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Entered CNET Catalog: 12/12/2003
SKU: 279665
Manufacturer: Intuit Inc.
Manufacturer description
QuickBooks: Pro 2004 has advanced financial management tools and customization options to help boost efficiency and accuracy. It includes all the features of Basic 2004, plus much more. Increase efficiency with advanced tools: print packing slips and shipping labels right from an invoice and easily e-mail more forms and reports. Save time on data entry with new import tools and improved export to other applications, including Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook. Customize your forms, reports, and even your price levels. Use customer-suggested features and improvements, including "undo" a reconciliation and easier address management and time tracking. Track information with greater accuracy using tracking tools for expenses, sales tax, loans, vehicle mileage, employee time, fixed assets and more. Manage your money more effectively with budgeting and new cash flow tools.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 05/28/2004
 QuickBooks Pro 2004 retains its predecessor's polished setup tools, including EasyStep Interview, which helps newcomers configure a company file. |
Then again, the three apps show notable differences in interface and installation. QuickBooks Pro and MYOB Plus integrate their credit card transaction and electronic vendor payment services into the main interface. Simply Accounting takes a less elegant approach, requiring an add-on utility for vendor payments and using the Web browser to process credit card transactions.
Another plus for QuickBooks: Its setup routine doesn't require any additional Web downloads (except to search for updated program files), whereas MYOB Plus makes you download its new natural-language help tool from its site.
The only bad news: You still can't avoid Intuit's sales pitches. Ads for the company's for-pay services, such as payroll management, appear on many screens.
In our tests, QuickBooks Pro installed in less than 15 minutes without any glitches. Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2004 costs more than either MYOB Plus 2004 ($249) or Simply Accounting 2004 Pro ($99), but it offers more features to justify its higher price. For instance, QuickBooks Pro has a utility for importing data directly from Excel files; MYOB Plus and Simply Accounting Pro don't. All three programs offer employee direct deposit, electronic vendor payment, and credit card processing services, but QuickBooks and MYOB integrate them better into the main interface.
We particularly liked QuickBooks Pro's new Vehicle Mileage Tracker, a handy tool for contractors, salespeople, and other small-business professionals who travel frequently. Vehicle Mileage Tracker allows you to quickly input odometer start/stop miles, change mileage rates, and list multiple vehicles. You can create mileage-expense reports with a single click. QuickBooks' competitors also have expense-tracking tools, but none that matches the robustness of Vehicle Mileage Tracker. Another plus: QuickBooks lets you export mileage data to Intuit's TurboTax software.
 The new Vehicle Mileage Tracker, an easy-to-use tool for tracking mileage expenses, is sure to please frequent drivers. |
As noted earlier, QuickBooks Pro and Premier feature many of the same improvements, including the Vehicle Mileage Tracker and tools for tracking fixed assets and making cash-flow projections. So which version is better? Larger businesses needing more analytical tools will likely prefer Premier, which includes a business planner and an Expert Analysis feature that compares your company's growth and financial health with those of similar-size companies in your industry. Pro, on the other hand, lacks these high-end analytical tools and is designed for smaller businesses with simpler accounting needs. Intuit QuickBooks Pro 2004 loses some points for technical support, especially when it comes to single-incident reports. One-time phone support (via a toll-free line) costs a staggering $75 for the first 20 minutes and $25 for each additional 5-minute period. Alternate plans are available, but they too are pricey. For example, the Ultimate Support Plan costs $399 ($349 when purchased with QuickBooks) for 12 months of unlimited calls, 24/7. The plan also includes e-mail support with a 2-hour turnaround time during normal operating hours, which are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT. One-time support hours are the same. The good news: Intuit provides 12 months of free phone support for questions about installation, QuickBooks error messages, or converting QuickBooks data from an earlier version.
 QuickBooks Pro's support pages allow natural-language queries and provide plenty of do-it-yourself advice. |
If you'd rather save money, the QuickBooks site has plenty of tips and troubleshooting advice.
User opinions
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User Rating: 
3/10
14500 dead end wall
Pros: 14500 dead end wall
Cons: 14500 dead end wall
User Rating: 
1/10
Use GnuCash
Pros: none that i could find
Cons: This software is advertising supported software
User Rating: 
9/10
Great product if used properly
Pros: Allows small business owners to do their own accounting
Cons: Have to pay for annual payroll tax tables $200
User Rating: 
4/10
sales tax and discounts
Pros: nothing good to say about prepayment discounts
Cons: process not thought out, insufficient instructions
This doesn't adjust the sales tax. At the same time, strange amounts show up in the "sales tax revenue quickzoom".
45 states have sales taxes, yet Intuit's most intuitive path to entering early payment discounts doesn't adjust the sales tax.
User Rating: 
2/10
Intuit Nightmare
Pros: Easy to use at first, many features
Cons: It will cost you and cost you in the long run
No longer.
This company is an absolute nightmare.
I have been using the 2001 Pro version for a few years.
I faithfully updated.
Then they "retired" the 2001 version. However, the program doesn't know that and continues to try to update.
Fatal error, since the attempt at update requires that you either fork over $199 or the program becomes disabled.
If you don't buy the update, the message upon trying to re-start Quickbooks then tells you to "re-install" the original version.
However, since with each update your data files are changed to match the updates, the original data files no longer work with the original version.
And unless you purchase the $199 update package, the updates are no longer available to you either by automatic update or online.
So if I ever want to see my company's data again, I must pay them $199 every three years. They quite candidly say on the phone that this is their business plan and if you don't want to pay "there is nothing we can do" about the inaccessibility of your data files due to their direct actions.
Except a lawsuit, of course.
Anyone want to join a class-action lawsuit?
If you are smart, you would switch to the cheaper, almost equally useful accounting programs. Avoid Intuit.
User Rating: 2/10
If You Like Pop-Up Ads -- You'll Love This Software.
Pros: Sometimes it works
Cons: Sometimes it doesn't work and is time consuming
Just to clarify... I have been developing software for almost 20 years. Intuit used to release some very nice, easy to use, and stable products. That is no longer the case.
Now it's not about producing a good product, it's all about Marketing and Money. The "Marketing Weenies" have taken over what once was a fine company.
Intuit's new slogan should be: "This would be a great business if it weren't for customers."
User Rating: 3/10
The Anti-Christ dressed as an accounting program
Pros: It can add and subtract
Cons: Pay for it once...and keep paying, and paying and paying..until you feel as if you've been raped
I have never felt so abused and ripped off by a software company. I highly recommend not getting yourself started with this program. You will get stuck...paying more and more each year, for less and less. Their support is marginal (yet fun if you want to discuss the weather in Bangalore).
Intuit is a company that has abused their customers year in and year out (just Google "Intuit Sucks" and see what pops up).
Find another program - Quickbooks by Intuit truly is the Anti-Christ!
User Rating: 3/10
New User/Buyer Beware !!
Pros: Good Software Product
Cons: Support, support policies and hidden costs are SHAMEFUL
User Rating: 3/10
Intuit is a dishonest company
Pros: The product would be okay if not for the hidden costs.
Cons: Intuit is a dishonest and brutally greedy company. There are tons of hidden charges down the road. They install spyware. Avoid all contact with this company.
User Rating: 3/10
The previous version of the software - Quickbooks Premier was much more user friendly
Pros: They have added some nice reporting functionality
Cons: Things don't work as stated and Intuit has gotten greedy and the customer service stinks. They have forced the upgrades in order to continue using the merchant account abilities and to be able to download the newest payroll tax tables. It did not matter t
User Rating: 
6/10
POWERFUL, INTUITIVE,
Pros: Powerful application with flexability to adapt to most business situations.
Cons: May be intimidating to set up initially. Recommend professional assistance. Poor, very poor and very expensive support. Support is outside the country with language barrier issues.
User Rating: 
7/10
The least evil of the choices out there
Pros: Works better and is more stable than the other choices avilable. I got fed up with Intuits scams for the payroll tax tables and forced upgrades so I did my research and switched to MYOB. I HATE MYOB...it crashes, doesn't work properly and is very diffic
Cons: INTUIT IS EVIL!!!! Do not even entertain the idea of doing payroll through this program or they will rob you blind. If you can use it as it is without subscribing to any of Intuit's "services" you are fine, but do not create an ongoing business relationsh
User Rating: 3/10
Better off keeping a written ledger
Pros: Pretty easy to use for the basic functions.
Cons: Where do I start. For starters it makes you think you can customize reports but you really can't. All you can customize is the format. Tech support is horrible. Payed $350 for the 1 year plan, and I've called 5 times but the the people on the other side a
User Rating: 4/10
Intuit will milk you for every penny!
Pros: Easy to use
Cons: If you use the Payroll Tax service, BEWARE: Just a few years ago it was $50 annually to subscribe to the payroll tax service. In 1999 it went up to $79. Then in 2001 it doubled to $149. In 2003 it went to $169 and in 2004 they have just announced they
User Rating: 2/10
Quick Books Pro 2004
Pros: Been using quickboos 10 years
Cons: The real scoop on Intuit- They sell you a program that is good for 2 years. After that, if you wish to continue to use it with turbotax ( another charge) or Payroll ( yet another charge ) then you have to "upgrade" the cost of the upgrade ? $175 to 200.0
User Rating: 2/10
A waste of time.
Pros: It's a decent interface when you get a hang of it. It's great when it works.
Cons: The application crashes when you try to e-mail invoices through the application. Sometimes it'll crash for no apparent reason. Talking to tech support was not use. Once you are on the phone for an hour, they will drop you. I've been on the phone with them
User Rating: 
5/10
Buggy and Intuit charges to correct bugs
Pros: Very good, intuitive interface
Cons: The program is quite buggy, with features like rebuild working only occasionally. Worse even is that Intuit is charging to correct bugs. The program has builtin limitations -- like 14000 names -- after which you have to pay $3000 for the Enterprise Editio
User Rating: 
8/10
Cat's Ass
Pros: Very easy to use, with help screens everywhere - if you want them. Errors are easily corrected. No reversing journal entries as with other accounting software.
Cons:
User Rating: 1/10
Truly a nightmare to use for the average person!
Pros: Unless to are a finacial genius do not use this program.
Cons: They make it seem allot easier to use then it is. No support after you install it. If so you must pay for support. 139.95 for 1 year of support. These people are money hungry.
User Rating: 7/10
It'a All in the Setup
Pros: This program is user friendly and can handle large scale accounting functions, including inventory, payroll, etc. The problem most users have is an incorrect setup. Get a pro to do the setup and you will never have a problem with it.
Cons: I agee with too many advertisements. But most of times you can choose the "do not display box".
User Rating: 1/10
Forecasting?
Pros: Lots of features.
Cons: Although the product does contain nice cash flow reports, the reviewer mentions Forecasting. This is only availabing in the higher end Premier product for several hundred $s more.
User Rating: 6/10
Price vs. Value - You decide
Pros: Seems to have all the basic business areas covered - but too much marketing for me - sometimes overstates what the product really can do
Cons: Be careful with pricing. Intuit offers lower price - but that's $100 off for an upgrade customer - the rest of us - new customers have to pay full price - $299! I heard MYOB is just as good at $249 - my accountant just picked up a FREE copy at a show.
User Rating: 5/10
Great product for the PRICE.
Pros: There is a lot of flexibility in the software. Pro 2004 has many improvements over prior editions (2000 or older). Most problems can be resolved without the service plan.
Cons: I used the Merchant Services with the prior plan - I do not recommend this unless you like waiting 5-7 days for your money. State tax reports are not available. Being forced to upgrade because the payroll features will no longer be supported with the prio
User Rating: 3/10
There are so many problems that you can't get a simple direct answer to,you have to take the class
Pros: undo misstakes, the credit card reconciliation process (I think), being able to open several windows at the same time, having the potential to be able to do everything you need to do once you learn the program,
Cons: I have never worked with quickbooks before and some of the items I'm having a real problem with such as Sales tax payable and I'm not getting any clear to the point answers, It took me for ever to get the credit card recon but I'm not absolutely sure I go
