Late on Thursday evening last week we received a very irate call from a client saying we had missed her accounting deadline and the accounts were overdue by 3 weeks.
Oh goodness – what has happened?
The caller said her accountant was Alan – we have a couple of Alans. I checked our records & checked with the Alans but no one had heard of the lady.
She’d asked for a call back on her mobile – I called three times and left three messages but it was turned off.
Oh goodness – what can I do?
If we don’t get his sorted the fine will increase in a week (£150 for up to a month late increasing to £375 if over a month and less than 3 months).
Miss Marple – eat your heart out
Looking at our switchboard software I could see that she’d called from a landline. I called that number & it was a switchboard of a very large company who kindly gave me another number & eventually I tracked her down.
Phew!
I said I was looking at her complaint and asked her which Alan was dealing with her accounts. She said it was Alan Franklin. She told me that she had paid him for the accounts but they hadn’t been produced or filed.
Oh deary me
Now I know that Alan Franklin doesn’t work for us but works for The Cheap Accountant.
So I had the unenviable task of telling the lady that I was afraid that I could nothing about her complaint as The Cheap Accountant is not connected to us and she must call them to deal with the complaint.
Speed
I managed to clear all of this up within 30 minutes but clearly couldn’t address the overdue accounts issue.
This is the second time in as many months that we’ve received a call from someone wanting to complain to us about The Cheap Accountant.
There is only one CheapAccounting.co.uk
My message to anyone who is calling us thinking we can help with any issues they may be having with The Cheap Accountant, Cheaper Accountants or anyone else using name like Cheap Accountant …
“I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulties with the firm that you instructed to carry out your work. They are not anything to do with us, they are not connected to us in anyway whatsoever and we have absolutely no association with them. We are CheapAccounting.co.uk, the Online Accounting Firm of the Year as voted for by the eminent judging panel at the British Accountancy Awards. We offer cheap accounting services. We are not cheap accountants. So I’m afraid that on this occasion we are unable to help you further. The very best of luck with your business”.
Piotr Jurga says
Another update re Alan Franklin and The Cheap Accountant.
I have reported today both to actionfraud.police.uk
Trading Standards Agency and AAT (Alan is registered with AAT under licence number 1000251) to follow.
Piotr Jurga says
As a follow-up of my comment dated July 12, 2015, I need to add the following facts:
1. According to BizDb [one-stop business directory] the TCA [trading under the name of Capital Business Accounting Ltd.] is a company with ‘active’ status;
2. Alan was a Director of the company from January’14 to 31/03/2015.
Piotr Jurga says
I am in a similar situation to Susan. I contacted TCA on 23/6/14 and requested preparation of Ltd Co accounts for Oct’13-Sept’14. Alan instructed me to pay in arrears £153.00, then he requested GoCardless DD payments of £17.00 pm. In May’15 Alan informed me by email that TCA closed down and he was made redundant by the company who owned TCA. The owner of TCA is Robert Engenham/Carter whom is the son of John Engenham/Carter. They are the owner of http://www.capital-office.co.uk which is located at Kemp House, 152-160 City Roa London EC1V 2NX where they ran TCA from. Alan advised that I should be able to contact Robert on info@thecheapaccountant.co.uk/sales@capital-office.co.uk and John maybe contacted at office@capital-office.co.uk
My total outlay for the service which was never delivered amounted to £323.00
On 18/05/15 Alan send an email to me asking if he should proceed with preparation of my accounts for the submission to HMRC and added that this service would cost £100 [on top of £323 already paid to TCA]. I replied that I want him to prepare the accounts and I requested his bank details where £100 could be paid in. Alan did not reply. HE DID NOT PREPARE THE ACCOUNTS, HE DID NOT ADVISE ME THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THEM ON TIME, HE JUST KEPT QUIET.
I intend to follow an advice published on this forum earlier and involve the police and Trading Standards Agency.
Susan says
Alan Franklin from The Cheap Accountant (TCA) took my money and did not provide any service at all, now he said coz the company are in process of been wound up. There is no way to ask refund. And he cannot get the job done only if i pay again to his account ?? I paid TCA 1 year ago, and it is about time to file the return but now he says this to me? does it sound right? where to make complain and how to get money back? any advise will be appreciated.