I'd been planning to learn QuickBooks for some time in order to use it for my consulting business. My daughter wanted to do the same for her own business. Neither of us knew anything about QuickBooks, although I'm quite familiar with Quicken. I figured we could easily learn it in the single session the fax promised.
The class wasn't cheap -- $97 each for the 4 hour session. That was the second thing that made me think this class was on the level. If it cost that much, it surely would be taught more professionally than other computer classes I'd taken over the years. Jeez, two mistakes in a row!
This class not only failed to teach QuickBooks; it didn't seem intent on teaching QuickBooks. Rather, it encouraged students to use professionals to run QuickBooks for them. It reminded me of the old cliché-ridden, introductory "Business 101" class we all had as college freshmen:
A few "Business Secrets" (elementary level), the old rule about not spending 80% of your time to bring in only 20% of the dollars, and cutesy phrases like EBOK "Error Between Operator and Keyboard," etcetera, used up our class time. Astonishingly, QuickBooks was rarely mentioned, if at all, in the first full thirty-five minutes of class! Only after the primer on "Elementary Business" was over did a condescending voice on a CD tell us that we shouldn't expect to learn QuickBooks in a single class. Heavens, why were we there?
All we got for our money was the right to sit and watch a poorly focused CD movie whose primary character (a fast-talking cowboy in the sales department) quickly wore out his welcome by repeating over and over again how successful he was in his business because he concentrated on collecting money efficiently from the customers. We sat through the whole four hours trying desperately to read the fuzzy screen and figure out what this pompous non-teacher wearing a cowboy hat was trying to say.
But let's start at the beginning. Both of us arrived in class well motivated and eager to learn the software. There was a "Certified Professional Advisor" QuickBooks guy standing up in front as we signed in and took our seats.
But, surprise, surprise, the Certified Professional didn't do any teaching. His function turned out to be just showing a CD on the screen, turning it off for breaks and back on again after each break was over. Keeping it focused onto the screen didn't seem to be in his job description. No matter, he couldn't see the screen from where he stood off to the side, anyway. He did stop the CD a couple of times to add minor comments or correct 'The Hat' but, since the program had failed to introduce or describe QuickBooks to the class or let us know what key to press to get what result, he needn't have bothered.
The "introduction" phase of the CD had lasted 35 minutes without showing or describing anything about QuickBooks. Instead, we heard how important Cowboy Hat was and how much worth he had amassed in his business. I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I realized he might amass this fortune by taking advantage of students like me who had registered in good faith, hoping to learn something of value.
The cowboy (who was truly "all hat") began the QuickBooks part of the program by telling the class that it was impossible for us to actually learn to use QuickBooks in just one four hour session. Nobody should try to do that. But he said that wouldn't be any problem because he was prepared to offer several future classroom sessions at price reductions off the "regular" $147 each - after this session was over. "Bait and switch" jumped up and screamed at me, loud and clear.
More than that, he said that the "Certified Professional" partner of his (whose job had been to turn the CD off and on) was prepared to come to our homes or businesses at just $80 per hour and correct all the errors we were sure to make if we tried to use QuickBooks by ourselves. The first half hour would be at no charge (no applause, please).
The cowboy told us that his Certified Professional Partner would assist in setting up, repairing and "tuning up" our own versions of QuickBooks software. I don't know what "repairing" QuickBooks could mean exactly, but one purpose of this class was clearly to promote additional business for themselves, whether the students needed it or not. They also offered an "installation service" (extra charge, you knew) to have anyone's QuickBooks installed for the first time. He seemed to be telling us we were so stupid that we ought to play it safe and have someone else install and run Quick-Books for us! How difficult can QuickBooks be?
Would ANY User Group member, even a neophyte, need to have his QuickBooks installed for the first time professionally? Or repaired after he installed it himself?
The Hat said we would begin receiving e-mails within ten days and FREE five-minute video clips with additional knowledge on how to run Quick-Books "more effectively." I sensed the current CD was to "sell us" for four hours. We might begin using QuickBooks by e-mail later. Silly me, I had come there to learn -- in class, -- and today.
Whether QuickBooks figured in the success of the business Cowboy Hat said he owned was unclear. He never claimed to use QuickBooks personally. I came away with the feeling he probably didn't. Instead he introduced a lady who obviously did have experience with QuickBooks. She browsed the course booklet rather quickly, summarizing some pages in a quick once-over. Presumably, the students would feel familiar if they used the booklet as they taught themselves QuickBooks later. The screen was not easy to read and I doubt anyone could have recognized details about QuickBooks from remembering the screen in this class.
Upon returning home I decided to ask for our money back since we didn't get what the Fax promised to deliver and we wasted half a day besides. I wrote a letter stating so and faxed it to the number on the "100% guarantee" line. I sent the original, along with the class booklet, by mail.
No answer after ten days. I was preparing a small claims case, naming the Chamber as well (it was the principle, not the money) - when the Partner coincidentally called me to arrange a time for his first thirty minutes at my office. I told him what I was doing and he said he'd call them immediately and get my refund sent. Sure enough, I got an email next day confirming that a credit was being issued to me. I would have thought more highly of Cowboy Hat if he had been more prompt in acknowledging my refund.
The Partner told me that all the other students were happy with the class and weren't asking for refunds. Sure they were. All the students seated near us in the class had been using QuickBooks before taking this "introductory" class. I wondered how many worked in companies that paid for a "free day" of training for them. Well, I'll just go ahead and install my QuickBooks and teach it to myself. If it's anything like Quicken it will be simplicity itself.
Besides, maybe I could pick up $80 per hour for installing or fixing mistakes that QuickBooks users blunder into because they were dumb enough to think they could learn QuickBooks themselves.
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