Charged for accountant i havent used

[scorterooney]

Sorry, Wasnt sure of the best place to put this so feel free to move if you can fnd somewhere better.

 

At the begining of 2011 i sent a mal shot introducing my company ( executive taxis) to a local firm of accountants.

 

They called me up and saidcome in and see us and find out what we can do for you and what you can do for us.

 

So i went in, had an hour long meeting which was nothing to do with what i could provde them and everythng to do with them doing my tax returns ! I got completely bamboozled lol and left with a form to instruct the taxt office to let the accountants act on my behalf.

 

Anyway i never sent off the form and when the phoned hassling me to i just said nope not interested, sort my own taxes out etc.

 

Over a year on they have now sent me a bill for £250 for fees for the initial meeting !!

 

Can they do this ? There was no menton of it being a chargeable meeting at the begining and i was led to believe i was being called in to discuss what transport my company could provide them and what they could provide me accountancy wise.

 

What do people think then - Ignore, write a letter back or pay up ?

[iconoclash]

Hi - it doesnt sound like you signed a contract with them to perform a service and i think they would be hard pressed to prove you had so what on earth can they think they will rely on in order to pursue monies? - that would be like getting an invoice for going to an interview - lol - dont think i would do anything if it was me unless they try to claim through courts and this would only look like unjust enrichment, getting monies for doing nothing, etc, and could face a counter claim for messing you about - wonder if this is covered by supply of services act?

[scorterooney]

Hi - it doesnt sound like you signed a contract with them to perform a service and i think they would be hard pressed to prove you had so what on earth can they think they will rely on in order to pursue monies? - that would be like getting an invoice for going to an interview - lol - dont think i would do anything if it was me unless they try to claim through courts and this would only look like unjust enrichment, getting monies for doing nothing, etc, and could face a counter claim for messing you about - wonder if this is covered by supply of services act?

 

Thanks for the reply - sort of sums up what i thought so ill just play the ignoring game untill i hear more

[MARTIN3030]

Moved here.

I am not sure it would be a good idea to ignore this.

Maybe you should respond in writing denying that there are any monies due,and if they are maintaining there is,then could they provide evidence that any agreement was entered into,or else what they are seeking to rely on in demanding these payments from you.

Keep a copy and send recorded delivery.

 

If you do nothing,and they do file a claim,the Court may want to know why you ignored their requests and did not challenge it.

[Gbarbm]

I agree with Martin.

Put them to strict proof of the services provided and ask them if they are members of a professional body(such as ACCA) and if so which one.

This will leave you the option of reporting their dubious business practices to the professional body.

I know times are hard, but even Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask when he was robbing you!

[MARTIN3030]

I know times are hard, but even Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask when he was robbing you!

 

Yes there is absolutely no excuse...all the £ shops are selling masks

[scorterooney]

cheers guys, fair enough comments and i will attempt to sort out a letter this evening and get it posted.

 

Thanks

[EveOwes]

Hi

 

Just read your post - so hope this reply not in vain. Any reputable accountancy firm will provide a free initial consultation. Check their website, and I bet they say this on there??

 

I would also write to their regulatory body - which all qualified accountants must have. It will either be the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) or the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) - both easy to find on the web. These bodies take complaints very seriously.

 

Accountants like these give everyone else in the profession a bad name. Best of luck.

[LaughingGirl]

Sorry, I know this is a reply to an out of date thread but the company I used to work for had a very similar experience with a HR firm - to echo the advice already given, if anyone finds themselves in a similar situation I strongly suggest not going down the 'ignore' route. HR firm cold called, asking if we would be interested in a meeting to discuss their services, to which our MD agreed. They turned up, did an hour long presentation then presented us with a list of frankly exorbitant fees. Needless to say, their services were not retained.

 

Fast forward one week, we received a bill for £985, which they claimed to be the cost of a 'basic training' session in Employment Law. It was nothing of the sort, just a power point presentation on the services that they offered, and a couple of doom-mongering stories about employers being taken to the cleaners by disgruntled employees. MD decided they were chancers, told everyone to ignore communications from them. Long story short, after a long stream of threatening letters, it ended up in county court and the company I worked for lost - largely down to the fact that they'd made no attempt to dispute the fee in the first place. A very expensive lesson to learn, and in future I would insist on challenging every letter/invoice that they sent.

 

Although, I have to say that at nearly £1000 per hour, I did briefly consider sending them my CV...