Help and FAQ

1. How to Add a Business Listing

Follow these steps to list your business in the directory:

1. Sign in or Register:
   • Go to /login/ or /register/ and sign into your account.
   • If your account is newly registered, ensure you have verified your email address via the link sent to your inbox.
2. Navigate to the Submission Form:
   • Click Add Business in the header or go directly to /add-business/.
3. Fill in the Required Details:
   • Basics: Enter your business title, select your primary category from the dropdown, and write a thorough description.
   • Contact: Enter your business phone number and/or WhatsApp number (numbers must include a valid area or country prefix). Add your public email address and website URL if applicable.
   • Location & Price: Select your district or city from the location dropdown, enter your physical street address, and choose a price tier if available.
   • Opening Hours: Set the opening and closing times for each day of the week. For days your business is closed, toggle the day to Closed. You can also set a Friday prayer break if applicable.
4. Add Optional Information (Recommended):
   • Expand the sections for Amenities (tick options like Wi-Fi, Parking, Halal-certified), Social Links (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), and Certificates.
   • Add a video link if you have an introductory video on YouTube or Vimeo.
5. Upload Photos:
   • Add up to 8 photos of your storefront, interior, menu, or products.
   • Large smartphone photos are automatically compressed and resized by your browser.
6. Submit:
   • Click Submit for review to send your listing to our moderation queue.
   • If you want to finish later, click Save as draft. Your listing will be stored privately in your member dashboard.

2. How to Post a Classified Ad (Buy & Sell)

Follow these steps to list an item or vehicle for sale:

1. Log in: Sign into your verified member account.
2. Navigate to the Ad Form: Click Post an Ad in the navigation bar or visit /post-ad/.
3. Complete the Ad Fields:
   • Basics: Enter a descriptive ad title, select the appropriate classified category, and write an honest description of the item.
   • Details: Select your Ad type (e.g. For Sale, Wanted) and the Condition of the item (e.g. Brand New, Like New, Used).
   • Price: Enter your asking price, choose your currency, and tick Negotiable if you are open to reasonable offers.
   • Contact Details: Enter the phone number and WhatsApp number where interested buyers can contact you.
   • Public Meetup Spots: If public meetup locations are enabled in your district, tick up to 3 preferred locations for safe handovers.
   • Photos: Upload up to 8 clear photos of the actual item showing any wear or included accessories.
4. Submit for Review:
   • Click Submit for review to submit your ad to moderators.
   • Once approved, your ad appears in search results and the Buy & Sell directory.

3. Why My Listing Is Pending

When you submit a new business listing or classified advertisement, it does not appear on the website immediately. It enters our moderation queue with a status of pending.

Why Moderation Exists

Every listing is reviewed manually by our moderation team to keep the directory reliable and safe:

• We check that the business or item is legitimate and located within Brunei.
• We ensure contact phone numbers and addresses are properly formatted.
• We verify that the listing category matches the description.
• We verify that uploaded photos comply with community standards.

Review Time

We aim to review new listings within 3 working days. This is an aim, not a guarantee: it can take longer when we are busy or need to ask you for more information.

How to Check Your Status

1. Log into your account and open your Dashboard (/dashboard/).
2. Click My businesses or My ads.
3. Locate your listing:
   • Pending: Currently awaiting review by our staff.
   • Active: Approved and published on the live site.
   • Draft / Rejected: If your listing cannot be approved, it returns to your dashboard as a draft with a red notice stating the moderator’s exact reason (for example, “Please provide a valid local phone number”). You can click Edit, fix the issue, and click Submit for review again.

4. How to Claim a Business Listing

If your business is already listed in bmborneo.com as an unclaimed public profile, you can claim ownership of the listing to update its details and manage customer interactions.

1. Find Your Business: Search for your business profile on the website.
2. Click the Claim Link:
   • On the business page, look for the link: “Is this your business? Claim it”.
   • If you are not signed in, you will be prompted to log in or create an account.
3. Select Your Proof Method:
   The claim page presents the business details and offers available verification options:
   • Official Domain Email: If your profile lists a website, you can receive an instant one-time verification link sent to an email at that domain (e.g. [email protected]).
   • Phone Callback: Request a verification call from our moderation staff to the public telephone number already listed on the business profile.
   • Official Document: If document verification is active, upload a copy of your official business registration certificate or trading licence.
   • Written Explanation: If automated options are unavailable, write an explanation of at least 40 characters detailing your ownership.
4. Submit Claim: Click Submit claim.
5. Track Status: Open your Dashboard > Claims tab to follow the status of your claim. Once a moderator verifies your proof, ownership is assigned to your account, and the listing appears in your My businesses dashboard.

5. How to Remove a Listing

Depending on whether you own the listing or are requesting the takedown of an unclaimed profile, follow the appropriate method below:

Method A: Removing Your Own Listing

1. Log into your account and go to your Dashboard (/dashboard/).
2. Open the My businesses or My ads tab.
3. Find the listing you want to remove.
4. Click the Delete button.
5. Confirm the deletion prompt. The listing is removed from public view immediately.

Method B: Requesting Removal of an Unclaimed Public Listing

If a business listing was imported from public directory records and you are the owner or authorized representative who wishes to have it delisted:

1. Open the business profile on bmborneo.com.
2. Scroll toward the bottom of the listing and click the “Remove my listing” toggle.
3. Read the takedown explanation: “This listing was built from public sources. Ask us to take it down and a moderator will review your request.”
4. Optionally, type a short note or contact phone number in the provided field.
5. Click Send removal request.
6. A site moderator will review the request in our moderation queue and decide whether to delist the profile. Nothing is removed automatically. You can also email [email protected] with the address of the listing; you do not need an account.

6. How to Reset Your Password

If you forget your account password, you can reset it securely without contacting support:

1. Open the Login Page: Go to /login/.
2. Click Forgot Password: Click the “Forgot your password?” link beneath the sign-in form.
3. Submit Your Identifier: On the /forgot-password/ page, enter your registered email address or username and click Send reset link.
4. Check Your Email: Open your email inbox and locate the message titled “Password Reset” from bmborneo.com. The reset link is valid for 24 hours and can only be used once.
5. Open the Reset Link: Click the link in the email to open /reset-password/.
6. Set Your New Password:
   • Enter your new password twice.
   • Your password must be at least 10 characters long and must not match your email address or username.
7. Complete Reset: Click Save password.
   • Your password is updated immediately.
   • For your protection, all existing active login sessions across all your devices are terminated.
   • You are redirected to /login/ with a confirmation message, where you can log in with your new password.

7. How to Verify Your Email Address

When email verification is active, new accounts must confirm their email address before accessing posting, reviewing, or booking features.

1. Sign Up: Register your account using the sign-up form on /login/ or /register/.
2. Check Your Inbox: After registering, a confirmation message is dispatched to your email address containing a secure 48-hour activation link.
3. Click the Confirmation Link: Open the email and click the confirmation link.
4. Activation Complete: You are redirected to your dashboard with the confirmation notice “Email verified. Your account is active.” Your account now has full access to submit listings, write reviews, save searches, and make bookings.

What to Do If You Did Not Receive the Email

• Check your Spam or Junk mail folders.
• If Signed In: Look at the yellow notification banner at the top of your dashboard and click the Send a new link button.
• If Signed Out: Open /login/, expand the section titled “Didn’t get the confirmation email?”, enter your email address, and click Send new link.
• You can request up to 3 links per hour.

8. Photo Guidelines and Automatic Photo Shrinking

High quality photos make listings more attractive. Here is how our image system works:

Supported Formats and Limits

• Formats: JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg), PNG (.png), and WebP (.webp).
• Listing Limit: You can upload up to 8 photos per business or classified ad.

Automatic Browser Photo Shrinking

Modern smartphone cameras often create files between 3 MB and 10 MB, which can be slow to upload and may exceed web server limits:

• When you select photos in our submission form, our built-in script checks the file size and dimensions directly on your device.
• Any photo over 1.5 MB or wider than 2,000 pixels is automatically resized and compressed in your web browser before it is uploaded.
• You will see a small notice saying “Photo made smaller to fit”.
• This saves your mobile data and allows uploads to complete in seconds without manual editing.

Choosing Your Cover Photo and Changing Order

When editing a listing in your dashboard:

• You will see thumbnails of all your saved photos with control buttons: Move earlier, Move later, and Make cover.
• The first photo in the gallery serves as the cover photo displayed on search cards and at the top of your listing page.
• You can remove individual photos by clicking their remove button.

9. How Reviews and Ratings Work

Reviews give local businesses valuable feedback and help consumers choose services with confidence.

Who Can Write a Review

• You must be signed into an authenticated member account.
• You cannot review your own business.
• You may submit strictly one review per business. Even if a review is rejected, repeat submissions for that same business are blocked to prevent review spamming.

Review Guidelines

• Rating: Choose a star rating from 1 to 5 stars.
• Length: Your review comments must be between 20 and 1,500 characters.
• Strictly No Links: Review text must NOT contain website addresses, URLs, email addresses, or phone numbers. Any review containing links will fail submission.

Review Approval and Display

• Every review is checked by staff before publication.
• Once approved, your review appears in the Reviews tab on the business profile.
• For privacy, your name is displayed as your first name and last initial (e.g. “Daniel T.”).
• The business’s overall star rating average and review count update only after an approved review is published.

Business Owner Replies

• Business owners can post one public response to each approved customer review through their dashboard.
• Business owners can never edit or delete customer reviews.

10. How Bookings and Enquiry Requests Work

Certain businesses (such as restaurants, clinics, repair services, or tour operators) offer direct booking and enquiry forms on their profile page.

Sending an Enquiry as a Customer

1. Visit the business profile page.
2. Locate the booking or enquiry widget (its button reads “Reserve a table”, “Make an enquiry” or “Request a quote”, depending on the business).
3. Fill in your details:
   • Full name, email address, and phone number
   • Preferred date and time
   • Number of guests or party size
   • Your message or specific request
4. Click Submit Request.
5. You will see a confirmation message and receive a receipt email confirming your request has been delivered to the business.

Turning Bookings On or Off for Your Listing (Business Owners)

1. Log into your dashboard and click the My bookings tab.
2. Under your listings, find the Bookings column. Each listing shows its current setting; “(from the category)” means it follows the default for your type of business.
3. Pick a setting from the dropdown (use the category default, Off, or an enquiry form) and click Save.
4. The enquiry form then appears, or disappears, on your listing page straight away.
5. A setting shown as “not available” cannot be chosen yet.

Managing Bookings as a Business Owner

1. When a customer sends an enquiry, you receive an email alert.
2. Log into your dashboard and click the My bookings tab.
3. Your incoming bookings are listed with pending requests highlighted at the top.
4. Review the customer’s name, requested date, time, and message.
5. Click Confirm to accept the booking or Decline to reject it.
6. The customer receives an automated notification email with your decision.

Important Note on Payments

bmborneo.com does NOT process payments or take credit card information. Booking requests are scheduling enquiries only; any billing or payment is handled directly between you and the business.

11. Install the app

You can install bmborneo.com as an app: choose Install app in your browser menu, or on an iPhone use Safari’s Share button and Add to Home Screen.