What are the accountants duties

[Buckstewerbuck]

I have a friend who was contracting through a accountany firm with will remian anon for now (call it tulipe) recently.

His turnover was about 70k an dhe ended paying about £3500k in fees to them (they work on a 5% of invoice basis)

I advise him to change accountants, as they were plainly ripping him off. He left them on his year end Oct 04, and started with another accountant.

Now (tulipe) refuses to complete his year end accounts as they say they had many problems getting him to send information and unanswered calls. They say they tried to meet there secreatrial duites to the fullest.

His new accountant will obviously charge to complete his new accounts.

Does (tulipe) have a duty to complete the year end accounts, seeing as he has paid £3.5k in fees upto the year end??

any help welcome from my mate!!

[Buckstewerbuck]

sorry for the bad grammer and spelling!!

[fiddleabout]

He should enlist the assistance of his new accountant who, if any good themselves, will tell him how to handle it.

When I moved I had a twitchy arse about the old accountant completing the year end - as it happens they did so I've no personal experience of this. I binned them because I thoght their fee of just under £1k was too high for what they did.

P.S. If your gramma is really bad refer her to xoggoth - he specialises in old boilers.

[Darren at 1st Accountancy Serv Ltd]

Fees

If your mate has paid them for a service in full, then this obligation must be met.

As Fiddle says, the new accountant should be able to help in the process.

[Buckstewerbuck]

Re: Fees

he stopped using them at the end of August 2004, and his year end was oct 04.

looks like he doesnt have a case.>:

[Bradley]

Re:Fees

When you signed on with tulipe did you get a "letter of engagement"? This would have detailed all the services you would get for your money as well as your obligations e.g. prompt return of info etc.

[Robot]

Fees

“he stopped using them at the end of August 2004, and his year end was oct 04.”

Looks like no work (or very little work) was ever completed, your friend should become aggressive, and threaten to sue the arse off tulipe for a refund of fees or take it up with the accountants professional body.

At least we know tulipe isn't 'you know who'

[planetit]

Re: Fees

I had an equally tulipe accountant who refused to do the end of year accounts when I left. I checked the “letter of engagement” which detailed that they had to do precisely feck all for their money (and that’s exactly what they did). It was cleverly worded to get them out of any obligation to provide a service for they money.

[Buckstewerbuck]

Re: Fees

£3500 for opertaing a managed company (glorified payroll!!) and getting away with not doing the accounts.

easy money for some!

[testlad]

Re: Fees

I don't understand how anyone would agree to pay 5% of turnover in fees.
My accountant does his full years work (including year end accounts) and then sends me an invoice. If I didn't think it reasonable or if he hadn't done a good job, I wouldn't pay it. Simple as that.
I would not agree to any other arrangement. Would you pay for anything else before you had recieved the goods?