How does Project Accountancy Pty Ltd's fee-beat offer work for new customers?

Updated

Project Accountancy Pty Ltd (taxcentre.com.au), a Brisbane-based public practice accounting firm, advertises a fee-beat offer for new customers: if you find a lower fee for the same service, the firm says it will beat that fee by 5%. The offer is described on its website as a one-off promotion available to all new customers. It is a price-matching-plus promise rather than a published discount schedule, so the practical value depends on how "same service" and "lower fee" are defined and confirmed with the firm before you engage.

What the offer says

The website's home page states the firm's focus is high-quality accountancy and bookkeeping service, and then presents the fee offer in the context of tax return and tax advice work. The key terms as published:

  • Eligibility: new customers only.
  • Trigger: you find a lower fee for the same service.
  • Benefit: the firm will beat that lower fee by 5%.
  • Frequency: described as a one-off offer.

The page does not publish a fee list, a comparison form, or a definition of what counts as the "same service." Those details are not stated in the available material and would need to be confirmed directly with the firm.

How to use it in practice

Because the offer is conditional, the useful work happens before you sign an engagement letter. A workable sequence:

  1. Define the service precisely. Ask the firm to quote the exact scope you need — for example, an individual tax return with specific income types, or a business return plus bookkeeping for a set period. The comparison only means something if both quotes cover identical work.
  2. Get your comparison quote in writing. A lower fee from another provider should be documented (a written quote or fee schedule) so the "same service" claim can be checked line by line.
  3. Ask the firm to confirm the match in writing. Request the adjusted fee and how the 5% reduction is calculated before work begins.
  4. Check what the one-off status means for you. Since the offer is described as one-off, confirm whether it applies to your first engagement only and whether later work is billed at standard rates.
  5. Verify before lodging. The site invites contact for a second opinion on tax advice and for tax return lodgment; use that contact to confirm eligibility rather than assuming the offer applies automatically.

Expected result: a written fee confirmation that reflects the beaten price, agreed before any return is prepared or lodged.

Where the offer is most and least useful

Situation Fit with the offer
You have a written lower quote for an identical, well-defined service Strongest case — the comparison is concrete and checkable
You are a new client with a straightforward individual return Likely relevant, but confirm scope and one-off terms
You need ongoing bookkeeping plus advisory across a year Weaker fit unless the "same service" scope is tightly defined; confirm whether the one-off applies to the whole engagement
You have not yet gathered comparison quotes The offer cannot be evaluated — collect quotes first

What to confirm with the firm

The published page leaves several points open, and these are the questions worth asking directly:

  • What documentation counts as proof of a "lower fee"?
  • Does the 5% reduction apply to the total fee or to a specific component?
  • Does the one-off offer cover only the first engagement, and does it apply to both individual and business returns?
  • Are there services (for example, second opinions on existing tax advice) that fall outside the offer?

The firm's site also notes it handles individual and business tax returns "no matter the type" and offers a second opinion so clients "don't overpay" — useful context, but not a substitute for a written quote.

Bottom line

The fee-beat offer is a new-customer, one-off price promise: find a lower fee for the same service and the firm says it will beat it by 5%. It is worth pursuing if you already have a comparable written quote and can get the match confirmed in writing before engaging. If your work is hard to compare or the scope is unclear, treat the offer as a starting point for a fee conversation rather than a guaranteed discount.