nag screen about renewing subscription

QuickPeter

Can I get rid of a nag screen?

I've decided not to renew my subs.

I've been presented with a nag screen urging me to subscribe - top and right hand side of screen.

It's difficult to see and work with my register etc.

QuickPeter

Screenshot 2024-01-19 at 16.36.11.png

volvogirl

Sorry no. Only by renewing.

QuickPeter

Really?

So do you get the nag screen too?

jacobs

No, only people who have not renewed their subscription get the "nag screen". This has been the way things work since Quicken switched to subscriptions back in 2017.

Originally, there was not going to be the renewal notice, but people with lapsed subscriptions would have been prevented from continuing to add transactions. When users complained, the executives at Quicken made what they termed a compromise solution, allowing people to continue to use Quicken manually if their subscription lapsed, but with the renewal notices. People still complained, but there has been no change in the policy for the past 6+ years.

Of course, users who get this screen don't like it. Quicken has obviously determined that the renewal messages are effective at driving some users to renew, and for those who decide not to renew, I suppose Quicken doesn't particularly care because those users are no longer active customers bringing in any revenue to the company. So, your choices are to decide to (a) live with th emessage and do more horizontal scrolling to view your registers, or (b) renew, or (c) stop using Quicken

smayer97

I believe renewal notice is only on the main window. So you could also try covering up the renewal section with other windows.

QuickPeter

jacobs, very interesting, thanks.

I did not follow the change to subscriptions debate in 2017. I did not think it would affect me.

I must have paid Quicken hundreds of dollars over the years, cds and subs.

[Removed - Rant/Disruptive]

A few weeks ago they warned me that the latest update would not run on macOS Catalina 10.15.7

They told me to update my macOS. I don’t think my old MacBook could handle it. I don’t want to even try.

So there’s no point in me subscribing is there?

I am planning to get a MacBook Air as you (jacobs) suggested I should consider given the age of my trusty MacBook Pro mid-2012.

I was planning to subscribe every two or three years, if that is allowed. I don’t need all the bells and whistles the program provides.

It looks like choice (3) for me, which is sad, but is there a fourth choice?
If I can find my Quicken 2017 cd, can I run that and use my current data file with it?

QuickPeter

QuickPeter

smayer97, good idea but I’m not sure what you mean by “main window”?

It seems to contaminate other screens too. For example, Bills & Income.

QuickPeter

jacobs

I must have paid Quicken hundreds of dollars over the years, cds and subs. So I feel aggrieved that they’ve trashed my screen because I did not pay my subs. Blackmail. So much for customer loyalty

I get it. We've all paid a lot for Quicken over the years. But what you paid in the past doesn't generate the income they need to keep the program running in the future. Apple updates macOS every year, and developers need to change old libraries, tools and code just to keep the program running. And they're adding functionality, year after year — not as fast as many users would wish, but it's forward progress nonetheless. There are some users who feel they don't want/need new features, and would be happy with the status quo, but most users have things they want to see added or improved. And that requires money from the user base.

In the past, Quicken had a quasi subscription model. They released one new version each year, and time-limited connected services to last three years. So most users bought a new version every third year. There were drawback to this model, though. First, they needed to maintain the code for three years of releases. Fixing a bug meant fixing it in multiple versions, testing multiple versions, supporting multiple versions. Second, in order to create a marketing pop each fall, the developers worked all year on new features, holding back any which were done sooner, and users waited until the annual release — or in many cases, three annual releases — to get the new features. The subscription approach solved both those issues. They can and do release updates throughout the year, so users get the new features and bug fixes more quickly and more frequently. And the developers don't have to waste time maintaining and updating three years of products, so they can devote more time to making the program better.

Those were the stated benefits. But there was also what was unstated: the old revenue model for Quicken at Intuit wasn't working well enough. In order to add programming staff, and in order to add back telephone support which had been dropped at ne point, they simply needed more revenue. In fact, when Intuit decided to sell of Quicken, they admitted they didn't have enough focus on Quicken because it wasn't a big profit generator, and it was stagnating. Selling Quicken to a venture capital group paved the way for more investment in the company and added resources — but it required more revenue to both pay for added staff and pay the investors who rescued the company from Intuit a return on their investment. Bottom line: they needed to charge more to keep Quicken alive for the long run. Now, no one from Quicken has ever stated this, but it seems apparent from what has transpired since Quicken became independent in 2016 and switched to the full subscription model in 2017.

The mindset shift required of customers to stop thinking of Quicken as software you bought once, and perhaps upgraded from time to time, and to instead think of it as a service, the same as cell phones, Internet or steaming services. Of course, Quicken was neither the first nor only software developer to make this change. Microsoft did it in large part (although they still offer some software you can use indefinitely without upgrades). Adobe did it completely. Many other software developers have done it partly or fully. In some cases, users adapt and go along, and in other cases, users find alternatives or do without. I used Adobe software at work and wanted to continue using it for passional personal use, but I find Adobe's prices are too high based on the professional market they target, so I regretfully no longer use Adobe's software. We each decide what value we derive from a product, and whether it's worth the price. For me, Adobe was too expensive to keep for my occasional uses, while Quicken is much less expensive and something I use all the time. Each of us evaluates the value we derive differently based on our needs.

I was planning to subscribe every two or three years, if that is allowed. I don’t need all the bells and whistles the program provides.

No, the subscription model requires continuous subscription, not every two or three years s in the past (unless you can work with the renewal banners). And many people don't use all the features of Quicken, but they don't sell the services a la carte. I mostly enter my transactions manually, for instance, but I've decided I get enough value to be worth the price, even though I'm paying for connectivity service Is don't use.

If you determine Quicken isn't worth the $5/month (sometimes less if you find it for sale), then your choice is either living with the renewal banners or moving off Quicken.

If I can find my Quicken 2017 cd, can I run that and use my current data file with it?

No. Well, maybe, but probably no. Your current Quicken Mac subscription data file won't work in Quicken 2017; they've made lots of changes to the database 2017. But you could possible export it to a QXF file, and then create a new file in Quicken 2017 from importing the QXF file. You'd lose all your settings and reports, but your transactions would be preserved. But…

Installation of Quicken 2017 from a CD required logging into servers at Quicken to authenticate and to update the program. I'm almost certain that those servers no longer exist for that long-discontinued version. So I think you'd find yourself unable to get up and running in Quicken Mac 2017.

smayer97, good idea but I’m not sure what you mean by “main window”? It seems to contaminate other screens too. For example, Bills & Income.

Bills & Income is part of the "main window" of Quicken. What he was saying is that you can open accounts (as well as reports) in separate windows, and those windows don't have the renewal banners. So rather than clicking on an account in the left sidebar, you'd double-click to open it in a separate window. You can resize the window to the full width you need. And you can open Bills & Income (and Budgets, too) in separate windows: first open Bills & Income in the main window then select View > Open in New Window and you'l be free of the renewal reminder on the right side. Working with separate windows can be done from the Windows menu, allowing you make make them all large and switch between them. It's not as convenient as working in the main window, but you may find it's a perfectly workable approach.

Best wishes, whatever you decide.

QuickPeter

jacobs, thanks once more for a really comprehensive and helpful report.

There's a lot to digest here.

It's a pity I can't easily use my 2017 cd. I'm not even going to try. I thought it was worth asking.

smayer97 idea, looks promising. Thanks for the explanation. I do think it's a workable approach, for me.

My MacBook Air is on its way and I'll probably reluctantly renew Quicken in the coming months.

QuickPeter