Legal
Dispute & Payout Policy
AREASORTED DISPUTE & PAYOUT POLICY Version 2.0 Effective Date: 15 August 2026 Platform operator: Happy Mamaland Limited (company number 17215430), registered in England and Wales and trading as AreaSorted. Registered office: 8 Camden Row, Cuckoo Hill, Pinner, England, HA5 2AH This Policy explains how AreaSorted handles service complaints, evidence review, provider payout timing, and deductions connected with booking disputes. This Policy should be read together with our Customer Terms, Provider Terms, and Cancellation & Refund Policy. 1. CORE PRINCIPLES 1.1 Customers should have a fair and clear window to report service issues. 1.2 Providers should not face open-ended uncertainty after completing work properly. 1.3 Deductions must be proportionate to the issue and supported by a recorded rationale. 1.4 Serious matters such as fraud, chargebacks, property damage, safety concerns, or legal/compliance issues may be handled outside the normal service-quality review window. 2. STANDARD COMPLAINT WINDOW 2.1 Customers should normally report service quality issues within 72 hours after job completion. 2.2 If no complaint is raised within 72 hours, the booking will normally be treated as accepted for standard quality purposes. 2.3 After that point, provider payout should normally become eligible, unless there is a fraud concern, chargeback, property damage issue, legal/compliance hold, or another valid reason to investigate further. 3. PAYOUT TIMING 3.1 Once a booking is marked complete, a 72-hour review window normally begins. 3.2 If no complaint is raised during that period, the payout record may move from hold to eligible. 3.3 Subject to our Provider Terms, payment processor requirements, and any valid hold reason, the provider service amount should normally become eligible for Stripe settlement, payment processor settlement, or another agreed payout method within 5 working days after the booking is marked complete. 3.4 Where Stripe Connect direct charges or a similar connected-account model is used, AreaSorted does not hold provider service funds in its own bank account. AreaSorted may administer payout status, deductions, refunds, chargebacks, and platform fees through the payment processor and its internal records. 4. IF A COMPLAINT IS RAISED IN TIME 4.1 If a complaint is raised within the 72-hour window, the related payout record, processor release, or payout eligibility may be placed on hold while the case is reviewed. 4.2 AreaSorted may review: (a) booking notes; (b) timeline and status events; (c) customer and provider messages; (d) uploaded photos, PDFs, or other evidence; (e) provider responses; and (f) any other relevant operational or payment records. 4.3 We aim to provide an initial case update within 1 business day and a review outcome within 1 to 2 business days where reasonably possible. 5. DEDUCTION FRAMEWORK 5.1 Minor issue Examples may include: (a) a small missed task; (b) minor lateness where the service is still substantially delivered; or (c) a small quality issue not requiring a revisit. Usual outcome: (i) customer credit or small adjustment; and/or (ii) provider deduction up to the lower of 15 percent of the provider payout or GBP 25. 5.2 Moderate issue Examples may include: (a) meaningful missed tasks; (b) service quality requiring partial refund; (c) provider lateness causing material inconvenience; or (d) rework being required. Usual outcome: (i) partial refund or no-cost revisit; and/or (ii) provider deduction up to 50 percent of the provider payout, capped by the direct customer remedy cost reasonably attributable to the issue. 5.3 Severe failure Examples may include: (a) no-show; (b) job materially not completed; (c) serious quality failure; or (d) serious breach of platform standards. Usual outcome: (i) full or near-full customer refund; (ii) provider deduction up to 100 percent of payout; and/or (iii) account restriction or suspension. 5.4 Damage, fraud, safety, or chargeback Examples may include: (a) property damage; (b) suspected theft or fraud; (c) unsafe or abusive conduct; or (d) card dispute or chargeback. Usual outcome: (i) full payout hold; (ii) deduction up to 100 percent of payout; (iii) recovery from future payouts where permitted by contract and law; and/or (iv) account suspension pending investigation. 6. LATE COMPLAINTS 6.1 Complaints raised after 72 hours may still be reviewed, but they will not automatically block payout eligibility or payment processor settlement. 6.2 Late complaints may require stronger supporting evidence. 6.3 After the 72-hour window, the default position is that payout eligibility proceeds unless there is evidence of serious misconduct, fraud, chargeback risk, damage, or another strong reason for further review. 7. PROVIDER PROTECTION 7.1 Providers should be given a fair chance to respond before major deductions are finalised, except in clear no-show, fraud, safety, or payment dispute cases. 7.2 Providers should be able to see when payout is on hold and, where appropriate, the high-level reason category. 7.3 AreaSorted may record review notes and use booking performance data when deciding complaint outcomes. 8. CUSTOMER PROTECTION 8.1 Customers should be able to upload evidence such as photos or PDFs. 8.2 Customers should be able to see complaint status and any review notes through their account where available. 8.3 AreaSorted may offer rework, partial refund, full refund, credit, or another reasonable resolution depending on the circumstances. 9. IMPORTANT LIMITATIONS 9.1 Nothing in this Policy prevents AreaSorted from taking other reasonable action where required by law, card scheme rules, payment processor rules, fraud concerns, or safety obligations. 9.2 This Policy does not guarantee a particular refund, deduction, or outcome in every case. Each case is reviewed on its facts. 10. CONTACT If you have a question about a complaint, payout hold, or dispute outcome, please contact Happy Mamaland Limited trading as AreaSorted at [email protected].