Showing posts with label greed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greed. Show all posts

Quicken Basic 2007 Review

Quicken Basic 2007
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
As of this writing, Quicken's servers have been non-functional 90% of the time, meaning that I cannot download my financial institutions' online data. The program itself is good, but don't expect it to be able to download your financial data.

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TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008 Review

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is an edited review with the new information immediately below. The old portions of the review can be found further down below the dashes. There you can find out how Intuit managed to eliminate their negative reviews on Amazon, or how they almost lost a bunch of customers. Now for the review ...
As promised, this is my TurboTax Deluxe vs. TaxCut Premium review. I used both programs in parallel on my Mac to do two tax returns, one with rental properties, a side business, and investments. I won't keep you in suspense: TurboTax is better. Given the recent Intuit shenanigans with TurboTax limitations and pricing, I really wanted to discover that TaxCut was better. Alas, that was not to be.
So what's better about TurboTax? The most significant for me is TurboTax's display of last-year and this-year amount columns in the wages and income summary (you get there with "select specific topics" and after you visit each topic), the deductions and credits summary, and in the rental common expenses interviews. They are the best way to see what I need to do, and what I might have forgotten. Like those home owner's association dues on one of my properties that I almost forgot. TaxCut does provide a two-year summary, as does TurboTax. However I don't find that very useful in either program since it's at a high level. Also TaxCut shows it as a form, which is an inconvenient way to look at it.
TaxCut also manages to be annoying in how it displays last year's imported data. There is a single column with blue numbers for last year. You might think that they would change color or something when you enter this year's data, but no. TaxCut doesn't even keep track of what I've entered, since it asks me if I replaced the old information, when that's what I just did. The display and questions are confusing and less than helpful.
The two columns in TurboTax, with "not visited" in the this-year column until I do something with it, as well as buttons that say Revisit if I've been there or Start if I haven't, is the right way to do it. (Though I wish TurboTax would display this year in black and last year in gray, instead of the other way around.)
Another nice thing in TurboTax is that I can have two returns open at the same time and work on them both. Not so with TaxCut. TurboTax enables much easier what-ifs between two returns, like who gets which dependents.
Again, TaxCut manages to be annoying even in opening the one return, since it doesn't remember was I was doing. TaxCut always comes up with the same window, making me pick work on an old return and click on it. The first time I came back, TaxCut didn't even know what directory I had saved the return in.
TurboTax comes up with the last return I was working on already open, with a button to continue where I left off. One flaw in TurboTax is that it doesn't remember that I had two returns open -- it only opens that last one I was messing with.
TurboTax always checks for updates when you launch it. TaxCut requires that you do that manually. TaxCut might let you know on an interview page if it happens to know that an update is forthcoming.
There were many times that TaxCut had a very short, arbitrary limit on the number of characters in a field, which prevented me from entering what I needed to identify what it was both for the IRS, and for myself next year. There may be field limits in TurboTax as well, but I never ran into them.
TaxCut also made it very difficult to look at the form relevant to what I am currently working on. In TurboTax I just hit the forms button in the upper right (and the little feetsies to get back), and I'm there. In TaxCut, I had to go find the form, if I even knew which form it was, and once there the display was cumbersome.
TurboTax also makes it easy to move between forms and worksheets by double-clicking on numbers that come from another form or worksheet. You end up at the source for that number. TaxCut instead asks you if you want to override the number from the unspecified different form.
I won't go into the myriad of little things, like TurboTax accepts 08 for 2008, where TaxCut requires you type 2008, or that TaxCut doesn't use the little red button in the corner and doesn't keep track of whether you've made any changes and need to save, but suffice it to say that in many ways TurboTax was much more pleasant to use.
Some things that are better in TaxCut: the Child EIC and tax credit rules are more clear in the interview process; the Next button mostly stayed in the same place making it easy to review, where in TurboTax the Continue button keeps moving around; TaxCut separates the deductions from the credits, which I like better than TurboTax which munges them together in one page; and of course the biggie, which is that TaxCut never bugs me about upgrading to the next version and sending them another $30 or $40 like TurboTax does *incessantly*.
But the few good things come nowhere near balancing the bad things about TaxCut. Unfortunately, I have to recommend TurboTax Deluxe over TaxCut Premium.
----
Cute trick! You can get rid of all the negative reviews of your product by "updating" the product! The previous Amazon page for this same product had 290 customer reviews (as compared to the 97 reviews on this page today), and out of those 290 reviews, 269 were one star! (You can find a link to the previous page just above the customer reviews here in a box titled "Looking for Customer Reviews for a previous version?".)
To be fair, the negative reviews were largely due to Turbo Tax having a charge for printing returns after the first, and Intuit changed that policy to unlimited printed returns, including my one-star review. But still, allowing a vendor to erase their reviews when they don't like them does not seem like a good precedent for Amazon. Though in this case it didn't completely work out for the vendor, since they continued to accumulate a large percentage of one star reviews (currently 64 out of 97). They did go from an average of one star to an average of two stars.
Getting back to the product, I have copied my review from the previous page here for reference (see below the ----). But first some comments about another prominent review here.
The review that is listed today as the most helpful review actually isn't very helpful, so don't take it too seriously. TurboTax Deluxe most certainly does include Schedule D, Schedule C, and Schedule SE, as well as Schedule E. This has not changed from previous years, so S. Gerber's complaint about an implicit price increase from previous years is simply not correct.
What is true is that TurboTax offers more "help" with those schedules in the more expensive Premier and Home & Business versions. Again, that has been the case in the past as well. However I have rental properties, stock investments, and a side self-employment business and have been using the Deluxe version for years to do my taxes with no problems. In general I find the TurboTax "help" to be less than helpful. All I need is for the software to provide the forms, let me fill them out, do the calculations for me, correctly, and print the forms. I have no need for the "help" in the more expensive versions.
What TurboTax does that really is helpful, at all price levels, is that it allows me to compare my previous year forms and this year's forms at a detailed level. That helps me catch things that I might have forgotten, and to spot unusual deltas that I should look into. [Added note: another review here said that this year's version has eliminated the side-by-side review that was there in previous years! If true, that may be a deal breaker for me.]
Now for my review from the old page (with a few minor changes) ...
----
This review previously noted the fine print for Turbo Tax, not present on the Amazon page, that said: returns after the first, even if printed, would incur a $10 charge. After a great deal of negative customer reaction, including many bad customer reviews here, a CNET article on these reviews, and their competitor changing their product to offer five free e-files, Intuit has decided to mend their ways.
Now Turbo Tax 2008 will work as before, allowing printing additional returns for no charge, and they have matched their competition in providing five free e-filed federal returns with the product. They even got Amazon to alert consumers at the top of the product page: "FREE: 5 federal e-files and unlimited printed returns included with every TurboTax 2008 product." (Funny though that they didn't have a similar alert before at the top of the page about charging $10 for each printed return, but I digress.)
My review previously ended with: "I have been using Turbo Tax for the past eight years. But not this year."
Now I plan to use Turbo Tax for the ninth year. Though I am also giving TaxCut a try in parallel and see how that goes. Based on that experience, I will decide on one or the other for next year. I will update this review once I have done that comparison.

Click Here to see more reviews about: TurboTax Deluxe Federal + State + eFile 2008

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TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009 Review

TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I purchased Turbo Tax Deluxe 2009 from Amazon. Turbo Tax informed me that my state was ready. I launched Turbo Tax and my state was sitting there ready to go. It said I get one free state with my purchase, but when I went to "start" the state it took me on-line to purchase it.
I sent e-mail through turbo tax support just as a post on the turbo tax forum said to. I got no response. After a week of patiently waiting, I called up turbo tax (from the number in the program). I was put on hold but was robotically told I would be getting great customer service.
The person on the line worked long and hard with me to figure out why turbo tax was not letting me use my state. Two things came up constantly:
1. Constantly asking me if I bought the version with the state. Yes. I read it to them off the program telling me I get a free state.
2. They said the problem could be with Amazon's download and it may not have included the state (look at this review, it is against turbo tax including state and it verifies I purchased it).
They finally gave me a dumbed down "form only" version of my state. I was told two things in my reaction to this:
1. The online has a step by step approach (she seemed confused, suggesting the online was step by step but download purchase was not - can anyone confirm this?)
2. There is no known problem with Turbo Tax downloading the state (not true, amazon and turbotax forums both include discussion on such a problem) and that is why I will only get this version (implying another fuller version exits, which is contrary to point 1 above).
Clearly intuit/turbotax is having problems here. Support was great until the end (great as in they kept working on it, not that they solved it).
Twenty year customer. Yes, if there was a better or equal product, I would switch at this point. They could have just fixed it by giving me the correct version. Done. Didn't do it.
Intuit has achieved "AT&T" status: If everything works OK then you get a pretty good product. If it does have problems, support is ineffective.
*** Update 2/3/10: I received an e-mail from TT:
"You have been identified as someone that experienced issues with the free state download. You are entitled to one Free State with TurboTax Deluxe or higher, however, TurboTax prompted for payment in error.
We have identified the root cause of the issue and have scheduled a product update for 2/11/2010 that will resolve the issue.
The information provided by you ultimately helped us identify the issue. We appreciate your patience and assistance in resolving this matter.
If you have already paid for your free state, no action is needed on your part. We will identify you as paying for the state with the information provided in the sign up and issue a refund and you should see the refund on your next statement."
My fingers are crossed while I wait another week to finally get a working product.
*** Update 2/16/10: As promised, I got a new automatic download of my state program. This one now works and is not limited to dumb forms. Doing my state taxes with the full version reminded me to declare an education credit that increased my state refund by several hundred dollars. I would have caught it on my own I'm sure, but this is the reason I pay for a program like Turbo Tax to help me keep track of these things. I've updated my rating to 3 stars - as they came through and fixed the problem. Only 3 stars because they've lost my confidence and I still need to finish my taxes and run the full submission process. I'm not confident it will be error free (or if there is a problem, if Intuit will fix it promptly).

Click Here to see more reviews about: TurboTax Deluxe Federal + eFile + State 2009

If you own a home, made donations or have medical expenses, TurboTax Deluxe will easily get you every tax deduction you deserve.




Here's how it works:
Asks easy questions We customize questions to your unique situation, transfer your info from last year, and put it all on the right tax forms for you.

Maximizes deductions We search for more than 350 deductions to get you the biggest refund possible guaranteed.

Efile for a fast refund Efile with direct deposit to get your refund in as few as 8 days. Five federal efiles included. Prepare and print unlimited single state filings. Additional state forms and state e-file are available for an additional charge.



Why TurboTax Deluxe is the easiest choice for you TurboTax Deluxe was designed to make it easy for you to get the biggest tax refund possible. Choose TurboTax Deluxe if any of the following apply to you:
You own your home
You donated to charity
You have significant education or medical expenses
You have childcare expenses
You have lots of deductions

If you own investments or rental property, choose TurboTax Premier. It has everything in Deluxe PLUS will provide extra guidance so you get the most from your investments.

If you are a sole proprietor, consultant, 1099 contractor, or single-owner LLC, TurboTax Home & Business has everything in Premier and will help you make the most of your business and personal deductions.

If you own an S Corp, partnership, C Corp, or multiple-owner LLC, choose TurboTax Business.

Compare TurboTax Software



Everything you need to do your taxes with ease.


Finds All Deductions and Credits You Deserve to Get Your Biggest Refund
Stimulus Ready Updated with all of the latest tax laws to help you get all of the deductions and credits you deserve--including the new 2009 Stimulus Plan credits for homebuyers, new car purchases and more.

Maximizes Your Tax Deductions Asks simple questions about your income, family situation and changes in your tax situation and credits. Then, based on your answers, searches for more than 350 deductions and credits to get you the biggest tax refund--guaranteed.

Looks for Deduction Opportunities as You Go Shows you which deductions you've taken. Which deductions you haven't. And tells you how to qualify for just about any deduction, so you don't miss any opportunities to save.

Gets You the Maximum Deduction for Donations ItsDeductible (included) helps you accurately value items you donate to charity–no more guessing. Plus, it tracks other donations such as cash, mileage and stocks, to help you get every charitable deduction you're entitled to.

Handles Your Life Changes Changed jobs? Got married? Bought a home? Had a baby? TurboTax guides you through common life changes, explains how the changes will impact your taxes, and tells you what you can deduct.

Helps with Medical Expenses Does all the math and tells you if you qualify to deduct your medical expenses for maximum tax savings.



Helps You Reduce Audit Risk
Tracks Your Audit Risk Audit Risk Meter checks your tax return for common audit triggers. Shows whether your risk is high or low. And provides tips to help you reduce your chance of an audit.

Includes Downloadable Audit Support Center Gives you step-by-step guidance on everything you need to know and do if the IRS contacts you.

Also Available: Audit Defense Provides full-service representation by a trained tax professional. You will never have to meet with the IRS, unless you want to.



Does the Hard Work for You
Asks Easy Questions, Tailored to You Guides you step by step through your tax return and puts your answers on the right tax forms for you. Skips interview questions that don't apply to you, so you can finish your return faster.

Improved Automatically Fills in W-2 and 1099 Info Gets your W-2 and 1099 data directly from over 100,000 participating employers and financial institutions and automatically puts it in the right tax forms. A brief summary lets you review and edit downloaded information if necessary.

Improved Transfers Last Year's Tax Info No retyping necessary. Fills in information from your previous year's return to save time and increase accuracy. Shows you what you're importing and where it goes in your return. You can also import from other tax software including TaxACT and H&R Block's TaxCut.

Imports Your Financial Data Imports information from your financial software (including Quicken, QuickBooks 2007 and higher, and Microsoft Money) so you can skip the cut and paste this year.

New Makes it Easy to Hold Your Place Flag areas in your tax return so you can get back to them easily.



Provides Help and Advice When You Need It
Live Tax Answers Get live answers online from TurboTax experts and other TurboTax users in our Live Community. Plus you'll have instant access to answers to commonly asked tax questions on every screen.

Straightforward Guidance & Advice Find help on any tax topic from anywhere within TurboTax. Get plain-English explanations of specific tax areas and helpful examples when you need them.

Guide Me Not sure how to answer a tax question? We'll guide you to the right answer, making your taxes even easier.

Explains Your Return Shows you a summary of your return, including income, tax, credits and payments so you know your taxes are accurate. Provides recommendations to help you get an even bigger refund next year.

FREE Technical Support Got a software question? No problem! Get answers from a TurboTax expert via e-mail, phone, or live chat.



Spots Errors and Shows How to Fix Them
New Smart Check Scans for Mistakes Smart Check double-checks your return for errors, so you can be confident your taxes are done right.

Guaranteed Accurate Calculations If you should get hit with an IRS or state penalty or interest due to a TurboTax calculation error, we'll pay you the penalty and interest.

Keeps You Up-to-Date with the Latest Tax Laws With a single click you can check for updates each time you start to ensure your return includes the latest IRS and state tax forms. No more disruptions while you work on your return.



Get Your Refund Faster with Included Federal Efile
Shows Your Tax Refund in Real Time Watch your refund add up as you complete your return. Our Dual Refund Monitor constantly displays and updates both your federal and state refunds (or taxes due) as you complete your federal return.

Federal Efile Included Get your refund in as few as 8 days with efile and direct deposit. Free federal efile is included with TurboTax at no extra charge. If you're a returning user, we'll automatically transfer your efile information from your previous year's return to save you even more time.

TurboTax Deluxe Includes These Tax Forms TurboTax takes the worry out of deciding which forms you need to file. Just answer simple questions and TurboTax fills out the right forms for you.
Most Commonly-Filed IRS Tax Forms and Schedules



Other Tax Forms and Schedules





Choose Security. Choose TurboTax. TurboTax is dedicated to protecting your personal and financial information. From the most advanced technology to our dedicated Privacy Team, we have you covered.
In fact, TRUSTe, the leading Internet privacy seal-of-approval, named Intuit as one of three Most Trusted Companies for Privacy for 2007.

Our Site Is Tested Daily for Security To support our commitment to protect your confidential data, the TurboTax Web site is tested and certified daily by the third-party McAfee HACKER SAFE Security Scan, an industry leader in Web site security.

Only You Can Access Your Return TurboTax Online requires a unique log in. Once you create your username and password, your tax return is guarded. Rest assured that you have complete control over who sees your personal information.

TurboTax CDs and downloads store your information right on your computer. You can choose your own password to protect your personal information.

Your Information Travels Safely Your TurboTax session is secure. TurboTax Online shields your personal information from prying eyes while you're completing your return.

TurboTax uses the same encryption technology used by banks to efile your return. This means that your information is protected from any unauthorized access while it's electronically sent to the IRS and state agencies.

Our Commitment to You Armed with surveillance cameras and security alarms, the TurboTax Security Team physically protects our computers and your information--24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our Privacy Team's only job is to guard you and your information. If you feel the least bit uneasy, ask the Privacy Team about their commitment to your protection.


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