References for clients

References for clients

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I find I'm increasingly being asked for a wide variety of references on behalf of  clients. I don't have a problem providing references per se but I do have a problem with some aspects and would like to know what other members think /do :

The areas that I have problems with are :

Very new clients - I do not feel comfortable giving a reference for a client I do not know and don't give references for clients unless I've done at least one set of annual compliance returns/ or equivalent. Is this reasonable ? Should I draw clients attention to this ? How?

I also have a similar problem in that clients often expect me to provide this service for younger family members who are not clients because they regard me as the "family" accountant.

Non financial references - particularly "recent employer" references for clients who have previously been self employed etc, etc . I'm happy to provide confirmation of length of self employment but most employer references contain questions about character, competence and sick records. I may well have opinions and some partial knowledge of these matters but they are not based on the factual foundation of a robust HR information system . Is it better to provide what information we have and explain that it is incomplete or just say that the information is not available due to the nature of the relationship?

Customer education generally - I find that it's always the highest risk clients that ring up and demand an urgent last minute reference -and unfortunately these are the clients where I most need them to talk to me first .  Is it worth trying to get them to talk to me first about references or is this just a symptom of a wider financial competence /comfort problem that needs to be addressed ?

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By andy.partridge
20th Sep 2014 16:05

Honesty

I am happy to provide honest facts and honest opinion, but I won't give an opinion I don't have as 'a favour'. The potential repercussion for the accountant might be greater than that for the client and if a client were to persist I would wonder if they were the right sort of client for my practice.

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By carnmores
20th Sep 2014 18:13

if you must
This reference is given with no liability express or implied attaching hereto in line with our firms terms....

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