Contact information

The contact telephone number forms part of the banner header which is a nice touch, and there is also a clear link along the top for you to send them an email. However, other than this, they are a bit cagey as to exactly where they are based. They do not offer a depot address, and hidden on the about us page they offer information about their local area, which includes Winchester, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Charlottesville, and Lexington. However, they give the impression that they clearly prefer you to access them remotely, offering to pick up and drop off carts for repair, and deliver new carts to your home, even when you are not in the local area.

Selection of Carts

ValleyCarts.com has an excellent selection of carts and for your convenience you can choose to search on price, those over $3000 and those under, and before you can get further you have to choose whether you want to see gas powered carts or electric powered carts. It would have been nice to see a slightly wider search tool, as maybe you would want to compare a couple of products, or maybe want to look at a gas and electric model side by side. However, when you have decided which limited category you are going to look in, you then get a grid format which has a tiny picture, the year of manufacture, the price, and a short line highlighting features. You can then select the cart that interests you most, whereupon you are taken to a full product page showing limited information, the shipping calculator and several pictures of the cart.

Prices Are Okay

The prices seem about right in terms of what you get. The older models have been discounted appropriately, and the newer carts do not seem over the odds. Having a wide selection of prices on offer from $1695 for the cheapest gas cart and $2350 on a special offer in the cheapest electric cart category, there should be something on offer to suit every budget.

A Ton Of Pictures

There are certainly lots of pictures of the carts on the website, and each cart is shown from many different angles, so in terms of seeing what you are getting it certainly ticks that box. However, sometimes the pictures are overcrowded as they are taken in the yard where all the carts are kept. It would have been nice to see a golf course mock up, with just the cart in question shown on green, and maybe with a couple of loaded up shots so you can see how your kit will fit in.

Site Layout Is Lacking

In terms of layout, this is where the site could do better. Unfortunately the whole site has a bit of an amateurish feel. The text is bog standard, and could have done with changing to something nicer. The search results form is very unwieldy and doesn’t do the products justice. What is needed is a style sheet that sets up each cart in a uniform presentation, as these seriously look thrown on. The shipping quote is clunky and ugly and stuck right in the middle of the site, and whilst it is excellent to see each cart from many angles, a constantly changing slideshow would look neater and save the user scrolling around so much. It would add a touch of professionalism, especially if the advice about the picture styling was followed.

The main navigation bars that appear along the top and sides and follow you everywhere are excellent, and these cannot be faulted. They allow the user to move quickly amongst the sections, so no gripes here. It is just the body of the pages. It lacks any design flair, and it is always disappointing to see bog standard Microsoft issues submit and clear buttons on a form, as it gives the impression the site was put together by someone just learning to program on the web. Which is ok but not for a company this size, who clearly see the website as their main showroom.

Checkout Process Needs Improvement

If you decide to purchase a cart, then you should by now have also used the delivery quote form and have a good idea of your shipping costs. However, that is as far as you can go on this site, which again is disappointing if this is their main show room. You then have to call them or email them to register your interest, and we assume the process is then handled from there. They claim this is an anti-Spam measure, but seriously there are other companies offering just as high value goods with an online secure check out. Again, this looks like a startup company that just isn’t confident yet.

Guarantee/Warranty – Left Out?

In terms of warranty information, this just isn’t on the site which to be honest is disappointing, as you would want to know this sort of thing with any mechanical based item you are looking at. They are quick to offer links to their financing company, and you can get details of rentals, although only after you complete yet another no frills Microsoft form.

Conclusion

Overall this is an easy site to navigate, and is full of products for you to view. However, it is such a shame that it doesn’t have a professional flash style site, as there is a huge potential here. It wouldn’t stop us purchasing from the site, as they are clearly cart specialists with knowledge, but if this is to remain their main showroom then it would benefit them greatly to spend some money on a professional web designer who could use this template and create something a little more high impact, as to be honest this site is boring, messy and as we previously noted, amateurish.

We like the ideas, we love the massive range of products and services; however, each cart could benefit more from a full ‘tech spec’ sheet with more information that could easily include warranty details on top of a more complex product review.

Post from: Electric Golf Carts - Your Online Resource for Golf Carts

Review: ValleyCarts.com Golf Cart Website

There are many advantages of electrical golf carts but one of the major advantages, besides the fact that it is better for the environment, is that it is not as powerful as the gas driven counterpart. As it runs on electricity you will need to charge the battery before use and it is therefore always advised to have a spare battery that is fully charged in case you have forgotten to plug it in.

The electrical golf cart normally comes in two different types. The cheaper option is actually more of a golf bag on wheels whereas the more expensive and more luxurious version is an electrical car. Depending on your golfing needs and your wallet you can have great benefit from both options.

The Cheaper Electric Golf Cart

As you can see from the picture on the left the least expensive electrical golf cart is basically a normal cart driven by a small electrical motor. On the handle is a small grip that when pressed will make the cart move forward at a steady walking pace.

An additional advantage of this version is that besides not being as hard on your wallet it still let’s you get the exercise of walking around the court but without hurting your back by carrying the heavy golf bag.

Further down in the article I’ll give you a few suggestions as to where you can find some great offers on this type of cart.

Price ranges for this type of cart is about $200 – $400 depending on the brand and whether it is a new or a used model.

The Luxury Electrical Golf Carts

As I mentioned earlier the cart also comes in a more luxurious and more expensive version. You can say that it is actually no longer a “cart” but rather a “car” as it comes with a steering wheel, multiple seats and a roof. You won’t get much exercise from using these but that might actually be part of the “luxury”.

The car models are also powered by an electrical battery but a somewhat larger one of its kind. There are normally four different battery types: 24 volt, 36 volt, 48 volt and 72 volt. The 36 volt and 48 volt golf carts are the most commonly used types and of the two the 48 volt cart will have the greater momentum and power.

Early on the biggest problem of the battery driven golf carts were that the batteries would only last for a few hours of use but these days new technology has greatly improved the range and the longevity. Additionally changing the battery has become really easy and it is therefore always advised to pack an additional fully charged one in the cart.

Price ranges for this type of electrical golf carts are about $1,800 – $8,000 and some of them can cost far more than that.

Where to Look for an Electric Golf Cart

There are lots of places to look for both the cheaper models as well as the more expensive models. I’m not going to go into details about specific retailers in this article – for that I recommend that you visit the Golf Cart Dealers section. But one place that I do recommend that you check out before making your final decision is eBay.

Most of the carts you’ll find there will be used models but some of them have hardly ever been taken for a drive and you can save 30-50% compare to buying a new model so it is definitely worth checking out.

Post from: Electric Golf Carts - Your Online Resource for Golf Carts

Finding an Electric Golf Cart