NYC Roadshow attendees, check in please!!

[minkcpa]

If you visited the roadshow in NYC today how about giving your first hand observations. The sessions were only a couple of hours, what did you see, did you get any hands on time, any comments good or bad.

Thanks

[Vityaba]

I hope ATX did not ask you to sign NDA. Please share your today's experience

[SFA]

I was not at the roadshow, but would also like to hear some feedback.

I know I'm a straggler, still on the fence. Our experience with ATX was so horrible, that we are reluctant to reward them with a renewal, no matter how good their new and improved version of the program is.

I don't like to feel this way. We were so drained after April 15, that is was hard to recover the energy that it takes to stay on track and rebuild our bottom line. So here we go again, slamming into another uncertain tax season.

[jshtax]

I was not at the roadshow, but would also like to hear some feedback.

I know I'm a straggler, still on the fence. Our experience with ATX was so horrible, that we are reluctant to reward them with a renewal, no matter how good their new and improved version of the program is.

I don't like to feel this way. We were so drained after April 15, that is was hard to recover the energy that it takes to stay on track and rebuild our bottom line. So here we go again, slamming into another uncertain tax season.

That is how we felt and still feel that way with 2013 season rolling around

[Guest Taxed]

Unfortunately time is running out. You got to get off the fence by next month and get geared up for next year. Do NOT underestimate the training issues if you have seasonal staff should you decide to switch software.

I had someone quit on me when I lost Taxworks!

[jshtax]

We do all work ourselves. Had to end up redoing returns because they thought they could do more than they knew.

[SFA]

We do all work ourselves. Had to end up redoing returns because they thought they could do more than they knew.

Could you elaborate on this comment? Did you redo returns prior to e-filing or after?

[jshtax]

Could you elaborate on this comment? Did you redo returns prior to e-filing or after?

The staff would start on return then we review before filing but would have to make corrections so we cut out the staff.

[Guest Taxed]

If I recall jshtax you have over thousand returns to file, how do you manage without any staff? You must be a superhuman!

[jshtax]

If I recall jshtax you have over thousand returns to file, how do you manage without any staff? You must be a superhuman!

I personally do about 60% and the remaining 40% is split between 3 others.

[michaelmars]

Unfortunately time is running out. You got to get off the fence by next month and get geared up for next year. Do NOT underestimate the training issues if you have seasonal staff should you decide to switch software.

I had someone quit on me when I lost Taxworks!

I didn't decide till the end of February to purchase proseries so there is no real rush to decide now, I would wait to those ATX diehards start using it and see their comment.

Even if ATX is great I would not switch back this year, they need a real hit in the pocketbook and proseries went very smooth even if it didn't have some forms that I needed and their letters really suck. their error checking, their multi-state integration and their customer support was all fantastic. Out of 350 or so returns I had -0- rejections by tax department and only a handful of rejects by agency.

[minkcpa]

Pretty sad that between the two boards there is one post from someone who attended the Roadshow. A short review that was positive but did not deliver any ringing endorsement. I guess it is potential new users going and not the lingering 2012 users.

[Guest Taxed]

>>> I didn't decide till the end of February to purchase proseries so there is no real rush to decide now

You must be a real fast learner? I need to have all things in place latest by the weeks between Christmas and New Years. Ready to roll!

[SFA]

Pretty sad that between the two boards there is one post from someone who attended the Roadshow. A short review that was positive but did not deliver any ringing endorsement. I guess it is potential new users going and not the lingering 2012 users.

I agree with you. It is sad. For years, ATX had a good product and reputation. The problem with many of us, is that we too have to serve many clients. If we drop the ball and mess up, we lose the client. Rarely do we get a do-over. Many of us will pay our clients penalty if the fault is ours. I asked for a refund last year and was told that the refund policy was based on some formula, that as it turned out, meant that our refund was zero. Nada. Nothing.

So, that was then, this is now. Everything is fixed, great, wonderful. So why are we not enthusiastic?

[jklcpa]

Yes, the refund policy basically says that the first return is free and then $20 per return filed after that is deducted from your purchase price, not including the handling fees and sales taxes paid, like being on pay-per-return.

For those of you that might have requested a refund and are considering renewing with ATX, please also be aware that their current refund policy also says this (last sentence of paragraph A):

To prevent abuse of CCH SFS' refund policy, a refund of tax compliance software may only be requested once in customer's CCH SFS account history (as of April 1, 2010).

I requested and received a refund on 3/30 after ~ 4 weeks of calling them, and then on 4/2 I received a call from a sales person that I hadn't ever spoken with. My salesperson left and I dealt with someone else for the refund process. This person was reaching out to those that had left and was trying to get users to reinstate ATX, saying it was fixed. I won't belabor that point, but I questioned this person on that point in the refund policy and he said that it wasn't true, that if I renewed again that I could get my money back if ATX 2013 wasn't going to work for me. He didn't even know what the refund policy said and asked where in the policy it said that.

[Guest Taxed]

In all my dealings with sales people, most don't really know the refund policies and those who really know it do not tell you when they are making a pitch.

I have learned to ask for the fine print anytime, I am buying a service or contract for the long term. The dealership where i purchased my car got so frustrated with me when they were trying to sell me extended warranty, they gave me the name and # of a person at Chrysler to call and get my answers! That is when i knew it is really not worth it.

[michaelmars]

>>> I didn't decide till the end of February to purchase proseries so there is no real rush to decide now

You must be a real fast learner? I need to have all things in place latest by the weeks between Christmas and New Years. Ready to roll!

PRO was not much different than atx and I came from pro back in 2004 so a lot of the learning curve came back. in my practice, incase an individual has a special need ie student loan or going on vacation etc, I usually only do business returns till 3/1 or so then start individuals. With most business returns on quickbooks, once the worksheets are done, I can enter a return in about 10-15 minutes. I think they are easier to enter than 1040's since you have a bottom line to tie out to. Here in NY, LLC's have a filing that was due 1/30 but now 2/28 so I was forced to get a program inorder to file those forms otherwise I might have sat on the fence even longer.

An associate of mine stuck with atx and only had minor issues on his stand alone set up but I lost faith more with customer support than I did with the product.

Using prosystem and then lacerate in my main practice I have come to expect fast and efficient customer support and find that proseries has that. It more than offset having to pdf a few forms that proseries doesn't have or paper filing a few states extensions that pro doesn't handle.

[easytax]

Can't help with the road show but here's some info on ATX training videos: (There's a third one that was released a few days ago too).

New ATX 2013 Videos are Available

Two new videos are available at the ATX Education Library.

Installation and Networking

Backup & Restoring Files

View the videos and fact sheets now at www.atxinc.com/education_library.

Future topics will include client letters, print packets, e-filing, working with assets and depreciation, and more.

Thank you for being an ATX customer and for using the ATX Education Library.

[minkcpa]

Installation and networking is confusing! In the beginning it suggest that peer to peer will not work. Then is goes into a setup that would mirror mine, computer #1 is server and workstation, computer #2 is workstation and laptop at my desk is workstation. I guess I will find out next week!! At least the drive mapping is gone. A beta tester on CCH board described how he was setup and it is peer to peer. Trying to be hopeful but CCH does such dumb things it is almost like they are telling to leave.

[Jack from Ohio]

Peer to peer will work. It will not be called peer to peer. 2013 is truly a network program. You will designate one of your computers as the server. The program has been totally reconstructed from the inside out from 2012. Built properly this time.

Pay attention and follow the installation instructions EXACTLY.

Be wary of comments about the program from people who do not have accurate information to make them.

[Guest Taxed]

Is it really a true peer to peer network if it requires one computer to be a server?

I am not a fan of peer to peer networks for many reasons, but I guess some people still like it that way.

[Jack from Ohio]

You are not a computer person I can tell. Throwing the terms around does not make you knowledgeable.

Peer to Peer is a group of computers working individually but all connected with a network. Each computer can work all by itself without any other computer in the network being on. The assignment of one of the computers as "server" (Maybe file host would be a less confusing term) only designates where the shared information will be stored.

A true "server" network has a dedicated computer that is ONLY a server running server software. All computers have to log into the server (domain) before working. The server is the place where all files that are shared between computers are stored, and has security and access protocols on it.

Again, everyone must be wary of information from people who do not have access to accurate sources.

ATX 2013 WILL operate in a "Peer to Peer" situation, and work correctly.

[Guest Taxed]

You are not a computer person I can tell. Throwing the terms around does not make you knowledgeable.

Peer to Peer is a group of computers working individually but all connected with a network. Each computer can work all by itself without any other computer in the network being on. The assignment of one of the computers as "server" (Maybe file host would be a less confusing term) only designates where the shared information will be stored.

A true "server" network has a dedicated computer that is ONLY a server running server software. All computers have to log into the server (domain) before working. The server is the place where all files that are shared between computers are stored, and has security and access protocols on it.

Again, everyone must be wary of information from people who do not have access to accurate sources.

ATX 3013 WILL operate in a "Peer to Peer" situation, and work correctly.

No I am not a computer person, I freely admitted that before. But you posted confusing information that one computer is designated as server.

http://www.atxinc.com/education_library/PDF/ATX_2013_Installation.pdf

I think this may be helpful to folks who want to hear from the horses mouth!

[Jack from Ohio]

My information was spot on. A word, in this case "server" can have multiple meanings. The only confusion comes when a person thinks a word has only one definition.

[Guest Taxed]

My information was spot on. A word, in this case "server" can have multiple meanings. The only confusion comes when a person thinks a word has only one definition.

>>> The assignment of one of the computers as "server" (Maybe file host would be a less confusing term) only designates where the shared information will be stored.

So if this so called server or file host fails or is disconnected from the peer to peer network, will the rest of the users be able to run ATX and process returns without reconfiguration?

If no, then you have a hybrid system and not a true peer to peer network. Notice the absence of the phrase peer to peer network in ATX installation guide!