Suppose that I do some work for a client, accept payment, do any necessary e-filing, and give copies to the client. Then I discover that due to my error I neglected to charge for one form. Would it be anything other than unbelievably unprofessional for me to bill for the form? Does it matter whether what I forgot was the lowest priced form I have, the most expensive, or somewhere in between?
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I don't rebill. Just oops. -
billing
In the past, I have intentionally billed some clients at a much lower rate due to their circumstances. However, when one particular client came out of her hard times and I billed her for the true value of her tax return, she didn't want to pay the bill. What I learned from that is to always bill the client for full amount. Then, if I want to actually charge them less for whatever reason, I list a discount. That way the client is always aware of what they "should" be paying for the tax return.
I know that is not your situation, but it does have some appliation. In your case, I would say "oops" for this year, but be sure the client is aware of my "oops" so they will be prepared to pay full value for next year's return.Comment
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Especially if it's a small amount, I don't understand why you would want to risk annoying an otherwise good client. Bill them for it next year, and if they question it, then say "Oops, forgot to bill you for that last year."
I'm against discounts. Do you go to a particular doctor because of a discount coupon? Do you go to a particular lawyer because of a discount coupon? What other professionals offer discounts to try to lure new customers?
Many many years ago the tax office where I work offered a discount coupon in a local paper to lure new clients. It was a mess, and they swore they'd never do it again. Previous long-term clients were angry that they were paying full price. They didn't get a single high-quality client out of the bunch. The phones were jammed with a bunch of discount-seekers who didn't care about the quality of service, all they cared about was devaluing your service so they could get the cheapest price possible. Never again.
As a result of that fiasco, a policy went into effect that remains to this day. You can do all the returns you want for free, but no discounts. If there is someone who is truly down and out and needs a hand, do the return free. When you discount you devalue your service. People don't appreciate it, all they know is they're paying for it.
When you do it free, people know what you're doing, know it's not the real price, and they'll be you best clients for life. If it's not a bad enough situation to do it free, charge your regular fee.
I believe there are much better ways to attract new clients than offering discounts.Comment
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discount for new clients
I agree completely with you on not discounting to get new clients. I don't do that either. But in the case of clients who are in bad circumstances, I will continue to discount. I love hearing about the different experiences folks have had and how we can all learn from them.Comment
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I vote no re-bill, I think this would just upset the client. Chalk it up to a learning experience and move on. At the most it might have cost you like what $100 not worth it.Originally posted by erchess View PostComment
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Luis I agree with your theory on discounts except in one case. Referrals. In this type of situation I offer a 10% discount to any client for a referral. I think this is a good type of discount because it is quantifiable. Other than that I don't discount .Comment
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I put in a sponsor advertisement in a newsletter for an organization that represents low income clients. I do offer anyone coming in from that organization a 10% discount. Also $10 off per referral. But that's about it.Comment
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