I feel a little guilty...Should I?

For years my mom has gone to the same tax guy.

He's a great guy

Owns his own practice

and this year, with all of the things we've had happen, we decided to go to him.

Everything was great at first. 

We had a wonderful appointment...

he was very knowledgable...

and then problems started...

We had a few things to still get him. The amount we paid toward personal property, etc. We went ahead and e-mailed the numbers to the address he asked us to almost a full month ago. I didn't hear anything, so I sent another email to ask if he had recieved the first. I just assumed everything was going well. Then on Friday Spencer called in...I had forgotten we needed to sign stuff, and since they hadn't contacted us..how was I know? They told him that we were on the list and they would get to it soon... and then it was this morning...and taxes, as everyone knows, are due today! Luckily, I was actually in town today and didn't head out this morning to a random city. Spencer woke-up feeling sick, so I called and told them to contact me on my phone number when they knew what time our paperwork would be ready, rather than call spencer's. By noon, I hadn't heard anything so I called again. Still nothing. A new lady told me they would call as soon as it was ready. At 2:00 I went in to talk to Spencer, and he had a missed call on his phone from them saying it was finally ready to go. We got ready and headed out. We just assumed we would pick it up and they would bill us. After all, noone had told us anything different, Right?

 

....Wrong....

 

We actually ended up owing money to state, even though we are getting back on federal. So, at this point it's 3pm, and we have to make it back home to get a check and mail it by 5! Then, it ends up we have to pay him at the time of pickup. We didn't know...we didn't have a check book and I didn't have a card to put it on that had an available balance on it... so I complained. My intention was simply to see if they would bill us, since we hadn't known we would need to pay right then. I told them I wasn't happy that there had been zero communication with us, no calls returned and that it wasn't ready until the VERY last second when they knew my job took me out of town regularly. What would have happened had I not been there to sign? 

To my shock he simply picked up the bill and ripped it in half, saying if we weren't happy then we shouldn't pay. He still filed everything for us and gave us all of our paperwork. I was flabbergasted...I didn't know what to say. It hadn't been my intention at all to not pay for the services. After all, it wasn't the services we didn't like...it was the communication once it had been completed. He ended up apologizing and not making us pay a dime. We said thank you, and walked away...but I can't get over this horrible feeling of guilt! I know I shouldn't feel guilty. We didn't rip up the bill..he did...and the lack of communication really was awful. We did have to leave the office and race home to mail a check, ensuring we met the tax day deadlines... but I can't help it... I am riddled with guilt!!! Then again...maybe it's a mixture of that, and PMS.....

...I did send him a thank you, and a hope to work together in the future under better circumstances. He really is a great guy, and he really did do a wonderful job.... 

Am I right to feel guilty? Or am I justified in having complained?

I don't want to look like the lady who brings bugs to restaurants to put them in her food...

Have you ever felt guilty for something you couldn't control?

♥

Jenni