My return has gotten easier over the past few years but with the update annoyance, I may just buy TaxCut next year. I don't import last year's stuff so Intuit - give me a reason to get TurboTax 2004.

"Worth it if you're going to itemize...otherwise forget it", Okay, the download process was a nightmare as described by my earlier review. However, three hours later I have a very comprehensive itemized return, which would have been way too complex to do on my own without the guidance of the filing questions. The good news is that I had done my taxes by hand last night and came up with a large amount owed, and after using the deductions calculator in TurboTax ended up with a refund instead. So it more than paid for itself.
My major complaint is that there appears to be no way to review the content of your return until the very last "print and submit" step, and I wanted to check the numbers prior to actually submitting it.

"Frustrating download errors!", After 20 or 30 attempts to run the V-box installer program after dowloading it from the Amazon digital library, I was just about to request a refund when my boyfriend starting doing some troubleshooting research for me. Here's what he figured out:
Once you download the installer and try to run it, if you keep getting the error: "3001 Encountered unexpected error when trying to locate product...etc.", there is a browser setting you need to change. (This applies to IE 6.0+, Windows 2000 and XP at a minimum, since I attempted the install on 2 different machines).
Go to Tools-->Internet Options in your browser menu, then to the Connections tab and the LAN Settings button. Uncheck the "Automatically Detect Settings" box if it is checked and try running the installer again. Worked for me. Just be sure to recheck the box and close your browser afterwards.
Seeing as how frustrating just OBTAINING the software was, I'm really skeptical about using it, especially after reading all the other reviews...

"The Last Time I Will Use Turbo Tax", When it imported my information from 2002 it also picked up internet connection data that is no longer valid. Since then I have gone to broadband with a new ISP. It simply refuses to recognize my new connection information. When I tried to update the program by going to their support site through my browser, I simply could not get on despite repeated attempts. I guess everyone is trying to get support for this buggy software. As a result, I can't print out some of my forms because it tells me I must update first. Now it is totally useless. BEWARE

I have previously worked for the IRS and have and MBA and I do my own taxes. They are not terribly complicated and my problem is not with the actual tax calculation portion of the program (which worked OK) but rather with the installation and startup of the program.

I currently am teaching Information Systems at a Texas university so I know my way around a computer. However, I could not initially install the program because of the "necessary version files" problem. Intuit posted a patch on their site to work around that problem and I got the program installed. Now, when I go back to restart the program I get a "Your configuration has been modified pdr.ini startup. Please re-install). I haven't even wasted my time trying to figure that out, I just reinstalled the program.

Doing taxes is stressful enough without having to worry about your tax software crashing on you or fearing that once you close the program it won't start up again. I have also read terrible reviews about the latest version of Intuit's other flagship product, Quicken. It appears that the company is getting sloppy in its development and testing.

I have my 2003 return in pdf format so at least I can file it. I haven't decided if I will submit it electronically yet or not. I would hate to have it "eaten" by an unstable product. But what I have decided is that next tax season I plan to review alternative products.

"Turbo leads the pack!", I was hesitant to buy Turbo this year after having left to buy TaxCut last year when Intuit had the arrogance to put spyware into their product and add a disturbing activation process. I had always been a Turbo user but was so incensed at last years shenanigans by Intuit that I switched to TaxCut (and would do so again, should they initiate the same nonsense as they did in 2002). In any case, TaxCut in not even remotely as user friendly or robust as Turbo and given the opportunity to have Turbo as it was in 2001 and prior I have gladly come back. After reading the reviews on Amazon I hesitated, but am glad I gave it a try. The installation (on a Win 98 machine)was flawless (except for a minor glitch of it crashing my system when updating the software the first time). Useability is as good as always, in my opinion, which as I've said is light years ahead of TaxCut. In light of the options available on the market, Turbo is the clear choice (unless you want to suffer with a lesser product like TaxCut -- which I will grudgingly do again if Intuit plays games like they did in 2002!)

"not nearly as good a program as it was in the past", I have used TurboTax for years (except for last year, when I used TaxCut due to rumors that Intuit's installer program ended up leaving spyware on your computer). I am self-employed and use a home office, and TurboTax was always easy to use even with those added details in my tax return. HOWEVER, this year, the Basic version was NOT nearly as simple, straightforward or user-friendly as in the past. For the life of me, I couldn't get the "EasyStep" interview to take me directly to the section on entering home business expenses. I had to go at it backwards, which made the entire process more confusing. I spent hours longer doing my taxes than I ever did in the past. A friend of mine also had the same problem, so it wasn't just me. I have no idea what they did: I am wondering if they've cut down the features on the BASIC program so that those like me are forced to use the more expensive versions (which was never the case in the past -- the BASIC was just fine before). In any event, I most definitely will be less inclined to use TurboTax next year and will try and pore over reviews of other tax preparation products to get something more simple to use.

"Ridiculous", I ordered a download of the product for immediate use and I had to wait over one hour for the order to be processed. Get your act together Amazon.