Quickbooks 2009 Review
In my own review of Quickbooks 2009, I focused Quickbooks's biggest drawback. It's online banking features offer less control over downloaded data and the ability to manually match up downloaded data with information already in the Quickbooks register. For me, this is a real deal breaker, as I've had to spend more time fixing little problems in Quickbooks 2009 than I have in any other version of Quickbooks I have ever used. And spending more time on bookkeeping is not something a busy professional really wants to do.
Still, Quickbooks 2009 does have a strong selling point with the new capability to handle multiple currencies. Quickbooks now enables users to generate invoices, record payments, and set up bank accounts denominated in currencies other than US dollars. Quickbooks will even download the exchange rates.
For my money, I'd rather stick with Quickbooks 2008. That software works just fine for me. If you are choosing an accounting program for the first time, you'll want to compare all the top small business accounting programs, as reviewed by About.com's financial software guide Shelley Elmblad. And if you want to learn more about Quickbooks 2009, here are reviews from CNET, PCworld, and Macworld.
Comments
I am using QB07 for running a small farm and I manually enter data. It gives me control and I do not have to spend time fixing entry errors. It is amazing how much time one can spend on bookkeeping. I plan to stick with QB07. I enjoyed reading the review for QB09 and get the sense this is correct information.
I heard QB 2009 has a new feature of remote logon for accountants? How about that??
I haven’t tested the remote access features. First, because as of right now I don’t have any clients using QB 2009, so I don’t have any guinea pigs for my testing. And secondly, remote access is an add-on service. Intuit provides a free sample period, but after that the accountant has to pay for remote access. And I’m not convinced I should be paying more, when I could just as easily see the data with an accountant’s backup copy. Still it will be an interesting feature to try out once I get some clients upgraded to this version.
Does QB2009 allow for financial reports to be done in other currencies? We’ve found that for tax filing purposes, we often need financial reports in multi currencies.
I used QBPro 2009 for less time than it took to install. Well, a little longer than that…but seriously, I ordered it, installed it, fired up online banking, messed with it for about 30 minutes, and then called for my refund.
The online banking was almost completely unusable – having to resize the windows and columns constantly, having to EXIT online banking (not like just changing windows) just to look up an old invoice (what acct did i classify this expense last time?). no drop down menu for account names???????? wha?? are you kidding? what on earth were they thinking?
Thanks for the review. After trying QB 2009 upgrade to finally get my teeny business modernized w/online banking…..I gave up 20 minutes into it. First, discovered my credit card wanted to charge me $10 a month to download to quickbooks. Then started reading the online intuit community comments about online banking….what a nightmare it’s been for so many people! Thanks for saving me the trouble. Back to oldfashioned ways for now.
I would not recommend upgrading to Quickbooks 2009. The program seems to be defective and the company seems to have no interest in fixing it. I am very disappointed with this version.I have been a quickbooks user since 1998 and this version is the worst. Don’t buy it.
I cannot believe intuit. I was just told that they will not even work with me to help me with the online banking. This software is not working and will not even allow me to enter my banking information and even tells me it’s wrong?!!! How do I get my money back and go back to 2007? Better yet what can I use to replace this junk that has good online banking technology. Please anyone help.
Save your money and buy a pen and ledger. This new interface is horrible! They are not even fixing the bugs in their “So Called” Updates. Stay with your current version. I wish I would have read the reviews before my company data was changed from 06 to 09. Now we are stuck! And our company data totally screwed up from this shitty version of QB!
I’m so excited to read these reviews of Quickbooks 2009. I’ve been a Quickbooks user for about 5 years, and my son insisted I update my 2008 to 2009. What a horror, the online banking was impossible to use, but my son refused to believe me,saying “Oh Mom get with it! Newer is better!” Well, even he has been convinced and changed his mantra to “Newer is (usually) better!” Quickbooks 2009 does not live up to the standards of excellence of previous releases. I have since reinstalled 2008 and am going to voice my complaints to Intuit.
I am totally dissatisfied with Quick Books 2008. I bought it to use the Accountant’s Changes feature for importing my entries into my client’s computer. After doing over 400 entries, QB decided it didn’t like two of them and now won’t import any of them. The only help I receive from Intuit is that this has been fixed in 2009. Yea! Do I tell my client and myself that we have to go and buy the latest version. And on top of that, there’s no guarantee that will work. Why doesn’t this company provide patches when they run into a problem?
I am fed up with Intuit Quick Books. I first bought the product in 1995. Each year, we paid $50 for the tax table update. Then one day, my software stopped working. Without notifying me, Intuit required a $179 upgrade to their software. When my tax table expired, I found that the price of the update went up to $99. Then one day, my software stopped working again. Another $179 upgrade required. Then intuit started doing the tax table updates online. The states where I have employees do not change their tax tables every year, so I really wasn’t benefitting from the service. I made the mistake of receiving the updates to the tax tables online via my credit card. I found an erroneous charge on my credit card statement from Intuit for some online payroll services that I never subscribed to. Then one day I tried to add an employee to my payroll, and without notifying me, Intuit restricted my software allowing only 3 employees on my payroll. Last month I recieved an email notice that my current version of Quickbooks would no longer work after May 2009 and I am required to update it. Also, they were going to bill my mastercard account (without my preauthorization) the $99 tax table update.
The email was sent from an address that would not “accept or respond to email inquiries.” They offered no phone number nor address to contact billing. They included a link to a page where I could “change or cancel my subscription”, which had a Flash malfunction, causing the page to not load. It took me a half hour to find the proper phone number to contact. When I did contact the billing department, they kept me on the telephone for another half hour.
All I want to do is my bookkeeping on reliable and economically feasible software. Intuit Quickbooks is expensive and painful.
I’d like to know how QuickBooks works for apartment management. I have two rental properties and still use an excel spreadsheet for income and expenses. It sounds like many of the QB features I don’t need. I only want my expense entries categorized for year end tax purposes. I’d appreciate some advice.
I was excited about the upgrade for payroll reasons, but this new version is almost impossible for online banking!!! I hate it!! If I reinstall QB 2007, are my current backups compatable?
I’m using QB 2006, and after reading these comments, I will not update to QB 2009. I have found an external payroll system that’s compatible with QB and will use them.
Can someone tell me if QB expires the bank download feature? I use that a lot, and I’m afraid they’re going to take that away.
Patrick, which external payroll system is compatible with QB? I’d be interested in using something that isn’t as costly and problematic.
Thanks!
Quickbooks 2009. Two steps backward? Only if your heels are the ledge of a 12 story building. What Intuit needs is a good class action suit against their “Sunset” policy. Ironically I upgraded because of some issues I was having with QB 2006 On-line banking. Tech support went immediately into sales mode and said they would not be able to continue help without charging approximately the same fee as the 2009 upgrade. So I upgraded. Wish I had read the comments above. After fixing the problem with 2006 I upgraded to 2009 only to find On Line Banking unusable. I download 200 to 300 American Express transaction each month and what would normally take me a few hours to complete in QB-06 would literally take several days in 2009. It won’t even find an account by its number or first letter of the name forcing you to scroll through your entire list of accounts with each entry. It is a mess and anyone who cares about keeping their books straight will spend all of their time doing workarounds. This is not a tool…it is a hindrance. Pen and paper ledger is right! Whoever designed this interface should be forced to use for eternity. By the way, the first indication you get that Intuit has gone nuts is when they make you place a phone call to get an approval code to register your software. This is after you’ve have entered the serial number and the product key. How nuts is that!
If you don’t upgrade QuickBooks, your payroll will expire and you won’t have updated information. As well, 2007 will be sunsetted, therefore won’t be supported anymore. This may happen in the next year, so it is good to get with the program whether you like it or not. With each upgrade, comes better ways to do things, even if some things don’t work to your specifications.
I have QB 2006 and it is expiring, as you all know. I do not want to touch 2009 with a 10 foot pole, now. Does it make sense to upgrade to 2008?
Kathy, yes it makes sense to upgrade to the ‘08 version. I really like the ‘08 version, and you might be able to find it at a deep discount on various marketplaces.
The only reason I am buying the Quickbooks Pro at this time is because of the ability to email statements and invoices will no longer be supported by May of ‘09.
As for as the payroll functions of Quickbooks (and related maintenance costs)—if you have less than 3 employees–do the entries by hand. Better yet Bank of America (BOA) has payroll services that is excellent and at better rates that don’t tie to a software company for a lifetime. The local Sam’s Club has the cash and carry software on the Pro 2009 at a reasonable rate.
The other ugly part when using the QB payroll function that happen to me in the past is when it expired and if you didn’t upgrade or pay the extortion it shut down your ability to assess the previously entered liability reports which you paid for with the program–that was the last straw. Good Luck
I also upgraded from a previous version and the I unable to email reports and the application freezes at the end of every reconciliation and I have to reboot it. I think Intuit’s solution will be to buy version 2010!
I hate the new version of QB’s. Every couple of years they force thier customers to buy a new version, and invariably they make some change that requires new training. I have yet to find an improvement in this version, so I guess it was just to soak their customers.
Save your money do not buy no matter what!
QB 2009 sure has some bugs but i’m pretty sure INTUIT are already fixing it if haven’t fixed yet. this is still better than going to another software w/c very hard to use and does less than half of what quickbooks can do. i’m waiting for the patch update that will fix this bug.
i’ve only been using QB since 2007 and i liked it very much.
the multi currency feature of QB 2009 was a big help since i get most of my materials and products abroad.
quickbooks is still better than going to another financial software.
Had to “upgrade” to QB 2009 from the 2006 version, what a nightmare. QB won’t help and apparently are not fixing their problems. Receiving credit card payments is apparently too tough for these geniouses to handle. My last purchase from QB for sure, I’ll use a pad and pencil before giving these clowns and more money.
Quickbooks 09 totally sucks…find something else. What use to take 15 minutes is now impossible.
Downloading data for multiple amex cards is a nightmear and matching data is a wreck.
What a bunch of morons.