What a cheek.... - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

LizB · Veteran Member

What a cheek....

gbm · Guru

No questions asked = walking away time!

Did you get any details from her - name and address - to write to our friends at HMRC saying that you had declined to act for her due to 'no questions asked'? No, I am joking, that would be extremely unprofessional. smile

I had one a couple of months ago, someone who wanted an accountants letter to confirm his actual earnings so he could get a mortgage. His actual earnings were not the same as those he declared to HMRC. I politely declined.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Think that you had a lucky escape there Liz!

Sounds as though she wanted a free one off assistance filling out the self assessment.

I would have money on it that if it had got to the stage where your mystery caller was paying for services getting payment would have been like extracting blood from a stone.

Might be worth giving your local paper a ring to warn them about the impending complaint. They will be on your side as you are the one paying them but wouldn't hurt for them to be prepared to defend your ad.

Just imagine holding their head under the water until the bubbles stop and you'll feel much better.

All the best,

Shaun.

LizB · Veteran Member

Yes did give the paper a ring. In fact we had a bit of a laugh about it as I happen to know the owner, as I do the books for his wifes business! He therefore knew my standard of work, and nows that I don't trick people. Unfortunately she witheld her phone number, so I couldn't do any research into who she was. Must be local to me though, as the paper has about a 15 square mile distribution area.
Better put a camera up at the front of the house, in case she decides to come a key my car!!!

Stardoe · Guru

Or puts your cat in a wheelie bin!

Honestly some people have a right attitude. Usually they get aggressive or defensive because they know they are doing something not strictly legal. So you were better off out of this one definitely. She obviously thought that as you said "first consultation free" that you would do the first lot of work for free. Perhaps you should change your wording slightly...but you shouldn't have to really.

Well done for keeping your cool though!

Pauline

RSBookkeeping · Veteran Member

Sounds like you had a lucky escape there. I wouldnt have fancied trying to get payment from her

YLB-HO · Guru

That reminds me of the ex-client who rang me up asking me to complete 2 late SA returns...... When I asked for payment up front, he said that he thought he had a credit of £100.00 on account. I have to admit I laughed, and asked him to wait while I located the e-mail I send him a couple of years earlier in an attempt to get him to do his SA return early, instead of late with bits missing.

I found the e-mail pretty quickly and read it to him as what it actually said was:

"if you get everything I need to complete your SA return before 31 July this year, I shall reduce my standard fee by £100.00" Needless to say he didn't so I charged him the standard amount as it was actually over a month late in the end as well as a nightmare to do. For some reason he thought that I had overcharged him, and he had a credit of £100 on account.

I don't know what he did as I did not hear from him again.

HendyPhilhendy · Guru

Some people really do have an absolute cheek - and this scenario is much more common than you think. I have changed my initial consultation strategy to ensure that I don't give too much away. I found that people were taking my advice and going it alone. I don't mind helping people and putting some stepping stones in place but there really needs to be a line drawn between consultation and advice.

You are quite right that your meeting should be to ascertain information in order to complete the tax return. Perhaps next time mention engagement letters etc. need to be in place before a job can be started.

Donna CBK · Senior Member

I'll breath a sigh of relief for you Liz and thank goodness you haven't got to work with her. I know its a horrible experience and wish it had never happened but if you are able put it down to experience, and take it on the chin, you'll be better off for it.

Better luck with the next customer - there are better.

Merlion ABS · Senior Member

ha ha classic!

makes you wonder how people like this are actually allowed to be put in a position to complete a SA Return at all let alone run a business.

Flex Accounting Services · Senior Member

Some people really do take the mickey !!

gbm · Guru

Had another one recently (starting to think I attract them!), new client came to us in November with new venture after several years in PAYE - only problem was she had a couple of shops about 3-4 years ago that just needed tidying up. Thought the last tax return submitted was the 2007 one, although not sure on details.

Anyway, just got round to bringing her stuff to us last week (I know, you can almost hear the alarm bells!), bin liner - not even a carrier bag! - with till receipts, invoices, etc.. There was an invoice for preparing VAT returns for q/e 28.2.07 by another local accounting firm - but no VAT records. The wages records didn't tally with the periods that she thinks she traded for! Gaps everywhere. So I sent her an email asking for explanations, suggesting a meeting and asking for a down payment of £500, as I could see this becoming highly risky. We then got an email saying that she'd never been asked for a down payment before, and that she'd been in contact with a previous accountant (whoh she didn't go to in the first place...???) who was happy to take it on!

A lucky escape!

Lumpy · Veteran Member

We have this sort of cheek happening all the time in our heating business. People don't have thier boilers serviced for years on end and then, when they break down, ring up and ask for a "service" hoping that a service will sort out breakdowns. An offered appointment three weeks hence soon sorts the wheat from the chaff. biggrin

Amanda · Expert

That was a very lucky escape Nick.

I had one about 3 years ago, she owned a coffee shop and phoned me in the school holidays, when I only work part-time due to child care, plus we were about to go on holiday in a weels time, anyway she was desparate for a bookkeeper! It then transpired that the previous Bookkeeper had disappeared and wouldn't return her calls, well that set the alarm bells ringing, then she said they were VAT reg but hadn't done a VAT return for almost a year, and then I asked what sort of time scale was she looking at and basically she needed the books done and at the accountants ready to be finalised within 3 weeks, 2 of which I was away on holiday!!!! I asked why she had to get them done so quickly when she had cleary not done anything about then for so long and she said she had a buyer for the business and need to sell urgently!!! Well I said I was sorry but couldn't help her as I was on holiday and couldn't possibley do it in that time scale and suggested a local accountant who I knew had a bookkeeper. Neve heard from her again!

lor · Guru

I've had a few mares!, gone to see people and they seem really odd and leave me thinking that all they wanted was a chat, I have learned from this and have clients mainly come to visit me and then I make an excuse that I have to be somewhere, so that my time isn't wasted....

lor · Guru

there are some strange cookies out there you have to be careful!. I also have my boyfriend around for safety now.