Why QuickBooks Online Reviews Suck: Is QBO Really That Bad?
Have you ever thought about signing up for QuickBooks Online (aka “QBO”) but were reluctant after seeing a ton of 1-star reviews?
Recently I was researching QBO features to update my QBO Fresh Start Course, and came across a consumer awareness website. Here I discovered a VERY long complaint list from disgruntled QBO users. We’re talking about a list of reviews with over 50% of the ratings being 1-star. Ouch!
So why are QuickBooks Online users so dissatisfied (or so they say)?
For one thing, there has been a huge uptick in poor QBO reviews ever since QuickBooks Desktop basically “forced” their users to move over to QuickBooks Online.
This happened when QuickBooks Desktop stopped updating the 2020 version, as so many of us moved to working remotely. Many QuickBooks desktop users had no choice but to move to the online version. And of course, nobody likes being pushed into changes they didn’t ask for.
Now, you’d think it would be simple to switch between the the desktop and online versions. But that has not necessarily been the case.
I learned this big-time when I recently I assisted a company bookkeeper and their CPA in converting from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online. Turns out that making the change was a nightmare for them. This is happening to a LOT of QuickBooks Desktop users who are being forced to make the change.
Even if you were plugging along just fine in QuickBooks Desktop, as soon you move over to QuickBooks online, all the little issues that were smoothed over for the last how ever many years will come out to bite you.
So here’s the real reason why the QBO reviews suck…
QuickBooks is not a solution, it’s a software. QuickBooks is really designed for Accountants. But it’s sold as a “user friendly” software for someone who’s attempting to DIY their books.
What’s more is that if you have QuickBooks of any version or type, you are a witness to their lack of customer support.
Why is customer support so lacking? A big factor is that most support representatives are NOT Accountants. So when you call customer support, you’re not talking to a financial professional. This means you could be going in circles for months trying to get help.
So, with all that taken into account (no pun intended!), it’s easy to see why people are giving QBO tons of 1-star reviews.
I’ve been a QuickBooks user since 2006. I moved to the Online Version 100% in 2017, and it’s had a lot of ups and downs. Some of the differences between QuickBooks Desktop and QBO are really annoying and hard to work with. But, then again, some of them are a also sigh of relief (like QBO discontinuing the business view vs the accountant review option).
What I know for sure is that QuickBooks success requires someone with an Accounting background and someone who is an expert in the software.
It’s not enough to just have a bookkeeper. Recall that a bookkeeper is someone who has not had official Accounting training. If your bookkeeper doesn’t have Accounting support, it’s easy for your books to get out of control. If that happens, it can often cost thousands of dollars to fix them (and cost even more in potential tax errors).
So ideally, to make the most of QuickBooks, a bookkeeper needs an Accountant to oversee their work and answer questions.
I’m often frustrated with QBO support myself. But at least I know the software and accounting well enough that I know what to ask and where to go, and when to find a work-around if I’m not getting the answers I need. So I can imagine how an untrained person can feel when they try and get help.
So if you are transitioning from QuickBooks Desktop to Online and feel lost, I’m here to help. My QuickBooks Fresh start course is the place to start!
QuickBooks Fresh Start is perfect for you if you’re transitioning from QuickBooks Desktop and feel lost, or you’re new to QuickBooks and want to get started the right way.
Find out more about QuickBooks Fresh Start here!
Until next time,
Love, light, and MONEY, honey…
Kaylee
