Intuit QuickBooks is the Blockbuster Video of 2021 – How Does Intuit Stay in Business?

Just like Blockbuster, Intuit continues to dig it’s own grave. A company reliant on nickel and diming customers (loyal and new) is doomed.

As a user of Intuit products long ago including TurboTax for 10 years (thank you TaxAct!)  and Quickbooks up to 2003, I should have pushed away any thought of ever using Intuit products again. But I had honestly forgotten how much disdain I have for Intuit. Comparing Intuit to Blockbuster seems so apropos. I swear Intuit must have bought the assets of Blockbuster if only to get the Blockbuster playbook. Of course Intuit has always been customer unfriendly so perhaps I have that backwards. In any case, both companies operate on two tenets – 1. the customer is always wrong and 2. the customer will continue to pay us no matter what. Intuit has instituted their own versions Blockbuster’s late fees (BLF).

I encountered another one of Intuit’s BLFs trying to register a copy of QuickBooks.  My neighbor passed along a copy of QuickBooks Pro from Intuit. It’s the 2011 version, you know the one everyone is camping outside of BestBuy for. I should have known anything with an Intuit logo on it is cursed. Anyone who has ever dealt with Intuit certainly has to ponder how does Intuit stay in business.

In my case, it was simply a matter of trying to get a verification code so I could use QuickBooks. Intuit makes you call them to “get the code”. That was my first red flag since I knew they’d try to sell me something. None the less I called. Dread. The Intuit phone jockey was pleasant albeit overly conversational. I let me him know what I needed and he said no worries I can help you with that. I asked if there would be a charge (why would there be a charge?) and he said there would be no charge and I can handle everything. Then the questions began and I mean lots of questions (red flags were waving big time now). First he wanted to know what happened to my neighbor, what happened to her business, do you know what she’s doing now – whoa I ain’t answering any of that and how on earth is that their business and why do they think I’d tell them that stuff. Once we got through that phase of the interrogation it came time to register me as the new owner. To my hesitancy I passed along all information asked for, I should have made it all up like I used to do at RadioShack when I was purchasing a diode. For those that don’t know, RadioShack used to ask for your first born at checkout and they set the benchmark for data mining in the 80’s. Back to my Intuit ordeal…

Timewise what should have taken 30 seconds is now at 15 minutes and counting. Once all my critical data was entered the Intuit rep asked to put me on hold so he could get the verification code. Gladly, I agreed to hold. Five full minutes later he come back on the line to ask do I know Laura’s number? we need to do a conference call. What!? Why!? Red flags! Just hang up! I plodded on. No I don’t know her number off the top of my head why do you need it? We need to confirm the transfer with Laura. You’re welcome to call her I’m sure you have her number. No response. Hello? We can’t transfer the product to you without speaking to Laura. Call her. No response. Can I speak to you supervisor please? 

Supervisor (yeah right) comes on the line after another long hold and states the QuickBooks can’t be transferred to me unless I’m running a non-profit. I ain’t. I asked why did y’all waste all this time! Shouldn’t the rep have known products are not transferable. Can Intuit truly afford to dedicate 30 minutes to phone calls that are going nowhere? Can’t my neighbor just call and get the code? Crickets… Hello? I’m here and I’m sorry for the trouble. Any answers? I’m sorry for the trouble. Is that all you have to say? No explanation for the last 37 minutes? I’ll speak to the rep. That’s it? Intuit does have a special today where I can offer you $100 off… And there it was the sales pitch.

Total time wasted 37 minutes. In-tu-it more like out of your mind.

As far as companies go, I liken Intuit to a boat taking on water but instead using buckets to get water out they instead dip their buckets outside their sinking vessel, fill ’em up and add water again and again and again. How they stay afloat is beyond my comprehension. Hopefully everyone can pitch in to help them sink because they need to go the way of BlockBuster.

 

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