Complaints
This profile includes complaints for Avalara Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 126 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 67 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.
Initial Complaint
Date:06/29/2022
Type:Status:AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I paid $200 for my business license on 06/4/22 they said it would be done on 06/15/22 and on the 06/22/22 they sent me a seller permit which I didn't pay for.then said I was confused then tryed to make me pay them again for the business license I already paid for. I have a cleaning company so why would I need a seller permit.now they just giving me the run around and refusing to refund my money. terrible customer service they being super unprofessional hanging ** in my face keep transferring me from department to department nobody will call me back to resolve the issue.
Business Response
Date: 07/06/2022
****, thank you for bringing your experience to our attention again and giving us another opportunity to address it.
When speaking with you previously, we sought to resolve your concerns, and were disappointed that challenging communication has made that unsuccessful. As we tried to explain to you directly, the purchase you made was not for the correct service your business needed, and we understand why that is frustrating. Since you self-service purchased the incorrect product, we would have been happy to refund the incorrect purchase and assist you in securing the correct services.
Unfortunately, when you contacted our support team, you chose to use profanity and name-calling with three different representatives, all of whom ended their calls with you after repeatedly asking you to not use foul language with them. We value our teams emotional well-being, and therefore we instruct that our representatives do not tolerate aggressive behavior. The amount of profanity you have used in phone conversations and email made it impossible for our team to properly address your concerns.
In a good-faith effort to bring this matter to a resolution, we have issued you a refund for your purchase, which is above and beyond what is customary or required. You should have received an update regarding this.Initial Complaint
Date:06/08/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I paid $399 for Avalara to file multiple licenses for my new LLC. Not only did they not provide anything to me, they attempted to tell me that they're charging me $399 for them to send me a PDF that is free to complete with the *********************.They did not file anything on my behalf. Additionally, it took them nearly a month to send me what they're claiming I'm paying for. I want a full refund. Order #***-154446Business Response
Date: 06/13/2022
Hi *******, thank you for bringing your concern with your Business License purchase to our attention. We apologize for any confusion regarding the services we provide. With your completed form preparation order, we completed the necessary registrations for your business. We always attempt to complete an application online, but it is not always an option. The state advised us to complete the one paper form for your business, which our filer did fill out on your behalf. We then provided you with instructions on how to submit this form for processing. This was all a part of the $399 service we provide. We understand you were frustrated by this as you were already registered with the ********** of ******* for a Sales Tax account. Unfortunately, you did not notify our filing team of this prior to your purchase which is why the service was completed as so.
In a gesture of goodwill, we have issued you a refund for the service we provided, which is above and beyond what is customary or required. Our filing team has already contacted you regarding this update and you were notified on 6/10/22 that the refund had been processed. We wish you and your business the best in the future.Customer Answer
Date: 06/15/2022
Better Business Bureau:
Thank you for refunding as I requested.
Sincerely,
*****************************Initial Complaint
Date:05/17/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
I was given an email from Legal Zoom promoting Avalara to help find business licenses I needed and then help file for the ones that I did need. The total of this service costed $399.00 USD I was fine with paying that amount but then a month went by with no update from Avalara. So I contacted them and they had sorta lost my order in cyberspace, as near as I can tell my payment had not been received so they charged my card again and I waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, I had had enough of it and demanded a refund for this service that it didn't seem was going anywhere. They actually accepted my claim and sent an email promising a refund, but no refund has been received. I try calling their customer support, but they all seem to really not care about my issue and will not give me any number or contact to help resolve my issue. I try emailing the agent that approved my refund claim but no response. At this point the likelihood of me ever getting my $400 back is low. But I would love it if you the BBB could do what you can to wake up Avalara, if not refunded then at least shut down, this treatment should not be allowed. I have already reported this company to the **** My current case# is ******** and bank info: . 03/13/2022 ********************* Description: xx1479 CHK PURCH SIG BUSINESS LICENSE ********** NY ************** $399.00 TRACE# ******** I hope this helps.Thank youBusiness Response
Date: 05/24/2022
***, thank you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. We are sorry to read that you experienced frustrations with your Business License order. We reviewed your account with our team and we understand that your Business License order was completed on March 9, 2022.
We understand that timely communication is important. Regarding your order processing, our team sent an immediate confirmation email for the order you placed January 14, 2022 along with a few action items for you to complete that would allow us to finalize the Business License package. We did not receive the completed questionnaire from you until February 18 in response to our reminder email. Once we received the questionnaire, we immediately updated the order status to In Review on February 18, followed by In Process on February 22. The status was updated to Completed on March 9, at which point a notification email was sent to the email address on file confirming completion and next steps. We aim to provide our customers with timely updates and communication, and we apologize if these steps in this process were not clear.
After we received your BBB complaint, a member of our Customer Excellence Team reached out to you to provide an update of where this order currently stands. We understand from your response to them that you still wish to be refunded regarding this service. Although the work has already been completed in the timeframe that was promised, in a gesture of good will we are issuing you a refund, which is above and beyond what is customary or required. You should expect to be notified with updates on this soon. We wish you and your business the best in the future.Customer Answer
Date: 05/24/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*******************Initial Complaint
Date:05/17/2022
Type:Status:ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
- Resolved:
- The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
- Unresolved:
- The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
- Answered:
- The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
- Unanswered:
- The business failed to respond to the dispute.
- Unpursuable:
- BBB is unable to locate the business.
This particular complaint is in regards to the lack of communication/no fulfilment of product with Avalara. I purchased a business formation package in March of 2020. This included a business license in which I obtained shortly after. At that time, the Legal Zoom number was ********* and the Business license number was **********. Now in 2022, I attempted to verify my license number as if differs from my EIN to confirm if this was an annual or longer period of validity. Unsure of this, I purchased another business license package only and that order number was 572-843856. I have yet to receive confirmation on either inquiries. I previously had contact with *********************** and reached out to him. He informed me on 27 April that my concern was forwarded to customer service. I reached out to them on the 27th of April and again on the 16th of May. I still have no response. If a license was completed in 2020, Legal Zoom should have this documented. They do not. I need a status on the business license formation from 2020. If it is still valid, I am requesting a refund of $99 for the 18 Apr 2022 payment made in error.Business Response
Date: 05/24/2022
*********, thank you for taking the time to share your concern and raise it to our attention. We aim to offer our customers a reliable and easy-to-use solution, and were sorry for the frustrations you've experienced in purchasing your business license.
Since receiving your complaint, a member of our Customer Excellence Team, *******, reached out to help explain the partner purchasing issue and review the options you had to resolve. As explained, your business formation package was originally purchased through a partnership with LegalZoom in March 2020 (which is prior to Avalaras acquisition of assets from Business Licenses in November 2020) and did not include the issuing of the business license. Since the registration services were not provided through us, our team has suggested that you contact LegalZoom with these discrepancies. We hope you have felt supported as ******* has coached you through this conversation and has provided her direct contact information to be shared with the LegalZoom team.
Additionally, we do not want to charge you for any services you do not need. Regarding the duplicate order made with us on April 15, please complete the cancellation form via the link sent to you on May 19. Once the cancellation is finalized, you will be refunded for that order and our team can help you determine what services you truly need from there.
We sincerely apologize for the confusion this has caused, and our team remains committed to helping you find a solution that best supports you. Please continue to follow up with ******* directly with questions and updates.Customer Answer
Date: 05/24/2022
Better Business Bureau:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
*****************************
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