QuickBooks Pro 2010 Reviews

• Warning to Users of Windows 7 64-bit (lots of QB issues)

  
  By A2EYEJU1TWV7TJ on 2009-12-06
  I could not agree more with some of the customers' reviews here on Amazon: QB Pro on Windows 7 64-bit cannot be used for your business.
  
  Our company upgraded our computers to Windows 7 64-bit along with Quickbooks 2010 to try it out, but have not transitioned the whole company over to QB 2010 because it just has so many things that don't work.
  
  The most important issue that the fact that printing just doesn't work consistently, neither for pdf's (sending estimates, POs, reconciliation) nor simply printing invoices and receipts. If you try to follow suggestions posted on QB support discussion forums, the fix lasts about a day or so. After rebooting your computer or even QB again, the issue begins again. It's impossible to run a business with Quickbooks 2010 if one cannot print. For non-QB programs, printing works perfectly. So this is clearly a QB problem.
  
  Due to the above, we've resorted to running the business with Quickbooks 2006 with off our older computers that have Windows XP 32-bit. Completely frustrating.
  
  I'm not a person who likes to criticize products. I'm providing this review to simply warn users who have Windows 7 64-bit to really stay away from Quickbooks from 2010 until Intuit resolves the issue. It's really unfair that QB is asking us to pay for customer support when the issue is clearly because the product does not work.
  
  
  
  

• Better than QB 2009 but that's not saying much

  
  By AQOFHS4H4ELNU on 2009-11-11
  As another review mentions, the bulk of the 29 reviews currently posted are by Vines members who received the product for free and beta testers who are coddled by Intuit. There are precious few independent reviews here. Why is that?
  
  I've been a Quickbooks user since 1999. Up until QB 2005, it was a solid, nearly bug free and user friendly product. Unfortunately, Intuit "sunsets" their products and makes it increasingly impossible to use an older version after a few years. So I was forced to upgrade beyond 2005. The short version of a very long sad saga is each version after 2005 has been worse than the one before it with 2009 being the biggest mess yet.
  
  2010 is *marginally* better than 2009 in some ways. Intuit has made the online banking actually function again (they completely broke it in 2009) and cleaned up a few other annoying 2009 issues. But, sadly, the "nag screens" have gotten even worse and there are even more things that are now expensive upgrades. It's completely insulting to be forced into buying new versions of Quickbooks only to have it increasingly function like "trial ware" or some "light" or limited functionality version until you spend even more money with Intuit.
  
  Not only is it annoying, but all the nagging literally makes the product harder and slower to use. When you're just trying to get things done, another offer is in your face to spend more money with Intuit. It's not good for one's blood pressure or productivity.
  
  Quickbooks behaves almost like malware. Their online update system runs all the time even when you don't have Quickbooks open. And not only does it get updates for the software itself, it also seems to feed yet more "special offers" to your PC to spend more money with Intuit. I've used ad-supported freeware that's less invasive and annoying than Quickbooks is. If you have a PC firewall set to alert you when software attempts to connect to the outside world, you'll be shocked how often Quickbooks contacts the Intuit Mothership for who knows what?
  
  Many of the new features in 2010 have a revenue stream for Intuit tied to them--including attaching documents. I agree with the other review that Intuit seems to focus nearly all their considerable resources on ways to extract more money from customers, and further hype their buggy bloated products, rather than making them easier to use. They also seem to have taken to actively managing online reviews such as the ones here.
  
  I encourage others who have issues with Intuit products to post their experiences here and elsewhere. Intuit has a near monopoly with Quickbooks. I think only if the problems are voiced loudly enough (such as with the online banking debacle in 2009) will Intuit have any desire to change their ways and actually focus on what customers want rather than ways to milk ever more money out of them.
  
  
  

• Intuit has their head up their bank account

  
  By A109NX34SSMMPA on 2009-10-12
  2 stars, let me give a more thoughtful review than before.
  
  Quickbooks is a nice program in many ways. Its easy to use, clean, produces quality documents. The reports are useful and very adaptable. The new feature where you can cut and paste from Excel docs directly into customer and vendor lists was a good idea. Having a brief experience with Peachtree, I can say that Quickbooks is probably a superior program overall, the biggest advantage being the fine way you can double-click just about anything in QB and drill down for more info. The ease of use and quality of the very basics are what makes this program decent enough. But I'll also say again that I was probably just as happy with QB 2001, and the years worth of changes to the program and how much it costs to really use it have probably, on the whole, been for the worse.
  
  But my biggest problem with it is that the entire program just seems highly focused on sucking money out of the customer. Things that should be basic features require pricey subscriptions, the most notable being payroll. A 3-star accounting program might let you process payroll, do the tax and deduction calcs for you on paychecks, all simple stuff. A 5-star program might in addition actually automatically download the tax tables onto your computer every year, a nice feature. But Intuit charges the user to use these and other features, where even the Basic payroll subscription - required for processing paychecks yourself - costs close to as much as the program itself over the course of a single year.
  
  This year, before I got the program I was impressed when reading about the feature that allows you to attach documents to a customer or vendor......just a useful idea. But then I get the program and I find that they CHARGE you to store docs. You can't just host it locally and link to it, they want your money to use this simple feature. That's it in a nutshell. First thing I do when I get it these days is go around turning off all the ads and links to their other subscription features.....but you just can't get all of them, some are stuck.
  
  So its OK, should and could be better but I think the creators have the wrong motivations.
  
  

• RIP -OFF

  
  By A1UCGRF3E1UBL9 on 2009-11-17
  The only reason I purchased the 2010 Quick Books upgrade is because you are FORCED to upgrade every two years if you want to use any Turbo tax programs with Quick Books . Also after the two year period you are no longer able to use the email invoice option, Quick Books being the customer friendly group they are makes sure that it is no longer a working part of the program. The best part is Quick Books is constantly trying to sell you on all their unnecessary add on junk from credit card processing to marketing services while you are working on the program. The "do not show again " boxes do not work when checked ........... they constantly continue to pop up even after being selected to not show again.
  
  If you are able, and I was not able to find, any other program that works as a decent book keeping program I would buy it.
  
  

• Minor upgrade to annoying but ubiquitous accounting software

  
  By ABC68JUCPTVOE on 2009-11-19
  * The Install *
  
  We tested out QB Pro 2010 by upgrading our 2009 Pro install and loading our company file.
  
  The install took about 15 minutes and retained many of our settings from QB 2009. The installer did hang at the end hand had to be killed with task manager (Win XP).
  
  * First Run *
  
  After installing, we ran QB 2010 and it needed to download an update. This process took about 10 minutes, and then it needed to convert our company file to the new format. Not a big deal, but don't try to load a file from QB 2010 on previous versions--backwards compatibility is lost.
  
  Actually running the program, we find some minor updates, as well as many familiar old annoyances. The toolbar is again littered with icons for Intuit products we're not interested in (we had cleaned this up when we installed 2009). The Intuit Community pops up, but you can disable it in preferences.
  
  The interface is littered with Intuit products they want you to buy. For example, there is an item "Email Marketing" in three separate menus, Company, Customer, and Online Services. We tried this menu option and it complained that IE was not our default browser. (Duh, it's called security.)
  
  * Summary *
  
  QuickBooks Pro 2010 is a minor update (the new company snapshot is nice, the new products they're trying to sell you are not) feature-wise. The software works well enough to tolerate and everybody uses it. Accountants know it. This is why we use it. We wish there was another option for us as Intuit is not a customer-friendly company in our opinion. They try to hard to get you to pay for minor features that should be included. They should spend more focus on the customer experience and let the revenue streams follow, not vice versa.
  
  
• Does Intuit Work Day and Night to dream up new ways for customers to hate it?
  By A2ZHB523U99DZ6 on 2009-12-19
  They must. Decent accounting program that everyone knows about, yet each year, they work harder and harder to get more of your money and to piss you off.
  
  Intuit has one plus -- I will NEVER complain about Microsoft. Could you image using Windows where there was a pop up every 15 mintues to sell you an add on service?
  
  Every site has tons of hate mail about Intuit -- for the very same things: updates that do not work or break working editions, constant demands for money, and new editions that are not new.
  
  I have several friends that are developers for MS. At MS there are lists of horribly coded programs that MS tests thier beta programs on. Top of the list, they say, is QB. They say Intuit uses every schlock coding shortcut -- anything to save a buck or a penny or a Indian Shilling.
  
  Intuit, everything that Adobe is not.
  
  
• Love the Program, But Too Many Features Are Additional Cost
  By A17O9AHKHK66AI on 2009-10-21
  I had Quickbooks Pro 2010 up and running in 10 minutes flat, including setting my husband up with an excel file he could use on his iMac and iPhone to enter his data. We're a two platform family. He's a musician who also does some recording, and he will not switch back and forth from Mac to PC.
  
  I use both platforms for different things and have not found a good software accounting program that I like on the Mac. I was not sure when I decided to get this whether it would be worth the time to port excel files back and forth, but so far, it's easy and seamless.
  
  I set up the excel columns to match the Quickbooks file, and everything comes right in so that I can map the expenses, write the invoices, and keep the data straight for taxes. The PC interface is sleek and intuitive, and the program runs very quickly. So far, I haven't had a crash or a glitch, but I'm not asking a whole lot of it.
  
  My sole complaint is that there are a host of features within this program that are available only by subscription. It's not a big deal for me, because my needs are really simple, but if I were using this for anything more than a one-man show, I would feel a little frustrated that more services weren't included with the not-insubstantial price of the software.
  
  
• Gimped software. Pay for "extras" that should be included
  By A1KKE6VX8VPWZK on 2009-11-17
  I have been a fan of the Quickbooks series for quite some time. Back when Windows 95 was the alternative to DOS I used to fight my boss about the benefits of Quickbooks over say, Peachtree which used to be DOS only. Move ahead to now and I dont think I would recommend this package to anyone. The overall functionality is there. The thing that really chafes me is the way they dangle "add ons" that you must purchase. Why? Its because they know the average user does may not need payroll. Fine, then don't ship it with the software. Instead, make this addon an inexpensive purchase, NOT a subscription. That is highway robbery. Sticking it to the small business that may use this software is underhanded and petty.
  
  Pros:
  
  >> Easy to use
  >> Low learning curve
  >> Basics are plenty for most small businesses
  
  Cons:
  << Subscription service to add payroll & more
  << Feel ripped off when using this software like they just want to dip into your pockets every time you use it.
  
  Overall if you just need a basic accounting software for your business you may be better off looking somewhere else. This package is "very" basic and you will need to add a good deal more subscriptions or addons to get it to the level of some higher priced initially, but overall better software packages.
  
  Thank you for reading my review.
  
  
• WHERE are the INDEPENDENT REVIEWS? Quickbooks Beta Testers and Amazon's "Vine" UNFORTUNATELY DOMINATE these early reviews
  By A1TJT6GXDGNN8Q on 2009-11-11
  As of November 30, 2009 most of the reviews about Quickbooks Pro (2010) are from Quickbooks Beta Testers or Amazon Vine members.
  
  Clearly, Quickbooks contacted SELECT Beta Testers and asked them to promote their product on Amazon.
  
  Similarly, we see a large number of Amazon VINE members' reviews, most of which, like the beta testers are extremely favorable. Vine members are individuals who receive free products from Amazon (in partnership with the manufacturer) and are then asked to "evaluate" the product.
  
  As of November 30, 2009 there were 27 reviews which rated this product quite highly (four or five stars). 22 out of 27 of these reviews were from Quickbooks Beta testers or Amazon Vine members.
  
  I've owned Quickbooks Pro - both the 2003 and 2006 versions. I decided not to upgrade to the 2009 version because of all the negative reviews I saw right here on Amazon. It is a bit strange that these beta testers and Vine members don't even mention the debacle of the 2009 version and whether any issues have been fixed in the 2010 version.
  
  Quickbooks evidently has not mended its way regarding endless prompts to purchase additional features which can't be turned off. This was true in the past and evidently is still true in 2010!. This is not only annoying, it clutters your work day and reduces your productivity.
  
  As I said in my 2006 review "Quicken's business model is important to understand. They do not tweak their software, from year to year, for increased usability. 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....."
  
  Sadly the reviews of the 2010 version (to date) give me little guidance whether the 2010 version has improved over the 2009. In fact Vine members and the Quickbooks beta testers seem to be unaware of any previous problems.
  
  Heads UP:
  
  1.) Payroll is still not included unless you pay substantial additional fees to Quickbooks.
  
  2.) Nag screens promoting additional services can still not be turned off. Quickbooks representatives won't say when or if this will ever be addressed as of November 30, 2009. (click on comments - just below the body of this review - to see how Intuit responded)
  
  3.) If you use Quickbooks credit card processing you should know you will be forced to upgrade the software every 3 years or your credit card processing will simply stop. This will NOT be made clear when you sign up for their credit card processing but Quickbooks will notify you near the end of three years that you must upgrade your software or else!
  
  4.) New features are often crippled unless you pay more.
  
  This is not a bad program but Intuit insists on misleading customers and promoting features that are often crippled unless you pay more. That type of marketing is the real hallmark of Intuit's business model.
  
  
  5.) Amazon's star rating system is being circumvented by Quickbooks because of these beta testers and Vine members. Obviously Intuit (Quickbooks) wanted to stack the deck with a number of 4 or 5 star reviews. Even if a number of real customers disagree in the future -- the overall ranking would not drop that much given the number of 4/5 star rankings Intuit has already managed to generate. Quite clever.
  
  I'D STRONGLY SUGGEST BUSINESS OWNERS WHO ARE EVALUATING THIS SOFTWARE ---- WAIT FOR REAL CUSTOMER REVIEWS BEFORE MAKING A PURCHASING DECISION. Disregard the Quickbooks beta testers and Amazon Vine member reviews
  
  
  
  
  
• BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!! Quick Books 2010 Defective
  By A33N8XH4U2OYX5 on 2010-01-12
  BUYER BEWARE !!!! Quickbooks charges you ($79)from day one to support the product. The first time I went to use the product it failed. I called support over in the Phiippines and before they would look at the problem they need $79 dollars. Now mind you this is a problem on day one. I then called the corporate office, and talked to Terry and she confirmed NO $ MONEY NO FIX!! I explained again this glich is in their product on day one. I asked to talk to her manager and she responded she was the end of the line in the complaint department. I asked to have Brad Smith whom she said was the president to call me back and she said he will not talk to customers. That leaves the customer knowing that he doesn't care about customers or that there are too many complains to answer. Is Amazon ok with selling products that the vendors will not back? Check it out for yourself call Intuit Quick @ 650-944-6000 and ask for Brad Smith.
  
  
  
• Quicken 2010 Registration
  By AYKRRBIMK2T7M on 2009-12-06
  Quicken 2010 - great product, but watch out when you register. Quicken wants to know all about you, your business, your employees. They are building a huge database about you just so they can up-sell you additional products (payroll, backup ...). If you tell them you do not want to answer all their questions, you are put on hold for 30 minutes while they "generate a validation number". It gave me plenty of time to write this review. It's shameless that you have to dial a phone number to get validated, when you already provided the information through the internet - oh yeah --> up-selling.
  
  
  
• Installation issues for Windows 7
  By AKZDZ3G55E9B4 on 2010-01-10
  It is rare that I write a review, but I think it could be useful as a forewarning to anyone running Windows 7 who is looking to purchase this. I ran into this problem twice (I exchgd my CD, thinking it was corrupted): an error msg that aborts installation saying, "Third party components are not found." To solve this, the Intuit advisor provides useless help here, but others' suggestions (downloading instead of the CD) are useful: [...]. Note how this has irritated others, not just me! So I bought the downloadable QuickBooks Pro 2010 [DOWNLOAD] one instead (which seems to have its share of probs if you read the reviews, but perhaps the errors were fixed bwn their reviews and my download).
  
  Quickbooks is already very poorly conceived software which, over the years, has not improved much. Releasing software that they claim is the only version they'll support on the Win 7 platform and that then doesn't even install for so many users is unconscionable. My company is stuck using it otherwise, I'd happily have Intuit out of my life forever more. Best wishes to you all with your struggles with it!
  
  
• Avoid this product if you are a 1 person business
  By A2PH2B477BEZ2U on 2009-12-30
  This program has a lot of useful features, but if you are a very small business (I am my only employee) and you want to write yourself a paycheck with the correct deductions automated, you have to subscribe to the Quickbooks payroll service. Over the course of a year the payroll service costs more than this software. If this ticks you off as much as it does me, you are free to do all of the deduction calculations manually, but doesn't that seem silly?
  
  
  
• Upgrading Does Nothing for this Quickbooks 2008 User
  By A3SLC8F6VIWXIR on 2009-10-21
  I've been using various versions of QuickBooks for many years now to manage the finances for our business. We do not push the envelope of whiz-bang features available in QuickBooks, so this upgrade doesn't seem to have really been targeted to our needs. Registration with each generation of Intuit products gets to be more and more of a hassle every time. Besides the normal entry of a license number and product code you also have to answer a bunch of marketing questions about your business and call an 800 number for yet more sales pitches in order to get a Validation Code.
  
  Usability wise I'm glad that the 2010 version isn't a radical change from the 2008 version we were using before. Of course since it is a new version, there are all kinds of pop-up windows trying to sell you more services and more products.
  
  Don't get me wrong, QuickBooks is still the industry standard software for taking care of small business finances. But, if like us you simply use it to manage your bills, manage your bank accounts and create traditional financial reports ... don't bother upgrading; at least not if you are already on the 2008 version.
  
  
  
  
• Good - but you probably don't have a choice. Try Yodlee. * company response in comments
  By A226VGZWOEBPGL on 2009-11-02
  Unfortunately, the choice of using Quickbooks is probably not up to you. Most companies are already using it or the people they have are used to it. Or even worse - the accountant that you are using requires you to submit the info in a QB file.
  
  BUT - if this is not the case and you are a small biz that is just starting or is able to switch around - then I highly suggest that you look other places to deal with accounting (like Yodlee). The problem is that Intuit has pretty much garnered a strangle hold on the market and they are acting pretty monopolistic. They require you to upgrade every two years and often times the product is not very good. (See the 2009 version).
  
  There are free tools available for a period of time if you are a small business (Like Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2009) << [...]>> However it looks like MS may not be in the biz of acctg software for much longer. The good news is that it is free and will not fall apart like quickbooks after 2 years. Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2009
  
  Anyway - I would look at open source software, older Microsoft (free)products or even online resources from your bank or other financial institution before going down the path of no choice with Quickbooks. I can only see their product deteriorating even faster in the near future. By that time it will cost a whole lot more to switch to something else .....
  
  
• Quickbooks is WORTHLESS
  By A2VB72Y7DVV1GF on 2009-10-28
  I think buying Quickbooks at all is a bunch of BS. They do not offer support on any new operating systems. I just bought 2009, now windows 7 just came out, and quickbooks is already showing problems that they will NOT support unless you purchase 2010. This is not the 1st time I've experienced this with Quickbooks. I'd recommend for anyone to find a better system now and not go back to Quickbooks, or don't start with quickbooks for sure. I have to pay $150-$200/year to support the technology...it's worthless. I wish I could provide a better solution, but haven't researched it enough. My suggestion: look elsewhere!! Intuit is a money monger and not a customer driven company.
  
  
• Convoluted Registration Process
  By A30I10IWBOB3Q9 on 2009-12-20
  I just upgraded from the 2003 version because I have a new computer with Windows 7 and my previous version, although it met my needs, seemed like it was old enough to get a newer version.
  
  Installation was a breeze and went quickly. Moving the company file from one computer to another was actually easy, but not because the directions were good. The installation quick start guide refers you to help to find out how to move. But Help doesn't have directions for the prior version I had. It told me to do something my version didn't do. However a simple back-up to a thumb drive and restore on the new system got the old file in and updated to the new version.
  
  Registration was a royal pain! First you have to type in a bunch of information into their web site, then you have to enter a long code and product number from the box. Then you have to call a phone number, probably in India, and talk to someone who does not speak clear English. Then you have to repeat much of the information you previously typed in. Including some stuff which is just designed to open a sales pitch for more add-on services. Why do they ask whether I process credit cards on the web site, then tell me on the phone message while I am waiting for a real person that they have credit card processing service, then ask again during the phone call, then pitch a free trial of the credit card processing service?
  
  My other gripe is that with early versions of Quickbooks, Intuit provided a year or two of tax table service with each version so that you could do basic payroll. This is now only available at what I consider an outrageous price for a 1-2 person company.
  
  Another gripe with Intuit is that their interface between Turbotax and Quickbooks only works for a version back of Quickbooks. This makes no sense to me when Intuit can easily upgrade the company file to the current version during installation. Why can't Turbotax use the same function to import Quickbooks data into Turbotax?
  
  Although I am optimistic the basic accounting features will be at least as good as older versions, I wonder how many features I will run across that need a something new I have to pay for in order to use them.
  
  I can't give this product more than two stars when the registration process is so convoluted and it doesn't include basic tax tables.
  
  
• Great software - Horrible company - Horrible registration
  By AZ1YAJWG0IX2T on 2009-11-21
  I must say that the Quickbooks software is truly great; HOWEVER Intuit is a major pain. First there is the constant selling of services in the software itself. It is just like all the free-ware that DELL puts on their computers. Secondly, they let you buy the software and come out with a new version 1 month later with no free upgrade and then to upgrade you need to spend another $150 or so (depending on where you get it). After all is said and done I paid twice (essentially) for the same piece of software.
  
  I just lowered my review to 2 stars. The registration process is absolutely annoying. You need to talk to a person in India and validate ALL of the information that you typed in. Then after several minutes of waiting they give you a "validation" code.
  
  I am wondering can Intuit make their great software any more annoying???
  
  I beg for someone to create a software package that works like quickbooks but doesn't have all the bagage. Perhaps someone in the [...] space can get this project rolling. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.
  
  
• Beware of Embezzlement Issue
  By AZDFU2TS5RKWF on 2010-02-02
  In 2008 we discovered that our bookkeeper embezzled over $700,000 from us. She would go into our QuickBooks accounting program, make out a check to herself for various amounts, print out the check, then go back into the program and change the payee name so we thought legitimate vendors were being paid. A huge flaw that we wrote to the QuickBooks president about with no response. Now QuickBooks wants us to pay for an upgrade which promotes a new option "Auto Sign Checks" which we would NEVER use. Our former bookkeeper is guilty of stealing and forgery. If she had this option, a legitimate signature, available to her there is no telling what she would have tried to get away with. QuickBooks is not a safe accounting program for businesses that rely on an outside accountant or bookkeeper. We wrote a second letter to Quickbooks explaining this and we have not heard back from them. Please be aware of this flaw.
  
  
• No Support
  By A2IE4L3ATB1TB on 2010-01-10
  I bought Quickbooks, and found I had difficulties getting it to register. I called Tech Support, and for an hour and a half they insisted that my OS was too new for that version. They said that the trial version that the CD allows me to run would let me use the program 15 times before shutting down. 15 times the trial version will work on my OS? But the registered version won't? Yes, they said, but if I spend another $200.00 on the latest version, everything would be fine. No kidding. The OS I have runs the trial fine, but not the full software, how does that work? This is not the first time I have had problems with Intuit. On a previous product, I could not get to load, they insisted on a tech support contact before they would speak to me. And that was before I even tried the program.
  
  
• 2010 not ready...and wants me to pay to fix!!!
  By AJ3VERCSMVGIC on 2009-12-01
  quickbooks 2010 has so many thing that do not work in it that a business has to be crazy to use it unless they do not transport it or use the loan manager. I use it with Windows 7 and maybe it works fine with other OS systems but not WINDOWS 7 64 bit pro. Go look at your "event viewer" and see for your self. You will notice many errors inregards to this program. To add insult to injury they want me to pay them to fix their problems. I checked out this program on 5 other computers (business that had bought their own copy and installed and thought the program was working right untill they looked at their reports and tried using many the program and all its funtions. Only buy this product if you want lots of frustration. For me I will go back to 2006. At least most things worked in that version. It even worked in Widows 7.
  
  
• Intuit's strong-arm tactics - nice... real nice
  By AA3W8J2Q88D1Y on 2010-04-02
  I am very happy with QuickBooks Pro 2007. I don't want to upgrade to 2010. Up until now, I have had no compelling reason to do so. However, I just went to send an invoice to a customer and I was informed that as of May 31st, Intuit will no longer support e-mailing invoices through the program and I have to upgrade to the latest version to continue doing so. Nice. Real nice. It left me with the same feeling in my gut that I had in the first grade when the class bully told me he was going to kick my butt at recess.
  
  Do you not see the ratings and reviews you are getting, Intuit? If you were not so greedy and made software that was more stable, perhaps you would not have to bully people into upgrading. There should be a positive, compelling incentive to upgrade to your latest version rather than the threat of breaking my current version if I don't.
  
  
• Make sure you really need it
  By A3NQE2NOTQR1S0 on 2009-12-29
  I don't write many reviews for products, but I felt this one required one. We purchased this to upgrade from the 2008 version, mainly for the document management features. What was and is not evident on Intuit's website is that it is a service you have to pay for after you exceed 100MB. There is no way we've found to use our local storage. If you don't mind the cost of the service (we do), it is still not always a good idea. We would rather our corporate financial documents not be stored off site. Other then that, there don't seem to be any new features we benefit from. I wish this was a physical product so it could be returned like you would a pair of shoes or a TV. Add to all this that Intuit doesn't exactly offer "upgrade pricing." We just paid $400 to end up right where we started.
  
  
  
  
• Buy a cheap previous version, 2010 is not worth the bigger price
  By A3ZBBFDJCUQJ3 on 2010-01-24
  The 2010 update is not really an update, except in price. It freezes or doesn't respond when you do some basic things like downloading your bank account data. The insult on injury (before I even started it) was when they said you had to register it, you enter a form in the program, you then get redirected to a site to enter the information again, then you get a phone number to call... where some **** in a call-center is trying to get you to buy their crappy support. This is how they make you register their software.
  
  As someone who is spending a lot of time trying to run a business I really don't appreciate Intuit being such a time-suck. If you are thinking Quickbooks will save you time because your accountant uses it - try Xero or anything else. The age of Quickbooks is over. I'm throwing out this quickbooks software because it's too late to return it.
  
  
• May be forced to buy QB 2010 for Win 7
  By A2J4M50LYH57E6 on 2009-12-28
  I currently have QB 2009 Pro VERSION R8. My old pc finally gave out and I built a new pc with Windows 7 Pro.
  Everything WAS working fine until the "automatic updates" wanted me to download the Version R10.
  After the download and during installation you are told that your file will have to be converted to the new system requirements for R10. I didn't like the fact that I had no choice when it was too late. So I did the update and now I can not email my customers invoices. Also have had a couple minor glitches with R10 that have froze the pc too. Before I go any further, Anyone from Quickbooks needs to know that I DID go to their knowledge base and NO there was not any form of help and YES I did post the question on the site with a couple responses.
  Seems that this version is not compatable with Windows 7 to start with. Do you think the "update" would have checked to see what os I have first before downloading?? Or even an email letting me know would have been nice too.
  One response to the post was a very long instruction sheet basically to uninstall 2009, look for a patch file, use previous back-up file and re-install. Seems like I'm looking at a big headache and possibly losing over 10 years with this answer.
  Off the subject slightly, I do agree with others here that the payroll subscription is Very pricey for 3 or less employees. Intuit seems to be getting more pricey each time they come up with a "new idea". Just my opinion and is not reflected with my rating of the product.
  
  Sincerely,
  Dazed and Confused.............
  
  
• QuickBooks will cost you time, energy and money... Exactly what you wanted to save when you bought it.
  By A8J4ZJYF3KKNU on 2010-01-11
  QuickBooks Pro 2010
  QuickBooks design is so preoccupied with selling you other features that the actual accounting program is totally subordinate to this marketing campaign. QuickBooks is supposed to be an accounting program. It is in fact a marketing tool designed to sell you more QuickBooks products. That it can also be used for accounting is at best a side effect, because it really doesn't do accounting half as well as it sells you more intuit products.
  If you had the misguided notion that using QuickBooks would save you time and money and actually installed it on your computer, you have made a serious error in judgment. You will now quickly learn that QuickBooks doesn't even do what one would consider to be the most basic of functions for running a business. You will also have learned that QuickBooks will gladly offer you that crucial service for an upgrade fee and a monthly service contract.
  If you think that paying for all the services will have you costing along, running your business with this amazing slick software, well, you're wrong. It won't be long now before you start running into snags. You will not be able to figure these out on your own because it is designed that way. Oh, but don't worry because QuickBooks will happily offer you a service contract for just such issues, it will only cost you a ridiculous monthly service fee. If you've now paid for all of the products and services it takes to run a small business you are into Intuit QuickBooks for over $500.00 and you have monthly service contracts around $100.00 or more. And as it turns out it still doesn't work that well. The interface is clumsy, the wizards are long, laborious, overly complex and difficult to edit.
  My advice is to just simply learn how to use programs like Microsoft Excel and Access. Do a little research on the IRS website and your states taxes. I promise you will spend less time, energy and a great deal less money this way. It is way easier to learn to create your own spreadsheets and databases than it is to learn how to use QuickBooks clusterf@*k of an interface. You will also save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration. Finally you will learn how to use a viable tool like Excel and Access, you will also learn about the taxes and laws associated with running your business which are complex, but not as bad as QuickBooks. These are skills that you can use for other purposes. QuickBooks is not even that useful in its own element, let alone different applications.
  
  
  
• I'm giving up on QuickBooks
  By A1XBHP8UAJ303T on 2010-01-02
  Several years ago, I gave QuickBooks a try but decided it was more than I needed for my business at that point in time. As my business has grown, I've kept an eye on the product, but the reviews I've read on Amazon and the buzz I've heard from other businesses has not been good, and I've been reluctant to give the product another try.
  
  With the release of Quickbooks 2010, I decided to throw caution to the wind and dive in once more. It appears I plunged into an empty pool, because I can't even get the program to install.
  
  I'm running Windows Vista and my computer is substantially beyond the minimum system configuration. I disabled both my virus protection and firewall and ran the setup.exe file first through the autorun process, then manually as an administrator. With every attempt, the installation would hang immediately after entering the license and product numbers and I would get an error message which read, "A network error occurred while attempting to read from the file: e:\qbooks\msxml4.msi. I tried restarting the computer multiple times and running the installation CD from different drives, all to no avail.
  
  I finally found a reference to the problem on the QuickBooks Community forum where a support agent had suggested to one user that he install the MSXML file manually from the CD and then try installing again. I tried that, and got the same error message.
  
  One user on the board said he was only able to resolve it after QuickBooks sent him a fresh download of the program. It sounded as if there may be some problem with the installation CD.
  
  At any rate, a program that costs this much from a company that's been around as long as Intuit shouldn't be this hard to install, and my feeling is if they can't get it right at the start, can I expect my user experience to be any better. Based on what so many others have said about the program, it seems unlikely.
  
  I'll be looking elsewhere for an accounting solution.
  
  
• Call to all lawyers out there!
  By A256Z51HBEGC8Q on 2010-05-27
  I am not a lawyer. (Unfortunately). But it seems to me, that Intuit is breaking many many laws that would make it the perfect candidate for a Class Action Law Suit.
  If people can sue McDonalds when they spill hot coffee onto their lap while driving over speed bumps, there must certainly be a case for the practices Intuit employs.
  
  I bought QB Pro 2007, and was very happy with my purchase. I then get a notice in 2008 to upgrade. I don't find the improvements compelling enough so I chose not to. I then get a notice in 2009 to upgrade. I find even less reason to upgrade. So in 2010, Intuit, not happy with not making any new sales, decides to FORCE a sale by discontinuing functions that you ALREADY paid for in your old version. This would be equivalent, to Microsoft, taking Word, and disabling it's ability to print unless you paid up the ransom of a new purchase. If they did that, the US Gov would be all over them for this illegal and abusive monopolistic behavior. And yet, Intuit flies under the radar.
  
  Registration. All software manufacturers would like to get as much data on their customers as possible. This is normal business practice. But while most would like you to volunteer your info, you do not HAVE to in order to operate a piece of software that your purchased at full price. Yet again, Intuit seems to skirt software practices by essentially saying, unless you give me all of your info so that I can mine it, and customize a continued UP-SALE pitch of our products AD-NAUSEUM you will not get to use the product YOU ALREADY PAID FOR.
  
  There is one reason, and one reason ONLY, that Intuit is still alive today. And that is lack of competition (true competition). Given this sudo monopoly it would seem to me that these offenses would justify a Class Action suit.
  
  If any of you are lawyers out there and want to take on what seems to me as a relatively easy OPEN-and-SHUT case. I will gladly sign on as Plaintiff #1.
  
  Here's hoping a respectable company takes this once great product, out of Intuit's hands.....
  
  
• Intuit--poor customer service
  By APMDCPV7NSTQS on 2010-04-18
  Like other reviewers, I've been frustrated with all the ways Intuit is using Quickbooks to try to get me to buy additional services and products from them. Even more frustrating is the registration process. I was unable to register the product online (why?!); after entering the requested data, I was required to call a service help line. I tried on several different occasions to go back and fill out the registration data online, thinking I had hit the server at a bad time--no luck. Quickbooks eventually locked me out of the program, forcing me to call and "register" (read- provide them with additional marketing information). This was very frustrating, particularly as the customer service agent was incredibly difficult to understand. This was an unwelcome demand on my time.
  
  
• Theater of the Absurd
  By A2V54KJN24RX4Y on 2010-03-05
  Anybody who runs Quickbooks knows that they are always attempting to get people to upgrade, every single year, for tiny benefits most of us will never use. I was running 2007 and the payroll service (which is a separate annual charge), and my business was forced to purchase the 2010 version to keep the payroll. I bought the disk against my will. Absolutely nothing in 2008 through 2010 inclusive seems at all useful to the accounting end of my business.
  
  In short, the diskette won't install on my computer, as it's networked to a larger system that prevents third party software from loading. Quickbooks wants to install a Flash player version I still don't believe I need. The first guy I spoke to at QB technical support told me that it was vital to have the Flash to run tutorials and some functions in the reports section. I don't need tutorials, and I can't believe I need a Flash player to run a report. (If I do, then there's something really, really wrong with the software architecture!) He tried to sell to me a service support plan, which I refused to consider, and then kept me on hold for 10 minutes to learn the work-around to install 2010 without the Flash player. I tried it. He was wrong.
  
  I called back, and again somebody tried to sell me the technical support package. I remarked that if I was forced to buy this upgrade I would not be very amenable to paying extra to install it. That person, for 25 minutes, attempted to load the software, by cheating around the network support filter, and failed. She told me that, yes, I could not install the program without allowing the version to load Flash. Now I have to get the IT guy involved, and he bills by the hour. All because I have a software program that needs more bells and whistles to install than I'll ever use or need.
  
  I would also bet that this software program, around Halloween, will automatically update itself to start to nag me about buying 1099s and W-2s and other forms for the end of year. Turning off those "services" never seems to work quite properly in preferences. If Quickbooks wants to make a sales call in front of your face, they're going to do it no matter how irrelevant it is to you, or how busy you may be.
  
  FOLLOW UP: It's not just a problem loading Flash. It goes beyond that. Once Flash was installed, there were still errors and issues, depending upon the service pack version you're running with XP. This was an issue with two separate installations (one in the office, one home). Ultimately it took an hour for the IT guy to get the program to load, and, again, it wasn't just the Flash player issue.
  
  FOLLOW UP ON THE FOLLOW UP: It's the beginning of AUGUST, and although I've asked for the "reminders" to STOP, now I'm being interrupted every time I log on to see about buying 1099s and W-2s. So I was wrong. They don't start around Hallowe'en; now it's August, and this may go on six months or more. I guess there's no way to stop the merchandising no matter what Quickbooks instructs about 'reminders.' And I challenge anyone not to find cheaper forms for end-of-year processing from any office supply site than Intuit. The newest payroll "update" was to update their records, not mine, as to who processes my payroll--so they can continue to market to me in other ways. If I need something, I'll buy it. Quickbooks would do well to understand the adage, "customers want to buy--but they don't want to be sold."
  
  

• QuickBooks Credit Card Processing Kit 2010
• QuickBooks Invoice Manager 2010
• QuickBooks Basic Payroll 1-3 Employees 2010
• QuickBooks Enhanced Payroll 1-3 Employees 2010
• Learning QuickBooks for Windows 2010

• QuickBooks 2010 The Official Guide (Quicken Press)
• QuickBooks 2010 For Dummies
• QuickBooks 2010 All-in-One For Dummies
• QuickBooks 2010: The Missing Manual
• Learning QuickBooks for Windows 2010