Why Disputes Exist
The dispute process gives owners, mechanics, and admins a structured way to review disagreements about repair completion, work quality, unapproved scope changes, cancellations, payment outcomes, or refund requests.
Dispute handling is designed to keep the case tied to the shared FixMyWhip record: request details, quote terms, messages, attachments, job updates, payment status, and admin notes.
FixMyWhip is not a court or insurance carrier. During beta, dispute review is an admin-supervised operational process based on the records and evidence available in the platform.
Who Can Open A Dispute
Owners can open a dispute from the job/completion flow when the workflow allows it, especially when completed work needs review before final settlement.
Mechanics can participate in dispute response and may raise contested cancellation, access, scope, payment, or owner-conduct concerns through the available support paths.
Admin may also open or re-open a case for support, safety, payment review, suspected abuse, or operational correction when the facts justify it.
Dispute Window And Timing
Owners generally have 3 days after the mechanic marks work complete to open a dispute on completed work.
Disputes connected to cancellation consequences, payment handling, serious policy concerns, or admin-identified operational errors may also be reviewed when supported by case facts.
Waiting too long can limit what FixMyWhip can verify. Owners and mechanics should raise concerns promptly and keep evidence inside the platform whenever possible.
Required Dispute Information
A dispute submission must include a reason and a clear written explanation. The best submissions explain what happened, when it happened, who was involved, and what outcome the user is requesting.
Users should include relevant facts from the request, accepted quote, job timeline, message thread, uploaded files, receipts, invoices, parts records, cancellation notes, and completion proof.
If a user cannot provide a file immediately, they should still describe the missing evidence and respond quickly if admin requests follow-up.
Evidence Expectations
Useful evidence can include request photos, completion photos or videos, invoices, parts receipts, written estimates, warranty notes, before/after documentation, and relevant message context.
Evidence is strongest when it is specific, dated, and tied to the accepted quote or job record. General dissatisfaction without supporting facts may be harder to resolve.
Misleading, altered, or fabricated evidence is a serious policy violation and may result in suspension, removal, or other trust/safety action.
How Admin Review Works
Admin reviews dispute details, workflow records, participant communications, cancellation records, submitted evidence, and payment status before deciding next steps.
A case may move through open, in-review, and resolved states. Admin may ask either party for additional facts, proof, or clarification before resolution.
When admin resolves a case, the decision should include enough reasoning to support payment-status updates, trust/safety follow-up, or user support questions.
Possible Outcomes
Resolution may favor the owner, favor the mechanic, split responsibility, require a targeted refund or adjustment, leave payment pending for reconciliation, or trigger trust/safety follow-up.
Resolution decisions can update final-balance, payout, refund, dispute, and job status records in the payment workflow.
A dispute outcome does not automatically create a guarantee, warranty, insurance payment, or legal judgment. It is FixMyWhip's beta support decision based on the platform record and available facts.
Conduct During A Dispute
Owners and mechanics must communicate professionally, avoid harassment or threats, and respond to reasonable admin questions.
Attempts to move the dispute into off-platform pressure, hide facts, retaliate, or manipulate the record can affect the user's account standing.
Finality And Re-Review
Resolved disputes are treated as final for normal operations so payment and job records can move forward.
FixMyWhip may re-open a case when new material evidence appears, a clear review error is identified, or a serious safety, fraud, or payment issue requires another look.