Cheaperaccountant

dixie_dean_2

Has anyone heard of this company and got any experience. Looking for a company to do our annual limited company accounts and these guys have been far cheaper than anyone else. I realise this is an area you get what you pay for to a degree but our accounts for year 1 are VERY simple so their quote doesn't seem crazy.

Also, does anyone know, is it normal for an accountant to request your Companies House and HMRC log-in details? I assume so but just want to check.

Cheers
Bob

AbbieCadabra

can't comment on cheaper accountant but i can recommend cheap accounting as we use them, we're a small Limited Company.

looking at the 2 websites they seem to have a similar pricing structure. cheaper accountant aren't vat registered so i'd presume they have a lower turnover & fewer clients.

couple of things on cheaper's website that catch my eye, how can they say that they'll NEVER charge you VAT? if they go over the threshold they will! can't find their company no. or registered office on their website, if they are Limited i think it's a legal requirement that this (& other) info is clearly shown. 'contact us' just gives a quote request form, what's their address/phone no? also their email addy is a hotmail account! :eek: i think i've got my bargepole out now!

i don't think it's usual for an accountant to ask for your log-in details as they should be registered as your agent & be using their own details to log-in

edit: just read a bit more of the cheaper website (quite literally!) & they actually link to a blog (that i can make little sense of) that is openly dissing cheap accounting! they seem to infer that you HAVE to use software that cheap accounting specify, i can confirm that you can use their free & easy to use online system or whatever software you want. the more i've looked & i can see that the cheaper website seems to be a bit of a rip off of the cheap accounting website all together.

just to clarify, i am in no way connected with cheap accounting. i am a happy customer (& know of many others) & recommend them when the occasion arises

PlutoinCapricorn

The website was registered on 14th April 2012 I would not give my details to such an unknown quantity.

Horace

I havent heard of them but then again I have my own accountant and ensured that I negotiated her fee too. I must admit that I like having an accountant that I can contact easily as she gives me brilliant financial advice.

My accountant has her own log in details to submit my tax returns and deal with Companies House - be very wary of people that ask for your own log ins.

Why not ask some other business chums (folks you may have met through networking) to see who they would recommend? A personal recommendation is so much better. I found my current one based on personal recommendation and I do wish I had asked earlier as that would have saved me a whole load of grief after inadvertently using someone who wasnt a qualified accountant despite saying that they were.

Pennywise

The website doesn't say they're "chartered" accountants and mentions them being qualified, but not saying which accountancy body nor giving their membership number. First thing would be to ask exactly who is qualified, which body, whether chartered or not, and whether the firm itself is regulated by a chartered accoutancy body.

Accountancy isn't a regulated profession, so literally anyone can call themselves an accountant. If the accountant isn't a member of and regulated by a reputable accountancy body, then their clients have no come-back if things go wrong and there's no requirement for them to have professional indemnity insurance, etc.

Buyer beware if you choose an accountant who either isn't properly qualified or where you don't know if/which accountancy body they belong to.

antrobus

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

The website was registered on 14th April 2012 I would not give my details to such an unknown quantity.

Plus they provide no physical address and use a hotmail email address.

Use only at your own risk.

PlutoinCapricorn

I am feeling too tired to investigate the VAT thing, but if Cheaperaccountant say their prices include VAT, then they should be registered for VAT and a poster above says they are not.

VAT needs to be shown separately, and it is not legal to charge it or even mention it when you are not registered.

AbbieCadabra

If 'someone' is trying to be clever by posting on here, they haven't done a very good job IMO (cunning plan Baldrick?! ). for the website to go from "we will NEVER charge you VAT" to "All of our prices INCLUDE VAT, you won't find this anywhere else." seems very, very suspect...

my bargepole is still definitely at the ready on this one

Pennywise

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

I am feeling too tired to investigate the VAT thing, but if Cheaperaccountant say their prices include VAT, then they should be registered for VAT and a poster above says they are not.

VAT needs to be shown separately, and it is not legal to charge it or even mention it when you are not registered.

You are absolutely correct. VAT inspectors take a very dim view of unregistered businesses pretending that their charges include VAT. As you say, VAT should not even be mentioned and saving "includes VAT" is a breach of the law. I would have thought such an experienced and reputable accountant (as they say they are) would make such a basic mistake.

As for saying they're "chartered" - not much help as it doesn't say which chartered body. I've searched the websites of the main chartered bodies and there is no trace of the firms' name, nor Emma Simpson or her name as per the whois record. Why would such a reputable firm continue to hide their true credentials. Most reputable/qualified accountants would be shouting their credentials from the rooftops.

As said by another, buyer beware!

antrobus

Pennywise wrote: »

..
As for saying they're "chartered" - not much help as it doesn't say which chartered body. I've searched the websites of the main chartered bodies and there is no trace of the firms' name, nor Emma Simpson or her name as per the whois record. Why would such a reputable firm continue to hide their true credentials. Most reputable/qualified accountants would be shouting their credentials from the rooftops.

As said by another, buyer beware!

Worthwhile reporting them to the ICAEW?
http://www.icaew.com/en/about-icaew/find-a-chartered-accountant/beware-of-misdescribers

PlutoinCapricorn

I have seen a few more of these amateurish websites: they seem to copy each other. They often say "we" or "the team" when there is just one person. I have seen "prices include VAT" before: the people who say it do not know anything and think this looks good.

I think it was on MSE that I read about someone who did this; their client claimed the VAT back and HMRC picked up the lack of registration. The person who supplied the service was fined a lot of money.

This whole thing seems very unprofessional at best.