The thrust of this appears in many other recent posts, but I would like to dedicate this to "free" software.
As insulted as we may be that the worth of our services is compared to something "free," this kind of shallow campaigning will always have its marketing, and like P T Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
I would counter this advertising at every opportunity. If you're over 20, you should know that there is no such thing as "free" anything. Two things will happen, i) they will carry you down the road and ultimately force you into something that is NOT free, or ii)it really WILL be free and they will sell your personal information to anyone willing to pay 50 cents for it.
Just what kind of information will they be able to sell to others? You can start with your name and address. Then you move on to your income levels. What about certain income and deductions? Would they be interested if you have significant interest income? What does that one single item tell them about you?
Let's move on. What about your bank? ...and your bank account number?
They can't do this can they? Won't the Federal Trade Commission come after them? You might answer this if you know just how little money the FTC has to enforce laws passed for the benefit of consumers. Remember the "Do Not Call" Registry to stop solicitous phone calls? Wow, they really stopped that didn't they?
Your tax preparer is regulated by Cir. 230 and new section 7216. Get the "box" or some cyberspace website -- and wonder what kind of protection you have from the above.
In my lifetime, when anyone says "Free" I tune them out immediately. But this approach will always have a market. Education is the best thing to confront their approach.
As insulted as we may be that the worth of our services is compared to something "free," this kind of shallow campaigning will always have its marketing, and like P T Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute."
I would counter this advertising at every opportunity. If you're over 20, you should know that there is no such thing as "free" anything. Two things will happen, i) they will carry you down the road and ultimately force you into something that is NOT free, or ii)it really WILL be free and they will sell your personal information to anyone willing to pay 50 cents for it.
Just what kind of information will they be able to sell to others? You can start with your name and address. Then you move on to your income levels. What about certain income and deductions? Would they be interested if you have significant interest income? What does that one single item tell them about you?
Let's move on. What about your bank? ...and your bank account number?
They can't do this can they? Won't the Federal Trade Commission come after them? You might answer this if you know just how little money the FTC has to enforce laws passed for the benefit of consumers. Remember the "Do Not Call" Registry to stop solicitous phone calls? Wow, they really stopped that didn't they?
Your tax preparer is regulated by Cir. 230 and new section 7216. Get the "box" or some cyberspace website -- and wonder what kind of protection you have from the above.
In my lifetime, when anyone says "Free" I tune them out immediately. But this approach will always have a market. Education is the best thing to confront their approach.
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