Customer reviews from turbotax.intuit.com
TurboTax Basic Federal + E-File 2009 - Windows
Average customer rating
4.2
(1,654 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 1,654 reviews
5 Stars
941
4 Stars
406
3 Stars
149
2 Stars
85
1 Star
73
Customer Reviews for TurboTax Basic Federal + E-File 2009 - Windows
Customer Rating
5
The only way to file
on March 28, 2010
Posted by: Rayc
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
5
Easy and Fast
on March 28, 2010
Posted by: Mayo
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
1
Not next year
on March 30, 2010
Posted by: SupportFlatTax
As longtime users of both Quicken and TurboTax, it grieves us to have to make a report like this; however, you asked our opinion and you might as well here the hard truth.
TurboTax failures:
1.) Import from Quicken 2009 failed:
a. Flagged transactions (w/o any clue as to which one) for having invalid dates of 00/00/00.
b. After much effort, we isolated suspect transaction and saw it was, in fact, a dividend payment and not a stock sale, so the date in question – sale date – did not apply.
c. Next attempt, we resigned ourselves to having to make hand entries and unchecked the suspect account so import would ignore it. However, what TurboTax actually ignored was the checkboxes and it imported everything again, thus reintroducing the same errors.
d. We worked around the problem by having Quicken build a .txf and imported that into TurboTax. Of course, we could have done that with any tax software product; so the major TurboTax advantage was nullified.
2.) Lack of meaningful support:
a. In the above episode, we searched Help and thought we found a chat service called “Ask Sarah: that is, in fact, not a chat service but a search engine (index) into the product documentation. We had already read that over and over; but the software does not “work as advertised”!
b. “Explain This” is trivial and completely silent on all but the most simplistic issues.
3.) The review flagged the TurboTax-generated Form 1116:
a. Some Interview entries involving items with foreign tax paid. Despite the Interview having acknowledged that foreign tax was paid and advising the need for further information, TurboTax proceed to build a deficient Form and then flag it in the Review. The Review complained that data was not entered into the Form 1116 column correctly. Wow! We expected TurboTax, itself, to properly handle such mechanical details. After numerous attempts to correct the initial entries, as directed by the Review failed we decided to build the Form by hand.
b. Continuing with (a.) above the new Form 1116 we were adding came with a prepared and un-editable “worksheet” that overstated our income by about 25%. That was corrected by entering an adjustment into the worksheet. However, in Review, the adjustment was flagged and we were told it should be blank. Luckily, upon deleting the entry, the Form remained in tact. Finally TurboTax Misery had come to an end and out tax form were now complete.
1.) Import from Quicken 2009 failed:
a. Flagged transactions (w/o any clue as to which one) for having invalid dates of 00/00/00.
b. After much effort, we isolated suspect transaction and saw it was, in fact, a dividend payment and not a stock sale, so the date in question – sale date – did not apply.
c. Next attempt, we resigned ourselves to having to make hand entries and unchecked the suspect account so import would ignore it. However, what TurboTax actually ignored was the checkboxes and it imported everything again, thus reintroducing the same errors.
d. We worked around the problem by having Quicken build a .txf and imported that into TurboTax. Of course, we could have done that with any tax software product; so the major TurboTax advantage was nullified.
2.) Lack of meaningful support:
a. In the above episode, we searched Help and thought we found a chat service called “Ask Sarah: that is, in fact, not a chat service but a search engine (index) into the product documentation. We had already read that over and over; but the software does not “work as advertised”!
b. “Explain This” is trivial and completely silent on all but the most simplistic issues.
3.) The review flagged the TurboTax-generated Form 1116:
a. Some Interview entries involving items with foreign tax paid. Despite the Interview having acknowledged that foreign tax was paid and advising the need for further information, TurboTax proceed to build a deficient Form and then flag it in the Review. The Review complained that data was not entered into the Form 1116 column correctly. Wow! We expected TurboTax, itself, to properly handle such mechanical details. After numerous attempts to correct the initial entries, as directed by the Review failed we decided to build the Form by hand.
b. Continuing with (a.) above the new Form 1116 we were adding came with a prepared and un-editable “worksheet” that overstated our income by about 25%. That was corrected by entering an adjustment into the worksheet. However, in Review, the adjustment was flagged and we were told it should be blank. Luckily, upon deleting the entry, the Form remained in tact. Finally TurboTax Misery had come to an end and out tax form were now complete.
Two suggestions:
1.) To protect your business, actually test your software before you sell it. I am a software engineer working in Aerospace. A number of my colleagues also used TurboTax this year, and to a man, all had problems and complaints about the shoddy software. Others, with different tax situations, had other problems; but all were software failures as blatant as my own experience.
2.) Add genuine support, for example, a chat service that actually connects to a human who can understand the actual problem. I know that cost more; but if you actually take my number 1 suggestion to heart, this service should see little use.
2.) Add genuine support, for example, a chat service that actually connects to a human who can understand the actual problem. I know that cost more; but if you actually take my number 1 suggestion to heart, this service should see little use.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
5
on April 6, 2010
Posted by: xxlbear
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Buy
on April 7, 2010
Posted by: Djojenkins
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
4
Still the Best!
on April 11, 2010
Posted by: OviedoFL
For some reason this year the software kept prompting my to use/ download forms, at a cost, for state tax returns. In Florida we don't file state taxes.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
3
no detail guidance
on April 12, 2010
Posted by: nemat
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com
Customer Rating
5
on April 12, 2010
Posted by: THEERJ
This customer did not provide a text review.
Written by a customer while visiting turbotax.intuit.com