The claiming process is a crucial aspect of your business directory's functionality. It allows website visitors to take control of listings that have been added via the administrator panel but are not yet claimed. Any registered user can submit a claim request to become the rightful owner of that listing. This process ensures that listings are managed by their respective owners, maintaining accuracy and reliability within your directory.
When a listing is added or modified via the administrator panel with the "Claimed" listing field disabled, it becomes available for claiming. Users can initiate the claiming process by clicking the "Claim" listing button, displayed on the detailed listing page. This action directs them to the listing claim form widget. The claim request form prompts users to provide company ownership verification details to the administrator and select a pricing plan for the listing they wish to claim. Once a claim request is submitted, it undergoes review by the administrator for approval or rejection.
Upon approval of a claim, ownership of the listing and all of its related data (messages, reviews, statistics) is transferred to the claimant. The listing then immediately appears within the user's account panel for easy management. Additionally, a new listing invoice corresponding to the selected pricing plan is automatically generated with a payment request email message sent to a new listing owner.
Throughout the claim process, users are kept informed via email notifications, which are sent upon submission of a new claim request and any updates to the claim status.
Note: At least one listing type's pricing plan must have the "Used for Claiming" setting enabled to appear in the list of products available for claiming. Listings added via the user account panel are automatically marked as "Claimed" preventing other users from making subsequent claims. The system prohibits users from submitting duplicate claim requests for the same listing.