Comments for Jamal Kheiry's Weblog http://claritypr.wordpress.com Public relations advice for entrepreneurs Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:04:28 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Doug http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-99 Doug Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:04:28 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-99 I've been a loyal customer since 1997, using Quicken & Turbo Tax year after year. I typically upgrade Quicken every 2-3 years. I just received my "final notice" email today, though I don't recall seeing previous emails (and I'm pretty careful when it comes to email messages). I have not upgraded from Quicken 2006 because my Credit Union has chosen not to be held hostage by high fees Intuit charges to provide this data in a newer download format (rather, my Credit Union uses the old-style, 'open standard' QIF format). I also have a Quicken-branded credit card so I need both features from 2006 -- this situation is going to cause me to closely examine non-Intuit alternatives. Take a look at www.mint.com (note that I have no stake or ownership in this company) Money magazine, Kiplingers, & PC Magazine have all given great reviews of this Quicken-like tool. It may not fit all of your needs, but it certainly handles downloads from your financial institutions. It also has an iPhone app available. With respect to software life cycles, Windows 98 was available for purchase for 5 years (1998-2003), and WindowsXP (2001-2009) for purchase for 8 years. Note that this does NOT include Microsoft's support cycle. I have written to Intuit (and received an incident number), perhaps they will "make things right". p.s. Costco's price for Quicken Deluxe is $39.99 I’ve been a loyal customer since 1997, using Quicken & Turbo Tax year after year. I typically upgrade Quicken every 2-3 years. I just received my “final notice” email today, though I don’t recall seeing previous emails (and I’m pretty careful when it comes to email messages). I have not upgraded from Quicken 2006 because my Credit Union has chosen not to be held hostage by high fees Intuit charges to provide this data in a newer download format (rather, my Credit Union uses the old-style, ‘open standard’ QIF format). I also have a Quicken-branded credit card so I need both features from 2006 — this situation is going to cause me to closely examine non-Intuit alternatives.

Take a look at http://www.mint.com (note that I have no stake or ownership in this company) Money magazine, Kiplingers, & PC Magazine have all given great reviews of this Quicken-like tool. It may not fit all of your needs, but it certainly handles downloads from your financial institutions. It also has an iPhone app available.

With respect to software life cycles, Windows 98 was available for purchase for 5 years (1998-2003), and WindowsXP (2001-2009) for purchase for 8 years. Note that this does NOT include Microsoft’s support cycle.

I have written to Intuit (and received an incident number), perhaps they will “make things right”.

p.s. Costco’s price for Quicken Deluxe is $39.99

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by J. Edward http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-93 J. Edward Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:28:42 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-93 Since Intuit also did this in 2006 (and must not have lost too many customers) I am not surprised they are again 'forcing' users to make the decision to repurchase Quicken, dump the product or use it without the financial downloads. Quicken 2006 is a very good product, but then again so was Quicken 2003. Intuit must have found they could not improve the product enough to get legitimate re buys - so they use this tactic. I also found the email signed by Bob Meighan disingenuous. Just as the claim of a $20 savings is disingenuous. Quicken Deluxe is priced at less than $43 at Sam's Club (less than a $3 savings). I think I will stay away from the scam this year and Intuit in general in the future. I hope MS Money is just as good. Does anyone know of other Quicken competitors? Since Intuit also did this in 2006 (and must not have lost too many customers) I am not surprised they are again ‘forcing’ users to make the decision to repurchase Quicken, dump the product or use it without the financial downloads.

Quicken 2006 is a very good product, but then again so was Quicken 2003. Intuit must have found they could not improve the product enough to get legitimate re buys – so they use this tactic.

I also found the email signed by Bob Meighan disingenuous. Just as the claim of a $20 savings is disingenuous. Quicken Deluxe is priced at less than $43 at Sam’s Club (less than a $3 savings).

I think I will stay away from the scam this year and Intuit in general in the future. I hope MS Money is just as good. Does anyone know of other Quicken competitors?

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by J H Barnett http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-91 J H Barnett Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:01:08 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-91 Wonderful written and very to the point. I am also a victim of Q 2009 and cannot believe what they have done to a very good -Q 2006-product Wonderful written and very to the point. I am also a victim of Q 2009 and cannot believe what they have done to a very good -Q 2006-product

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Brian http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-88 Brian Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:31:30 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-88 I had been a user of Quicken 2003, and got the same message back in 2006. That time, I upgraded, as I felt I didn't have a choice. This time, Quicken is losing a customer forever. In fact, this year I bought H&R Block's Tax Cut rather than Quicken. I don't use any of the automated features of Quicken, I merely go to my bank site and download the transactions directly into the software. Come April 30, I will see if I can still download my transactions. If not, hello Microsoft Money, which has discontinued the practice of annual upgrades. I don't buy any of what the PR flack or the VP of Customer Dissatisfaction are saying. It is easy, and straightforward to make software that continues to work, matter what the upgrades. This has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with maximizing revenue. If their research and development produce breakthroughs that required upgrading the software, we wouldn't see a sunset of the software like clockwork, every three years. I don't have pay to update Windows XP, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or any other software that I buy. Perhaps the new Congress will take up the idea of software licensing, rather than purchase. In the meantime, goodbye Intuit, goodbye Quicken. I had been a user of Quicken 2003, and got the same message back in 2006. That time, I upgraded, as I felt I didn’t have a choice. This time, Quicken is losing a customer forever. In fact, this year I bought H&R Block’s Tax Cut rather than Quicken. I don’t use any of the automated features of Quicken, I merely go to my bank site and download the transactions directly into the software. Come April 30, I will see if I can still download my transactions. If not, hello Microsoft Money, which has discontinued the practice of annual upgrades. I don’t buy any of what the PR flack or the VP of Customer Dissatisfaction are saying. It is easy, and straightforward to make software that continues to work, matter what the upgrades. This has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with maximizing revenue. If their research and development produce breakthroughs that required upgrading the software, we wouldn’t see a sunset of the software like clockwork, every three years. I don’t have pay to update Windows XP, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, or any other software that I buy. Perhaps the new Congress will take up the idea of software licensing, rather than purchase. In the meantime, goodbye Intuit, goodbye Quicken.

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Wendy http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-87 Wendy Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:11:29 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-87 Thank you for blogging on the letter I sent you. As the primary bookkeeper of the family, I was pretty put out by the letter. Not only did I get a message...upgrade or else within two months! But, the letter was patronizing. With only two months to decide whteher or not to make an $80 purchase - the price should have been in the letter! - and getting this right during tax time - let me get my taxes done first, or maybe give me a few months notice...not just 15 days after tax day! And at least acknowledge that this upgrade is not as much for my benefit (current Quicken, is perhaps too good of a product?) as for keeping Quicken in business - which I am happy to do. I have Microsoft Money on my computer already - I chose to use Quicken instead...the tone and content of the letter undervalues the customer. Thank you for clarifying what's at stake. Major decisions about software are going to have to be made under pressure...hopefully, Quicken's loyal customer base will be more than happy to rejoin the club. Thank you for blogging on the letter I sent you. As the primary bookkeeper of the family, I was pretty put out by the letter.

Not only did I get a message…upgrade or else within two months! But, the letter was patronizing. With only two months to decide whteher or not to make an $80 purchase – the price should have been in the letter! – and getting this right during tax time – let me get my taxes done first, or maybe give me a few months notice…not just 15 days after tax day!

And at least acknowledge that this upgrade is not as much for my benefit (current Quicken, is perhaps too good of a product?) as for keeping Quicken in business – which I am happy to do. I have Microsoft Money on my computer already – I chose to use Quicken instead…the tone and content of the letter undervalues the customer. Thank you for clarifying what’s at stake. Major decisions about software are going to have to be made under pressure…hopefully, Quicken’s loyal customer base will be more than happy to rejoin the club.

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Blog monitoring pays off for Quicken/Intuit « Jamal Kheiry’s Weblog http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-86 Blog monitoring pays off for Quicken/Intuit « Jamal Kheiry’s Weblog Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:42:53 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-86 [...] Comments Bob Meighan on Intuit uses nice words, but co…Chelsea on Intuit uses nice words, but co…jtkheiry on The value of coming cleanWendy on [...] [...] Comments Bob Meighan on Intuit uses nice words, but co…Chelsea on Intuit uses nice words, but co…jtkheiry on The value of coming cleanWendy on [...]

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Bob Meighan http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-85 Bob Meighan Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:25:03 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-85 Jamal... I appreciate your perspective on my letter. While I believe blackmail is perhaps embellishing the message a bit, the reality is that "old" versions do require a disproportionate amount of our resources to support (as well as the resources of our financial partners who also have to support outdated online services and program code). Since Intuit introduced Quicken 2007 in September 2006, I figure you'll probably get 3.5 years of utility from Quicken 2006 that probably cost you around $50. That's not a bad investment, especially for a task that is "critical to [y]our ability to conduct business." While every customer would love to never have to pay another dime for upgrades to Quicken, for us to stay competitive we have to discontinue support for old versions. This policy of discontinuing support for old versions (3 versions prior to current version) has been in existence for several years. I should also note that policies such as ours is common in the software industry. That is not to suggest it is either right or wrong, but rather a fairly standard industry practice. I hope this information helps and I do believe you will find value in the upgrade to Quicken 2009. If it helps, we have a money back guarantee that says if you are dissatisfied for any reason, return it within 60 days for a full refund. Give it a try! Bob Meighan VP, Quicken/TurboTax Jamal… I appreciate your perspective on my letter. While I believe blackmail is perhaps embellishing the message a bit, the reality is that “old” versions do require a disproportionate amount of our resources to support (as well as the resources of our financial partners who also have to support outdated online services and program code).

Since Intuit introduced Quicken 2007 in September 2006, I figure you’ll probably get 3.5 years of utility from Quicken 2006 that probably cost you around $50. That’s not a bad investment, especially for a task that is “critical to [y]our ability to conduct business.”

While every customer would love to never have to pay another dime for upgrades to Quicken, for us to stay competitive we have to discontinue support for old versions. This policy of discontinuing support for old versions (3 versions prior to current version) has been in existence for several years. I should also note that policies such as ours is common in the software industry. That is not to suggest it is either right or wrong, but rather a fairly standard industry practice.

I hope this information helps and I do believe you will find value in the upgrade to Quicken 2009. If it helps, we have a money back guarantee that says if you are dissatisfied for any reason, return it within 60 days for a full refund. Give it a try!

Bob Meighan
VP, Quicken/TurboTax

]]> Comment on Intuit uses nice words, but comes across poorly anyway by Chelsea http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/intuit-uses-nice-words-but-comes-across-poorly-anyway/#comment-84 Chelsea Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:52:42 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=199#comment-84 Hi Jamal, This is Chelsea from Quicken, and to be totally transparent, Quicken PR. As you've stated above, it is difficult to break bad news, and no matter which way you say it, it's still bad news. I apologize that you feel we didn't communicate the news clearly enough. I understand that from your perspective, the discontinuation of Quicken 2006 isn't fun. The thing we didn't put in those marketing messages is how much it costs the company to support downloading of data from financial institutions, and supporting of each version of the products. Each copy of Quicken comes with three years of this downloading and support. The product will still work, the auto-downloading will not. The other piece of the puzzle is research and development. We've got to continue to innovate and create better products for folks, and improve our support experiences. While I'm not sure what I'm saying here will make you feel any less dissatisfied with us, I hope it provides you with a little more perspective. Please feel free to email me directly if you'd like, and I can see how else I can help you. Thanks for letting us know what you think. - Chelsea, Quicken Hi Jamal,

This is Chelsea from Quicken, and to be totally transparent, Quicken PR. As you’ve stated above, it is difficult to break bad news, and no matter which way you say it, it’s still bad news. I apologize that you feel we didn’t communicate the news clearly enough.

I understand that from your perspective, the discontinuation of Quicken 2006 isn’t fun. The thing we didn’t put in those marketing messages is how much it costs the company to support downloading of data from financial institutions, and supporting of each version of the products. Each copy of Quicken comes with three years of this downloading and support. The product will still work, the auto-downloading will not.

The other piece of the puzzle is research and development. We’ve got to continue to innovate and create better products for folks, and improve our support experiences.

While I’m not sure what I’m saying here will make you feel any less dissatisfied with us, I hope it provides you with a little more perspective. Please feel free to email me directly if you’d like, and I can see how else I can help you. Thanks for letting us know what you think.

- Chelsea, Quicken

]]> Comment on The value of coming clean by jtkheiry http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/the-value-of-coming-clean/#comment-82 jtkheiry Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:10:12 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=194#comment-82 Very true, Wendy, and I agree completely. However, if a company finds itself having to issue too many mea culpas, then it must address issues much deeper than its public relations. In the end, PR can only tell the truth in the most positive way possible; if the truth is irredeemably ugly, no amount of PR will help (unless outright lies are told, which is, technically, not public relations!). Very true, Wendy, and I agree completely. However, if a company finds itself having to issue too many mea culpas, then it must address issues much deeper than its public relations. In the end, PR can only tell the truth in the most positive way possible; if the truth is irredeemably ugly, no amount of PR will help (unless outright lies are told, which is, technically, not public relations!).

]]> Comment on The value of coming clean by Wendy http://claritypr.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/the-value-of-coming-clean/#comment-81 Wendy Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:03:40 +0000 http://claritypr.wordpress.com/?p=194#comment-81 Still too many mea culpa's will reflect badly no matter how they're handled. Still too many mea culpa’s will reflect badly no matter how they’re handled.

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