The entry of 1-800-CAR-HELP into the automotive industry began in 1996 as an automotive referral business.

As children of the baby boomers began driving in the 1980's and 90's, there came an enormous increase and demand for automotive services. Mr. Peterson (800-CAR-HELP's founder) believed the need for a complete CAR-HELP network was obvious. Research showed most people do not have a list of automotive businesses they use regularly; in fact people rarely go to the same business twice in a row. Peterson believed that the CAR-HELP Telephone Network could solve the problem by creating a "shopping mall" type of environment where consumers/drivers/purchasers/etc. could find everything automotive related by calling one simple, easy to remember phone number.

Once caller ID became available Peterson helped pioneer the call routing technology that now allows thousands of businesses to use the same phone number; with this came the ability to create a telephone network (a shopping mall if you will) of CAR-HELP Service Providers. The 1-800-CAR-HELP Telephone Network is comprised of a group of 14 different (non-competing) automotive businesses in each city (or protected market area), all across the US that provide automotive services and products to the motoring public. When people call 1-800-CAR-HELP, they choose from a menu of 14 different providers and are instantly connected to the (nearest) business that has the 1-800-CAR-HELP phone line.

An automotive business becomes a Service Provider of the 1-800-CAR-HELP network when it qualifies and contracts to have the 1-800-CAR-HELP phone line ringing into its business. Once signed up, a Service Provider is the only business of its type in the market area it serves. If a business has 3 non-satisfied complaints in a 6-month period of time they may be removed from the network to be replace by a more consumer-friendly business.

Each business in the network receives all calls that originate from within its market area for the service or product it provides. Each business uses the 1-800-CAR HELP number in their respective advertising. With 14 different categories of businesses in each market area using the same phone number, (with some advertising in newspaper, some on the radio and still others using TV, billboards etc.), eventually "1-800-CAR-HELP" appears in virtually every media source in each market. Soon people all across the US will know about the 1-800-CAR-HELP Telephone Network and carhelp.com. Once the CAR-HELP Network is complete, tens of thousands of people will call 1-800-CAR-HELP to find the car help they need and the majority of your customers will come to you via the CAR-HELP Network.