Sometimes, even with the best intentions, things don’t go as planned. That’s why SkillScoop offers Dispute Assistance — a fair, neutral way to help resolve disagreements between clients and specialists when they can’t reach an agreement on their own.
What is Dispute Assistance?
Dispute Assistance is a platform-based review process for Hassle-Free jobs on SkillScoop. It lets either clients or specialists escalate a dispute after all other attempts to resolve it directly have been exhausted.
To request it, just click the Dispute Assistance link on the job’s Milestones page. Once submitted, our team carefully reviews the situation and makes a neutral decision based on the evidence provided by both parties.
When to Use It
Use Dispute Assistance whenever a disagreement on a Hassle-Free job can’t be resolved through direct communication. Common situations include:
- Missed deadlines or milestones
- Job expectations not met, despite clear terms
- Payment or job completion disputes
- Lack of response or cooperation from the other party
Be sure to provide a clear explanation of what happened, along with any supporting evidence like messages, screenshots, or files.
How We Handle It
1. Review of evidence: Our team examines the evidence submitted by the initiating party.
2. Request for additional information: If more details are needed, we may ask either party for additional evidence or clarification. Each party has 7 days to respond.
3. Decision: After reviewing all information, we provide an outcome by email, typically within 14 days of receiving all relevant evidence.
The outcome may result in:
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Release of payment to the specialist
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Partial split of funds between the client and specialist
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Full refund to the client
Remember: It’s up to both users to stay in touch and track the progress of their dispute. Not responding may be considered a decline to participate and could affect the outcome.
Payouts for Specialists
If the dispute outcome results in a payment to a specialist — either a full release or a partial split — payouts follow the usual SkillScoop timeline:
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First payout: Typically available within 7–10 calendar days after the client releases payment, due to Stripe’s initial review for new accounts.
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Future payouts: Usually faster, typically within 2–3 calendar days, provided no additional checks are required.
Refunds to Clients
If the outcome includes a refund to the client — either a full refund or a partial split — allow up to 10 calendar days for the funds to appear in the client’s account.
Why might you see a temporary or partial charge during a refund?
Sometimes, when a payment is refunded or adjusted before it fully processes, your bank may briefly show a temporary debit or partial charge (e.g., $25 instead of the full $100 payment). This happens because:
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Your bank first places an authorisation hold when the payment is made.
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If the payment is reversed or partially refunded before it settles, some banks display the hold or adjustment temporarily.
Once processing completes, the transaction updates automatically to reflect the correct amount or disappears entirely.