QuickBooks Pro 2004

 QuickBooks Pro 2004 Discount.

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QuickBooks Pro 2004 Description:

This is an upgrade to 2004. You must already have Quickbooks on your computer. This software will upgrade it to 2004.

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #958 in Software
  • Brand: Intuit
  • Model: 279665
  • Released on: 2003-11-10
  • Platforms: Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
  • Format: CD-ROM
  • Dimensions: 2.00 pounds

Features

  • Financial management system for businesses
  • Import data from popular office software
  • Easily manage accounts payable and receivable
  • Customize reports, prices and more
  • Automatically track information for taxes and reporting

Customer Reviews:

QuickBooks Pro 20043
New features lured me to upgrade from QB 2001. The ability to email documents caught my attention. I discovered that the email feature in PDF format only utilizes Intuit servers so you keep no copy of the email note attached and Intuit now has yours and your customer’s email addresses. In addition you have to register to use their servers and they need your telephone for all their associate businesses. Hope you have plenty of time for talking to solicitors because that is what you do if you enter your telephone number which you have to do if you want to utilize the email feature. Read the privacy statement and you will likely not care to use the feature. I don’t know how they have the nerve to call it a privacy statement. QB software now over-rides Windows color scheme and forces you to use a pukie green header on each window. I just noticed another printer installed called “Intuit Internal Printer”. I’m not sure what that is about. I’ve seen several pop up advertisements in the software. I recommend disabling the automatic updates or you will be bombarded with pop ups. Other than that, Intuit needs to take an ethics course. Everything I had before upgrading seems to function so I’m thankful for that.

Not perfect, but still better than keeping books by hand3
Yes, this product has hidden costs like tech support, yearly tax tables, and upgrades, but it is still better than doing bookkeeping for a small business by hand.

Some of the other fees one doesn’t think about are:

1. Printer checks, invoices (if you choose to use perforated forms or letterhead), and envelopes for both. No bank will supply QB checks for free…and they aren’t cheap either.
2. To email your invoices you have to subscribe to “online billing” for a fee…However, I found that one can simply print the invoice, scan it and email it as an attachment.
3. To do direct deposit for payroll, one must subscribe to “payroll direct deposit” for a fee. (I haven’t figured out a way around this one yet.)

Yes, there were some unpleasant tech support people–like there are everywhere, but I found the option of buying a year of tech support (appx. $350.00 ) to be very helpful for the first year I used this product. Support is available via phone, IM, and email. I found IM to be the best method. By the end of that year of support I was asking questions that stumped tech. support, or I was able to think of a better solution myself, so this product is not hard to figure out…but it does take some figuring out. And it is nice to have the cushion of support while you learn. (The manual is valueless-use the help button or better: buy “Quickbooks for Dummies”.)

With all those costs, you can expect to drop about $1000.00 up front just to get this program up and running.

Hints:
DO NOT EVER load any balances in QB for payroll or customers. You should go back and do every single transaction individually and backdate it the original date of the invoice or payment or whatever. Run your old payrolls one pay period at a time-print them on blank paper with the old check number. You MUST use the payroll liabilities feature to pay all payroll taxes–you can adjust the amounts to match what you have already paid before using QB, otherwise your balances and calculations in QB will be messed up all year like mine were. Even if you have to load a YEAR’S worth of transactions, it is better to do them one item at a time rather than load balances. Start at or as close to your fiscal year as possible for conversion to QB.

DO buy tech support for six months or a year: it was well worth it, especially for 1099s and other headaches that one doesn’t do everyday.

SURPRISE: 1099s will print for only ONE accounting code–I found that out the hard way. So for 1099s, USE ONE MASTER ACCOUNT, if you need several 1099 codes, list them as subaccounts of the master account. I.E.: 1099 Contractors, and have 1099 drafting, 1099 engineering, 1099 transporting as subaccounts.

You HAVE TO have internet access to use this product. Try to have a highspeed connection to the internet, it takes up to 30 minutes to d/l the updates and tax tables via 56K dialup.

DO NOT USE the “enter bills” and “pay bills” portion of the program. Just write the checks manually to vendors-that way you only have to do the work once.

Make no mistake, if you buy this or any other accounting program for that matter, you will cease to be a bookkeeper and become a baby sitter for a computer!

Would pay more to have USA-based support1
Two parts of my review, because Quickbooks is really a combination of Software and Services:

1. The software

A mature blend of features that for many, will get the job done. Lots of critical things left out such as tear-off-slip report for invoices and far too few custom reports.

2. The support. Ok, here we go:

To their credit, in 1999/2000 I made 3-4 calls to the call center for both technical and customer support related issues and was so impressed that I actually told others how good it was – and remember it today. The reps were humorous and helpful, and seemed to “relate” to my needs as a QB user.

Now, in 2004, “John” (with an INTENSE Indian Accent) required me to spend 70 minutes on the phone, while repeating “Just a moment, thank you for your patience, just a moment, I’m getting that information, just a moment, please hold,…” and ON and ON and ON until I had a headache from the netherworld.

And you’d think a 70-minute call would be over some intensely complex technical issue… BUT… this was a call to the billing department to ask about a charge I didn’t recognize! I had my statement, card number, charge code, and amount in front of me. AND THEY NEVER COULD HELP ME. I hung up the phone without having my problem solved and disputed the charge with the Credit card company.

The charge dispute process took 7 minutes. Flat. Done. Thanks FirstUSA for keeping your support top-notch.

Back to Intuit:

Hold a moment. Thank you for holding. One moment. Thank you for holding. I’m getting that information. [click]

Intuit is penny wise and pound foolish. They have compromised so far on support by outsourcing that it had made me switch AWAY from Quickbooks for good.

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