Payments & escrow
Disputes: what happens when something goes wrong
4 min read
How a dispute freezes the money, who decides, and what the possible outcomes are.
Opening a dispute
Either side can open a dispute from the payment or job page. The moment it opens, the escrow freezes: nobody can release, refund, or withdraw the money until the dispute is decided. That freeze is deliberate - it keeps the money safe while things are sorted.
How it is decided
Both sides submit their version with evidence: the agreement, messages, photos, invoices. Our team reviews everything against what was originally agreed and decides the outcome. We work to an internal 5-day resolution target - far tighter than external schemes - and the admin desk tracks every open case against it.
Possible outcomes
- Release - the money pays out to the seller, in full or in part.
- Refund - the money returns to the buyer's bank account, in full or in part.
- Split - the escrow is divided between both sides.
- Dismiss - the dispute is closed and the normal flow resumes.
If you disagree with the outcome
wlbr is a member of the FSCL dispute resolution scheme (membership 9690). If you are not satisfied with how a dispute was handled, you can escalate to FSCL - an independent, free external scheme - after our internal process completes.
Keep all communication about the job on the platform. Off-platform promises are much harder to weigh as evidence.