Accountants billing.
 

My firm is parting company with our expensive city accountants for the end of the year accounts.

In transitioning the books to our new accountants, they have produce a massive final bill for us. The have invoice us for x hours for this employee. We can't see where or why the billing is there. If we ask for evidence and they say "phone call on at x:xx minimum 0.5 hours billed". (even if they just make it up) We can't dispute that as we don't have any evidence to the contray. Also they have billed for prep work for our end of year accounts, but noone can recall authorising anything, they just automatically followed on to quote us for the end of year accounting work. I'm certain they don't have anything in writing to that fact at least.

Does that mean we are screwed and just have to pay it? Or is there any way we have a realistic chance of disputing the bill? Times running out as its holding things up with our new accountants. I doubt taking it to court as an option as their solicitors are rather more costly than ours (think Mr Burns' lawyers vs Lionel Hutz).

Re: Accountants billing.
 

I think the quickest way you can decide the right way forward here is to work out whether the savings you will make by moving to your new accountants quickly and efficiently will offset the big bill that the old accountants have landed you with.

If the benefits of moving now and just settling the matter outweigh the costs of doing so then I would say just pay up and move on.

Re: Accountants billing.
 

Well you have two options -

Dispute it - they are probably billing you for EVERYTHING as you are leaving.
Pay it - is going to be the easyiest option.

Re: Accountants billing.
 

You are entitled to ask for a breakdown of the charges, with supporting evidence (if for phone calls - the logs; if for letters - who to, and a copy of the letter; if other work - description).

When I worked at a software house, if a customer queried the bill, this was what was expected in the way of evidence. If they then kick back and say no, as has been said before, you have to weigh up the cost vs benefits.

Re: Accountants billing.
 

I would also ask for a break down, they have to provide that

Re: Accountants billing.
 

Cheers for the replies :tu:

I was thinking along those lines but I don't think even if they produced some evidence we can dispute it. I've been going through the e-mails and there is nothing conclusive except for asking for quotes. They can't bill us for that can they?

Re: Accountants billing.
 

If they are being underhand maybe follow this procedure

http://www.frc.org.uk/pob/complaints/index.cfm

Re: Accountants billing.
 

Without knowing how much is involved you can complain but you may be on a hiding to nothing.

I had a fees problem with my former chartered accountant who didn't seem to think that it was statistically 'unusual' in any way to charge me exactly the same amount of money (to the penny) for my annual accounts two years running despite the fact that in the second year the amount of work I did was less than half that of the previous year and the work charged for excluded a number of exceptional items which were included in the bill the year before. Initially he palmed me off with an excuse but when he did the very same thing a second time a few years later I complained to him again and he just got very defensive and stated that he was doing me a favour by not increasing his fees from one year to the next... :rolleyes:

I think what he was doing was working on the basis that very few clients would keep tabs on the amount of work submitted to him and most would happily accept a bill showing no increase in fees over the previous year despite the fact that the actual work involved may have reduced greatly and they should have got a reduction.

Despite the fact that I was alleging fraud, on complaining to them, his professional body informed me that no matter how serious, complaints about fees could not be dealt with by them and that if I was concerned about his activities I should contact the police.

I reluctantly paid his bill but at least had the personal pleasure of humiliating him in his office in front of his staff.

Re: Accountants billing.
 

I should have stuck to my original career plan - I was going to be an accountant but couldn't face the extra years of exams! Don't think you'll ever meet a poor accountant.
But seriously, I guess it will have to be cough up and lesson learned :(