Hentons Avis 5

Our chartered accountant retired and we, his clients, were transferred to Hentons. Within a few years this new firm was gauging prices through a specific pattern of conduct that is important to document:

Hentons staff will delay until the evening before an important filing deadline and set up out-of-hours phone calls without written explanation. In these calls they will claim there has been a sudden steep increase in Hentons service fees which you must immediately agree to pay or risk potential government legal repercussions when they miss the imminent filing deadline. If you ask why no advance notice or written quotation was provided for said exorbitant price hike, they will gaslight and say they were on vacation or busy and imply that you're lucky they told you at all.

Once you recognise this pattern, you can start taking steps to protect yourself and exit the harmful relationship: refuse non-written interactions and ask them to prepare official filings at least a week before the government deadline. This will limit Hentons' ability to corner you into an environment where you are alone and vulnerable. Consider sharing transcripts with Companies House / HMRC.

If your accountant is closing shop and wants to switch you over to Hentons, politely refuse as you have the right to shop around. Do your due diligence and make use of the wealth of comparison tools out there to select a credible, trusted accountancy firm who will welcome you as an equal. Once your accountant sells you to Hentons, you are no longer the client but the product.

Having previously been part of the payroll team, I can truly affirm that this workplace was the most toxic I have ever experienced. Despite her youth, the supervisor was nothing short of a tyrant. Meanwhile, the partners seemed indifferent, focusing solely on high-paying clients and ignoring the smaller ones. Even with my extensive experience, the supervisor treated me poorly. This approach has now backfired, as three additional employees have departed since my exit. That speaks volumes.

My past experience in the payroll division at this company was far from pleasant, marked by the most negative environment I've ever encountered. The supervisor, though young, displayed bullying behavior. The partners seemed indifferent, focusing only on lucrative fees and favoring larger clients over the smaller ones. Despite my extensive experience, the supervisor demeaned me. This approach has severely backfired, with three more staff exiting after my departure. That truly speaks for itself.

I used to work in the payroll department here and can honestly say I have never worked anywhere so toxic. The supervisor despite being very young is a bully. The partners just take no notice as all they are bothered about is fees. They aren’t bothered about the smaller clients they just want the larger ones. Despite having several years experience the supervisor spoke to me like dirt. This has now backfired on them badly as since I left 3 more staff have left.

Says it all.

I was a client for about 8 years, before they rebranded to Hentons. My experience was great at first but then after the rebrand it went from bad to worse. I believe it is a family owned firm and when Mr Panayi retired, I had an extremely disappointing and frustrating experience with Hentons. Initially, they seemed knowledgeable and trustworthy, but it quickly became apparent that this was far from the truth.

Firstly, the fees were not transparent. What started as a reasonable quote ballooned into an exorbitant bill, with numerous hidden charges that were never discussed upfront. When I questioned these additional fees, I was met with vague explanations and dismissive rude responses. Any advice I received was usually the most expensive option which I came to realise later.

Furthermore, the quality of the work was subpar. There were numerous errors in my accounts, leading to significant issues with the HMRC. Instead of taking responsibility and rectifying these mistakes, Hentons blamed me for their own incompetence and tried to blind me with accounting science.

To add insult to injury, communication was poor throughout the process. Calls and emails were often ignored, and when I did get a response, it was unprofessional and unhelpful. I felt neglected and undervalued as a client. They can be very difficult to deal with. I'd save time and stress and go elsewhere.

Overall, I feel completely ripped off and regret ever engaging with Hentons. I would strongly advise anyone considering their services to look elsewhere. Save yourself the headache and financial loss by finding a reputable and honest accountant.