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From: rstanton@portia.Stanford.EDU (Richard Stanton)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: MAJOR problem with Parsons Tax Program
Message-ID: <1991Feb15.172639.14317@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 15 Feb 91 17:26:39 GMT
Sender: rstanton@portia.Stanford.EDU (Richard Stanton)
Organization: Stanford GSB
Lines: 42

I recently purchased Parsons Technologhy's Personal Tax Preparer, and have
found a major problem with it. I've tried calling their (not toll-free) service
number about 30 times. 29 times it has been busy, and the 30th I was put
on hold for several minutes, then heard the distinctive sound of someone
picking up a phone and putting it straight down again, cutting me off.

The program allows you to use a mini-spreadsheet to calculate numbers
for any entry on your form. The problem is that if you change one of these
spreadsheets which already exists, the program doesn't necessarily alter
you tax return. It seems that if you remember to tell it to update
the form immediately, it works OK. However, if you're like me, and just
want to enter all your data, press ESC a few times, then recalculate the
entire form (an option that the program has - in theory), you may be in
for a nasty surprise. It just keeps on using the old number from the
previous mini-spreadsheet, and there seems to be no way of finding out about
this without manually checking everything.

Since I've just about finished my return, I can't be bothered to return
the program and get another, but my advice to anyone else out there
trying to decide what to do is:

1) DON'T buy this program. It's not bad apart from this utterly abysmal
problem, but it also doesn't seem to want to audit and check the entire
return, only a single form at a time. It has reasonable help, but
DOESN'T have the original IRS instructions for the tax forms.

2) If you've already bought it, and don't want to return it, be VERY, VERY
careful about believing the numbers it tells you

Not being able to trust the numbers produced by a tax program seems
to be a major problem. I know at least one such program promises to pay
you any difference if it miscalculates you taxes, but this one is sold
"as is, without any warranty of any kind", except for replacement of defective
disks. 

"In no event shall Parsons be liable or responsible for any problems that
arise because of defects with Personal Tax Preparer"

I know this is pretty standard language, but it sucks.

Richard Stanton
pstanton@gsb-lira.stanford.edu