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RIP TaxFiler. I forecast minimum pricing will ratchet up to £30 per month for practitioners within three years. They will trumpet their integration with kashflow and openspace as their reasoning.
Hopefully the first thing they do is not hike rates and ruin a good piece of kit like the big players usually do
RIP. Guess I'll have to start thinking about moving away.
Sigh! I don't need anything all singing and integrated as I don't prepare accounts or something that makes inputting simple entries hard work - eg integrated packages.
It's a real shame. It really is. It wasn't wholly unexpected though.
Bad news for Taxfiler users like me.
I used to use PAYEmaster and Keytime prior to Iris buying them, service went down and prices shot up substantially, so I suppose the same will happen here. This plus MTD might finally push me into retirement
Damn and botheration. My heart sank when I got the email this morning. I'll finish off the 2017/18 tax return season with Taxfiler, but looks like I'll have to start investigating other options.
Shame. It really is great software, but I can't see that continuing.
Totally agree 100%. Have used IRIS before - it was clunky and hellishly expensive. I bet lots of current Taxfiler customers feel exactly the same way
All replies from Taxfiler customers like myself so far are profoundly negative! As it happens, I’m at Accountex today and a visit to the Gbooks stand is now a top priority...
That will be what you call a very bad day at work. They will need a beer by the end of the day.
I will need to look elsewhere as well. It does feel like a kill off competition purchase.
Until last year I used PTP for tax and Keytime for accounts. Then I started migrating to Taxfiler, as it is much easier to use, and is a quarter of the price. I anticipate IRIS will try massive price hikes and integrating it with other software of theirs which we don't want to use. I also anticipate finding a new supplier! I've used Andica before, and that worked quite well. For accounts production, I'm not sure where I'll go, other than it will be somewhere not owned by Sage or IRIS.
Sage and IRIS? Yes . . . . they are the two that I'm trying to avoid like the plague too. But it is getting increasingly difficult to do so. If ever Brightpay sells their soul that'll be the time for me to hang up the abacus!
Whilst I admit that my heart sank when I read the email from James Reeves this morning, there is no evidence that this purchase will follow the grain of previous buy outs and so I'm staying where I am.
I did chuckle however to learn that the benefits for Tf users will be value-adding from Kashflow and Openspace. The former is the most unfriendly and weird of the five cloud accounting apps I use and I already use the latter free of charge and find it far more flexible and user friendly outside the Iris integration.
Never a dull moment eh?
I could have cried when I read this news...I concur with AnnAccountant's thoughts 100%.
For the small accountant Taxfiler was all we needed.
Like wilcoskip I too will stay for this year and go somewhere else next.
James R... why have you done this to us? No... dont answer that - we can guess.
They will continue to come out with the usual crap such as 'we will keep it as a stand-alone product' and 'we recognise the needs of small practices', but what happened to Drumhorr's Tax Assistant? Fantastic low cost piece of kit. Iris bought the company and promised we would see no changes... next thing, it's discontinued.
As others, I'll be getting out after the end of the tax season before Iris can manage to lock me in to some ridiculously expensive contract.
Very disappointing news! I was contemplating moving over to Taxfiler ... but i guess i will stay put now! :-(
RIP Taxfiler
Yes, very sad news. This is only my second year using TaxFiler so I will probably continue to use it while it still looks and feels like TaxFiler and remains the same costwise. But I'm already looking for alternatives just in case.
James Reeves response to my query around pricing following acquisition (hopefully he will be happy for me to post it here rather than everyone emailing asking):
"I understand your concern, but there are no current plans to increase our prices. I feel I must point out that Taxfiler pricing has remained unchanged for several years despite much new functionality being added over that time, and with continued investment in our product it is impossible to guarantee that prices will remain unchanged, but I certainly do not envisage any drastic increases.
Taxfiler is being run by the same team from the same location and with the same drive that has proven so successful in the last few years. Paresh and I and the rest of our team have a genuine passion for small practices and our own product, and if you give us a chance I believe Taxfiler can continue to serve your needs and will remain excellent value for money."
Not the most reassuring regarding pricing. I don't mind if pricing expands with base features but there is a limit. Adding fringe features such as integration with OpenSpace shouldn't impact pricing and if pricing got to the point whereby it hit 3x current pricing, you'd have to question if the product is 3x better.
I will continue to use TF until I see major changes to operations or pricing - mainly because I still think it is better than the competition for Cloud based firms.
I'm sad that I didn't hear this news before I voted for them in the 2018 Software Excellence Awards. Wish I could withdraw my vote now. We had a terrible experience with Iris when they took over Drummohr
Fascinating that there is not a single positive response on here to this story. Usually, news of an investor with a large wallet would please users, but not here it seems. I think that this is indicative of the depths to which Iris' reputation for customer service and pricing have sunk.
I am a huge fan of Taxfiler and see no reason as yet to leave. But I will certainly monitor the situation closely and, if service levels drop from their current very high standards (they are exceptional in this regard), I will reconsider my decision.
Fascinating that there is not a single positive response on here to this story. Usually, news of an investor with a large wallet would please users, but not here it seems. I think that this is indicative of the depths to which Iris' reputation for customer service and pricing have sunk.
I am a huge fan of Taxfiler and see no reason as yet to leave. But I will certainly monitor the situation closely and, if service levels drop from their current very high standards (they are exceptional in this regard), I will reconsider my decision.
Yep - same for me.
Disastrous news! what a great piece of low priced software, and perfect for very small practitioners.
No doubt the most expensive player in the market will hike the prices beyond reasonable levels and small players will be back in the market looking for an alternative value-for-money software.
Not much to add other than completely agree with all of the above. My heart sank too. Why do the sellers always want to tell you about exciting news when it's the complete opposite? A fantastic product at the right price with many fans (as user of AW will attest) will probably suffer the fate forecast by the contributors this morning. Great shame, ruined my morning.
It must be a well known fact by now that whatever IRIS touches next thing that happens is increase in prices and a drop in standards. The moron that runs IRIS is however determined to buy all the competition because it is the only way his company can survive. With the prices they charge and the service they offer is the only way to stay in business. Terrible company and terribel service. Enough said.
What a shame. Taxfiler was an excellent product for the small practice. They will sell this with new bells and whistles that I don't need, then demand I pay for it. The price increases will need to passed on to my clients.
As soon as a reasonably priced competitor turns up who can offer a similar service at a similar price and which can migrate data from Taxfiler . . . . . I'm off like a bullet!
I once spoke to someone from the tax filer team on the phone-it may even have been James Reeves himself - and said how excellent the product was and what fantastic value it was. He replied that they managed to make money at that price and it just showed how the larger software companies were greedy and ripping everyone off. I assume that Iris will now take this excellent philosophy on board and we will see prices fall on their other software. Was that a pig I just saw fly past my office window?
I once spoke to someone from the tax filer team on the phone-it may even have been James Reeves himself - and said how excellent the product was and what fantastic value it was. He replied that they managed to make money at that price and it just showed how the larger software companies were greedy and ripping everyone off. I assume that Iris will now take this excellent philosophy on board and we will see prices fall on their other software. Was that a pig I just saw fly past my office window?
I once spoke to someone from the tax filer team on the phone-it may even have been James Reeves himself - and said how excellent the product was and what fantastic value it was. He replied that they managed to make money at that price and it just showed how the larger software companies were greedy and ripping everyone off. I assume that Iris will now take this excellent philosophy on board and we will see prices fall on their other software. Was that a pig I just saw fly past my office window?
Anybody remember what happened to Drummohr when Iris bought it? The product does not now exist! and their prices for an alternative were extortionate. We had no alternative but to go elsewhere and happily Taxcalc came to the rescue. I agree with Manchester_man and ABS2.
A very sad day for the customer.
Very worrying. PTP was a great tax product...until taken over by Iris. IRIS then moved to OpenTax which was horrendous.
This forced us to look elsewhere and on recommendation on AccountingWeb we found Taxfiler.
As a Taxfiler user since 2014 I fear we may end up looking elsewhere...but let's see if promises of continuity come to anything.
Hi
I received a email from James Reeves last night responding to my concern on Iris. So firstly I appreciate that James.
It was a good email and I felt genuine. I really do hope James I am proved wrong that Taxfiler was not purchased to kill competition.
As others have said the minute I think Iris is doing a Iris on Taxfiler unfortunately we will have no choice but to leave.
Perhaps Iris should learn from this how low their now customers think of them.
I've always found the Taxfiler guys helpful, pleasant and genuine. Trouble is . . . . . surely they won't be calling the shots any more. Speaking personally . . . . . I was so disheartened by the Drummohr debacle that I have come to the conclusion that it'd be best just to leave Taxfiler now . . . . . or at least as soon as a viable alternative comes along (one that is not overpriced, that is just as functional and which can migrate my data).
With regard to pricing, I have told Tf more than once that they are not charging enough.
Iris's justification for it's charges and the 6ish% increase year on year was that they were constantly having to rewrite the software for legislative and regulatory changes plus they were the main innovator in our industry ("were" being the key word).
Nothing in the world of accounting/tax apps stands still and so the fees charged should reflect not only current conditions but the need for development and future enhancements and I think it reasonable to expect the beneficiaries of this, us, to pay a reasonable sum for this.
The alternative, that I would have jumped at, would have been to crowd fund from us.
Supply and demand.
That's what should determine the price.
But thanks for advising them, Paul that they weren't making enough. I'm sure it was very helpful to put THAT notion into their heads!
As for Iris ever having been the main innovator in our industry . . . . . it seems to me that the real innovators have been the companies they have bought over and whose products they have destroyed.
I could understand that argument if you paid a one time license fee, but a monthly subscription fee should allow for ongoing updates for changes to legislation.
I agree with you all - great shame and Iris will kill it or make it too expensive.
We are just moving from Iris because of the cost and not very good service - hope they don't go and buy the one we're moving to.
What a shame! Taxfiler is a really good product.
IRIS - One word totally overpriced and at best average.
And so they are going to integrate Kashflow, well most independants like myself don't use kashflow or sage we use Xero or Quickbooks because in my opinion they are far superior products
A sad day for those looking for an alternative to high costs and poor support.
I will also be looking to move before IRIS alter a great piece of software and in all likelihood hike prices!
Are there any options that people have already or previously considered? I’d be grateful for any recommendations.
I happily used Drummohr for years before Iris bought it and then closed it down to offer an inferior product at an inflated price. I then moved to Taxcalc which is brilliant and reasonably priced. Taxcalc converted all my data for me so the transition was easy.
So they charge 5-10 times more and now buy up a company that offers a low level product to tag onto their ken brand. Wow , iris are not doing anyone any favours . The only customers who stay with them are the diehard loyal fans who seem to think that iris gives them so much more efficiency. Well the game has changed and some of the others kids on the block have grown up and offer great products that are not only better value but ahead of the curve in many areas .
So they charge 5-10 times more and now buy up a company that offers a low level product to tag onto their own brand.
Wow , iris are not doing anyone any favours . The only customers who stay with them are the diehard loyal fans who seem to think that iris gives them so much more efficiency. Well the game has changed and some of the others kids on the block have grown up and offer great products that are not only better value but ahead of the curve in many areas .
As a user of Taxfiler this fills me with dread. I'm starting to think IRIS follows my software usage and takes over the firms I use...
I used to use PTP. Same promises were made about not increasing prices, blah, blah- we all know how that turned out.
I use to use 12Pay then IRIS took over, and prices rocketed. Bye bye.
So when the prices rocket (due to 'added value' products tacked on that WE DO NOT USE OR WANT) we can recall these words:
'Thank you for your email. I apologise for not replying earlier but I have been at Accountex all day.
There are no current plans to increase our prices. I feel I must point out that Taxfiler pricing has remained unchanged for several years despite much new functionality being added over that time, and with continued investment in our product it is impossible to guarantee that prices will remain unchanged, but I certainly do not envisage any drastic increases.
It is my belief that IRIS have learned from their previous acquisitions and will allow Taxfiler to continue to deliver software that suits the needs of the smaller practice. We have built a product that we believe in and we understand what our customers need and that will not change.
Thank you for being a Taxfiler customer and I hope you will continue to give us the benefit of the doubt!
Kind Regards
James Reeves
Director | Taxfiler
Those words will no doubt come back to haunt you James. I hope your software will be the exception to every other acquisition that IRIS have ever done, but I'm not holding my breath!
Didn't take long for the first Iris marketing email to drop into the inbox. Advertising Iris Options "exceptional value from £85 per month" for practices with up to 300 clients.
Complete cabers!