IFA gone AWOL. Help!

richyg

dunstonh wrote: »

Not really. If your number is a direct line rather than the office line, then if they are away from desk (out on appointments, on holiday, in hospital or whatever) then you may just get the answerphone. If its one man band adviser then same again.

Sorry Dunstonh, I am not meaning to rub up against you twice in a week but you seem to be in the know on the behaviour of IFA's and yout post seems to say that ignoring your customers for a week is a reasonable action.

Your comment

dunstonh wrote: »

"if they are away from desk (out on appointments, on holiday, in hospital or whatever) then you may just get the answerphone"

For how long ? - the length of the holiday, or hospital stay , or time that they are in a coma, or until their partner decides to read their emails after mourning their death for 6 months. what's reasonable ?.

What customer service can someone expect to receive from a one man band in such circumstances ?

And if the customer has an urgent scenario - which they are paying a retainer for - is it basically a case of "suck it up princess - I ain't hear to deal with your query at the moment, your own your own now."

Monitor53

No mobile numbers . I see your point about it being bad timing as it's year end but I would expect anyone in business to at least have an automated response to emails and a holding message on the answerphone. It's a three person Ltd company - 2 active directors and a secretary - which is why the whole thing is so odd -at the very least unprofessional. I'm a one man band and if I'm busy during the day I make sure I respond in the evening.
But thanks for the info about normal procedure with SL and executors.
I'll try again with SL tomorrow.

richyg

Monitor53 wrote: »

I'm a one man band and if I'm busy during the day I make sure I respond in the evening.

Agree completely. I am a just a grunt in a business, but the need to respond to your emails and voicemails in a timely manner and deal with your out of office based on sickness,holiday or other expected or unexpected absence is expected and isn't rocket science. It's standard practice from a basic clerk upwards in every business I choose to deal with.

I would look elsewhere and hope for a good situation for you.

dunstonh

Sorry Dunstonh, I am not meaning to rub up against you twice in a week but you seem to be in the know on the behaviour of IFA's and yout post seems to say that ignoring your customers for a week is a reasonable action.

If the IFA is one man band and driving around the county seeing people then its inevitable that they are not going to be using their desk phone. if no message is left on the phone, they will not know who has rang. - we now know its not a one man band or that messages were not left.

For how long ? - the length of the holiday, or hospital stay , or time that they are in a coma, or until their partner decides to read their emails after mourning their death for 6 months. what's reasonable ?.

Not for me to say what is reasonable if the adviser is dead.

And if the customer has an urgent scenario - which they are paying a retainer for - is it basically a case of "suck it up princess - I ain't hear to deal with your query at the moment, your own your own now."

retainers are not allowed.

richyg

dunstonh wrote: »

retainers are not allowed.

Apologies. I was just using a word that was easy to type and which seemed to represent payment for an "ongoing expectation of services".

I may be wrong but I think that is what the customer wants out of what I guess is actually a contract ?.

The money advice service calls it

"An ongoing fee - an adviser can only charge you an ongoing fee in return for providing an ongoing service, unless you’re paying off an initial charge over time through a regular payment product."

I guess the IFA couldn't also describe it as an "ongoing service" once they are incapacitated or dead so I assume fees would stop at this point.

I'll agree this isn't the same scenario as not answering the phone for a while but surely it's a situation that is very possible for lot of one man band organisations with aging IFA's. Is there no succession planning or requirement for managing exceptional situations this could happen more and more.

dunstonh

I guess the IFA couldn't also describe it as an "ongoing service" once they are incapacitated or dead so I assume fees would stop at this point.

yep. whilst i have not experienced it personally, on death/closure, the agencies would cease any fee arrangements clients have.

Is there no succession planning or requirement for managing exceptional situations this could happen more and more.

You would hope so. One man bands are in decline but still a few left. You would think they would have some plan in place as their client bank is an asset potentially.