This post is totally off topic but it's my blog and I need to vent.
When I bought my convenience store 10 years ago, I researched accounting systems and bought Simply Accounting. It was a pretty complicated system to start from scratch but the price included a free hour of help from a local S.A. specialist. That specialist was an accountant with H & R Block in Alberton and I paid her for an extra two hours and she completely customized the software for my use. Sounds great, right?
Yes, it was good enough that a few years later, I bought the Pro edition so that I could do my books in the store as well as my home office. That worked well until the store computer died. The Pro edition is for more than one computer but when you try to put it on a new computer, it cost extra. Nice.
Since then, I've just worked on one computer, annoying, but not a deal breaker. In early 2014, I sent my memory stick with the Simply Accounting backup to my accountant as usual and she could not open it. Seemed that she had upgraded and I had not and her new Sage system locked out anything done on the old system.
The company was no long AccPac Simply Accounting. They had been taken over by Sage. If I wanted my accountant to access my 2013 books, I would have to upgrade, whether I wanted to or not. Did I want the basic version or the payroll version? The difference in price was immense and I got my deduction information off the government website anyway, so I ponied up the necessary $500 (including tax) and got the electronic licence to download the upgrade without the payroll information. It was horrible - slower than molasses to load, my home page was changed and had all sorts of stuff I didn't need but at least I could get my taxes done.
Now I'm finalizing my books for 2014 and went to do the T4s for my employees, happy to have them done early this year. But Lo and Behold, Sage had taken the ability to print T4s and ROEs with my $500! If I wanted to get that back, it would only cost me an extra $600 a year. A YEAR! To get back what had before!
So for being forced to spend $500, this wonderful company gave me less than I had before. But look at all the extra features you have, says the sales department. Nothing I need or can use, of course. Can I have my old system back? No.
It has been years since I've been this angry. Do not under any circumstances buy Sage 50 or any of the Sage products unless you have lots of money and are prepared to be held to ransom. The Sage logo on the software is an increasing step graph; a very effective indicator of the rising annual costs of using their product.
