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TurboTax Basic 2002

TurboTax Basic 2002

List Price: $19.95
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Beware, it installs spyware
Review: Intuit, in its (rightful) decision to protect its product from casual copying made a very very wrong decision by installing a service called C-Dilla on the user's machine. This service, which runs all the time and won't uninstall even after you've uninstalled Turbotax is often considered as "spyware" by various source on the internet. It installed without the user's permission, and is not even refered to in the license agreement.

I would strongly suggest staying away from Turbotax products this year. Hopefully Intuit will have learned its lessons next year and removed this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Caution - Does not allow backup
Review: Anyone planning on using this product needs to be aware that it does not allow you to protect yourself from your Hard Drive crashing and it does not allow you to upgrade your hard drive. I backup my entire Hard Drive to a second HD using Norton Ghost. It does not matter if you use CD's, tape or what media you use. The new TurboTax puts hidden data on portions or your hard drive outside the normal partition and boot sector (even using NTFS). When I try to use the Ghosted image it tells me to Activate the SW. Of course this fails since it was already activated. By the way, Windows XP (which also uses activation) has none of these problems. I dont mind activation to prevent piracy, but Intuit went TOO far when they dont even let you recover from a Hard Disk crash (and I have experienced several).

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: It is a shame...
Review: I despise marketing garbage being installed on my computer. I have been a happy and loyal Turbo Tax customer for a number of years, but after reading these reviews I purchased TaxCut this year (will return Turbo Tax).

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: OK program ¿ terrible marketing/support!!!
Review: I have been using TurboTax for years - few complaints. This year - I'm boxing it up and sending it back! I cannot comment on the actual program this year - I never got that far!

I bought a few weeks ago and installed - getting ready for taxes in January. The app installed a TON of "buy this, buy that" and CONSTANTLY bugged me for more money. Very annoying - especially considering I paid for this program - it's not shareware.

A week before Xmas my hard drive failed - I bought a new drive and re-installed. The new registration process first forced me to "activate" the software - then told me I had already installed and I had to buy another copy. I thought it was a simple mistake - so I called Tech Support. Oops - tech support is only open 9 to 5 M-F. Who works on their taxes in the middle of the day?? Oh, by the way - if you want to call them - its $14.95 per call - but you still have to call them in the middle of the day!

I searched high and low on their website - there is no info (FAQ or other) to help with this issue! My only option was an Internet Chat. The Tech Support told me - yep, that's right - if you re-install you have to buy another copy. I explained, in detail, my circumstance - no luck! He was more than happy to help me purchase another copy though! Finally - after nearly 45 minutes of arguing about it - he gave me "a one-time exception" and gave me a new key. All I have to do is uninstall, re-install from scratch (again) and type in the new key. Oops - new key doesn't work. I give up.

Goodbye TurboTax!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Still an excellent tax product
Review: This is my 7th year using TurboTax Basic and have always enjoyed using it. The Basic version does everything you need for most users. It still imports last year's TurboTax information (name, address, SS#, etc.). The Deluxe version mainly includes more online help documents and IRS publications. If you change your mind after buying the Basic version, you can easily and immediately upgrade to the Deluxe version from the Basic version at the time of the installation after paying an upgrade fee (online). The Deluxe version is included on the Basic version CD and is unlocked after paying the upgrade fee. The electronic filing feature has always been really nice and is free after using the included mail-in rebate.

The new registration/copy-protection scheme hassle is minimal for people that take the time to understand it and wish to use TurboTax legally. The registration process simply unlocks TurboTax to print the tax return and submit the tax return electronically. Per the TurboTax license and install instructions, it's still legal to install and use TurboTax on your second computer (like your work computer) if you wish. Simply install using the "trial version" option; the only things you can't do are print or file your taxes electronically *from that unregistered computer* unless you buy a second license. Yes, in the rare case you decide to change computers in mid-stream and move TurboTax to another computer you will be forced to pay for another license to make it work. Intuit appears to have taken these extra copy-protection steps because of the numerous people that illegally "share" software like TurboTax with their friends or sell copies of the TurboTax CD. I understand Intuit's position because I work in the software industry. Yes, this copy-protection scheme is a real-pain for people that don't want to use the program legally - I say bravo!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Use TaxCut
Review: Bought TurboTax locally and tried to install it. Intuit's new registration routine thought that I had borrowed the software from someone else during the installation process, and hence wanted me to pay to use it. Contacted Customer Support to work through the issue - unsuccessful. Ended up boxing it up and sending it to them for a refund. I bought TaxCut and have had no problems and I'm likely to never to go back to TurboTax. The new registration scheme and their service icons which they litter on the desktop are just too much for me. Big thumbs down.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Good bye, Intuit Turbotax
Review: I have used Intuit Turbotax for seven years since the day they acquired the Parson's Technology and made the Parson's friendly income tax software much less friendly. The Turbotax is difficult to use and their instruction and guide are hard to follow. Now after seeing the comment from other users for the 2002 version, I am determined to change to a different tax software.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Some program errors may cost you
Review: This will be the last year I use it. Bad vibes and how they affected me include:

- Yes, the installation of lots of extra marketing slime-ware on my computer.

- Could not understand why turbotax said my IRA contribution was not allowed. Here is the rub the TURBOTAX DOES CALCULATION INCORRECTLY. Turbo worksheet does the calculation incorrectly when you have all your earned income reported from sources that do not report on W2 forms. Ex. foreign earnings. Wonder how many other errors are built into their code.

- Bought in Nov the deluxe version which includes a state version rebate. However, the state form may not be ordered until February and the rebate not obtained until then. <

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: activation - a way to scam you for more money
Review: I have been a consistent customer of Turbo Tax (& Quicken) for 5 years.

This year, they have come up with a way for you to pay for the privilege of something that should be free. You need to activate your computer in order to print or file electronically, effectively limiting your filing to 1 PC FOREVER!

I when i went online to get support, and asked about things like: getting a virus, upgrading your OS or PC, changing hard drives, and was told that this constitutes a new PC activation (read: new charge) for something I already paid for!!!

I will be returning the product as this violates my right to free use (protected by the US Supreme Court)

I will be buying their competitors from now on & recommend you do so too!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Activation Stinks but Still The Best Way to do Your Taxes.
Review: This is my fifth year using Quicken TurboTax and it will be my third year using the state tax version. I don't like the product activation (who does) but I can't imagine going back to pen and paper to do taxes. The program takes you step-by-step through the tax process by asking you questions about the various sections of the forms. It also prompts you to make you remember about things that may have slipped you mind, like other deductions. And, it makes suggestions for deductions that you may not have thought about. At the end of the process you can print out the forms for mailing in the traditional format or in a format that's easy for the IRS computers to read. In addition, you can opt to file electronicly. The help section IS very helpful. It actually makes sense of the rules and instructions for filing your taxes and explains the relevant sections of the tax code in easy to understand language. My one suggestion is that you have all your papers with you before you start the process. You can, of course, save your work and come back to finish or edit it, but it is a pain to be half way through and remember that your mortgage statement is two floors away.

I'm giving it three stars instead of five because of the product activation. Bad job Intuit. Still, the activation doesn't prevent you from installing on more than one computer but it does prevent you from printing or electronically filing from the second computer. You can take your saved file from work or where ever and bring it home to print or file.

I tried Taxcut this year because of the product activation on TurboTax. I had problems with it right off. It stated on the box that you could import TurboTax files but when I tried it wouldn't let me. The Taxcut web site suggested that this was a common problem and that you had to edit your TurboTax file (with TurboTax) to bring it down to a certain size. Still, it didn't tell you what that size was ok or really give you any idea on what to cut out. (I thought all of the our tax info was important).

My advice: The activation stinks but TurboTax is still the best tax prep software.


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