QuickBooks Pro 2008 [OLD VERSION]

After using a traditional accounting package (A/R, A/P, G/L, etc) for 20 years, Quickbooks took some getting used to. Quickbooks is actually more complicated than our former software but it's ok. The main reason for our using it is the cost.

I upgraded only because I had to for continued use of the email and online banking features, but I'm a very light user of the software. I don't use many of the features. I find the new interface/layout poor in comparison to the older one. Yes, I understand the whole "this is how everything is related" concept of the new layout, but I don't need to see it on my home page. I don't like that I have to go looking for my reminders. There is a link on the right but it drops down to reveal NOT your reminders but link to a window...What the hell is that about???

First, I need to qualify my perspective in evaluating this product. I have had and still continue my eduation in accounting. After, reading the mixed reviews about QB Pro, I decided to buy the product. After three weeks of working on QuickBooks, I find this a great product for anyone having a good education in accounting skills. This product makes it very easy to maintain the bookkeeping of a business. There is no need to make a receipt, record the transaction in a journal, post the transaction, then do a closing at the end of the day or the accounting period. QB does it all for you when you make the transaction. Of course you still have to carry your deposit to the bank. But, QB is working on doing that for you. For the business owner who has very little or no knowledge of accounting, QB takes care of that by giving tutorials and a coach to start working on your company, while teaching you at the same time. I've read the review about not having the freedom to change the form on receipts or purchases, not true. Once the information is inputted for a customer or vendor in the info fields, you have the option of taking that base form to a word processing program and customizing the form. I recommend this product. The reason I haven't given it five stars is because there is a Very annoying quirk in the program. If you update the program or upgrade, the company information is blocked, unless you go through the process of a restart and then uploading the backup copy of your company information, which takes awhile. And if you didn't make a backup copy, I don't know what to say, except make the backup right away. This is a bookkeeper's dream and an accountant's right and left hand.

Our old Quicken was getting rather inadequate for our small business needs, so our accountant recommended that our next update should also be an upgrade to the Quickbooks Pro.

After a few weeks, its use has been fairly similar to the Quicken software and no major learning curves involved. It does have much more extensive reporting options. My major concern though was the adjustment and ease of learning. So far, so good.

After spending MANY hours setting up what initially seemed to be a well developed accounting program. I discover that Quickbooks is a nightmare to use to enter an Invoice or sales order.
- Relies on the user knowing the Item Code for every product stocked by the user company.
- No facility to search through the Product items from a keyword box.
- requires users to drill down through the list of items in a drop down box (could be thousands).
- the drop down box to choose the item being ordered is poorly designed and too narrow to read more than the first few letters of the description and find the correct item.
- the item list screen has the same problems.
- Find Screen also uses the same narrow drop down box for Items, so you need to know the item code to use that also.

So Quickbooks is NOT FOR WHOLESALERS, or IMPORTERS or Distributors or anyone with a large number of items per invoice. NOR FOR anyone who wants to use it to enter sales orders or invoices efficiently.

Quickbooks Pro Professional Business 2008 is just laughable. It has not addressed this fundamental design floor after all these years. This company also had a specialized version touted for wholesalers in their higher end version with the same fault.