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 
>