Online Bills Just Never Seems to Work Consistently - 2.0
I'm reposting this original thread and asking someone from Quicken to please address this - the thread drew several comments from users who have had similar experiences - note these are all across multiple institutions so it's not like a one off. The thread was closed with no response from quicken. I pay a decent $ for the software and this is a core feature that has not worked for me and others. We deserve a response from Quicken, and with something other than "disconnect from the biller and reconnect." If there's never going to be a fix just tell us so we stop wasting time on band aids and just do it all manually or move on.
Quicken are you listening?
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Apart from some of the obvious benefits in an electronic checkbook as
well as reporting, the most useful feature that attracted to and kept me
with Quicken over the years (using for 20+ years) was the ability to be
prompted for bills. But in the last couple years (seems to time to
Intuit selling Quicken but I realize there are industry factors as
well), the online biller feature has become completely unreliable. I
could handle having to reauthenticate or grant permissions once in a
while as methods change, etc. But that's not the experience in the
product. I get prompted that Chase, USAA, etc has changed their
connection method and I need to do XYZ. OK, np. But then I do it, it's a
multi-step process, and next time I go to connect I"m prompted to
repeat the process all over again. Additionally, there is simply a NEVER
ENDING STREAM OF ITEMS that occupy "Needs Attention."
I've
handled the stuff in there over and over again and basically it's just a
rotating basket of things that collectively have become a major time
suck. Fix a payer, a week later it's back in the needs attention bucket.
Or "we're working to connect" and the item just sits there for
weeks/months at a time. (see "ridiculous.jpg)
I've been on the
phone with support, truncated my db file (bogus I need to do this IMO),
rebuilt this, repaired that, removed vendors and added them back, etc.
But there is NEVER A TRUE FIX.
It's to the point now where one
of the major features has become unusable. I'm gradually reverting to
all manual bills, which defeats a lot of the purpose. I even tried the
Mac version thinking it might be a different case, but it's the same
thing. My most recent examples are USAA (constantly prompts me to
reauthenticate), Chase, and now Capital One have issues that cannot be
fixed. This is a great one also, "there's an item that needs fixing,
click Fix Connection to resolve it" and there's no Fix Connection option
(see fix what.jpg).
I see a similar post / experience re: the
bill pay feature, which I would never try given the ongoing issues here -
if quicken can't even connect and tell me the balance, why would I ever
trust it to make a payment for me?!
I'm interested if this is
also the experience of others, and what your resolution has been. Not
interested in a watered down version (Simplifi ?) particularly, but this
is not sustainable. Any help greatly appreciated.
Comments
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I am having similar issues with the online billers. Currently my fix-it item is Washington Gas, but last month it was Dominion Power. These things just seem to cycle and I have to go out to the vendor's website to make a payment since Quicken won't recognize them. This defeats the purpose of what I'm paying for, which is to have a single, centralized solution to track and pay everything. Please get your act together Quicken and address this.
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If your bank (the one that runs your checking account) recently required you to reauthorize your checking account and/or your bank has changed from "Direct Connect" to either "Express Web Connect" or "Express Web Connect+" you can no longer use Online Bill Pay direct to the bank or Quicken Bill Manager's Quick Pay function. The bank no longer supports this function through Quicken.
You have these alternatives (in no particular order of preference):
- Use Quicken Bill Manager's Check Pay making sure to submit payment early enough (at least 3 weeks before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing. Note: limited number of free transactions per month.
- Logon to the bank's website and schedule your bill pay payments to be executed by the bank from your checking account. In parallel to that, in Quicken use a regular Scheduled Reminder to record your payment. Repeat both actions every time another payment is due.
- Bypass Bill Manager. Let the biller's computer system do all the work for you. Logon to the biller's website once and set up their Autopay, APS, Direct debit, etc. service to make the current payment and all future payments on Due Date directly from your checking account. In parallel to that, in Quicken, every month, record a regular Scheduled Reminder to keep track of your payments before they come due.
- Write (or print with Quicken) a paper check and mail it to the biller, making sure to mail payment early enough (at least 10 days before due date) to allow time for delivery and processing.
I've been using method #3 for decades, since before the Internet and bank download capabilities were even introduced. It's easy to get used to this process. And I have yet to miss a single payment.
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Well, it also does not make use of Quicken. So essentially the solution is - don't use Quicken. Not knocking it, just sayin' …
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I just recently started using QBM, Quick Pay and Check Pay. I have found massive amounts of bugs and issues with it. I have reported many but not all as at some point, I want to see progress toward fixes, first. The system (QBM) needs a complete overhaul and major testing/debugging before it can really be useful for anything other than very basic simple stuff. I loaded over 40 bill accounts into it and it has been a huge time-sink. Hoping it will improve, otherwise I will go back to how I used to do it, which was to not use Quicken, but I had to manage 40 different website vendors.
I used UKR method #3 for decades too. But it was not accurate and not predictive. So I was always making adjustments in Quicken, and on occasion get blindsided by a large bill. So having to carry a large balance was one fix.
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Quicken really ought to come clean with a transparent response here. I'm far more likely to stay with a product when support comes out with a true admission and roadmap for solution as opposed to no response or [Removed - Language]. Even if it's a long way off or dependent on external factors. At least that way we know they are truly trying and committed to a fix, as opposed to simply ignoring some of their most dedicated client base, which seems to be the current strategy.
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» The system (QBM) needs a complete overhaul and major testing/debugging before it can really be useful for anything other than very basic simple stuff. «
I don't think it can be used effectively for the simple stuff at this point unless you want to spend more time fixing connection problems (with most unable to be fixed after investing the time) than paying your bills.
Its so bad that at this point I have more connection problems than pending bills!
Sad end to a once great product.
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