Worst. Website. Ever.

(Actually, no, this is http://yvettesbridalformal.com/index.htm)

Hi there
I just wanted to make a few suggestions for the petsonthenet.co.nz website. I have used it a few times in the last couple of months and think it is a marvellous idea, and I know that the SPCA uses your site as its default website for advertising found animals or relocating lost ones.
I have to say though, as far as websites go, it is pretty atrocious. Your advanced search never seems be functioning, which can be extrememly frustrating as you are using this site to find a missing member of your family! It really is not good enough to say that it is just "Not Working". The only alternative is to use the keyword search and then scroll through a whole pile of ads which may or may not be from your area, or if you have used your area as a keyword, may not even be the species you have lost! Similarly you cannot seperate "lost" ads from "found" ones when you search this way. This is time wasted, and as you so point out on your list of tips, time is of the essence when searching for a lost pet. You sell advertising space on your website, use that money to pay someone fix the search function!

I also wanted to comment that your advertising is very strange. I'm not sure who comes up with your adverts, it may be nothing to do with you guys, but the ad for pet insurance at the top of the page has got to be the daftest ad I have ever seen on the internet. WHAT has a bowling ball knocking over pins got to do with pet insurance!? It doesn't even say anywhere on it that it is an ad for pet insurance, or indeed, the name of the company it is advertising. The person has actually click on the ad to find out what it is advertising, and only a limited number of people must do so, limiting the effectiveness of the ad. We are constantly told as web surfers not to click on untrustworthy links, and this ad seems like such a link! The graphics are hideous and it has to scroll in order to fit all the text in the box, it looks so gaudy and unprofessional. Again this advertising concept may have nothing to do with you guys, but it is at the top of the screen every time one loads up your site, and it makes the site look a bit cheap and therefore not entirely trustworthy. If I hadn't been told by the SPCA that they use your site to advertise then I would not have given it a second look. The rest of the website is similarly cheap looking in it's design and the font makes it look like one of those fake, formulaic search engine websites that pop up when you type your url wrong. see example. http://trademe.com/

I'm very sorry if all this comes across very unpleasant, I will continue to advertise lost/found animals on your site and recommend it to people who have lost or found animals, but it is such a shame to see such a brilliant idea fall down on a few basic things such as website maintenance and design.