Dispute Policy

Effective 20 July 2026

How disagreements between buyers and sellers are raised, negotiated, escalated, and resolved on EscrowPK.

1. Purpose

This Dispute Policy describes the process EscrowPK uses to resolve disagreements between a buyer and seller within an active deal. It supplements, and should be read together with, Section 11 (Dispute Resolution Framework) of the Terms & Conditions, which remains the controlling document for the mechanics summarized here.

2. When a Dispute Can Be Raised

A dispute may be raised by either party once funds have been deposited into escrow and before funds have been released — typically triggered by non-delivery, delivery of goods that do not match the agreed description, damage in transit, or a disagreement over the terms of a deal change request.

Disputes must be raised through the deal's dispute action in the dashboard, not by informal messages alone, so that the case is properly logged and time-stamped.

3. Stage 1 — Response (48 hours)

Once a dispute is opened, the other party has 48 hours to respond with their position and any supporting evidence (photographs, tracking information, messages, receipts).

Failure to respond within this window may result in the dispute being decided based on the evidence submitted by the initiating party.

4. Stage 2 — Negotiation (48 hours)

After both sides have stated their position, a 48-hour negotiation window opens during which the buyer and seller are encouraged to reach a mutually agreed resolution — for example, a partial refund, a replacement, or completion of the original delivery.

Any resolution reached during negotiation is executed by EscrowPK exactly as agreed by both parties.

5. Stage 3 — Escalation (24 hours, PKR 1,000 dispute fee)

If no resolution is reached during negotiation, either party may escalate the dispute for EscrowPK review. Escalation requires payment of a PKR 1,000 dispute fee, intended to discourage frivolous escalations and cover the cost of manual review.

Escalated disputes are reviewed within 24 hours of escalation, based on all evidence submitted during Stages 1 and 2.

6. Stage 4 — Arbitration

Where a dispute cannot be resolved through escalation review alone, it proceeds to arbitration by EscrowPK's dispute resolution team, who examine the full evidence record and issue a binding decision on the release, refund, or split of the escrowed funds, in accordance with Section 11.5 of the Terms & Conditions.

7. Dispute Fee Allocation

The PKR 1,000 escalation fee is allocated according to the outcome of the dispute, generally borne by the party found to be at fault, as described in Section 11.6 of the Terms & Conditions.

8. Evidence Standards

Decisions are based on objective evidence: shipment tracking, timestamped photographs (including seller packing/shipment photographs and buyer delivery confirmation), in-platform messages, and any relevant deal change request history.

Evidence submitted outside the platform (screenshots of external chats, third-party correspondence) may be considered but is weighed less heavily than in-platform records, which are timestamped and tamper-resistant.

9. External Legal Rights

EscrowPK's dispute process is an internal resolution mechanism and does not limit either party's right to pursue legal remedies through the courts of Pakistan, as set out in Section 11.8 of the Terms & Conditions.