Search, click, drive ... rate - Jamaicaautodirectory.com in expansion mode

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

There was a time when Josephine Ulett-White kept a collection of business cards related to her husband Gary White's treks throughout Jamaica.

"My husband used to sell auto parts and lubricants islandwide. We realised that most persons (in the auto business) were not listed in the directory," Ulett-White said. "That was part of the reason why this was born."

"This' is the website
www.jamaicaautodirectory.com, started in 2010 and
which is just past its objective of 200 auto-business professionals
signed up to grow into its next, more publicised
phase.

Required to take orders and follow up with
customers, she was sometimes given a name and location. Ulett White was
surprised to find that many of the businesses were not listed, the
owners saying that the cost was a reason. As the business card
collection grew, the idea of a Jamaica Auto Directory
developed.

However, there was another kind of
development which led to a critical part of the website, a rating system
through which persons who use the services of listed auto professionals
can give feedback - publicly. That came out of Ulett-White's bitter but
all too familiar experience.

In 2004 she acquired a
1997 Rover motor car at an affordable price. It developed problems,
starting with overheating - and Ulett-White had encounters with
mechanics calculated to bring any motorist to boiling point. "I felt
like I was being taken for a ride - no pun intended," Ulett-White
said.

There was one occasion where a mechanic really
took the Rover for a ride, keeping it overnight as was required but
keeping Ulett-White waiting - and waiting and waiting - at his
businessplace the following day before eventually turning up. And not
only was the problem not fixed, but the mechanic did not replace the
excessive gas he had used.

While she readily admitted
she was not gentle with the Rover, the mechanic issues were at
near-breaking point.

Other
complaints

Other persons had complaints such as
mechanics changing the price for a job without prior notice. With
www,jamaicaautodirectory.com, the avenue for a
customer to give feedback on a transaction experience is expanded beyond
a circle of friends. Ulett-White explained that when someone submits
their feedback "there is a panel review process". There are times when
the customer is contacted, but Ulett-White said "all reviews are
published". The exception is when expletives are
used.

Ulett-White said that there is one car
air-conditioning service provider who got an especially bad review, who
continues to be on the website.

Currently
www.jamaicaautodirectory.com has covered automotive
professionals in Kingston, St Andrew and Clarendon. There was very
strong growth between February and June this year, when the number of
businesses listed went from 20 to just over 200. The intention is to go
islandwide by the end of the year and an office has now been established
at 38 Westminster Road, Kingston 10.

Persons who use
the website to find an auto parts or service provider will not have to
figure out where to find the businessplace, as Google Maps is used to
automatically find the location. There is an 'ask a mechanic' feature,
through which two experts respond to queries. In addition, gas prices
for different areas are available on the website. Registered members can
also advertise their vehicles for sale without a
charge.

Ulett-White pointed out that
www.jamaicaautodirectory.com provides access to 25
categories. Among them are Driving School, Electrician, Motor Rewinding,
Plastic Repairs, Upholstery, Vehicle Graphics and Welding Services.
Searches can be done by specific parishes.

The Rover
(which Ulett-White points out gives a very good ride and does well when
properly worked on) that sparked the rating system, is on its way out.
And the business cards that were the basis of
www.jamaicaautodirectory.com still figure in the
business, but in a different way.

"Once they (business
places) sign up they get 50 complimentary business cards for the year,"
Ulett-White said.