TRX 1

Just got an e-mail link from TaxAct Software to try their 2012 version. They say the 2012 Forms are in place.

Will we see the 2012 forms in this weeks update??

Our plan is to have in Fridays release the 2012 forms, however not TaxAct or any other software company can have complete 2012 forms until the IRS release the calcs for it. We can say it is 2012 but the truth is if you believe TaxAct you better get ready to do a lot of 1040X'es. Taxed, I know you know this I have talked you enough to know you get it. The 4562 is not even going to be accepted by the IRS until Late February or Mid March and this is just one of the forms there is a whole list. I have a list of affected forms if you want me to email it to you or you can get it off our website, I wonder if we will ever get through this tax season. What do you think will be the last day to file this year? Doug

I, too, have tried to figure out where to jump ship to. I was with ProSeries, but having a client base of 35 (this is part-time for me), I need a software package a little more affordable and ProSeries raised their rate $100 a year and said all software companies did that. TRX seemed affordable and the software seemed okay up until this year when none of the data would transfer in the proforma and state software is unavailable. I have been told by technical support that the proforma function is only 90% accurate. This is an unacceptable answer as I have worked at a few CPA firms using software such as Lacerte and ProSeries and when a client was unable to be pulled forward, we would have the software company address the issue and if need be, re-enter lost data. However, TRX employees informed me that I WOULD HAVE TO SPEND ALL MY TIME AND HOURS re-entering the data myself on clients that would not roll forward. This is unacceptable. When I explained that to their technical support AND sales manager, they acted like they didn't care (probably because I have a small client base)!!!! Then I was told to wait for the update and since I had paid the down payment to secure the lower price and have not paid the balance, I decided to wait to see if the update worked before paying the balance. I also have not paid because they never sent the invoice that I had to ask for several times. So I asked if the update didn't work if I could get a refund of the down payment I sent last year since the software doesn't appear to work this year. They told me no! So any of you trying to get refunds, good luck. They have no such thing as money back guarantees!!!! I am hoping (like the rest of you) that this gets resolved with updates by February 1, but I am not holding by breath. And based on the "lackadaisical attitude" of each and every employee I've spoken to in the 5-6 times I have called, I am guessing they aren't holding their breath either.....

Renee you will not be getting the updates this week without paying in full for your software. Doug

Here s the webinar for doing a tax return in TRX Pro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFDZ_mVI6wM We will be recording each of these and I will be posting these as they are completed. Please check our TRX Members WebSIte for the live times of these Webinars if that is what you prefer. Doug

Just out of curiosity, have you tried installing it on another computer?

Mas has a good idea it really does not sounds so much as a program issue as much as it just may not like the security restrictions this computers has. What version of windows are you running? is windows up to date?

Doug, what part of Alabama are you from? I'm a country boy living between Gadsden and Anniston.

I was born and lived in Huntsville until I was 12 and then moved to Winchester TN. and now Murfreesboro, TN. All my Aunts and Uncles live in Huntsville, Guntersville area. You live down by the Fort Payne Boys, Alabama. You can't tell me you don't like music now!!!!

Doug

Here is a little movie trivia. Next time there is a re run of Saturday Night Fever (John Travolta's big break as an actor), watch it. There is a scene where his friend who get's a girl pregnant is complaing to him and John just want to borrow his car. Look in the background. They are standing in front of a local tax prep shop in NYC offering 10 returns for $200. It was advertised right on the window like used merchandise stores. Every time I see that move i get a chuckle at that scene.

I have seen that too

Doug

National Championship is tonight whose going to win? I guess it is ovious who Gene picks and I happen to agree with him since I am an ole Alabama boy myself.

Do they even still have carbon paper?

In your software under the help button at the top if you open it and go to the Software Manual click on it and it will open then go to Chapter 7 for instruction on the appointment scheduler.

Doug

As Doug suggested it may be a good idea to start a separate post for us old timers and how much fun we had in the good old days. I learned tax prep work from my father in law who was an accountant since the 60s and used "copying pencil" and tax form overlays on a copier the size of a washing machine. I got some good stories!

Yea my dad a copy machine too, it was a Royal you had to put liquid Ink in it and crank it by hand but no one else had one. Also remember when we got new type writters that you no longer had to use idiot ink to do correction they had it built in. WOW!!!!!

Doug

Let me up that. My first serious computer other than Commodore 64 was Leading Edge Model D in 1985, dual floppy. Then I got a Kaypro 386 and used EZ Tax and Tax Cut in DOS. Had to use Lotus 123 with EZ Tax and when it printed the return on a Epson dot matrix it was like magic!! I think we paid less than 50 bucks for those programs back then.

Could you imagine what people would say now if their software was like it was then. I would never get any sleep. Did you think Dos 6.0 was the greatest when it came out? I did medical billing software in unix/linux back in the day and our main computer was a Prime Computer that sat in the closet with a window unti Air conditioner and the closet all sealed off, but it worked. We need to start a thread on here about war stories from the past, WOOOOOO!!!! I bet that would be interesting. Doug

Yes, CCleaner is a great tool to use. Thanks Crank for the info on the backup locations. My backups were restored from an external device which I did know the file name and location. All clients were brought back into the program but during the rebuild, not all of them appeared. Being skeptical I didn't want to move forward on my own. I know I seemed a little axious in my posts but I seriously have one rental client and one partnership that became a sunken ship in 2012 pushing to get their returns done by the middle of January. I need time to learn the new program and no matter how many times I tell these folks that the probability of me having a completed return within their time frame is slim and next to none, and they say they understand, they contact me almost daily for an update. These are very good loyal clients and I want to do my best for them. Nice to know the 1041 package is coming and even if it isn't until March that is still good to know. Now, I can relax a little and learn the program.

Do not relax to much you are now part of our continuing to make it better team, as with any product "even mine" we can always make it better so as you are learning the program let me know how we can make it better, if not for this year but for next. Doug

Windows XP and any upgrade from that leaves behind lots of junk when you install or run a program and when you uninstall not all the files are removed. There is a shareware program called CCleaner at www.ccleaner.com that you can download and run each day to get rid of all these junk files. If you watch Youtube videos you must run this to see how much junk it cleans. Also once a month if you defragment your harddrive , you will see a noticable difference. Just let it run all night.

Do you remember DOS programs and how they ran with just 640KB of memory. I still remember my first DOS tax prep software and how I had to do a screen print before I moved to the next screen, and then print the forms on a dot matrix printer. Those good old days!

Hello you are showing your AGE!!! I bet the people working from me even developing for me have no Idea what we could do ourselves back in the day. One year we went out and bought new computers Packard Bell SX 486 25mhz and 170mb hardrive 4 meg of ram with windows 3.1 and a texas instrament laser printer, I thought we were going to be able to conquer the world. Doug

WHO EVER DESIGNED THE NEW TRX SOFTWARE, SEEMS TO HAVE NO INSIGHT AS HOW TO MAKE THE PROGRAM USER FRIENDLY. I HAVE JUST OPENED A RETURN WITH QUITE A FEW ADDETS, AND IT IS A SHAME THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SHEET THEY HAVE DESIGNED.

AFTER WORKING FOR YEARS WITH ATX AND REDGEAR SOFTWARE THIS IS LIKE A PIECE OF JUNK. (ONLY MY OPINON OF COURSE)

ALSO THE FACT THAT THE PRINTING ON THE ENTRY SHEETS IS SMALL AND WHEN YOU GO TO PEEK THE PRINT IS SOO LARGE THAT YOU HAVE TO OPEN THE FORM TO BE ABLE TO READ IT, WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS AVAILABLE.

PS: HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HAD TO HAVE TRX ROLL OVER YOUR CLIENTS BECAUSE THE CONVERSION PROGRAM DOES NOT WORK.

George, As Taxed said make sure you have updated to version 4.0.0.05. As for the designing of the flow it was done by tax experts with a minimum of 15 years experience in offices doing 5000 + returns a year. I really think once you go to a webinar you find how easy it is going to be. Please study the default return and set it up and you will fly through returns this year. I will have a couple of updates coming this week so please be ready to update. We are increasing our update speed from 20mb to 300mb on Monday evening so all updates will almost be the speed of light. Doug

Ok, thanks for the replies. I am going to try to make the webinars however I have conflicting appointments on all three of the webinar times next week.

I am actually having them recorded, I will get these up so you can watch them on your on timing. Doug

Doug

The Appointment Scheduler does not seem to be able to accept new clients. The frist drop down menu item "Select The Client" only allows you to select from clients whos returns are already started. How do I enter an appointment for a NEW client?

If I select the new "New Appointment" it requires various fields such as SS# If I enter an fake SS such as 000-00-0000 then it allows me to enter a new client. The this new client appears in the "New Appointment" drop down menu to enter the apppointment details such as the date and time.

After that the date is highlighted in blue on the calendar but clicking on it only brings up a blank new client form once again.

If I Go To the "Client List then I see the client and the appointment date and time but not if I click on the date from the calendar. Does it notify you of upcoming appointments? It seems to be very convoluted and confusing.

Also there doesnt seem to be a way to edit or delete this "new Appointment" after it has been entered.

Am I doing something wrong or is it not working correctly?

Taxed is incorrect it is not still under development we are simply adding additional features to it. I did exactly what you were tlking about last night my works fine. I will get you a full list of instructions tomorrow with illustrations. Taxed is correct the Outlook does have the scheduler but where ours if different it is built into the program and will auto update clients. The big help it is going to be is for next year when this is integrated with the client organizer and this years clients and can auto set appointments prior to sending out Client Orgnaizers. It will also be able to text or email appointmet reminders to your clients. I will send you the .pdf instruction on the appointment scheduler tomorow.

Doug

Doug,

Jason called me and we are in good shape. I commend you for following through and helping me. Jason did verify that there is not a 1041 package with the software. Is this coming as an update?

Thanks,

Terry D.

Yes the 1041 is coming along with the 990 but it will be sometime in March. You are welcome maybe you can help me keep everyone on here positive, because I will do my best to make everyone happy.

Doug Hughes

Doug,

You have personally taken time to e-mail me asking if my problems with the 2012 software have been resolved. I do appreciate your concern and desire to help me. However, all of my problems have not been resolved. I have worked with two different support agents for the last four days. Finally, last evening, I managed to get the program updated and the CID and PID numbers installed and the program registered. I still need help with getting ALL of my clients from 2011 back into the 2011 program program after a Windows re-install. Ther person whom I spoke with last evening said she would call me first thing this morning. It is now 9:35 Eastern Time and 8:35 your time and no phone call. I can't call in as the recording tells me your office is closed and the person's extension is not a valid extension.

Here is the rant: Your customer service is really beginning to leave a lot to be desired. Yes, I know we have some time and filing season has not officially started. However, the software is new to many of us which we were forced into without a choice and there is a significant learning curve. I do have rental properties and a couple of S-Corps beginning to come in and I can't process anything or retreive their information from last year yet. As many others have stated, the learning curve should have taken place back in October not now. I have used your products for the last four years and I am seriously questioning whether I will renew or not. I know you are tired of hearing this from all of us but you need to do something to ramp up the customer support with all of these problems. I have read threads where you state your years of experience within the tax industry and I respect that. With that said, you do understand the need for each of us to test a new software regardless of who the vendor is. After 17 years, I must say this is the first tax season that I feel so uncomfortable and almost to the point of panic to try another program. Please do what you can to expedite my concerns.

Terry

Terry your email said they were to call you back last night so I personally went to our support room and had one of our best techs call you back but you did not answer. We are not offically open today but sometime after 10am cst I have a tech meeting and will have some one call you following the tech meeting. We are also have webinars several days a week so if you will also check the members website you can see the schedule.

Doug Hughes

Yep, I've heard the same about TaxWorks! (That strikes me as the silver lining to all of this - we may have inadvertently avoided a mess...)

ATX is also a bit of a wreck at this point in tax season.

I find this all kind of astonishing. I understand that forms might be late coming this year, but why is the program functionality not solid, this close to tax season? I understand that the programming must be extremely complicated, but shouldn't beta testing have been happening back in, say, October? Pay potential customers to install the software, do a few practice returns, and see what problems come up? Why didn't ATX, Taxworks, and TaxExact make that happen? What am I missing?? Baffled.

ProSeries, Drake, TaxWise, and TaxAct may all have banner years in 2013, due strictly to non-functionality of their competitors' programs!

Matt you know me and I in no way am trying to defend my competitors but facts are facts. The IRS mandated us Software Companies to go 100% MeF, which to most people is not a big deal, however even if we were currently 100% MeF we were still forced to program to use Legacy and that all changed this year abruptly by the IRS. Now with that said here is the problem, the normal features you are accustomed to may not all function properly at first until all updates are done, sounds crazy but it is true not only for me but also for my competitors. Do not be fooled thinking that the companies you mentioned are going to have banner years they face the same issues you may just not be aware of it with them yet, but you will. But I would be willing to bet that by the time we start doing taxes this year, God only knows when that will be, but that me along with my competitors will be ready for you with full functionality.

Doug Hughes

While the rest of you are concerned about updating and waiting to see if the product performs, I would just like to get mine installed properly. I received wrong CID and PID numbers and if the documents surrounding them are correct, I have someone else's EFIN as my CID. Apparently, the numbers are needed to get the program to even update. Called support three times today,left messages and still no help. A request for a refund may be in the very near future for me. Then again, from other posts, a refund request might not be a good idea either as some who have requested it appear to not have received it either.

Terry send me an email at [email protected] and I will get your problem solved. In the email give me your credentials so I can look it up for you. Doug

Doug--I chose this forum because it seems to get a response from you more quickly than when I contact your office. Further, I suggested you contact me outside this forum to further discuss it. You did not do so, choosing to respond here instead. I chose this forum yesterday because I have not been able to get a response from your office directly. Karen B told me about a month ago that she would take my request to you and that you would be in touch soon. I have not heard anything from her or from you. That is the second time that has happened. This method, on the other hand, seems to have worked rather well.

You're right, I have not done much contract negotiating, though I fail to see the relevance of that (other than, perhaps, to disparage me). Frankly, it is a non sequitur. Even if it were relevant, that does not prevent me knowing the difference between right and wrong and between good business practice and bad.

The only reason I went to the TRX web site a couple days ago was to see if you had my address listed correctly. I did that because FedEx notified me they had a package from TRX that was delivered to the address I moved from in September. I had previously notified you of my new address. The address in my online profile was correct but the phone was not. I changed the phone number. My reason for checking was that I did want to have the software in hand to be able to return to you in the event you decide to do the right thing and give me a refund.

Doug, I am not mad at you or TRX and I do not wish you or them ill. I simply made a decision that your product was not working for me and asked for a refund. I did that all the way back in June, long before TRX had done anything other than to draft my bank account. Your office responded only by saying, "we refund only to new clients within the first 30 days. We do not refund renewals. Period." Given your recent history (over the past couple years) I don't think that is an appropriate response. I came on board three years ago thinking it was a cost effective way to continue using the ATX product I had used for approx 15 years. The first year was great. The second year I got a different product (without even a note to say ATX was no longer available--I heard about the switch on this forum). I had a lot of trouble with the Red Gear product the first year I used it and much, much more trouble last year. I renewed last March/April only very reluctantly. I had heard that Red Gear was retooling their software and you told me that yours was in rapid development. You even asked me if I would assist with one aspect of it (for the clergy market niche I primarily serve). Even though I was not planning to use the software I agreed to do that in an effort to help you out. I never heard from anyone in your organization until months later when someone emailed to say they were handling that part of the development and wanted to know what particular feature I wanted to request they include. Over the past year I looked (several times) at your in-house product demo. It simply does not work in the environment I work in. Before last tax season you advertised it as ready to go. I saw either earlier in this thread or perhaps in another on this site that you're now calling last year's version a beta. A couple months ago (after talking with you) I decided that in the interest of fairness I would try it again. I tried entering the data from my own return using the latest demo. It could not handle even the most basic things. I was distressed. It only intensified my decision to move on.

Doug, I commend you and your team for its effort to develop a cost effective product. I wish you well in that. I truly hope it works and you and many others become fabulously wealthy from it! My issue is that I signed up for something that is not being delivered. I'm not in a position of being able to wait for it to mature. I caught a ton of flack from my clients last year over the problems I had. I cannot afford a repeat of that. As I stated previously, I already bit the bullet and paid the extra bucks to get a tried and true product. Please, Doug, what I (and apparently quite a few others) am asking is only fair.

Jerry I wish you the best and if you ever need anything I will be here. Doug

As a CPA I was appalled when this was first announced. I as well as many other members voiced their opinions with the AICPA which ultimately led to the disclosure rule.

If a CPA out sources and/or provides client information to a third party they must disclose these facts directly to the client.

This worked for some time to quell the expansion of outsourcing, until the big 3 and others found a way around the rule.

They set up offices in the countries that they outsourced to, i.e. India, where one partner oversaw all of the outsourced tax returns. This was considered kosher and remains so at the present time.

The struggle continues.

Mike Dubin CPA

Mike I agree, but I am not sure how we go about combating it. Open for suggestions maybe we can all work together and get something done. Doug

I would support a Federal law that requires all taxpayer information to stay in USA! In other words no outsourcing of taxpreparation work to India or any other place. If you think about it a tax return has all the information a crook would need to steal your identity in a NY minute!

Taxed I agree outsourcing Tax Preparation to India or any place is wrong. You would think the IRS would require this as a form of the 7216 form in some kind of disclosure. Doug

Doug-- I have tried working through your office, to no avail. It seems that this forum is the best way to actually get a response from you. I would have preferred the private method but that has proven fruitless.

I am one of those who DO want a refund (as I have mentioned in several calls to you and to Karen). I don't recall if I was specifically told I would get the same product as last year. I do know that both you and Karen have told me that you were in negotiations with Red Gear and expected to have a contract. That dragged on for months. Then you told us that even if you got a contract with RG the product would be different as they were re-writing it. I DO NOT want to have to learn a new product.

Frankly, last year was a disaster (which was only slightly better than the year before). Back in June I concluded that I cannot afford another year like last year and began requesting a cancellation/refund. I also bit the bullet and ordered my old software at a considerably higher price. On the occasions I was able to get through to someone at TRX my request was summarily denied. I appealed several times for reconsideration and was told that YOU would get back with me. Neither you nor anyone else ever did. I am NOT impressed with the way your company is run. If mine was run like that I'd be out of business.

On at least two occasions I have given your personnel a change of address. Even still, the 2012 software was shipped to my old address. I went to your website a couple days ago to change the address--it had my new address listed. I finally got my software--software I DO NOT want and will not use--today.

Doug--I really want to end this relationship amicably but you and your folks are not making that easy. I really want to send this software back to you and get my money back (you can keep the shipping fee if you wish). If you wish to contact me outside of this forum that's fine (you have my contact info). That failing, I will be adding my input to what is surely a growing list of complaints with the BBB, the TN attorney general and whoever else I can think of.

Jerry Stephens

Jerry you are right this is not the place to talk to me about this. I respond to every email I receive so that would have been the place, however one thing seems odd you say you want a refund, you say you do not want the software and yet you say just a couple days ago you went to our website to do a change of address???? I can also see you have never done much contract negotiating, however we still feel we did the right thing by not signing a contract that would be not in either mine our my customers favor. Doug Hughes

Guys, I understand you are worried but there is no need to. Tax season does not even start until Jan. 22nd. All the issues you have mentioned are either being corrected or have been and we just have not released another update. Everything is not been in the previous updates only parts as we complete them but we had so much flack from you guys we have decided to wait and update when we have the majority done. Many of the other software companies are sending out software that does not even have forms, but we chose to send ours out with forms in it even though they were 2011 but we will update those in the next few days. If you want to jump ship I cannot stop you but you will be sad you did when you realize we have done everything you asked and now you are paying 3 times the price. I have been doing taxes 25+ years so I know with everyone's software changing this year you are nervous but me making sure I get you what you need to do your business, insures I stay in business so believe me I will get everything done. Doug Hughes