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Bench is Charging People for Services They Already Paid For, Some Customers Say
In a shocking turn of events, multiple Bench customers have come forward claiming that the accounting startup is charging them for services they had already paid for under its previous ownership. This move has left many users feeling frustrated and betrayed.
According to reports, some Bench customers are being charged again for tax returns or bookkeeping services that were previously purchased before the company’s acquisition by Employer.com last year. The move comes as a surprise, given CEO Jesse Tinsley’s earlier pledge to honor past customer payments.
One customer, who wished to remain anonymous, told TechCrunch that they were informed by Bench representatives that “Bench 2.0” has no affiliation with prior obligations and that Employer.com couldn’t take on unpaid work. This contradicts Tinsley’s previous statement on LinkedIn and elsewhere, where he assured customers that their prepaid services would be honored.
Another customer, Qorum, has even taken the matter to court by filing a lawsuit against Bench. The legal action claims that CEO Jesse Tinsley made “negligent misrepresentations” when he promised to honor past customer payments.
The controversy comes as Benchmark’s new owners, Employer.com, plan to revamp the accounting startup and make it more scalable. It is unclear what led to this decision or if there were any internal discussions about charging customers again for services they had already paid for.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how Employer.com will address these allegations and ensure that its newly acquired customers are not further penalized.
