Pulling hair out using Sage one

Pulling hair out using Sage one

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Just taking a 5 min break from what feels like very hard work! New client, large business, client the been struggling using Sage cloud software, has done a pretty good job but I advised moving over to xero on the basis of the business being too big for the pathetic software that is Sage 1.

I thought it'd be a pretty straightforward switch over but client hasn't been reconciling the bank (he gave up months ago), instead entering invoices and then posting payments / receipts as they are made, all defaulting to the bank even though some were paid cash, credit card etc.

The only way I could reconcile was to export bank transactions to excel and export bank stats to excel and then match off, listing the differences etc. This took 15 hours without posting the adjustments.

Now, so as to have sage accurate before switching over, I'm entering a box of purchase invoices. I've never known any software that is so f*****g tedious to use. Each purchase invoice is taking me 5 minutes to enter! I'm a VT man so am used to flying through bank stats and invoice posting in rapid style.

Theas where I'm up to. Then I've got to look at converting. Is it safer to post a TB to xero and then a list of debtors / creditors? God knows what happens with the vat account as sage has vat holding accounts and vat control accounts as he is cash accounting.

Any easy way to get complete sage one figures onto xero so the client can start working on xero?

Much bigger job than I had thought so far and can't afford to lose another week on it.

Any advice.?

Thanks

Replies (15)

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Glenn Martin
By Glenn Martin
16th Jul 2015 16:47

Are Xero Not Offering

to convert Sage data to anyone who switches across before the end of July?

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By andy.partridge
16th Jul 2015 16:51

I'm afraid every job with Sage One takes much longer than you could imagine.

If you saw it on the pavement you would skirt around it to make sure you didn't get it on your shoe. You would wonder why its owner hadn't scooped it up and put it in one of those special doggy bins for the purpose.

When quoting in future, think of a number then double it. I wish I was joking.

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By User deleted
16th Jul 2015 17:07

Perhaps this is one for Jennifer Warawa …

After all Sage now have an all singing all dancing - global vice president for accountant product marketing

https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/article/meet-accountant-leading-sages-global-play/579154

‘.. Like many Sage executives, Warawa talks about the focus on customer experiences and needs. “It’s very easy for me to put customers first, because I was the customer,” she said ..’

And no doubt you will be heartened to know

‘..During its initial years, Warawa admitted, “Sage One wasn’t where it needed to be, but it’s there now.” ..’

What can one say – possibly Ms Warawa has some input here on Sage One and the problems encountered - if so then it is time to step up and field this one

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By Manchester_man
16th Jul 2015 17:37

Thank you for those comments.  They some how make me feel a bit better.

Guess what the really annoying thing is...   The client is sat waiting day after day for me to have this done.  No client would believe me if I told them I was working through the night last night and have spent days and days reconciling a bank!!!!  Therefore, it's costing me money.  

 

The icing on the cake was at 11pm last night when I started inputting the adjustments - yes, Sage were doing maintenance until 2am.  Better than during office hours but that didn't make me feel any less [***] off at 11pm last night when the client was expecting to be ready to use Xero this morning.  A new client as well!

 

If Sage One said they would let me sponsor them for free, so that my business could be advertised to millions of businesses throughout the UK, I would say no.  I's even say no if they offered to pay me, because I would never allow my name to be associated with anything so ridiculous as this so called accounting software, not in a million years.

 

 

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By andy.partridge
16th Jul 2015 17:40

Proof that if your marketing budget is big enough you can sell anything.

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Gary Turner
By garyturner
16th Jul 2015 17:45

We can help

We have a team of people in the UK who are dedicated to helping accountants and bookkeepers overcome exactly these kinds of challenges (almost all of them are ex-accountants in practice themselves), and will definitely be able to suggest a few things over the phone.

Drop me a note to gary[at]xero.com with your contact details and I'll happily connect you up.

Gary Turner
Managing Director, Xero
@garyturner

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By Manchester_man
16th Jul 2015 17:46

Can anybody from Sage explain the following:

 

When using the ridiculous bank reconciliation feature, it shows the balance when last reconciled - well this balance is nowhere to be seen on any bank statement, so why can't I drill back to see what statement number it was rec'd to?

 

When reconciling a statement, as is quite normal, you spot an entry on sage that isn't on the statement, because if has been posted by mistake - can I click on the transaction and edit / remove / void?  No.  I have to enter another transaction the opposite way round.

 

Why is there a handy facility to enter bank charges and interest when reconciling, but no way on earth to enter anything that's not a bank charge or interest?  Are these the only transactions that ever get missed off by clients?  If only!   No, you have to come out of the bank rec, enter the purchase invoice and then the payment or do a journal, then go back to the bank reconciliation non-feature and carry on until the next time.

 

I could honestly go on and on and on, but I'm far too behind with this job to waste the time.

 

If this thread puts just one person OFF from using Sage One, then that is some consolation

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By andy.partridge
16th Jul 2015 17:54

If I recall correctly

If the user has allocated a cost to the wrong (nominal) account and they amend it, although the new debit goes to the right account, the corresponding credit doesn't go to reduce the value on the old 'wrong' account, but to an 'adjustments' account. What fun.

It took me ages to understand that was happening and the client was oblivious.

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By Manchester_man
17th Jul 2015 10:33

Credit where it's due
I have to thank Gary Turner @ Xero who has put me in touch with a member of the Xero team who will assist me with any problems I face with the conversion.

It's nice to see some good customer service these days, particularly as I didn't even have to ask.

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By neilson.watts
17th Jul 2015 15:55

Sincere apologies from Sage One team

Dear Manchester Man, I’m part of the Product Management team at Sage so please accept my sincerest of apologies over the experience you’ve had with our ‘Sage One Accounts’ product.

It saddens me that you’ve got so frustrated with ‘Sage One Accounts’ when you’re simply wanting to provide a good profitable service to your clients, whilst also feeling so passionately dissatisfied that you’ve needed to vent.

I’d like to personally recognise and share the frustration you’ve had with regards to the entering purchase invoices and bank reconciliation and know this can be better. Please be assured that we do like to hear all feedback, whether it’s the good, the bad or indeed the ugly so that we can listen, understand and act on it.

I’m sorry it’s got to the point where you’ve needed to consider alternative solutions of which there any many good ones including Xero.

Whilst I can understand you’re maybe at the point of no return with Sage One, please leave me a private message if you would like to discuss further so I can at least leave you with a positive experience of Sage One.

 

Neilson Watts (Product Manager – Sage One)

 

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By User deleted
17th Jul 2015 16:27

Buck stops at the top …

Could we have a reply from Jennifer Warawa or Lee Perkins or even CEO Stephen Kelly - however, perhaps they all to grand to deign to respond to the ‘hoi polloi’

They turn up frequently enough on Aweb when trying to flog Sage in its various guises or make a press release so why the reticence/shyness to answer questions on reasons why some of their products are so totally dysfunctional

All credit to @neilson.watts for responding to this, although possibly a modicum less of the empathy (sharing) and something rather more tangible in the way of solutions would be good

Not impressed with these ‘mandarins’ who pick up the big checks and delegate the nasty jobs to others – says a lot about the calibre of those at the top

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By petersaxton
17th Jul 2015 23:05

If you have a big problem with software

I would suggest exporting to Excel and preparing an ETB in Excel or starting again and doing it all in Excel or using QuickBooks or a sensible online bookkeeping software. Then you can use your accounts production software.

Never try dealing with a stupid package because it will take much longer and you are less likely to understand it's quirks.

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By [email protected]
23rd Jul 2015 16:24

Xero Enablement

It was pleasure to speak to you last week and of course if you have any further conversion issues then please let me know ([email protected]).

Looking forward to arranging a useful on-site enablement project in the near future. 

Mark Barraclough

Partner Enablement Specialist, Xero

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By andy.partridge
23rd Jul 2015 16:46

Strap-line

'Never knowingly under-self-promoted'.

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By Bookkeeper2002
31st Aug 2015 01:09

Sage-one
I can only agree - it is a pathetic excuse for accounting software. I've used it with 1 client, subsidised the ridiculous hours processing took, lost client despite this, moved to Xero for other online bookkeeping clients and ..... No looking back.
I feel so angry whenever I see SageOne being so heavily promoted. Yes, if you marketing budget is high enough, you can indeed make anything look good - but in the long run......I think they're doing themselves more harm than good to keep pushing this totally floored product.

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