View Full Version : Campmor - new website comments
I've noticed in some other threads that folks have commented on issues with the new Campmor website. I've tried to provide commentary to them directly via their "Contact Us - Send Us An Email" link, but it only takes 100 characters. That's not enough space. I'll send them a link to this thread, the url for which will certainly fit the 100-character limit. Maybe they will pay attention to the WB community.
Me first:
- I must have product specifications available. I will NOT buy a piece of gear unless I know its weight. By not having the weights and/or dimensions listed, I am being forced to other websites to find it. The old site had them, why didn't they get included on the new one?
- I don't like that I have to click on the Related Products tab. The old website had the related items listed right on the product page.
- I don't like that many of the Related Products aren't there any more. The old website had a great listing of Related Products for every item.
- I like the fact that when I'm signed-in, I can see my historical orders.
- I like that I can filter using the left panel. The "remove" filter feature is great also, but it should be in the left panel, too.
- I like the "view all" option when there is more than one page of items, but a nice-to-have would be to provide a select-box for the number of items to show per page -- ok, yea, now I'm getting picky.
- I don't like that after I've added an item to the shopping cart, the "Continue Shopping" link brings me back to the home page. It should bring me back to the item's page that I just added so I can look at Related Products (well, the Related Products have to be fully populated, first)
- I like that the product-listing page shows what sizes are available. This saves the user from clicking into the product detail page only to find out the size isn't available.
- This one's not related to the new site, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that I have always liked Campmor's extensive product list, great prices, and low shipping costs.
Overall, I think the new site looks clean and professional. It responds quickly. But, specs are an ABSOLUTE must.
mister krabs
04-23-2009, 15:03
I'm not a fan of the tabbed product pages, though everyone seems to have them. I much prefer descriptions and specs on the same page.
I too like the filtering, though it's a little rough. Weight would be a better filter than color or type for example in tents.
The compare feature is awful. It seems like only tents has it, You're limited to 10 items to compare, and the results are minimal. The old compare was way better, and would have been perfect if it was more sortable. I'd like compare to be in every category, but at least packs, tents, sleeping gear, stoves and cooking gear
Not having specs is a showstopper
Chenango
04-23-2009, 15:32
Not having specs is a showstopper
Ditto for me!
Not having specs is a showstopper
Me too, I have backed out of buying quite a few items from Campmor due to lack of info.
medicjimr
04-23-2009, 16:21
I have been having to bounce back from rei to campmor so I can get the specs and reviews before I order. that and Microsoft not recognizing there certificate is a pain too.
RITBlake
04-23-2009, 17:41
Not having specs is a showstopper
Fatal error amongst the ever so ounce fastidious backpacking community.
I too do not appreciate the new website. amac is right on his points, esp product specs. If the weights not listed, I go elsewhere looking. I have bought from Campmor for over 20 years. Their ability to have a variety of products to choose from has been their greatest strength.
I too have purchased from Campmor over the years. There's plenty of stuff to choose from and the prices are good too. So I went through a few hoops to try to order from them recently. Even downloaded Mozilla Firefox. And I did get 2 orders. But I also spent money at other sites and not Campmor.
Specs are so important to everybody. It is jaw dropping to see they haven't fixed the oversight.
I wish them well and will always be a Campmor customer. Be nice if their website gets repaired or completed by next spring.
FishBone
04-24-2009, 08:24
I stopped buying from them since the updated site doesn't show the weights; not going to waste my time searching and going back and forth. Sometimes progress is maintaining the status quo!
fiddlehead
04-24-2009, 09:33
I'm sure they are going to appreciate these comments.
I just built a new website for my online business and it is a lot of work. I do mean a lot.
And then, who is going to critique it for you? It's easy for me to navigate around it cause i built it. But different people have different surfing habits and ............well, it is great to have feedback on these things.
It took me about 3 months to finish although it is never really finished. And i only have 74 products. Campmor probably has 20 times that. (but they probably have a staff of more than one also)
double d
04-24-2009, 10:31
Campmor is a great company to order gear from and I think they offer fair prices for their products as well. With that said, their mail order catelog is outstanding, black and white pictures, so their webpage is not the best, give them time, I think its ok in terms of information, price and short details of the product.
I keep getting this error message every few pages with Windows XP SP3 and Firefox 3.0.8
Generic Error
The store has encountered a problem processing the last request. Please try again. If the problem persists, contact us (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/CustomerServiceView?langId=-1&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226) for assistance.
Store developers:
To view detailed error information, see the comments in the HTML source for this page.
RITBlake
04-24-2009, 10:45
Campmor is a great company to order gear from and I think they offer fair prices for their products as well. With that said, their mail order catelog is outstanding, black and white pictures, so their webpage is not the best, give them time, I think its ok in terms of information, price and short details of the product.
You think black and white pictures in a catalog are outstanding? :-?
mister krabs
04-24-2009, 11:04
I keep getting this error message every few pages with Windows XP SP3 and Firefox 3.0.8
Yeah, I get lots of errors with firefox also. I get even more with opera, which I normally use at home. The site's unusable with it.
I have no idea if the same errors happen with internet explorer, I don't use it.
I don't feel at home with the new site. It's odd.
mister krabs
04-24-2009, 11:09
You think black and white pictures in a catalog are outstanding? :-?
It's outstanding in a nostalgic sort of way, like the J. Peterman catalog, and good from a cost perspective. I've always liked their catalog, it's fun to leaf through and has some things grouped together with tables and charts that are helpful.
I usually end up at the website though for the nitty gritty.
The black and white catalogs remain the same as they were when I first started getting them as a kid. I kind of like it that way, I was perturbed when duluth pack started using real pictures in their catalogs instead of illustrations.
skinewmexico
04-24-2009, 11:35
I've been trying to get their checkout to work for 3 weeks now. I finally used the live chat, told them it didn't work, and I was off to backcountry.com.
I have been having to bounce back from rei to campmor so I can get the specs and reviews before I order. that and Microsoft not recognizing there certificate is a pain too.Switch to Firefox and never look back!
Not having specs is a showstopperHuh? I see specs galore! REI's website is slicker, hands down. While Campmor's prices may 'look' better than REI's, it's not always the case when you figure in the 10% coming back to you! ;)
WalkingStick75
04-24-2009, 13:45
Love Campmor but sure glad I still get their catalog in the mail because I really dislike the new layout.
Omarwannahike
04-24-2009, 14:18
I go to the Campmor store on Rt. 17 often enough.
REI for online stuff that I cant get straight from official organizations, etc.
I did drop EMS for Campmor based on one visit to Campmor, and even though I could go to Paragon Sports here in NYC, Campmor's staff is freaking great!
RITBlake
04-24-2009, 14:50
I'm going to Campmor tonight for some paddling gear.
double d
04-24-2009, 17:53
RITBlake, the black and white photo's (really just images) are old school, thats why I like them. How many times have you seen an outdoor company sell gear with a 22 year old model (not that I'm against looking at the photo!) sitting on some rock with clean clothes on and no dirt and grime on their backpack? Its too sterile for me, thats why I like the old school look from the Campmor mailings.
double d
04-24-2009, 17:55
You think black and white pictures in a catalog are outstanding? :-?
I'm going to Campmor tonight for some paddling gear.
See, there you go RITBlake, your going old school now on us.
Well, I've never had the privilege of visiting a Campmor store, but there's an REI three miles from my house. I've been run off for vagrancy several times! :rolleyes: :D
boarstone
04-24-2009, 19:29
I don't like Campmor's size chart clickable tab NOT being available on every page requiring a size in order to order the item. Clothing mainly. I have called, e-mailed repeatedly about this problem and called to no avail! So now I just shop where this is accessable on a providers web site.
Blissful
04-24-2009, 19:52
I just tried to go on Campmor the other day and it won't accept my password anymore. And when you try to get a new one, it says to contact the administrator. Guess it lost it all in the transition.
You think black and white pictures in a catalog are outstanding? :-?
Yeah, the Campmor catalog is absolutely outstanding.
RITBlake
04-24-2009, 21:45
Yeah, the Campmor catalog is absolutely outstanding.
The Campmor catalog is a the old black and white television set in the corner when you can go out and get a nice HD color set. Sure the black and white is nostalgic, but I'm choosing the color tv.
RITBlake
04-24-2009, 21:46
The Campmor catalog is a the old black and white television set in the corner when you can go out and get a nice HD color set. Sure the black and white is nostalgic, but I'm choosing the color tv.
Having said that I love the Campmor store. Gotten plenty of gear and advice there.
I've been run off for vagrancy several times!
I smell what your cookin.....they always think I'm stealing because I go around and around and around and pick up and put down and carry things for a minute then examine it again in the middle of the store then go put it all back and buy a $2.50 collapsible spoon and drive off.......a few times a week. Not REI or Campmor but there's a few large outfitters I hit up when Im travelling during the week. And I do buy often, but I usually hold out because I know good and well that I can get a better deal online.
I think I have every spoon ever made by any company in every color.
Huh? I see specs galore! REI's website is slicker, hands down. While Campmor's prices may 'look' better than REI's, it's not always the case when you figure in the 10% coming back to you! ;)
Like the weight of this jacket. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___91250 When I first started looking around the new site, the specs for everything were missing. Now some are appearing, but in inconsistent locations. Sometimes the weight is listed under the features tab, while the specifications tab is empty, and some list under the specifications tab, and many, like this jacket, don't have specs anywhere.
To all,
I am a representative from Campmor Inc. I have been with the company for the better part of 10 years. Through searching the internet for my own personal interests I stumbled upon these threads and thought I could take a moment to address some of your concerns.
I have read through each and every one of your posts and truly can understand your frustrations. We are working on all of these issues 24/7 and have made a substantial amount of headway; however we know how frustrating this all can be.
The major goal with our new website re-design is to provide you with a better shopping experience and aid in our continued excellent customer service. We have worked out a lot of the MAJOR issues with the site however everyday we are fine tuning every little thing to make your shopping experience better! We continue to add in related products to every product as well as adjusting the left navigational filters to make them flow a lot better and provide an easy shopping experience for the starting outdoors enthusiast to the most advanced. There are a lot of other things like product specifications that we continue to work on daily to make the shopping experience exceed all of your expectations.
Some people have mentioned experiencing shipping issues in particular issues with entering zip-codes. This issue has been and still is our top priority and hopes are to have this fully resolved very soon.
Campmor has given its customers over 30 years of exceptional service and it is our goal to continue this. We highly encourage ALL of you to attempt to make your purchase online however in the event that you are not able to place your order online we have a call center anxiously awaiting your phone calls to help you get everything you need in a quick and efficient manner.
Our call center staff is very knowledgeable and in most cases will be able to assist you with any questions you have. Our Customer Service Department is comprised of many camping/hiking/outdoor enthusiasts who generally have a lot of hands on time with all of our gear. If you should have any questions once again I am sure that they will be able to help.
Campmor Inc
1-800-226-7667
[email protected]
wow! how's that for customer service
campmor is terrific. i buy all my gear and gear for my scout troop there. always go the extra mile for you and returns are a breeze. :cool:
Two Tents
06-08-2009, 10:44
Don't forget specs. I really like specs. Put down plenty of specs and we'll come back again and again. Yea! Who-ray for specs.
Alligator
06-08-2009, 10:47
Don't forget specs. I really like specs. Put down plenty of specs and we'll come back again and again. Yea! Who-ray for specs.Yeah, weights on clothes are great to have, not singling out any site here either.
mister krabs
06-08-2009, 10:54
Thanks for replying Campmor.
I for one appreciate vendors who check boards like this for "real world" customer experience.
Keep working on it, I'm sure you'll get there.
Keep us updated!
Thanks again,
Thank you Everyone for the kind comments;
I can assure you that your concerns will not go un-answered. We have a lot of new gear planned for the fall season and you will start to see a lot of progress with specifications specifically with NEW product being added to the website. I beleive we will have spec charts for just about every product you would expect to have specs. We have been and will continue to be adding specifications to all existing product but as can be expected with all of the product that we have on our website this will be a long process.
I forgot to mention....
For anyone who is interested keep your eyes on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Campmor/38276562536
as well as our twitter page
www.twitter.com/campmor
We offer special product promotions their on a daily basis as well as camping and hiking tips and a place to meet fellow enthusiasts.
Lastly we have a BLOG which will be updated by myself and a few other Campmor staffers who are going to comprise our blogging team. We will be doing gear reviews, and all sorts of exciting stuff.
We hope to see all of you guys there!
I will get you guys the blog address shortly
Regards
Nick
Campmor Inc.
1-800-226-7667
You think black and white pictures in a catalog are outstanding? :-?
I do.
Simple, just the fact's Ma'am, presentation. All those glossy photos often means less products in a catalog and/or higher prices. I want to see if they carry a widget..not how cool it looks with a model.
Glossy photos have their place...but not for selling cookware. :)
Also, props to Campmor for monitoring/responding to this thread.
ShakeyLeggs
06-08-2009, 12:51
Thanks for the info Campmor (Nick).
I have spent probably a couple thousand dollars at Campmor over the years.
One thing I found lately while looking at packs. A few of the packs only had one size available listed on the selection page but when you went to the individual page for the pack there was no way to tell what size was available. Small issue I know but could be confusing if someone does not see it on the selection page.
Oh yes please please please do not change the catalog.
brooklynkayak
06-08-2009, 13:03
The major goal with our new website re-design is to provide you with a better shopping experience and aid in our continued excellent customer service.
I think the most important things campmor should work on is fixing peoples accounts so they can at least place orders.
Next, reply to the messages sent. When I don't get a reply to the fact that I want to place an order, I shop elsewhere.
I can't believe they would want to turn away so much business, all because people can't get their shopping cart open to place the order.
The people that I know who have successfully put in orders with them have called the company on the phone to place their orders, something I won't do.
Too bad they can't bring back the old e-commerce program until they get this new one fixed. And come on, no weight in the specs field in an outdoor gear description?
I did most of my outdoor gear business with them until the new site made it impossible and they wouldn't return my complaint messages just adds insult to the process.
Campmor,
You may want to also check on where the messages to "Contact Us - Send Us An Email" link go. I submitted this thread's link to your Contact Us back when I started the thread. Thanks for the response. It's good to know that you are listening.
Jim Adams
06-09-2009, 21:47
It sucks!
Old one was much better.
geek
HeartFire
06-14-2009, 10:46
I don't like the dashes around the different frames - maked you think there are coupons to be had.
That being said, I still like Campmor. I just bought a pair of shoes from them, the women's shoe was $5.00 more than the same in men's. I called and asked why, they didin't know, so I asked if I could get the shoe for the mens's price. It took all of about one minute to get back to me and said "sure" no problem! I like that sort of service.
double d
06-14-2009, 14:44
look, its very simple, get Campmor's catelog, look through it, find the products you like, call their 800 number, talk to a nice person over the phone and in less then a week your new, shiny gear is at your door. The internet has it place, but good lord, lets not become a nation of whiners because of a webpage.