Reckon Accounts 2015 activation

Roger Joseph
Roger Joseph Member Posts: 3

I own a perpetual licence for the above. I have upgraded over the years to this product but have no need to upgrade further.

I am not a power user.

Just now the activation window has popped up and on calling the number I am told that they are not generating activation codes for my product.

I cannot find an email address to write to Reckon - does anyone here have contact details?

I don't mind a product being a legacy product but I object to a disabling of a product I purchased in good faith - just to force me onto a subscription model. I don't do subscription products. Can't afford them.

Any assistance here? Before I go to the ACCC.


cheers


Roger

Comments

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    Unfortunately this is the way it is now, many of us feel the same way as you, and rightly so.

  • Rav
    Rav Administrator, Reckon Staff Posts: 15,305 Community Manager Community Manager

    Hi Roger,

    Reckon no longer services older sunsetted versions of the Reckon Accounts Business desktop software. Our teams have been actively contacting and educating customers who have been affected, providing them with advice on the appropriate course of action to remain supported and assisting customers with the transitioning across to newer supported versions, including data migration and receiving heavily discounted offers.

    Did the customer service team go through some options with you on your call? If not, I'm happy to organise a callback.

    Alternatively, if you'd like to send us an email feel free to do so at customerservice@reckon.com


    ℹ️ Stay up to date with important news & announcements for your Reckon software! Click HERE for more info.

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert
    edited August 2021

    The shame of it is Rav that many of us didn’t need any servicing, I hadn’t required any for years, just needed our old programs to keep working as we thought they would when we renewed or purchased until the date shown on the license. It really is a big shame

  • Roger Joseph
    Roger Joseph Member Posts: 3

    I don't require servicing. I've never required servicing. I just want the program to work and I consider the ACTIVE disabling of my product unfair and unconscionable.

    I've sent an email to customer service.

  • Acctd4
    Acctd4 Accredited Partner Posts: 3,366 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    To be fair, this change is governed by changes to compliance legislation - eg STP etc - in that older versions are not inclusive of the necessary features (because these specific processes didn’t apply back then)

    Whilst some of these particular components may not be required by all users, software providers are bound by having to maintain compliance which is why older software versions can no longer be supported 😬

    Shaz Hughes Dip(Fin) ACQ NSW, MICB

    *** Reckon Accredited Partner (AP) Bookkeeper - specialising EXCLUSIVELY in Reckon Accounts / Hosted ! ***

    * Regd BAS Agent (No: 92314 015)* ICB-Certified Bookkeeper* Snr Seasonal Tax Consultant since 2003 *

    Accounted 4 Bookkeeping Services

    Ballajura, WA

    shaz@accounted4.com.au

    https://accounted4.com.au

    (NB: Please give my post a Like or mark as Accepted Answer if I have been able to resolve your query as this helps others when seeking solutions!)
  • Roger Joseph
    Roger Joseph Member Posts: 3

    I received no warning that the program would be disabled - work that I was doing is locked.

    Should they have contacted me and pointed this out? That compliance forces them to disable my product?

    It is a rude shock - and given I only just had the program disabled, when did they make the decision and put the markers in train to lock me out?

    I have to say the phone conversation I had with Reckon did not mention compliance and was only concerned with upgrading me to a subscription version. I can't afford that at this stage and don't need it.

  • moopere
    moopere Member Posts: 1

    Hi Roger,


    I just bumped into the same thing. I was able to get activated, but only until SEP 29 2021.


    After quizzing support about this I got the normal blurb about 'sunsetting' products. Thats fine, but they are actively -disabling- a perpetual product. I don't care about ongoing support or tax law/STP changes - my accounting needs are basic and in any event, its certainly not for Reckon as a company to make this decision on my behalf.


    I was immediately directed to the T&C which, apparently, (and to paraphrase) state that Reckon can do anything they want at any time ... which is fine, a company can say whatever it wants, I don't care, but there is foundational law in this country (AUS) which trumps any rubbish an individual company may spout on any given moment.


    I'm not even sure that the T&C as currently written is the same as the one existent when I made the purchase back in 2015 - I'll have a copy of that somewhere and will go for a rummage.


    Anyway, bad practice like this doesn't usually correct itself. I'll have a chat with their legal/management people in the first instance and see if they are willing to think about what they are proposing. Ultimately I fear it will take a test in court to see who is in the right. I'm a bit surprised we haven't seen a class action wrt this type of thing.

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    There was mention of a class action last year but nothing ever happened

  • 885083
    885083 Member Posts: 2

    Dear Reckon.

    I keep a copy of 2015 active for personal use. I bought the software outright. I also have reckon subscription for my business which I pay some $700 plus per year to Reckon. I don't want my personal books to be on your servers. I will now be moving away from Reckon entirely. So you just lost $700 per year for ever.

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    If you are a hosted customer you can download a free desktop copy of Enterprise and use for your personal file on your computer

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    happy to help, good luck with it all

  • uME
    uME Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2022

    I've just experienced the Reckon Merry-go-round regarding Perpetual Licences and Activation, and been thrown under the"Sunset" Bus

    Not a pleasant experience for someone who has been using this contiguous "product line" for longer than Reckon has been on existence, even prior to Intuit and QuickBooks.

    In Nov 2021, I experienced a motherboard and processor hardware failure, from which it took almost a month to replace/rebuild the PC and recover data, despite having multiple valid backups, RAID mirror on the PC, and Independent NAS RAID Storage.

    Restoring the Images worked fine, until attempting to use QuickBooks Plus 2010/2011 and the dreaded "Activation Required' message popped up. So I tried rebuilding the PC from a Clean Install. MS Office 2016 worked fine and was activated, but QuickBooks - NOT! I have always purchased Perpetual Licences or upgrades on PLs.

    Upon contacting Reckon late Dec 2021, I was informed that as of May 2019, all QuickBooks and Accounts products prior to then had been "Sunsetted" and NO Support or Service was available. I don't consider Activation or Reactivation Support or Service, just a condition of the Licence in response to Registration.

    I have never once required "Service or Support" beyond Activation, Reactivation or Sales for all of the QuickBooks and Reckon Software's I have purchased. I am also an SMB and Sole Trader working in the Engineering, Education, IS/IT, and Business fields.

    I contacted and wrote to the ACCC regarding what I believe is "unconscionable conduct" under Australian Consumer Law. The ACCC's response was "Yes, it seems to fit the description of unconscionable conduct, but we haven't had enough complaints yet to make a case or charge worthwhile. You may wish to seek legal advice."

    The behaviour of Reckon in actively disabling Perpetual Licences and refusing to Activate or Reactivate PLs fits every legal and dictionary definition of "unconscionable act or conduct" that I could find. "An act or contract where two parties have significantly different levels of control or power, and the stronger party exercises that power to the detriment of the other party."

    Although I bought Reckon QuickBooks+ 2010/2011 in 2011, I also bought Reckon Accounts Plus 2015 PL in Jan 2019 to install on a second Laptop as an upgrade and backup. I haven't been able to register, activate, or use in any way, the copy of RA+2015. That amounts to virtual theft.

    The Activation process is nothing more than a "challenge and response algorithm". It could be run on any PC or Server as an offline App/Program, and the "Server down" excuse only applies for Internet access based Activation. It would surprise me greatly to find that Reckon do not have multiple instances of the Activation Program running internally

    After reviewing my options and the advice from the ACCC, I have had NO choice but to accept Reckon's discounted offer for a Subscription Licence, or lose useful access to years of data and the consequences that would bring regarding GST, BAS and Tax Returns. As well as the three months of bookkeeping time just lost.

    (Please, Reckon Partners, do not comment using the line " it's because of ATO mandated STP and Payroll requirements", it only shows your ignorance or commercial interest. I've spoken to the ATO at multiple levels, and unless you are using Payroll or Income Tax Modules for lodgement there is NO such requirement.)

  • Kris_Williams
    Kris_Williams Member Posts: 3,272 Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert Reckon Accounts Hosted Expert

    I agree with all of that and know many people who like you, who have had to outlay money, and on an annual basis, just to access prior years work, and in many cases not business data only personal. It’s a sad state of affairs and also find it hard to accept. Good luck @uME

  • uME
    uME Member Posts: 2

    Yes Kris, I've been following the topic for quite a while now, have read the many comments, and the lame responses from Reckon too.

    Mine is not just Business Data, it's also personal data as well. I have previously purchased Quickbooks Personal Plus and Reckon Personal Plus - the Perpetual Licence for which is still registered, active and supported, so it's just users of the Business Products Range that Reckon are holding to ransom.

    I stopped using the Personal product, after I needed to transfer data between the two, and found that the Database formats are entirely different and not exchangeable by any import or export functionality in either product.

    Thank you for your comments along the path of this discussion. @Kris_Williams

This discussion has been closed.