TurboTax Premier Federal + State + eFile 2008 [OLD VERSION]

Be aware! Do you have children or parents that you have been filing returns for? The Intuit TurboTax 2008 license pricing is a dramatic change to your tax preparation expense! With TurboTax 2007, I completed our return and a return for each of my three minor children. Preparation of up to five returns was included. This year, Intuit wants me to pay a significantly higher price for the first return and pay another $10 for each of my kids returns. You pay when you get to the printing phase, AFTER you have transferred and filled in all of that important information. Intuit says they have included a federal e-file at no additional charge. If this is all true, what is the 60% price increase Intuit is asking me to pay this year going to do for me? Even if all you do is your own return, can you believe, with that higher price, that a federal e-file is included at no extra charge? I have been a TurboTax/MacInTax user for around 20 years but when e-filing has become something Intuit forces everyone to buy, even those who cannot or do not want to use it, it becomes clear that Intuit has lost its way. Intuit lost a very dedicated customer today. My strong recommendation is that you consider H&R Blocks Tax Cut before you decide which tax preparation product to purchase this year.

UPDATE: Intuit has tried to correct for this years price-grab (as detailed below in my original post) by reversing themselves and including 5 free e-files and removing restrictions on the number of returns that can be created and printed with a single copy of TurboTax. For that, I am raising my rating to two stars. However, as smart consumers, we should note when they did this and infer what motivated them. During the period while the controversy of their restrictions and extra charges was raging, Intuit and its representatives did nothing but try to justify their position, but this did nothing but inflame their (former) customers more. However, the controversy did catch the attention of Intuit TurboTaxs primary competitor, the Tax Cut product from H&R Block, who then moved to take advantage by first pointing out that they did not raise their price this year (even when including e-file as TurboTax did) and were not restricting the number of returns that could be done with a single copy of TaxCut. Then, more importantly, decided to offer 5 free e-files with the TaxCut product. Only then did Intuit realize that they were not going to sneak this price-grab by consumers, because if the two products were side by side and only one of them (TaxCut) was advertising 5 free e-files and no limits on printing, they were going to lose sales big time. They then reversed their decision and have now matched TaxCuts offer. So what does that mean for us consumers? In one sense, it is a victory, because we are getting what we wanted in the first place: to pay a reasonable price for a product that we can use to meet our familys needs. However, while I applaud Intuits decision to reverse a bad decision, I can also see that it wasnt because they were listening and responding to their customers, but only countering their competition (who was listening to consumers and responded to take advantage). More importantly, H&R Blocks actions with TaxCut demonstrated a certain corporate character: first, they did not try to price-gouge customers this year by raising prices when they included free e-file. Free equals free. Second, they did not try to get extra money for printed returns (software as service) when the customer has already paid for the product. Third, they could have just trumpeted the fact that they do not charge for extra printed returns, but they raised the bar by including more free e-files. This is compared to Intuits corporate character of greed and selfishness, which has been demonstrated this year by price increases, user restrictions, and extra charges. A few years ago, they also showed their true colors by including damaging Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) in TurboTax to prevent it from being installed on more than one computer, preventing legitimate customers from working on their return on a work computer and finishing it on their home computer, and then preventing them from uninstalling it. Then, as with this year, they only listened and gave in when it was already clear they are going to lose. Intuit needs to learn how to balance their profit expectations with respect for their customers and it will take time before they earn our respect back. So for me, I will give credit where it is due and purchase TaxCut instead of TurboTax this year. ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW: Intuit is trying to pull a fast one on consumers this year by including e-filing at no extra charge. Intuit is promoting that they are including one free e-file with its software for tax year 2008, but has also increased the price of its products by about $15. In previous years, they would charge $15 extra to e-file, but you could send in a rebate to get that $15 back, which made it effectively free. This year, they charge you $15 upfront, whether you use the e-file or not, which means EVERYBODY PAYS MORE. In addition, they have changed their products license from allowing a purchaser of TurboTax to prepare up to five tax returns within the household in the 2007 version to allowing only one tax return (with included e-file) and then charging $9.95 for each additional return prepared, WHETHER THOSE ADDITIONAL RETURNS ARE PRINTED OR E-FILED in the 2008 version. The additional charges for additional e-file submissions would be fair, but not for additional preparations and printed returns. So what this means is that, under the guise of providing free e-file, Intuit will charge up to $54.80 ($15 + 4 * 9.95) MORE to consumers to receive the equivalent of what was provided with the 2007 version. Keep in mind, they are charging even if you prepare and print more than one return without e-filing, which means there is NO COST TO THEM, but they want to charge you for it anyway. This doesnt sound free to me. This will affect many users who prepare one main return, and then a few more simple ones for children or parents, etc. Even if you only do one return, you should avoid this years TurboTax on principle. The core issue is that Intuit is trying to change TurboTax from a tool-based product model to a service-based model. However, they have not changed the pricing to reflect this change. The problem is, they want to continue pricing the product like they did before, when it was a tool that could be used multiple times, yet restrict it like a service where you pay for every use. If you object to the one return policy, Intuit will just say, Use TurboTax Online, its free for simple returns!, but this suggestion is just a distraction in this discussion. What they are saying is like this: Suppose I bought a nice brand-name toolset for full price and used it on one project. Ive now setup all the tools in the box just like I like it and become totally familiar with the tools and how they can be used, so much that I can just reach in the box without looking and find the tool I need and once I get it out I know just how hard to hit with that hammer. I finish the project and close up my toolbox for the day. The next day, my mom wants me to fix something so I get the toolbox but I now find that it is locked and has a security sticker on it saying that Ill have to pay $10 extra to open the toolbox for each additional project. Or, I can pack up my moms item and drive it to the hardware store where they will let me borrow some simple tools to try and fix the item but if it gets too complicated over there, theyll start charging me to rent additional tools. Not to mention that I have to throw away all the learning that Ive already developed with the great toolset that I already bought and learn another whole set of rental tools at the hardware store. If I wanted to rent tools, then I wouldnt have bought the toolbox in the first place (which was probably what the hardware store really wanted when they came up with this scheme). Here is the problem people have with this scenario: Last year, the toolbox included 5 uses. This year the toolbox costs $15 more but only allows a single use. Ok, it adds a free service that used to cost $15 but we may or may not want to use that service and if we did, we could send in a rebate for to get the $15 back, making it effectively free. But Free service aside, what happened to the value of those unlimited uses? The price of the toolbox stayed the same, but the functionality went down because we can only use it once. Maybe it would be more ok if there was a big sign at the store that said: SAVE ON THIS TOOLBOX! YOU CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE BUT ITS CHEAPER! Or at have the decency to post a very big warning: THIS TOOLBOX COSTS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, BUT YOU CAN ONLY USE IT ONCE! Dont let them get away this price increase that has no basis in common sense. Avoid TurboTax this year until they change this ridiculous policy, even if you only prepare a single return with it. If you buy it, theyll use your sales data to justify this unreasonable change, then who knows what else they will try to charge us for next for doing nothing on their part. Looking at the big picture, what Intuit probably wants in the long term is to move people away from the boxed product and over onto the online product and then kill off the boxed product. This would eliminate the costs of physical production and distribution and the bandwidth costs of distributing software updates. It would also eliminate the slice of the profits given to retailers that sell their boxed product and kill off any promotional pricing or freebies. With no retailer competition, Intuit could charge whatever they want for their online service. It would also increase customer lock-in since their data would be purely stored on their own company servers.

Exactly as promised, quick delivery.

My order mistake...Want it back?

Product came as advertized, delivered on time. Price was not as competitive as I had hoped.

It is everything that I have ever heard. User friendly even for us old folks. Beats getting everything together and visiting a CPA only to have him enter the info. in a similar program

You may not need this expensive version of TurboTax if youre buying it primarily because you also have investment income (Schedule D). I realize TT has recommended this but theyve recanted and told me that the 2008 Deluxe version will be every bit as capable as the 2007 Deluxe version was in guiding us through the Schedule D, C, SE and other self employment forms. Heres the dialogue: TurboTax support has been extremely responsive in calling me back regarding my complaint to them about how badly theyre confusing people on which TT product to buy. Id like you to read my question to them and then their answer. The bottom line is that TTDeluxe 2008 is every bit as comprehensive (and more) as the TTDeluxe 2007 product. There are no takeaways and no real reason for a Schedule D user to have to buy the Premiere version and no significant reason why a self-employed person MUST buy the Home/Business version. He knew their company screwed up and caused a public relations nightmare. Apparently the recommended upgrade products have expanded guidance and help for the uninitiated TT user. If this 2nd review of mine is not accepted by Amazon, I will try to post it to the Premiere version and the Home/Business version and also as a comment to my 1st review here. My question: Considerable confusion exists as to whether a person with investment income/transactions or self employed income absolutely needs to buy the considerably more expensive Premiere or Home/Business version. Your website indicates that the Deluxe version includes forms Sched. D, Sched. C, SE etc. and yet you say we should buy the more expensive program. This doesnt make sense. Ill be happy if Deluxe 2008 is as comprehensive as Deluxe 2007 was but nowhere do you compare the 2008 and 2007 versions. You are getting very bad reviews this year on Amazon because of all this confusion. People believe you are taking away function from Deluxe and raising the price to boot. Their response: These are the actions we took to assist you in resolving your issue: I was able to express to Sam that the Deluxe program will have the same functionality as in previous years, as well as additional features as well. Sam express his confusion on the product features and that of the comparison between each of the verison of TTax. I informed Sam that he has given me a great piece of reference when relaying the changes, functions, and ease of usage within the program. I will be able to inform my supervisors on this as well as urge the response for our return customers, as well as new. Thank You Sam.

If a company wants to charge more for an improved product because realistically they need to cover the costs that went into creating that better product, fine. But this new price structure is just garbage. Clearly Intuit is at that point with TurboTax where they think people will stomach unjustified price increases because (a) changing software is annoying and (b) its still cheaper than paying a tax professional. I hope they are sorely mistaken. I urge people not to be scared of trying a new product this year. I have used TurboTax every year since I started doing my taxes and am excited to move on to a new product this year.

Ive used TurboTax for years and love it. However, the 2008 edition had a changed format which was more difficult to navigate on two schedules. One of the things I like about the program is that it transfers your last years return. That being the case, I dont know why it never questioned me about two sections that I needed to include.

This is the fourth year using Turbo Tax. Excellent product. I no longer need an expensive, and not always accurate, CPA! I dont understand how Geithner messed up using it! Turbo Tax should ask for a public apology! TH