Orlene Chartain CPA

Orlene had been doing our taxes for a couple of years now. The service was always welcoming and her approach is very comforting given the topic is not everyones favorite. Her ability to get the job done in a timely manner while taking the time to answer any /​all questions has proved to be a great experience every year.
At some point we were notified of a simple error on our statement that had occurred a couple years ago when we first filed with her. After working closely with her to map out the problem, she not only approached the IRS on our behalf but upon realizing that it was likely a small oversight on her part she kindly reimbursed us for the associated fee.
In dealing with a few CPA’s over the years, her continued effort to ensure we’re in good standing along with watching out for us from a customer service standpoint sets her apart.

I have used Orlene’s services twice: once to get assistance filing tax returns relating to a failed startup, and the second time to get advice regarding an international taxation question. I have found her to be very knowledgeable, very responsive, and very helpful. Highly recommended.

Getting my taxes done isnt something i EVER look forward to. But, Orlene is the best and makes this process for me as painless as possible. I have been driving down from SF for years now and really couldn’t be happier every time i see her. she has helped my husband and I without fail year after year with our taxes, thank you orlene!

I should have listed to the Unilocal reviews.
–She showed up late to the appointment and looked like she just woke up. I don’t expect a formal suit, but some minimal level of professional dress is expected.
–She did not know the tax rules on a couple of areas.
–She quoted one fee but charged a higher price at the end
all of the above could have been tolerated to some degree; But it’s not acceptable when she does not call back or return email at all and you have no clue what’s going on with your taxes.

I tried to contact her multiple times after she came out to my home office with no success.

Orlene reached out to me multiple times to try and remedy my husband’s bad experience with her. At the end of the day, I feel like she is an honest person who is doing her best, and I appreciate that she reached out to us. I have had to do business with enough people to know that many just really don’t care about their customer service and experience, and I appreciate it when business owners really do care enough to reach out.

Horrible. Scary!
February, I walked in with an organized suitcase full of my deceased mother’s tax information as well as my own. Explained to Orlene that I left my last Tax Adviser because he put me on an extentsion. I explained that I did not want an extension as I have always done my taxes on time. She said that would not happen and taxes would be done on time. Several phone calls (unanswered). She indicated she called me back (DID NOT!!!). At the last minute I called her and she acted like they have been done for months. NO CALL!!!
I went in the last day picked up taxes, paid Orlene and mailed tax information.
I then decided to call Orlene for a tax advice for the balance of the year. NO RETURN CALL. Several calls attempted by me. I was telling a friend and she said, «let me try». Orlene’s husband answered and I was able to speak with her. She said, send her an e-​mail and make an appointment. I did this and called again. No RETURN CALL. No explaination.
I hope her numbers are correct. To be rechecked. I am looking for a new long term CPA. Surprising, as I always want to support women in business.
RUN! Disappointed.

I met with Orlene back in January to get a head start on my 2013 taxes. I scheduled an appointment online and then met with her in person for about an hour. During the meeting we completed my taxes in person and all seemed to be set. This part of the process was smooth and I cut her a $ 225 check for the service. Up until here the process and service was great.
Literally the next day I got a document in the mail from my mortgage company that meant one line item on my taxes needed to be changed. I emailed Orlene and she got back to me that it was no problem and it would be done tomorrow so I could file.
After one week of not seeing the changes made I emailed her asking when it would be done. No response. Another week goes by and another email with no response. Fast forward to a month later with four emails and a phone call later and no response.
In the end I gave up trying to contact Orlene and ended up going elsewhere to file. Now I’m out $ 225 from her and had to double pay for my tax preparation.
I’m extremely disappointed with the follow up here and won’t be going back.

My only hesitation is writing about Orlene is that she will get too busy! I’d been working with an accounting firm in San Mateo who were charging me high fee for a relatively simple tax return… I used an accountant as I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t overlook anything important.
We moved south and I found Orlene and was delighted with her open and welcoming demeanor… she had my forms all done very quickly for much less money and I really enjoyed the experience. She complimented me or my organization and came up with some other deductions that no one had mentioned to me! I am a fan and loyal customer for life! It’s a real pleasure to work with her and I look forward to seeing her again soon! She is proof that being sharp doesn’t mean high prices, big attitude or lack of patience. I agree with all the great reviews others have given her.

I contacted Orlene last year for help with my personal taxes on the basis of her positive Unilocal reviews. When I scheduled my appointment with her over the phone I informed her of some unique circumstances of my domestic partnership and asked her how that would affect my tax status. When I met with her for our initial consultation, she ended up doing a GOOGLE SEARCH to try to find the answer to my questions. Strike one. We ended up filing my tax return through her but gave my partner’s credit card information to pay the amount we owed. She expressed concern that they may not accept that payment as our names are different, and told us she would contact us if it didn’t go through. She never called, so we called a month later to double check. She didn’t answer and did not return our call, so we had to call multiple times over a few week period to reach her. Strike two. When we finally did reach her, she was not able to tell us whether the card had been accepted as payment or not, and recommended that we wait until after tax day to figure out whether it had cleared. If we had followed her advice, I would have been penalized for filing my taxes late. Strike three. Bottom line: there are better, more organized, more educated, and more responsive tax professionals out there.

Orlene is fantastic. She’s patient and explained every step of the process to me.

I am usually not the person to speak bad of someone and I always try to be positive in everything I do but I kind of had a bad experience with Orlene and I will explain what happened. I found Orlene on Unilocal and based on her positive reviews decided to call her. Orlene answered the phone and she seemed like a very nice lady, very polite and took 10 minutes of her time talking to me which was great. I explained to her that I needed her help in filling out 3 Financial documents, one for the IRS and the other for Family Courts and I asked her how much it would cost, she replied that it would be $ 300 for everything. I agreed to the price and sent her the documents. I started noticing Orlene’s lack of communication, she was not replying to my nor my bookkeeper’s e-​mails and we’d call her 4 times and left her messages and she wouldn’t return our calls… I became frustrated and started looking for another CPA on Unilocal and found Sal Censoprano out of San Mateo, I e-​mailed Sal letting him know that I can’t get a hold of my CPA and that I want to give the work to him. He quoted me $ 250. After he accepts it a day later Orlene calls me back and as I’m trying to explain to her that I found another CPA because of her lack of communication she completely ignores the fact and continues talking to me as if I never said anything, I also shot her an e-​mail letting her know to cancel the service. So fine… I decide to call Sal an cancel with him because I figured the heck with it lets just have Orlene do the work and get this over with. This time she is prompt in communication. She tells me that everything would be ready by the end of the day and 2 days passed I get an EMAIL from her. The e-​mail says «I just want to let you know we are at $ 900 as of right now» I was really shocked! I couldn’t believe that someone can do this. This is unacceptable business practice, she quoted me $ 300 for everything and then sends me an e-​mail telling me that we’re not finished yet and we’re already at $ 900. Well listen to this… I just had Sal complete all 3 documents for me and he even wrote a letter to the IRS and Family law courts explaining my situation and when I asked him how do I get him paid guess what he told me. He says its on the house!!! YES he did it all for FREE. I hope you read this Orlene because you were trying to charge me almost $ 1000 for something another licensed CPA did for FREE. That was my experience. I would of given Orlene 4 stars if she stuck to the price and got the job done. She is very hard to get a hold of, she doesn’t return calls nor e-​mails promptly and she changes up prices without letting you know and only lets you know after the fact… It would be nice if she atleast called me and politely told me that it would be $ 900 and if I wanted to proceed or not?

I found Orlene through all the wonderful Unilocal reviews and I was not disappointed. I had a confusing tax situation involving a ROTH IRA conversion from 2010. I had used HR block online software, and somehow neglected to fill out a certain form. I had several exchanges with the IRS, before throwing my hands in the air in defeat and contacting Orlene.
What took me hours of worry and online research, took Orlene less than an hour to solve. She assured me that all I needed to do was file an amendment, fill out an additional form, and she composed a letter to the IRS on my behalf. I really appreciated her expertise, but also her compassion and calm demeanor in a stressful situation. She is extremely kind and generous with her time. I found her very capable and very prompt with all communication. I will certainly be using her again next year to file my tax return. I highly recommend her services!

As an attorney I have referred several clients to Orlene for tax preparation. My clients were thrilled with her service. She performs on time and her fees are very reasonable. In addition, she is has a calm personality which is reassuring to people dealing with taxes or the IRS. I highly recommend her.

I received a letter from the IRS, stating that I owed money that I did not owe. I found myself in a slight panic and Unilocaled «local CPA’s». Luckily for me, I found Orlene Chartan! She assured me my issue would be taken care of by filing an amendment. I just received the all clear from the IRS! If you find yourself needing an experienced and compassionate CPA you should do yourself a favor and contact Orlene.

I just want to add this since I have been a client for 6 months now that this is a very professional business that really takes care of the customer, she even delivered my payroll and bookeeping to my shop without my asking, I am a lifetime customer!

She was so nice and patient and even gave a free consultation! She also has competitive rates. I did not feel like I was being taken advantage of at all. Highly recommended!

Orlene is incredibly knowledgeable and professional. She is also the sort of genuine person who I really enjoy doing business with, and I have never had a more positive experience with a tax professional. I have recommended her to several of my friends and plan to continue to work with Orlene on both my personal and work taxes.

I highly recommend Orlene to all my fellow Unilocalees! She’s been in the accounting field all her life and knows her stuff. Competitive prices too :) If you’re lucky enough to find her here on Unilocal,you should look no further.
I actually found out about her through a friend (who found her through Unilocal of course heh)
H&R Block charges you based on «forms», so I had some RSU’s that I broke even on but just because of that an extra form was required costing $ 170 for very basic taxes but Orlene did my taxes for way lower than that! Great price!
She’s also very professional and organized which was reassuring.
NOTE: There are no ATMs nearby as it’s in a very residential area that’s a bit tricky to navigate. Once you get into Seaport Crt, you’ll see a blue building that says 400 go past that building a bit to the right and you’ll see the 491 bldg facing the dock. Suite 101 is right at the front.

For over 30 years, Orlene has been very helpful in a variety of very different situations for me and some of my clients. She has helped with my non profit, personal taxes and assist in evaluating best alternatives for investments for the long term net after tax benefit.