Iris payemaster v5

Iris payemaster v5

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We have been using Payemaster as a bureau for the last 7 years and the system has worked well.
Since Iris became involved and especially since we tried to install and use version 5.4.8.5 the system keeps falling over.

Differing faults each time but with 21 callers in front of us in the queue to talk to the support desk we have a waiting time of about 50 minutes to talk to an adviser.

I am usually an eternal optimist and believe each time the fault is resolved that the system will now work okay but even I am now getting fed up with it.

Are others experiencing similar problems and if so have they found that the grass is greener with other payroll providers?
martin curtis

Replies (18)

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By User deleted
30th Mar 2006 13:45

Avoid Iris Payroll software
Spent a couple of hours this morning trying to upgrade the Iris payroll software. First attempt didn't work so I checked the website & found completely different installation instructions from those supplied on the CD & in accompanying documentation. Removed the upgrade from the computer & tried installing again - using the website instructions. No improvements so I phoned the support helpline -and was told I was number 41 in the queue. In the circumstances I've given up. Sadly I've already paid my renewal contract fee for the next tax year but due to the problems think I will write this off & try another program.

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By Ian P Thompson
21st Apr 2006 09:40

A lot of fed up Freeway users are looking at this......
http://www.starplc.com/payroll-intro.htm

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By User deleted
14th Mar 2006 17:18

OK, before I ask Iris for my money back......
.. and move onto something better, has anybody anything positive to say about the new "improved" Payemaster?

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Dennis Howlett
By dahowlett
15th Mar 2006 03:53

You were upsold as a result of a problem?
Bruce:
Let me get this right - Iris upsold you on the basis of your having a legitimate problem? How'd that work?

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David Winch
By David Winch
14th Mar 2006 11:56


See previous threads

Do any of you use IRIS PAYE Master? 6 December 2005

and

IRIS PAYE-Master 19 January 2006.

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By User deleted
14th Mar 2006 13:04

Version 5
I've held back from installing version 5 because of the problems experienced by the other users in the previous threads.
I've just received version 5.5 - the year end version. Has anybody tried it yet?
Thanks

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By brucier
14th Mar 2006 16:15

Iris
Hi - For what it is worth, we run a bureau too and had immense issues in Jan which we resolved with their help, after spending some £30 on calls. I complained via letter and they were good enough to extend my contract by 2 months to compensate. We have also joined their IrisPlus Scheme - a bit more expensive but they gave us the full suite of products plus a special phone number (pin protected) which allows us to jump the queue. We still have to load V5 - so what awaits we I wonder???

Regards to all

Bruce

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By josie smith
14th Mar 2006 13:45

Iris Payemaster
I have had huge problems with the new Iris program.
I loaded it between Christmas and New year so I would have time to get used to the big changes we had been warned about. How glad I was that I didn't load it during a working week. I have had absolutely dozens of queries. I spent £21.00 in telephone calls to Iris in January. When calling up the support desk it is not unusual to be 40th or 50th in the queue, but one time I was 70th in the queue!!!!!! I asked them if they had checked the program before they sent it out and was told they had checked it on 6 computers (!!!!).

I run a bureau and this new update has caused me so much trouble, that despite the extra cost and upheaval, I shall be changing supplier after all the online filing has been finished.

The time scales on the telephone are the major concern, since there wouldn't be too much hassle if we could get through in a reasonable time. I'm afraid Iris has got a lot of us fed up.

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By brucier
15th Mar 2006 17:04

Iris
Derek,

Quite simply I wrote a letter to complain, detailing dates and times etc and after considering this, they moved our contract dates. They realised that they had mucked up the software release (I hasten to add) hence I think that they were trying to make amends.

Good luck with your quest.

Bruce

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By ronmorris23
16th Mar 2006 16:51

PAYE software
Use TasPay

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By Rderry
16th Mar 2006 13:51

IRIS is fine
I have used IRIS for the past 2 years and have had very few problems. I was trying to print P60s the other day in V5.4.8.5 and couldn't get the margins to work. I went on their website, saw the download for v5.5, installed it and it all works fine. I had called the help desk in the meantime, but by the time I had moved from 20th to 13th in the queue I had resolved it on the website and was holding copies of P60s in my hand.

My year end is now done and it took me less than an hour (we have 16 employees in 2 companies). The only infuriating thing is that I can't do my online filing yet as the HMRC gateway doesn't open until 6th April. I filed online last year using PAYEmaster and it took seconds.

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By AnonymousUser
17th Mar 2006 07:02

Iris PAYE-Master
We have had numerous problems with Iris PAYE-Master in the year, mainly to do with printing.

We run a payroll bureaux, and have to close out of the system completely to print P32's.

We have updated to the new priority helpline, at a cost, as getting through to the helpline was almost impossible.

We were happy with the e-filing P35's and so on at the year end, until in January we realised there was a problem with the year end date. None of the P35's had been processed by HMRC, although we had received successfully notices from HMRC at the time.

An error arose as we followed the instructions, exactly, step by step in their manual.

There was a printing error in the manual.

This has meant many hours of calls and e-mails between the HMRC electronic and district offices.

When we complained to Iris, their reply was that an updated version of their manual was available on the their web-site and other users who were not too sure if the instructions were correct, had telephoned the help-line, therefore they are not responsible for their error.

We are very disappointed with the Iris approach regarding this matter.

However, we have been quite happy with their other products and level of software support.

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By stratty
16th Mar 2006 14:02

Iris payemaster V5.5
We received version 5 before christmas. It wouldnt install on most machines and on the balance was a complete nightmare to work with, kept crashing, and unbelievably slow.

Consequently we reinstalled v4.61 with the intention of waiting for the updated release.

We have now got v5.5 and it has installed on 2 out of 3 machines. The third refuses to work. A call to Iris was made and we spent over 90 minutes on the phone with no progress made so gave up.

The software does work on the other 2 machines but it is extremely slow. The pc's are fairly speedy with 1GB of ram and AMD processors running at 1.8ghz. All other software operates at a reasonable speed.

Slowly losing patience with Iris. They did extend our contract by three months following complaints with V5 and while improvements have been made we are not convinced it is enough to keep our custom. Additionally we asked for a three month contract to take us to the end of the current tax year but they were not willing to do that and insisted we paid for 12 months.

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By prue.stopford
16th Mar 2006 14:31

Change now!
We had been using Iris (formerly PAYE-Master) for several years - until very recently. Since the new version of Iris, I had become sick of the slowness to load, constant demands for passwords, and generally un-user-friendly structure. After reading another Accounting Web query, we tried Moneysoft. We found it to be so good that we immediately bought it and have already transferred the majority of our clients on to it, even at this late stage of the PAYE year! It is SO easy to use that I wish we had changed ages ago. It is also a fraction of the price of Iris, and their support is impressively quick. I thoroughly recommend it!

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By User deleted
16th Mar 2006 14:39

Just in Time!
I was just about to start installing V.5.5 for our year ends when I happened to glance at this thread of correspondence. It makes me very glad that I didn't bother to install the previous V5 releases. I'm now awaiting further postings with baited breath!

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By User deleted
16th Mar 2006 17:02

PTP payroll
Does anybody use it? Is it ok?

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By AVOW01
16th Mar 2006 22:08

IRIS
We use IRIS as a Bureau system for 65 clients. Generally we have had few problems except the speed issues.
We operate on three machines and a server. The problem we are encountering is that when ever we are now adding a new client the deatils are only available on the machine it is l;oded on and not across the newtrok despite the data files being on the server. Has anyone else encountered this problem.

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Euan's picture
By Euan MacLennan
16th Mar 2006 16:05

Stick with IRIS
There are 2 problems with IRIS's approach to PAYE-Master. Firstly, V5 is just a rewrite of the program for their convenience onto a new Microsoft methodology which they do not seem to understand fully and which they cannot explain to users; there are no enhancements in V5 to encourage the user to put up with the problems of implementing a new system. Secondly, they target the product at businesses wanting to install a single payroll on a standalone computer and ignore those of us trying to run a payroll bureau using a server so that we can take back-ups. However, V5.5 seems to have fixed the main problems with V5.4 - it loads faster and prints correctly; it is a pity that it still wants to keep its data files under My Documents. The IRIS payroll helpline is a nightmare, so send an e-mail instead; the answer comes back no slower.

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