On a related subject

I was approached today by someone who has concerns about the way their accountant has behaved recently. I won't go into details here but it certainly sounded as though my friend had grounds for complaint.

Now let me be clear - There are always two sides to a situation like the one that was described to me. There my be extenuating circumstances. What was said/done may have been misunderstood. I know all that - although the surrounding details and the specific allegations in this case are pretty damning even if only partly true.

My advice was to try to resolve matters directly with the accountant. If this is unsuccessful and my friend wants to take things further I indicated that a complaint could be made to the relevant professional body. We checked and the individual concerned is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. In such cases complaints can be made to the Professional Conduct Directorate if the professional and ethical standards of an Institute member does not meet the reasonable expectations of the public. The Institute website contains good advice as to how complaints can be made including copies of relevant forms and advice as to how diffciulties can best be resolved.