QuickBooks Pro 2003

In another life when I was Controller for a large Corporation, we had to buy new software to solve the Y2K problem. The company purchased the Great Plains Dynamics package. The up front cost with trainning and set up was $50,000! That's right, 50 THOUSAND, and I was never able to get a financial report from it. I had to "run" the general ledger, then pick the data out and enter it in Excel to get a financial statement. Then, I discovered Quick Books when I started my own business. I was amazed that for a few hundred dollars I had a very compent accounting program that gave me INSTANT financial reports in almost any configuration I could think of. I will admit there is a learning curve to using the software, but you have that with any new software. I was able to teach myself how to use the software,(no calls to tech support though there were times when I really wanted to). With a little work, I was soon very proficient with it. The information is availible in the documentation. However, that route is not for the faint of heart. I would recommend that new users who can afford it get some tranning before striking out on your own.

All in all I must say that all of Intuit products, or at least the ones I have used are excellent,and very inexpensive when compaired to many alternatives. But that is only my personal opinion, but one that comes from experience, and I don't even own the stock, but that is another story.


Avoid QuickBooks if possible   April 14, 2004
 13 out of 13 found this review helpful

My experience with the company has been extremely negative. Buy this software only if you are comfortable with the lease concept of paying for software, and if you're willing to work with a company that does not really care about its customers.

This product forces customers to purchase expensive "tax table updates" every year and then, when Intuit needs an extra jolt of income, to purchase an update of the entire product - hence QuickBooks 2003. Once you're in their software, it becomes difficult to change, so Intuit is able to arbitrarily set its price for the "updated tax tables" and product updates, and it does, relentlessly, in its favor. If the company would explain the concept up front, it would be ok - simply say that the software is leased every year for a certain fee. But it isn't sold that way. Beware - their method of automatically charging customers' credit cards every year for the update is aggressive - when you work with Intuit, you definitely need to read the fine print.


QuickBooks - quickly unsupported   March 1, 2004
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

Support even for the add-ons that require a monthly fee stops after 3 years. Do not think of this as a purchase, think of it as a 3-year lease.


Quick Rip-Off Books   February 27, 2004
 17 out of 18 found this review helpful

I'm a tax professional and have recommended QB to over 100 business clients over the years. Last year I upgraded my own QB to 2003 so that I could continue to review clients bookkeeping in my office. BOY WHAT A MISTAKE! The worst part is the payroll interface which is a complete rip-off. I downloaded my "free" tax table which was included in my 299.99 price but now I can't run my year end payroll reports without subscribing to NEXT years tax table! Tax tables are FREE to the public in PUB 15 from the IRS and are only updated ONCE a year. Most states only update once a year if at all so the line about constant change is bogus. The only constant is Intuit's need to collect money. They added insult to injury by telling me that they could bypass the need for tax table update if I would pay $75 and up to speak with a techie! That borders on extortion. I am switching to Peachtree (located in Atlanta with support 'MADE IN THE USA')and am suggesting that my clients do the same as I will no longer review any accounting prepared using Quickbooks!


Run Away From Intuit   February 21, 2004
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

No support. Run away from this company. if you have trouble (and you will) know that they are impossible to reach and won't talk to you without a credit card number. A paper ledger book is better than an Intuit product.