Unpaid bills

[ILLMAS]

Would you warn the next accountant about  a habitual late paying client they'll be dealing with?

[BHoffman]

Only if I referred the client to a buddy tax preparer, and I would have told my buddy before he accepted the client.  Otherwise, no way would I talk about that to a successor accountant.

[Possi]

No, I'd be afraid it would blow back at me.

[BLACK BART]

Well, I think its against the law or some credit-reporting something-or-another rule to tell the truth nowadays, isn't it?

Nevertheless, if I was still mad, I might try to find some subtle, non-litigable way to pass on my impression.  Not "That no-good S.O.B still owes me $250 from 2013," but maybe "He's okay, but I'd count my silverware."

[rfassett]

Nope!  That would not be my concern.  I have enough of my own problems without taking on those of other practitioners - present group being the exception to that statement of course.

 

[FDNY]

I would just tell them "Good luck."  

[Catherine]

I had just this situation; I fired an unresponsive client and got written authorization to give "any and all" information requested to the new firm.  Told them basically that he needs to be handled with a stick, not a carrot.  Work on retainer only, give him hard deadlines with heavy consequences for missing them, etc.  Said my error with the guy was to be too nice; let deadlines slip and accommodate him - turned into chronically horrifically late (including late paying me by months and months).  Said he'd be a good client IF they gave him the real hard-nosed, unyielding treatment up front, and applied penalties as needed.  Plus lots of other useful tidbits I wished *I* had been warned about a decade ago.  The accountant I spoke with (who was going to handle the client) was really grateful and thanked me repeatedly.  

[Roberts]

If you don't have anything nice to say........  Certain things just aren't my responsibility. If the new preparer asked nicely, maybe.

 

[Catherine]

Side note - I said nothing bad about the client; these were all presented as techniques for successful handling.  And not until after we'd had the discussion about his years of late filing penalties for 1099's and tax returns.  And a chat about the tax lien on his house that was the final straw to get him to bring me the two years' worth of IRS letters - all for a matter that I could have fixed in an hour had he brought the first letter over on receipt.

[Eric]

Personally, if the situation were reversed and I were about to receive a pain-in-the-ass client, I would appreciate knowing the history up front.  I work in a different field, of course, but dealing with people is dealing with people.  And I prefer not to deal with the ones who don't value my time.

[ILLMAS]

1 hour ago, Eric said:

Personally, if the situation were reversed and I were about to receive a pain-in-the-ass client, I would appreciate knowing the history up front.  I work in a different field, of course, but dealing with people is dealing with people.  And I prefer not to deal with the ones who don't value my time.

I agree, when I take on a new client, I always ask if the prior accountant has been paid before I start requesting information from them.