OT: Intuit deplorable behavior

[Rapid Robert]

(I hope it's OK to provide real-life anecdotes of anti-consumer behavior by software vendors - after all, it's hardly like I'm the only one who has a dim view of Intuit, despite being a customer ever since they bought ChipSoft Turbotax software back in the 1980s)

I've been a Quickbooks Accountant desktop user for over 15 years, was a Certified Advanced Quickbooks ProAdvisor before they discontinued the program in its previously meaningful form (you had to pass an actually challenging exam to get that status). Used it to support many tax prep clients as well as for personal finances.

I was paying the annual license fee, and even held my nose and paid it in 2022 when it was bumped up to $500 after several previous annual price increases. But when they announced that in 2023 it would be a subscription-only model for desktop software, at $800/year, (60% price increase in one year, for a product that you can't use after one year unless you pay again!) I decided to stop, especially since I have deliberately shrunk my client base with regard to QB users.

They sent me an email in April reminding me of the upcoming annual subscription renewal. In that message, it stated:

"Your annual or monthly subscription or billing plan automatically renews for subsequent terms using the billing information we have on file at the time of your renewal, unless you cancel before the Billing date listed above. You can cancel your subscription at any time in your account"

I did in fact log in and cancel my subscription, following the instruction. However, being savvy about how subscriptions work, I long ago started using "virtual" credit cards, such as those provided by privacy.com (which I recommend), or some bank cards such as CitiBank. Even before I canceled my subscription, I made sure the credit card they had on file was no longer valid.

Sure enough, today I get an email stating that they tried to charge my card and the payment failed. I'm sure I'll get several more.

"If your subscription is cancelled, you can resubscribe after we successfully process your payment. However, you will be charged whatever the full price is for your plan at the time that you resubscribe. Update your payment information today to ensure that you keep your current pricing! "

I do have one minor concern, in that I also have QBO access, which I don't use much, but I do have some customer data stored there from when I used the online software to send invoices and receive payments for a while. I suspect I'll have to stop using QB desktop to send invoices and receive payments eventually, but I can always switch to PayPal or some other service.

I am also trying out GnuCash, a free open-source program with many (but not all) of the same features as QB desktop. There are other options out there as well.

[TaxGuyBill]

Yeah, the Quickbooks thing is crazy. I still use an older version of Quickbooks, but I will NEVER pay Intuit a yearly subscription for it.

The fact that Intuit still tries to charge you even though you cancelled does not surprise me AT ALL Sigh.

Please let us know how you like GnuCash. I know that I'm wanting to find a decent replacement for Quickbooks, and I'm sure that many others are as well.

Thanks!

[spanel]

What's Crazy is my Quickbooks Enterprise for Accountants was over $1300 last year. Cost of doing business.

Chris

[MichaelDi09]

Intuit pricing has been on this path of no return , for some time now. I have been a ProSeries customer since 1996 and Quickbooks subscriber until 2018. I stopped the Payroll Service once they began charging more and more. I continue to use the 2018 Quickbooks and will not renew or upgrade to newer versions. Enough is enough. I can only pass along price increases to my clients for so long. Most should understand it's just business, but bottom line, they will shop for best deal they can get. And so will I.

[Gretel]

I so agree with everybody. I am still a ProAdvisor but want to get out and am most interested in your experience with GnuCash. I am partly retired and QB is far too expensive.

[Snaggletooth]

Intuit has never been our friend. Telling TurboTax viewers on TV that after buying their "free" software they will be instantly as smart as a CPA. Luring businesses into buying QuickBooks so they can finally enter anything they want and pass on their ignorance to the tax preparers.

All software subscription companies try to rope you into automatic renewal. Some even say you can't even buy their product initially without agreeing to automatic renewal. Every year. McAfee got me with this one time and after two years I told the credit card company if they didn't stop charging me for McAfee I would cancel their credit card and send them a final payoff. It worked.

Rightly or wrongly, the power of the purse is unmatched. Unscrupulous vending practices need to be dealt with by the power of the purse.

Don't kid yourself. The super wealthy and corporate America use the power of the purse to keep their feet on your throat every chance it works to their advantage. Use whatever purse you have to claim relief.

[Rapid Robert]

I found this thread, so I thought I'd use it to continue ranting on Intuit Quickbooks.

As of June 1, 2024, the QB Desktop (QBD) version 2021 stopped supporting "internet" services, something pretty arbitrary from Intuit. Manual bank feeds (where you download a QBO file from your bank then import it into QBD) are now not allowed, even though it is a manual process (not dependent on Internet). I always expected automatic bank feeds to stop working but was hoping they wouldn't be jerks and cancel the manual feeds as well.

There was also an email today regarding annual price increases on Intuit QB and related products. QBD annual subscription is getting into the $1K and up range. As recently as a few years ago it was $500, which I would probably still be willing to pay. The online payments fee for ACH transactions is increasing as well. It used to be $0.50, now it's 1% of transaction and catching up quickly to the CC processors.