Would you trust a business that only has a Facebook page and not a proper website?

[scubascuba3]

1 minute ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's not a matter of fraud/ dishonesty/ distrust to me but distrust of the companies' lack of professionalism. By all means companies can have an FB page and Instagram and Twitter but these are also time wasting toys. FB is rapidly being deserted by many people. I feel a business, out of respect for potential customers should have a real web site accessible to all.

Businesses are deserting websites and just using Facebook and or lazada shopee. As an example expat food shops in Pattaya all seem to use Facebook, maybe also Lazada etc. Thai websites have a history of being rubbish, poorly maintained, out of date

[Silencer]

In Thailand, yes. If high ticket items or service required, I would want additional data points (usually references or examples). Having said that, it is always a treat to find an informative and up-to-date webpage with more information.

[mahtin]

Metaphysics (Greek: μετά (meta)="after," φυσικά (phisiká)="those on nature," derived from the arrangement of Aristotle's works) is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of the most fundamental aspects of the world.

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Metaphysics

 

Hubris, Zuck.

[moogradod]

12 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The way I understand it Thai businesses do what Thai people do.

Lots of information only on fb. And often communication only with LINE.

Because somehow some people think everybody likes to use fb and LINE all the time.

.............

Spot on but shortsighted by "some people". Absolutely NO - not everybody likes to use fb and LINE. I use neither and would hate it if I needed to (my Stepdaughter loves it and she is proficient and happy to use it, besides Tik-Tok etc. etc. etc. - the usual suspects).

 

Restaurants without a proper homepage will have difficulties to attract me and my family as a customer - although there are exeptions.

Edited October 31, 2021 by moogradod

[vinny41]

57 minutes ago, The Hammer2021 said:

A basic professional looking website can be done for about 7k baht and requires no maintenance except renewing domain name every two years.

The website costs will largely depend on the type of business for example a website for solicitors only needs updating every time there are changes in the law where a business selling electronics may require daily updating

[OneMoreFarang]

36 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Spot on but shortsighted by "some people". Absolutely NO - not everybody likes to use fb and LINE. I use neither and would hate it if I needed to (my Stepdaughter loves it and she is proficient and happy to use it, besides Tik-Tok etc. etc. etc. - the usual suspects).

 

Restaurants without a proper homepage will have difficulties to attract me and my family as a customer - although there are exeptions.

So it seems those businesses concentrate on the 90+ % of people in Thailand who use fb and LINE but they won't get business from you. Do you think they care about you and the remaining < 10%?

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So it seems those businesses concentrate on the 90+ % of people in Thailand who use fb and LINE but they won't get business from you. Do you think they care about you and the remaining < 10%?

More like 99% of Thais use Line and FB ......... I'd not bother to advertise to old foreigners at all.

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's not a matter of fraud/ dishonesty/ distrust to me but distrust of the companies' lack of professionalism. By all means companies can have an FB page and Instagram and Twitter but these are also time wasting toys. FB is rapidly being deserted by many people. I feel a business, out of respect for potential customers should have a real web site accessible to all.

Westerners prefer websites Thais prefer facebook, line,lazada, shopee the majority of potential customers in Thailand are Thai's so most business's provide a shopping channel that suits the majority of their customers.

if businesses were to have a pricing structure for their websites and a lower pricing structure for their facebook, line,lazada, shopee pages I am sure the majority of people would purchase through the lower price pages rather than through the website

[JTXR]

If it involves a credit card transaction, I don't trust any business that doesn't have a website and a physical address and a telephone number.  I simply don't need anything being sold online by someone who doesn't have all of those.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's not a matter of fraud/ dishonesty/ distrust to me but distrust of the companies' lack of professionalism. By all means companies can have an FB page and Instagram and Twitter but these are also time wasting toys. FB is rapidly being deserted by many people. I feel a business, out of respect for potential customers should have a real web site accessible to all.

Yes but the thing is your applying your standards to those in a foreign country. So does not have to work this way. In the Netherlands companies would have their own website, in Thailand its different. So yes in the Netherlands it would make me worry, in Thailand not so much. 

 

I would look for other signs then having a website to test how professional someone is.

[robblok]

1 hour ago, moogradod said:

Spot on but shortsighted by "some people". Absolutely NO - not everybody likes to use fb and LINE. I use neither and would hate it if I needed to (my Stepdaughter loves it and she is proficient and happy to use it, besides Tik-Tok etc. etc. etc. - the usual suspects).

 

Restaurants without a proper homepage will have difficulties to attract me and my family as a customer - although there are exeptions.

But that is just you and some other Westerners we are just a small not so important market for Thais. Too bad that not many people accept this and expect people in foreign countries to adapt to what they want instead of the other way around.

 

For the record I don't use FB, i do use line. 

[recom273]

1 hour ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's not a matter of fraud/ dishonesty/ distrust to me but distrust of the companies' lack of professionalism. By all means companies can have an FB page and Instagram and Twitter but these are also time wasting toys. FB is rapidly being deserted by many people. I feel a business, out of respect for potential customers should have a real web site accessible to all.

Totally agree - I have had wars with my architect, he refuses to use email and spends hours flipping through LINE messages of various clients to show photos - i demo how my email is searchable, he has an iPad Pro and doesn’t use the notes app. I had to ban his account from my wife’s because he kept on sending stupid emojis and religious pics .. infact my solicitor does that too. 

 

Doesn’t have website, but to his credit whenever he posts a pic on FB, he is mobbed with comments and likes but very few convert to sales. I see something I like on a design or photo and he deletes it a month later to generate new likes and spends 15 mins skipping through his phone to find it again.  
 

it took two weeks of scheduling, messing up, lost passwords and rescheduling to get him on a first zoom meeting. 

 

When my current job dries up I’m going to build him a decent site to use in my portfolio as a web designer. 
 

I try not to think, I just have a feeling Thai people don’t see the worth of digital organisation. 

[moogradod]

Just now, robblok said:

But that is just you and some other Westerners we are just a small not so important market for Thais. Too bad that not many people accept this and expect people in foreign countries to adapt to what they want instead of the other way around.

 

For the record I don't use FB, i do use line. 

Yes this is just me, or do you want me to speak as an advocate for the majority of people whose ideas I do not follow ? I accept very well the ways of my host countries - have been living in many different places around the world for extended periods of time and I have done quite well I think in all of them. I do not expect from anybody to adapt to my view of things. I speak 6 languages by the way. So far for adaption which you seem to lack from my answer above.

[moogradod]

44 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

So it seems those businesses concentrate on the 90+ % of people in Thailand who use fb and LINE but they won't get business from you. Do you think they care about you and the remaining < 10%?

Not at all.

[sirineou]

Yes you should as much as you trust any other business. 

Not every business has the recourses to maintain a website. 

 

Sorry if others have said the same  before me, but I could not be bothered to read such a thread. 

[robblok]

13 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Yes this is just me, or do you want me to speak as an advocate for the majority of people whose ideas I do not follow ? I accept very well the ways of my host countries - have been living in many different places around the world for extended periods of time and I have done quite well I think in all of them. I do not expect from anybody to adapt to my view of things. I speak 6 languages by the way. So far for adaption which you seem to lack from my answer above.

Just that some people seem to think that Thais should have websites and menus to attract the relatively small foreign market. I mean it costs them more to keep a website updated and reply to stuff then what it could gain them. 

 

Im like you that i don't use facebook and just don't buy from facebook websites as I don't have facebook. But I don't moan about it and expect them to change and suit my needs. (for the record im not saying you are doing this).

 

[stupidfarang]

In Thailand companys really have a website, they use FB, LINE etc Even with a website I still am carful and that applys in any country. Scams are not just happening here

[PETERTHEEATER]

I am not a BookFace user. I often see reports of Government Ministers who have published official information on 'their' BookFace page, that's enough warning for me.

 

In other news, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are to merge creating a new platform named YouTwitFace....

[LennyW]

Websites are old hat, apps are the way to go now for small and big business's.

[moogradod]

16 minutes ago, robblok said:

Just that some people seem to think that Thais should have websites and menus to attract the relatively small foreign market. I mean it costs them more to keep a website updated and reply to stuff then what it could gain them. 

 

Im like you that i don't use facebook and just don't buy from facebook websites as I don't have facebook. But I don't moan about it and expect them to change and suit my needs. (for the record im not saying you are doing this).

 

No, I do not expect that they suit my needs although it would be nice from my point of view. And for the "moaning": This TVF is many times just that, but you could call it just "opinion". Otherwise I could have just remained silent. Applies to other topics as well apart from subjects where concrete useful information is exchanged. The rest is personal opinion - and absolutely no harm intended - at least not from myself. Sometimes amazing to see how agressive some posters react.

[hotchilli]

On 10/31/2021 at 12:23 AM, The Hammer2021 said:

Would you trust a business that 'only' has a Facebook page and not a proper website? I don't. It shows a lack of professionalism and ignores the fact that many people just don't like, want, need or use Facebook.

I don't trust anything that's advertised on FB.... full stop.

[1FinickyOne]

It really depends on what they are selling - if it is dog food and I am going to pick up a bag of pedigree at their home, who cares... if it is give me your C.C... nope. 

[Bangkok Barry]

If the OP is talking about Thai businesses, then they use FB because Thais use it more than any other country in the world bar one - which I assume is the USA. My experience has been that those sites are usually very responsive to messages. I can't remember ever actually buying from a business on FB (except an ad for a fake USB which PayPal got involved with to 'negotiate' me a refund), but for asking a question I've had no problems. Very different to handing over money, of course.

[AgMech Cowboy]

Makes no difference to me. I have researched a number of companies with Facebook pages only. It depends on what I need and the business involved.

 

For instance, I buy freeze dried fruit from 2 different facebook page companies. One of them also has a webpage. I originally order product using their webpage. I got no response (oh dung). I contacted them on their facebook page and completed the transaction without any more problems. (I never got an explanation about the webpage).

[bbko]

Why would small businesses pay and try to maintain a webpage when FB is free and easy. 

Also big places like hospitals use FB so they can give up-to-date information without having to go through their webmaster. 

If you're judging a place only because it uses FB, I'd say you're doing it wrong.

 

Edit; if you're talking about shopping/giving credit card info through FB, I wouldn't do it.

Edited November 1, 2021 by bbko

[wombat]

On 10/31/2021 at 12:23 AM, The Hammer2021 said:

people just don't like, want, need or use Facebook.

you are lucky you use FB and found them....what other people do is well, up to them

[Scott Tracy]

Investigating some opportunities, I came across a Facebook business page that linked a website.

 

the Facebook page was great, lots of info, videos...I

Last posting was 2015.I

The linked website did not exist. Website address was available to buy....

 

Trust, but verify and caveat emptor. Etc...

[smutcakes]

21 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

It's not a matter of fraud/ dishonesty/ distrust to me but distrust of the companies' lack of professionalism. By all means companies can have an FB page and Instagram and Twitter but these are also time wasting toys. FB is rapidly being deserted by many people. I feel a business, out of respect for potential customers should have a real web site accessible to all.

Having a website and maintaining it can be expensive and time consuming especially for small traders, who often may have no  knowledge on developing and maintaining a website or indeed anyone who they can turn to develop one. For many it is probably not economic to do and does is not worthwhile when you look at the cost/benefit.

 

The vast vast majority of Thais seem to be adept at using Facebook, both sellers and buyers and you can get all the information you need from the facebook page. Obviously larger companies have real websites- but in this day and age for so many small businesses it just does not seem necessary.

 

The World is moving on- get with the times Gramps.

[KhunLA]

To the topic headline, sure, why not, as I'll do my due diligence and research the vendor.  If not finding any info / reviews / ratings, then probably give them a pass.  Depends on the product and cost of, if will to chance purchase of.

 

Usually go with tried & tested vendors, with refund & warranty protection.  So far, so good.

 

Also have bought & sold via FB, and, so far, so good.????

[The Hammer2021]

On 10/31/2021 at 4:08 AM, soi3eddie said:

Often, a Thai business (mostly restaurants or bars) will only have a Facebook page as their online presence. As a potential customer I would like to see what they offer but not if it means having to have Facebook and be forced to log in to view their property/service. Why can't these places have a simple website (pictures, text, menus, prices, contact or booking page)? It often loses them my business as I move on to another establishment that has a regular website.

I agree. They are ignoring all those potential customers who don't have FB. That is ignorance. Thus I do not trust such businesses to be effective, efficient or professional.