TaxCPANY Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Just kickin' in, y'all, as to why I'm most likely to re-up before this month ends. Yesterday, I finally had the time to 'grieve' the fact that my Kleinrock Federal Tax Expert CD's (under my TTO contract) hadn't been updating since last December. Reached a most-obliging (southern-accented) person in under three minutes. After only 10 more minutes, she escalated me to a hard-core techie, who spent the next 1-1/4 hours *devoting* his brains to my problem. We concluded it's an effect of Microsoft Net Framework 2.0, that ATX's programmers need to address -- BUT, nonetheless, he put my desktop's app on par with the online version. (MS Net Framework also had been the culprit @#$%ing up my Norton Ghost 9.0 backup regime, when I simply installed a second hard drive, last month -- requiring way too many hours to fix.) Overall, I got the impression that CCH finally has been pumping-up tech help to the degree I took for granted before the December Massacre -- note, my capable techie was hired only within the past year. So I'm almost fully inclined with kcjenkins that ATX's half the cost of his former TAASC is worth trusting CCH to get its @#$% together for 2008. ...stil haven't seen *any* news that Drake has remedied the 1041 problems I'd found with it, last summer. VTY, TaxCPANY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booger Posted May 21, 2008 Report Share Posted May 21, 2008 Gee, seems that alot of people are "re-upping" with ATX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastertax07 Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 CCH-SFS is donating the building at 52 Sweden St back to the city of Caribou today at 9am. This was the building Glynn moved everyone in to when he left Washburn. Tomorrow the city is transfering the building to a new up and coming company. I wish the new company good luck in their endevours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 CCH-SFS is donating the building at 52 Sweden St back to the city of Caribou today at 9am. This was the building Glynn moved everyone in to when he left Washburn. Tomorrow the city is transfering the building to a new up and coming company. I wish the new company good luck in their endevours. What does this company do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mastertax07 Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 What does this company do? Remote IT support using some of the same friendly people you used to talk to on a regular basis. There is a posting about it elsewhere on this board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJM Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 KC Any further updates on the ATX front? I take it that you are going to renew with them for next year. I have looked at Drake, but the data entry method really doesn't appeal to me. Taxslayer Pro & Intellitax are OK, but are not really complete packages. We all respect your opinions and value your input. Thanks, Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Gee, seems that alot of people are "re-upping" with ATX. Always intended to stick with ATX if they stuck with us. Problem I had was their lack of commitment. Looks like they are finally starting to learn from their mistakes and failures. About time. And I am pretty sure it is the people on this board that have gotten them to see their mistakes. Atta - Person (politically correct Atta-Boy!) everyone! And Eric, once again, thanks for setting up this forum to allow us to be able to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Just received an e-mail from Taxslayer Pro offering a $200 discount on complete program. However, as Joel said, I,also, always intended to stay with ATX if they stayed with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Just received an e-mail from Taxslayer Pro offering a $200 discount on complete program. However, as Joel said, I,also, always intended to stay with ATX if they stayed with us. Have seen a few post about TaxSlayer and although I have never used nor reviewed the software I know 2 accountants that had. One used it in his practice for years and liked it, but when he sold his practice to the 2nd accountant I am referring to she told me that she thought the program was very limited and difficult to work with. Her first act was to transfer every tax return to ATX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcb39 Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Have seen a few post about TaxSlayer and although I have never used nor reviewed the software I know 2 accountants that had. One used it in his practice for years and liked it, but when he sold his practice to the 2nd accountant I am referring to she told me that she thought the program was very limited and difficult to work with. Her first act was to transfer every tax return to ATX. Just since I posted the message about the discount, I received a call from Taxslayer. They are definitely recruiting. I will take a look at it for future reference; but am wondering how he knew that I used ATX this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Just since I posted the message about the discount, I received a call from Taxslayer. They are definitely recruiting. I will take a look at it for future reference; but am wondering how he knew that I used ATX this year. Been getting a ton of mailers, calls etc from other software companies myself. Betting they are not certain we use ATX, but that they are targeting professionals that are not in their base of users, with the hopes of getting dissatisfied ATX customers. This seems to happen everytime a tax software company gets acquired. Even had one from Taxslayer myself. It hit the shredder without being read (other than than the title). A SHORT RANT: On a slightly different note. Does anyone have any idea how many tax software companies existed in the early 80's when we first started leaving the service bureaus and going in-house. My recollection was in the mid 30's. And now after mergers and buy-outs, year by year we are down to a handful. Guess we are a Valuable Commodity and should be treated as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Gotta hand TaxSlayer credit for creativity. I got an email form them this morning suggesting that I use my rebate to buy their software. Let's see now, 1) Wide screen TV; 2) Tax software; 3) Vacation; 4) Pay down debt decisions, decisions.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 >>after mergers and buy-outs, year by year we are down to a handful<< I can't tell from your post whether you like this fact. Personally, I think it's great. Tax preparers are a small user base with exacting standards, and we could never support thirty competitive products. Give me a big, powerful tax package by a company that can afford to do it right. And don't feel too sorry for the little guy. Most 1980's software developers were praying from the start that they could hang on long enough to GET bought out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booger Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Always intended to stick with ATX if they stuck with us. Problem I had was their lack of commitment. Looks like they are finally starting to learn from their mistakes and failures. About time. And I am pretty sure it is the people on this board that have gotten them to see their mistakes. Atta - Person (politically correct Atta-Boy!) everyone! And Eric, once again, thanks for setting up this forum to allow us to be able to do this. Gee, joelgilb.........did you forget (along with some others on this board) that Mel in Hawaii was supposed to come through with a tax prep program? Alot of people were willing to throw their money at him to produce one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 ---> Alot of people were willing to throw their money at him to produce one <---- The operative word in your post is "WERE". Speaking for myself and many others, we ARE willing to do so. Nothing has changed in that regard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booger Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 ---> Alot of people were willing to throw their money at him to produce one <---- The operative word in your post is "WERE". Speaking for myself and many others, we ARE willing to do so. Nothing has changed in that regard. JohnH, what changed your mind about using ATX for your 2008 prep? Just seems to me that a lot of energy was wasted by certain people crying and complaining about CCH all during busy season. The way I look at it, the software did what it was supposed to do, at a fair price. It was the customer support that sucked. Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 Booger: I waited until the last possible minute to buy the 2007 software - didn't actually purchase until Jan 10, 2008. At that point I had 30 days to test it under real circumstances and reject it if I wasn't happy. I found that it seemed to be OK so I stayed with it, but had TaxSlayer Pro already loaded & ready to go, plus I could have converted back to UltraTax by just rolling over a couple of years if I had decided that was the best thing to do. I don't efile, don't do any RAL's, and really don't get under way until early Feb so the delay was no big deal for me. I realize not everyone can work that way, especially when they get a lot of business in January. Why did I stay with ATX? I like the interface, it passed the last-minute test, and it saved me $. Purely a business decision. This year I'll evaluate Drake and take another peek at TaxSlayer Pro. For me, Ultra Tax is always an excellent option if the others disappoint me. I know how it works, I like it, and I trust it. The only problem is the price compared to what else is available. As for the 2008 season, I haven't made any decision yet and don't plan to do so until Jan 2009. I'll do the same thing I did last year - put off the decision until the last possible minute. If ATX passes again in the areas of functionality and price, I'll continue to stay with it. Otherwise I have a Plan B & Plan C. And if Mel gets going on his project & will allow me be to a part of it, I'll invest some $ into it just to have a plan D in future tax seasons. One never knows what the future holds. If I hadn't kept all my options open and my ear to the ground in the past, I'd find myself still using Ultra Tax and paying $3K - $5K more than I'm paying for ATX. IMO it's risky to make long-term decisions in the short term, especially when it only amounts to a couple of hundred dollars savings (at the most) against thousand of dollars in tax season revenue. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not, but long term it always pays to keep your powder dry. (Especially true as a company grows larger - trust is always the first thing to go out in the garbage) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack from Ohio Posted May 23, 2008 Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 booger, Customer support (?) is controlled by the same group of execs that control the life of the software. This is a major reason for concern. If they do not value their customer base enough to provide adequate service, what makes you think they are smart enough to see the value of keeping the software?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted May 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2008 No specific updates, although I have decided to renew, Art. But one more nice and reassuring thing. I had requested an obscure AR form be added, if possible, back in Jan. I really did not think they would add it, but decided to ask, anyway. Well, two days ago I got a 'followup' email, which I will include below. I think this is a very good sign that they are still working hard to improve the program for us. Here's the post I got: Hi KC, Were you ever able to get a copy of this form? I know you have a lot going on and don't want to bother you, but this is the time of year we add enhancements and would like to consider including this for 2008 if you are able to get us a copy. If you can you can email me a copy of it or fax it. Thanks, Karen Hall ATX Tax Manager CCH - Small Firm Services Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted May 24, 2008 Report Share Posted May 24, 2008 The fact that customer service sucked is a very big point, even if you didn't need it last year. Because when you need customer service and are a sole proprietor, then you really, really need service right now. No waiting on hold, no waiting for a supervisor, no waiting for a call back, you need service right now to continue that return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 No specific updates, although I have decided to renew, Art. But one more nice and reassuring thing. I had requested an obscure AR form be added, if possible, back in Jan. I really did not think they would add it, but decided to ask, anyway. Well, two days ago I got a 'followup' email, which I will include below. I think this is a very good sign that they are still working hard to improve the program for us. I've been requesting Kenton County, Ky annual license return for several years. I know they have a gazilion locals to look at, so it's not a priority. But I sure would like to see it next year. Ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 Gee, joelgilb.........did you forget (along with some others on this board) that Mel in Hawaii was supposed to come through with a tax prep program? Alot of people were willing to throw their money at him to produce one. Did not forget Booger. Somewhere else on this board Mel made the comment that he would not be ready this year. At any rate I always intended to get Mel's when he had a product and ATX, till Mel was fully up to the level of ATX. I stated this in a previous thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted May 27, 2008 Report Share Posted May 27, 2008 >>after mergers and buy-outs, year by year we are down to a handful<< I can't tell from your post whether you like this fact. Personally, I think it's great. Tax preparers are a small user base with exacting standards, and we could never support thirty competitive products. Give me a big, powerful tax package by a company that can afford to do it right. ... Honestly, I have mixed emotions here. 1. I don't like that there is less competition for both my dollar and to keep the competition on its feet. 2. I also don't like that I have had software I use acquired multiple times forcing me to make other arrangements. 3. I do think you may have a valid point about our base not being able to support 30+ products. 4. I am not sure less competition means the remaining software companies, give me a better more powerful software Anyway it was mainly an observation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.