Lousy service from accountant, where to complain?

[wurzel]

Anyone know where I can complain about an atrocious accountancy service?

I've been paying #145 per month and not getting my moneys worth. My emails go unanswered and
my 2007 - 2008 accounts have still not been done. He's a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, don't know if they
have some kind of regulatory body. The thing is, I don't particularly
want to have to change accountants because the monthly installments I have
made this year will have been wasted, i.e. I will have to pay another accountant for my 2008 - 2009 figures when I've already paid my existing guy a big wad for which I will see no return.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

[pmeswani]

Anyone know where I can complain about an atrocious accountancy service?

I've been paying #145 per month and not getting my moneys worth. My emails go unanswered and
my 2007 - 2008 accounts have still not been done. He's a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, don't know if they
have some kind of regulatory body. The thing is, I don't particularly
want to have to change accountants because the monthly installments I have
made this year will have been wasted, i.e. I will have to pay another accountant for my 2008 - 2009 figures when I've already paid my existing guy a big wad for which I will see no return.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

I think you have answered your own question. The Chartered Institute of Taxation would be the first point of call. The FSA may be an option, but I am not sure about this. Also, see if the accountant has been mentioned on this forum and the PCG forums.

[ratewhore]

And don't forget to name and shame, assuming everything you posted is factual. Can't have other contractors falling into the same trap can we?

[smcmahon]

Lousy Service

Yeah, name and shame should you be in a position to do so. Why should you work hard to protect your reputation and then suffer bad service from a supplier like this...?
I'm looking for an Accountant to look after my affairs this week after just moving in to freelancing, and need a good option. Was looking at Quay and SJD, but the monthly fee difference is major, any suggestions or helpful advice?
Steve

[FiveTimes]

The thing is, I don't particularly
want to have to change accountants because the monthly installments I have
made this year will have been wasted, i.e. I will have to pay another accountant for my 2008 - 2009 figures when I've already paid my existing guy a big wad for which I will see no return.

Any thoughts would be most welcome.

Of course you can leave and it should be possible to claw back some of the moneys you have already paid.
You are spreading the cost over the year (paying in advance), so if you leave them you should only pay for the services received.
I left an accountants and thought I had done my dough, but my new accountants told me to write a letter and I was duly refunded.

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

Is it not worth trying to reason with your current provider? Explain to them your concerns and ask if you can deal with someone else within the organisation. If that is not an option, get a new accountant and see if you can strike a deal that you won;t need to make any one-off fees when you join. Its a pretty competitive market and we're all looking for a decent slice of it so you could get some decent deals.

Also, if you're paying £145 per month just now and you can get a new accountant and pay £50 or so less than that then you might not be in too bad a position anyway.

[ratewhore]

Yeah, name and shame should you be in a position to do so. Why should you work hard to protect your reputation and then suffer bad service from a supplier like this...?
I'm looking for an Accountant to look after my affairs this week after just moving in to freelancing, and need a good option. Was looking at Quay and SJD, but the monthly fee difference is major, any suggestions or helpful advice?
Steve

My own experience of SJD was poor, but others say different. I can recommend Darren at Upton Accounting. He's around here sometimes...

[mkant]

I'd love to name and shame my ex-accountant, but as I'm probably the only one to have left in the last couple of months, I wouldn't like to see any nasty surprises arrive in the post (letter from HMRC etc) - they have some good lines of revenge.

What is so hard about replying to e-mails, when you're charging £90 p/m? Mine would only reply on the 2nd or 3rd prompting, not good enough.

Then there were the constant mistakes that I had to pick up and send back, the lack of interest or understanding of my present tax position. Shoddy.

I can't find them on this board though, so they must be quite small.

[wurzel]

I wouldn't like to see any nasty surprises arrive in the post (letter from HMRC etc) - they have some good lines of revenge.

Yes, that's what worries me - on digging a bit deeper I've discovered that mine was an HMRC tax inspector in a previous incarnation

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

I don't think any accountant would do this. I certainly wouldn't. We're bound by an ethical code and I was brought up (my dad was an accountant as well) to think of HMRC as the enemy and not to be helped under any circumstances.