Leaderboard

I want to congratulate all that have put their foot down and fired clients, I fired two clients via letter about 2 years ago and my stress level went down from 100% to 0%.

I've only fired a few over the years and did it by a telephone call telling them I think they would be better served by someone else. I also let them know that I will be available to their new preparer if needed. I like to leave on good terms, but it feels so good getting rid of the PITAs, usually people that call all year for every petty nonsense reason you can think of. I've raised their prices but the money is still not worth it. Lucky for me I like most of my clients and am more than happy to give them added value with answering their questions during the year, as long as they don't abuse my good nature, or else they get the call.

You know, that is an excellent point Catherine. I have been thinking that I want to sell my business and get out so I can work less hard. Maybe if I don't have much luck selling, I should just keep raising my fees until I am working less hard because people leave but I will still be making money on the ones that stay. Something to think about before the first of the year......

No, all decedent's assets go into estate on date of death.

On another forum, the standard advice was to double their bill every year until they left or you were happy. One guy wrote back, saying he'd inherited a "problem client" (acctg and tax) who drove him NUTS always calling with questions. Annual fee was $1250. So he double it to $2500. Still drove him nuts. Doubled again to $5,000 and they were still annoying. Doubled it yet *again* to $10,000 - and now they're some of his favorite clients, with whom he is always happy to chat! The fee just wasn't commensurate with what they needed and wanted. How many times do we put up with stuff we should be charging for, and resent it, when clients might be happy to pay more? (Or walk away, with us waving energetically behind them to hurry them along.) Make sure the ones you are firing are really PITA's that you don't want at any price. Else try hiking the price to the level they annoy you, and see. One guy said some years ago that if you double your price and lose half the clients, you're making the same money for half the work.

I usually just fire them by billing them much more than usual. Consider it a parting gift.

We are under no legal obligation to continue providing tax return services in future years. If you don't want to prepare a tax return next year, don't send them a organizer, don't send them a appointment and do not accept an appointment if they call. Yes, it is polite to send them a letter saying to "get lost". But really, email, USPS, Priority, Certified or even smoke signals.... It is a courtesy you are extending to them. They do not contact US to tell US that they won't be back, right? (Well, except to get free copies of prior years returns so they can give them to the new person...) The letter I would send, would state that next years fee is going to last years fee plus an increase of 1.xx more. They can make a decision after that. Rich

HP printers are my workhorse printers since my first that hubby still uses now (HP PCL 4 or something like that). Have three HPs in my office currently, all years old: large color laser, small very fast black only laser for tax returns, and an all-in-one color inkjet for when I need a stand-alone fax or glass-plate scanner (my workhorse scanner is a Fujitsu). Never had an HP break down; every HP printer I've ever owned is still in use by my business or my family. I have had to throw out a couple of Brother printers.

All the good stuff in windows is in the right-click menus.