Quicken 2004 Deluxe [Old Version]

This is a known bug and has been documented by Microsoft in their Knowledge Base Article. The worst thing is that Intuit knows about the problem from previous versions and has issued updates to fix the older versions but has not incorporated the fix into Quicken 2004.

Intuit Tech Support stated that they will fix bugs after users report them. Apparently Intuit expects us to pay for their buggy product, test it, report the problems to them, and maybe they may fix it later.


Avoid Quicken 2004   August 28, 2003
 65 out of 67 found this review helpful

After using Quicken for the past 11 years, I can say through experience that this is the worst product they've ever released. I have used this version for 2 days, and I've reported 5 bugs, and at least 2 of them are critical. I've posted the following on various newsgroups:

Income/Expense graphs show internal transfers as actual income and expense, in spite of checking the "Exclude Internal Transfers" option. This renders the reporting options effectively unusable. 2003 worked fine, broken in 2004. Net Worth graph on home page can not show more than 12 months. If it does, program crashes on startup and corrupts data file. Rate change on a closed loan causes program crash. Backup option always prompts for overwrite, even if you have checked the "Do not show this next time" option. Version 2004 causes cursor stuttering or response lag while typing within the application.

My advice, as an experienced and knowledgeable longtime Quicken user, wait at least 6 months for bug fixes, and even then, be skeptical. I am VERY disappointed that Intuit would let such a weak product slip out the door like this. I plan to mail my copy back to Intuit for a full refund. For anyone else who learns the hard way like I did, the Intuit address for refunding your purchase within 60 days is:
Intuit, Inc.
Returns Department
6060 Nancy Ridge Drive
Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121-3290


Getting worse   August 28, 2003
 22 out of 24 found this review helpful

I've been a Quicken user since Managing Your Money evaporated. I've been upgrading to the new annual versions every year in the hope the product defects and in-program advertising were either eliminated or corrected. They get worse every year. If you want to use the simplest portions of the program, it'll probably be okay for you. But if you use it for all your household finances, you'll find frustrating problems that the manufacturer doesn't seem to want to correct and they charge for support. Free support is available online, but after hours of writing back and forth with support personnel, most problems are handled with the description, "Product Defect". Good luck, and checkout other programs. Better yet, write Andrew Tobias an email and ask him to bring Managing Your Money back.


Nice Program Lots of little bugs   August 28, 2003
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I used quicken from the beginning. Last year was the first time I did not upgrade. This is a very nice program. It has lots of little bugs - It does not consistently hold its sorting order in the register. Menus that one checks i.e. don't show this menu again - the program just ignores your instruction. They don't have free phone support like the used to just a few years ago. They could be more friendly to you as a customer. In the long run a company always does better by being kind to its customers. The short term profit drives almost everything today. Mabey they will change in the future!


The back up routine is Buggy   August 23, 2003
 13 out of 16 found this review helpful

The back up routine is buggy. It leaves a file name Q3.DIR as a stray on your desktop even after you told it to back up to a certain media device elsewhere. Each time you go to back up, a message pops up asking you if you know that there is a file with the same name and do you want to over write it. There is a box you can click if you do not want to see this screen and question again. Clicking this box does nothing.. Other then these few back up problems the program seems to be working ok. I haven't had time to check the math yet but it looks ok. If Quicken 2003 was working ok for you Save your time and money until intuit fixes the few back up bugs and what ever else may come up with this new program. The layout looks the same as the 2003 version with very few changes.