I'm not a happy camper with this service. They offer a free version, so I had a go with it. At no time did they say it was a time-limited offer. As far as I understood it, you get the minimum cut-down version for free (and then have to put up with the bombardment of emails from them).
Then they constantly sent me emails and messages about upgrading to a paid version. I accepted that - after all, it was a free service. Now, today, when I tried to log in to my account with them I got the message that I had to register.
How do you register? Oh right, call a phone number in the good old US of A and you'll get a registration code - blah, blah. What a PITA. And now I've lost all my data. (Not a major problem as I didn't have a lot of data to lose )
I've also tried KashFlow which is a good system - and I sell it as an affiliate - but it's too powerful for my simple needs.
It just pees me off to be offered something and then discover afterwards that they've moved the goal posts and I can't use it any more. After this experience I wouldn't touch QuickBooks even if I had a full biosuit on.
Imagine how a client of mine felt last year when compelled to upgrade their quickbooks package or lose the ability to enter new stuff in (this is after some 5 years of trading), when after they upgraded they found out it no longer handled multi-currency.
They deal with businesses in many countries around the world as freight forwarders and it was a huge blow with no going back.
Needless to say they now use a free package (VTT+), as do I, that is simply a dream to use, handles multi-currency, and doesn't have any unexploded time bombs lurking ready to destroy their records.
I don't expect to get everything for free but if I'm offered a free version of something, then I expect that it's a free version for me to try and perhaps upgrade at my leisure if I like it.
That QuickBooks thing IMO is a real con. They're time wasters. They get you interested so you input your data, and things go along very nicely, and then they kick you in the nuts (if you have any) and tell you that now you can't use it unless you pay them some money.
I would seriously warn people off using this company. They throw unexpected bombs at you, as you say.
As I said, I like KashFlow and am very happy selling it as an affiliate and recommending it to others. It's a great product and your affiliate manager is very on the ball. I like her a lot. The extra few bob I make on commission comes in handy too - thanks for the beers!
I'm not sure just how much to say on a public forum so I'll be fairly brief. I'm happy to go into more details with you if you like, either here or in private.
KashFlow is designed for you, not your accountant. This is a great selling point for people who aren't accountants. But, erm, guess how I earned a living before I became a lady of leisure and pleasure? It doesn't really suit me.
There's also all the stuff I don't need, like raising invoices. Nearly all my company's income comes from some sort of 'mystery meat' cheques or BACS every month. In many cases I don't know how much has been earned until it hits the bank account. Yes, I know it's not ideal but that's just how things are sometimes. In any case most of the company's 'clients' (like you) do self invoicing.
I would like to see a cheaper cut-down version of KashFlow, specifically designed for the smaller online business.
I think KashFlow is great but I'm not wanting to pay X per month for something I don't need. If you even offered some kind of deal where I could use it for one month every year, I'd definitely buy that. Failing that, I'll stick to my spreadsheets.
If you're interested I'm happy to discuss this in more detail in private.
Hi Kay,
I read your posts and comments with interest.
We use FreeAgent Central and provide it bundled with an accountancy service - maybe your accountant or another one could bundle KashFlow with your annual accounts service ? It is a time saver for both accountant and client for sure.
Phil
We currently use QuickBooks (full installed version), and frankly it's anything but quick. I'm sure some of you have seen me whine about it in forums, or via twitter, before.
Suffice to say that soon we will be "upgrading" to another system (possibly KashFlow - haven't trialled yet, as saving it until we are ready to make the switch).
Since we started using QuickBooks, many of our clients have asked what we use, I've told them and suggested that they do otherwise!!
I would most definitely recommend trying KashFlow. It's a very good system for people who don't have accountancy training.
For me personally it offered an awful lot more than I wanted which is the main reason why I don't want to pay the monthly cost for it. I also would have preferred a system designed for accountants, I think I would have felt more at home with that.
You can get a free trial of the full version of KashFlow and that is an absolutely genuine offer - unlike the QB rubbish. You can give KashFlow a darned good test-drive before deciding if you want to buy or not. It's quite simple - try before you buy, no catch, no tricks.
(I have no relationship with Duane other than I already sell KashFlow as an affiliate - and I'm not using my aff. links here.)
Thanks, Ray; please tell us more about VTT+ and also comment on this
\"To download and install VT Transaction+ and VT Cash Book, please go to the download page.
Unless you are a subscriber to VT Accounts, you will need to enter a license key to continue using the software after 31 October 2009.\"
as it seems to imply a monetary value on \"free\"!
Regards, Roy.
This program has been available for free for the last 5 years or so. After October it will be chargeable but is free until then to try.
It is very simple, very editable, very flexible and being free for such a long time has been exceptional value for money.
The final pricing looks like being £125+VAT to buy the program and £100+VAT annually. However, unlike most packages, you will not be obliged to pay annually for the updates. You can continue using the version you buy with no limits and there will be no crafty time bombs in it.
I use QB and am very very happy with it. My Book keeper is a Sage lady (aren't they all?) but even she has to admit it offers superb facilities, and is very easy to automate and use. It offers facilities not available in other programs at it's price, and does everything that I could dream of wanting, and then some.
But then I am using a version that came out in the last century, and thus it is bug free, and unencumbered by levels of security and anti-piracy measures. The only shadow on the horizon is that it won't run under Vista, but XP PCs offer excellent value, or if you insist on running it on a Vista Machine MS's Virtual Machine is a free option that works well.
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QuickBooks - Bah!
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