Why you should not use Turbo Tax

[WebmasterAlex]

Do I have any shot at the Penguin Ice Bowl Betz? I have just the spot for it!

 

[WendyZ]

I agree. I'll either go back to doing it by hand or get Tax cut. I would of been livid if I would of installed that in my computer. I almost bought it the other day. Thank goodness I waited!! I called my friend today and told her about it. She is the one who told me about it last year. They loved it. Not anymore!!!

 

[BethR]

Went to Staples today and came home with TONS of software for about $3 (tax) after Instant and Mail In Rebates. Here's what I got:

1. Tax Cut Basic
2. Money 2003 Basic
3. ValuSoft's Home and Office Deluxe - that includes Print Workshop, Will Maker Deluxe, and lots of clip art
4. CheckSoft Express - a check printing program that is supposed to use check paper that is 80% less than Quicken's
5. And if I have read the Staple's ad correctly, I should go back and pick up the newest Norton Anti-Virus. The upgrade is supposed to be free with a purchase of tax software.

I am anxious to load all of this stuff and play around.

As I told my DH this afternoon "So much for brand loyalty."

 

[captin fink]

Thanks Alex,
I just purchased a new computer and hadn't gotten around to installing my TT I recieved in the mail. I have used TT for the past few years, but not this year. If intuit wants their CD they can find it in my trash can. Looks like it will be Tax Cut for me this year.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

While I was researching this I came across an interesting package, it's supposed to work pretty well for people with "simple" returns.
The cost is.... FREE!!! You only pay 7.95 if you file electronically. I will bet this will work for a lot of DIS'ers

Tax Act

 

[betz]

Alex if I am still allowed to post by the time I die,
you might have a crack at the penguins

 

[my3kids]

We have used Turbo Tax for years, but won't install it this year...Thanks for the heads up. Is Tax Cut as easy and efficient to use? After the first year will all the data transfer to the following years? I saw the post about a Mac user liking Tax Cut better, but ours is a PC. Does everyone like this program or hate this program?

 

[December99]

This is interesting. After dh installed this years TurboTax I began having problems with the software that is used with our digital camera. I ended up going out and getting a card reader because the software would get "hung up" as I was getting ready to read the card through the camera (which was never an issue for us and has always been how I've done it). I wonder if this had anything to do with the processess running - it appears possibly. And the first thing I said to dh was - what did you do this year when you installed TurboTax - last year we had some probs too. It appeared it wasn't his fault!!!!! (this year anyway!!! )

Thanks for that info Alex.

 

[Steve H.]

Too late for me -- I installed TT last week. Wonder if System Restore (in WinME) would help?

 

[fklhou]

We have been using Turbo Tax for several years now. I guess that we have to try an alternative.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Nope Steve..

 

[Towncrier]

My copy of TurboTax is still in the box. Unfortunately I've mutilated it in order to get a rebate, so I'm stuck with it. I haven't yet installed it on my computer. I am considering using my kids' computer and reloading Windoze when I'm done doing my taxes. What a pain. Then again, I probably won't do my taxes until April. Perhaps there will be a "solution" to this problem by then.

 

[judi]

I agree with Towncrier, I am downloading it on our daughters computer and then will hope they figure out a way to get it off at a later date.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

You will be able to remove the turbo tax itself. The problem is some of the traces it leaves behind won't go..
I will keep looking and let you know if anyone comes up with an answer.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Do you know how to search and see if it is in your system? Is it called different things??

 

[MarkRG]

IF you have installed this years versin of Turbo Tax software you have it. It's not a virus, it's a very nasty program to prevent people from copying the Turbo Tax cd, but is causing other troubles.

 

[Michelle]

This is a Q and A from another forum where someone talked to Turbo Tax...they are supposedly coming up with a way to uninstall c-dilla:

. . Turbo Tax and c-dilla "spyware."

Also, I called the PR people for Intuit. I talked to Colleen Fereen. She indicated that the purpose of c-dilla is to "link the license agreement to the software." When I asked

1. Whether the implementation of c-dilla would interfere with my copying of files or CD's to my DVD writer (other than for Turbo Tax, that is), and

2. Why de-installing TurboTax does not de-install c-dilla

she offered to have someone more familiar with the issue call me.

I am now awaiting a call from Intuit.

UPDATE at 1:34 PM: I received a call from Kathy Sang of Intuit (or TurboTax) Media Relations. She indicated that she was just in a meeting where "they were discussing" providing TurboTax users the means to de-install c-dilla. She did not have an answer to my first question. I'm expecting a further phone call later in the day.

UPDATE 2 at 1:53 PM: Just got off a conference call with Kathy Sank and Hunter Smith (Tech Program Mgr).

Here is what I understand.

General: This implementation of c-dilla should not be confused with Safecast which does do most of the scary things that have been reported [these are my words, not Intuit's.]

Issue 1: TurboTax's installation of c-dilla (whether this applies to c-dilla in general, I do not know) does not disable any devices such as your CD writer or DVD writer. In fact they do not care if you copy the CD. The only constraint is that you only run a licensed version of the software on one computer. You can then prepare as many tax returns from that licensed copy of TurboTax as you wish. What c-dilla does for TurboTax is provide for the creation of a "randomly generated" ID number containing no personal information to identify that licensed copy of TurboTax. C-dilla protects against the copying of this product key so that this licensed version cannot be moved to another computer (unless of course you pay another fee).

[I did forget to ask how they are going to handle the situation (which was reported in a couple of posts) where the TurboTax user legally installs the software on one computer, then buys a new computer and stops using the old one.]

Issue 2: De-installing c-dilla. According to Hunter Smith, they did intend to allow for the de-installation of c-dilla. But that part of the de-installation software is not working correctly in all cases. They expect to have this fixed, possibly as soon as a week.

[Hunter Smith also emphasized that they do warn TurboTax users that if they have other software that uses c-dilla, then de-installing c-dilla with Turbo Tax will affect that other software and the user may choose not to de-install c-dilla.]

My Opinion: After talking to the Intuit representations, I plan to go ahead and use TurboTax this year though I will wait 'til they have the fix for de-installing c-dilla before I install TurboTax on my system. Both Kathy Sang and Hunter Smith were very receptive to my questions and appeared to give straightforward answers.

 

[BethR]

Thanks Michelle for doing this leg work. (And thank Alex too for all that he has done as well. ) I now have both Turbo Tax and Tax Cut sitting here on my dining room table. I am not sure what I will install yet. But I sure did get a lot of goodies for buying Tax Cut! Don't know if I want to give them all up. We will see...

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Ok I am cracking up here. It is so nice to hear the sound of corporate panic. That sounds like an interview with a reporter, which would explain why they talked to her but not to all the people posting everywhere else.

What really cracks me up is they are denying installing safecast.. the scary one!! This is from TurboTax's own tech support site!!!

Macrovision SAFECAST enables software publishers to control the licensing and use of their software. Intuit uses Macrovision SAFECAST to ensure that only properly "activated" copies of TurboTax can be used in certain ways. During installation, TurboTax creates securely encrypted license files on your computer that contain user permission information. TurboTax then unlocks (decrypts) and examines those license files as
needed

What is C-Dilla?

C-Dilla is a company that was acquired by Macrovision in 1999. Some of the Macrovision SAFECAST technology used in TurboTax is derived from earlier C-Dilla products.

So according to this interview they are installing C-Dilla..but not safecast.. but according to their own tech support site they are installing Safecast and c-dilla is just a small part of that..

Who's on first?


Anybody want to take bets that next year's Turbo Tax doesn't have this!

 

[Towncrier]

Anyone want to take bets on whether or not there will even be a next year for TurboTax?