Christian Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 I talked with their sales rep today and was given the usual 10% early discount offer. My software using the 64 bit Windows 7 program is slow but serviceable. I am unable to find a competing software vendor who comes close to matching the ATX price for my 1040 program. I considered Intuits Pro Series only to find they have raised their price some $200 on the package I was considering. Drake's prices have always been much higher so I rarely check anymore. I note some of you got a deal from Pro Series but I have no way of looking into that so I will likely stay put. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted May 2, 2013 Report Share Posted May 2, 2013 There is no way I/we are paying for ANYTHING until September or October when we will know whether they have actually corrected the flaws or are just desperately trying to keep customers. No more believing anything they say, no matter how sweetly the sales rep says it. I have my own database expert dissecting the program and the issues. By September, I will know as much about how poorly the program is designed and whether the program can be fixed. No more taking the word of the people who took our money last year and cost our company so much this tax season. I have told my sales rep exactly the same thing. Waiting for her response from her supervisor. Film at 11. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail in Virginia Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Jack,. I am really interested in hearing what you find out. We run in a server environment also, and I don't have a database expert. But some of what I have heard about the Raven database being used in this application makes me nervous about whether or not ATX will ever be truly suitable for my environment as long as that is the platform they use. They might be. They might not. In the meantime, we are signed up with Pro Series for next year but they are not going to bill us until November and we can change our minds up until the software is released. That just allowed me to lock in the early price. I still don't understand how the types and severity of problems can be so different from one user to the next. Some people have next to no issues, some have an almost inoperable program, and it seems there is everything in between that range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Perhaps if we can identify those folks who used ATX in a server environment with no issues and have an expert from ATX look at their operating environment and compare that to those having the worst problems may give some clue. Now that you have free time (hopefully) try to install ATX in a non networked environment and run the same cases that gave you problems and see if you run into the same issues. I think you will find that in a non networked environment the latest version will run just fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I use ATX in a stand alone situation that is to say on a single computer. Client returns open very slowly but most of their other issues have been resolved although the depreciation module is sorta difficult to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 Perhaps if we can identify those folks who used ATX in a server environment with no issues and have an expert from ATX look at their operating environment and compare that to those having the worst problems may give some clue. Now that you have free time (hopefully) try to install ATX in a non networked environment and run the same cases that gave you problems and see if you run into the same issues. I think you will find that in a non networked environment the latest version will run just fine! They do NOT exist. Please direct me to someone. I am speaking of a TRUE domain server environment. No tech person that I spoke to had ANY advice about the server incompatibility issue. Their only advice was to scrap the domain and make your system peer to peer. Easy if ATX is the only program you use on your server and network. Not so easy if you have a true business environment with 10 workstations to take care of. They chose a boy (Raven) to do a man's (SQL or Oracle) job. Now they are seeing the results of not fully thinking ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 If they do not exist, It is difficult to understand why ATX would not do adequate testing in a client-server environment and only recommend peer to peer. Most business network environment is client-server not peer to peer! I am scratching my head on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 When you speak to an account manager, one of the main questions they ask is if you are standalone; what system you are using and/or if you are networked. I didn't get the impression that they were ready for networked users YET. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 They do NOT exist. Please direct me to someone. I am speaking of a TRUE domain server environment. No tech person that I spoke to had ANY advice about the server incompatibility issue. Their only advice was to scrap the domain and make your system peer to peer. Easy if ATX is the only program you use on your server and network. Not so easy if you have a true business environment with 10 workstations to take care of. They chose a boy (Raven) to do a man's (SQL or Oracle) job. Now they are seeing the results of not fully thinking ahead. I use ATX in a domain server environment and only had minor problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I use ATX in a domain server environment and only had minor problems. What OS is on your server? What OS is on your workstations? How many workstations? How many clients on your program now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted May 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 It looks as if your point ATX Anonymous may be spot on. I noticed this morning that the speed of opening returns is improving after the 12.15 upgrade. For those of us having smaller client bases the program will likely be adequate for 2014. I priced Pro Series this am and their price is almost double what ATX is quoting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 I use ATX in a domain server environment and only had minor problems. We have a domain server too. Server is SBS 2003, XP and Windows 7 Pro workstations. With 4gb and 8gb memory. Also have a test stand-alone running XP. Very slow, freeze ups, impossible backup / restore, reset 2011 path over and over, kick out of efile, kill ATXLoader2012 process. Problems were almost the same for server vs stand-alone. Before server, we used to run a peer to peer network. I cannot imagine how that would be suggested over domain - even with all of this year's problems. (And when we had peer to peer, we were running the "good" ATX (pre 2012). It was so slow and more apt to lose mapped drive connections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart Posted May 3, 2013 Report Share Posted May 3, 2013 What OS is on your server? What OS is on your workstations? How many workstations? How many clients on your program now? Windows server 2003, 3 workstations all running xp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 My network is similar except my new laptop is Win 7. I am hanging on to XP until Microsoft stops supporting it completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADGFINANCIAL Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 Latest Proseries Update... Well, I for one decided to make the change going forward. I ordered Proseries on 4/17 and will do the rest of my returns this year on the new program now that the rush of the seasons is over. I ended 4/15 with 477 returns done. I expect to do about 100 - 150 additional returns from now to the end of the year. When I first ordered ATX about 10 years ago this is the same way I went about it. By 2014 I should be fully up to speed on Proseries. Since postings the above I have now done an Amended return in Proseries and am up to 9 returns complete, two of which were Sch C returns I was given a price of $1033. (with includes NY Sales Tax) with a lock-in for 5 years and the 2012 package for free. That's the full package 1040 and pay as you go for business. The program seem easy to learn and support is very good this time of year. I did one live in front of the client which is the way we do them here with very little problem. The EIC gave me a little grief but was able to figure it out. August @ ADG Financial.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 Is Sch C considered a business return in that package? What do they charge for 1041 and 1065 returns incl. state? Did you evaluate Drake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADGFINANCIAL Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 No, a Sch C is not considered a Business Return in this package. I looked at Drake a couple of year ago. I moved to Proseries because it is in my opinion much like ATX. We do mostly 1040's, very little other work. I think this is going to work for us. August @ ADG Financial.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 You got roughly 35% discount. Not bad at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmars Posted May 4, 2013 Report Share Posted May 4, 2013 told you ken that you would like it. My only problem is that some forms that i consider basic aren't available. thanks for that contact info you sent me the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taxed Posted May 5, 2013 Report Share Posted May 5, 2013 What do they charge for SuperForms these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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