ATX Layoffs!

[taxwoman]

Do you know what's really sad about this whole mess. I spoke to a TaxWise tech person this week and he admitted to me that they had so many incoming phone calls earlier this month, they had to open up a back-up phone center in KS. Imagine that! They lay off many good experienced ATX tech people in Caribou (I guess to "save money"), but then turn right around in hire a bunch of inexperienced back-up people in KS because they couldn't handle all the incoming calls. Talk about being "penny wise and pound foolish." Oh well, back to taxes.

[GeorgeM]

After reading all these posts regarding the possible ATX demise, it is all the more important thing to do to go with Mel and have a completely new program that we will own and not be afraid of a big company buying it out. I think Mel will listen to us as to what we want and what is easier for us to navigate. I agree that ATX navigation is the best I have ever seen. I tried TaxWise last year and had to beg for my money back when they could not correct an error I kept coming up with.

By reading the posts any small tax preparation software which had any value was gobbled up by the big guys and left the users out to dry. I suspect that Tax refund Express and TaxAct will be the next to by the wayside.

[taxperson]

TaxAct is H&R Block. They'll be around. Do they do a professional version?

[Don in Upstate NY]

TaxAct is H&R Block. They'll be around. Do they do a professional version?

No. TaxCut is H&R Block. TaxAct is Second Story Software, which was the company founded by many of the old Parsons gang after PTE (Personal Tax Edge?) was bought out.

[Lion EA]

And, HRB bought TaxWorks.

[kcjenkins]

Do you know what's really sad about this whole mess. I spoke to a TaxWise tech person this week and he admitted to me that they had so many incoming phone calls earlier this month, they had to open up a back-up phone center in KS. Imagine that! They lay off many good experienced ATX tech people in Caribou (I guess to "save money"), but then turn right around in hire a bunch of inexperienced back-up people in KS because they couldn't handle all the incoming calls. Talk about being "penny wise and pound foolish." Oh well, back to taxes.

What is really stupid about that is that if they had had any business sense at all, they would have kept the Caribou team at least until Feb, to handle the Jan rush of support calls. I doubt if they saved a penny, but they sure destroyed a lot of customer loyalty. Had they waited just a month or so, until the early problems were solved, most of the users would not have even known about it when they later laid off the folks in Maine.

[Tax Prep by Deb]

What is really stupid about that is that if they had had any business sense at all, they would have kept the Caribou team at least until Feb, to handle the Jan rush of support calls. I doubt if they saved a penny, but they sure destroyed a lot of customer loyalty. Had they waited just a month or so, until the early problems were solved, most of the users would not have even known about it when they later laid off the folks in Maine.

Amen!

Deb!

[Mel in Hawaii]

As always, KC hits the nail right on the head. There is always so much of a support rush right at the beginning, usually just things like 'where's my code' but still. Having two call centers for a couple months would have been a very good thing.

[kcjenkins]

Especially since that would have given callers a 50/50 chance of actually getting someone who knew the answer !!!