It’s worth sharing stories I hear about dissatisfied clients of accountants as there are always lessons that can learned. Let me be clear this story refers to a friend of mine who has recently gone back to his old accountant.
Why did ‘Harold’ change accountants last year? He told me:
Believe it or not it really was just a belief that we needed to have an accountant that lived nearby. Our old accountant was good and I guess we also thought the grass might be greener at a big firm because they say all these impressive sounding things like they were going to assign two partners to our account and have quarterly updates which never happened.
So what did happen?
Harold wrote to the big firm as follows:
I am writing to let you know that we wish to return to our old accountants. We have not been satisfied with the service received by [Your Big Firm]. I appreciate you have always been responsive when we have had queries and you were helpful during our meeting last year. However, we (and I in particular) need more support and hand-holding than I have received from you. I’m sure you would like to have some specific examples:
- We thought we were going to have quarterly meetings to discuss the direction of the businesses
- We have never had a courtesy call or email from you in over a year, asking how things are or on specific matters
- The receptionist didn’t know who we were and couldn’t find our contact details when I phoned
- We missed the tax return date for one of my companies and we now owe a penalty (our old accountants used to remind us and keep on top of everything)
- When I called to discuss the VAT registration, you sent me an email even though I wanted to chat through it with someone
I know some of those things may seem trivial to you but they are important to us. We would feel more comfortable going back to our previous accountants who dealt with us for over five years. It’s a small firm and we get a more personal service from them.
I am sorry to have to send you this news in the first week of the new year. I have asked our old accountant to get in touch with you to request the files back.
The reply Harold received was short and sweet:
Your points are noted and I will pass the information to your accountant when I hear from him.Best wishes for the future.
Lessons? Was Harold’s experience typical of a larger firm? Were his expectations unrealistic? Had he been spoiled by his old accountant or was it that old level of service that created unrealistic expectations. I know what I think. What about you?
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It depends on a lot of factors – not all larger firms are bad (although it is probably fair to say that public perception of them is).
If Harold’s business wasn’t deemed ‘important’ by them – then it’s unsurprising how he was treated (mind you, all our customers are important to us – and no matter how we grow, that will never change).
That said, we use an independant accountant, who is superb – we did use a company before, who were awful (not a big company, mind you). It’s like everything in business – the best thing to do before you commit – is to get a recommendation.
And don’t fix what ain’t broke!
Great example of why its not always best to go with the biggest provider. As with most things in life people get seduced by ‘big brands’ when in actual fact you can buy the same product for cheaper elsewhere that does the same job or better. It stands to reason that if you are with a smaller firm yes all the staff are more likely to know you by name however this doesn’t excuse not having regular meetings, not returning and failing to meet tax deadlines. These are all standards you should expect from any business supplier you engage with, it is certainly something we like to think we give to all our clients.