Sometimes you can never win!

E Storey

I just really wanted to share this with someone, I've been really disheartened about losing a big client because allegedly:

1) I have not coded any petrol to "travelling" - no explanation needed!

2) I have not reclaimed £2000 CIS deductions. - I do not cover payroll for this client, but nevertheless it has been reclaimed.

3) I have "deleted" current customers in sage instead of persuing bad debts because I'm lazy! - It's not possible to delete current customers in Sage!

4) The number of people ringing to query invoices has reached an alarming level of "nearly one a day" - see above about not chasing debt!!!!

Was this client actually just a paranoid psychotic who I'm better off without? Or, Do I give off the wrong impression, causing customers to think I'm incompetent.

Newbie

The infomation provided is limited and I therefore cannot say who is at fault here, what is can say is move on as trust has been lost, but make some changes, avoid confusion by always agreeing the work undertaken in writing in advance and discuss exactly what you will and wont be doing, dump sage and use VT much better. Clients can be difficult at times, you cant please everyone - also dont bite off more than you can chew, underquote as this is a receipe for disaster

jow774

I had a client like this, similar situation except I disengaged them, but only after a while of being made to feel incompetent. As I was just starting out I was frightened to say no to things I hadnt agreed to do for fear of losing the client and ended up being supposedly "responsible" for a whole host of tasks including even directors personal secretary! After a chat with a chartered accountant friend who said that it is common when you first start out to fear losing clients and get swayed into all sorts of "extra" work, but it is just a learning process, I bit the bullet and got rid.

As newbie says move on and take it as another learning process complete and at least you dont have to deal with this client again.

E Storey

It was't the extra work that was the problem. It was constantly being accused of making mistakes by someone with no accountancy experience and not even any higher education or mathematical training. - He actually had me checking if I was wrong coding petrol to fuel and oil!

Lesson learned is these customers will always decide you are in the wrong, warning signs were having disengaged both his old accountant and bookkeeper claiming they too were rubbish!

In future I will be very careful taking on clients who complain about old accountants.

Monsoon

E Storey wrote: »

Lesson learned is these customers will always decide you are in the wrong, warning signs were having disengaged both his old accountant and bookkeeper claiming they too were rubbish!

Sounds like you've hit the nail on the head.

You don't need clients like that - and it doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong.

The best one I heard was that I was somehow to blame for them deleting Sage and all backups off their computer after they had disengaged me, and then expected me to have all their bookkeeping data, even though it was done in house on their machine.