Customer Reviews

TurboTax Deluxe 2004 [Old Version]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

I bought this product because I have used TurboTax in prior years with no problems. This year they do have a buggy version for 2004. They have decided to use Javascript this year in many of their screens. I suspect this is an attempt to integrate and share much of the code for the installed TurboTax and the Web-based Turbotax.

After installing it and trying to run it I was getting a Javascript error on almost every action. Imagine my suprise when I tried to report the (confirmed) bug by calling their support number and realizing that it would cost me $9.95, JUST TO REPORT THEIR BUG.

Look at "support(dot)turbotax(dot)com(slash)forums" in the "Error Messages" forum and you will see a giant thread of users that are incensed that we users have to support this product not Intuit.

Users have come up with a fix for now that requires editing one of the Javascript files with a hex editor. Imagine you've just purchased a $39.95 piece of software, discover a bug that will cost you $9.95 just to find out there is no update yet and the only way to fix it is to get into the low level internals of Javascript yourself and fix it.

Need I say more. Avoid this title and go with something else. This is not worth buying for that ten dollar rebate.

Update 12/18/2004 -
Turbotax has implemented what I believe to be an automated free web support to address the problem of no free support. They have also claimed that the $9.95 fee per incident may be refunded if they are at fault when you call in.

Another note on these reviews. They do tend to be skewed towards the low side because people who have experienced problems are more likely to leave a (bad) review. There are quite a few reviewers that don't express much but leave a 5-STAR rating. Someone with a last name that is the same as a senior product manager at TurboTax kind of tips their hat at what is going on here. So please take the 5-STAR ratings as what they are. Also take the 1-STAR ratings as coming from someone who truly had a problem and was angry enough to give such a rating.

It is impossible to install TurboTax State 2004 on Macs. None of the keys for installing the State version work on the Mac, according to Intuit. Replacement Mac CDs will not be available until "late January or February." Obviously, this also thwarts the use of TurboTax Federal since state tax liability is deductible from federal taxes. The "solution" is to buy the minimal TurboTax Basic which does federal taxes only and calculate state tax manually, or pay a preparer to do it. This sort of thing is an ongoing problem for Mac users with Intuit products.

I used Turbo Tax for 2003 and I thought it worked fine.
This year I had a slight problem with ordering; I called the 800 number given for help.Out of the eight calls I made, all of them were transferred to India.
I couldn't undrestand what the people were saying and they didn't seem to understand my problem, very frustration.
I did a lot of searching and got the number of corporate head quarters in California. When I talked to some lady there and explained what my problem was and that I couldn't get it solved by using their 800 number, she in a very unfriendly and snotty manner told me there was nothing she could do and that I would have to use the 800 number.

This company like many others makes it very difficult to get answers to problems with their product.

No more Turbo Tax for me!

My conversations with Intuit tech support and cust. service confirm the "late January or February" target" for a Mac-installable multistate disc. Yet the company continues to shamelessly market the product without so much as a notice on its web site. They told me they plan to publish such a notice, but when? In my view Intuit is a) incompetent for delivering a product to market that can't be installed; and b) unethical for not pulling the product off the market, and even more so for stonewalling the problem. They have not learned the lessons of Tylenol or Watergate.

I didn't use TurboTax last year because the 02 product was so problematic. Now the only competitor for the Mac has vanished, leaving this dodgy product and company the only game in town. Shameful.

Purchased the Deluxe version that had a rebate and claimed to have the state included. Based on previous experience with TurboTax I knew it meant a download... not a problem.
Then the problems hit. First TurboTax did not recognize my DSL connection. The only help from TurboTax was to download the update file and manually install. OK, just a bump in the road.
Then I go to download the state tax and it wants a creditcard. Why? No mention in the hardcopy documentation, nothing on the outside of the box. Finally found the info buried in the help menu. Pay for the download then get a rebate. Wait a minute wasn't this included. Purchasing state and submitting rebates is very confusing (I've used the product for almost 10 years). Still unsure if rebate will be paid, tried to call support 20 minute wait no answer. Tried online support via messaging given the brush off twice. Poor service and deceptive sales practice.

Turbo Tax Deluxe is a decent software for pc users (although there appear to be numerous issues for mac users). We have tried other tax software a few times in past, but always keep coming back to Turbo Tax as our returns require some extra forms the others don't deal with as well.

The instructions are easy to follow and most users will work through the forms with little effort. The state return can be purchased at the same time and ends up being "free" after sending in the completed rebate form. (You can also purchase Quicken 5 at this time the same way - making this a great deal)!

Bottom line - if your return is fairly straight forward - this will save you the time of filling out all the paper forms and slugging your way through the 1040 instruction booklet, etc. If your return is more complicated and triggers additional forms - this software is a lifesaver as all the forms are triggered automatically and are tied together (anyone who has manually filled out the back side of schedule D, had their schedule A deductions reduced and needs to fill out the alternate minimum tax forms will appreciate this).

Is it perfect - no. Still, it is a pretty decent program that gets the job done.

...each year it gets a little more cluttered with advertising, & licensing garbage. Also, there are too many different products making it difficult to choose the right one each year -- wish they would just sell one product that did the job!! The software also seems a little less helpful each year. The "Deluxe" , "basic" & "Premier" software should be replaced by a single product -- this wasteful marketing (including various mail-in offers, etc.) just makes extra pointless work for all of us. The Deluxe verion is a little overpriced.

Used TT all the way up until my 2002 taxes were a nightmare. If you read reviews then you know 2002s registration process made it absolutely horrible. So tried Taxcut in 03 and am back to TT in 04. This product was great for use for E-filing but when I tried to print and file my Indiana tax return it has been a nightmare. No one at telephone customer service could help me and I am posting the online chat session since that person had absolutely no idea about the product she was supposed to be supporting. In short if you try and file by mail a state return you have a very high chance that the form in TurboTax is not the right form. I had mine sent back twice and finally downloaded the real from my states website and put the info in myself. Hope you enjoy the chat transcript:

550 Eden : Hello Matthew, how may I help you today?
Matthew Paradise: My Indiana Tax return was sent back because the bar code was unreadable. I printed it again and it still looks weird. And yes I do have the latest version of TurboTax. I updated it today before printing. And I tried multiple printers
Matthew Paradise: I downloaded the IT-40 from the state website and there is no barcode on the real form. Why is there one on the form TT prints out?
550 Eden : If I have understood you correctly, you want help printing your taxes. Am I right, Matthew?
Matthew Paradise: Based on what I just wrote. What do you think the issue is?
550 Eden : Matthew, I apologize for the inconvenience.
Matthew Paradise: Are you thinking?
550 Eden : I wish I could assist you in this issue but your issue is completely technical. Since I am trained to handle only sales and service issues, I kindly request you to contact our technical support at 1-877-826-1922.
Matthew Paradise: Thank you. I will be posting this entire transcript. Since I am writing a review on your product.
550 Eden : Matthew, I suggest you to contact our Technical support.

I've used TT for eight years with no glitches but now am one of those caught up in the update installation debacle. My TT 2004 Deluxe installed successfully in Dec (OS is Win 98SE) and went through one flawless update cycle to include getting my state forms but the second update releases (mid Jan)have caused major problems which Intuit appears slow to cure. While I found customer service responsive via email (within 12 hrs) their fix did not work for me and a reply to the msg got me a response of "this is an unmonitored mailbox". A tour of their website's user fora suggests the problem is widespread with a small number of users able to work their own fix by editing their registry and deleting all traces of the program/update files and going through multiple uninstall/reinstalls, defraging their hard drives, etc.. I use the program in part because of the ease in carrying over the previous year's tax data. If you haven't bought the program yet and can hold off on filing, I'd contact Intuit to ensure that a corrected version is available on CD and then act. Or, try a different tax preparation program.

As many others noticed, the quality of their product has declined dramatically. The UI is uglier and more confusing, it's hard to find your ways around the menus and features. Some controls don't work, don't react on user actions and there is no explanation why. It's easy to chat with the Intuit tech support but it takes so much time while they scan their ready answer databases for answers.

Their product is still not ready: you can go to the Intuit Web site see their update schedule, the last update to the Turbo Tax line is scheduled for the end of March!!

Their online updates don't work if you are behind a firewall: they demand that you disconnect from the firewall to complete the update! If you don't want to disconnect from your firewall, you can manually download and install the federal updates but for state updates, you have to call an 866 number to DICTATE YOUR NAME AND SHIPPING ADDRESS to a voice service to get a replacement CD! Why not let us fill a form on the web??

That's beyond stupid, very unprofessional. Many of my programs update just fine behind the very same firewall. If worse comes to worst, why not just make those CDs downloadable from the Web?? Ah, they want my address to dump their junk mail to. Gocha.

Plenty of hassle, for many of us it may be easier to get a human preparer because other software companies became same victims of an outsourcing fad, you can't find decent tax software for the year 2004 anymore. Just make sure your human tax preparer does not send his work overseas too... Including your address, SSN, the whole thing.

I am personally going to complete my taxes with Turbotax. At least, my SSN stays home this way. It's their luck that their competitors are even worse.