TurboTax Customers Strike a Blow Against Intuit

Extremetech.com ^ | January 10th 2003 | Jim Lynch

[ledzep75]

When Microsoft released Office XP and Windows XP with product activation embedded in both products, consumers and pundits alike responded with a gigantic hue and cry. Many Windows users were angry and felt betrayed by Microsoft. Others were uneasy and wondered whether product activation in Microsoft's products was a grim harbinger of things to come in the software industry.

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[SamAdams76]

I just got Turbo Tax in the mail (unsolicited). Apparently they want me to load it into my computer and pay a $30 activation fee. Glad I saw this article first.

[ContentiousObjector]

C-Dilla is nothing, you should see the havok that Macrovision SafeWrap can cause to a corporate network.

The person who came up with SafeWrap should be hogtied and dropped into a 2600 meeting or Slashdot convention (if such a thing exists)

[EVO X]

I still do my taxes the old fashion way, with a pencil and a stamp. I might consider doing it electronically if the IRS provides me the tools to file electronically. Why should I have to pay to send them my return?

[irv]

I just got Turbo Tax in the mail (unsolicited). Apparently they want me to load it into my computer and pay a $30 activation fee. Glad I saw this article first.

Ditto. I used Turbo Tax for the first time last year. Decided I liked it a little better than Tax Cut, which I used for several years before. Guess I'll be going back.

Just one thing before I do, though: Can anyone give actual testimony that Tax Cut does not have these same problems? I'd be really annoyed if I switched back to it for nothing.

[jwh_Denver]

I just got Turbo Tax in the mail (unsolicited). Apparently they want me to load it into my computer and pay a $30 activation fee

I got their CD too and immediately smelled a 4 day old fish because normally there are rebates that bring the cost down to about $20. Another software company that ain't worth trusting. They had such a good thing going but they got greedy and slimey.

Rev up the presses TaxCut

[LenS]

I wonder if they're messing with Quicken also?

Oh well, no biggie. My old version works fine so there's no need to upgrade.

If Intuit is willing to do this, though, might they attempt to download customer's tax information? Or financial information from Quicken?

On third thought, I think I'll tell my firewall to block all Internet traffic by Quicken for the moment. I can enter my stock prices manually for a while -- it's not like I have that many anyway. *g*

[Dominic Harr]

Ping.

[Maurice Tift]

Spyware, activation codes, the IRS... I say we get rid of all of them!

[jwh_Denver]

Thanks for the update pal. FR at its best!

[Timesink]

Time to short Intuit stock!

[ppaul]

Thanks.
Won't be buying TurboTax for taxes this year.
Gotta e-mail link so I can let 'em know?

[A CA Guy]

Microsoft will be coming on hard times soon over it's business practices. Former happy customers are not that way anymore.
They did inspire what happened with Turbo Tax I am sure.

[jwh_Denver]

If Intuit is willing to do this, though, might they attempt to download customer's tax information? Or financial information from Quicken?

I don't know. But once a company goes scumbag I don't trust them forever. It would be interesting to see if your Quicken starts lighting up your firewall but I really doubt they would download tax information as every lawyer in this country would have orgasmic visions of big bucks in a class action lawsuit. But then again I don't know. Watch that firewall fellow FR!

[NYS_Eric]

Yep. I bought TurboTax (8th or 9th year I've been using it), and was pretty irritated to discover the new "feature". I'm going to finish my taxes on it this year since I already paid for it, but this is the last year I'll be a TurboTax customer. I hope this blows up badly in their faces.

By the way, does anyone know if the CD monitoring feature is removed if I do a complete uninstall of TurboTax come later this year when I'm done with the software? I don't want any more resource load on my computer than necessary.

[gcraig]

TaxCut is made by MSFT, right? So, both TurboTax and TaxCut are made by software companies guilty of doing this.

[JoeGar]

C-Dilla prevents you from copying the CD by disabling your CD-RW drive.

I'm missing something. Why does one need to copy the Turbo Tax CD? When installed on your system, the CD is not used.

[TechJunkYard]

Can anyone give actual testimony that Tax Cut does not have these same problems? I'd be really annoyed if I switched back to it for nothing.

Perhaps not as malware and spyware, but TaxCut collects and sells personal information to 3rd parties.... see their privacy statement.

[Unknown Freeper]

Oh great. I was going to pick up Turbo Tax this week. I've been using it for years. Oh well.