| Frequently asked questions |
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| New clients are sometimes uncertain about
how to appoint us to act for them: the procedure is very simple.
The first step is to contact us to arrange a meeting - all initial
meetings are free of charge and without obligation.
Below are some matters commonly raised by
prospective clients and we hope you will find the answers
helpful.
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| What services do you offer? |
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| I already have an accountant,
what should I do? |
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| What do I need to bring with
me at our first meeting? |
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| How do I know what you will
charge? |
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| Do you bill on a time basis? |
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| Will you charge me for every
little telephone call? |
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| Will all our meetings be at
Ashcombe Court? |
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| How can I pay your fees? |
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| Who will look after my affairs? |
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| What services do you offer? |
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| Click here to see what services
we offer. |
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| I already have an accountant,
what should I do? |
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If you have an existing accountant and wish to move to
Roffe Swayne it really is very easy. Once you have decided
to appoint us we will ask you to contact your present firm
to let them know that you have decided to change accountants.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants requires us to contact
the outgoing accountant to obtain confirmation that there
are no professional reasons why we should not act. Normally
this is a mere formality and the outgoing accountant will
then pass to us any relevant information regarding your affairs
to ensure a smooth handover.
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| What do I need to bring with me at
our first meeting? |
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| We will ask you to provide copies of recent accounts if you
have them and any other relevant documents. In due course we
will ask your previous accountant for a copy of your latest
tax return and all relevant correspondence with the Inland Revenue. |
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| How do I know what you will charge? |
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| We wouldn't expect you to appoint us without having an indication
of what it will cost you. Indeed wherever possible we prefer
to estimate the price for the work we are engaged to do on your
behalf before we start. There are occasions when it is extremely
difficult to assess the amount of work involved. In these cases
we will explain how we will charge and keep you informed as
the work progresses and submit bills on account. |
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| Do you bill on a time basis? |
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For many years accountants have charged on a time cost
basis. The bill is calculated by reference to the time necessarily
taken at an hourly rate for the grade of person who has undertaken
the work. To avoid uncertainty, however, we will provide you
with an indication of the likely scale of the cost at the
outset.
Where clients prefer, and where it is appropriate, we also
provide our services on a fixed-fee basis. Typically we quote
a fixed amount for clearly defined services with anything
extra being dealt with separately as it arises.
Simply put, we try to ensure that our fees are seen to be
fair by you. You need to know what you are paying for and
how that figure has been calculated. |
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| Will you charge me for every little
telephone call? |
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| No. For us to be able to provide you with the service that
you require, we need to understand you and your business and
will want to talk to you on a regular basis. On those occasions,
it is not helpful for you to feel that the clock is always running
and that there will be an invoice shortly afterwards.
On the other hand, if you have called for advice and this
is given on the telephone, we are sure you will agree that
there should be a charge for this. After all, we are in business
to provide advice. |
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| Will all our meetings be at Ashcombe
Court? |
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| Meetings can be held at Ashcombe Court, but if it is more
convenient for you we can come to your home or business premises.
Visiting your premises will help us to fully understand your
business. |
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| How can I pay your fees? |
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| We will be pleased to agree a basis on which to submit our
fee notes and agree payment terms that you will find convenient.
Our normal credit terms are 30 days from date of invoice. We
are happy to accept payment by standing order where this is
felt to be more suitable. We accept cheques, cash or credit
cards. |
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| Who will look after my affairs? |
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| Overall responsibility for your affairs will rest with one
of our Partners. Who this is will be influenced by a number
of considerations. If you already know someone at Roffe Swayne
with whom you would like to work then that may be the obvious
choice.
In other cases we will involve a Partner or Manager with
the appropriate skills and experience to look after your affairs.
Within the practice we possess a very broad range of experience
with some Partners specialising in particular industry sectors
or areas of work.
It is Roffe Swayne's policy that at least two senior members
of our team will be familiar with your affairs. This means
that if your main contact is unavailable someone else will
be able to help you. |
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