blakes new website

[Guest]

Blakes new website launch

http://www.blakes.co.uk

Blakes boaters video

http://www.blakes.co.uk/#video

Jonny

[Brian]

What a cracking site:) good to see a Alphacraft on the main page also

[Dan]

Hi Everyone

I've only had a quick nosey, but it struck me as a big big improvement on the old one, which was pretty awful to be honest. Good to see them raising their game.. long overdue, but looks good, well done Blakes!

What's everyone else think of it?

Dan

[Dan]

Hmm.. just spent a bit more time perusing....

There's a few bit that either dont work as they intend or are misleading:

- The Special Offers Page - going to be a popular click that one (as they'll know!), but you click it & the top left box says save up to £150 a week May to July.. Great I think, I click the search box for more info and I just get taken to a standard availability search function which brings up all available boats not just those 'on offer'.... a bit misleading, infact as I have to trawl through to find 3 boats out of 5 pages worth on offer. None on the search I did were for the £150 mentioned, forgiveable I guess though I'm feeling a bit misled/starting to think its a little poor.

- I click the 'short breaks' box next to this offer that says short breaks from just £339... again I get an availability search box then detailing prices etc, but there's no special offer, reduction, freebie nothing. So what's it doing on the special offers page? There's no special offer. I started with their first special offer I'm now onto their second and it's no offer whatsoever, its just promoting their short breaks through being in a popular place for getting clicked on from what I can figure. From what I can tell the 'Rediscover the UK this Summer' box on the Special Offers page is the same - its not a special offer but is on a popular page so theyve thrown it on??! If I was actually wanting to book a holiday this week by now I'd lose interest, bin them off & book with Hoseasons or an independent.

People are ruthless with their web buying/browsing these days. The site looks good, and the boat detail pages are better, but it doesnt do what it says, infact it tells me theres special offers & then gives me details of full list price holidays with no offers. A shame, because it appears some of their offers are genuine (Ireland if you keep going that long actually had an offer like it said) and its the basics of a half decent site.

Oh well.. looks like Blakes go down in my estimation again, back to only booking with them when there is no other option. The holiday companies who do what they advertise and come across as professional with honorouble practices from the impression their website gives me will continue to get the majority of my holiday spend

Dan

[Guest]

Hi Dan

maybe you have to ring direct or ring blakes for they to take the discounts into affect but like you say it either should mention that on the site or should not offer the boat search on that particular page.

Jonny

[Dan]

No the offers are there on the applicable boats on offer, but it doesnt just bring up those on special offer, they are mixed in with themajority of full price holidays.

The other ones as raised in point two are not a special offer, unless a short break is a special offer by their standards as they are cheaper than a week!

Objective hat off.... some bits are much better. The site looks up to date and more in line with the competition, and when you click on a boat for the detail on the information is nicely laid out & looks good.

Dan

[Broads01]

I'm very much in agreement with you Dan. Very much style over substance in my view. Looks good, delivers nothing above it's predecessor website & nothing above what Blakes have offered previously.

[kadensa]

Just been perusing the Blakes site and I must say I found it to be possibly the most user unfriendly one I have come across in a long time. I'm afraid that should I have been trying to book a holiday, I would have given up and gone elsewhere.

A little off topic but does anyone know how long Blakes have been booking boats in Italy? The base at Chioggia which they are using, is rather surprising as I would imagine it is murder to get to in the summer, especially at weekends when most of Venice seems to descend on the town.

[Guest]

Ah posted this on the brochure thread and then spotted this one so moved it across.

Is it just me that is being thick or is the Blakes website totally hopeless?

Any search on any criteria for 2010 returns no hits. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Well not strictly true, just entering no criteria into the search got one boat for end October 09, but anything next year.

Is it a case of using the individual sites and manually making comparisons? What a pain if so.

[Broads01]

No, it's not you, I've always struggled with the Blakes site, before & after it was redesigned. Bizarre that it seems such a simple thing to get right but Blakes haven't yet managed it.