Software Thefts Aren't Always Lost Sales

I just finished and e-filed my taxes.

I started the process using TurboTax Online, a web application which I hadn't seen until this year. I actually wanted the downloadable version, but the site confused me a little and I ended up using with the online version. I was quite happy with it, up until I reached a section in my return where I needed to see the underlying forms.

And it wouldn't show them to me.

I understand and appreciate why. They let you use the product for free, up until the final screen when you have to pay to e-file or print out your return (good job on the low barrier to entry, by the way). Since Intuit doesn't want customers to fill out their returns and then print them off without paying, they have the no-forms-view restriction. I'm not sure how big a threat that really is, considering the benefits of re-using their product from year to year, the ease of e-filing, etc, but I can see why they did it.

Perhaps for most customers, not being able to see the underlying forms isn't a problem. I certainly don't want to project my own way of doing things on everyone else. But I suspect one could generalize that while you might be able to show a large refund without explaining the calculations, you can't do that for an amount owed. I know when I found out I would be owing $MOUNTAIN_OF_CASH to a particular $STATE, I didn't feel the urge to spring out of my chair and grab my check book.

So I deleted the return just before the payment screen, and went with another solution. And once I could see the forms, I found my mistake, made the correction, and ended up owing quite a bit less. It reminded me of what we used to say in our development shop - treat other peoples money like you would your own. It also reminded me of how copy protection software can harm legitimate customers.

C'mon Intuit. I love your products, and you know better than this. Fix it.