pistonheads classified
15 December 2011, 11:59 AM
#31
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1 month on and after the weekend fix that took 4 weeks it's back... the new Pistonheads Classifieds
Oh dear.... just searched on CL Mercs up to £15K less than 80K miles and it gives me 16 cars, most of which are the same car repeated many times in the search results.
FAIL!!!
Oh dear.... just searched on CL Mercs up to £15K less than 80K miles and it gives me 16 cars, most of which are the same car repeated many times in the search results.
FAIL!!!
15 December 2011, 12:45 PM
#35
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I think we are being a little quick to judge. It will take some getting used to and is more complicated. However, the search functionality has real potential if advertisers start to fill out search terminology accurately.
Years ago, I remember thinking that a site was needed where you could put in some "wants" to search for a car and have suggestions made. At the time, I remember thinking that PH Classified was an ideal platform from which to do it, so I'm glad they are giving it a go.
IMHO, a few years from now - when it's matured - PH Classified will become an awesome resource for finding cars that you perhaps hadn't considered before or didn't realise was in your budget. For example, you put in £15k budget, RWD, 400bhp+ and BOOM, you find a car you'd not considered. Perhaps, you find something that has been tastefully modified (e.g, supercharged M3 that you had previously dismissed on account of being under your power budget).
The potential is there. Just remember that all new things, including "TheFacebook", were pretty gash when the started. These things take some time.
Years ago, I remember thinking that a site was needed where you could put in some "wants" to search for a car and have suggestions made. At the time, I remember thinking that PH Classified was an ideal platform from which to do it, so I'm glad they are giving it a go.
IMHO, a few years from now - when it's matured - PH Classified will become an awesome resource for finding cars that you perhaps hadn't considered before or didn't realise was in your budget. For example, you put in £15k budget, RWD, 400bhp+ and BOOM, you find a car you'd not considered. Perhaps, you find something that has been tastefully modified (e.g, supercharged M3 that you had previously dismissed on account of being under your power budget).
The potential is there. Just remember that all new things, including "TheFacebook", were pretty gash when the started. These things take some time.
15 December 2011, 12:50 PM
#36
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Agreed.
People hate change - but businesses must change BEFORE people get bored and go elsewhere. I've seen a graph to reflect this, retailers have to do it. But it has to be done correctly, and at the right time.
People hate change - but businesses must change BEFORE people get bored and go elsewhere. I've seen a graph to reflect this, retailers have to do it. But it has to be done correctly, and at the right time.
15 December 2011, 12:56 PM
#37
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No I'm sorry guys, but it isn't the changes or ideas that are the issues for me, in fact I like what they are trying to do.
However it is not rocket science and their database would appear to have both data consistency issues and performance issues both of which are inexcusable on any decent web application.
It will die on its **** if they are not careful as no matter how good an idea is poor execution will kill it in no time.
However it is not rocket science and their database would appear to have both data consistency issues and performance issues both of which are inexcusable on any decent web application.
It will die on its **** if they are not careful as no matter how good an idea is poor execution will kill it in no time.
15 December 2011, 01:02 PM
#39
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As above.
I can see what they are trying to do. It's very basic at the moment and hangover from when it was free. If you want people to pay, you need to offer more and you need to make it easier to search for specifics as opposed to trawling the lists.
However, you don't release a half assed version on the public and you then don't go and show you've learnt nothing by doing the same thing four weeks later!
Test it test it test it! Really not exactly a great leap of logic!
5t.
I can see what they are trying to do. It's very basic at the moment and hangover from when it was free. If you want people to pay, you need to offer more and you need to make it easier to search for specifics as opposed to trawling the lists.
However, you don't release a half assed version on the public and you then don't go and show you've learnt nothing by doing the same thing four weeks later!
Test it test it test it! Really not exactly a great leap of logic!
5t.
15 December 2011, 01:03 PM
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As above.
I can see what they are trying to do. It's very basic at the moment and hangover from when it was free. If you want people to pay, you need to offer more and you need to make it easier to search for specifics as opposed to trawling the lists.
However, you don't release a half assed version on the public and you then don't go and show you've learnt nothing by doing the same thing four weeks later!
Test it test it test it! Really not exactly a great leap of logic!
5t.
I can see what they are trying to do. It's very basic at the moment and hangover from when it was free. If you want people to pay, you need to offer more and you need to make it easier to search for specifics as opposed to trawling the lists.
However, you don't release a half assed version on the public and you then don't go and show you've learnt nothing by doing the same thing four weeks later!
Test it test it test it! Really not exactly a great leap of logic!
5t.
15 December 2011, 10:35 PM
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Isnt the problem that theyre trying to run new alongside old and incomplete ads? it wouldnt be bad if it works, but in order to make it work they have to let the old ads die and only host the complete new ads on the new system.
This mistake has to be revenue related.....
This mistake has to be revenue related.....
15 December 2011, 11:45 PM
#46
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What they should have done is implement the change in two phases.
Phase one would be all new ads to be created in the new form but written to both the old and new database fields.
After a period of time when no old ads with only the old data were left then they could implement phase two - the new front end.
A standard way of doing something like this and not exactly rocket science!
None of this, however, explains why the thing is so bloody slow when in the new guise.
They basically haven't designed or indexed the new database properly.
Phase one would be all new ads to be created in the new form but written to both the old and new database fields.
After a period of time when no old ads with only the old data were left then they could implement phase two - the new front end.
A standard way of doing something like this and not exactly rocket science!
None of this, however, explains why the thing is so bloody slow when in the new guise.
They basically haven't designed or indexed the new database properly.
16 December 2011, 10:04 AM
#48
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Just been trying to use it this morning...... it just does not work. Next page gives no search results half the time, it's slow, duplicating ads, not finding ads on filter that clearly should be in the filter, pictures not well displayed etc. etc. Shame as I thought as basic as the old one was it was quite easy to find cars you were looking for... back to Autotrader I guess!
16 December 2011, 10:07 AM
#49
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Just been trying to use it this morning...... it just does not work. Next page gives no search results half the time, it's slow, duplicating ads, not finding ads on filter that clearly should be in the filter, pictures not well displayed etc. etc. Shame as I thought as basic as the old one was it was quite easy to find cars you were looking for... back to Autotrader I guess!
I have bought and sold a few cars via PH but I don't need it everyday.
16 December 2011, 10:15 AM
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16 December 2011, 10:43 AM
#51
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Love those cars. The 3 Litre n/a versions seem to go for peanuts......if you can find a manual that is!
Always lust over an Evo 6 TM edition.
16 December 2011, 10:58 AM
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Personally I think PH classifieds definately had a lot of room for improvement and i'm pleased to see them trying to address this even if they have made a right pigs ear of it.
18 December 2011, 09:24 AM
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Problem here is that;
A) Currently, it is worse. Search results give a stupidly low number of cars most of which without prices
B) The PH staff seem rather rude if you read the forum and just don't acknowledge the 'issues' as major faults, rather teething problems. One comment I read was ' We are only responding to positive comments.' FFS!
If that is how they run their business, I give it 6 months.C) People pay good money to advertise on that site. How would you like it if you were a trader and now your adverts don't appear no matter how you refine the search.
I would want a bloody refund.
I realise that these new systems are impossible to test 100% before release, but at the moment, the system administrators seem to just be relying on new adverts being uploaded via the new system and quite frankly, don't give a flying **** about the existing adverts.
18 December 2011, 09:44 AM
#54
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As for PH Classifieds it's unusable at present and they will be losing business at a rate of knots.... still the less people on it the faster it might be I guess
Maybe that's their plan 
18 December 2011, 10:38 AM
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Try taking all search criteria off and you will see cars that should have been in your results but weren't ... and then there are the duplications.... CL Mercedes - 8 of the 15 search results I tried were the same car.... it's simple alright... like the people that programmed it
20 December 2011, 08:06 PM
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OK just read on the PH forum that they are going back to the old version of the classifieds for the second time as the new one still isn't right which of course we know LOL!
Muppetus Extremis!!!
The one thing I will give them is at least they are talking to the user base via the forum ... I'm not used to that these days!
Muppetus Extremis!!!
The one thing I will give them is at least they are talking to the user base via the forum ... I'm not used to that these days!
