Not happy with Nixon Williams

[TheFaQQer]

5. Exactly, I have to get paid , only then I can payout the recurring charges ... I have already capped my credit card limits ... Guess I have to borrow money from pals to pay your fees. Or you have to wait until my company account is funded (but I get emails threatening that I will be forwarded to solicitors for recovery).

So, you've been in business for three months, haven't invoiced yet and have no money any more apart from borrowing from friends.

How do you intend to cope if you are out of work for six months at the end of this contract? How do you intend to cope if the agency goes bust and you get nothing for the work you have completed?

Did you consider asking about raising an invoice without a VAT number? Try here - it's full of useful information for contractors and non-contractors alike.

HTH.

[pmeswani]

Well Alan, replies to your points below:
1. This isn't just the email dated dated 30/06/10 at 17:05 .... I have trying to get sorted since months. The same pro-activeness shown in collecting fees was not shown in getting my VAT setup and bank setup sorted.

Did you try and call the Accountant at any stage of the 3 months you were with them? Did they commit to resolving any of your issues?

2. I did pay the first months fee, and since nothing is processed yet and no balance in my company account, how can you expect me to pay, when I am myself in a bad financial state after months without a payment. Obviously I have to wait until everything is in place, and funds flowing in, you cannot expect me to keep paying out of my pocket with no incoming funds ?

Because of your lack of invoicing your clients, this becomes the Accountants problem, how exactly?

3. Invoices and bank statements were not sent , cos of pending VAT certificate and bank welcome pack, which has been going to wrong address due to the mistake from your end while setting it up. So how can I send them where as I have not received them myself.

So, did you chase your Accountant about this? Did you call the Bank about this? Like what another poster said, did you check the forms and signed them before sending them back to the Accountant or even the Bank themselves? I would be surprised if your Accountant had signed the Bank Account opening forms. If they did, it would be deemed to be their Account and not yours. But the chances are you would have been sent the forms to review and sign. Did you not get copies of the documents for you to keep? Take some responsibilities for your actions.

4. Until recently I was never told that I can raise a invoice without VAT, how am I to know that, you should have made it clear when I was trying to follow up for get my VAT certificate sorted out.

Have you bothered to do any research? Or do you expect everyone to spoon feed you? If you ask the right questions, you get to have the right answers. Did you read the HMRC website about the VAT thresholds? Did you not ask your Accountant about backdating VAT figures?

5. Exactly, I have to get paid , only then I can payout the recurring charges ... I have already capped my credit card limits ... Guess I have to borrow money from pals to pay your fees. Or you have to wait until my company account is funded (but I get emails threatening that I will be forwarded to solicitors for recovery).

This is your fault, not the Accountants fault. You are in debt to your Accountants, not the other way round. If you can't substantially prove that your Accountant is at fault, you won't have much leg to stand on.

[DiscoStu]

^^^ WHS

You engage an accountant then don't bother paying them? What exactly are you expecting?

Muppet

(I've been using NW for almost 2 years and have always been more than happy with the level of service I've received.)

[kontracta Matt]

If you tell most most small businesses upfront that you are in difficulties and come up with a solution then there is a good chance of some flexibility/amenability. If you don't then you are making a rod for your own back.
We've had a couple of clients recently that exemplify this. One explained immediately that there were cashflow problems and could the bill be delayed - plus they promised to give regular updates. We were happy to accept that and they have now paid and there's no embarrassment or ill feeling.

Another is delaying setting up regular payments, using all tactics possible (e.g. not responding to e-mails) but still wants information sending through (e.g. very proactive in sending e-mails) - presumably trying to get 12 months for the price of 1 or 2. We aren't happy and definitely won't be amenable!

Credit control, like sticking to the fundamentals of your contract, is an important part of business.

[kontracta Matt]

Sorry not that I'm trying to say that Nixon Williams is a small business by the way! I was just trying to generalise a little.

[pmeswani]

^^^ WHS

You engage an accountant then don't bother paying them? What exactly are you expecting?

Muppet

(I've been using NW for almost 2 years and have always been more than happy with the level of service I've received.)

I haven't used Nixon Williams, but have heard a lot of good things about them.

I am with an accountant that offered a more expensive solution, but they do a lot of work for me (VAT Returns, Corp Tax, PAYE, Personal Tax Returns, etc), i.e. a lot of things I don't have time / patience to do myself. So far, they haven't let me down (apart from the odd communication problem here and there, but nothing major). I know this wreaks of "Managed Service Solution", but I am in full control of the business, but have delegated some of the work to my Accountant, and pay the fee to accommodate. (I still have to approve and sign the documents, and the Bank Account is in my business name and with me as the signatory).

I need to get my head around some of the basics, and would benefit from going on some Book Keeping / Business Management courses, so that I can understand how to run the business from a finance point of view. If anyone has any ideas/recommendations, please do let me know.

[Maslins]

I need to get my head around some of the basics, and would benefit from going on some Book Keeping / Business Management courses, so that I can understand how to run the business from a finance point of view. If anyone has any ideas/recommendations, please do let me know.

Take a look at FreeAgent. It's an online invoicing/bookkeeping package. You'll be able to pick it up and run with it, no formal training required, and after using it for a month or two (and perhaps asking a couple of questions) I'm sure you'll understand the financial side of things a lot better.

[SallyPlanIT]

Take a look at FreeAgent. It's an online invoicing/bookkeeping package. You'll be able to pick it up and run with it, no formal training required, and after using it for a month or two (and perhaps asking a couple of questions) I'm sure you'll understand the financial side of things a lot better.

I have been working with FreeAgent for the past 16 months with all of my clients in a former company using the software. We liked the functionality so much that we have introduced it into the new company I'm working with.

You could either stand alone as a Freegent user and pay them directly, or find a "FreeAgent Freindly Accountant" as listed on their website that will incorporate the monthly cost into their fees.

Good luck!

[Wanderer]

Because of your lack of invoicing your clients, this becomes the Accountants problem, how exactly?

It's pretty clear that the noobies aren't going get much sympathy here.

I'm pretty sure it's not the account's fault (or their problem, strictly speaking) but it sounds like the OP is in a bit of a flap. The guy just needs a little bit of support so he can get on his feet and his first few invoices submitted, take it a bit easy.

[TheFaQQer]

It's pretty clear that the incompetents aren't going get much sympathy here.

FTFY

The guy just needs a little bit of support so he can get on his feet and his first few invoices submitted, take it a bit easy.

The guy needs to learn that he is in business. He needs to pay his bills - blaming the accountant for his inability to pay his bills is beyond being in a bit of a flap.