1 /5 Devan Columbus: I rarely write reviews, but my experience with Ascent Accounting & Tax has been deeply disappointing and I feel its important to share.
After my father passed away at the end of 2023, I hired Ascent to prepare his final tax return, as he had used their services in the past. Due to the complexities of his estate and delays in obtaining all necessary paperwork, I contacted their office and asked if they could file an extension on his return. I was assured over the phone that they would take care of it.
I submitted all the required documentation in June 2024, trusting the extension had been filed. However, when I finally received the paperwork back in October, I later discovered that no extension had ever been submitted, and as a result, I was hit with over $1,100 in IRS fines and fees.
When I reached out to their office about the issue, I never received an apology or any real acknowledgment of responsibility. They did attempt to file an abatement with the IRS, but this whole process has dragged on for over a year with no resolution. At this point, I will simply be paying the fees myself to put this behind me.
To make matters worse, I continue to receive a bill from Ascent for the return they mishandled. When I spoke to the owner to express why I felt I shouldn’t have to pay for a service that was so poorly executed, he offered to waive the charge—but not before making irrelevant and inappropriate comments about how difficult it had been to "deal with" my father in the past (apparently he did not turn in some documents on time etc.) I was stunned. Whatever their prior working relationship may have been, it has no bearing on how my case was handled after his death, and frankly, the comment felt unprofessional and disrespectful.
This entire experience has made an already difficult time exponentially harder. I expected a professional service to help guide me through a challenging tax situation, but instead, I was met with negligence, lack of communication, and a complete absence of accountability.
