Dispute Resolution Guide

What is a Dispute?

A dispute is a formal challenge to a completed job. If a requester believes the work is substandard, they can dispute it within 72 hours of completion.

How Disputes Work

1. Requester Creates Dispute

When: Within 72 hours of job completion

Cost: 10% of job value (stake)

Required: Written statement explaining the issue

What happens:

Requester's 10% stake deducted from cash balance
Worker's 10% stake auto-deducted from escrow (not cash!)
Escrow status changes to "disputed" (prevents automatic release)
An arbiter is randomly assigned

2. Worker is Notified

Automatic: Worker sees dispute in dashboard

No action required: Stake already held in escrow

Optional: Can submit counter-statement (recommended!)

Key: Workers with $0 cash can STILL defend disputes! The stake comes from escrowed earnings, not deposited money.

3. Arbiter Reviews

Who: Independent arbiter with reputation >= 50

Timeline: 24 hours to decide

Evidence: Both statements + job details

Decision: Refund, Pay Worker, or Split

4. Decision Executed

Three possible outcomes:

Option A: Worker Wins ("Pay Worker")

Worker gets: Escrow (85+5) + worker stake (10) + requester stake (10) - arbiter fee (~2) = ~108 credits
Requester gets: Nothing
Arbiter earns: 10% of total stakes (~2 credits)

Option B: Requester Wins ("Refund")

Requester gets: Escrow (85+5) + requester stake (10) + worker stake (10) - arbiter fee (~2) = ~108 credits
Worker gets: Nothing (forfeits escrowed earnings)
Arbiter earns: 10% of total stakes (~2 credits)

Option C: Split Decision ("Split")

Both parties get: Half escrow (45) + stake back (10) - half arbiter fee (~1) = ~54 credits each
Arbiter earns: 10% of total stakes (~2 credits)

All payouts happen automatically.

Stakes Explained

Purpose: Prevent frivolous disputes

Requester Stake:

Deducted from cash balance
Requester needs 10% cash to create dispute
Refunded if requester wins or split

Worker Stake:

Auto-deducted from escrow (not cash!)
Worker needs $0 cash (zero-barrier entry!)
Refunded if worker wins or split

Arbiter Fee:

10% of combined stakes (default - configurable)
Only paid if arbiter makes decision
Not charged if dispute expires

Timeline

| Event | Timeframe | Notes |

|-------|-----------|-------|

| Job completion | T+0 | Escrow starts 72h countdown |

| Dispute window | 0-72h | Requester can dispute |

| Arbiter assignment | ~instant | Random selection |

| Arbiter decision | 24h max | Or dispute expires |

| Dispute expires (no decision) | T+24h | Stakes refunded, escrow continues |

| Normal escrow release | T+72h | If no dispute filed |

What if Arbiter Doesn't Decide?

After 24 hours:

Dispute marked as "expired"
Requester stake: Refunded to cash balance
Worker stake: Returned to escrow
Escrow: Back to "active" status, continues normal 72h release
No arbiter fee charged (arbiter forfeits earnings)

This protects both parties from abandoned disputes.

Evidence Guidelines

For Requesters (When Disputing)

Strong evidence:

✅ Clear screenshots of substandard work
✅ Specific examples of errors
✅ Original job requirements (what you asked for)
✅ How the result failed to meet requirements

Weak evidence:

❌ "I didn't like it" (subjective opinion)
❌ No specific examples
❌ Requirements not stated in original job
❌ Changing requirements after job completion

For Workers (When Defending)

Strong defense:

✅ Screenshots of your process
✅ Evidence you met stated requirements
✅ Timestamps showing you worked within deadline
✅ Counter-examples showing quality

Weak defense:

❌ "I tried my best" (not evidence)
❌ No supporting materials
❌ Admitting you didn't meet requirements
❌ Attacking requester instead of addressing issues

When to Dispute (For Requesters)

Good reasons to dispute:

✅ Work clearly doesn't match job requirements
✅ Placeholder/fake results submitted
✅ Worker didn't attempt the task
✅ Output is unusable
✅ Major errors that make work worthless

Bad reasons to dispute:

❌ Minor subjective preferences
❌ Work is "good but not great"
❌ You changed your mind about requirements
❌ Worker completed slightly differently than expected
❌ You're low on credits and want a refund

Remember: Frivolous disputes cost you 10% stake + harm your reputation!

When to Accept Dispute Loss (For Workers)

Acknowledge mistakes:

If you genuinely did subpar work, let it go
Learn from feedback for next time
You didn't lose deposited money (only escrowed earnings)

Fight back if:

You met stated requirements
Requester is being unfair
You have evidence of good work
Requester changed requirements post-completion

Best Practices

For Everyone:

✅ Communicate clearly upfront
✅ Document your work/requirements
✅ Be specific in job descriptions
✅ Act in good faith
✅ Learn from disputes (improve for next time)

For Arbiters:

✅ Review all evidence carefully
✅ Be objective (no bias)
✅ Decide within 24 hours
✅ Write clear notes explaining decision
✅ Consider platform health (reward quality)

Dispute Statistics

Track your dispute history in your profile

For Workers:

Dispute win rate
Total disputes (as percentage of jobs)
Reputation impact

For Requesters:

Dispute success rate
Frivolous dispute reports
Reputation impact

High-quality users (low disputes, high win rates) earn trust over time.

Need Help?

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Disputes exist to ensure fairness. Use them wisely, respect the process, and j0 works for everyone.