Sage forcing us to pay for annual subscription

Wow, I just learned that I am being screwed in a major way by Sage's new approach in regards to pay services.

I used to buy the Sage software every 2-3 years. We did not mind not having the latest version since we are a VERY small business of just 2 employees.

I was ALWAYS able to make paycheques easily by calculating the deductions by hand. 

However, this all changed last year. I decided to upgrade and update our software to the 2016 version.

When it all started going down the drain.

I was no longer able to access the paycheque windows, I kept getting an error message saying I needed an active subscription.

I called and was told I would no longer be able to access the pays if I did not PAY SAGE 95.01$ for a service I never needed before!!

And now, to top it all off, I get an automatic renewal notice that says my credit card will be AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED for 620$!!

How is it considered an "automatic renewal" from 95.01 to 620??!! Is beyond me, and what's more, this is still for services I do not require. All I want is my Pay window accessible.

I feel very screwed and this is according to me abuse.

After calling customer service, sales department and more, the only answer I get is that I do not have any other option than to pay for the service 620$ YEARLY! 

Wow, I used to be an advocate for Sage, got all of my small business owner friends to get it and use it.

I even set it up for many of them!

Well, let me tell you, if you have a version installed previous to 2016, keep it, don't update it! Also, if you do not use SAGE, great, don't they will find a way to make you pay no matter what you need or don't need.

Let me tell you another thing, I will share my newly lived experience, with as many people as possible. AND I am going to make a complaint to consumer rights office.

Thank you SAGE, I am no longer unconditionally in love with you, thanks for ruining 12 years of good business together. Honeymoon's over, I want a divorce! 

Good luck trying to keep me as your client...

  • yup, Sage is just looking for new revenue
    they changed the payroll module to generate more revenue, you have to pay for payroll
    and tried spinning it as 'everyone else is doing this'
    even if the spin is true, it doesn't make it right

    and now as of Aug 1st, renewals will increase by 8%, I just got the email
    spun as 'look you now have sage50c cloud access and access to office365'

    1) the yearly maintenance fee paid by everyone should fund the development of new features


    2) and if Sage really needs more revenue, 'sage50c cloud access' and 'access to office365' should be modules that I sign up for, if / when I need them

     

    with just 2 employees, you can use the CRA payroll calculator to calculate the deductions, and use a Sage memorized purchase invoice (employees are vendors) to record the results - allowing you to use the balance sheet to remit source deductions

    the downside, you manually need to generate T4s and ROEs

  • in reply to Roger L

    Roger L said:
    I just got the email
    spun as 'look you now have sage50c cloud access and access to office365'

    Yeah... still doesn't / probably never can work, in multi-user mode. 

    Other things that I predict will happen:

    Lookup won't work properly for more years than this one, and last.  2017.2 still tells you the journal number, and go fetch it yourself.

    Still wan't do comparative statistics by revealing last year's customer statistics.

    Type-to-find for entire field still won't work in the item code.

    Type-to-find in the description will still be broken - keeps maxing the CPU by continuing to search after the first failure.

    Editing an invoice will still be pretty awful - text will still change length and move around instead of just allowing edit.

    Screen fonts will still be designed to work best on 1990 14" NEC Multisync.

    'use vendor item number' will still up insert and delete rows on invoice screen.  Cursor ends up in the wrong or nonexistent column.

    Foreign currency Credit notes for inventory items will round wrong and can't be entered at all without allowing negative inventory.

    Quote to Order to Invoice will still have to be done on paper if you want to keep track of a separate Quote, Sales Order, Customer PO, and Invoice number.

    Finding an invoice from a customer's order number will still be prevented.

    No report will ever show an order number for an invoice, because that would be another way to find it, and we don't want that!

    More features will be removed instead of fixed.

    99 ship-to address limit in 'Quantum' will remain, because...   Don't know, but it won't, because it's not 'Enterprise' any more.

  • in reply to Roger L
    Roger

    Click on the link to the Brochure in that email. I think it's for the US consultants, not us. The features indicate Premium is 1 user and Quantum is 3 user. Projects can't be used in Pro and Multicurrency, PO's, SO's and inventory are not available unless you use Quantum. That is not exactly the Canadian feature set, so it's hard to take it seriously...unless there are some changes coming that we have not been told about yet.
  • in reply to Richard S. Ridings
    I think the matrix on page 8 of the brochure refers to the number of office365 users for each edition

    and the link on page 10, www.sageaccountantsolutions.ca/, points to a Canadian domain though none of the info refers specifically to Sage50-Canadian

    and the phone# on page 10 is to Sage Canada
  • in reply to Roger L
    Yes that other link does appear to point to the Canadian side, but when you look at this link for end users

    www.sage.com/.../microsoft365

    It clearly shows 1 Office license, even for Quantum.

    Maybe I'm wrong. When the price increase comes, just make sure you call and ask what the charges are for. They've made mistakes on our information before.
  • I absolutely agree. I have used Simply Accounting, then Sage for many years. I have always recommended it to anyone I knew that were just starting a business. I love the fact that I am able to get help from the community. But no more. I do not like the direction Sage is heading in regards to pricing and product and no longer recommend Sage to anyone.
  • Amen I agree

    And if anyone know of a different accounting software I can use please tell me