I have used Simply Accounting since 2000, when I started my business. Past years have been trouble-free and it’s my experience SA has been a reliable accounting software for the past 15 years. I have no complaints.

 Currently I am running version 2012 with integrated Crystal Reports and in recent weeks I received ‘phone calls from Sage sales personnel urging me to upgrade to version 2015. Sales hype insisted I was: “Alone”; “No longer supported”; and if problems arose, there was: “No help; therefore you need to upgrade”. That I had never called “Support” in 15 years was deemed irrelevant.

So curious, today I installed a trial version of 2015 Premium and converted a backup of my company data to the 2015 format although I never understood why data conversion was necessary unless for some covert sales/marketing purpose, of course. The first surprise was a pop-up at the end of installation: “Crystal Reports is no longer supported by Sage and Crystal software elements have been deleted; reports and forms are no longer accessible from Sage 50”; or words to that effect. 15 years of effort and fine-tuning compromised, without reasonable warning, on Sage’s whim? Inexcusable.

I reluctantly accepted the status quo and turned to Sage 50 Forms Designer and attempted to design an invoice. All was well until I tried to insert a currency code in the invoice. Unfortunately there is no currency-code field available in the “Data Fields” drop down menu in the forms designer. This is a serious issue for me because I work in several currencies and have been able previously, to assign currency codes to particular customers and products; apparently not so in version 2015. This is not progress! 

I don’t know how many Sage customers read the EULA but I did and found a troubling clause. To others: Please read Clause 19. To paraphrase, it implies Sage has the right to download, read and retain end-users’ data including third-party data and to use it and to divulge it, howsoever and to whomsoever Sage deems appropriate. Further, the end user is responsible for ensuring that disclosure by Sage, of third-party data, is acceptable to the third party. Think: bank account numbers; credit card numbers; social insurance numbers; salaries; taxes; benefits; etc. It’s my understanding that disclosure of banking and credit card information to unknown third parties invalidates warranties against fraud. 

I prefer to stay with Sage and with time, effort and additional expense, I can work around the reports and forms issues but I cannot accept the EULA Clause 19. It’s predatory and a liability to the end user. Therefore I will not upgrade unless Clause 19 is withdrawn from the EULA. 

A final conundrum: the latest offer-to-purchase implied a 25% price reduction, if I purchased immediately. The offered price was $399.99. The list price is $499.99. That’s not a 25% price reduction.