed him for the alleged two overcharges and reimbursed them for the tax preparation fees. The reimbursement documentation was in his possession when the original story ran. Conveniently, Mr. McKnight failed to mention that I had also made every effort within my possibilities to rectify the issue. The McKnights were even treated to dinner for their inconvenience and for allowing me to contact all the banks that evening which took about an hour. They were notified that same day, 01/26/2012, that the banks do have their policies on how soon they reflect refunds. On Friday, Saturday, and Monday, I reached out to the McKnights and to the bank to inquire about the status of their refund. They were fully aware that I had done everything within my power to correct the situation. "


KFOX14 spoke with the McKnights on Wednesday and found out that they were refunded the three charges of $278 but not the overdraft fees and are working with their bank to fix them.


Original story:
It's tax season and while some decide to file on their own, others turn to professional tax services. For one El Paso family choosing a tax service ends up costing them hundreds of dollars.

Jeffery and Shana McKnight filed their taxes at the Jackson Hewitt office inside the Wal-Mart off Transmountain Road.
From there they said it all went downhill.

It started with bad service. "In essence had to do it myself because I had to tell their certified tax preparer how to do the taxes," said Jeffery.

The McKnight's said they felt uncomfortable with the tax preparation and to make it worse they had problems paying for the service. Shana said they paid with a check but the machine wasn't working so they were forced to pay with a debit card instead.

"Since he swiped it so many times we thought let's make sure everything is OK," said Jeffery.

Their Wells Fargo bank statement showed they were charged three separate times adding up to more than $700. The added charges caused their account to over draft, charging an additional $80.

Jeffery said, "We didn't go to Jackson Hewitt and say, 'hey take our money, here go ahead! We went to a reputable company saying, 'we are trusting you with everything.'"

After seeing the mistake, the McKnights went back to the manager and were directed to Jackson Hewitt's district manager, Ruth Medina.

The McKnights said they showed her the bank statement and she apologized for the mistake and offered not only to refund the added charges but the whole amount.

"We trusted her, she gave us this paper and said this is and this is that. You'll have your money in the morning," said Jeffery.

But the McKnights said they never got the refund so they called Medina back who claimed she was working with the bank. They waited two days and still no refund. Now they said Medina is backtracking and refusing to refund their money at all.

Jeffery said, "She goes, 'Sir you're going to have to take this up with our corporate office,' I said, 'No Ruth who do I need to call?"

KFOX14 tried calling Medina several times but was told she was not in the office.

We went out to the main office off Montana Avenue too but she still wasn't in the office so we called the corporate office instead.

A representative said, "The corporate office couldn't do something about it."

The representative said Jackson Hewitt corporate does not oversee its office because it is a franchise.

The McKnights said they don't care about the full refund they just want what they were overcharged and want to ensure their taxes were done correct.

Shana said, "Hopefully after this they'll contact us and they'll give us back what we deserve"

KFOX14 also made calls to try to find out who owns the El Paso Jackson Hewitt offices but were directed to the district manager again who has not returned our phone calls.
The McKnights filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which said it has received similar complaints like this along with other every tax season. The BBB also said only two of Jackson Hewitt's offices are registered with the bureau.