The last and final word on CheckFree

A final follow-up on the CheckFree matter I asked Gustavo Machado (see item last time) to clarify whether the stand-alone version of CheckFree software would continue to be usable (as some readers had reported). The answer is no. He writes: "CheckFree will no longer support any current personal financial manager software other than Quicken ('98 and newer versions) for CheckFree direct customers as of November 30, 1998. All payments scheduled on or after December 4, 1998 will be canceled. This applies to consumers who connect directly to CheckFree for online bill payment. CheckFree provided a free copy of Quicken Deluxe 98 (Mac or PC version), a $59.95 retail value, for each direct customer affected by this change."

Update: CheckFree appears yet again to have contradicted themselves (what is it with this company??). What follows is the last and final information I will post on this matter (I promise!). It is a direct quote:

"My name is Darrin Redick, and I am a Senior Tech Support Rep here at CheckFree. The information you have posted on your site regarding our support for bill payment software other than Quicken is a bit erroneous. Here is what is actually happening.

We have made the decision to stop supporting some personal financial software that utilizes old or obsolete technology on the Columbus platform by 11/30/98. As a result of this decision, many of our consumer direct customers will need to upgrade to current software. All affected customers were sent Quicken '98 along with a letter describing how to get started with the Chicago platform.

The following software will still be supported:

• CheckFree proprietary software (v3.0 DOS, v1.0 and v2.0 WIN, and v2.0 Macintosh)
• Managing Your Money (All versions, DOS, WIN and Macintosh)
• Quicken WIN 2 through 8 (Note: Quicken '97 is version 6, Quicken '98 is version 7, and Quicken '99 is version 8)
• Quicken DOS 6 R2 and above

Any questions about this conversion should be directed to CheckFree Technical Support, 800-297-3180 8a-12mid EST Mon-Fri, and 8a-5p Sat-Sun. We will then be happy to explain the situation further."