Intuit Cries Uncle (TurboTax Deluxe content restored)

[Midpack]

Intuit Cries Uncle, Will Reverse TurboTax Deluxe Changes - Forbes

Intuit has just cried Uncle. It announced this afternoon that it will provide users of its TurboTax Deluxe desktop product free upgrades this year and will next year reverse changes it made that limited the usefulness of the 2014 version.

 

[aja8888]

Once again, the power of the internet (and the people) have slayed the ugly beast!

 

[Fermion]

I am still going to go with H&R block software. I think it is cheaper too if you don't need state ($25 at Office Depot until April)

 

[braumeister]

I am still going to go with H&R block software.

And I'm sure you're in good company. Despite all the damage control they can possibly do, I'm sure they have lost quite a few long time customers for good.

 

[aja8888]

I am still going to go with H&R block software. I think it is cheaper too if you don't need state ($25 at Office Depot until April)

Same here...already purchased H&R Block Software. I don't need state in Texas either. Actually, playing around with the Block software has been pleasant.

 

[JoeWras]

Got caught with their pants down. They've been doing this with more obscure items over the years. For example, the ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan) wizard used to be in Deluxe. They moved that to Premier only a few years ago.

But this year they went a bridge too far.

And... consumers are lately very, very willing to go to social media whenever they have felt wronged.

The thing is it is more than just the Turbotax brand. People are now looking to Intuit as a whole over this fiasco and grumbling over other programs, like Quicken.

 

[easysurfer]

From the article, looks like not only did Intuit cry Uncle, but Aunt

 

[Katsmeow]

Too late. I bought the HR Block software in December. It is too late to take it back even if I wanted to. I've used TT for years, but I see absolutely no reason to go back to it. So far, the HR Block software looks fine and I'm not happy with Intuit and I'm just done with them (I didn't upgrade Quicken either and I'm done with it also).

 

[ejman]

Too late for me. After many years of turbotax switched to TaxAct - $21 for download copy to my computer because even TT Premier does not include schedule F, needed for my wife's hobby farm. So far so good. I haven't really had any problems in switching over. There was an initial buggy form 1099 b promptly fixed with an update. Emailed TaxAct support with a question. Response the same day! The interview system seems to be working fine. Just finished inputing schedule F, worked great. The only thing different so far is that I had to input 1099's manually as there is no import facility.

 

[Chuckanut]

Too late. I already purchased the HR Block software.

 

[cranberryjoe]

H&R Block got my business this year, and as long as it works and they don't make any bonehead moves, I'll stay with them. Adios Intuit!

 

[audreyh1]

OK!

Backing out of requiring Premier to do Schedule D in the future is HUGE!!!!!

 

[braumeister]

I wonder if Vanguard and Fidelity may have had some input to this decision, after footing the extra bill for Premier for many of their clients.

 

[Cobra9777]

I wonder if Vanguard and Fidelity may have had some input to this decision, after footing the extra bill for Premier for many of their clients.

That, plus negative articles in the NYT, WSJ, and perhaps most importantly, thousands of 1-star, [-]negative[/-] hateful reviews at Amazon that are driving off customers in droves, right as we're heading into tax season.

 

[Htown Harry]

The CEO posted a video:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sorry-wasnt-enough-heres-what-were-doing-now-brad-smith

 

[Bikerdude]

Unless you have an extremely complicated tax return, it seems to me that there is sufficient free tax software available that paying additional $$ to file is unnecessary.

 

[JoeWras]

The CEO posted a video:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sorry-wasnt-enough-heres-what-were-doing-now-brad-smith

I'll give him credit for coming clean. Even quoting a customer who said: "Look, this is a money grab plain and simple."

They tried to sweep it and got caught.

 

[Midpack]

Unless you have an extremely complicated tax return, it seems to me that there is sufficient free tax software available that paying additional $$ to file is unnecessary.

It looks like all the free tax software is web only, many of us can't accept that (vs download desktop or CD), but there are way more (income dependent) free offers than I realized. Might appeal to some here...

FreeFile

 

[braumeister]

I'll give him credit for coming clean. Even quoting a customer who said: "Look, this is a money grab plain and simple."

They tried to sweep it and got caught.

I don't give him any credit at all. It's self-evident that he approved the change in the first place, since it was a significant modification to long standing practice.

 

[Chuckanut]

Well, With 1891 one star reviews on Amazon as compared to 117 five star reviews, I guess they finally figured out people were not happy with their decision.

I guess it's time to chill out with another can of New Coke.

 

[MichaelB]

There is something new in this communication

Next year, we're changing back to the TurboTax desktop software you know and love. restoring the forms that you've counted on for years.

 

[Masquernom]

I've used TurboTax for years. This year I bought TaxAct software after reading about it on this forum. So far, it's worked fine for what I need, and a lot cheaper. As long as it's available, I won't be going back.

 

[2B]

The thing is it is more than just the Turbotax brand. People are now looking to Intuit as a whole over this fiasco and grumbling over other programs, like Quicken.

I have been using Quicken for well over a decade. It has gotten more buggy and I have all sorts of problems with updates. Then, I have been forced to upgrade every 3 years or I lose all ability to update on line. I really want a decent alternative. Now that I'm almost all at Vanguard I'm thinking of manually updating my bank accounts to track spending and depend on Vanguard for the investing part.

 

[samclem]

I think that many customers have been relatively resistant to changing their tax software. Customers who already hate figuring out their taxes are loathe to introduce yet another element of frustration by hopping to a new software brand once they've figured out the peculiarities of their "ol' faithful". For some people, it's a "sticky" product--like changing a primary checking account or changing email addresses, they consider it a PITA and are willing to pay higher costs/suffer with an inferior product rather than go through the hassle of changing. Intuit has counted on this to repeatedly raise prices (overtly and also with stealth price increases as we just saw). They've depended on that for years, and pressed for all the increases they can, now they are significantly more expensive than HRB and TaxAct.
If a large body of TT customers have now overcome the "stickiness" and realized that other good products are out there, and that switching is easy, I think Intuit may have done some real damage to their sales and their pricing power in the future. That's good for everyone who buys tax software and who benefits from competition in this marketplace.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Tax act would be great but it doesn't work with a Mac. What's up with that?


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum