I was extremely busy and distracted yesterday when I was paying some large invoices due by my company. I accidentally paid my accountant £XXXX in error by bank transfer. I immediately noticed my error and duly emailed my accountant requesting that the funds are returned. I got a reply to say yes and no problem and the funds would be returned just to confirm the bank details. I got an email this PM to say the return would be made less a deduction for an outstanding invoice to the accountants firm. Initially I said yes that is no problem but on double checking I realise the invoice the accountant was making a deduction for had already been paid a week after the invoice issue. I felt really angry that the accountant initially tried to get me to pay an invoice due to my banking error and I feel doubly angry and diatrusting of them now I have discovered I never owed them any additional funds.
Would you find a new accountant? I must point out that each invoice from my accountant is paid within a week of receipt and I pt other standing fees via direct debit monthly. All without issue. I have never owed this accountant money. Am I being unreasonable or am I justifiably annoyed at how the accountant has behaved. Bear in mind I would my have minded paying the accountant for any fees their encountered due to my error.
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Rearrange - jerk, reaction, knee.
It depends on your relationship with the accountant. If it's otherwise hunky-dory, I'd let it pass as an unfortunate slip-up. If on the other hand you're already looking for a reason to ditch him, he's served you one on a plate.
"you were busy and distracted when you made your mistake"
Have you perhaps thought your accountant might been equally busy when he overlooked the fact you had paid his bill, or are only you allowed to make errors.
If the matters resolved and you otherwise happy with the service why change it over an minor issue like this.
Life is too short
If you're annoyed, take it up with him and stop whining about it here. Only you can decide if a complaint is worthwhile - no-one here can tell you what to do.
Neither do I, and I doubt that anyone else here will be able to answer that question for you.
A very good point was made above - accountants often work under considerable pressure, some more than others, and like everyone else will make mistakes from time to time.
Only you are in a position to judge whether it was an innocent error or whether you thought he was 'at it'.
Some people are also more easily wound up than others by others' shortcomings. I don't know you, your accountant or your relationship with him - but the bottom line is that if you're seeking approval to have a go at your accountant you're unlikely to get it here.
But you accepted the deduction initially it's only after did you start to question it.
If you had been on top of your numbers you could of said no and repay full money back.
Anyone with money outstanding (or thought it was) would certainly ask if they could withhold there bill from the refund to save you having to repay him a week later or whatever.
What would you do in same circumstances if you were owed money and a supplier over paid, give them it all back or offset it.
A bird in the hand and all that.
There's a good chance he is reading this. If i were the accountant and came across this thread, i would save you the job of sacking me.
...Just saying
Good trusted professionals are, of course, like buses. Miss one, get on the next one. Fall out with one, associate with the next one. Easy peasy.
Why is it that people have to ask the most elementary of questions, these days. Is it the Twatter, or Faceless mentality - social megia?
If I have an issue with someone and, I think it's worthy of being dealt with, I "communicate" my feelings/comments, with whomever my grievance is with.
You could have been party to the perfect storm, where each of you made a mistake, almost at the same time?
But, of course, we live in Utopia and, within that environment, everything is, as one.
Tip; Engage brain, open gob and ears.
My business has a multi millon £ turnover, and some people would be shocked at how often we are over paid, sometimes by a global company. One firm alone made in access of £60k in overpayments to us in a three month period. Another paid the same £5k invoice 3 times. It's quite shocking at times. One global company we deal with consistently overpays us, so I was not in the least surprised this month to learn that they are in the midst of a cash-flow crisis, not helped by the fact that they discovered a £3m overdue tax bill they were not aware of. In the case of this particular company, with whom we trade at about .75m PA, they had a lot of overdue invoices that they kept missing off the pay run. In some cases they would pay a random amount off an invoice and leave the rest. Overall a very difficult accounting department to work with. Obviously we return over-payments. With the exception of the random payer. In that case we deducted payment for all the old overdue invoices, about £10k worth, and sent them the change! I see nothing wrong with this. If they are too stupid to manage their own accounting and I have to spend my time sorting out their PL the least that is going to happen is that I am going to deduct what they owe me. Some of the companies involved are traded in foreign currencies, so returning payments incurs costs. In the scenario described in this thread I simply wouldn't over think it. A simple error on both sides that was quickly remedied and no harm done. I would have probably deducted any outstanding payment before returning the balance too!
One firm alone made in access of £60k in overpayments to us in a three month period. Another paid the same £5k invoice 3 times. It's quite shocking at times.
My first major client had kept shtum for many years about its supplier regularly omitting £5k+ invoices from hand-typed monthly statements.
When I was sacked off I went straight to the supplier, who became a very grateful second major client.