I wanted to sign up to be a dealer for a new product today so I decided to call the company directly. A nice receptionist answered the phone and advised me that the fastest way would be to fill out the online new dealer inquiry form. I filled out the form, clicked submit and it returned a very ugly error page. I tried a different browser but the error was the same.

So, I called the company back -but this time a different receptionist answered and advised me to print the form (which had quite a few drop-down menus), fill it out, and then fax it over. I mentioned that the form wasn't set up for that - but she said in an arrogant tone, "Well that's how other people do it when they get that error page."

Just for kicks and giggles, I decided to click the developer's link at the bottom of the website. After a quick visit, the first half of the mystery (the shoddy web work) was solved. The second half of the mystery (which will remain unsolved) has two parts:

1. Why is this obviously busy and well-funded company's website a piece of junk?
2. Why is this obviously busy and well-funded company putting up with a rude receptionist?

There's no excuse for broken forms on a basic website because the technology is too simple get right the first time and/or fix. Second, hire a firm to randomly call your company so they can rate the receptionists and customer service staff. Make sure that your staff is informed that this is company standard operating procedure and you'll find that their performance is more professional.