I wanted to take a moment and share some insights and words of caution…

Here are some situations clients and friends have bumped into as they have been navigating the world of QuickBooks.

BOGUS QUICKBOOKS SOFTWARE

As we know very well, QuickBooks software is not getting any cheaper these days!

Because of that, businesses have been searching the internet for “cheap QuickBooks software” or other similar search terms.

What do they often get? Counterfeit/pirated software that they can’t register or use in their business.

While the price looked really good in these situations, they purchased QuickBooks through some questionable web sites – and got nothing to show for it other than a massive headache!

ADVICE: Only purchase/subscribe to QuickBooks directly through an authorized reseller such as myself, the main QuickBooks web site, or big box retailers like Staples, Best Buy, etc. If you are buying through Amazon, make sure the software is being sold directly from Amazon, not a third party seller. Please note that Amazon does NOT offer any type of returns on software, where QuickBooks and resellers do offer a 60 day refund period.

 

BOGUS QUICKBOOKS SUPPORT

Google can be a great tool to search for just about anything.

When it comes to searching for “Quickbooks support”, searcher beware!!

Sadly, there are a number of “less than reputable” listings out there indicating they offer support. What they are really offering is a scam!

True story – I was contacted by a business that had searched for “QuickBooks support”. They had connected with a firm that offered to “help” them, and the firm insisted on connecting remotely to their computer “for a closer look” (I get it that a remote connection may be needed, but read on…). From there, the “support site” attempted to convince them that their QuickBooks data file was corrupt and it would cost $2,000 for them to diagnose it further. And of course, they were ready to take credit card details right then to get things going!

Upon further evaluation, we learned that their file was not corrupt at all. The business computer just got hung up (like they do sometimes!) and a simple reboot solved their problem – and saved them $2,000 as well!

Sadly, I read and hear stories like this regularly about businesses getting scammed when it comes to QuickBooks support.

ADVICE: If you need help sorting out issues with QuickBooks, to me there are only three places to look:

1. The official QuickBooks site
2. The QuickBooks Find a ProAdvisor site – this solution can be best for more of the “how do I do this…” type of questions when it comes to your QuickBooks
3. The IT firm that handles the computer and network setup for your business – this solution is usually best for the “techie” type of support issues (i.e. error messages, network problems, etc.)

Between these solutions, you should be able to get the help and insight your business needs.

 

BOGUS QUICKBOOKS SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS

Just when I thought I had seen it all, one of my QuickBooks Enterprise subscribers sent me a message recently.

They had received an e-mail on their Enterprise subscription renewal and asked why their discount fell off the account.

I had them forward me a copy of the message, and it sure looked authentic!

It correctly listed:

• The name of the clients’ business
• The correct Enterprise subscription version
• The correct number of Enterprise users
• It has the “normal look and feel” of QuickBooks Enterprise messaging in terms of colors, fonts, etc.

The client called the number provided in the e-mail to inquire further. Guess what? They were given the opportunity to “easily renew their account” right then and there with this bogus outfit that had absolutely nothing to do with Intuit or QuickBooks Enterprise.

Upon further investigation, we discovered that the e-mail itself was not sent from the quickbooks.com or intuit.com domains. It was sent from a “similar” sounding domain. How they got the correct name of the company and Enterprise subscription details is still a mystery!

ADVICE: As far as I know, all subscription-based versions of QuickBooks are on automatic renewal and will charge to the credit card or bank account on file. There would be no need to contact anyone for a separate renewal of the subscription! While there may be a need to update contact, bank or credit card details, your best best is to connect directly with Intuit to handle that. They have access to the billing portal where all that information is kept.

 

HAD YOUR OWN BOGUS EXPERIENCE?

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