TurboTax

[cjsmith]

Anyone out there use TurboTax?

Anybody know the phone number for their help line?

They don't have it printed on anything that came with the package. Their website won't give it out without a bunch of personal information from me and $19.95, and since it's THEIR product refusing to install, I'm currently peeved enough not to want to give them anything.

Comments

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

From within the program, "contacting support" takes us to the web site. Dan's still looking through the help file...

Nothing. Sorry.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm having what appears to be the most common problem, a missing DLL. Their web site suggests a solution, but since I have only NT4 Serice Pack 3 (required according to the box) but not NT4 Service Pack 4 (apparently required by the suggested solution), the suggested solution refuses to run. The website implies they'll charge me $19.95 for the call, even if I do give them information they shouldn't need.

So either the box is lying, indicating a pretty big screwup on Intuit's part, or the box isn't lying and Intuit's trying to get a lot of people with old machines to give them twenty bucks a pop to find the real answer.

Reason number 4,827 why I hate depending on others. I am angry at myself for being unprepared to do it by hand, with paper forms.

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Can you install SP4? Or SP6a, for that matter.

And if I had to guess they tested it on a box w/sp3 that something else was installed on that included the .dll you need. Not that I've ever seen that, oh, no ;-)

And you're welcome. I could tell that you're frustrated, and I knew we had both it and the business version still installed, so I just had to tell Dan to look :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Can you install SP4? Or SP6a, for that matter.

I suppose I could if I had it. No clue how to go about getting it, nor any clue what it would mess up if I went ahead and upgraded.

And if I had to guess they tested it on a box w/sp3 that something else was installed on that included the .dll you need. Not that I've ever seen that, oh, no ;-)

Heh. It'd almost be worth 19.95 to let them know what they've done. Not that it would matter a whit to anyone but the poor guy who had to take my call.

And you're welcome. I could tell that you're frustrated, and I knew we had both it and the business version still installed, so I just had to tell Dan to look :-)

Thanks! Yeah, they're pretty cagey this year -- no phone number anywhere. I grabbed my old 2001 stuff and called the number I found there, but it's closed after hours.

Too bad I like TurboTax so much. They're thiiiiis close to losing a customer over a) the screwup plus b) no good way to handle it.

Not that they'd care about one customer.

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

I didn't have any issues applying 6a on any boxes, but those were business machines.

Here's (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e396d059-e402-46ef-b095-a74399e25737&DisplayLang=en) the link to the info for 6a, if you decide to go that route. The link to download it is at the bottom.

They cared enough about all the bitching last year that they removed the need for an activation, but I'd guess that most home users aren't on NT, so they don't care too much about making sure they have the specs for it right. It's possible that next year they won't even support it on NT at all.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Hey, cool! Thank you. If I can get the dang thing back on the network, I'll try that.

(Place is a mess here. Construction. Am currently set up on a desk in the center of the floor, cables snaking across what I'll call the construction folks' "easement" between me and the wall. Close behind me is a large pile containing all my file cabinets, a table, a sofa, and two other desks. Maybe there's a network cable long enough. Thank goodness I don't e-file.)

Wonder what they did about C-Dilla. That caused some bitching too. Gee, seeing these things in close succession, I begin to wonder if maybe Intuit is just slimy? Naaaah, that couldn't be it. :-)

Yeah, wouldn't be surprised if they dump NT. Many users have changed computers since NT's heyday.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

PS: thanks for checking! I'm annoyed enough that I forget my manners; I apologize.

Hopefully someone out there has already gone through the hoops and has the magic phone number.

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

I used Turbo Tax on the web this year. I just tried to get you a phone number, thinking that you could get them to transfer you to the install people, but they want $19.95 from me just to divulge their number!

btw, Hi, CJ! I added you after the scooting thing.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Exactly! That's pretty sh*tty of them, I think. Charge me even before they know I'm the one who's doing something wrong? No, thanks.

(Hi back! I think I added you back last time I edited friends. If not, I'll rectify that.)

[ymasen.livejournal.com]

Geebus... to get their help line #?

How pathetic!

[auros]

I use turbotax.com, and haven't had any problems with it... The help pages are pretty good, and it doesn't charge you anything until the very end, when it's doing the electronic filing thing...

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

In my case the help pages suggested a workaround that instantly failed, because I was on NT 4 service pack 3 (which they SAID they supported) but the workaround insisted on service pack 4. I could find no better information on their website. They wanted to charge $19.95 to give me their help line number to talk to a human about it.

Faced with the choice of throwing the product away on general principles, because they lied about what they support, or using it on my laptop and shutting up about it, I chose the latter. :-/