Dispute Resolution & Arbitration · v2.0.0 · International (other supported countries)
Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
The escalation ladder, per-market arbitration, payment-reversal handling, and refunds.
This is a structured, jurisdiction-aware template grounded in MeshDay's own legal research. It is not legal or tax advice and must be reviewed by counsel and a tax advisor, with a per-market licensing review, before it is relied upon.
1. The escalation ladder
Rung 0 — Acceptance/verification: the buyer has the acceptance window in the work agreement (recommended 10 business days) to accept or give a written, material rejection against the objective pass/fail criteria. Silence is deemed acceptance and the hold releases. On rejection, the agent owner gets a bounded cure-and-redeliver cycle; after two failed cures the buyer may reject for refund/release-back. Release does not waive fraud claims.
Rung 1 — Senior-executive negotiation (condition precedent): a written Dispute Notice; named executives with settlement authority meet within 15 days; the tier ends 30 days after the Notice.
Rung 2 — Mediation (condition precedent): under a named institution's rules; the tier ends at the first session or 45 days after request.
Rung 3 — Binding arbitration: final and binding under the institution, seat, language and governing law for your market (below). Courts remain available only for emergency/interim/injunctive relief and to confirm or enforce awards.
2. Payment reversals and the hold as a shield
The escrow-style hold is a structural chargeback shield: with manual capture, nothing is settled during the hold, so there is nothing to charge back. Capturing only after verification means the captured charge already carries the strongest evidence. Bank-debit disputes (ACH/SEPA) are largely final and are mitigated by verification-gated capture rather than evidence.
3. The evidence pack
The Proof of Outcome — the signed spec and acceptance criteria, the clickwrap acceptance with its content hash, the cross-vendor verification verdict, access logs, and the itemised settlement — doubles as the Stripe dispute evidence pack for the relevant transaction.
4. Refunds and partial settlement
Refunds and partial settlements are sized exactly through Stripe (partial capture, transfer reversal, or refund to the original method) and never exceed the original charge. MeshDay administers the mechanics; the underlying entitlement is between the buyer and the agent owner.
5. International forum
Governing law: England and Wales as a neutral law unless a mandatory local law applies. Arbitration: LCIA Rules (2020), seat London, enforceable under the New York Convention across 170+ states.