Extremely Poor Experience with Customer Service Regarding Issues with Discount Service Code

[connlly2]

Hello,

After having issues with the online Turbotax software while completing my 2023 tax return last year, I was given a discount service code. Before I received the discount service code last year, I had paid for the tax program online to lock in a price before it went up at the beginning of March. I was told by the rep giving me the discount service code that I would be able to use it for the next year.

Fast forward to this year. I went to enter my discount service code, and received the message "The code you entered is not valid. Please check the number and try entering again." I know that I have entered it correctly. So, I called customer service this morning to help resolve this issue. I was on the phone for 50 minutes. The only suggestions the customer service rep had were to continue trying to enter the code, and that maybe it was a temporary issue. I asked to speak with a manager and was told that there was not a manager available, even though I am calling at 9am CST. The issue was not resolved, and yet I felt helpless because the customer service rep could not offer me any further assistance or any where to transfer me.

How can I move forward to activate my discount service code? I have been using turbotax since 2016 but am really considering moving on because this customer service experience has been terrible.

[RobertB4444 · Accepted solution]

That's certainly not the experience we want our users to have.  While I know this has been frustrating I am going to recommend that you call back to customer service and speak to a different customer service rep and see about resolving your issue with your discount code.

Here is where to contact TurboTax.

@connlly2 

[stilllearningtaxes]

I also have a service code from issues in preparing (and paying for) my 2023 return in March 2024.  I am also signed up for Advantage enrollment, so the cost is automatically paid by credit card. I have been unable to find where to enter the code I was given (I use the desktop version for tax prep), and when logged in online was not seeing anything close to what the instructions with the code (or help community) described.  I called the center today for help and spent quite a bit of time trying to get the rep to figure out how to help me, or even find proof that I had paid for my 2024 version of TurboTax.  She took the code from me, found the order for my 2024 download and helped to apply the discount. However she had to spend quite a bit of time to "find" the code that I gave to her. She requested a refund toward the credit card that paid for the 2024 download.  We will see if I get it. 

It is very frustrating that 1) turbotax just doesn't give a discount at the time of the issue, rather than placing the burden on the customer to figure out how to "redeem" a discount the next year, especially when you push us to do automatic renewals 2) that it is so difficult for your staff to figure this out as well.  It is very apparent that the expectation is that we will just give up on or completely forget the discount that was promised. I have been happy with TurboTax, but am disappointed with this aspect of customer service.  I was told it would have been easier if I would have allowed her to see my screen, but these days I don't feel comfortable sharing any access to my computer.  It really shouldn't be this hard, especially since this code was a result of substantial frustration last year.