Ma R.
1/5
For years, I utilized the tax services of a CPA named Dave from Cirrus Tax Consulting, who provided excellent service. However, as Dave aged, he sold or merged his business with another company, Lee, Mongelli, & Associates (LMA).
Previously, I communicated directly with Dave, but after the ownership change, LMA introduced a new process where clients had to communicate through a receptionist, Alexis (for me). This new system, which I can only describe as a "phone game," led to significant issues during my 2022 tax filing. I have K1s and other complex tax matters so I prefer to utilize professional services and I believe in supporting smaller businesses.
Under LMA's process, critical information was miscommunicated. Despite providing all necessary documents, significant mistakes were made. I expected to owe between $3,000 to $5,000 in taxes but was shocked to be told I owed nearly $10,000+. Despite my concerns, I was assured the return was correct, leading me to file and set up a payment plan with the IRS.
Weeks passed without any IRS communication. I set up an account on the IRS website and manually paid. After the expected processing period, I grew concerned and repeatedly reached out to LMA by phone and email, but received no response. Only once did Alexis respond, dismissively assuring me they knew how to file taxes.
In November, the IRS rejected my return, prompting LMA to finally assist. Daniel from LMA took over and reviewed my taxes internally. An amendment was filed, but my trust in their competence was already shaken. I was assured everything was double checked and verified.
For my 2023 taxes, my new CPA immediately identified issues with my 2022 return. Pre-tax money had been incorrectly filed as post-tax, among other errors. By this time, Daniel was no longer at LMA so Gary (Mongelli) was assigned to assist with the errors they made. Despite multiple attempts to get LMA to correct these, promised deadlines were missed. It was only after filing a BBB complaint that LMA took action, eventually discovering I had overpaid by nearly $9,000 including interest and penalties for the months of inaction from LMA.
Gary's conduct was unprofessional. He repeatedly framed his corrective actions as favors, despite these being his responsibility. His insistence that I remove my negative BBB review in exchange for assistance was inappropriate and coercive.
My overall experience with LMA was highly disappointing. The new management's communication system was flawed, their service was riddled with errors, and their professionalism was severely lacking. I recommend potential clients seek other CPA services to avoid similar issues.
