How to deal with a missing client....

System
System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited June 18 in AAT member discussion
... no, not one missing from my list on the HMRC website (although any help finding them would be greatly appreciated too :?: )

The situation is that I started acting for a man who was operating a carwash (franchise arrangement). I got him all set up paying NI, registered with HMRC, as an employer & was just trying to finalise the VAT registration when he did a runner. I phoned to speak to him one day and he wasn't there. I tried his mobile but no luck. So at the end of May I posted a letter to his home address saying that if I'd not heard from him by the end of June I'd assume he no longer required my services and our contract would cease.
I've not heard a thing, so I want to know what I should do now. Am I obliged to return all his files to him? and to notify the revenue of anything other than I'm not acting for him any more? I'm obviously not going to see a penny from him (not that he owed me much luckily) but I don't want to spend any more time on him than is absolutely necessary, without acting 'un-ethically'

Anyone been in this situation before?

Jodie

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Hi Jodie

    Firstly - if you find any of my missing clients from HMRC website, kindly return them :lol:

    Seriously though - I can understand that you dont want to spend any more time on him. Is it worth contacting the franchise owner? Personally I would keep the files until he asks for them - do you know where he lives? sorry deviation there - then atleast you can get what money he does owe you, because at some point he ought to submit something to someone!!!!

    I would write to anyone at co house/HMRC/anyone else who might connect you and him, and make sure that your name is no longer connected with his!!!

    Sorry I cant help more - thankfully that's one problem that I have not had .... yet :D

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    When we have things like that we write to the revenue to let them know we no longer act for the client and ask that future correspondence is sent to his home address. I've never had to write to companies house as we are not linked there - only to the revenue by the 64-8. Having said that we often find that this doesn't filter through to the PAYE section of Inland Revenue and end up writing another letter to them!!

    Annette
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Don't get me started on 64-8's!

    I had a client working under the cis scheme and completed his accounts and tax comps and he was due to pay tax.

    With personal problems he has lost alot of records, namely the vouchers.

    They must of been submitted to the revenue so I call them and to get the address of where to write to... obviously they go through the security checks... apprently im not the acting agent as no 64-8 has been filed... anyway after some hunting they now find the 64-8 filed under PAYE... they now have my details and we continue.

    At the end of the conversation I say "when I write to this address will you be able to my sure the 64-8 is in the correct place so I dont get anymore problems" to this I get the reply "yes, of course sir"

    A month passes and I receive a letter saying "we note your letter but as their is no note of a 64-8 we have forwarded the details directly to the client"

    :evil: :evil: :evil:

    Sorry rant over :lol:

    Regards

    Dean
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Dean

    I agree with you - my 64-8s appear and vanish on whim :evil: as well.

    So while we are talking magic tricks how about this for a little bit of fun!

    http://milaadesign.com/wizardy.html


    Spooky ?????

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    OMG :shock:
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    That is spooky :shock:
    I did it 3 times using different numbers each time and it worked every time!!

    By the way I have had the same problem with 64-8's, only the last time I phoned the revenue regarding a client query they couldn't find the 64-8 but answered my questions anyway which I thought was odd.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Come on Dean and Krispi - you are both (I think) working for yourselves, so therefore highly intelligent peoples - like me ha ha :lol:

    As accountants you spend all day working with numbers.... is it really magic????

    PS - The revenue will speak to me about one of my clients without a 64-8 cos she is 92 and wont sign one but still wants me to sort out her stuff!!!!!!

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    After the day i've had, getting anything out of my clients would be magic! :roll:

    Regards

    Dean
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    p.s every number is a multiple of 9 :wink:

    Regards

    Dean
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    My kids are so upset that its not magic :lol::lol::lol: aren't I wicked! Maybe next week I'll move onto the fairies and the old bloke with the beard :wink:

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    I'm a big kid at heart and now you've spoilt the fun :lol:

    As for the fairies they live at my house - my son always does something but insists he didn't (likely story)I'm sure if pinnochio existed he would beat him hands down in the nose growing contest :D
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    I have a Mr Nobody living with my kids - I've never seen or heard him, but whenever one of them (person unknown...) has done something wrong I get a trio of "it wasn't me", so I have now given up and either blame Mr Nobody or punish all three!!!!

    Krispi - please can you ask the fairies about whether big teeth qualify. My eldest recently had to have big teeth out before having a brace fitted, and she made the fairies divvy up. I had always thought that only baby teeth counted.

    Jodie - sorry your post has been somewhat hijacked - do you have any news yet???

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Tricky one :D

    I've got a feeling the kids win this time and the fairies must pay up.
    Look at this way at least they don't hide when the dreaded dentist is mentioned - unlike my son who also had teeth out, albeit baby teeth after falling over in the garden and is now physically sick when the D word is mentioned.

    Yes apologies Jodie, have you found your client???
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    Boys are such wimps - my (now taller than me!) teenage son used to be scared of:- car washes, shoe shops and hairdressers and is still terrified of needles and blood and can't watch Casualty, Holby and the like :lol::lol:

    Jodie - have you sent a letter to his home address by recorded delivery - that way if it gets returned by the PO you can keep that on file to prove that you have tried everything to contact him???

    Claudia
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:How to deal with a missing client....

    wow! what a lot of replies (and a lot more entertaining than talking about missing clients...)

    To be honest I've been too busy with Class 1 A's to write to him yet, but I think I'll post his stuff back recorded delivery as you say - I'm 90% sure it'll get returned to me as I doubt he lives there anymore, but at least then I'll have proof. And of course I need to let the revenue know I'm not acting for him.

    and regarding 64-8's - Last night I was complelled to write a letter of complaint as I've now had (count them!) 22 telephone conversations with the revenue regarding a husband/wife partnership's 64-8s that I sent in April, and on the last one was told 'they were in a batch that the government gateway messed up, so it's going to be at least a month before it's sorted out' :evil: :evil: :evil:
    I felt like I had to write it more to prove to the clients that I'm not just making excuses for not submitting their returns than with the hope that anything will change as a result of it...

    happy days :D

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