There has been no followup to my post. I have had no sense from anyone I have attempted to speak with. Can someone please formally respond to the legal issue. We subscribe to Intuit for the use of QBDT software that makes Intuit the legal owners software. The subscriber uses said software and populates it with data that the subscriber owns. When the software is no longer a subscription service the data is still in the ownership of the scubscriber this means that there is surely a legal obligation to the supplier of the software to ensure that the data will remain not just in the property of the subscriber but also available to them in the format that they currently have. This means that although they should not have use to it they should be able to access it.
In the case of the cessation of the payroll Intuit failed miserably, I want to ensure that I and my clients are able to access their many years - over 20 years in some cases - is available to them for as long as needed.
Before the subscription became the only option the software was purchased and that data was kept on that. Surely Intuit can supply a one off licence in the old format that allows us to keep it as is. I really don't see why they can't do this. It won't allow VAT to be submitted and there is no payroll on it anyway so what is the issue? All we want is to be able to run reports as they are, print copies of existing invoices and satisfy HMRC with any questions they may ask over a 6/7 year period. We want to do this efficiently and quickly and not use extracted reports that are in a different format that no one can work with without wasting a lot of time (I refer to payroll!). I am seeking legal advice as my clients are more than concerned. Someone please contact me with a sensible solution. Thanks, Taylor Bookkeeping Services
