What do you dislike about Karbon?
Unfortunately, my experience with this company has been extremely disappointing. I rarely write negative reviews, but I feel it’s important to warn other firms that may be considering this software. After reading other negative feedback, I can confirm that many of the concerns raised closely match what I experienced with Karbon.
First, the sales process felt misleading. During the sales calls, the product and onboarding were described as seamless, fast, and largely handled for the firm. In practice, that was not true. Key details were not clearly disclosed, including that an annual membership fee is charged whether or not the software is actually implemented or used. Once payment was taken, there was no meaningful effort to address our concerns or work toward a reasonable resolution.
Second, the implementation was extremely costly and ineffective. We were charged $7,000 for implementation, which amounted to roughly five or six Zoom calls. During those sessions, our firm was expected to independently migrate and redesign our entire internal workflow into a new platform. The effective cost was over $1,000 per hour, yet most of the work was pushed onto our team—professionals who are accountants and tax preparers, not IT specialists. Instead of hands-on support, the “implementation” largely consisted of assigning us extensive tasks.
Third, the learning curve was far steeper than represented. We were told the entire team would be operational within one month, which was unrealistic. Even firms with experience using practice management software report that the learning curve is extremely steep, and the implementation support provided did not materially reduce that burden. Realistically, full adoption would take many months, if not more than a year.
Fourth, the client experience was poor. Clients repeatedly complained that the system was difficult to use, citing a confusing interface and links that frequently expired. This created frustration for clients and added administrative work for our firm.
Fifth, customer support has been consistently inadequate. Responses are slow, issues remain unresolved, and there is little sense of accountability. The recurring theme throughout this experience has been a lack of meaningful support after payment is collected.
Finally, we were billed without service delivery, and a refund was refused. Despite implementation never being completed, the company charged $11,000 upfront for an annual contract covering 10 users, in addition to the $7,000 implementation fee. The annual contract allegedly began on October 15—immediately after the tax extension deadline—yet we were nowhere near being able to use the software. We repeatedly requested that charges be postponed until implementation was completed, but those requests were ignored. As of January 26, no refund has been issued, no implementation has occurred, and we have paid for months of software we could not use. With tax season approaching, implementation is no longer feasible for us, and our request for a full refund was denied. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.
