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TOLEDO -- You know it's tax season when you hear the tax filing commercials on the radio and see the dancing mascots advertising their tax services.

But, experts at the Better Business Bureau of Northwest Ohio and Southwest Michigan warn if you plan to have your taxes prepared, you better know their fees up front.

"Many of these services, when they offer you instant refunds or instant tax loans, they may have a very high interest rates," explains Dick Eppstein of the Better Business Bureau. There are high interest rates and fees that some people don't understand until it's too late.

"Consumers would go there, take their W-2 or even their pay stub, and there was serious controversy from some people who said the tax preparer company went ahead and filed for them without then even knowing it," adds Eppstein.

The Better Business Bureau warns what these businesses offer are not scams. You just need to know what they do. "What you have to do is understand carefully when you go to any of these tax preparation services what exactly they're going to do for you. Make sure they can spell out in writing what the fees are and the expenses," says Eppstein.

Officials with the Better Business Bureau say you can contact them at (419)-578-6000 to find out if there have been any complaints on a business you thinking of going to.