To Sage, or not to Sage. 🛠

I received emails from Sage SA prompting me to upgrade to the latest version or else my system will discontinue to work.

These emails contained a link to a pdf file which “guides” the user on the steps that should be followed to upgrade and includes a link to a website where the software can be downloaded for free. When opening the file there are multiple options to choose from and each looks the same but they are not.

Great. Once you figure out which software to download, you select the option and this takes you to another site. Once again, one has to download a certain software program in order to download the actual setup file and once that is selected then you can download the winzip file containing the correct installation file.

Once you download the file, you have to extract the files and then install the file.

Great, got there.

Now this is where the trouble began. I installed the software and now I have to choose the different packages and whatnot. Did that. Opened my new software and all my data is gone. 7 YEARS OF HARD WORK, GONE.

Sars is due the 7th of December.

I spent the whole morning on the phone from 8am to 2 pm, calling them, emailing them. Their phone prompts doesn't even contain an option Sage evolution so I just press a number to speak to someone to transfer me to the correct department.

The support staff speak French words (technical terms I don't understand). They are rude and impatient.

My last update was done online by one of their consultants but they have no record of it. They don't have staff who comes to your premisses to physically help you but they do outsource this function to an outside company.

R10k per year and my til point printer is still not working.

Sage is an expensive, complicated, non-user-friendly, think-they-know-it-all business who will be the death if any small enterprise. Do yourselves a huge favor and stick to a 1980’s cash register. Much easier and less headaches.