Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!mbcl!goldman
From: goldman@mbcl.rutgers.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps
Subject: Re: MAJOR problem with Parsons Tax Program
Message-ID: <313.27bfb1c3@mbcl.rutgers.edu>
Date: 18 Feb 91 14:51:46 GMT
References: <1991Feb15.172639.14317@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Lines: 41

In article <1991Feb15.172639.14317@portia.Stanford.EDU>, rstanton@portia.Stanford.EDU (Richard Stanton) writes:
> I recently purchased Parsons Technologhy's Personal Tax Preparer, and have
> found a major problem with it. 
. customer support complaint deleted...

> 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.
> 
. further complaint deleted.
> 
> Richard Stanton
> pstanton@gsb-lira.stanford.edu

As a followup, I would recommend that nobody buy their MoneyCounts program
either.  I bought MoneyCounts (v 5.0 I think) and it had THE WORST user
interface of any program I have ever had to deal with.  (Accounts couldn't be
referred to by name: they had to be referred by NUMBERS (01-50: checking a/c's,
etc.)  Their programs are cheap -- for a reason. 
-- 
Adrian Goldman                         |  Internet:  Goldman@MBCL.Rutgers.Edu
Molecular Biology Computing Laboratory |  Bitnet:    Goldman@BioVAX
Waksman Insitute,                      |  Phone:     (908) 932-4864
Rutgers University,                    |  Fax:       (908) 932-5735
Piscataway, NJ 08855 USA               |