SJD Contact number

[Fred Bloggs]

Looks to me like they quietly went out of business so they can keep collecting their fees. Nobody answers my emails and they failed to file approved VAT paperwork for Q3.

It's possible. Nobody here can say they haven't been warned often enough.

[Katalyst]

It's possible. Nobody here can say they haven't been warned often enough.

I dunno - it definitely caught me by surprise

[Fred Bloggs]

I dunno - it definitely caught me by surprise

Forgive me for saying so, but you and others numbering maybe less than the fingers of one hand should be surprised if the firm ceases trading. The appalling lack of any half reasonable service level reported here from these companies for several years now should have rung alarm bells very loudly for you to get out.

[northernladuk]

I dunno - it definitely caught me by surprise

It shouldn't have done. The signs will have been there.

[Alchemy Accountancy]

FTFY.

I had three new "accountants"* foisted on me in the last three months I was with them, all equally useless, which was a large part of why I left them. I would walk away now before they really cock something up.



* You don't have to be professionally qualified to be called or work as an accountant. As long as someone in the company has an ACCA, then that's all they need.

Sadly, it is worse than this - the term 'accountant' is not protected in the same way as other professions (solicitors etc.). Anybody can call themselves an accountant if they so wish, irrespective of whether they or anybody in the company has ACCA (or other professional qualification) - there is no requirement for anybody in an accountancy business to be qualified at all..

[Fred Bloggs]

Sadly, it is worse than this - the term 'accountant' is not protected in the same way as other professions (solicitors etc.). Anybody can call themselves an accountant if they so wish, irrespective of whether they or anybody in the company has ACCA (or other professional qualification) - there is no requirement for anybody in an accountancy business to be qualified at all..

The UK is notoriously bad at this kind of thing. Anyone can call themselves an engineer, and they do.

The professional titles are protected in law. Chartered Engineer, Chartered Accountant, Chartered Surveyor etc.... Those titles are protected. But the word "engineer" or "accountant" on it's own is completely unprotected. Problem is, there is no understanding of that with Joe Public. Joe Public doesn't care as long as he has an "engineer" call round to fix his cooker when it breaks. Same with accountants. Very sad all round really.

[Lance]

The UK is notoriously bad at this kind of thing. Anyone can call themselves an engineer, and they do.

The professional titles are protected in law. Chartered Engineer, Chartered Accountant, Chartered Surveyor etc.... Those titles are protected. But the word "engineer" or "accountant" on it's own is completely unprotected. Problem is, there is no understanding of that with Joe Public. Joe Public doesn't care as long as he has an "engineer" call round to fix his cooker when it breaks. Same with accountants. Very sad all round really.

Nurse is a protected title. Chiropractor is. Doctor isn't...

Go figure....

[d000hg]

All the accountants who were recommended when I got into contracting are now the ones people leave. Seems a fairly common process:
- small lean company (a handful of accountants) launches with cheap prices
- company gets loads of new business
- company has to hire more staff - assistants, etc
- company gets too large and lethargic, prices go up.
- customers leave, accountants leave to set up a new small lean company...

I'm with my 3rd company with the person who was my contact at my first. Still good but I'm already starting to see the same signs - emails from people I've never heard of, little to no contact with the main person any more.
Doubtless in a year or two I'll be shopping around again.

[d000hg]

Indeed. During a sales pitch many years ago SJD once told me that they have X number of people studying some sort of path towards accountancy. I asked if they would allow drivers on the road with minimal supervision just because they're learning to drive.

That is how most of us learn to drive, going out on the road with our dad who is not a qualified instructor... there's absolutely nothing wrong that your day-to-day boring stuff is handled by a junior person as long as someone qualified is checking and available. This is how the big firms do it, you are charged out to clients long before you pass all your exams. It's the checks and balances that seems to be the issue not the model, they have too few proper experts managing too many 'apprentices'.

[eek]

All the accountants who were recommended when I got into contracting are now the ones people leave. Seems a fairly common process:
- small lean company (a handful of accountants) launches with cheap prices
- company gets loads of new business
- company has to hire more staff - assistants, etc
- company gets too large and lethargic, prices go up.
- customers leave, accountants leave to set up a new small lean company...

I'm with my 3rd company with the person who was my contact at my first. Still good but I'm already starting to see the same signs - emails from people I've never heard of, little to no contact with the main person any more.
Doubtless in a year or two I'll be shopping around again.

Nope the story is

- small lean company (a handful of accountants) launches with cheap prices
- company gets loads of new business
- company has to hire more staff - assistants, etc
- company gets large and someone makes an offer the original owner would be mad to turn down
- new owner tries to cover purchase price but reducing costs.
- customers leave, accountants leave to set up a new small lean company...