🛠️ How the Task Dispute System Works

The Task Dispute System was designed to ensure fairness and trust across the task marketplace. It allows users to raise formal complaints (disputes) when something goes wrong with a completed task — such as poor work quality, missed deadlines, payment issues, or unprofessional conduct. Here’s how the system works from start to finish:

🔁 Step-by-Step Process

1. Eligibility to File a Dispute

• A dispute can only be filed within 5 days after the task’s official start date.

• Only logged-in users who were directly involved in the task (poster or bidder) may file a dispute.

2. Filing the Dispute

Users can submit a dispute by filling out a secure form:

• Navigate to the Dispute Form (Please log in to file a dispute. shortcode).

• Provide:

  • The Task ID

  • Your role (Task Poster or Bidder)

  • A detailed reason for the dispute

  • Optional evidence (images or PDFs)

Once submitted, the system:

• Stores the dispute securely in the database.

• Sends an immediate email notification to the admin team.

• Prevents users from submitting duplicate disputes on the same task.

3. Admin Review & Communication

Admins can:

• View all disputes in a dedicated admin panel.

• See all related information, including the reason, date, evidence, and task/user details.

• Respond with a note, and either resolve or reject the dispute.

• Notify users via automatic email about the decision and admin remarks.

Admins also have tools to:

• Post internal notes

• Add replies to disputes

• Review the history of disputes per user

• View evidence securely via direct links

4. Impact on User Ratings (Optional Feature)

If a dispute is marked as resolved, and blame is determined:

• The responsible party may receive a penalty.

• Their user rating can be adjusted automatically (e.g. -0.5).

• A penalty counter is stored in their profile and visible with [user_dispute_penalty].

This creates a reputation system that rewards professionalism and discourages abuse.

5. Viewing Your Dispute History

Users can view their past disputes by visiting the page with the Please log in to view your disputes.:

• Displays a table of all disputes filed

• Shows task ID, role, reason, date, status, and links to uploaded evidence

This ensures transparency and allows users to track the progress of their complaints.

🧠 Built-In Safeguards

• ✅ 5-Day Deadline: Prevents backlog of old disputes

• ✅ Duplicate Checks: One dispute per user-task pair

• ✅ File Validation: Only JPG, PNG, and PDF allowed

• ✅ Security: All submissions go through WordPress nonce validation

• ✅ Admin Alerts: Instant email notifications

• ✅ Status Filtering: Admin can filter by pending, resolved, or rejected

✨ Additional Features (Optional)

• 💬 Comment Threading: Admin and users can post replies to a dispute

• 🔄 Live Notification Alerts: Real-time dashboard alerts for admins when new disputes arrive

• 📊 Penalty Display: Users can see how many penalties they’ve earned from disputes

• 📂 Evidence Viewer: Easily click to view uploaded evidence files

💡 Summary

The Task Dispute System helps your platform maintain trust, fairness, and accountability. Whether you’re a task poster or a bidder, you have a voice — and your complaint will be taken seriously, fairly reviewed, and resolved in a professional manner.

Let’s keep the community reliable and honest — one dispute at a time.