In our previous episode of “Intuit’s Attention To Detail Kinda Blows”, a pre-order for TY2024 tax return credits in ProConnect got duplicated thanks to a website glitch which necessitated an unwelcome chat with “customer service” and a link to submit a support ticket to resolve the issue.
I had thought that the original problem description written after dealing with the joy that was “Vanessa R” (whose attitude seemed to suggest that she thought that R stood for “rex” as in being my Queen!) was pretty clear and to the point:
Ordered 8 1040s, 3 1120s, and that abominable $99 user access naked cash grab. Website said there was a problem and to try again and like an idiot that’s what I did. It ended up doubling the number of pre-ordered returns and cash grabs. Please delete one of them to return it to 8/3 and begrudgingly one fee. Thank you.
I never received an EMAIL confirmation (even checked the spam folder and no joy!) that the ticket had been submitted much less that they’d taken action on it in the 5-7 “working days” SLA indicated when I hit the submit button.
Nor did I get an EMAIL indicating that the support people had actually acted upon the ticket.
So imagine my surprise when I logged into ProConnect this morning to check on the number of pre-ordered returns and saw that the number of 1040s and 1120s that should be on order is correct.
However, that execrable “user access fee” that Intuit has introduced this year at $99 a pop so that I can actually print and E-File these returns during the tax season is still showing *2* when I clearly had asked for it to be reduced to just *1* (and that begrudgingly!).
And yes, you read that right.
Basic functionality such as printing and E-File for a return when you’ve already paid a king’s ransom for that return (basically an equivalent of buying a copy of TurboTax for each!) is now a paid option for each user at your firm wanting to actually print and E-File a return.
This is how they pitched it in an EMAIL an April after the close of the main tax filing season (and that timing could not have been accidental given how many people have been irritated by this change!).
Starting in tax year 2024, we are introducing User Access for $99 per user per year.* User Access will give you complete permissions to all of ProConnect’s powerful features for the entire year, including e-Filing and printing returns, and Intuit Tax Advisor plans.
To be fair, the new user access permissions don’t just stop at printing and E-Filing and include access to an AI-based tax strategy generator that may well be a useful function that’s worth that price of admission.
I don’t know how many returns I’m currently preparing will have much of an alternative strategy to employ but I’m guessing not many of them as the vast majority are more tedious than complicated.
But when you’re highlighting the “powerful features” of “printing” and “E-Filing” ahead of actual new functionality that this fee is supposed to cover, then that’s Marketing Fail 101!
Whoopsy!
So pardon me for thinking of this fee as less an opportunity to “unlock amazing features” I’ve already been using for two years and much more like yet another unnecessary cash grab from a company that’s rather notorious for extracting the maximum amount of cash possible from anyone they deal with.
I’m not thrilled with the imposition of the fee.
I’m even less thrilled with still facing two of those fees rather than the one I begrudgingly asked for originally.
You’d think that a company whose products require strict attention to numbers and details as a critical functionality could have fixed this in the original ticket.
Now we’re on to ticket #2 and hopefully this wording will do the trick.
Per refund request case number 15121272899, an erroneous duplicated order was supposed to be deleted so that the total number of returns ordered for TY2024 was 8 1040s, 3 1120s, and 1 of that annoying “user access fee” that’s new for this year.
There was no confirmation that the order had been adjusted but checking the portal today shows the number of returns is correct but the user access fee is still showing as 2 when it should be 1.
Please fix this and COMMUNICATE that it’s been done via EMAIL this time so I don’t have to guess as to when it is done.
Thank you!
Alas, no EMAIL showing confirmation that the ticket had been submitted.
Perhaps they might want to fix that bug whilst they’re at it!