How do I complain about an FCCA accountant

How do I complain about an FCCA accountant

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I am looking for some advice, we took over a client in April 2014 which was part way through their financial year. After 8 months of trying to get the bookkeeping records through we were sent a Quickbooks backup and it became very apparent that the previous accountant had not been keeping the bookkeeping up to date at all and it was such a mess that we went back to the previous years filed accounts, took the closing balances and re-started.

The problem I have is that there is a large difference between the closing/opening balances in Quickbooks and the accounts that were filed. The differences are everywhere but in particular there is a large difference on creditors and in reserves. I have contacted the previous accountant repeatedly to ask for the journals that were made to alter the accounts between Quickbooks and the final accounts but they just keep saying they are busy and will get back to me soon. We still have had no answer and I am at a loss as to what to tell the client or do with this. If I correct the difference into the P&L it would mean a large increase in CT and how do I justify this without any knowledge of how the difference has arisen?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated, I would actually love to name the practice but know that would be innappropriate.

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Out of my mind
By runningmate
27th Feb 2015 18:27

Step 1 write a letter of complaint to the senior partner in the firm.  Say in that letter that in the absence of a substantive reply in 7 days (or whatever) you will make a complaint to ACCA.

Step 2 if no response in the time limit then complain to ACCA.

RM

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Teignmouth
By Paul Scholes
27th Feb 2015 18:30

This made me shudder

We had a similar case with an ACCA practice and 4 years on (or maybe 5 now) and we never got anywhere with our complaint.  In our case the firm was also doing the bookkeeping, PAYE & VAT returns, or rather wasn't.

The cowboy partner involved moved on to a firm of ACAs and despite the ACCA saying that they would front up the complaint they eventually ended up waffling and passing it to the ICAEW from which neither we nor the client have heard anything. We actually ended up making a formal complaint about the ACCA's lack of competence in handling the complaint.

Here you are, you're welcome to try http://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en/discover/complain/make-complaint.html

Your client would probably be better of suing the old firm for incompetence and your fees in putting right their errors.  Such a case will usually require the firm to release the information (you need) to support their defense or prove that they actually have no information and plucked sums out the air to do the accounts.  It will also give your client a chance of getting some money, something the ACCA won't be able to do.

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By PracticePartner
27th Feb 2015 18:41

To their institue (who probably won't do much)

The ACCA (in my limited experience of complaining to institutes) are reluctant to censure members unless they've done something really wrong. They did not a lot about a member who had taken a tax refund paid to them to settle their own (disputed) fees, among things. But if you persist they will at least look into it. Actually it isn't you who will persist, as the complaint should come from the client who would also make any claim against them for extra costs they incur due to this, or against their PI in different circumstances.

I have a case where the former accountant, although happy to provide printed documents, will not hand over the subscription to a popular cloud accounting platform. He says that having paid the subscription under his practice licence contractually he owns the electronic data and says it is no different from if he held the data on his own copy of Sage or whatever, and this is different from the scenario where the client provided the software. So in my case I have paper records but we have to set the client up on an accounting system (which will be in their name!) and of course the ability to easily drill down on history or provide comparative reports won't be there. I follow the argument I suppose but it sounds more like sour grapes. I wonder if the client should complain about this.

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By girlofwight
27th Feb 2015 22:52

Dont hold your breath

I'm not sold on ACCAs approach to complaints.

A few years ago an ACCA member (in business) gave me (FCCA in practice) a written personal undertaking about paying fees on time.  He didn't.  ACCAs view was that breaching his undertaking wasn't unethical.  Not helpful.

I think a formal letter from your client to senior partner - you can draft it - setting out the problems and whats needed is the way forward.  Mark it as "letter before action" and set out what may happen if a substantive reply isn't received, eg claim for (your) costs of rebuilding data.

Note of caution:  there are two sides to every story, you are only hearing your clients.

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