Hello rhardy,
Thank you for the in depth details of your concerns with QuickBooks Online. I would be happy to provide some guidance here!
First and foremost, let's take a look to see if you're the Primary Admin on the account. Go to your Settings ⚙, then select Manage users. If you don't have access to this area, this would indicate that you are not the Primary Admin on the account. If your previous accountant transferred the role to you, an invitation would have been sent to your email. It is only active for 2 business days, before it expires. You can contact them and request a new invitation, or we can help you from our end when you submit a Primary Admin request.
Once the request has been completed and the Primary Admin role successfully updated, you'll be able to proceed with inviting a new accountant to your books.
Feel free to reach out again, if you have other questions. We would be glad to help!