Lulu.com updated its website a week ago ... and since then, they have been experiencing ‘difficulties’. For example, if you search for my books, some of them have no photograph of the book’s cover.
Of greater concern to me, however, is the fact that none of my book sales data has ‘migrated’ to the new website. As a result, I have no idea how many books I have sold since last month ... or since I published my first book some years ago. Lulu.com has put out a general online statement to the effect that they know that there is a problem, and that they are working to solve it.
I’ve now received the following message from Lulu.com:
Of greater concern to me, however, is the fact that none of my book sales data has ‘migrated’ to the new website. As a result, I have no idea how many books I have sold since last month ... or since I published my first book some years ago. Lulu.com has put out a general online statement to the effect that they know that there is a problem, and that they are working to solve it.
I’ve now received the following message from Lulu.com:
‘Dear Lulu Author,The last sentence is rather pointless, as any attempt to contact the support team only elicits a standard response. He is the one I received:
During our site updates, we unintentionally introduced a pricing change to some existing projects that participate in our Global Distribution service.
This change has been rolled back and the proper pricing should be reflected.
We apologize for any confusion this may have caused and appreciate your patience.
If you have any additional questions, please contact our support team for individual assistance.’
‘Dear Robert,I can never understand why companies that have websites that are perfectly satisfactory feel the need to change them quite so drastically, especially if the replacement is not properly ready to replace the existing one. I always used to tell my IT students to test, test, and test again before letting any program, application, or website go 'live' ... and I give the same advice to fledgling wargame designers. Despite this being a common refrain amongst those people I have known who are involved in the IT industry, companies still persist in moving over to 'new and improved' online products that just don't function properly.
Thank you for contacting us. Though this is an automated response, your inquiry is of utmost importance, and we created case 02477819 for you. Please read the following important information carefully.
Since Lulu's upgrade on Saturday, we are experiencing higher than normal volumes of cases. This update was the largest we’ve ever done and like any technical endeavor of this size, there are often complications that can’t be anticipated. Despite our careful preparation, a couple of these issues have gotten the best of us right now. We have been working around the clock to fix any outstanding bugs and answer the inquiries submitted to our support team.
If you're reporting product availability issues, know that these are our highest priorities and our team is working to resolve as quickly as possible.
If you are not able to log in, please try again and reset your password.
Additionally, there is a current import of millions of products and images that will resolve product availability issues over the next few days. We assure you all data will be available.
We are aware that your projects may not display the cover image on the projects overview page. The missing cover images will not impact the files on your project as the cover file itself does exist. Your published project is still available for purchase if it has a Add to Cart button.
Author Spotlight links that were not working before should now be fixed.
Creator revenue and sales data is in the process of being migrated and will be available soon as well.
This case will now be marked as resolved. However, if your question or issue is not answered with this update, please reply to this email to reopen your case.
If you are inquiring about your order or other issues not listed above, your case will remain open and a support agent will respond to you.
Check out our page Get To Know The New Lulu to learn how our site has changed and what's coming soon!
Thank you so much for your patience.
Kind regards,
Customer Support
Lulu Press, Inc.’
Bob,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear of your problems with Lulu.
It's all very well to call for "test, test, test" - and you are right to do so - but my experience is that the difficulty is more often with the management, who typically lack the technical training to really understand what is going on and who are not always prepared to listen to predictions of disaster. Everything gets tied up in PR and people's reputations and the the testing has to fit in with the deadline rather than vice versa.
You may recall the huge mess that TSB made of their system migration a couple of years ago. It is instructive to read the report on this at https://www.tsb.co.uk/news-releases/slaughter-and-may/slaughter-and-may-report.pdf (or at least the executive summary - the whole is about 250 pages).
As to why companies replace their websites, sometimes it is necessary as the old one is no longer fit for purpose, or support for the underlying technology is ending. Failure to update can be a problem: for example, Smashworlds is one of Lulu's competitors in publishing e-books and is constantly being slagged off by authors for the deficiencies of its website (which is clearly driving its author customers to use other organisations).
However, as you feel that Lulu's website was perfectly satisfactory this does not justify them making changes. As a customer aiming to buy books from them I have found that side of their site a but clumsy and feel sure that it could be done rather better (though probably by small incremental changes that can easily be rolled back).
Mike Hall,
DeleteYou are right about who drives changes like this. It tends to be those people who have the least knowledge and understanding of how customers (and frontline staff) use the website and software, but who are seduced by the idea that change (especially if it has more bells and whistles) equals better.
One problem that big institutions like banks have is their dependency upon legacy systems. Eventually they have to change to newer systems, and trying to migrate data over without it becoming lost is a major problem. My brother was involved in one such project, and was under constant pressure to get it done quicker and with fewer staff. The number of on-site staff he did have to do the work was gradually eroded, only to be replaced by contract staff based in India. It was a nightmare ... but after several near misses, the transition was eventually successful.
Lulu.com will get things sorted out, but how long it will take them is anyone’s guess. I hope that when the new website is up and running, it will be easy for both customers and authors to use. As I already have my next book in the planning stage, the sooner it is fixed, the better!
All the best,
Bob
I read this by Mike above and wondered if we were talking about websites or public health issues:
Delete“ It's all very well to call for "test, test, test" - and you are right to do so - but my experience is that the difficulty is more often with the management, who typically lack the technical training to really understand what is going on and who are not always prepared to listen to predictions of disaster. Everything gets tied up in PR and people's reputations and the the testing has to fit in with the deadline rather than vice versa.”
Nundanket,
DeleteI will resist the great temptation to make a reply to your comment ... but I will say that it could be read that way.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteWe are creatures of habit-and when something changes drastically and it does not work properly or meet our expectations- We become anxious, frustrated and at wits end! I do hope Lulu can overcome it's problems so that you can relax and feel more satisfied with their services. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI know that Lulu.com will eventually sort this problem out, but I find it frustrating that they did not anticipate that the whole changeover might cause difficulties for its customers and authors.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustrations with websites that are updated without enough testing. Your point about testing really hit home. My job is a software developer. I enjoy your portable wargame books and look forward to the next one.
Scott,
DeleteCheers! It’s great to receive positive comments about my books.
It might not be obvious, but learning to write programs in BASIC many years ago helped me to become a better wargame designer. The basic stages one goes through when developing software are almost exactly the same as the one I use when developing a set of wargame rules. Furthermore, I learned that developing subroutines (or - in wargame terms - standalone mechanisms) that could be plugged in (and unplugged) without causing the whole program to cease functioning helped me when I wrote my PW rules, and are one reason why they seem to be so adaptable.
All the best,
Bob
I failed my computer class spectacularly to the extent I was kicked and given a free period! I think the grade was 10% despite an exemplary attendance.
DeleteSteve8,
DeleteI’ve known worse!
I was once summoned by a senior member of staff because his computer wasn’t working. I pointed out that I was an IT teacher, not a technician ... but this seemed to annoy him even more! I arrived at his office, looked at the computer, switched the power on, and walked out.
I never got any thanks.
All the best,
Bob
'Parallel Running' is not a bad idea and all. At least you'll get one good result, and possibly an inkling where the other went wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that I got my order in at exactly the right time. My copy arrived from Lulu a few days ago. I'm very pleased to be the owner of a hard-back colour copy!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteRunning systems in parallel has been used by some organisations to check if the new system works as well as the old ... but it takes time and money.
I’m very pleased that your copy of the PCW book has arrived, and I hope that it inspires you to fight some more colonial battles soon.
All the best,
Bob
True about the time and money, but for it you get a smooth transition. Can be a saving compared with having the new system fall over and inconvenience, say, clientele. That's just offloading costs onto someone else.
DeleteYeah... I guess that's become pretty standard these days. I left IT as a profession nigh on 40 years ago...
I have a number of ideas for Colonial battles, but I'm finding it hard to get the motivation going. I can not fathom why. First thing will probably an attempt to relieve General Scarlett's forces, besieged at Hak Al Kumara...
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo,
DeleteOne thing I always had trouble explaining to some people was that sometimes one had to spend slightly more money before making a changeover in order to save revenue in the long term.
I’ve read several blogs that indicate that quite a few people are beginning to feel depressed or lacking motivation as the lockdown progresses. I’ve felt a bit that way myself ... but having had visits from the ‘Black Dog’ in the past, I know what to do in order to stop things getting worse.
I’ll look forward to reading how the relief of General Scarlett pans out.
All the best,
Bob