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Van Zandt Agency
Categories: Financial Services Insurance Financial Services Investing Professional Services Accountants Insurance, Investing, Accountants [Edit]
1314 Blondell AveBronx, NY 10461
(718) 931-9300
- Nearest Transit:
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Westchester Sq - E Tremont Av (6, 6X)
Middletown Rd (6, 6X)
Zerega Av (6, 6X)
About This Business:
Our Mission is to To establish and maintain a strong working relationship with each of our clients. Through proper planning and execution, we will help… read more »
4 reviews for Van Zandt Agency
4 reviews in English
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Review from Derek B.
4/9/2012
We had our taxes done here the past two years. Received excellent service both times. We were able to get an appointment within just a few days of calling with very flexible times. Once we showed up, there was barely any wait before they had us with an agent. The agents were very thorough with the preparation and couldn't possibly have missed anything. Both did have a little issue with our state returns, but I can't blame them, we are military, from 2 different states and living in NY...so it gets kinda complicated with how they all get filed. Anyway, they of course figured it all out and got everything done correctly. It was also very nice to see that they always have one of the head honchos come by and review everything before it gets submitted.
Prices are reasonable for tax prep...it's a flat rate so you know what you are getting charged no matter what your return amount. They also offer tons of referral deals, if that's your thing.
--side note...we didn't return this year because we heard a bunch of bad things about them from other sources about how they aren't helpful if you get audited, and that they accidentally leaked a bunch of people's information. So take that for what it is. I'm still giving them 3 stars because that's the quality of service that we received.
**April Underdog Challenge Day 9**Listed in: April Underdog Challenge!
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Review from Peter K.
4/6/2008
Van Zandt Agency does a lot of things.
* Income tax preparation/returns for individuals and businesses.
* Real estate - buying/selling - mortgages.
* Financial planning
After years of winging my taxes and obtaining unhappy returns, a friend informed me about this business. After I tried it, I've never went back. I've done my tax returns with VZ for two consecutive years and I am happy with their service. I have also completed a deed/title transfer through VZ.
It's $170 to file a long form and $70 for the short. VZ tacks on fees for special itemized forms, ie Supplemental Income, Depreciation/Amortization for real estate, etc. You can get a one time $30 referral for every new signup. And the top recruiter/referrer each year wins a vacation.
I come to this location because of convenience. Unfortunately parking sucks in the Westchester Square area. The next problem: Got Snickers? Although you schedule an appointment, you sign in at the front desk, but you still wait in a queue until your name is called. This is similar to sitting at a doctor's office. I never understood that. This is my biggest complaint. I could end up waiting an addition 30 minutes before I see someone. There goes my Saturday.
When your name is called, VZ assigns you a tax preparer. You walk though a zoo of cubicles and sit. The preparer uses Lacerte, asking you questions and filling out information. When he/she is done, a supervisor (most likely Bob Van Zandt, his son Robert or one of the partners) reviews the form. These guys are very sharp and run a tight ship. The entire process can take 2-3 hours, but when I am done, I let out a big sigh of relief. See you next year.
Yes you may be asking, "why not use TurboTax?" My tax situation isn't a simple one and hence I need my I's dotted and T's crossed.
The best part: VZ provides free consultation on anything (tax/accounting, buying a home, financial planning, etc) as long as you're a customer.
If you're in the area and rely on H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt, it may be a good idea to try Van Zandt. I believe there are offices in Brooklyn and White Plains also.
IFHTP 3+Listed in: Pedro Yelp Map
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Review from Jack A.
6/6/2010
I'd been going to Van Zandt to get my taxes done since 2002. When they were still small, I enjoyed their attentiveness to detail, the knowledgeable tax preparers and their reasonable rates.
As Van Zandt has grown, however, it's another story. While their larger location on Blondell Avenue in Westchester Square is a bit fancier and accommodates more clients, the experience has become less than exemplary or professional. First, I noticed that my tax preparation fees steadily increased year by year. I don't mind paying to get my taxes done professionally, however, I always felt nickel and dimed. Even though I owed on my taxes and sent a check for the full amount, and I told my preparer that this is what I would do, I was still charged for tax payment vouchers. When all was said and done, I paid $256 to get my 2008 taxes prepared by Van Zandt. Since I don't even own a home, I didn't think my taxes were especially complicated to warrant this exorbitant fee.
Aside from this gripe, the major reason I don't use Van Zandt anymore is because of their expansion, the pool of talented and competent tax preparers has been diluted. They've had to hire seasonal employees to handle the influx of clients that come between January and April. For each of the past two years, my preparers, although very nice and courteous, had held me for more than three hours, after which, I still needed to come back for one of the partners to redo my paperwork.
VZ also specializes in financial planning, real estate buying and selling as well as mortgage approval. If you must get your taxes done by VZ, by all means do so - they're not horribly incompetent or shady - but please stay away from any of the other services they provide.
As a pretty well read person on mutual fund investing, and having invested for over 15 years, I learned the hard way that there's no quick way to get consistent stellar returns; however if you listen to their upsell, they can guarantee you amazing returns all the time if you invest with them. It just smacks of snake oil. These people are in the business of making money for themselves first and financial planners are supposed to be in the business of building YOUR personal wealth. From all the nickel and diming, and from actually looking at some properties they were selling (at ridiculously overblown prices for Throgs Neck in this kind of economy), I just received an overall impression that they do not have your best interest in mind when it comes to real estate or investment matters.
For my 2009 taxes, I decided it was time for a change and now I go to a tax prep agency in New Rochelle, headed by a friendly, professional man with a small, friendly staff.
And I'm not looking back. -
Review from Robert D.
Manhattan, NY
2/24/2009
Once you are audited you will receive NO help
Been going to the Van Zandt Agency for our taxes for years. Until recently, Van Zandt was great...that is until I received a NY state audit for taxes they prepared. When I called they put me in touch with their "audit person" and she proceeded to tell me that while Van Zandt made a mistake there was nothing they could do. She didn't offer to call the state - instead she went on about stories regarding how she has fought the IRS. Feeling disappointed I asked for Bob (the president and owner). After two weeks of calls, countless messages, Bob never returned my call. This shocked me because Bob called me back when I was thinking about investing money with him. Hmm...He always told us that he would fight for us if we were ever audited. It appears that is merely a sales pitch. Service is measured on how a company responds when things go wrong. An audit is as bad as it gets for a tax firm ...I received no help, no guidance, not even a call back. I didn't expect them to solve everything, only to provide some level of service. I STRONGLY recommend you look elsewhere for tax help. I'm only thankful I didn't go for their "upsells" on mortgage, insurance, investments, and every other service provided by their empire.
