Customer Reviews:
 Quickbooks Con April 16, 2008
B. Tetley (Loughborough, UK)
27 out of 28 found this review helpful
I ordered this from Amazon who as usual offered a very competative price and good delivery, so no argument there at all.
However, the software is very disappointing. The major issue being that know where on any of the Quickbooks documentation or on the Intuit websites does it tell you this will not allow you to load any previous Quickbooks company files. Our business is very simple, no stock, no salaries to pay, the only complication being VAT (which I now understand it calculates incorrectly anyway). We don't need all the functions in the Pro version at all, so this looked ideal.
So be warned, look else where if you already use another version of Quickbooks. The only good thing is the 30 day return to Intuit warranty, which I will certainly be using.
 Perfect for its intended market August 29, 2008
David Henderson Begg (London, UK)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
QuickBooks SimpleStart was introduced to fill the gap in the market left when Intuit withdrew the Quicken home software in the UK. Many small businesses were using Quicken (which, by the way, had no VAT or invoice features) to manage their accounts.
SimpleStart is defintely simple... but that has always been one of the strengths of the QuickBooks range. Ease of use is essential for hard pressed entrepreneurs! Although a number of different types of businesses could make use of SimpleStart it is best used by sole traders offering a service.
SimpleStart has never made any big claims about VAT. It can only handle VAT on a cash basis (the UK standard is accrual) but then its target audience is not VAT registered businesses.
There were definitely a number of bugs in the 2008 QuickBooks line-up but this was a result of a massive effort over the past two years to bring the UK software up to the same level as that enjoyed in the US. These bugs have been addressed in the past year with various patches that are included on the most recent CDs and we are more than happy with the latest versions of the software.
Finally, bear in mind that accounting software is IMPORTANT and if you're not sure which product you need you should consult one of the many QuickBooks professionals out there on the web that will give you free advice on the pluses and minuses of all versions of the software.
This product is too limited August 11, 2008
Three Colours Blue (UK)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Although superficially it looks like it'll do everything I'll need for my micro-business, having spent quite some time setting it up, I then find I can't do certain things: In particular you can only pay expenses from your bank account / credit card account / [petty] cash account - not set them against another account - in my case I have things like phone and electricity that I'll pay for myself - I'll then pay myself a cheque for these expenses. But that's just not possible with this product. The other thing I found I can't do with this product is record a bounced cheque such that it adjusts the client's balance accordingly.
The help and tutorials provided with this product are moderately useful, but the moment you want to do something a bit more adventurous like the above you rapidly find the limits of the package. I realise it's a cut-down package, but surely recording bounced cheques and transferring expenses across accounts are basic needs for any business. It boils down to a product that won't do all you need to do, so you'll have to upgrade to QuickBooks Pro (but see the negative reviews people have put there) or abandon QuickBooks altogether. In my case I can't face setting up my business in another accounting package (took me 2 days with this), I'll go back to my cumbersome but capable double-entry paper record-keeping.
Waste of time August 18, 2008
Boatyboy (Jersey CI)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Purchased QuickBooks SimpleStart 2008 to tidy up my girlfriends accounts as I am familier with the software as I used quickbooks 8 a ten year old package that cost 40 as was excellent and is easy to use. This Simplestart 2008 is so basic it is not worth buying.Type an amount you are trying to find in my old version up it pops or several of the same amount with the dates for you to choose. This version has not even got this find option. Try getting a free trial of something else of the net and stay well clear of intuit. Waste of hard earned money
 SimpleStart, Simple Software - True To Its Word October 12, 2008
Steve Bevis [UKBritney.TV] (South East, UK)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
QuickBooks' SimpleStart is a simple, easy-to-use piece of software for anyone starting their own business, and wanting to do quick accounting, without messing around in spreadsheet programs, trying to calculate countless sums and totals in order to get the resulting figures they need.
The program is not advanced, and not meant for full professional users, with larger businesses, where you'd need things like VAT, etc. QuickBooks do offer an alternative professional version, but for anyone offering a service, such as setting up a website design company, or a masseuse offering their services to members of the public, this software is perfect.
Before committing to a purchase, it may be worth investigating through some Google searches exactly what your business will require in terms of accounting software, but for most home users, SimpleStart would be a great choice.
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