Intuit Used to be Cool

OK, I used to LOVE Intuit. Really. I thought they were just the best software company out there. I bought my first copy of Quicken back in 1992--and I thought it was just wonderful.

I recommended it to friends, businesses I worked for, even my parents.

But something changed.

Around 2002, Intuit peaked. Their Quicken and QuickBooks software was at its best. Which caused a problem. Nobody was buying the new versions.

Why should someone pay an extra $100-$200 a year for upgrades that weren't needed? I mean seriously, there is NOTHING ELSE you can add to this program. It does everything you need in terms of a financial program.

So they crippled it.

Every three years, my versions of Quickbooks and Quicken cease to function. They call this "sunsetting" -- I call it a scam. But I need these programs to work. And, silly me, I assumed that when I purchased them I could make the decision when to upgrade.

So I went out and got my brand spanking new Quickbooks 2007 for $180. And here is what I got:

1) A program with the EXACT same functionality of Quickbooks 2004
2) A new "look" which is pretty dreadful.
3) An installation of Net 1.1 (it apparently needs to add an additional 160 MB to my operating system)
4) A load time of 62 seconds (Quickbooks 2004 loaded in 7 seconds)

They know they have us over a barrel, and they exploit it.

I don't mind the cost of the program, I can afford it, what bothers me is that I was forced to purchase a "upgrade" that wastes my time. And offers me "features" that nobody wants or cares about.

Intuit, you used to be cool.