Do You “Have People”?
I don’t normally take pot shots at former employers, but this this time I have to comment on a possibly misleading advertising campaign. The company that uses a big green block as their logo (no not the one that rotates the colored block)
This is a company that really can’t seem decide what it wants to be portrayed and tries “rebranding” itself over and over. The company? H&R Block. They used to be “The Income Tax People”. Simple, to the point - and most importantly - understandable. This year their tagline is “You’ve got people.”
I’ll set it up for you. Commercial 1) Man standing in his driveway talking to the postman. He says that he finally got his W-2 in the mail so he can get his taxes done. He then asks the postman if he has his W-2 mailed to him or if he can just pick up his W-2 at the Post Office. The postman replies that he doesn’t need his W-2 because, “I’ve got people”1. Now, I’m an Enrolled Agent (hey just ’cause I don’t spend a ton of time doing taxes… ;)) and here’s where the commercial breaks down. First, the commercial isn’t completely clear - yeah they have the disclosure that you really receive an advance that they call Instant Money Advance (think payday loan) in the fine print, but people really don’t pay that much attention to the fine print at the bottom of commercials. Yes, you really do need your W-2 to file your income tax return, final paystubs aren’t adequate until mid to late Feburary. So an advance means multiple trips to your “people”.
Commercial 2) Man working on his taxes and his wife walks in saying they got an Audit Letter. She sarcastically says, “what do the people who did our return say? Oh that’s right, we used a box. What does the box say?” She holds the box up to her ear as if listening for something in the box. He asks what the box says. “Nothing, it’s just a box.” Implying that the audit assistance provided by H&R Block2 is more than what it really is and that other “people” don’t provide similar services.
- “You’ve got people”, or “I’ve got people”, sounds sleazy at best. Kinda like Tony Soprano, “I know a guy”, or “I got some people could take care a ‘dat ‘problem’ for you.”
- H&R Block “audit assistance” is limited to sending someone with you to tell the IRS how your return was prepared. Not neccessarily to speak on your behalf or defend you.
