B10[mg]

It's fun to see how certain companies seem to embrace the whole Internet deal, while others seem to stay away from it; at least in the Netherlands.

When you want to make an appointment for a car repair, don't expect email work for you. My experience is that these companies don't care about email enough, and don't expect an answer within a day or three. The reply you finally will get, will be like "please give us a call".

Such a shame! These companies could put their entire calendar online, so you could easily see the first available spot and claim it for an appointment.

Other companies seem to get it right. Today I tried to get some information regarding houses (yes, I'll be moving someday soon ... hopefully). My seven emails, to seven different realtors were all replied within one hours. Of course, these realtors have seen the value of a website too. You can see the entire list of available houses online, with photos and what not. Some even offer mortgage calculators, maps of the area and everything that might be remotely interesting to their customers.

I believe not every company really needs a shiny website, yet most companies could benefit from one. A dentist could show the waiting list for appointments, with an easy contact form. Stores in general can place their special offers online. The least every company with an email address can do is reply within at least a day.