I must agree with the Bait and Switch description of Intuit. My favorite is if you want to file your taxes on line (State) there is a $24.99 charge. Ok.....to avoid standing in line, weighing the envelope lower frustration I am in. Then when you choose it, you get caught up in a deceptive shell game. Here is how it goes:
-So you want to pay to have state filed online...no problem only $24.99 due. Click continue.
-Two ways to pay, you can use your federal tax return (mine was $23 to go towards the fee of $25. Total charge is $44.95 to upgrade to allow you to do this. (I CHOSE NOT..... BUT IT WAS NOT CLEAR YOU COULD DO THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS ANOTHER OPTION BELOW....PAY WITH CREDIT CARD).
-To which I got caught in a merry go round of failed log ins and password resets that did not work. I was so frustrated that I was almost willing to do the upgrade just to be done.
-Older people (you know the ones being prayed upon by unscrupulous sales men to swindle their money) would probably just clicked on the upgrade and figured it was the correct price.
Finally, If you choose not to e-file state returns, there historically was not a button to print the necessary file on that screen. You literally had to leave and reinitiate the filing process to get to the printing option.....again-to me intentionally deceptive.
The net result is I stopped trying to e-file my state return and printed it to mail in a day late as time ran out to file while I was on the phone to customer service trying to reset my account that was going to take one business day effectively making me late anyway.
So I will pay my postage to mail the state docs and use the rest of the money to get an actual accountant that I can trust not to scam me.....This will end my 29 year relationship with Intuit and turbo tax products and I will warn everyone to avoid this criminally manipulative company.
