On Cad Crowd, most job contracts are completed without issues between parties. However, sometimes disagreements may occur. Cad Crowd’s Billing Security policy helps safeguard clients from fraudulent billing and experts from clients who fail to pay for work.
🚀 In this article
Escrow dispute summary
You have 14 days to approve or request edits when an expert submits work for a milestone payment. You need to reply to the payment request before the deadline; otherwise, the system automatically approves the work milestone and sends the escrow balance to the expert.
In addition, experts can submit a payment dispute for an escrow balance that has yet to be approved after successful work completion or if a fixed-rate contract is closed without payment for the entire balance held in escrow. If the expert submits a payment dispute, you will receive an email notification and have the opportunity to release payment or escalate the dispute.
📡 Remember: You must reply to an expert’s dispute within five working days, or the escrow balance is automatically paid to the expert.
How to reply to a dispute
Steps to reply to a dispute submission:
- Nav: Choose the help (?) icon in the top right of website navigation > click My disputes
- Select dispute: Click on the name of the dispute in progress
- Accept or reject a dispute submission
- Accept: Accept the expert’s dispute submission and release funds to the expert
- Reject: Decline the expert’s dispute submission and propose different terms
📡 Tips: Click the Group chat button to send a message to the expert and our conflict resolution team. Click the Support chat button to contact Cad Crowd’s conflict resolution team directly.
Please contact our support team if you have issues replying to a dispute.
If you approve a dispute submission
The escrow balance is automatically paid to the expert if you approve the expert’s dispute submission.
If you decline a dispute submission
A Cad Crowd mediation specialist will offer conflict resolution services to you and the expert. The mediation phase lasts up to 30 days, and if the parties don’t resolve the disagreement, the mediation specialist will offer non-binding guidance on a reasonable payment. If one (or both) parties do not accept the suggested resolution, the final step is binding arbitration with the American Arbitration Association (AAA). The AAA is an impartial third-party organization and will make a binding determination on your contract payment. The AAA arbitration service costs $875 and is split between you and the expert.
