Customer Reviews

QuickBooks Pro 2006 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

Sadly Quickbooks 2006 is only a minor upgrade from Quickbooks 2003. Users should also be aware that they will be forced to upgrade this software. at considerable expense, every 3 years. Also payroll services are not included and cost $150.00 more PER year. See "QuickBooks Standard Payroll Subscription" on Amazon.

The upgrade from Quickbooks Pro 2003 went very smoothly. Unfortunately the software, with no notification to the user, adds a second user to the XP operating system, necessitating logging on as a particular user when your computer boots.

We've found no real benefits from this "upgrade". The software boots much slower thanks to the DOUBLING of the company file. New users may find the redesigned home page useful and despite a great deal of verbage - that is about all that is new here.

New users should take advantage of the 30 days of free support - after that Quicken's dubious support is very high priced.

Quicken's business model is important to understand. They do not tweak their software, from year to year, for increased useability. The only changes that Quicken seems to devote their programming talent toward are new features, some well implemented and some poorly implemented - I don't think it matters to them - anything that will suggest a reason to purchase or upgrade the software. How easy the software could function on a day to day basis seems to be never given a thought.

Secondly Quicken expects your purchase of this software to be the first of many purchases from them. New business owners often will need expert help to set it up. Quicken, will of course, provide you with the name of a certified Quickbooks consultant, who for a fee, will set up the software. The software now comes with an on screen tutorial that may help some new users but it seemed less than complete.

New business owners should test all competing software to see what works best for them. Quickbooks is not bad software but it doesn't seem to evolve in a manner that is really sensitive to user's needs.

New users should also be aware that Quickbooks update feature routinely downloads very sizeable files that seem to do little if anything. A high speed internet connection is strongly suggested.

I have to say I am utterly disappointed with Intuit and the latest version 2006.

I do small business networks. After having worked on 20 different companies all having problems with Quickbooks 2006, I can say with experience that this product has a long way to go.

WAY TOO BUGGY!!!
Networking it is a disaster, random crashes, issues with corrupted databases after upgrading and patching that made the databases unrecoverable.

I think the most offensive thing of all is that INTUIT does not fofer trial version of their software. If you could test drive this version before comitting your dollars to it, you would not purchase it!!! HEY, maybe that explains why Intuit does not offer a trial version.

PEACHTREE software offers trial versions in 3 flavors...on CD, downloadable from their website and even a realtime version that requires no downloading or installation. Peachtree/Sage software is not afraid to let you see exactly what their product can do.

Intuit dropped the ball this time. Their support is expensive as well. I also found their help desk to know less than I did!!!

If you have the 2005 version...STICK WITH IT> DO NOT UPGRADE!!!
If you have 2004 or less, just buy a copy of 2005. It is rich in features and discounted heavily since it is an older version. YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!

I'm a sole practitioner CPA and maintain about 20 separate sets of clients' books in my office. Since both Intuit and Sage (Peachtree By Sage Complete Accounting 2007) have "professional advisors programs" which aggressively solicit CPAs to shill for their software, I should also state that I'm in no way affiliated with either of them, nor any other software company (the fact that it's necessary for me to mention this demonstrates where the accounting profession is headed, but that's another story).

I realize that I'm swimming upstream here, but I truly despise QuickBooks. My clients who use it routinely bring me sets of books which they have messed up so badly that I generate hefty fees by unraveling their errors. The reason, I believe, is that QuickBooks is not a legitimate double-entry self-balancing accounting package. I strongly suspect that it's merely a dressed-up, aggressively marketed version of Intuit's checkbook program, Quicken. Because of this, it's far too easy to make serious errors which the software itself will not detect. A few examples:

A single click will convert your books from cash basis to a sort of quasi-accrual basis. A client once brought me his books which had a cash-basis balance sheet, an accrual-basis P&L, journals and ledgers which were some of both - and he had no idea why nothing balanced (and if you don't know what I'm talking about here, that's all the more reason to avoid this software).

Another issue is that no QuickBooks accounting period is ever really closed. This "feature" allows my clients, many of whom don't really know what they're doing, access to prior years' files, all the way back, in order to "fix things." Consequently I constantly must check to be sure that prior years' balances, for which tax returns have already been filed, haven't been altered. This lack of program control over prior years' data is an inexcusable security defect.

Out-of-balance conditions are often forced to an account called "Opening Balance Equity," an account which frequently has entries appearing from nowhere. It's simply a program-generated force-balanced "plug," which is unidentified and untraceable. Beware the OBE account!!

Both Intuit and Sage have terrible tech and customer support. Both companies gouge their customer bases unmercifully by means of expensive annual payroll updates and discontinuance of support for older versions of their software. Nevertheless, I do my best to steer my clients toward Peachtree. It's by no means a perfect solution, but it's at least a "real" double-entry system, and therefore more idiot-proof, more powerful, and generally bug-free. The learning curves of the two programs are now roughly equal, since Peachtree has added an optional interface for non-accountants.

Finally, I'm not bashing the company, just this product. I've been using Intuit's professional tax return preparation software (ProSeries) for many years, and I'm entirely happy with it. But my bottom-line professional opinion in this case is that QuickBooks is simply not what it claims to be. Use Peachtree (Peachtree By Sage Complete Accounting 2007), use MYOB, use the new Microsoft package - any of which are preferable to this over-hyped and under-powered dog of an accounting program. I keep a recent version of QuickBooks on my computer ONLY as an accommodation to my clients who refuse to switch.

I originally reviewed QuickBooks 2001. As far as I can see, six years have changed nothing significant regarding QuickBooks Pro. One can hope the new upscale versions are better; me, I'm not going there unless forced to by recalcitrant clients.

I upgraded from Quickbooks Pro 2003 because support for online banking was expiring. So I get my upgrade from Amazon (nice price!), install it, and everything's fine.

Until I go to cut my first payroll check.

Then, suddenly, I find out that YOU CAN'T DO YOUR OWN PAYROLL ANYMORE! It has never been worth it to me, as a one-employee company, to spend $199 a year to calculate two payroll checks a month. I've got access to free calculators online -- why spend the money?

Apparently, because Intuit needs the cash, that's why. So they strip out the payroll features and force you to subscribe.

Boo, hiss ... Had I known this was going to be an expensive pain in the neck, I would have held off upgrading. (I mean, how badly did I need online banking?) But I guess that's why Intuit hid the feature downgrade in the find print, huh?

Hello,
I've been using Quickbooks 2001 for many years and decided it was time to update my software. MISTAKE!!!! I have two copies of the software and it doesn't work in Multi-User environment. I spent countless hours with tech support in India and none of them could trouble shoot the issue or refer to the next level of tech support. They simply don't have various levels of tech support, if something doesn't work and they can't trouble shoot it, they simply disconnect you and you have to start all over again. At some point they figure you will give up. Tech support is not technical at all. They know features of the system but if you have a technical problem, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN. UPS shipping doesn't support multiple packages functionality. If you need multi-language support, you can forget about it, it will screw up your entire system. If you have sale on some items for a specific period of time, they don't support it either. Overall I am very disappointed. I hope somebody from Intuit will read reviews and do something about it.

I have been using MS Money for Small business since I started a one person psychology practice after having been an owner of a large group practice where we used Quickbooks. I never liked QB. I thought it was too complicated to get started and now if I want to use the online banking, I have to pay $15 a month to my bank and an extra $200 for a one person payroll. I found MS Money for Small Business very easy to set up, no charge for online banking with my bank, and one year free payroll that costs $10 a month after one year. Seems to me that using MS Money for SB is a non brainer and using QB is an expensive and complicate proposition.

After using Quickbooks Pro since it first came out, I wasn't at all surprised to find out our 2003 version was obsolete. I did, however, find it very frustrating that we were forced to upgrade to the 2006 version when there are several gliches that have not been corrected. In the multi-user environment, each operating system had to use the same version, but while the same installation disk was used on all systems, somehow several of the systems had different versions. It was not until I spoke with the tech in India that this problem was addressed. Not to mention, that 24-7 technical support was strangely unavailable on the Saturday I called to report the problem. It took me approximately 4 hours to complete the installation and updates on all systems before I finally got the program to work. So, when Quickbooks decides in another three years to force the upgrade, my company will be looking at other options. I've heard that the new Microsoft program is getting some good reviews, so I may take that avenue. To anyone looking to upgrade their current Quickbooks- good luck!!!

I have been using Quickbooks since 2000 for my business and I have been a QuickBooks trainer. In previous versions of Quickbooks there was just to many different ways to enter the same information and to many different areas you had to go to find all the information on one client. QuickBooks 2006 resolves these problems. You can now customize your home page to find everything you need and you can find all transactions for one client on one page. QuickBooks is now for the average business user. The way QuickBooks 2006 works is finally user-friendly and you don't need to be an accounting expert to use it.

If you are upgrading and your file size is large, I would buy something else. It takes forever to print. I talked to tech support and they know there is a problem and are trying to fix it. This is not acceptable. The 2006 version has a different database than the prior versions, and it has made the file much larger and for some much slower. I had to buy a new version because I use their payroll services and my 2003 is being fazed out April 30. I have just now bought the 2005 an Ebay. After printing the audit trail, I was able to record all my transactions while in the 2006 version onto my restored 2003 version and then upgraded to 2005. I know this seems like alot of work, but the 2006 was that bad for me.

This product is misrepresented as being compatible with WinXP. But my Home Edition 2002 is NOT compatible with this software because of Administrator/Power User issues. Because I don't have the knowledge to re-write most of my registry and use the mmc, etc. this software refused to allow me entry into the program. I am a one-user, home-based business person, not a computer engineer/programer and this software is written on that level.

It very well may be the saving grace for all businesses, but if you can't open the program as an Administrator, what use is it? I returned this software to Amazon recently and am in the market for software that is user friendly for a small operation.

The best thing about the experience of spending in excess of 20 hours trying to learn administrative-level user functions, I now know I will not ever buy from Intuit again. Not for my needs, anyway. I have no way of knowing how the software would enhance my business experience!

One thing positive to note: Intuit, by way of Amazon.com, has a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Be sure to verify that the Windows 'window' logo is on the box and disk, because the package I received only had a Windows copyright, typed out label saying it was XP compatible. XP Pro maybe, not XP Home edition.