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Catherine - I did offer him his papers & he asked me to send him an e-mail explaining what I need. We'll see. For some reason this is still eating at me today (happened yesterday). He was one of my first clients that followed me after I helped him at HRB. And he's sent me some good referrals. But I am just having a hard time letting go of his telling me the rules. He already knows my hourly rate. So I guess I just have to add more hours. After all, how does he know how many hours it takes me? And to quote you from several prior posts "Grrrr."

Dear Client, Thank you so much for explaining to me which rules I must follow and which I do not. I'm sorry I asked you for signed written permission to discuss your late mother's REMICs with her broker. Now that you made me "listen to [you]" while you explained that I was just making things complicated & I don't need to have the signed permission because you already told the broker I might call with questions." Your response of "who's going to know?" when I explained it was an IRS rule really opened my eyes. I've been doing this all wrong. Now I know I don't have to follow rules if no one will know the difference. Thanks for understanding that it is my policy to make sure I prepare all returns in the most complicated way possible. I love making my clients jump through lots of unnecessary hoops - especially in late March. And I am truly sorry that I haven't finished your return in the week since our appointment. I know you didn't get the last of the broker statements (the one with the OIDs) until Saturday. I'm sorry I didn't already know all the proper procedures for handling these types of investments for a decedent return. I know you were hoping that the return would already be complete because you "have other things to do." So, if you don't like the way I follow complicated rules - when no one would know otherwise, you are more than welcome to pick up your papers and go elsewhere. I'm sure it won't be hard to find someone more knowledgeable than me. But I do wish you good luck finding someone who has more time than me - someone who can complete the returns in a day - in LATE MARCH! OK, now off to the store to steal a candy bar while no one is looking. No problem if no one knows. Oh, the possibilites! Sincerely,.... PS I really appreciate your making me listen to you while you tell me how to do my job. I'm so glad you know more about the IRS rules than I do!

i once gave a complainer his copy of the return with every worksheet available as backup, i hit print all

Wow, Kathryn -- sounds like a REAL winner of a client! -Please- tell us you handed the bozo his stack of papers as you showed him the door. Or at least doubled/tripled his bill...