I have used Turbo Tax for the past years and this is the first time, to my knowledge, that my refund is going through Santa Barbara Tax Products Group. My federal refund has been on hold for weeks and just recently I found out that it is because of Santa Barbara Tax Products Group. They process the refund when you have the Turbo Tax fee taken out of your refund. I received an email from them requesting my personal information. At first I thought it was fraudulent, but eventually submitted my information only after verifying their affiliation through Turbo Tax. I hope my refund gets sent soon
Turbo Tax should process my refund, not a third party. I am considering using another software program next time.
I agree, if a third party is involved in my federal income tax refund, i will definetly consider another means next year. The fee is an option, yet it does not state that if you (one) chooses this option for payment, that santa barbara will hold my return until payment from the irs is paid to them,
maybe i should just choose another method now.
Does any one have the customer service number for Santa Barbara Tax Products Group? I uploaded a copy of my ID and it still says that my funds are on hold.... Is this legal? How long does it take to be verified and for my funds to be released? I am very frustrated and angry that this is something that can be done by a "bank". I am going to look into filing a lawsuit as well.
Everyone who has been misled by TurboTax and Santa Barbara bank need to get together and file a lawsuit against them
TOTALLY AGREE - THIS IS CAUSING ME SEVERE HARDSHIP AND DURESS. Everyone who has been misled by TurboTax and Santa Barbara bank need to get together and file a lawsuit against them
I have used turbo tax for the last 4 years.. when u don't pay the fees upfront and get them taken out your refund they always..always go thru Santa Barbara and they release them to u on the date the irs says..now with these new laws to protect against scanners and fraud they maybe taking extra steps to ensure identity because I remember like 2 years ago ppl scammed ppl on using turbo tax so they maybe being extra careful this year ..
Don't do it!!! It's literally HELL trying to get in contact with anyone that knows anything about Santa Barbara group. I've been trying to verify my identity for 4 weeks and nothing yet. They have already received my refund but my verification doesn't get confirmed. Something as simple as sending a picture of my ID... I'VE DONE IT ABOUT SIX TIMES!!! I call Santa Barbara and the automated machine takes me to where I can't get help and then I get "goodbye" and click. There's a number to get a "live" person and an automated number, but guess what??? THEY ARE BOTH MACHINES AND BOTH WILL HANG UP ON YOU!!! I am definitely going to be using alternative ways of filing for my taxes. I had never had a problem with turbotax and I see why so many people are leaving.... Turbotax is not worth your time!!
You can always pay the fees upfront.. my friend did hers up front and then irs will deposit it directly into ur acct..
just spent 2 hours with turbotax superviser and guess what.. nobody knows nothing about nothing. They are trating sbtpg like its not their problem even though they contracted them to process their fees and they sent MY money there without any way of contacting them directly. According to turbotax support supervisor and "tier 2" support they have the same phone number we do and therefore have no way to contact sbtpg to find out whats going on. I insisted on having my fees refunded which they were happy to do but this still doesnt help me get my refund from sbtpg. As a matter of fact, the support person told me they have an explicit memo to refund fees to anyone having this issue which tells me they are completely unable to control the situation. Thanks turbotax!
Holding the payment as long as they can earns SBTPG a LOT of money in interest. Millions a dollars sitting in SBTPG's accounts for even one extra day is worth thousands in interest. The scam is made worse by asking us to sbmit personal info, only to ignore it so they can hold onto you cash longet. TurboTax is still saying that SBTPG is trustworthy.
I am in the same scenario as well.SBTPG request to submit personal info,then ignore uploaded info,as well as don't have live customer support but advise on their website they do.This is an unacceptable business practice when dealing with customer funds.
I am having the same problem. Sent my drivers license to SBTPG four times, because they said there was 'unusual activity,' can't ever speak to anyone there, because as long as they're stating the false 'unusual activity on your account' you get disconnected afterwards. I have called Turbotax numerous times as well. I've asked Turbotax if they can contact SBTPG, but apparently that is impossible. And the reps at Turbotax say they're totally unaware of any problem with SBTPG. You've got to be kidding me.
I'm beginning to wonder if this Santa Barbara Group even exists. Has anyone ever actually received their refund from this shifty place? Do we have to get an attorney to deal with this?
That what I would like to know as well.In addition was anyone ever advised funds are being returned to IRS???
Ok, I finally got my refund deposited into my bank today. I'm hoping this will help some of you. After sending my drivers license countless times to SBTPG, I finally told them I wasn't going to do it anymore, and that I was going to have my attorney deal with them from now on. The next day I got an email from SBTPG saying that my refund was no longer on hold, and the day after that they deposited my refund into my bank account. So I highly recommend telling them that you are bringing in an attorney. Hope this helps, and good luck to everyone.
@anniem17184 was SBTPG still requesting you to upload your ID or was just stating on hold .also did they ever state returning funds to IRS?
Yes, after I refused to send them my ID for a fifth time, they emailed me that since I refused, 'things were at a standstill' and they were going to send my refund back to the IRS. I emailed them that this needed to be done immediately and I needed to be notified when it was done, and that my attorney was now involved in the process. Later that day they emailed me that my account was no longer on hold, and that they were going to deposit my refund in my bank. So they never actually sent it back to the IRS. If you're still getting the message that your account is on hold, I'd suggest trying the same thing. This has got to be the most atrocious 'bank' ever, and it seems very odd to me that a reputable company like Turbotax is affiliated with them. Best of luck.
Same issue here. Bunch of rude unprofessional jerks at Santa Barbara. Does anyone actually get their refund??? I'm just wondering as I just uploaded my ID today. Thanks! And I've already filed complaints with BBB, Attorney General etc.
They're holding my refund as well. I called my bank, I called Turbo Tax and I called them twice. They were incredibly unhelpful. I have used Turbo Tax every year to file my taxes and I will NEVER use them again. I'm going to have to wait for them to send my refund back to the IRS in order to get it. I do not have a valid ID. I do not drive. I barely leave my home due to severe anxiety. I work from home and I'm due my money, but they won't release it. I am completely devastated.
This is insanity. IRS sends refunds for free. I was asked to send photos of IDs over the internet or email and it is plain crazy. Looks like a phishing scam. Have already advised two others to stay away from TT and I will never use again.
This is begging for a class action attorney. When a Cooperation like Turbo Tax refused to get involved in service follow through its an issue. I bet if they w/h Turbo Tax's fee they would be a little more helpful. Its shameful and disappointing. Looks like i'll try the HR block next year.
@dunkertom This experience with TT and SBTPG definitely sucked! I'll also be filing another way going forward! I still can't comprehend the legality of the way that they handled the refunds. This process was a hot mess!
Same problems with Tax Product Group. They are holding my money. They want me to scam my ID's to them.(Crazy) They never contacted me about my account being on hold.
The facts that they are requiring the Photo ID to be uploaded as a JPG (which is easily changed in Paint or other programs), is a Red Flag. I tried to send as a PDF that is more difficult to modify and the system will not upload it. I will be using someone else next year. They can insert their photo on the JPG and open any account with their new ID. This is a huge SCAM!!!