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This program intrigued me because of its inexpensive cost. However the old adage “you get what you pay for” certainly applies here. For those of you looking for the very basics Bookkeeper 2007 by Avanquest might seem the answer, but I found it difficult to nagivate. For those of you who do not have a strong understanding of bookkeeping basics you will find yourself frustrated. And if you are looking for help, well you will have to accept an ActiveX script everytime you use the help function unless you wish to adjust your browser security settings.
Some of the windows within the program close using the standard Window’s X, others by clicking on a cancel button, and others only by selecting another option in the side window or menu bar. Sometimes you are sitting there wondering what to do next.
You can add five additional fields to the vendor, employee and customer forms but you cannot add a vendor, employee, customer, account or list item on the fly. Bookkeeper 2007 allows you to set up a default email form, but I can’t figure out how to actual send an email as it is a multi step process and once you figure that out it doesn’t seem to work with Outlook.
Reports are limited and the ability to customize them even more limited. Filters are limited to date parameters and formatting is limited to font choices and in some cases positions of header and footer information. You can export to other programs however when exporting a payroll report to Excel the information did not come across smoothly and would require a great deal of formating in Excel. There does not seem to be a Microsoft Word export unless you are relying on a straight text file which once again does not come across into Microsoft Word without having to do some extensive formatting but there are options for Microsoft Works file formats which I did not test. However saving a report in a pdf format does seems to work well.
Live technical support will cost you $24.95 for the first 10 minutes and $2.95 for each additional minute per call. The basic cost of the program is $29.95, however if you are running payroll you will need to add an additional $10 to obtain the tax tables needed.
All and all, what could have been an good beginning product is made unuseable, in my opinion, by not providing what the beginner needs - a program that is easy to navigate and helps you do the basics easily. My criteria for a program is that I get it right off the bat. I have been using accounting/bookkeeping programs since the mid-seventies and there are very few I haven’t tried. I have to ask the question if I am struggling with this program, how can the average user ever be able to use this program.
Now I have to be honest, I am a QuickBooks ProAdvisor and as such encourage my clients to use QuickBooks products but it was with a open mind that I tried this product. It is inexpensive and while it’s clunky it will do some of the basics if you work at it. I strongly recommend downloading the trial version before you buy if you are still interested.