You refer to Intuit's "carrot and whip" approach with respect to phone support. It is more whip than carrot as either way it's going to cost more to get phone support. About a 30% direct cost increase if you don't want to become certified. I have been in the ProAdvisor program for something like 15 years. I have been certified in the past but found little value in it so I stopped. My opinion is that they are abusing the base that made them what they are in the marketplace. They recently reported increases in gross and profits which was attributed in one news article largel to the ProAdvisor program but now they want more.