Vanagon EuroVan
Previous (more recent) messageNext (less recent) messagePrevious (more recent) in topicNext (less recent) in topicPrevious (more recent) by same authorNext (less recent) by same authorPrevious page (November 2012, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:39:41 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: busdepot
Comments: cc: gary hradek <hradek@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <1352778186.90407.YahooMailNeo@web122006.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> 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


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.