Crazy Or What - beta testers needed

Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 12:00
Last edited 04/02/2016 - 21:26 by 1 other user

No no, we are not another daily deals site because our deals run for as long as we have stock, and crazily enough, we run the deals again a few months later. And we restrict the number of vouchers sold (hmmm, so maybe the deals won't last, sorry) and we will only re-list the deal once a majority of those vouchers are redeemed or expired. Oh oh, and the vouchers are supplied by our restaurants/hotels so even if we disappear, your vouchers are still valid because we paid for it! And if we and our supplier disappears? Well, ummm, that's just plain silly because we discourage you from buying too far away from when you need to use the vouchers because, you know, the deal will be re-listed!

Adding to our silly ideas, we have restricted the site to members only. That means, you can only register if an existing member refers you to the site. Is that crazy or what??!!

The main idea is, when you feel like eating out, or going on holidays (at your convenience), go to our site, make your purchase and then use your voucher right away. As we limit the number of vouchers per restaurant/hotel, we will be constantly rotating them so you get to sample a wide variety of places.

To make this successful, we hope to get the right mix of products and services to make you want to come back all the time. We are in need of beta testers who can give us feedback on whether the mix is right and how to improve our service offerings.

The beta site is located here http://192.185.123.111/~xposurem/cow/. Please PM me if you want a referral code to register to see pricing etc. Please bear in mind, it is still in beta, so we have not loaded all the product offerings, and we have kept a few details hidden.

Thanks for reading this far - you have much more patience than I do!

EDIT: For the beta testers, please do not post pricing here. Thanks :)

EDIT 2: Thank you for everyone who have responded. We feel we now have enough testers to gauge whether we have the right product mix or not. Can you please provide feedback, either through PM or just post here. Those that already made accounts will retain them once we go live. Thanks again for your help!

EDIT 3: Sorry, the developers have migrated the server last night and only informed me this morning. Updated server details as above.

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closed Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 11/11/2013 - 13:21

    A referral code is required to sign up….???

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 13:33

      Yes, it all sounds extremely silly but there is a reason for that. We operate in a niche - our majority of members will be on staff purchasing programmes. If we had a very similar business model to everyone else, there would be no incentive for a vendor like Lenovo to offer us exclusive pricing levels.

      For products that we can openly advertise, we already provide this to other online retailers, so we do not need to compete with our own wholesale clients.

      • [Deactivated] on 11/11/2013 - 14:05

        So can you give me a code so I can test out the site?

        • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 14:09

          Sure! Do you mind sending me a PM? Thanks

  • c64 on 11/11/2013 - 13:22
    +3

    Adding to our silly ideas, we have restricted the site to members only

    pfft, sounds like the recipe for failure. the group buy market is competitive enough as it is.

    • ozhunter on 11/11/2013 - 13:31

      That means, you can only register if an existing member refers you to the site. Is that crazy or what??!!

      Also this

      • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 13:36

        I think one example should, hopefully, illustrate why we have gone down this path. If you recall, one online retailer was selling a TV at an extremely low price and caused a huge stir amongst the vendors and major retailers. Let's just say, we don't think that etailer will be getting any more of those deals any time soon, although if they do, good on them!

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 13:59

      I would like to think that we are a hybrid retailer/group buy site. We keep a majority of our products in our own warehouse, and we pay for all vouchers purchased by our customers, whether the vouchers are redeemed or not.

      Our vouchers are to be used like gift vouchers! We do not do business with restaurants or hotels that provide unfair terms and conditions.

      At the end of the day, we are confident our deals are good enough, and are sustainable enough, for our existing members to refer family and friends to the site. We also allow commenting on individual deals, so our members can share their experiences with the particular service provider, and even if it is a bad experience, it is more a reflection of the service provider's level of service than our own.

  • mskeggs on 11/11/2013 - 13:52

    PM'd.
    I'm all in favour of new avenues to score bargains. If this turns out to be one, great.
    OP, do staff purchasing programmes usually pay for these sort of things, or is the attraction the good deals for their staff, and the vendors getting well qualified marketing leads?

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 14:03

      Usually, it is more to do with meeting the various criteria that the corporates place on each deal. Corporates like Telstra really look after their staff when it comes to trying to find deals/incentives, so there is really no cost in promoting products to their purchasing programmes as long as it is a legitimate and significant cost savings. Vendors love these programmes because it is a channel that does not clash with their existing distributors and retailers, so they can really go low on pricing to get the sell through.

  • fertiliser on 11/11/2013 - 16:20
    +6

    the way you have written your post makes me never want to use your site.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 16:56
      -1

      It's supposed to be a fun post on a serious matter. I guess I have a strange sense of humour.

      • SirFlibbled on 12/11/2013 - 16:50
        +1

        I just comes off as you're trying too hard.

        • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 12/11/2013 - 16:59

          Perhaps so but the site is called Crazy Or What.

  • surftattoo on 11/11/2013 - 16:29

    Please send me login details for the site.

    Thanks.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 16:57

      I'm sorry, do you mind PMing me with your long term account?

      • surftattoo on 12/11/2013 - 09:32
        +2

        What's a 'long term account'???

        You are making people unnecessarily confused.

        Just reply with the login details here. It's really not that hard!

  • aripper on 11/11/2013 - 18:05
    +1

    If members must refer a new member….. who was the original member and how did they get referred? Like… what came first - the chicken or the egg? And why is it presented as a restricted access organisation. We have to make an application to view what you are offering? Seriously? Are you deliberately aiming yourself at the "super inquisitive" shopaholics who cant resist finding out what they could be missing out on?

    No business can succeed in that format, unless there is an undisclosed agenda. Open and accountable businesses and organisations disclose a workable reason for their existence and don't offer a "trust me" for how they operate Whatever the reason, we should not be blamed for exercising caution. Got to agree with mattgal earlier.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 18:21

      As I have stated in one of the replies, our original client base are staff purchasing programmes. Before we transfer such a large base over to our site, we plan to make a small launch with a smaller group of people. There will be times when we will have recruitment drives on specialty places - for example, here at Ozbargain, so we will release referral codes for a short period.

      Those in the industry will understand this, as part of an agreement with manufacturers for their subsidised pricing for products, we are obligated not to make our pricing available publicly. If we were a typical deals site, the manufacturers would not need us as they can easily deal with a host of significantly larger sites already available. We operate in a niche but the benefit is, our members will get access to wholesale prices.

      And as previously mentioned, we already have online retailers as our client, so ahem we are trying to discourage any of their staff on joining our site. (sorry Liz!)

    • SirFlibbled on 12/11/2013 - 16:55
      +1

      Ever see that episode of South Park where Cartman started a nightclub but didn't let anyone in? Word got out about how exclusive it was and everyone wanted to go. Same concept.

      I think OzSale has the right balance. It's only 'exclusive' to the extent that you sign up.

      • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 13/11/2013 - 13:30

        I understand where people find concerns with what we do, but as I have said in other replies, we have avenues to sell to when we have products that have no restrictions on how they are to be advertised. We will continue to get the deals we get because of our target demographics. There is no point in creating exclusivity for exclusivity sake.

        I believe our prices are already the lowest in the market.

  • rack on 11/11/2013 - 19:31
    +2

    You know what i don't like is the fact i have to wait 2 days for the account to be activated. I also don't like the fact i have to supply my address, phone number etc linked to a referral code you have provided. It seems you'll be the know it all of whos who on ozbargain. I have used fake details to sign up and if i am happy with the website on then will i update those details. Not happy providing so many details to a random stranger who's asking people to test their site, no offense.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 19:36

      None taken. The registration process is the official process when the site goes live, except with a lot more funky graphics when you receive the email confirmations. When the site does go live, all we really care about is that you provide us with the correct contact details if we need to provide you with an update on an order. Our privacy policy will state that explicitly.

      PS: It is up to 2 days, but in reality, we will activate your account within 30mins if everything checks out. By the way, your account is activated so enjoy!

  • gimli on 11/11/2013 - 20:31

    this has potential

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 11/11/2013 - 20:41

      Thank you jubba for having a look around. What are your thoughts on ease of use and the mixture of deals? Did we get the message across regarding Moo Points (even though we haven't really posted anything on it yet).

  • camelgrass on 12/11/2013 - 05:58

    So you are saying that you currently operate your business as a wholesale supplier to online retailers, as well as the business of facilitating staff purchasing programmes.

    The reason you are starting this site is to create another channel for your business through which to sell your products at wholesale prices without upsetting your current retail clients, hence the closed nature of membership and the apparent secrecy of products and pricing if you are not a member. I find it difficult to understand how this would work in the long term when you have a large member base and your retail clients start asking questions, especially when you start doing recruitment drives on sites like OzBargain.

    At the same time your strategy is to increase revenue and diversify your business by offering a ''deals'' type website where you can offer other products like restaurant and hotel deals.

    I don't think you are going to want to dictate to members when they should be using their vouchers and I also don't believe they will naturally use them sooner then later just because you are rotating your deals more regularly. The vouchers are supplied directly by the restaurant/hotel? That is more work for them. The reason that merchants are attracted to the current deal sites is that everything is done for them. They receive a quick and easy injection of capital while getting on with their day to day business activity, without any significant time or money outlay.

    Please correct me if I have not understood you properly.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 12/11/2013 - 11:00

      We have been doing closed deals for the past few years now, offering products to staff purchasing programmes on specific landing pages with the obvious problem that once the promotion is over, we do not retain any clients. Our site is just an extension of this business model with the added benefit of retaining customers.

      Target and Harvey Norman has a target demographics, and there are products that vendors will offer to one and not the other. We are defining our demographics in the online space, as a majority of our customers are staff that work in large corporates. We think ozbargainers are invaluable because there is a need for critical examination of each deal, and we highly encourage members to share their experiences through our commenting system.

      In terms of vouchers, we purchase the gift vouchers directly from our suppliers and send it to you. We do this to protect as it is their valid currency, which you can redeem regardless of whether we still exist or not. I would hope this adds a layer of comfort for our members.

      In short, we are essentially an online staff purchasing programme tool.

  • surftattoo on 12/11/2013 - 09:35
    -4

    I hope sm007h has a lot of money to waste, because his existing business model will not make enough money to support him or family paying $380 p/w Rent, unless he is a 17 years old that lives with his parents.

    • bondy28 on 12/11/2013 - 12:59
      +1

      How about constructive criticism buddy. Your comment lacks anything even closely resembling the OzBargaining spirit.

  • aripper on 12/11/2013 - 16:27
    +4

    "Did we get the message across regarding Moo Points (even though we haven't really posted anything on it yet)" ????
    "and crazily enough" ~ " Is that crazy or what??!!" ~ "Yes, it all sounds extremely silly" ~ "we have kept a few details hidden" ~ "Adding to our silly ideas, we have restricted the site to members only" ~ "It's supposed to be a fun post on a serious matter. I guess I have a strange sense of humour"………

    Come on…. I like to take people at their word… but your words are bewildering in the extreme.

    • waltermann on 17/11/2013 - 11:28
      +1

      Here is a potential response for this comment:

      "Our company culture is all about fun and excitement and our team is made up of many crazy personalities! But when we get down to business, we get serious and we deliver. We hope you can give us a chance and see what we have to offer on our website. Thank you, XXX"

      PS: I am not the rep of CoW

  • rekabkram on 12/11/2013 - 23:00
    +1

    Site seems to have gone down already.

    Not overly impressed, it's a rehash of every other group buy website. Some decent electronics but the prices aren't mind blowing, when I saw Telstra mentioned I hoped that maybe they were trying something a little different. Maybe offering contract deals or something but nope same old, same old.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 13/11/2013 - 02:59

      Sorry, as I have mentioned, this is still in beta, so the site is sitting on the web developer's machine and not a proper hosting company yet.

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 13/11/2013 - 13:37

      It seems we cannot please you with the lowest prices for current model electrical prices, and significant savings on accommodation and other services which are not limited to "daily deals".

      • fertiliser on 13/11/2013 - 15:04
        +1

        if you are that confident with your prices being the "lowest", please post a few here for critique

        • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 14/11/2013 - 10:56

          Whilst I appreciate your doubts, members can simply log into the site and verify my claims. If our prices are not good, we will not retain members and there is a very limited number of false claims before you lose credibility.

  • waltermann on 17/11/2013 - 11:14
    +1

    Take it or leave it, my 2c:

    1. Detract yourself from ownership
      Whilst we pretty much figured you own this business and is potentially the sole owner, we would like to think you actually employ a team of people, have an office, warehouse and a strong foundation in this industry. You probably do but this needs to be delivered better.
      Suggestions: Reply less often, use less "I/my", use more "our/we/us", keep replies more objective-based

    2. Customer is always right, even when they are wrong
      The moment you are baited to reply to hateful comments puts you in a vulnerable state of defence. It is important to reply to people and value every customer's opinions but unless you can change their opinion with strong evidence (positively), then it's better to refrain from replying until you can. Or better yet, let the community judge/reply that hater, you don't always need to be the one dealing justice.

    3. Focus on strengths
      Your biggest strengths right now is your claim that you have proven track record within this industry (but just expanding to online), big brands on your website (SONY/Samsung), good website design/interface. Put those brands in-your-face to the customers and provide a statement that you can withhold "Beat regular retails by 20% in price!". That said, it's obvious that this can stab you in the back if your claim fails to be backed but it at least communicates a strong message AND makes people talking abt the validity of this statement. If you can back 75% of this claim, you have won.

    4. MOO Points
      Perhaps I didn't browse your website enough but the most I was able to get from this is a bunch of restrictions and forfeiting actions to my precious MOO points. Push all the restraining statements at the bottom of your T&C and put more about what you can do with + how to get more MOO points more upfront.

    5. Referral System
      This is pretty much the only thing that sets you and your competitors apart. Keep this, ignore ppl bashing you about it, they will still go through the extra mile to be "in" on your website because they have to satisfy their curiosity. If you successfully keep them happy and live up to their expectations AND BEYOND, they will tell your tale to the whole world because they are now SPECIAL people that is on your exclusive/VIP website. Same concept to if you bought a Toyota for huge amount, you wouldn't bash Toyota when people ask you about it. Instead, even if you think otherwise, you will tell them you love it and they should get one too. In this example, Toyota has become an expansion of their own individuality.

    In your real launch, you have to give a decent incentives (enough to get people working for it) and restriction (enough to create a feeling of empowerment/VIP) for referrals. If I'm not mistaken you will be providing MOO points for referrals and MOO points will be used to get extra discounts. In that case, please be more clear about what MOO points does.

    Finally, in alignment with your "crazy yet serious" approach, your reply to this comment should be "Thank you Waltermann, we are very happy to hear from you! Your feedback is very much appreciated and we will keep your suggestions in mind on our next update. Please stay tuned with us until then! =)"

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 17/11/2013 - 20:38

      Great feedback - thanks for that! Although I typed about eight paragraphs in my reply, I decided it was just too long and not really important.

      The main thing is, everything we do with this site is to cater for our existing staff purchasing programmes. Our real launch will be a boring affair - it will be based on one of the deals for staff of one of our clients.

      As we allow feedback to be placed on each deal, Ozbargainers will be a great addition to our member base because most here are not hesitant to make comments (whether negative or positive). Hence the reason why we thought it was a good idea to sign up some Ozbargainers as our beta testers. So, this members only thing isn't really to pique people's curiosity.

      And Waltermann, people can see for themselves that your feedback is invaluable and only a numbskull would ignore what you say, so thank you again.

  • aripper on 18/11/2013 - 00:23

    to sm007h. All the trouble waltermann went to with his solid advice and you respond with comments like:

    "I decided it was just too long and not really important"
    "everything we do with this site is to cater for our existing staff purchasing programmes"
    "Our real launch will be a boring affair"
    "only a numbskull would ignore what you say"

    Negative statements all - isn't that ignoring waltermann's advice?

    • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 18/11/2013 - 01:40

      Sorry aripper, what I meant was, my reply was way too long and probably too boring for most people. I was planning to send him a private message instead but found out he has disabled that (by then, I had already deleted my original long winded answer).

      But I merely wanted to summarise the main points, which is we are specifically catering for our main business, so our decisions are based on that. There are a few that have questioned why it is members only and various other questions - but if put the primary focus as the staff purchasing programmes, you will understand why we do it that way.

      So our launch is really business as usual for us. What I have been implying throughout is if our deals were not good enough, the large corporates would not promote the deals to their staff, and the deals have to be exclusive.

  • Associatedsm007h @ Crazy Or What on 18/11/2013 - 20:41

    In anticipation of tomorrow's Paypal integration, we will be releasing one product exclusively to Sydney based Ozbargainers. We are offering the LG 50PH6700 3D plasma TV for $739 inc (free delivery Sydney wide). This is brand new, official Australian stock with full warranty from LG.

    Please PM me to reserve one and I will send you a referral code tomorrow. Only 12 available.

    Just in case someone asks, this is one of the deals we usually offer to our retailers as there is little restrictions to how we sell this product.

    • bahgain on 28/11/2013 - 14:34

      That's cheap!

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