Others say...

"Did the trick for me"
I have used both TurboTax and TaxCut over the years and I prefer TurboTax. TaxCut gets the job done, but TurboTax is a more polished product. I did my 2004 taxes with TurboTax Basic and it did everything I asked of it. Install went smoothly. While the Basic edition lacks some of the features of the the upmarket products, I still managed to do what I needed to do, which included several mutual fund sales this year.

Unlike some of the other users who have had negative experiences, I have run into no examples of spyware and the program installed flawlessly. After an automatic update, I was able to quickly get going. TurboTax made my taxes as painless as they can be...

"AVOID THIS PRODUCT -- VERY BAD"
I have used Turbo Tax for the past 3 years, and have loved it. It was easy to install, pretty straightforward to use.

So when I sat down to install 2004, I didn't give it a second thought. However, the product developers probably need to go back to school on this one, and the manufacturer needs to issue a major apology to everyone who has tried to use this.

I consider myself way above average on the computer skills side. I could not get the product to load on a Compaq with Windows ME operating system. I kept getting error messages to install a second disk. It only comes with one.

I took it to another machine, and tried installing it on a Dell with Windows XP-Professional Edition. Here too, it would not install properly. It indicated that the installation was finished. However, it didn't install several files needed to make it work. It downloaded an update. You have to turn your computer off, then back on to install the update. The update wouldn't install. In fact the computer stalled. Had to reboot again, and start from scratch.

Since I was unable to install the product on either machine, I can't tell you how it handles the routines of calculating your income tax. My guess is that it is very error prone. If you used Turbo Tax, I'd pay an accountant to review your numbers to see that they are correct. Then I'd send the bills to Turbo Tax.

For me, I'm now checking out other products.
Since it won't install on either machine

"Version degradation"
I've happily used TTax Basic for four years - but this year the functionality is much narrower than in past years, forcing a Premier upgrade to get some of the stock and Schedule C options.
2004 was my last year with TurboTax. Goodbye!

"Not worth the time invested and money wasted on e-filing"
After following the customized interview for Turbo Tax Deluxe Federal, and State, I was asked if I wanted to e-file (which I replied "yes"). It took all my bank and visa information, successfully sent my returns onto IRS for review (needed to wait 24-48 hours for acceptance/rejection notification), but when it printed out the forms no routing number and account information was on the returns!

Then I was rejected and asked to send through the information again. I didn't have to input a thing...it was all there to begin with, just kept pressing the "continue" button. A promise was made that no charges would be incurred, but it also stated that there would be a charge of $14.95 for State e-filing. I opted to print and mail the returns.

So, out $29.98 for e-filings that were rejected. We'll see if Intuit will be prompt in sending my rebates. They have you jump through many hoops, therefore lots of room for errors.

Jill
Portland, OR



"caveat emptor"
This is a review of the Mac version of TT Basic from a first time user. My beef is with customer service, which in my opinion is part and parcel of the product.

I've had a problem getting the program to include deductions to a SEP IRA (Form 8880). Talked to a customer service rep who had no experience with the Mac platform, so he wasn't any help. He promised a callback that evening, I'm still waiting. Moreover, I got an email stating that they had tried to contact me but I wasn't home (this after being on the phone with the rep for approx 30 minutes!). Emailed customer support again (restating the problem) and specifically asked the issue to be resolved by a person familiar with the Mac platform. Within 24 hours, got an email response with suggestions on how to solve problem. However, none of the suggestions helped. Seems there might be a problem with the program. However, I can't definitively rule out lameness on my part at this point. Hence, more calls to customer service in my future.

For the most part, I liked the program and would have given it 4 stars. However, this issue with getting the deductions right and questionable customer "service" is very annoying.

Bottom line: buy it if you've fortunate enough to be filing a "straightforward" return. If you ever need cusomer service and you use a Mac, good luck. Also, not sure why there have to be so many updates - not that big a deal if you have a highspeed connection, but I imagine this would be a real pain if you have a dial-up connection.