Changing accountants - current accountant whacked me £200 fee

[dcx]

Hi,

Changing accountants due to incompetence/too expensive. They are with-holding the transfer to another accountancy pending I pay a £200 transfer fee. I didn't sign anything agreeing to this but apparently it was in the Terms of engagement.

Is this normal? What is the going rate for a leaving an accountancy for another?

Thanks

[northernladuk]

Have you read your terms of engagement to see if it is in there?

If it is there and you are in dispute the page should help

http://www.contractoruk.com/limited_...ccountant.html

[Kenny@MyAccountantFriend]

I know of one firm that does this and it is because they are unregulated that they can charge a fee although most still wouldn't.

Also it is in their terms and conditions.

[northernladuk]

More advice on what to do in your case.

[BolshieBastard]

Hi,

Changing accountants due to incompetence/too expensive. They are with-holding the transfer to another accountancy pending I pay a £200 transfer fee. I didn't sign anything agreeing to this but apparently it was in the Terms of engagement.

Is this normal? What is the going rate for a leaving an accountancy for another?

Thanks

Well if it was in the T&C's (you did \ have checked?) then you did sign agreeing to it.

If its in the T&C's, it doesnt matter what anyone here says, its due.

[Craig at Nixon Williams]

We, like most contractor specific accountants, do not charge a fee to transfer to another accountant; however we charge a set monthly rate. If you use a local accountant that charges by the hour/phone call/email then they may bill you for the time spent in compiling records to transfer out – that’s up to them.

I can think of one particular contractor specific accountant that charges a transfer fee – they seem to pick up a lot of new business by paying large referrals to agencies but the subsequent service that they provide is often poor; as Kenny has suggested, the transfer fee is in their T&Cs. Whether they are regulated or not would not matter as no professional accountancy body would dictate the fees that can be charged to clients, nor would they get involved with a fee dispute.

[northernladuk]

We, like most contractor specific accountants, do not charge a fee to transfer to another accountant; however we charge a set monthly rate. If you use a local accountant that charges by the hour/phone call/email then they may bill you for the time spent in compiling records to transfer out – that’s up to them.

I can think of one particular contractor specific accountant that charges a transfer fee – they seem to pick up a lot of new business by paying large referrals to agencies but the subsequent service that they provide is often poor; as Kenny has suggested, the transfer fee is in their T&Cs. Whether they are regulated or not would not matter as no professional accountancy body would dictate the fees that can be charged to clients, nor would they get involved with a fee dispute.

It's not someone we recommend and sing the praises of? If not then it doesn't matter.

[Craig at Nixon Williams]

It's not someone we recommend and sing the praises of? If not then it doesn't matter.

I've done a quick search and they get slated on here quite a bit...they're not on your list of recommended accountants either, NLUK.

[tarbera]

Changing accountants - current accountant whacked me £200 fee

So your accountant whacked you off for £200

In surprised old timers fell for this one !!!

[dcx]

I can think of one particular contractor specific accountant that charges a transfer fee – they seem to pick up a lot of new business by paying large referrals to agencies but the subsequent service that they provide is often poor; as Kenny has suggested, the transfer fee is in their T&Cs.

Exactly how I came do be with them

thanks for the advice everyone