Ben Steverman for Bloomberg Businessweek writes: For the second year in a row, TurboTax has raised its prices. At least that's what it feels like to many customers.
Last year, TurboTax changed how it categorized its options for online filing, which looked to many users like a price-hike. A $20 “basic” return was gone. The $30 “deluxe” package no longer worked for filers with stock or mutual fund sales. Customers who’d been using "deluxe" for years discovered they needed to upgrade to the $50 “premier” package. Faced with a $20 charge after spending hours entering their tax information, many just forked over the up-charge.
This year, TurboTax made the same changes to the software it sells in stores. Loyal customers started complaining, loudly, when they realized they’d bought the wrong box. Almost 1,500 negative reviews were posted on Amazon, and H&R Block saw its opening: it made its tax prep software free to anyone affected.
TurboTax apologized and is offering deluxe buyers $25. “While we made the best long-term decision, our good intent was not matched with good execution," says Julie Miller, a spokeswoman for Intuit Inc., which owns TurboTax.
What it didn't apologize for was the fact that the reclassification simply makes it harder to compare prices. The three major players online – TurboTax, H&R Block and low-cost TaxACT – each divide their tax prep services into different buckets. Here's how it breaks down: SNIP. the article continues at Bloomberg Businessweek, click here to continue reading...
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