Warning about 1st Online accountants

[Patrick@Intouch]

Devil's advocate for In Touch/Contratax/Dynamo:
- contractor wants to sign up with you month before year end.
- year end passes, they chase you to do year end accounts promptly, which you do.
- they leave, having maybe paid 2 months worth of fees.
Whilst I appreciate you may not love the situation, you're saying you'd accept that with good grace as just the way things go?

FWIW we'd typically have a halfway house, defo wouldn't charge full fees (as SeanT suggests we wouldn't have been paying for the FreeAgent account, or giving any advice during that time), but would want some additional one off charge where a client joins near the end of the year. No set rule on this, but circa 50% for the "missing months".

Our current offer is for no switcher fees so that is what that is.

We would always seek to assess the viability of a client in terms of how long they are likely to continue operating through a PSC for but, of course you cannot project for all possible outcomes.

If an individual took advantage of the no switcher fee offer and then left after, say two months then the question really would be whether we should have spotted that during the initial conversation.

If any such accounts were intended to be more of a "one off" piece of work then fees would absolutely be discussed as the no switcher fee offer is open to clients signing up to our core (monthly) package.

[SeanT]

I've responded in line with the opinions above, and suggested £29.98 for four months would be an appropriate top up charge.

Which they have agreed to. Yay! Thanks for your input

[pr1]

Which they have agreed to. Yay! Thanks for your input

If they accept your first counter offer you stayed too high, HTH for the future

[Rackers]

Which they have agreed to. Yay! Thanks for your input

SeanT,

I'm a first timer and I'm looking to use 1st Online.

Would you recommend them above some others on here and if so, why?

Many thanks

[radish2008]

SeanT,

I'm a first timer and I'm looking to use 1st Online.

Would you recommend them above some others on here and if so, why?

Many thanks

I can recommend Dynamo in Leeds.

[eek]

SeanT,

I'm a first timer and I'm looking to use 1st Online.

Would you recommend them above some others on here and if so, why?

Many thanks

They are very cheap and if you are really just starting off others may be a better bet...

[SeanT]

< 4 weeks until my first year accounts are due, no response to my last comms...

[Chart Accountancy]

< 4 weeks until my first year accounts are due, no response to my last comms...

This doesn't sound great, preparing and approving accounts in a rush when close to the deadline is always a risk for mistakes so should ideally be avoided, what is the reason for the delay considering you have 9 months deadline after year end?