Do You Like smokingpipes.com New Website's Design?

[deathmetal]

Lost is the ability to drill down within a major category (English, Italian, etc.) to a specific brand (such as Barling or Savinelli) and from there yet further to a specific brand design (such as Trevi or Nonpareil within the Savs)

That's important.
I think they can get these fixed, especially if we keep the constructive analysis going.
There's absolutely zero evidence that secretretailer is connected with SPC at all.
Young people are in a bad position because they are given authority and power before the necessary experience to use them.
If anything, old can help young in this area... and young can keep some traditions alive instead of being like most people on this planet, entirely self-absorbed.

 

[secretretailer]

You can't count also seceret retailer, dozen? Thee are over 80 posts and the great majority didn't like it.

So no one posted more than once? Great argument!

 

[secretretailer]

Yup, I hear ya, Brad. I've been doing business with smokingpipes.com for 10 years. I loved viewing the new pipes every Monday and Thursday and bought most of my pipes from them.

I've stopped doing it shortly after the "upgrade" because the pipe updates section is nothing but a cluster f&*? now. And I will buy my pipes and tobaccos elsewhere.

"They were so good I bought from them for 10 years but then I wasn't able to instantly figure out the new design so now I will go buy from P&C with their super-clean, easy to navigate site"

 

[secretretailer]

Lord to learn you have to be seen and keep your mouth shut.

So when are you going to start? Keep your mouth shut and learn how to use the site!

 

[aristokles]

I trust secretretailer will remain "secret" if he's a pipe/tobacco retailer. No way to impress a potential customer, younger or older.
Laudisi broke more than they fixed if they fixed anything at all. I guess we could just wait for a sales decline or even hit decrease to show them the error(s) they made. We're trying to give specific input on those here, or at least I am. I tried in direct emails with the sp.com staff before these threads even surfaced here, to point out the flaws. No joy.

 

[mso489]

I don't visit the site nearly as often. I'm not rebelling. It just used to be more fun to click around the site and see what's new. Now it's just vaguely annoying like most of the net. I may get over it, but probably only if they work on it a lot so it has the effortless feel of the previous version. My most recent online purchase was at tobaccopipes.com.

 

[deathmetal]

Now it's just vaguely annoying like most of the net.

Ha! I tend to agree about the current condition of ye old egalitarian net.

 

[secretretailer]

No, imaginary. You are the only person that can see my posts.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

It seems that we have two separate conversations going on here.
On one hand we have the people just shopping on the web.

Honestly, the quality of a website barely registers on whether or not I make a purchase. I've spent a lot of money on websites with horrible layouts, even with the update Smokingpipes could hardly be considered bad.
On the other hand, we have the website as a service.

This is where people get their feathers ruffled. The changes added functionality but hindered a few key areas that weren't directly related to your ability to push the "purchase" button. This is thinking about the website on an entirely different level.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I see that they're playing with the drop downs again.

Good things await.

 

[drwatson]

Okay I am really confused here!?!?! How did "do we like the new site" start a old vs young fight? I'm 40. Right there in the middle and have disposable income to blow on crap. I have been working with/on a system that would control security movements within any given county/state. The older system worked , worked well for that matter. a closed system that unless someone found the source and bombed it, was safe. We have moved up to the new and improved web based design, that is now subject to flaws,server error,and hacking. Does it have good points? Sure. But I for one hate change,just because we can. This new design is nice, it has some flaws! But they will get worked out in time. It's just tobacco guys! Nothing to fight about!
Secretretailer- If you work for SP, and I take it you may by your comments. Your not doing your company any justice.

Don't you old farts want to pass the torch and carry on this tradition? Or are you the only ones worthy of it and it should die with you guys?

Lord, I have enjoyed your posts/comments/and opinions. But that was just BAD FORM my friend.

 

[anchovyd]

Okay I just checked out the site again and yep it still blows ass. My constructive criticism for Mssrs. Wilford and Secretretailer, the product cards take up way too much space. I am on a laptop and find each page painfully tedious to scroll through. There is just way too much wasted space. You don't need to Drudge it but what you had before was decent. On the plus side I was able to navigate the pipe and tobacco sections easily to find what I wanted but filling up my screen with only four products at a time is flat out retarded.
Like MSO and Brad, I won't be visiting SPC as much since it is now such a pain in the ass to use. The site before was a little frou frou but serviceable. Now it is just too much. I've bought quite a bit there in the past but now will probably be spending my money at a place where the site is no-nonsense and a lot more friendly to use.
Maybe that is what the tatted up, neckbearded hipsters want... To push out the old guard by making the site excessively annoying and unusable to anyone over 40. Congatulations Wilford and Co., you've succeeded.

 

[carver]

Man, some people find it hard to receive criticism.
The whole thread is about expressing opinions on SP website. You're bound to have ... well, opinions, good and bad.

In this case, it appears more bad than good. So what? Is it that hard to be wrong?

When you offer a service to a community, don't you want the community to respond well to what you do, or do you feel that, in respect to your hard work, people should like it no matter what, just because...

Take that tech moron!

I guess only us young guys are smart enough to know how to use it.

No, imaginary. You are the only person that can see my posts.

The way you talk to people is just plain wrong. You're rude, disrespectful, aggressive and your tone is completely unjustified.

Nobody insulted you the way you're insulting people.
Everything here is about learning from each other and sharing a passion. You're just biting.
"booohooohooo, you guys don't like my website, you're just fucking old dudes who know nothing, we're too smart for you."
By the way, I'm 34, and I don't like the website. Not that I don't know how to use it, I just believe that, IMH IT professional O, there are some design flaws, but why would I lose my time explaining this to you if you're not willing to hear any criticism.
Anyway, I am now getting ready for the blow back that you'll feel compelled to write just because you're a little yappy who shouts a lot hiding behind a new profile recently made so you could send your crap to everyone.
@ADMIN : check your connection logs and see which IP is used by this user and compare it to the recent connections from other members so all can know who he is. This is avery new profile, obviously made for this purpose, but the person behind it must be a regular with another profile.

Very very easy to find out.
------------------
Now what if "secretretailer" is actually another retail shop using a fake fake profile and starts bashing everyone so that all, believing he is from SP, gets a bad feeling about that shop. It would totally boost their own sales...

Now that's a book I could read. :puffpipe:

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

I agree. Whether the connection is real or implied, Secretretailer is making Smokingpipes look bad.

 

[secretretailer]

It seems that we have two separate conversations going on here.
On one hand we have the people just shopping on the web.

Honestly, the quality of a website barely registers on whether or not I make a purchase. I've spent a lot of money on websites with horrible layouts, even with the update Smokingpipes could hardly be considered bad.
On the other hand, we have the website as a service.

This is where people get their feathers ruffled. The changes added functionality but hindered a few key areas that weren't directly related to your ability to push the "purchase" button. This is thinking about the website on an entirely different level.

You're being way too helpful and rational about this. Please make some grand sweeping statements that overdramatizes the situation instead.

connection is real or implied, Secretretailer is making Smokingpipes look bad.

Nevermind, you redeemed yourself! How is it implied that I'm affiliated with Smoking Pipes? What's the point of being secret if the identity would be so obvious?!

 

[secretretailer]

@Carver

Oh boy, let's try to go over this slowly.

Take that tech moron!

I guess only us young guys are smart enough to know how to use it.

No, imaginary. You are the only person that can see my posts.
The way you talk to people is just plain wrong. You're rude, disrespectful, aggressive and your tone is completely unjustified.

Nobody insulted you the way you're insulting people.

All 3 quotes you posted from me are quotes responding to insults! The first was a sarcastic reply to JimInks who called the designer of the new site a "tech happy moron". But of course you don't have the balls to call him out so you'll go after SecretRetailer!
The last comment was a joke! Lighten up!

@ADMIN : check your connection logs and see which IP is used by this user and compare it to the recent connections from other members so all can know who he is. This is avery new profile, obviously made for this purpose, but the person behind it must be a regular with another profile.

Very very easy to find out.

Why ruin all the fun? You sound like a major wet blanket!

Now what if "secretretailer" is actually another retail shop using a fake fake profile and starts bashing everyone so that all, believing he is from SP, gets a bad feeling about that shop. It would totally boost their own sales...

Now that's a book I could read. :puffpipe:

Only an idiot would think I'm from SP. I'm SecretRetailer, not SecretRetailerEmployeeFromSP
How would it boost my sales (assuming I'm actually a retailer) if people got a bad feeling about SP? I can't take business from SP unless you know what site I'm at! But great theory! Use your noggin!
Maybe Carver is SecretRetailer! He seems awfully concerned about bashing SR, including offering admins advice on how to figure out who he is. Maybe that's because he knows how to avoid detection! Like Dexter working for the police force!

 

[secretretailer]

Maybe that is what the tatted up, neckbearded hipsters want... To push out the old guard by making the site excessively annoying and unusable to anyone over 40. Congatulations Wilford and Co., you've succeeded.

So your main problem with SP is that they have hipsters that work there.
I think you're right about what we, er, they are trying to do. As if they're sitting around one day saying, "Hey, we're doing millions of $$$ every year in business, but out of the blue we don't like the "old guard" at a pipe message board. I think we should make a site they will hate because we don't want their business anymore." Totally reasonable assumption on your part!

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Look, this is a feedback thread, a representative has literally asked for criticism. Aggravating disgruntled customers is not helping anyone.

 

[carver]

All 3 quotes you posted from me are quotes responding to insults! The first was a sarcastic reply to JimInks who called the designer of the new site a "tech happy moron".

I went and checked, indeed you weren't the first one to say that. My apologies.

But of course you don't have the balls to call him out so you'll go after SecretRetailer!

Not sure I see the connection, but again, apologies.

 

[disinformatique]

SecretRetailer I don't know who you are, I don't think you are Sykes because a person who has made that kind of an organization will not be a raging asshole on any forum. That being said, if you can't listen to customers, a few amongst them actually Certified, Experienced Professionals who have the capability creating User Experiences for a living. Then something is wrong and you are here to troll.
Handling traffic has nothing to do with the website information flow at the macro level. For that you have scalable networks which can handle any amount of traffic.
If you are a member of the SmokingPipes.com team, heck even if you are Sykes then take this feedback and hire a UX Designer. Your new website may seem highly optimized to you but to us it's not.
Good Design Doesn't Need A Manual. I would recommend "The Design of Everyday Things" by Prof. Dan Norman and "Dont Make Me Think" by Steve Krug. These are design philosophy books and before you open your mouth again here, make sure you have read these books.
Cheers,

Chris