An unfortunate consequence of Brexit is that popular accounting package, Xero, no longer works for Irish businesses.
Our new accountant recommended Xero to us on the basis that it enables real-time profitability statements. There used to be an automatic feed from Irish banks to Xero, but no longer. A good deal of time was invested in teaching Xero to learn from the bank statements by creating rules. All of this was beginning to pay off, and we were happy because reconciling financial activity only took about five minutes per month. There was a realtime view on the financial situation, which is what you need.
The Break Up With Xero Has Been Bad
- Firstly, you can't just cancel your subscription as with every other software I know. You must give Xero 30 days notice, which is inconvenient.
- Despite knowledge bank articles that imply you can export all your data, you cannot. All your estimates and quotes remain stuck in their system, and you are locked out, unable to get at them.
- When you cancel Xero, they take it personally. Lots of other apps allow you to leave your stuff on the free version, meaning you can go back to consult an old invoice if necessary, or check a quote. But Xero locks you out of everything.
It's A PIty But Says A Lot About Their Brand
I’ve never experienced such a bad break up with a software service before.
If anyone is looking for examples of bad practice SAAS, Xero is it.
Their customer service team is slow and unresponsive, so while I requested a window of 72 hours to be allowed access to my estimates which are not exportable, they gave it to me over a weekend, didn’t reply to questions about how to do it, and then cut me off.
It’s a pity really, but says so much about their brand. It leaves me feeling icky that I trusted them with my most personal of business data. I will be doing some indepth research on the reviews of the Xero successor I choose. But I hope that this post helps you if you are considering a new accounting software and live in a jurisdiction that is supported by them. Keep searching – find another accounting software provider. One that will be kind to you if you are ever forced to leave.
