Editor's note: This article has been updated since its original publication, make certain to read the Update, Follow-up and Conclusion subsequently added to the original content.
I just sat down for supper when I received a ProAdvisor Alert email (shown below) saying, "Your QuickBooks Online Certification has expired. Thank you for being a QuickBooks ProAdvisor... but your Certification expired on June 30, 2023. As a result you are being removed from the Find-A-ProAdvisor directory and any ProAdvisor benefits."
There is just one problem with this: I opened my QBO-Accountant, ProAdvisor Certification page and there was a big "You passed the examination and earned 100 points" banner (shown below) with the "Download Certificate" button.
Actually, I had already downloaded my certificate (shown below) on June 28—the day I passed the recertification exam.
So my questions are:
1) How are such mistakes even possible? How can notifications go out to ProAdvisors who take and pass the recertification exam before the deadline, with the record of their new certification is in their ProAdvisor profile, but the two things cannot be coordinated to prevent erroneous notices and wasted time trying to resolve the matter?
ANSWER: After waiting two hours for a return call from ProAdvisor Support, I was advised that the email was "mass distributed" to the ProAdvisor community in error—not just to ProAdvisors who had failed to get recertified.
2) Why, if you are going to send out notices like this, do you not anticipate a rash of phone calls and assign extra personnel to the ProAdvisor Hotline? You should probably realize that at least 50% of the people you send notices to call in even when the notices are accurate.
ANSWER: Because the email was sent to (everyone) as many ProAdvisors, there was such a rush to the phones that even when I called and the automated attendant said it would be approximately 30 minutes to get a returned call (rather than wait on line), it took two hours to get my call. But I must say that "Julie" with QuickBooks support knew exactly what the situation was, and was clear and concise about the email error.
3) And just "how many of you", our readers, received the same erroneous notices?
ANSWER: Probably all of you. And now we know why. One "important" thing to note here, make certain you have your "certificates" available, because Julie (with support) also advised me that if anyone has a problem, they need to have their certificate to get it straightened out.
Hopefully, no ProAdvisor with a valid certificate will have a problem.
Update
A spokesperson for Intuit advised me, subsequent to this article' original publication time (approximately 12 hours after publication) that:
"...on Wednesday, July 12, some ProAdvisors received an email in error from Intuit QuickBooks notifying them that their QuickBooks Online Certification or Advanced Certification expired on June 30, 2023, and that their ProAdvisor benefits and profile on the Find-a-ProAdvisor directory would be removed."
They went on to say, "...the email did not go out to “everyone” as you (meaning Insightful Accountant's article above) described. It went out to a very small percentage of ProAdvisors: some of whom should have received the email and some of whom should not have received it.
The spokesperson for Intuit also advised, "We (meaning Intuit QuickBooks) are in the process of composing and sending an email to those ProAdvisors who received the email in error, letting them know that their certification is up to date and that their ProAdvisor membership benefits are in good standing."
Follow-up
Subsequent to being advised regarding the above update, I received an email titled "QuickBooks certification email notification error" containing much the same information as above and assuring me that my certification is current that that my ProAdvisor membership benefits are intact. They also apologized for the error and confusion caused by the erroneous email.
Conclusion
What's the old saying... "To err is human; to forgive, divine".
We should all remember, each and every one of us (including myself) is 'human'.
Sometimes we all need be 'a little more careful'.
For all of you who have contributed your comments on this topic, "thank you", we are proud to publish them so long as civility is maintained.
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