Guest Post by Uncle Al-
Back in 2015, Cardigan posted an article listing companies that contributed directly to Planned Parenthood. One of them was Intuit, publishers of QuickBooks, TurboTax, and other business-related software and services.
Intuit is again showing its ugly SJW face. In two articles by Kat Ainsworth on web site The Truth About Guns, we find that Intuit has abruptly, without notice, terminated the QuickBook merchant accounts of multiple firearms-related businesses.
Today, Ainsworth wrote,
Yesterday, I spent time on the phone with Rob Hansel of Lone Wolf Distributors and John Heikkinen of Flint River Armory. The two companies sometimes do business together and recently had a rather large transaction go awry as a result of Intuit QuickBooks’ apparent anti-gun policy. The conversations were both interesting and enlightening, the latter because these issues highlight ongoing business practices with dishonest undertones on the part of Intuit.
On May 11th, Lone Wolf made two of what would be three transfers to Flint River. On May 14th they completed the third transfer. The transfers were made through Intuit’s QuickBooks merchant services; Flint River Armory had a merchant account for the purpose of credit card and ACH payment processing. …
The transfer in question wasn’t for firearms, it was a separate business transaction. I’ll state that again: it had nothing to do with either components or complete firearms. The total amount of the three transfers: $150,000.
The money was withdrawn from Lone Wolf’s account by Intuit within thirty minutes. In accordance with standard business practices, it should have been deposited into Flint River’s account with relative speed. Instead, there was no sign of a pending deposit. Instead Intuit abruptly terminated Flint River’s merchant account.
The money is still in Intuit’s bank account, likely drawing interest. Intuit has finally acknowledged that they need to give the money back and have promised to do so, but that hasn’t happened as of this morning. Time will tell if they will honor their promise or not.
Last week, Ainsworth wrote,
The software company [Intuit] informed Gunsite that they were immediately ceasing all business with them. Why? Because they sell and promote firearms.
At first blush this was frustrating news, but Gunsite figured it could be handled. Then the other shoe dropped: in addition to cutting business ties with Gunsite, QuickBooks/Intuit refused to release the money from credit card charges currently in process from sales that had already made.
This amounts to tens of thousands of dollars from not only purchases made in the Gunsite Pro Shop – including hats, shirts, bumper stickers, and coffee mugs – but also money that had been paid for classes taken on gun safety and marksmanship.
Yes, you read that right. Tens of thousands of dollars in sales of products and classes, paid for in good faith, that Intuit has refused to release. Instead, Intuit stated they would refund those monies to the credit card holders.
The effect is that Gunsite has to contact each and every one of their customers whose payments were blocked to ask them to resubmit those payments. That’s a lot of hours, bad customer relations, and we all know some of those customers will stiff Gunsite and not bother to pay.
Now, I believe that companies have a right to decide for themselves with whom to do business, but companies do not have the right to take a company’s money with the understanding that it would be paid to a particular account and then refuse to make that payment or even release funds back to the originator’s account. Holding onto those funds is at best fraudulent and arguably downright larcenous.
I strongly suggest reading the two articles at TTAG. They contain more information and relevant detail. I also strongly suggest having nothing further to do with Intuit and letting the company know exactly why you are cutting all ties.
-Uncle Al
May 22 article on Lone Wolf Distributors and Flint River Armory
May 18 article on Gunsite Academy
I hope they have the resources to bring the bastards to court and burn their ass.
Things like these demand strong actions. File a police report, have the sheriff march down to the office and tell them they will be arrested if they don’t immediately release the money which is not theirs. And bring cameras along to publicize the entire thing.
Time to call in an experienced atty
We use Intuits merchant account and have had problems. Intuit is HUGE. You never talk to the same person twice. I can’t honestly say the issues we’ve had with them were do to the fact we manufacture firearms. In our case at least they just SUCK.
Intuit/Quickbooks does suck. Their customer relations department is non existent because they know once Quickbooks is how your small business accounting is structured on they have you by the short hairs.
so much for the customer is always right ?
@Bad_Brad – Over at TTAG, one of the comments suggested looking at Sage (formerly Peachtree) software as an alternative to QB. If I were you (and I know I’m not) I’d be working on getting away from Intuit as fast as possible. You’re exactly the kind of business they want to dump, and dump as rudely as possible.
Joe6Pak/UncleAl
If you run your payroll through Quickbooks they really have you by the short hairs. We’ve been running Quickbooks for ever. I much preferred them when you were not constantly connected on line with them. The problem with switching is they integrate with out shop management/erp system.
So, are they saying a Baker does not have to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple? I’m down with that by the way. I’m not down with the double standards.
If I had the know how I’d be coming up with an Intuit/Quickbooks alternative.
Free Market baby!
So H&R Block pushed for Obamacare and now Intuit/Turbo Tax is punishing gun companies and contributing to PP.
Anyone know of an alternative to doing your own taxes?
Uncle Al/Bad_Brad:
I have used PeachTree (Sage) for over 25 years, (turned onto it in the Army, which was using PeachText 5000 productivity suite for the newly minted Windows 1.x, before adopting Enable). Have assisted clients w/Intuit’s QB Pro, but never used or liked it. PeachTree has now morphed into Sage 50cloud Accounting, which I have not used. Still running the last Peachtree Accounting Complete.
For taxes, about 8yrs ago, switched from TurboTax to H&R, specifically due to their corporate support of PP. As an undergrad, I was a contract preparer for both H&R and Jackson-Hewitt. While I have been satisfied with H&R, I am very concerned with their current SJW policy meandering. Jackson-Hewitt now has a consumer product available, but I’ve never used it and no idea as to their SJW proclivities index. TaxAct is a good program, have assisted professional clients in getting it set-up and staying updated, but I think it is geared to professional preparers, or it used to be. I always get the Ernst & Young Tax Guide…really wish they would develop a Consumer/SMB tax-prep application suite.
Most of my personal accounting I use a combination of Parson Tech’s ancient MoneyCounts and a custom SQL database. Used Parson’s TaxCounts, until they restructured, after Bob hit mid-life and jumped ship to found GoDaddy. (Still use PT’s Pastoral edition of their QuickVerse).
Progs seem to have thoroughly infested core technologies essential for governing, commerce, and communications…so much so, I think the time is ripe for developing/fieldling alternative products, platforms, and services. We outnumber them…the markets exist.
TWD
What the fuck?!!?
ThisWeDefend
I miss the programs that were resident on my box and didn’t require linking to an organization that large.
Fucking over people who are familiar with and proficient with guns takes either massive balls or massive stupidity….
Go to flat tax, sales tax, consumption tax, whatever. Put them all out of business.