FTC Files Complaint Against H&R Block for Deceptive Marketing, Data Deletion
By Ben Glickman
The Federal Trade Commission filed an administrative complaint against tax-preparation service H&R Block, alleging the company used deceptive marketing and unfairly deleted consumers' tax data.
The FTC's complaint specifically alleges that H&R Block customers had to contact the company by chat or phone in order to downgrade to a less expensive tax-filing product, making the downgrade more time consuming. According to the FTC, consumers can upgrade their product without contacting the company's customer service.
The FTC alleges the company would delete all tax data customers had entered before they requested the downgrade, requiring them to start from the scratch. The FTC said data transfers seamlessly when consumers upgrade to more expensive products.
The FTC complaint also alleges H&R Block marketed its services as free in advertisements and online promotions, when in fact many consumers were not eligible to use free products.
The company's free offer only applies to "simple returns," which the FTC said wasn't explained in advertisements and has had a shifting definition in recent years.
Write to Ben Glickman at ben.glickman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 23, 2024 16:12 ET (21:12 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.-
What’s the Difference Between the CPI and PCE Indexes?
-
Micron Earnings: Great Guidance but Stock Now Looks Fairly Valued
-
August PCE Report Forecasts Show More Good News on Inflation
-
AI Stocks May Be Down, but Don’t Count Them Out
-
4 Stocks to Buy as the Fed Cuts Interest Rates
-
Markets Brief: The Uncertain Path to Neutral Interest Rates
-
What’s Happening in the Markets This Week
-
Where Top Stock Fund Managers Are Looking Next After the Fed Rate Cut
-
Our Top Pick for Investing in US Renewable Energy
-
How to Measure a Stock’s Uncertainty
-
How to Determine Whether a Stock Is Cheap, Expensive, or Fairly Valued
-
Why a Company’s Management and Capital Allocation Matter
-
How to Determine What a Stock Is Worth
-
How to Measure a Company’s Competitive Advantage
-
How to Think Like a Stock Analyst
-
How GLP-1 Drugs Like Ozempic Are Boosting Biopharma Stocks