Friday morning gripe: dealer websites.

"ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97) 09/06/2019 at 12:07 • Filed to: None

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Shit. Utter shit.

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I’m not actually in the market for a new car, but I enjoy some incessant occasional unnecessary car shopping over a cup of coffee as much as the next Oppo. Why do dealership websites have to feel like spammy crap from 2005? Give me a clean layout, useful navigation and lose the popup windows and chat boxes. Claire, you can’t help me. Really, I’ll let you know when you can.

But most of all, how damned hard is it to post in focus, high-resolution photos of your inventory in 2019? There’s certainly an app for that. Bandwidth and cloud storage is cheap. Most of the dealers in my area, when they do bother to have photos of actual inventory, have 10 or so blurry, out of focus images that look like they were taken by a hungover dude with a flip phone camera from 2007. When they do happen to have in-focus photos, they’re usually low resolution so that I can’t spot condition issues on used cars, or verify that even something new actually is equipped as described.

I’ve actually bought a new vehicle from 700 miles away and negotiated the whole thing via email. That would’ve been a lot less likely to happen had that dealership not had some decent photos of the truck I wanted to give them money for. This shit isn’t that hard.

That is all. Return to your normal Friday morning Oppo.

Under_Score > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:10

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I tried to get a job taking photos at a dealer with my phone because I noticed their photos sucked. They said they didn’t hire someone to do that...

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:20

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My  favorite is when they horribly Photoshop the car to look like it’s in front of the building.

facw > Under_Score 09/06/2019 at 12:21

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Honestly the probably don’t need a professional photographer . Anyone with a reasonably new cellphone can take decent pictures. They don’t need masterful photos they just need things that are in focus and not horribly low light. Take a bunch of photos, make sure they don’t suck before posting and most importantly, actually provide high-res photos online.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > facw 09/06/2019 at 12:24

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This. It seems like your IT guy should be able to set up the frame work, and then hire a high school kid to take the photos and upload them after school in the afternoons .

Tekamul > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:27

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There’s literally a company that exists exclusively to do this for them. Dealer.com. it’s (relatively) massive, and has it boiled down so simple, even a dipshit dealer manager can set it up.

They probably can’t help with the shit pictures though. But really, things can only be so simple.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:35

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I’ve talked to a few dealerships about their IT setup and nearly every salesperson/clerk I’ve talked to has explained that their IT is contracted out and is usually one incredibly in different contractor. Nobody is going to shell out money for that sort of thing, outside of what’s explicitly required. 

I get peeved when I can’t properly browse internet on their dumpy little guest computer because they didn’t bother to buy a legit copy of Windows or install anything useful.

Then again, I’ve also checked the download directories and found things like private legal documents, so nobody knows what they’re doing anyway.

vicali > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:41

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When I was checking out Frontiers for my brother the local Nissan had one that was a decent match, 2008 SV, price was alright, interesting colour, low km.. No photos..

I even texted the sales person and they said photos were coming soon..they were in the computer..

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:42

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I like that they usually look like they have what look like ads all over them and pop-ups, but they’re all for them. Who intentionally makes their website look like a virus-ridden hellscape?

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 12:45

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Cringe, oh Sara are you even real?

smobgirl > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 13:04

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I’ve been surprised by the number of dealers I’ve inspected who have a photo booth on-site (or for a chain, in the general area). And then on the flip side, I looked at a branded dealership (so, not Big Bob’s Used Trucks) that hadn’t had working internet in six months. I don’t even know how you would operate. 

Under_Score > Under_Score 09/06/2019 at 13:05

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The place in 2016 I looked at said they had a company, which makes no sense. It’s weird how backwards a lot of things still are in 2019, but that’s what progress is for.

Under_Score > facw 09/06/2019 at 13:06

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The place in 2016 I looked at said they had a company, which makes no sense. It’s weird how backwards a lot of things still are in 2019, but that’s what progress is for.

Chariotoflove > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com 09/06/2019 at 14:03

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I suspect that pretty much all of them outsource their web site construction and don’t pay attention to which company does it well.

I feel like in 2019 you really need to integrate your web presence into your entire sales operation, and I don’t see a lot of dealers that understand how to do that. They just throw up a website because everyone has one.