Why clients are the worst: Tax pros’ pet peeves

February 9, 2021 9:00 AM

The start of the new season ignites a lot of feelings in tax preparers: anticipation, dread, excitement and eagerness to tackle the long days ahead.

But there’s also “annoyance.” What client behavior drives preparers crazy the most?

Larry Pon, a CPA in Redwood City, California, hates it “when clients do not say, ‘Thank you.’”

Pon participates in an online chatroom for CPAs where annoying client behavior — often over the phone — was a recent topic. Here are some early-season peeves shared by the members.

Who’s the expert here?

Arrogance in any form doesn’t work with one CPA — like when clients claim to know more than the preparer. Maybe they do. More likely they don’t.

Document mismanagement

Iakov Filimonov/JackF - Fotolia

One CPA has clients who use only their smartphones and so can’t create PDFs if they don’t own a scanner. Thus preparers have to become PDF tutors to clients who also manage to chew up time trying to figure out how to download a file — or who downloaded it and have no idea where to find it on their phone or computer.

‘Complete’ in what sense?

Heap of paper sales receipts in a mound isolated on white background.

Love the clients who mail in a few separate things, then call to ask if you got everything. How, one CPA wondered, do you even figure out what “everything” is? Dribs and drabs of info, another CPA lamented, arriving like castaways by fax, mail or dreaded JPG (can you say “rotate and resize”?). Do you really charge enough for all this?

Recommendation to clients: email for completeness and the e-trail; texts for anything urgent.

Put the da**ed cell phone away!

imageegami - Fotolia

One new client — first return, two Schedules C and multiple rentals — asked if she could make calls while the CPA was working on her taxes. Negative: There will be questions for the client and the CPA had limited interest in listening to the calls while trying to complete a return. And the ones who keep taking calls during the appointment wonder why the bill his higher.

Talk the talk

Rommel Canlas/Innovated Captures - Fotolia

One CPA who admits to (“sadly”) loving to talk has the added curse of liking most clients — and when they call it’s never a short conversation. A simple Medicare question recently turned into 20 minutes when it blossomed into a discussion of family, work and a broken elbow. Those clients who won’t or can’t use email seem to be the worst. CPAs are considering an egg timer — or a fake fire alarm.

Concern vs. convenience

Check all calls using caller ID. If no name is listed or if you’re busy, off to voicemail. Call your own cell or phone so the client hears the ringing in the background and hears you’ve got another call. Blame a bad connection and claim you can’t hear them, then suggest an email. Not worrying about upsetting other people is half the battle.