Poor marketing-rant.

[John Miliunas]

I noted on the Power Tool forum that, someone posted about the Festool site being down. This is the first time I've ever seen that happen at Festool. Even with redundancy, sometimes these things will happen. BUT then, there are those vendors who choose to have a Web presence and their sites seem to *always* be down or certain (many) of the functions are broke. One of these sites is a popular WW tool site, dealing in a lot of refurbished equipment. For many of us, a "refurb" is the next-best thing to getting what we really want. It's frustrating to constantly go to a site and either, not be able to access it at all or try to "search" for something or even try a link from the home page and find that neither work. Then there are the sites, which advertise "Monthly Specials". You hit that link and find it's headered with a special from seven months ago! Or, they'll still list a link for a certain model or brand and, when you press on it, you find a note saying it's "discontinued". Say what? Wouldn't it have been just as easy to eliminate the link?!

OK, I guess I'm being a bit anal but, I use the Internet as another tool. An extension of my own shop, if you will. It's extremely frustrating when you go to use this "tool" and find that it's constantly broke or is so outdated, that the information within is useless. The point being is, if you're going to establish Web presence, then keep it working and keep it current. Vendor sites are meant to be and *should* be dynamic, as market, stock and innovations are constantly changing. It's not like a "how to" site, which can often be static and archived. I don't know about the rest of you folks, but when I visit a site like that and things are constantly broke or old (or both), I wipe it out of my "Favorites" list and go elsewhere.

[Chuck Wintle]

John,
If we lived in a perfect world then maybe all these web sites would be up to date...
My small rant is about a computer store that ordered a controller card for me and promised to it in a couple of days and now..almost three weeks later..nothing yet.

[Mark Singer]

John,
Your right....we are fortunate that our SMC runs so well...somebody deserves a lot of credit!
Mark

[John Miliunas]

John,
Your right....we are fortunate that our SMC runs so well...somebody deserves a lot of credit!
Mark

"Amen!" to that, Mark! Keith runs a lean, clean and efficient machine here! When SMC "stuff" are gone, he pulls it right away, so there's no confusion. As it *should* be!

And Charles, I'm not even looking for "perfection" on those sites. I've been in the computer industry for a lot of years and understand "bugs" and oversights. It's not the occassional broken link or even the rare "blip" in their servers. It's the glaring, continuous broken sites, links (more broken ones than working!) and totally unresponsive Web servers that really get to me. The way I see it, a company providing Web access to their product is an extension of their Service and, if that's what they're going to do, then it should work properly or I'm going to figure their service on the actual product will be similar. Guess what? I *won't* buy from them! I'm one of those "lazy" people who does a LOT of Web-based product research and, if that's where I find the best deal on said product, often times, that's where I'll go for the product. (We've only lived in our new place for a couple months and our UPS delivery dude already knows exactly how to handle packages when nobody is home! )

Bottom line: I don't think those particular vendors care enough about me as a customer to provide me with the level of Customer Service they profess to provide. Worse yet, they apparently don't think well enough of their *own* product(s) or services to present them properly or efficiently! Would you buy a Lexus from a "dealer" who's lot consisted of a 1/4 acre patch of grass and who's offices were a 1987 travel trailer?!

[Tom Sweeney]

Hey John,
As someone who does web sites for small business owners I can tell you first hand that the biggest problem is once the site is up & running they don't keep it updated & they don't really promote it. A lot of small businesses have a web site just because they think they should have one. They really don't buy into the value of having a well thought out, maintained & updated web presence. Since they don't put a big value on it they don't take the time to keep it fresh.

This is slowly changing & I don't necessarily think it means that the company is a bad company at whatever they do - they just don't get the internet as an integral part of their business. This same company - with the poor site - might bend over backwards to give good service face to face or over the phone because "that's the way we've always done it".

The times they are a changing & some people just change slower than others. From my perspective I agree with you 100% it irks me when I go to a site with poor navigation, broken links, way outdated info & no way to easily contact them.

[Chuck Wintle]

John,
I can fathom your frustration in this matter as I do a lot of surfing, shopping and research by internet.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, I noticed the Festool problem last night as I'm working on a review article for the jigsaw and couldn't cop a pic from the site...had to scan one in the old fashioned way! It seems that the Macromedia ColdFusion license at the Festool USA site became a "pumpkin" over the holiday...(I told Bob about it during an email conversation we were having last night)

But to your point, too many businesses are not yet up to speed in understanding that their Internet presence is as important to many of their customers as it is. The company I work for (Avaya) is well known as the top vendor for contact center solutions. In the past, that largely revolved around voice technologies. In the mean time, companies have established web sites and put things like email addresses on them...but in too many cases "forgot" to have folks monitoring those addresses regularly...or at all. It's a shame because the same technology we sell to handle voice contacts can also handle email, fax and guided web browsing (live agent) with exactly the same people and priorities as traditional voice contact is handled. The technology is available...but it needs to be used to gain any value. If I have one pet peeve with vendors who have an Internet presence, it's their inability to treat email and web contact just as importantly as a phone call. Not only does the site have to actually WORK and be available, but when one clicks on a link for an email or other form of "hey, you!"...someone should respond quickly and effieciently...and with the skills necessary to help the customer. If they can't do that...then they shouldn't put the email address or web form on the site and just say, "call us at this number if you are interested in doing business". At least that would be honest.

[Dennis Peacock]

Well John....I feel your pain......

I have setup many web sites and developed them, updated them and even set things up to promote them. If this ol' kuntry hick and do it, then some college edg-u-mu-kated person can surely do it. Too bad that many folks (younger) today prefer having things handed to them on a platter and NOT have to work for what they get. I see it all the time at work where I help support well over 200 large scale Unix servers. Most of these servers "start" at $2M.......

Today, when I visit a site that has broken links, poorly managed web pages (old and out dated).....I don't ever go back......

To me....if they don't care about their "store front".....then why would I think they would provide any better customer service to ME via phone and after the sell than what they provide to me in their web presence.

Rant Mode Off......

[Keith Outten]

Jim,

I think John is refering to our friends down in Nashville.

[John Miliunas]

Jim,

I think John is refering to our friends down in Nashville.

Keith, "...our friends down in Nashville" is just ONE of them, albeit, that has to be one of the absolute worst sites I've ever come across even when they had it working the last time. (Whatever they used to do about a year ago seemed to work well, but they "improved" it and it's never been the same since.) It's not just them. Heck, even major league vendors like some of the computer companies have made navigation on their sites so complex, you just about have to be a Web developer to get around! And then, you end up going in circles half the time! That's bogus. I jump on the 'puter to *save* time, not waste it! Gee, I sure am really, *really* glad SMC has their act together! Now, if we could only get the rest of these sites to see the light....

[Glenn Clabo]

Well said! This house does 80% of it's money spending online. I won't give a company the time of day let alone my money if they can't make it simple and be available. Why can't these other companys check out how Amazon, Lee Valley, Eddie Bauer, etc. works? Just blows me away...of course there are still people out there who wear "I'm not computer literate" as a badge of honor. I'm sure some of them are high up in the retail world...for now.