Rating: Summary: Don't like its spyware Review: I was a TurboTax user. I liked it and it worked great for me. But this year I switched to TaxCut Deluxe. The reason is very simple: I hate its spyware (or DRM, whatever they call it). Even if it can be uninstalled later, god knows what it has done on my computer. Every computer user knows a simple truth: The more software installed on computer, the more opportunity the computer will mess up, especially for low level software like the spyware. I can use a pencil to do my tax, the whole point to buy software is that it brings me convenience, and is faster. If a software installed with spyware on my computer, is constraint and inconvenient to use, why should I buy it?
Rating: Summary: BEWARE - Intuit installs SpyWare Review: This is my first purchase of TurboTax and was very impressed by its ability to calculate my tax. However, I was rather upset and worried when I discovered that Intuit installs SpyWare on my machine. How could Intuit do this? Afterall it's a financial software with my private financial information. I'm going to switch to TaxCut next year.
Rating: Summary: Don't waste your money! Review: First: Many taxpayers can do e-filing for free: Check the IRS site.Second: After TurboTax reviewed the file, it sent it to IRS. IRS rejected it. TurboTax promised an explanatory e-mail, which never arrived. Third: I bought first the premier version: It did not allow downloading of specific accounts from Fidelity that I needed: It downloaded everything that was under my SSS #. To download specific accounts, I had to buy again TurboTax, this time through Fidelity. The downloading of specific accounts worked OK, but it was essentially impossible to edit the entries. Every new entry appeared together with the supposedly edited entry. Fourth: No point in attempting to get service form the company: Tremendously long delays or they charged. Finally, I had to enter the data by hand and file a hand-written return, because the free software listed in the IRS site would not download the data I needed. TurboTax is an aberration that should be out of the market.
Rating: Summary: You'll feel so used Review: ...On to the infamous installation. It is really, really broken. I tried maybe 100 times to execute the one-step update. That NEVER works. It doesn't give up though, it will hang there for 12 hours or 12 years pretending it's going to download something. I downloaded the executable to update locally. The install failed and after that every time I tried to run TTax it immediately crashed. I uninstalled and repeated this a couple of times. Last time through, Turbo Tax Deluxe 2002 trashed my partition and I could no longer boot my computer. I happen to be an engineer and I'm pretty hip with computers, so amazingly I was able to bring up the Windows 2000 Repair Console and repair my hard disk without having to reinstall the OS. I finally reinstalled Turbo Tax on drive C, the default. The local update then magically worked. The program now works okay, but my wife and I are both thoroughly grossed out and disgusted by the ineptitude and greed of our friends at Intuit. They do put spyware on your computer. One of their executives commented that it only uses about 1M of memory -- all the time your computer is on, until you uninstall the spyware. Hello, I paid cash for computer memory and hard disk space, and these thugs have helped themselves to part of it for their own profit and convenience, to spy on me. I don't like that.
Rating: Summary: Zero Stars Should Be An Option! Review: I've had the misfortune of using Turbotax for a couple of years now. I hate it every year and swear I will never use it again. With 10 years of personal software development experience, I cannot fathom what kind of morons came up with Turbotax. I'm shopping for another package this very night, and hope I can get it installed before April 15. I loathe Turbotax.
Rating: Summary: I Still Like It.. Review: Okay, there were a few extra steps involved, but BASICALLY the new version of TurboTax functions the same, if not better, than the previous year. I still think it's overpriced, especially without a rebate, but if you've been a loyal TurboTax user the past few years, then I see little reason in the 2002 tax year to switch products. I do, however, agree that all of the little advertising "hooks" and gimmicks have reached a saturation point and it's time Intuit paid attention to user feedback on this. Since many of these annoyances are built into TurboTax's "interview" as you're doing your taxes, you need to carefully read every prompt before clicking away. But hey, it still beats filling out paperwork!!
Rating: Summary: You cannot print all forms in pdf Review: I don't have a printer at home and have to use my printer at work to print the forms. Originally, I was hesitant to buy turbo tax this year because of all the bad reviews I read here. Then I read another review saying that you can save your file in pdf and print it on another machine. So I bought it. The truth is you cannot print the "smart worksheets" and form "8423" , a required form to be filed in California, in pdf. When I talked to the help desk, all they can say is you have to print it using the same computer you installed your software! I have been using Turbo tax for the last 4 years, I guess this will have to be the last one.
Rating: Summary: Saved by Norton Antivirus and Amazon Review: Norton Antivirus let me know that turbotax wanted to do bad things... Amazon reviews and technical sites told me what ituit wanted to do. TaxCut and Money 2003 for me -- Rebates in 10 calendar days. BTW: The hard drive on my old PC with many years of tax data finally died today. I have my TaxCut backed up to another PC and just did a test printing of my almost finished return. Where would have TTax left me....?
Rating: Summary: A terrible product and technical support Review: I will put 0 star if I can. I used turbotax for two years and pretty satisfied. This year's product really [stinks]. The one-click thing never works for me. I talked with their customer support online(it seems a cool feature though), guess what? He told me I must get rid of my router since it may cause the problem(eeh!), and told me I have to follow the instruction. I still don't know what's their instruction and if there is, it doesn't make any sense and seems like a joke to me. I traced the network packets by myself, the problem is their server having problems(maybe recognize the client strings). Their customer supports know nothing. I would have checked the reviews here first before I purchase it. Next year turbotax will be the last thing I want to buy.
Rating: Summary: AVOID TURBOTAX AND "ACTIVATION" WOES Review: I have used Turbotax for many years but after this year's experience I'll never buy it again. Their "activation" feature (actually an anti-copy attempt) makes it so you have to stay glued to ONE computer. Can't put TT on my laptop or on my office computer. I invoked the "100% satisfaction guarantee" and got my money back. Bought H&R Taxcut and it works better than Turbotax ever did. Save yourself a big headache. Switch to Taxcut and dump Turbotax. BEWARE: When you uninstall Turbotax it still leaves the anti-copy provision on your computer in a hidden folder. If you are not computer-literate enough to know how to deal with this you'll have it there forever.
|