Raise a Dispute
While most projects are completed successfully, there may be situations where the Client and Freelancer are unable to reach an agreement. This may involve payment disputes, milestone disagreements, incomplete deliverables, project delays, scope changes, or any other contract-related issue.
To ensure every issue is handled fairly and transparently, Oscorm allows both Clients and Freelancers to raise a dispute. Either party can initiate a dispute whenever a project-related conflict cannot be resolved through normal communication.
A dispute can be raised in two different ways, depending on where you are working within the platform.
Option 1: Raise a Dispute from the Dispute Dashboard
The Dispute Dashboard provides a centralized location where you can view and manage all dispute-related activities. It displays your dispute history, current dispute status, and projects that are eligible for raising a dispute.
This option is ideal if you want to manage multiple projects from one place without opening each contract individually.
Steps
- Navigate to Settings → Disputes.
- Review the list of your active and completed projects.
- Locate the project for which you want to raise a dispute.
- Click Raise Dispute next to the project.
- Complete the dispute form by providing:
- Project Name
- Dispute Title
- Detailed Description explaining the issue
- Supporting Documents such as screenshots, invoices, or any other relevant evidence (optional but recommended)
- Carefully review the information and click Submit Dispute.
Once submitted, the dispute is successfully created and linked to the selected project. The other party is immediately notified that a dispute has been raised.
Option 2: Raise a Dispute from the Active Project Detail Page
If you are already working on a project, you don't need to return to the Dispute Dashboard. Oscorm also allows you to raise a dispute directly from the Active Project Detail page.
This option is useful when you identify an issue while reviewing project milestones, payments, deliverables, or contract details.
Steps
- Open the required project from your Active Contracts.
- Review the project information, milestones, deliverables, and payment details.
- Scroll to the bottom of the project page.
- Click the Dispute button.
- Complete the dispute form by entering:
- Dispute Title
- Detailed Description of the issue
- Supporting Documents (optional but recommended)
- Click Submit Dispute.
The dispute is automatically linked to the selected project, allowing all future communication and supporting documents to remain organized within the same dispute thread.
What Happens After Raising a Dispute?
Whether the dispute is raised by the Client or the Freelancer, the dispute resolution process follows the same workflow.
Step 1: Dispute Created
After submitting the dispute, Oscorm creates a unique dispute case and assigns a Case ID for tracking purposes. The dispute is recorded in your account and can be monitored from the Dispute Dashboard.
Step 2: The Other Party is Notified
As soon as the dispute is created, the other party automatically receives a notification informing them that a dispute has been raised.
The notified user can open the dispute to review:
- The dispute title
- Issue description
- Supporting documents
- Project details
- Current dispute status
- Response deadline
At this stage, the dispute status changes to Waiting for Reply.
Step 3: 48-Hour Response Window
The notified party is given 48 hours to respond to the dispute.
During this period, both the Client and Freelancer can:
- Reply to the dispute conversation.
- Explain their side of the issue.
- Upload additional screenshots, files, or supporting documents.
- Clarify misunderstandings.
- Attempt to reach a mutual agreement.
All communication remains within the dispute thread, ensuring that every message and document is securely recorded for future reference.
If both parties successfully resolve the issue during this period, the dispute can be closed without further action.
Step 4: Escalation to Customer Support
If the other party does not respond within the 48-hour response window, or if both parties are unable to reach a mutual agreement after discussing the issue, the dispute is automatically escalated to the Oscorm Customer Support/Mediation Team.
The support team carefully reviews all available information, including:
- Contract details
- Project milestones
- Payment information
- Messages exchanged between both parties
- Uploaded documents
- Supporting evidence
If additional clarification is required, the support team may contact either the Client or the Freelancer before making a decision.
Step 5: Final Resolution
After carefully reviewing the dispute, the Oscorm Customer Support/Mediation Team determines the most appropriate resolution based on the contract terms, submitted evidence, and platform policies.
Once the review is complete:
- Both the Client and Freelancer are notified of the outcome.
- The dispute status is updated in the Dispute Dashboard.
- The dispute is marked as Resolved or Closed.
Track Your Dispute
At any time during the dispute process, you can return to the Dispute Dashboard to monitor the progress of your case.
From the dashboard, you can:
- View the current dispute status.
- Open the dispute conversation.
- Reply to messages.
- Upload additional supporting documents.
- Check the remaining response time.
- Review the final decision once the dispute has been resolved
Both Clients and Freelancers can raise a dispute from either the Dispute Dashboard or the Active Project Detail page. Once a dispute is submitted, the other party is immediately notified and given 48 hours to respond. During this time, both parties can exchange messages and submit supporting evidence. If the issue remains unresolved or no response is received within the specified timeframe, the dispute is escalated to the Oscorm Customer Support/Mediation Team for review and resolution, ensuring a fair, transparent, and well-documented dispute resolution process for everyone involved.