Classified Pet Peeve

[Scarberry2003]

Ok,, gotta vent here,,,, one thing that bugs the daylight outta me is when someone places an ad on the bubbler,,, another memeber takes the time to search ads, finds something they are interested in,, they send a message, email, private, guestbook,, etc..... then NEVER hear from the member who placed the ad.

Is it just me??? or does anyone else have this problem. When I place an ad, I try to check my private messages at least every other day to see if anyone has repsonded to what I have posted.

If the item is already gone,, either delete the ad, or at least send those who inquire about it a reply saying,,, Sorry, already sold!

I have a feeling alot of the ads on here are for stuff that is already gone, or no longer up for sale. I think that a 1 month limit on items for sale is not unreasonable,, most sites you have to renew every week.
But, that is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Ok,,,, done venting LOLOL I feel better now ;o)

[keith]

Yes, I agree.

We get this complaint from time to time via the contact us. When we do, unfortunately we don't get the name of the 'guilty party'.

One thing I encourage everyone to do is to check the Member page of the person who placed the ad. Look at their last login date, and how much care they've taken to put their info on their page.

Eventually we'll have eBay-type buyer and seller ratings on Members. That should help, though it will likely be a chore to keep them up.

Thanks for venting.

Regards,
Keith

[Scarberry2003]

Guess it bothers me more cause I am the type who checks the bubbler MULTIPLE times a day LOLOL

Just that there is alot on here that I use.

[Desi]

You're not the only one! I too have had the same problem. Irritates the heck out of me!

And how about the ones who answer your ad, are VERY interested in the item, set up an appointment, and then fall off the face of the earth!

[pk]

Ok,, gotta vent here,,,, one thing that bugs the daylight outta me is when someone places an ad on the bubbler,,, another memeber takes the time to search ads, finds something they are interested in,, they send a message, email, private, guestbook,, etc..... then NEVER hear from the member who placed the ad.

I found a little puppy I was interested in getting more details on and since the seller said they would send pics etc. if an email was sent asking, I did just that. I then sat back and waited, checking my emails over and over to see if I received the pictures back. NOTHING.

So I guessed the seller must have sold the little puppy. Then a while later I noticed an ad on the new ads section and it was again the same ad about the little puppy. Well I'm all excited thinking that maybe I still could get some info. So I sent an email again asking, please send me some info etc...still NOTHING.

Why do people post and then post again...and then they don't reply?? Doesn't make sense.

I don't expect an answer lol just wanted to vent!

thanks! I feel somewhat better now. But I still would love to get some info on this little guy.

oh well...maybe tomorow I'll get an email.

pk

[AlumniClub]

It seems since I've been here I have had this issue also.
1 in 10 answer a reply to their classified.
It really sucks when you want that item and you get no reply or there is no way to contact that person otherwise.
I wish we had a tool to say to a member a message is in your PM inbox from one of their classified ads.
I feel your pain PK.

[keith]

Ya'all are right.

First thing: I think we should encourage rather than discourage phone numbers.

Second: EVERY classified poster should get a weekly email telling recapping the ads they have on theBubbler (headlines, number of days remaining, etc.) that reminds them to check in for PMs.

Third: Active users do a LOT of PMing. Infrequent and inactive users do not. I personally have thousands of PMs that have not been replied to. We'll do an emailing soon as we can to those who have PMs waiting (preferably, for over xx days, so we're not spamming active users who just got one yesterday).

Fourth: Your suggestions welcome.

Fifth: One day we'll have a rating system to give feedback on free classifieds advertisers. Response time might be a separate category.

I feel your pain, too.

We're doing all we can to make our www.WisNetwork.com sites the best they can be for Wisconsinites, anchored by theBubbler. It takes time and costs a LOT of $$$$$. Once again, and with all due respect, we have to take care of our paying customers first. They're the ones who enable us to devote so many resources to this site.

Sixth: One good thing...make that one GREAT thing: We'll be adding video tutorials to the Help / FAQs soon. I really believe those will help people take advantage of all theBubbler.com has to offer.

Regards,
Keith

[keith]

Originally Posted by pk

I found a little puppy I was interested in getting more details on and since the seller said they would send pics etc. if an email was sent asking, I did just that. I then sat back and waited, checking my emails over and over to see if I received the pictures back. NOTHING.

So I guessed the seller must have sold the little puppy. Then a while later I noticed an ad on the new ads section and it was again the same ad about the little puppy. Well I'm all excited thinking that maybe I still could get some info. So I sent an email again asking, please send me some info etc...still NOTHING.

Why do people post and then post again...and then they don't reply?? Doesn't make sense.

I don't expect an answer lol just wanted to vent!

thanks! I feel somewhat better now. But I still would love to get some info on this little guy.

oh well...maybe tomorow I'll get an email.

pk

Here's a tip or two that might help. Newbs probably more than the Vets posting here.

1) Many of the replies we see for classifieds are along the lines of "Where are you located" or "Is it still for sale". I would strongly suggest that those replying to adds just check the Member page (by clicking on the Member name) to see where someone is located. If someone wants to know if an item is still for sale, they should also provide a phone number (if they're comfortable with that) and more info, like "I'm really interested, but not at a lower price" or "can you give more details"

I really believe our video aids will be a big help to the people who use them. We may even put up a separate site or page somewhere with lists of considerations for classifieds posters and for classifieds repliers. I've wanted to do this for a long time.

2) Consider placing a message in the guestbook of the advertiser. Something like, Just sent you a Private Message about your (item) for sale. Hope to hear from you soon. If you don't get a reply in a few days or a week, try another one, then post in the guest book again. Sometimes people do get wrapped up in work (who: me?) or go on vacation. Patience is always a virtue. Nevertheless, if someone doesn't reply after xx days, get the Member's name (the exact name) and go to Contact Us to alert us. We can then see the history in their GB, and either contact them or just delete the ad. It would be a better service to our viewers to get rid of ads that are not monitored.

3) By the way, when you go to a Member's page, you can see their last login date. All too often someone comes here, posts an ad or three, then never returns. That'll help us stop that practice to follow up on those that don't. Sooner or later we'll program appropriate stuff in, though we want to be careful for the sake of those who are actually vacationing, have a family crisis, etc.

Thanks for venting here. It gives us the chance to make the place better.

Regards,
Keith

[pk]

I still find so many times that people that post things for sale simply do not respond when you write to them.

I love the classifieds on the bubbler and check them several times a day to catch all the new ones, but somehow people putting ads in have to understand that once they put an ad on they really need to check their messages.

I wonder if on the section where the person is filling out the ad they want to post if there could be in bold, a message saying to please respond when someone contacts them etc...

Recently I responded (again) to an ad. First I sent an email. Then I sent a private message telling them I sent an email. Then I sent yet another email. I am now going to try putting something in their guest book. But really, how many times should you have to try to contact a person before giving up?

OK, lol that's my grip for the day.

[keith]

Originally Posted by pk

I still find so many times that people that post things for sale simply do not respond when you write to them.

I love the classifieds on the bubbler and check them several times a day to catch all the new ones, but somehow people putting ads in have to understand that once they put an ad on they really need to check their messages.

I wonder if on the section where the person is filling out the ad they want to post if there could be in bold, a message saying to please respond when someone contacts them etc...

Recently I responded (again) to an ad. First I sent an email. Then I sent a private message telling them I sent an email. Then I sent yet another email. I am now going to try putting something in their guest book. But really, how many times should you have to try to contact a person before giving up?

OK, lol that's my grip for the day.

I hear you.

Someday we aim to have a 'seller rating' so buyers can give feedback. Sellers, too, much like eBay.

In the meantime, may I suggest this:

Go to their guestbook and say that you've sent a PM. Go back when you've sent an email. Go back again in a few days if you haven't heard anything and express disappointment that you've contacted them twice with no reply.

The only trouble with the suggestion above is that we're all free to delete GB entries on our Member page.

One good thing we've done recently that may be helpful is that we've changed the ad placement to recommend that sellers list their phone number (we used to discourage it, now we encourage it). If you reply to a phone number and leave a message, I'd note that in the GB, too.

Finally, if you've done the things noted above and still get no reply, go to the 'Detail' view of the ad and click on 'Report Abuse' (doing so captures the address of the classified ad detail page). Tell us what happened via the contact page that will come up. If we see GB entries and we see the Member hasn't even logged in, we'll delete the ad to help save other Members from a frustrating shopping experience.

That's it for now. Thanks for sharing the vent here. Knowing the problem is half the solution, right? Hope you find these tips useful.

Regards,
Keith

[pk]

OK, here we go again! I don't want to sound like I dislike the bubbler ads by complaining because I think the ads are fantastic. It's the people that put them on and refuse to contact you back that I am frustrated with!

I found yet another little dog for sale. Sounded very interesting. OK, this person actually contacted me. But her answers were very confusing compared to what she wrote in the ad. Her price went from 350.00 to 650.00. I questioned her about it and she told me that she sold the dog in the ad and now she is selling another one. Well if that didn't sound wrong. No shot record, no papers, no history of the dog and suddenly it became another dog with 300.00 price change.

So, I found yet another ad that sounded great:


I sent several pm's, and emails, explaining how I would love to talk to her about additonal information etc. etc.....nothing.

I checked when she was last on the bubbler and it appears she comes on and off at times. I even signed her guest book.

In my last pm I asked her to please just let me know if the little one was sold so I would not continue to wait for an answer.

So now what?

The only thing left would be to leave my phone number. I will do that today. Hate to give that out to someone that I don't know and totally not following through with her ad.

Sorry, just wanted to vent again. Maybe seeing how frustrated members become when trying to contact sellers will get members that post ads to think about answering pm's more often.

The ad section is great when members use it correctly.

Thanks for letting me gripe. lol

pk


UPDATE: The one ad with the little dog that I never heard from the seller and then I left my phone number did call me today. She was having computer problems, was able to check things out today and found my number I posted. So I guess if nothing else I will recommend to everyone if you are not hearing back to try leaving a number. I think that helped.

[keith]

I posted in her GB too.

She's been a good Member for a long time. I appreciate you sharing this, pk, because it reminds all of us to be courteous.

Regards,
Keith

[Crys]

Please PM me the username of the person who gave you the confusing answers with the switch on which dog she was selling. May be legit, but those are also signs of a potential scam and I'd rather just check to see where she's posting from.

[pk]

I sent you a private message with the information

thanks,

Patti