Swobo's obnoxious website.

[Mexican Street Dog]

I looked up the Swobo site the other day and it would not let me in unless I gave it my e-mail address. I give my e-mail address to alot of websites but only when I am looking for something in return, buying something or signing up for something. I just wanted to look at the Folsom, the way I do every few months. I'm not gonna give my e-mail just to look at the site, not that important.

Does anyone else find that obnoxious? Does anyone have Swobo's e-mail address? I'll trade 'em, but them first! I wonder how many hits they are getting, maybe it's just me...

[bikemig]

Totally agree. I was going to check out their website since I was thinking of buying one of their bikes. Having to give up my e-mail to access the site, totally turned me off. This is a radically stupid idea.

[mulveyr]

It sounds like a fine way to ensure you piss off potential customers, who will never consider returning.

[DX-MAN]

Wow, judgmental -- how about this, THEY'RE NOT READY YET, and when they are, they'll hit you back. That's how I read it.

[commo_soulja]

The way I saw it...

They're working on their website to update with upcomming products they're developing.

The "asking for an email addy" is probably just to build a list for marketing. Hopefully they don't spam with that info.

You don't like it, don't do it. Simple

[bobotech]

Not a cool website at all. Alienate your potential customers. Way to go!

If your company is up and coming, make a teaser website with pictures and stuff that show things upcoming and just have links like "our products" go to pages that explain when the products should be coming out and give the OPTION to the customer to put in their email address if they so desire. But at least have the website mostly functional with decent About/Products/Support/etc links even if they just say that they aren't live yet.

But to even just visit the site at all and be forced to put in an email addy, no farking way.

[wahoonc]

I used a fake email...

Aaron

[shelbyfv]

There is a nice website called Tennessee Watchable Wildlife, helps id birds, snakes, other varmints. They have just started requiring email address to access the site. It was operated by a state agency. Maybe they have "privatized" it now, trying to sell something. Pretty annoying.

[njkayaker]

I think it's a junk website. Don't enter your email address into it.

https://swobo.wufoo.com/forms/w7x1p5/

If it's not a junk/spam/fake website, it sure looks like one! What the hell is "wufoo"???

The following use to work until recently.

www.swobo.com

There is no excuse for a company not to have their own domain name!

[wphamilton]

The way I saw it...

They're working on their website to update with upcomming products they're developing.

The "asking for an email addy" is probably just to build a list for marketing. Hopefully they don't spam with that info.

You don't like it, don't do it. Simple

"spamming" is synonymous with "email list for marketing."

But it's not as if the business has a legitimate discretionary right to use your email address that way. If you don't like it, and are willing to go to the trouble, go ahead with it using a scratch address and when they do spam turn them in. They'll stop soon enough, from that site at least.

[Trek4Life]

There's nothing on the other side of that door, OP. Like the others have said, they are reworking the site and providing a landing page to communicate with the folks that want to be the first to know. If you don't, then cool. Just check back later to see the new stuff. Personally I need to replace some of my Swobo shirts and I want a Folsom too. Can't wait!

I looked up the Swobo site the other day and it would not let me in unless I gave it my e-mail address. I give my e-mail address to alot of websites but only when I am looking for something in return, buying something or signing up for something. I just wanted to look at the Folsom, the way I do every few months. I'm not gonna give my e-mail just to look at the site, not that important.

Does anyone else find that obnoxious? Does anyone have Swobo's e-mail address? I'll trade 'em, but them first! I wonder how many hits they are getting, maybe it's just me...

[Trek4Life]

Wufoo is a legit site, check it out. http://www.wufoo.com/ Lots of companies use it. Swobo.com will stay that way when it's turned back on.

[njkayaker]

Wufoo is a legit site, check it out. http://www.wufoo.com/ Lots of companies use it. Swobo.com will stay that way when it's turned back on.

It a legitimate site but it's completely asinine for a business to use it for their main website. There's no excuse not to have something (even something basic) at swobo.com.

How do customers really know that it's the company?

[Joe Swobo]

Hi All - with regards to the Swobo.com site, we are simply rebuilding the site and this is a landing page until we re-launch which is targeted for 6/15. We took over the brand last year from SCB and have been focused on developing product, rebuilding old gear, moving suppliers, finding new contract manufactures and moving design, sales and a new warehouse. We are a family-run business, run by a second-generation bicycle family and very focused on bring this killer brand back from the dead. Yes, we are collecting names of interested parties while the main site is down, we do make and sell product and did not inherit a usable customer database when we got Swobo - most likely why this is version 3.0 for the company. The response since posting the wufoo site has been overwhelmingly positive, takes one more thing off our plate as we focus on ensuring success. We have moved bicycle production to a smaller group of craftsmen in Taiwan that have incredible attention to detail and quality, summer jerseys to Italy from China, wool gear/apparel from Fiji back the USA (Colorado specifically)… it certainly isn't less expensive or easier, but because these were important to us as new operators and make the best quality Swobo has ever had.

[GiantDefyGuy]

I'm hoping that someone finally realized that their old site sucked pretty bad, and this is them starting over. It was almost impossible to navigate the old site.

I like Swobo because they invented the best jersey material EVER.....that 753 material. I have 4 of those jerseys, and they're my favorite ones. I'm hoping to see more of these when the new site comes up. Actually, I may put my name on the list thing even though the 753 jersey is probably the only thing I'm interested in.

[GiantDefyGuy]

I can also confirm that there is no website after the email thing. It just says "you're in." and they promise not to spam you.

[njkayaker]

Hi All - with regards to the Swobo.com site, we are simply rebuilding the site and this is a landing page until we re-launch which is targeted for 6/15.

This is a dumb way to do this.

Have a "landing site" at swobo.com. That's what any competent company would do!

What you are doing is weird and weird for no good reason. It looks sort of like a hijack.

[Joe Swobo]

It a legitimate site but it's completely asinine for a business to use it for their main website. There's no excuse not to have something (even something basic) at swobo.com.

How do customers really know that it's the company?

Thanks for the input njkayaker - we had our web dude host it on our main site.