Reply to: InTouch fees going up

[manclarky]

We therefore believe that an annual review of our fees in September each year is the more sensible and transparent approach to managing costs

13% annual increase was too much for me.

In fairness, both the leaving of one accountant and starting with the new one has been surprisingly hassle free (as it should be, just wish the planning application I've recently submitted for my house was as easy) and that's to IT's credit.

No doubt, when new accountants raise their prices too, I'll be searching out another good deal.

[mossy]

Although I'm not over the moon with a price increase I see no reason in leaving for the sake of £10 a month. As others have stated the service is excellent and the portal is extremely user friendly.

I'll be staying put for now.

[Bugbait]

To the OP...

If you're happy with the service at Intouch (I am) and the increase results in continued service and improvements to the system then an increase of £120 for the year is hardly unreasonable, especially if it's in line with an increase in competitors' fees.

As a contractor if your equivalent peers get a rate increase wouldn't you argue/ask for one as well? Do you set your rate at what you think your work is worth or what the market is willing to pay?

[Wanderer]

The price increase applies to new clients only, and it's only going from £75 to £85.

It's not that easy to find a decent accountant and from what I've seen on the forum, InTouch are helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and they back their advice up with references to HMRC's guidance.

InTouch are still offering a pretty keen price, certainly they are charging a lot less than what I'm paying for one of the well known accountants. If people are shopping purely on price then go ahead and switch but if you're happy with InTouch then they are worth an extra tenner a month in my opinion.

[Clare@InTouch]

If you move to anyone who has been at £75 for a couple of years you can bet they will be next. I'd wait another year and see if it's a trend rather than jump the moment prices shift - a new accountant will have to do significant work to transition things and that's rather harsh to do every year, like you do with car insurance!

The most important thing is if you're happy with the service and want to risk that for a fairly small saving.

I am interested what IT will do for the customers who signed up just before the announcement though. I'd like to hope they get the £75 rate for a year or something reasonable. An official response?

Anyone who signs up before the end of this month will get the £75 fee as advertised, plus two months free, plus the same offer that applies to current clients with regard to referring a friend (and thereby getting the rise deferred until April). This way the fee rise can be completely negated.

Unlike some of our competitors, we would never put you in a position where we find our fees falling behind market rate and, in order to raise money to improve our systems, double your monthly fee. We therefore believe that an annual review of our fees in September each year is the more sensible and transparent approach to managing costs. And, in this way, we’re also able to develop our services and software on an on-going basis, reflecting your changing needs.

[the_rangdo]

Superb service to-date so I'm not going to let £10 bother me.

Having said that, the increase is delayed until November and I've got a couple of referrals lined up so it won't hit me for a while

[TraceRacing]

Yes. I'm sure it will go up next year, but then I can look around if needed.

[d000hg]

Is that £75 locked for your first year?

[TraceRacing]

As one of those who signed up recently (I posted the forms yesterday morning, they arrived with InTouch this morning) mine is at £75 with first 2 months free.

To date I've had nothing but excellent service from them, although I'm just starting out (again) in contracting, so they did company formation etc...

[d000hg]

Just received notification that InTouch monthly fees are going up. Does anyone have any suggestions about which accountant to move to next?

If you move to anyone who has been at £75 for a couple of years you can bet they will be next. I'd wait another year and see if it's a trend rather than jump the moment prices shift - a new accountant will have to do significant work to transition things and that's rather harsh to do every year, like you do with car insurance!

The most important thing is if you're happy with the service and want to risk that for a fairly small saving.

I am interested what IT will do for the customers who signed up just before the announcement though. I'd like to hope they get the £75 rate for a year or something reasonable. An official response?

[Waldorf]

The price increase applies to new clients only, and it's only going from £75 to £85. As an existing client, your price increase will not come into effect until the end of November. And, if you refer a new client to InTouch Accounting, and they complete the registration process with us before the end of November, the fee increase is delayed by a further 4 months and won’t apply to you until April 2012.

Plus of course we still offer a month's fee refund or £85 as a thank you for referring new clients, so the net affect on your overall fee is minimal.

The website and the advert on this site still say the fee is £75? So presumably these ads are targeted at new clients?

Considering that Intouch have only been around for a year, does this mean another £10 increase next year?

If I was with them or thinking of moving to them I would suggest a guarantee that the fee is fixed for 2 years or so?

[THEPUMA]

Which bit of "Good accountants are free" do you guys not understand?

I understand the point you are trying to make and, as an accountant (some might even say a good accountant but it would be presumptuous of me to say so myself!), I would tend to agree with you.

But surely you are not suggesting that an accountant's value to one's business increases directly in line with their fees.

So if the OP can replace one good accountant with an equally good accountant who charges lower fees, that would not necessarily be illogical.

Having said all that, as an accountant who charges more than most here, none of this helps me!

PUMA

[malvolio]

Which bit of "Good accountants are free" do you guys not understand?

[northernladuk]

You could go to SJD... but their fees have already gone up in the last few months already though

[Clare@InTouch]

The price increase applies to new clients only, and it's only going from £75 to £85. As an existing client, your price increase will not come into effect until the end of November. And, if you refer a new client to InTouch Accounting, and they complete the registration process with us before the end of November, the fee increase is delayed by a further 4 months and won’t apply to you until April 2012.

Plus of course we still offer a month's fee refund or £85 as a thank you for referring new clients, so the net affect on your overall fee is minimal.