Most people scour the web for deals and occasionally they land on sites which look unprofessional with fake testimonials scattered all over the page. They may have some deals on products they're promoting on the site but it's always great to stay safe than be sorry. A legit site will always look Neat and professional so should you ever be tempted to swoop in on a deal on such a site . . . think twice or end up getting scammed.
Definitely. One thing I primarily look at in a shopping website before buying anything is the professionalism in the template of the website. Though take heed, I've bought from legit websites with bad layouts before, and I've been scammed by really professional-looking websites. It all helps to first search for reviews about the shop before actually hitting that buy button.
I'm very hesitant and skeptical whenever I land on a poorly designed site as well, especially if the products they are selling are fairly expensive. I'd only ever consider risking it if they were really the only online store that carries the products they sell, and even then I'd put in some hours of research before I even consider giving them my money. I'd be much more at ease if they offer Paypal as a payment method since PP at least has buyer protection, but I wouldn't rely solely on it for my safety.
Looks can be deceiving, you'll never know, professionally the website looks very good and seems legit, but you don't know that the admin is a scammer who plans on keeping the site up for only a month or less to take your money. While on the other hand, the unprofessional and poorly designed website is actually a legit one, and the admin is just cost cutting that's why it's poorly designed. So to be sure, always google the store's name and add the word "scam" in it, that should lead you to relevant results.
A poorly designed site is always a red flag for me. My motto on the internet is that trust is earned, not given, and an unprofessional website does nothing to earn my trust. Usually, I'll only stay on such a page for as long as it rakes me to find an exit button or to navigate away from it. Sending a message is half about presentation.
I definitely don't buy from sites like that. For all I know, maybe they ARE okay and I won't get scammed. I have no interest in buying from a company that can't even be bothered to buy a real website, though. No thanks!
Oh yes, I fully agree. The structure and design of a site tells you almost everything you need to know about a company. I can even overlook a few spelling mistakes, but not too many, when a site is otherwise properly presented. I realise that not everyone can hire a translator, and that sometimes a website designer can be so sure of himself that he doesn't think a spell check is necessary. Obviously it puts a dent into things, but I have risked buying from such sites and have not been disappointed.
It's a big no for me. Whenever I come across ugly sites I tend to either check on reviews first and sure enough they have a bad record, I'm having trouble trusting eBay and it's a legit site let alone another one with an ugly design.
It depends on the review on the site really, I tend to check on reviews first before anything else. But if the site really looks spammy or scammy then I wouldn't bite it. I would rather pay full price on something that I really can trust.
Looks have a lot to do with my decision in terms of online shopping...certainly there are some legit sites that don't look very clean and some scams that are dressed up in a professional package, but I find the basic look and workings of a site has a big effect on whether I *want* to shop there. No matter how nice it looks, I spend a fair amount of time looking into reviews and experiences, though, to be on the safe side.
Seeing websites that are poorly designed raise some questions. My first few thoughts would be if the website owner is asking for help. You know, with their business, their website design, or their customer rep services. Next is if it's intentional that the website is poorly designed because the company is on a tight budget. Or, is there something that is preventing the website from performing? I usually go through the products in a similar way I would an award-winning website.
I agree. It's definitely better safe than sorry. We all know that the internet is full of scams, and you should always be attentive and smart as to not be victimized by these online scams. However, I am not stereotyping that all poorly designed sites are not legit or not reliable, it's just that I would feel more secured if the site looks really professional.
We can't attribute a website's legitimacy through their web design... with that said, it's much more common, if a design is poor and badly done, that it is a fake or scam website. I find that when websites look iffy, it's because they usually are.
Poor website design will take most people away from the website as quickly as they came. A shoddy design and lack of security features on trusted websites, or the ability to pay on PayPal or a trusted secure connection is a sign that this site could be fake. Fake sites have kind of telltale traces, if you do a diagnostic of their security features that protect you (and them) and can verify (find business name on website and do records check for business license) that they are real business with the business name and business license in their home state and county. Verifying that a business is a real and has a real business license is probably the best way to make sure you do not get ripped off. Someone who is just going to rip people off rarely set up business licenses, because you can't really get away with much for very long that way.
If a site looks fake to me, I stay away. I also stay away from sites if they have too much text, text that goes on and on touting the product. I lost money like that once, sent my money in to get the product (I forget what it was now), and quickly found out that it was a scam. After I paid the money, I could no longer access certain places on the site. Could never get through to customer service. That taught me a lesson, the ever popular, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
You can get scammed on good-looking sites as well....But I certainly would never buy anything from a site that likes cheap and amateur. I just wouldn't be able to trust the quality of the product or service I'm buying, however much of a "bargain" it might appear to be.
I will admit that I am easily put off if a website is not as good a quality as I would have hoped that it would be. Because I feel as though if they were a reputable company, they would most likely want to put at least a little bit of effort into the way that their website looks. And, even if their intention isn't to scam people, I wouldn't want to put any money into a company who can't be bothered with their website, because it just looks as though they wouldn't bother to put any effort into the service that they give to me once I have parted with my money, either.
I agree, a poorly designed site usually sets off warning bells in my head. Reputable companies will always hire good graphic designers/web developers to create a web page. Another thing to lookout for is obvious spelling mistakes, unnecessary capitalized letters and excessive use of exclamation marks. I believe the scammers want to entice you using as many visuals as they can to get you to buy into their scam. Be skeptical people.
