Clients to avoid!

anniem

Can anyone provide some reasonably sensible advice about spotting a potentially problematic client?

Thanks

Anna

burg

Below are my thoughts. Whilst the list below gives an idea it isn't necessarily given as sometimes there are other factors which need to be considered.

They enquire in late January and have buried their heads all year (chances are this will be the same every year regardless of reminders)

They query your fees even when you know they are fair.

They ask questions but fail to grasp the concept even when explained clearly

Have little interest in their business

Have a poor idea that is always going to struggle

Have a large degree of cash transactions

One who asks questions based on his/her mates advice

As I say though this list is only a guide to my experiences of some clients and their situations that I have found to make them a little more awkward to deal with and require more time than I first thought.

I certainly wouldn't say that they need to be avoided but be aware when speaking to clients, particularly if you offer fixed fees, in what additional time is going to be required to be spent above the normal required for tax and accounts.

T.C.

Someone who complains about their last accountant, but giving no details!

Someone who thinks they know more than you and not happy to take advice!

anniem

What about someone who has set up a ltd co but not done any bookkeeping for it for the last year and a half even though it sounds like they're very busy?

Monsoon

anniem wrote: »

What about someone who has set up a ltd co but not done any bookkeeping for it for the last year and a half even though it sounds like they're very busy?

It depends if you can 'whip them into shape' or not. A lot of people just need the right nudge (or a big helping hand, which they should be happy to pay for) but some people are a lost cause. You can mostly tell which they are either on meeting them, or having worked with them for a couple of months.

Avoid anyone who bitches about price, and don't offer credit to someone you don't know from Adam - we take 50% on commencement and the other 50% on completion. If someone can't pay the former, or takes a long time, that tells you a lot about them!

anniem

Thanks Jenni - I suppose it's just the benefit of the doubt for the first meeting!

JodieR

The two clients who've caused me the most grief over the years are:-
A partnership where one partner was very mouthy but didn't seem to ever know what was going on and the other partner was mousey quiet and just read books about 'how to succeed in business'. It didn't.
And the other one I was doing a lot of bookkeeping work for (2-3 days a week at one point) and they refused to implement any systems I suggested, never read my emails with cash-flow projections and always blamed me when there was no money in the bank on friday for wages. It was truely horrible. Although I guess this isn't the usual type of client that a MiP will have to deal with luckily!

JodieR

And the only client I've ever decided not to continue acting for after a few weeks was a man who took great delight in telling me about his amazing luxury lifestyle and how he'd pay me well over the odds but hadn't paid simple bills and had a huge list of trade debtors who were refusing to pay him. I never really understood what it was he did and the whole thing made me feel uneasy. Maybe I was just over-paranoid but I don't regret telling him to find someone else!

Monsoon

JodieR wrote: »

And the only client I've ever decided not to continue acting for after a few weeks was a man who took great delight in telling me about his amazing luxury lifestyle and how he'd pay me well over the odds but hadn't paid simple bills and had a huge list of trade debtors who were refusing to pay him. I never really understood what it was he did and the whole thing made me feel uneasy. Maybe I was just over-paranoid but I don't regret telling him to find someone else!

Not overly paranoid. You did absolutely the right thing with that one.