SJD Accountancy ongoing resource crisis - advice needed

[doddleboddle]

Hello

I'm in quite a difficult situation at present. My accountants (SJD) presently are not answering the phone or responding to emails, and my company accounts are due in just weeks time. I'm worried I may miss the deadline.

From looking at their twitter many others are in the same boat. Their social media guy is making re-assuring noises however this isn't translating into response from actual accountants.

So I probably need to switch providers at the 11th hour, or perhaps try and do the accounts myself. With so little time I am really unsure what to do, or who to turn to!

Any advice?

Cheers

[Fred Bloggs]

Oh dear.......

[northernladuk]

I'd say a few weeks is far too late to be swapping over. They really aren't answering calls at all? Didn't they used to have an SLA in the contract with SJD or am I thinking of someone else? Can you check your contract and see what it said about response rates and start waving that about. They are contractually tied to that so you've got a bit of a stick but still no good if no one is listening.

If I was in your shoes I'd just ring and mail more. If you've got twitter then just tweet more often with the urgency of your situation. I hear what you are saying about not being able to get hold of them but i'm finding it difficult to believe they'd blatantly ignore you with a deadline approaching. They will have to pay any fines for being late as they didn't respond so it's not actually going to cost you but being late isn't good.

Gorilla has a load of staff from SJD so they know how they work and Maslins (i believe) is well versed with saving SJD customers and Paper Rocket is ex SJD so you could try ringing them and ask them for help but as SJD don't use Freeagent there is work for them to do and they are busy as well.

Double your efforts ringing/mailing/tweeting them. I know they are bad but surely they haven't sunk to a level where absolutely no one will speak to a customer? I'm ready to be educated on that one though.

[northernladuk]

And just to add for the 1000th+ time for anyone reading this who is still with them. If you are with SJD then pull your head out of your arse and leave now. We've been saying it for two or three years now and saying 'I seem to be OK at the moment' doesn't mean anything. You will end up like the OP and the many other people having problems.

Leave... NOW!

[Fred Bloggs]

And just to add for the 1000th+ time for anyone reading this who is still with them. If you are with SJD then pull your head out of your arse and leave now. We've been saying it for two or three years now and saying 'I seem to be OK at the moment' doesn't mean anything. You will end up like the OP and the many other people having problems.

Leave... NOW!

^^^^ This. Amazing that this stuff is still happening. What does it actually take for people to start to look after their business properly? Being a rubbish accountancy business just doesn't seem to make some people sit up and take notice of what's going on.

[doddleboddle]

I have been ringing and mailing and tweeting for the past fortnight now and I'm not getting anywhere.

Not gotten through on the phone once. Tweeting a bit more luck. The social media guy responds like "we'll talk to our senior team and have your accountant email you"

But then you hear nothing. I have been a customer for 12 years and genuinely haven't had a problem with them until the past month or so. Something bad has happened over there.

[Fred Bloggs]

I have been ringing and mailing and tweeting for the past fortnight now and I'm not getting anywhere.

Not gotten through on the phone once. Tweeting a bit more luck. The social media guy responds like "we'll talk to our senior team and have your accountant email you"

But then you hear nothing. I have been a customer for 12 years and genuinely haven't had a problem with them until the past month or so. Something bad has happened over there.

We know. You can read about it all over the CUK forum. For a few years now.

[JHamp82]

I'd say a few weeks is far too late to be swapping over. They really aren't answering calls at all? Didn't they used to have an SLA in the contract with SJD or am I thinking of someone else? Can you check your contract and see what it said about response rates and start waving that about. They are contractually tied to that so you've got a bit of a stick but still no good if no one is listening.

If I was in your shoes I'd just ring and mail more. If you've got twitter then just tweet more often with the urgency of your situation. I hear what you are saying about not being able to get hold of them but i'm finding it difficult to believe they'd blatantly ignore you with a deadline approaching. They will have to pay any fines for being late as they didn't respond so it's not actually going to cost you but being late isn't good.

Gorilla has a load of staff from SJD so they know how they work and Maslins (i believe) is well versed with saving SJD customers and Paper Rocket is ex SJD so you could try ringing them and ask them for help but as SJD don't use Freeagent there is work for them to do and they are busy as well.

Double your efforts ringing/mailing/tweeting them. I know they are bad but surely they haven't sunk to a level where absolutely no one will speak to a customer? I'm ready to be educated on that one though.

Another vote for Gorilla. I've been with Gorilla for many years. Give them a ring and they may be able to help at the last minute!

[northernladuk]

But then you hear nothing. I have been a customer for 12 years and genuinely haven't had a problem with them until the past month or so. Something bad has happened over there.

And that is exactly what we hear from every OP that has had a problem with SJD in the last few years. It's all going good until it inevitably goes bad and when it does it's very bad which is why we keep saying leave now.

[Bluenose]

Hello

I'm in quite a difficult situation at present. My accountants (SJD) presently are not answering the phone or responding to emails, and my company accounts are due in just weeks time. I'm worried I may miss the deadline.

From looking at their twitter many others are in the same boat. Their social media guy is making re-assuring noises however this isn't translating into response from actual accountants.

So I probably need to switch providers at the 11th hour, or perhaps try and do the accounts myself. With so little time I am really unsure what to do, or who to turn to!

Any advice?

Cheers

You are not alone. email companies house with the situation.

My advice is to stick with them until all your filings are up to date then look to switch.

Theres a boat-load of long-term SJD customers in the same boat.

Whatever is happening over there is not good but you need to pick your moment.

Personally, I have been in contact with companies house since the cyber-attack landed but the law is the law and you need to file your accounts.