Will advice eventually cost you more?

Brainstrust

The fact i am asking my question here is probably somewhat of an oxymoron, however I shall continue.

From reading the various business / accounting / tax related forums I see a lot of people have sought answers to queries ranging from the very basic business advice to complex tax planning.

i am wondering - has anyone here ever acted on the advice received without getting independent professional advice?

Similarly I was looking at a UK site where you can pay for a subject matter expert to answer the question. Has anyone or would anyone ever use a site where they are charged a small fee for 1 answer to 1 question (provided the answer came with some level of comfort that the answer was correct and not just supposition).

Brainstrust

Brainstrust wrote: »

The fact i am asking my question here is probably somewhat of an oxymoron, however I shall continue.

From reading the various business / accounting / tax related forums I see a lot of people have sought answers to queries ranging from the very basic business advice to complex tax planning.

i am wondering - has anyone here ever acted on the advice received without getting independent professional advice?

Similarly I was looking at a UK site where you can pay for a subject matter expert to answer the question. Has anyone or would anyone ever use a site where they are charged a small fee for 1 answer to 1 question (provided the answer came with some level of comfort that the answer was correct and not just supposition).

Why pay when you can ask the two Pedros for free!!

pedronomix

Deleted User wrote: »

Why pay when you can ask the two Pedros for free!!

(*´∀｀*)

The Corinthian

Brainstrust wrote: »

i am wondering - has anyone here ever acted on the advice received without getting independent professional advice?

The long tradition of spending pounds to save pennies in Ireland would lead me to believe, plenty of times...

Similarly I was looking at a UK site where you can pay for a subject matter expert to answer the question. Has anyone or would anyone ever use a site where they are charged a small fee for 1 answer to 1 question (provided the answer came with some level of comfort that the answer was correct and not just supposition).

I suspect it comes down to liability. If someone gives professional advice, it is their reputation on the line and potentially as well they may be liable for damages if the advice was negligent. If such a site does not incorporate such deterrents to poor advice, then there's no real difference to it and asking here, except that you're paying for it.

Cianos

There's certainly value in paying someone to answer a question in order to save a couple of hours of research to possibly arrive at the wrong conclusion.

However hiring a professional in the traditional sense makes the person accountable for the advice they give, which incentivises accuracy. With a website you need to know that the advice isn't automated/generic, but also that the person has enough incentive to provide you with an accurate response as the terms of service could easily allow for zero accountability on their behalf.