Why is Micksgarage website such a pain to use?

Jimmy Garlic

A seriously glitchy website that is almost impossible to navigate using a tablet. Every time it is an absolute pain. It freezes. It empties your basket randomly. It redirects to crap I didn't click on. Anyone else having bad experiences using that website? They really need to sort their sh!t out.

biko

I've used it a lot with no issues. Only on laptop mind.
If you think it may be the tablet maybe ask in Computers forum?

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biko wrote: »

I've used it a lot with no issues. Only on laptop mind.
If you think it may be the tablet maybe ask in Computers forum?

The site and/or the database behind it has some fundamental flaws to be fair. Even without trying to use it on a mobile device. I'd rather singe my sack than try to pick out a 5L of 5w30 on a mobile device.

Sorry, something went wrong. Please try to search again. ERROR:{"Message":"There was an error processing the request.","StackTrace":"","ExceptionType":""} textStatus: error DataPassed: {"Filters":[{"FilterName":"Department","FilterValue":"engine oils and lubricants"},{"FilterName":"oil grade","FilterValue":"5w30"},{"FilterName":"engine oils and lubricants","FilterValue":"engine oil"}],"IsNav":false,"SearchQuery":"","Page":1,"sCurrency":"EUR","sCurrencySymbol":"€","decCurrencyRate":"1","isClearDown":false,"isChangeOfDepartment":false} errorThrown: Internal Server Error

Jimmy Garlic

biko wrote: »

I've used it a lot with no issues. Only on laptop mind.
If you think it may be the tablet maybe ask in Computers forum?

It has been a couple of different tablets, Samsung and IPad. The issue is most definitely on their end. Buying a few service items shouldn't be a long ordeal. Also if you enter your reg it will not let you buy some of the items that you want, for instance 1l containers of oil. I don't want to buy two 5l containers. I want a 5l and a 1l.

Jimmy Garlic

Finally, I have ordered what I need. Five simple service items. Micksgarage really needs a good kick in the stones, getting 5 simple items into my basket and paid for took me over an hour. That website is a hot sticky mess, a nightmare. Not good enough for a big online retailer like micksgarage. They seriously need to spend some money and sort that crap out.

Isambard

i had trouble on the laptop and when I queried it they said it was due to my operating systems, which happen to be the most popular out there! My order went to my local factor who supplied what I wanted the next morning.

biko

So Windows 7 then?
Maybe they meant the browser.



But yeah, shop local folks!

CJhaughey

I've had the same, its not good enough for a major online retailer to have that poor of a UI.
I stopped using them for most stuff now, its too much trouble.

ironclaw

In their defense, and I have no affiliation, at least they have a site with decent capabilities to search. Most Irish retailers have a site but its usually poor and you can't find a thing on it, ring them up, 'Oh yeah, we have it' Drives me spare.

Check out Argos if you want a right laugh of how not to implement a website.

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ironclaw wrote: »

In their defense, and I have no affiliation, at least they have a site with decent capabilities to search.

I find it poor. I'm willing to bet there are things in corner of their warehouse with dust an inch thick on them because you just cannot find them at all, or in the right place on the website!

Jimmy Garlic

CJhaughey wrote: »

I've had the same, its not good enough for a major online retailer to have that poor of a UI.
I stopped using them for most stuff now, its too much trouble.

If they spent more money on sorting out their website which is not fit for purpose rather than advertising which they seem to spend a lot of money on that would be a step in the right direction. They have their prioritys wrong. If I want to order the items needed to service my car I shouldn't have to mash my Ipad screen for over an hour trying to buy them. I should be in and out of that website in 10 mins max.

ironclaw

Making a site mobile ready is actually really, really tricky. Especially with differentiating screen sizes and OS. We had a customer insist that IE7 be supported for their site (As many of their business customers had it as an internal browser), it literally cost them thousands to do so when the traffic percentage was in the points of percentages. Take HTML5 for example, a lot of input fields for forms are not supported by Firefox or Safari for example, but are by Chrome, and vice-versa. A simple input field like a date picker may require multiple lines of code and styling, it could be a weeks work for a developer to check all possible cases.

You'll also find many corporate systems are still in older versions of IE or are using a desktop down the back of the shop. The number of full checkouts on iPads or similar may be quite small, hence although its frustrating, you arn't going to plough development money into a segment that is not generating income. Personally I hate checking out on a mobile device, its slow and cumbrsome. I can find and checkout far faster on a desktop and the time taken to boot is minimal if not the same. Globally mobile traffic is a way up but there is little moves by many shops, including big names with big pockets, to develop on it. Strange really but its a fact.

Zoo4m8

Jimmy Garlic wrote: »

A seriously glitchy website that is almost impossible to navigate using a tablet. Every time it is an absolute pain. It freezes. It empties your basket randomly. It redirects to crap I didn't click on. Anyone else having bad experiences using that website? They really need to sort their sh!t out.

Couldn't agree more... Complete pain in the butt, gave up long ago on them...

sc86

what wrong with the local motor factors these days?

mgbgt1978

It seems the biggest problem with micksgarage is that it concentrates too much on providing results for "your car" and doesn't let you just browse the rest of the stocklist easily.
This is fine if you just want to purchase a service item for a particular model but it is definitely not a site for just browsing.

It would be a far better sales model if you were given a start-page option of either searching for parts for Car X, or just having a look around the whole site.
There really is something wrong if you can't easily browse something as simple as Floor Mats without having to pick a particular car model first.......

mullingar

Local factors can be a wealth of information too. That coupled with same day delivery on most parts (if ordered by lunch time) and guaranteed no quibble refund of any unused parts. I always buy all the basic service stuff locally (and get full trade discount too which also helps)

kirving

Can beat the motor factors for afternoon delivery if you order in the morning. It really is amazing that they can get parts so quickly.

I find though that they will often give whatever they have as opposed to a specific product. "Ah yeah this bulb is made by Philips just branded differently" etc.

Micksgarage is nice in the sense you can order something particular, bur my god the site annoys me. By far the worst part is that you cant search by their internal products number, which is a great way of looking something up and coming back to it later.


Next up is the slowness. Cut the complex graphics and make the site quicker and I'd use it far more.

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Kevin Irving wrote: »

I find though that they will often give whatever they have as opposed to a specific product. "Ah yeah this bulb is made by Philips just branded differently" etc.

Micksgarage is nice in the sense you can order something particular, bur my god the site annoys me.

The lucky dip experience or the kinda "if I told you I'd have to kill you" buzz around the ACTUAL brand/model of what you're paying them for has pushed me to online parts and tyres for sure. And being actually able to get stuff like rear wipers etc for certain cars that factors just don't stock.

Motor factors will always have the trade guys but in several cases locally they don't want to be dealing with Johnny DIY and at this stage the feeling is mutual.

But I doubt individual business X has seen any significant dip in sales. Anywhere I've lived I've never noticed many others at the driveway diy thing.

colm_mcm

sc86 wrote: »

what wrong with the local motor factors these days?

Sometimes it nice to browse and compare options