Non-Clients Calling with Questions

[JohnH]

Given that there may be more non-clients than usual calling with questions this year, what's your plan?  Here's a possible script:

Caller: "I just need a little bit of info about the new tax law so I can finish my return.  Do you answer questions?"

Preparer: "Yes, I answer one question for free and then there's a charge for each additional question."

Caller: "How much do you charge for each question?"

Preparer: "My fee is $200 per question.  What's your next question?"

 

[Evan S. Golar]

How can you answer any type of question for someone who is not already your client?

[JohnH]

As a practical matter and aside from the attempt at humor in this post, I often answer simple questions for people who are not my clients. If the question is uncomplicated, the person is known to me, and we have a cordial relationship, I will often provide an answer with the proper qualifiers.

[Evan S. Golar]

Since you seem to feel it's a joke - let me describe a real situation that I had about 3 years ago with a MFJ couple

Husband was about ready to die from sickness. Knowing that, wife tells a prospective beneficiary of his assets to contact me regarding tax benefits/consequences of inheriting his assets upon death. That person called me on the spot - never knowing who she was, never heard her name before, only introduced herself as beneficiary of future deceased asking me to answer blanket questions, confusing income tax, estate tax, and gift tax all in one question. Of course I refused to provide any answers.

I asked the wife about her afterwards and she said "I gave her your name because she'll be a future client".

Well - that never came to be because within a month after the guy's death, wife took that beneficiary to court for embezzlement, since she was the ONLY other person to have access to the bank vault where his assets were stored.

I lost the widow as a client as well.

[Lion EA]

I do answer tax questions for people I know, with qualifiers sprinkled liberally through the answers. As an example, that would be for someone at church who asks me during coffee hour about "this new pass-through deduction" he heard about. I do NOT answer tax questions for random callers. I recommend they engage a preparer who can work with their entire financial situation or that they call their tax prep software company for advice.

[ILLMAS]

Caller:  I have a question....

Me:  Let’s setup an appointment and I charge $XX, and if you become a client I will credit the payment towards your next invoice.

Caller:  Let me check my schedule and I will call you back.

You know the rest.

[BulldogTom]

I was setting up my seasonal office last weekend.  No client appointments, just making sure the new computer connected to the old printer, setting up the internet, that kind of stuff.   One of the other tenants in the building stopped in for a quick question.   Was sure that his CPA was working for the IRS and not for him.   20 minutes later, he was convinced we all work for the IRS, but he got his answer confirmed.

The next tenant who dropped in to say hi was a general contractor.   20 minutes later I had the answer I was looking for from him about some work I want done on my home.  

What goes around comes around.   

I try to be generous with my free time.   I know that if that first tenant ever decides to move his tax work, I will be on the short list.   He may never do so, but I have planted the seeds of my knowledge and experience.   Who knows if it will ever blossom into an invoice.   And the guy I took 20 minutes from may be able to invoice me for some work I want done on my home.  No guarantees, but he gave me some good information and for that I will give him a shot at the work I want done.

Tom
Modesto, CA

[JohnH]

6 hours ago, Evan S. Golar said:

Since you seem to feel it's a joke - let me describe a real situation that I had about 3 years ago with a MFJ couple

Husband was about ready to die from sickness. Knowing that, wife tells a prospective beneficiary of his assets to contact me regarding tax benefits/consequences of inheriting his assets upon death. That person called me on the spot - never knowing who she was, never heard her name before, only introduced herself as beneficiary of future deceased asking me to answer blanket questions, confusing income tax, estate tax, and gift tax all in one question. Of course I refused to provide any answers.

I asked the wife about her afterwards and she said "I gave her your name because she'll be a future client".

Well - that never came to be because within a month after the guy's death, wife took that beneficiary to court for embezzlement, since she was the ONLY other person to have access to the bank vault where his assets were stored.

I lost the widow as a client as well.

Yep, clients come and clients go.

 

[BLACK BART]

10 hours ago, Evan S. Golar said:

Since you seem to feel it's a joke...

Ha-ha-ha! John, I've just gotta say that's the first time I ever heard anybody accuse you of lacking a good sense of humor  although I think it might legitimately be said of Mr. Golar.

[JohnH]

Bart: As you well know, a sense of humor and not taking ourselves too seriously can get us through a lot of tough situations.  Although I have to say a client took it real personal one time when I told him I'm not a caring person, but I am feeling person.  (We were talking about a tax problem he had which was of his own making.)  After staring in awkward silence, he replied he didn't understand.  So I explained, "I really don't care, but sometimes I feel bad about not caring."  You know, that guy left and never did come back.