If you are considering switching to UFile (read my review) this year, there is one huge drawback you need to be aware of: the support is really slow. Firstly, UFile does not offer phone support. If you encounter a problem with the software or need some help, the only way to currently contact UFile is through email (the website says that live chat support will be available later).
Many readers have commented on their frustration with UFile’s slow response times and I personally experienced it as well. I sent a quick question on March 4, 2008 and received a response on March 10th, which is unacceptably slow in my opinion. QuickTax offers phone support for Standard or higher but it wouldn’t be a fair comparison due to its higher price. However, QuickTax Basic has the same sticker price as UFile and support is by email only but I found their response to be a lot faster - less than 24 hours.
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10 responses so far ↓
1 Gene // Mar 24, 2008 at 12:42 pm
…and then there’s Studio Tax:
“Please email us your inquiries and we will make an effort to answer your questions as soon as we can. You will be surprised how soon that can be ! We do get many replies with the following: Thanks for the quick reply.”
http://www.studiotax.com/en/support.htm
2 Canadian Capitalist // Mar 24, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Gene: I’ve heard the StudioTax support is very fast, which is very surprising considering that the people behind the product do everything in their spare time. I am using StudioTax to file our taxes this year but I haven’t had the necessity to contact their support yet.
3 Jennie W // Mar 25, 2008 at 12:37 am
Agree. Customer support on UFILE is not great. Moreover, the rep was just following the instruction (listed out by company), didn’t understand the issue himself. I raised a question this year, but didn’t get it answered, and only figured it out myself.
I am switching to Studio Tax next year for sure. CC, please keep us posted on your own experience with Studio Tax. Thanks.
4 Aldo // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:21 am
I used to use the software version of Ufile but then moved to doing it over the internet. My brotherinlaw bought me the software version again so I “had” to use it … My problem this time around is that there is no way to migrate my data from last year (over the web) into the pc software version for this year.
It took them a couple of days to answer my email to tell me that.
5 Al // Mar 25, 2008 at 10:58 am
Paper, pen and calculator for me.
6 John // Mar 25, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I have used Studio Tax for the last two years after finding it more intuitive/simpler than many others..and a far better price!
7 Paolo // Mar 26, 2008 at 7:04 pm
What I did was use Quicktax and Ufile to obtain an exact refund amount. Then used Studiotax to get the same refund amount to ensure accuracy and then efiled it for free. Gave them a few bucks donation. Best deal in town.
8 Gardiner Westbound // Apr 4, 2008 at 6:34 am
I am another a long time QuickTax user who is thoroughly repelled by Intuit’s galloping avarice. I test drove several applications before choosing UFile for five family returns. Reasonable cost and the ability to suggest exactly how much eligible pension or other retirement income to split with a spouse in order to save the most tax, an exclusive feature according to the Toronto Star’s James Daw, were the key factors.
Accustomed to QuickTax’ optional direct forms entry method I encountered a substantial learning curve with UFile’s interview only format. UFile does not display a running tally. One has to click a “Results” tab to realize an item’s impact, making “what if” scenarios agonizingly tedious. Clicking a tax form entry in QuickTax instantly transports one to the source document. Not so with UFile, frustrating when trying to chase down a potential error.
I e-mailed UFile Support three times. Each time there was a week to ten-day wait for a reply. When it finally arrived it failed to address the issue. Invariably I solved the problem myself. One issue was the result of misunderstanding an instruction and my inability to trace the source. The second apparently resolved itself, possibly through a program update. The third was due to UFile’s acknowledged inability to import all relevant data from a 2006 QuickTax file. Watch out for that!
Reservations notwithstanding I liked UFile’s economy, extreme thoroughness, ability to optimize spousal tax returns, and pleasing presentation. If Dr. Tax doesn’t get greedy and jack up prices next year I will use it again.
9 Notes on Filing 2007 Taxes // Apr 9, 2008 at 10:15 pm
[...] readers are reporting problems with slow support at UFile. The only way to contact UFile is through email and a response might take as long as five business [...]
10 JACQUES DESJARDINS // May 5, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I purchased the Pro version of UFILE & it was to allow me to netfile 20 returns. I netfiled 6 & was blocked by CRA for all the others. “file is in the wrong format” was the message. One week later & Ufile still has not resolved the issue.
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