Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:10:17 -0800
Reply-To: David Vickery <david_vickery@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Vickery <david_vickery@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: busdepot
In-Reply-To: <0d5d01cdc158$e5d66bd0$b1834370$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Yah, Ron, the new website sucks. Can't search anything or find things. It takes longer too. I normally like to compare your stuff with VC or GW and the last couple times I gave up. You have a lot of cool clearance items too but I haven't bought anything since the change.
I guess it comes down to sales, if sales are better, it was a good change, if not...
I know this feed back isn't that helpful, except it's one data point. I know I could email you and you would reply, but usually I just like to check brands or prices quickly before ordering.
Dave
--- On Mon, 11/12/12, The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM> wrote:
> From: The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
> Subject: Re: busdepot
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Monday, November 12, 2012, 9:39 PM
> > Is busdepot under new
> management?
> > New website not as good as the old?
> > Was there some change in the business?
>
>
> Same management, new website. The old infrastructure was so
> ancient that we
> could not even find a web host to support it anymore. After
> more than a
> decade (an eternity in tech years) it was basically being
> held together by
> rubber bands and shoestrings. We were living on borrowed
> time and had to
> retire it before it crashed and burned. The new one is
> much more modern and
> robust, and incorporates a lot of functionality that was
> suggested by list
> members. Among these ...
>
> - the ability to check order history, status, and tracking
> numbers online
>
> - the ability to save your vehicle so the site defaults to
> parts that fit it
> each time you log in
>
> - the ability to save a credit card number instead of
> entering it each time
>
> - Also about 10,000 more images and 30,000 more
> products.
>
> That being said, the transition has not been easy. Merging
> databases and
> point-of-sale systems has been an absolute nightmare. I have
> been working
> 60-70 hours a week since the new site launched. We're
> literally working on
> it day by day. Today alone, the left navigation pane changed
> three times as
> we tested minor changes and then rolled some of them back
> because of this or
> that minor bug. We got USPS tracking numbers updating
> online, but FedEx is
> still working with us to figure out why their tracking
> numbers aren't
> updating. And so on. On the other hand, the old site had no
> tracking
> numbers, no order history, 30k less products, 10k fewer
> images, and a much
> longer lag between updates. So while we've got a long way to
> go, we've also
> made a lot of headway.
>
> I am pretty happy with the basic layout - the SEARCH and
> BROWSE tabs, the
> links up top to diagrams, etc. I also have a lot of
> other improvements in
> store once the basics are just right. Like anything
> new there's a learning
> curve, but I think once you try it a few times you'll find
> it pretty
> intuitive. But if you disagree, or have any suggestions or
> comments at all
> (good or bad), please let me know!. Ultimately this needs to
> be YOUR
> website. I am determined to keep tweaking it until I get it
> right.
>
> - Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
> (215) 234-VWVW
>
> _____________________________________________
> Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT
>
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