Refund & Dispute Policy

1. Introduction

Makeatask is a two-sided marketplace for services. We are not a goods retailer, so we do not have a “returns” policy in the traditional sense — nothing is shipped, restocked, or returned. Instead, this Refund and Dispute Policy explains how money moves on the platform, when funds can be returned to a Task Poster, and how we resolve disagreements between Posters and Service Providers.

2. How Payments Flow on Makeatask

• Every verified user has an in-app wallet with two balances: an available balance (spendable / withdrawable) and a held balance (in escrow).
• Each user has a Dedicated Virtual Account (DVA) issued by a Nigerian licensed bank through our payments partner Paystack. To fund your wallet, transfer money to your DVA — funds appear in your available balance.
• When a Task Poster accepts an offer, the agreed amount moves from the Poster’s available balance into a held balance (escrow). The Provider can see the money is secured before they start work.
• When the task is completed and confirmed, the held amount, less the Makeatask service fee, moves into the Provider’s available balance. From there the Provider can withdraw to their verified Nigerian bank account.
• If the task is cancelled before the Provider delivers, or if a dispute is resolved in the Poster’s favour, the held amount returns to the Poster’s available balance.

3. When You Can Get a Refund

A Task Poster is entitled to a refund of held (escrowed) funds in any of the following situations:

• Cancellation before the offer is accepted: the funds were never moved into escrow, so there is nothing to refund — the Poster keeps their available balance.
• Cancellation after acceptance but before the Provider starts work: the full held amount is returned to the Poster’s available balance.
• Provider no-show or non-delivery: where the Provider does not attempt the task, or does not deliver within the timeframe agreed in chat, the Poster can request a full refund through the dispute flow.
• Task delivered but materially different from what was agreed: where the work delivered does not match the agreed scope, the Poster can open a dispute. Outcomes can include full refund, partial refund, or release to the Provider, depending on the evidence.
• Suspected fraud or AUP breach by the Provider: where we determine the Provider acted in bad faith, we will refund the Poster in full.

4. Where Refunds Are Paid

Refunds are paid into the Task Poster’s in-app wallet (available balance). From there the Poster can either use those funds to post or accept another task, or withdraw to their verified Nigerian bank account at any time. We pay refunds into the wallet rather than directly back to the funding bank because every Poster funds the wallet from their own DVA — the wallet is the natural place for the money to settle, and it lets us return funds promptly even when the original funding bank takes longer to settle a reversal. The funds are the user’s either way.

5. When a Refund Is Not Available

We will not approve a refund where:

• The task was completed and the Poster confirmed completion in the app.
• The escrow auto-release has run and no dispute was raised within the dispute window (see below).
• The complaint is about scope the Poster did not ask for or pay for at the time of acceptance.
• The Poster cancelled because they changed their mind after the Provider had already started or completed the work, and the Provider has evidence of the work performed.
• The Poster broke this Policy or our Acceptable Use Policy — for example by trying to take the transaction off-platform and then disputing the in-app payment.
• There is evidence of collusion between Poster and Provider, including wash-trades and fake tasks.

6. Escrow Hold and Auto-Release

Funds for an accepted task stay in escrow until one of three things happens: (a) both parties confirm the task is done and funds are released to the Provider; (b) the Poster opens a dispute, which pauses any release while we review; or (c) the escrow auto-release window of seven (7) days passes after the Provider marks the task delivered and the Poster has not opened a dispute. The auto-release is designed to protect Providers from indefinite holds when a Poster goes silent after delivery. If you are a Poster and the work delivered is not what you agreed, you must open a dispute before this seven-day window expires.

7. How to Open a Dispute

To open a dispute:

• Open the task screen inside the Makeatask app.
• Tap “Report an issue” / “Open dispute.”
• Choose the reason that fits best (not delivered, delivered late, wrong scope, quality issue, safety concern, etc.).
• Add evidence: screenshots, photos of the work or workplace, voice notes, files, and a short written description of what went wrong.
• Submit. The held funds for that task are immediately frozen and cannot be auto-released until the dispute closes.

Disputes should be opened in good faith. Filing a false dispute, or filing a dispute to delay a legitimate release of funds, is treated as a breach of our Acceptable Use Policy.

8. How We Resolve Disputes

• Our Trust & Safety team is notified as soon as a dispute is opened.
• We review the chat history, the task brief, the agreed budget, the timeline, the evidence both parties provide, and the parties’ history on the platform.
• We may contact either party for additional information. You are expected to respond within 48 hours of our request, otherwise we proceed on the evidence available.
• We target a written decision within five (5) Nigerian business days of the dispute being opened. Complex disputes — especially those involving safety incidents, fraud, or off-platform claims — may take longer, and we will tell you if that applies to your case.
• Outcomes can be: full release to the Provider, partial release with the remainder refunded to the Poster, or full refund to the Poster.
• If the dispute outcome involves a refund, the held amount returns to the Poster’s available balance. If the outcome is partial, the split is made the same day the decision is issued.

9. Finality of Decisions

By using Makeatask you agree that our dispute decision is final for any funds held inside the platform. We make this rule so that escrowed money is not stuck indefinitely while parties argue. You keep all the legal rights you have outside the platform — this clause does not affect your right to pursue a separate civil claim against the other party for damages outside the scope of the held funds.

10. Card Chargebacks and Bank Reversals

If you fund your wallet by card or bank transfer and you later raise a chargeback with your bank, your wallet activity will be frozen until the chargeback is resolved. Filing a chargeback for a transaction that was already resolved on Makeatask — for example, where the task was completed and funds released to the Provider — is treated as bad-faith use of the platform. Where the chargeback succeeds we will recover the disputed amount from your wallet; if the wallet does not have enough funds, we may pursue the amount through legal channels.

11. Service Fees on Refunds

Makeatask’s service fee is only charged on completed transactions where funds are released to the Provider. If a task is cancelled or refunded in full to the Poster, no service fee is charged. If a dispute is resolved as a partial release, the service fee is applied only to the amount released to the Provider.

12. Withdrawals After a Refund

Refunded funds in your available balance can be withdrawn to your verified Nigerian bank account at any time, subject to identity checks, minimum-balance rules shown in the app, and any active fraud review. Withdrawals are processed via our licensed payments partner Paystack and typically settle to the recipient bank within minutes; in the rare case of a bank delay, settlement can take up to one business day.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy as the Service evolves. Material changes are communicated in the app, by email, or both, and the “Last updated” date above is moved. Continuing to use the Service after the changes take effect means you accept the updated Policy.

14. Contact

Questions about a specific refund or dispute? Open it from inside the app so your support ticket is linked to the task and the held funds. General questions about this Policy can be sent to support@makeatask.com.