Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

2-26-2020 Update: I now have more than 9,900 hits on my TurboTax Community Blog. I would surmise TT has a problem with the 2019 product. And they won't admit anything due to liability issues. So sad. It is a good product...when it works...I expect some fallout for TT due to this issue. ************************************************************** 1-29-2020 Update: I have more than 3500 hits on my TurboTax Community Blog seeking a resolution to the software validation problem. Many folks are getting downright irate and nasty. If you decide to buy this software, be sure you go into it with your eyes wide open. There are a growing number of folks having the problem. Amazon's rating chart is not accurate for the rest of the world at large. ************************************************************* Well, my hopes have been dashed for an easy resolution. TT is again asking for the Activation Code. Since I re-activated TT on 12/18/2019, I have opened and closed the app more than 50 times with no problems. During that time TT updated three times OK. I received the following updates before TT asked me again for the Activation Code: 12-18-2019: Critical Program Updates (Release 12/11/19), Fed Tax Forms Updates (Release 12/17/19), Wisconsin (Release 12/18/19). 12-25-2019: Help and Support (Release 12/24/19) 1-2-2020; Fed Tax Forms Updates (Release 1/2/20), Critical Program Updates (Release 1/2/20). Later on 1-2-2020 TT loaded the following updates prior to again asking for an Activation Code on restart: Wisconsin (Release 1/2/20) I have spent way too many man-hours trying to get a $50 piece of software to function correctly. This is not an isolated problem as can be seen by reading multiple comments on Amazon and also on the TurboTax Community Discussion Blog. There are way too many folks fighting this problem for it to be an anomaly. I’m done. After 20 years with TurboTax, it is time to move on. Needless to say my star rating has been moved back to 1 star. ********************************************************************** **RESOLUTION** After finally finding a way to talk to a real person at TT, it was resolved that the CD I purchased through Amazon was defective. Tim at TT told me that once the software gets authenticated the first time, via the license code, the program has no further need to talk to the TT server for further authentication. TT sent me a new CD directly. I did not have to go through Amazon. I used the Download method, rather than the CD, to reinstall TT on my computer via InstallTurboTax.com. After download and install, the app opened OK and has been working OK ever since. My lesson learned is using the Download method, rather than the CD, gives one a better chance of receiving an app that is not corrupted. I raised my star rating to 4 due to the patient help I received via TT Help personnel. After all the frustration, my opinion is TurboTax is still the best tax preparation software available for the majority of consumers. *********************************************************************************************************************** For 2019, Turbotax has changed their method of validating that the Turbotax software installed on ones computer is legal. It requires the input of a license code in order to launch the software. There is presently an issue with many desktop computers not being able to launch the software due to the internet connection not being able to resolve connection to the Turbotax server for activation of the License. In other words the Turbotax server and your home computer are not able to communicate to get everything to operate correctly. This was not a problem prior to the 2019 release. Turbotax has left it up to their customers to resolve the problem themselves rather than Turbotax modifying their software so it will work for the average person who is just a user of the software and not necessarily tech savvy. I do not recommend purchasing this software until Turbotax gets their act together. It is useless in its present form.