Do not buy TurboTax this year! Read Inside

[tk149]

Bumpitty Bump Bump

Get Taxcut Standard and MS Money Standard for free after Rebate! Available at CrapUSA, OD, and likely others.

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: tk149
Bumpitty Bump Bump

Get Taxcut Standard and MS Money Standard for free after Rebate! Available at CrapUSA, OD, and likely others.

cool

 

[philmacrevis]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: kranky

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: glenn1
Thanks for the heads up. I'm joining the boycott, will advise my family and everyone else i know to do so, and have already posted the story on some of the investor boards i frequent. The stockholders of INTU will be absolutely infuriated when they find out this was done. I also hope that national news broadcasts pick up this story.

Please (anyone) explain the difference between Intuit's TurboTax "activation" and M$'s XP "activation". (am I supposed to hate Intuit's more . . . and 'why'?)

Here's my concern, since I have been using TurboTax for years. Let's say I need some information from my 1998 taxes, and it's not something that I can get from my printed copies of the tax forms. Today I can fire up the 1998 version of TurboTax and get everything I entered into the program that year. What about three years from now? I surely will have changed my PC by then, and I won't be able to activate the 2002 version any more. Intuit doesn't support old versions forever.

This "activation" crap is a particularly dangerous thing with financial software, as it's not unusual to need to go back and access older information.

I get it - - - However, I am playing Devil's advocate here - - -
How is this Intuit "crap" different from XP's "crap"?

What happens in 3-5 years when I want to access some important archive and I have a completely different O/S (Langhorn) and Computer Hardware? M$ doesn't support old versions forever (either).

I think it was a dangerous precedent to let M$ "get away" with their "acticvation system". I believe the "door" is "open" and this IS the 'wave of the future'.

What archive would you be referring to that wouldn't be accessable in future releases of Windows? If you are referring to Office XP, they are compatable with previous versions. Also I don't believe MS's "crap" runs in the background and using resources. MS also offers versions that do not require activation.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: philmacrevis

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: kranky

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: glenn1
Thanks for the heads up. I'm joining the boycott, will advise my family and everyone else i know to do so, and have already posted the story on some of the investor boards i frequent. The stockholders of INTU will be absolutely infuriated when they find out this was done. I also hope that national news broadcasts pick up this story.

Please (anyone) explain the difference between Intuit's TurboTax "activation" and M$'s XP "activation". (am I supposed to hate Intuit's more . . . and 'why'?)

Here's my concern, since I have been using TurboTax for years. Let's say I need some information from my 1998 taxes, and it's not something that I can get from my printed copies of the tax forms. Today I can fire up the 1998 version of TurboTax and get everything I entered into the program that year. What about three years from now? I surely will have changed my PC by then, and I won't be able to activate the 2002 version any more. Intuit doesn't support old versions forever.

This "activation" crap is a particularly dangerous thing with financial software, as it's not unusual to need to go back and access older information.

I get it - - - However, I am playing Devil's advocate here - - -
How is this Intuit "crap" different from XP's "crap"?

What happens in 3-5 years when I want to access some important archive and I have a completely different O/S (Langhorn) and Computer Hardware? M$ doesn't support old versions forever (either).

I think it was a dangerous precedent to let M$ "get away" with their "acticvation system". I believe the "door" is "open" and this IS the 'wave of the future'.

What archive would you be referring to that wouldn't be accessable in future releases of Windows? If you are referring to Office XP, they are compatable with previous versions. Also I don't believe MS's "crap" runs in the background and using resources. MS also offers versions that do not require activation.

<div class="devils_advocate">
The point is, you shouldn't have to buy new software to access old documents. And please don't tell me Windows isn't bloated and doesn't run unnecessary stuff in the background.

Oh, pray tell where I can get a legal version of Windows XP that does not require activation? Didn't think so.
</div>

 

[Chris A]

Ha check the responses on Amazon. Too funny.

 

[philmacrevis]

Originally posted by: jliechty

Originally posted by: philmacrevis

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: kranky

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: glenn1
Thanks for the heads up. I'm joining the boycott, will advise my family and everyone else i know to do so, and have already posted the story on some of the investor boards i frequent. The stockholders of INTU will be absolutely infuriated when they find out this was done. I also hope that national news broadcasts pick up this story.

Please (anyone) explain the difference between Intuit's TurboTax "activation" and M$'s XP "activation". (am I supposed to hate Intuit's more . . . and 'why'?)

Here's my concern, since I have been using TurboTax for years. Let's say I need some information from my 1998 taxes, and it's not something that I can get from my printed copies of the tax forms. Today I can fire up the 1998 version of TurboTax and get everything I entered into the program that year. What about three years from now? I surely will have changed my PC by then, and I won't be able to activate the 2002 version any more. Intuit doesn't support old versions forever.

This "activation" crap is a particularly dangerous thing with financial software, as it's not unusual to need to go back and access older information.

I get it - - - However, I am playing Devil's advocate here - - -
How is this Intuit "crap" different from XP's "crap"?

What happens in 3-5 years when I want to access some important archive and I have a completely different O/S (Langhorn) and Computer Hardware? M$ doesn't support old versions forever (either).

I think it was a dangerous precedent to let M$ "get away" with their "acticvation system". I believe the "door" is "open" and this IS the 'wave of the future'.

What archive would you be referring to that wouldn't be accessable in future releases of Windows? If you are referring to Office XP, they are compatable with previous versions. Also I don't believe MS's "crap" runs in the background and using resources. MS also offers versions that do not require activation.

<div class="devils_advocate">
The point is, you shouldn't have to buy new software to access old documents. And please don't tell me Windows isn't bloated and doesn't run unnecessary stuff in the background.

Oh, pray tell where I can get a legal version of Windows XP that does not require activation? Didn't think so.
</div>

There are versions for businesses and education that do not require activation.

 

[ProviaFan]

Originally posted by: philmacrevis
There are versions for businesses and education that do not require activation.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant how could the average person (which is who we are discussing in this case) get a legal non-WPA copy of Windows XP. They can't.

You are right about the no-WPA "corporate" version being available, but that's only to big businesses.

 

[MadRat]

Originally posted by: jliechty

Originally posted by: philmacrevis
There are versions for businesses and education that do not require activation.

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant how could the average person (which is who we are discussing in this case) get a legal non-WPA copy of Windows XP. They can't.

You are right about the no-WPA "corporate" version being available, but that's only to big businesses.

No, its available to MSCP's, too.

 

[AnyMal]

I've been using TaxCut for three years now and really like it. Hope H&R has more sense then Intuit.

 

[WoofyJr]

Bummer, I ve used taxturbo for four years. Now, I definitely won't purchase Taxturbo this year. It's time for me to try TAXCUT this year. I am glad that I read this tonight before I buy one... Whew..... Thank you guys for bring it up....


I wonder does the Quicken 2003 has the same situation??? I bet the next verison ( quicken 2004) will do the same thing... hmmmm...

 

[tk149]

Just wondering, while I was reading the TurboTax reviews over at Amazon.com:

Do you think that somebody over at H&R Taxcut paid off some low level manager at Intuit to install this C-Dilla crap? Think of it, tons of computer geeks on the 'net will switch from Intuit's TurboTax to Taxcut (or other competitor's products). From this year on, none of these people will every buy TurboTax again. And they'll tell all their friends to switch, and those friends will tell their friends to switch, and so on, and so on...

Me? I was all set to use TurboTax before all this popped up. Now, I'm gonna go with Taxcut...

 

[PowerEngineer]

Originally posted by: WoofyJr
Bummer, I ve used taxturbo for four years. Now, I definitely won't purchase Taxturbo this year. It's time for me to try TAXCUT this year. I am glad that I read this tonight before I buy one... Whew..... Thank you guys for bring it up....


I wonder does the Quicken 2003 has the same situation??? I bet the next verison ( quicken 2004) will do the same thing... hmmmm...

I'm sitting here in the same boat. Very thankful to all of you for bringing this to light before I bought TT again this year (have used it for the prior four). I'm betting that Quicken 2003 will have the same problem...is this true? I need an upgrade to my old Quicken to take more advantage of internet banking. Is Money 2003 on a par with Quicken 2003? What are its pros and cons?

Thanks!

 

[phatcow]

does Walmart have Taxcut or TurboTax?

 

[TreyRandom]

I've used TaxCut for the past two years and have been pleased. However, I bought TurboTax because it was what was sitting on the shelf as I passed by the software section of a store - TaxCut was nowhere to be found. I figured, heck, they're similar, both easy to use, both been around for a while. Therefore, I was all ready to use TurboTax as soon as I received my tax forms from my employer.

Thankfully, I saw this post in time before I installed it.

I'm taking TurboTax back tomorrow and purchasing TaxCut - I've learned my lesson. In addition, I had purchased ItsDeductible because I give quite a bit of stuff to charity, and It's Deductible imports directly into TurboTax. It looks like I'll be taking that back as well and purchasing DeductionPro, also from H&R Block. Does the same thing, and imports directly into TaxCut.

 

[isildur]

I got Turbo-Tax free.

<shrug>

I'm due for a periodic reformat anyway...

;-)

 

[Hoober]

Originally posted by: jjsole
No one has confirmed that this is actually spyware in turbotax so lets get some facts.

I agree. Does anyone have some hard evidence regarding this?

 

[Hoober]

Originally posted by: Sundog
Hmm...so this is in TT, does anyone know if it is on the basic or deluxe quicken 2003?

I just bought Quicken 2003 Deluxe. Registration was just a website. Same as with Quicken 2001.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: Antisocial-Virge

Originally posted by: The_good_guy
I think there should be an opensource free version made..

Actually I thought I read where the goverment was going to make a deal with a tax software company to give a free version. Its a good plan for the goverment because it could probably save them tons in the long run.

In the previous years, TurboTax for the Web had a income limit which would allow for free filing.

 

[techfuzz]

Thanks for posting this news about TurboTax. I have used it for previous years tax returns but I will not be switching to TaxCut.

I was reading the forums over at Clark Howard's website and saw someone there had posted a thread on the message board about TurboTax's Product Activation. It was very disturbing. Apparently this person installed TurboTax on one computer before Christmas and got theirs activated, but then after Christmas had to reinstall the software. Well when they spoke to TurboTax support they told this person they had to submit payment AGAIN to be reactived. So not only are they installing software you don't authorize they also are charging people for reactivating the product after reinstalling.

I went to the TurboTax website and sent them my comments via their online form. I have also posted my displeasure with TurboTax on Amazon's website. I plan on informing all my friends, family, and co-workers of the situation as well. I'm not going to let big business dictate what they can do with MY computer and MY money!

techfuzz

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

I don't trust the software anyways.

 

[Vic]

Serious problem with product activation like Intuit's in tax software; what if you get audited by the IRS 3-5 years down the road? Who (especially among this crowd ) is still going to own the same computer?
I've been using TaxCut for 5 years now. It works, it's great, no hassles, no mistakes. And they won't try to force you to buy 2 copies just because you and your wife are filing seperately this year.

 

[AU Tiger]

Hmm, now I have to decide whether to use TurboTax and get my $30 rebate for Quicken and TurboTax or to kiss the $30 goodbye and use TaxCut.

 

[db]

For those interested, before and after installation, check your hdd's sector 32.

 

[kranky]

For those who are skeptical, read this transcriptof a online chat with Intuit support on the question of activation/licensing. It's long, though.

The key quotes are:

Customer: What I have heard so far defies all logic regarding your license agreement. To simplify. I buy TurboTax. I install it on my current PC. I get a new PC. I uninstall TT from the old PC and install it on the new one. I will be required to pay for TT again???
Intuit supervisor: Yes Sir, you will have to purchase another product license to utilise all the services and features of the product.

Here's a good one:

Intuit supervisor: Intuit beleives in preserving the privacy of the customer by maintaining the security of the customer data. Moving the program from one computer to another might cause the program to not effectively implement the security level in doing the Tax returns.

Now talking to a second supervisor:
Customer: This is so ridiculous that I just want to make sure I'm getting it right. If I install TT on my current PC. In a few months from now, I get a new PC for my birthday. I uninstall TT from the old PC, then install it on my new one. I have to pay again?? Is that about it??
Supervisor: Yes Sir, you will have to purchase a license for a full version, but you are able to install a trial version on your new pc for doing your taxes and keep your old PC and you will be able to save your return to disk and e-file and print from your old PC if you wished.
Customer: That's nice. I have to keep my old PC around for 3 years or more to do that, in case there is an audit. Wow! Great solution. I would love to meet he genius execs at Intuit that came up with, what will likely be, the geatest IT blunder in the history of software.
Supervisor: I am sorry Sir but this is only solution unless you purchase another license.

 

[BoberFett]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
My wife and I have been using TurboTax since it came out and online filing, this is so disturbing you cannot know how much so. We already bought this year's but I did not unwrap the box or install it yet.

Damn, all this Corp BS is way out of hand. We the people should be suing with our own version of a DMCA against this Tyranny. What is going on here is worse than what the Corporations and RIAA acuse the people of doing. I was prosecuted for downloading a free inoculous screensaver and these Corporations INSTALL spyware and monitoring crap without authorization. Where are the Lawyers for the people here? 2003 is here and it's high time we organize, revolt and strike back!!! :| :disgust: :|

I still can't believe the sh!t they put you through over something which was far less harmful than what corporations get away with daily. I'll be right behind you Dave.