Intuit responds to TurboTax customer revolt
Responding to market pressure and consumer outrage, Intuit has reversed its original position and announced that customers using its best-selling TurboTax software can prepare and print multiple returns at no additional cost. Also, free e-filing is included with five Federal returns.
"We're responding to changing market conditions and customer feedback," said Dan Maurer, general manager of Intuit's consumer division. "We believe this better positions TurboTax in the marketplace with an even stronger value proposition for consumers. It's one more way we help make it easier for TurboTax customers to keep more money in their pockets."
Last week, AccountingWEB reported that 171 online product reviewers on Amazon.com had panned TurboTax with one-star ratings (as of this writing, the number is at 276). The reason? For the first time, Intuit had started charging users an additional $9.95 for each additional return whether they print or e-file. Also, reviewers complained that the 2008 version of the software costs more than last year's model, from $44.95 to $59.95.
After the Intuit changes were put in place, one Amazon reviewer gave TurboTax a five-star rating and declared, "We won, you can print unlimited returns for free."
Under the headline, "Intuit Finds Customer Complaints Too Taxing to Endure," the Washington Post reported the company would refund any preparation fees customers had already paid and an upcoming update to TurboTax software would "remove any mention of the $9.95 additional-return fee."
TurboTax guarantees taxpayers will get their biggest possible refund. TurboTax customers also benefit from many features, such as built-in guidance for more than 350 possible deductions. Intuit's product line includes QuickBooks and Quicken.
Related article:
TurboTax turmoil: Online reviews pan the top selling software
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Supporting the unlicensed preparer?
So, the hordes of cousins, uncles and friends doing their neighbors & relatives returns for them (for a fee, with no signature and, of course no training) on their personal Turbo Tax didn't like having to pay to run more than one return on their personal, meant for only one use, off the shelf tax software? Wow - the government is trying to reign these people in for practicing without a license and no one seems to have told Intuit that. How frustrating it is to those of us who go out of our way to keep our skills as sharp as we can and actually pay things like E&O to hear that these folks can practice within our profession with no consequences and the blessing of a company the size of Intuit. There will never be a way to license all tax preparers.
TurboTax change
Sorry, this doesn't cut it.
Unlike the commentator complaining about use by perhaps a paid preparer, or maybe just somebody with a large family, I only do one return on my copy: our joint return.
As long as TTax has raised the software charge by $10-15, e-filing is not free.
If TTax would like to offer the Basic Version with an online download for $20 or less (like last year), and this includes efiling for free, I'll be glad to continue.
Else, I and others should continue to make this message clear to TTax: no charge, as intimated to Sen Schumer, means no hidden charge, and no charge period.
There are others, like TaxCut, and for my return, I have an Excel workbook that mirrors the Federal forms that I use as a check on any computer program.