If you have a project on Workana and are unable to reach an agreement with the freelancer during Mediation regarding project cancellation or the distribution of the funds held in escrow, you can request Arbitration so that our team can review the case and determine how the available funds will be distributed.
Policies on Mediation, Project Cancellation, and Violations in Fixed-Price Projects: https://help.workana.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042066953-Policies-on-Mediation-Project-Cancellation-and-Violations-in-Fixed-Price-Projects
⚠️ Before starting the process, make sure to recover all access credentials for your accounts, servers, and tools that you shared with the freelancer to complete the work. Change your passwords and remove any permissions that are no longer necessary.
1. When Can You Request Arbitration?
You can request Arbitration when you have attempted to resolve the disagreement through Mediation but have been unable to reach an agreement with the freelancer regarding the distribution of the funds held in escrow.
For example, if the freelancer rejects your cancellation proposal or makes a counterproposal that you disagree with, you can turn to this process.
We recommend trying to reach an agreement through Mediation, as it is free of charge and allows both parties to negotiate a solution.
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How to Cancel a Project as a Client & Request a Refund (Self-mediation)
2. What Should You Keep in Mind Before Starting Arbitration?
For our team to review the case, it is essential that all relevant information be recorded in the project history on Workana.
Make sure the following information is available:
- The agreed-upon terms.
- Messages exchanged with the freelancer.
- Agreements and changes to the project scope, if any.
- Partial and final deliverables.
- Revision requests and the responses received.
- Files and any other evidence related to the project.
⚠️ Important: External conversations, such as WhatsApp messages or emails, as well as work and agreements that are not recorded on Workana, will not be considered in the final decision. Therefore, make sure that all final deliverables and files are attached to the official project chat.
3. How Does Workana Make Its Decision?
Our team will review the project history and the available evidence on the platform to determine how the funds still held in escrow should be distributed.
To do so, we will consider the agreed-upon terms, communications between the parties, completed deliverables, and any other relevant information recorded in the project.
The decision will be based on the available evidence. Therefore, requesting Arbitration does not guarantee that you will receive all the funds held in escrow.
⚠️ Projects with a budget below USD 30: An automatic Arbitration process applies, in which 50% of the disputed amount is released to each party.
If either party is found to be improperly taking advantage of this policy, Workana may impose sanctions.
4. How Much Does Arbitration Cost?
Arbitration costs USD 10, which must be paid by the person requesting it.
Please keep the following conditions in mind:
- You have 96 hours to pay the applicable fee.
- If you do not make the payment within this period, Arbitration will be automatically canceled, and the project will return to the "In Progress" status.
- If you request Arbitration again and fail to pay the fee within the established time limit, you may receive a violation or have your account suspended.
- If you request Arbitration, pay the fee, and receive the full amount of the disputed funds, the Arbitration fee you paid will be fully refunded.
Please note that Workana's 4.5% service fee is non-refundable when a project is closed through Arbitration, whether the outcome involves a partial release of funds to the freelancer or a refund of funds to the client.
5. What Happens After Arbitration?
Once our team has made a decision, the available funds held in escrow will be distributed according to the resolution.
Additionally, after Arbitration, neither party will be able to rate the other for that project.
Need Further Assistance?
If you have questions about the process or need guidance on requesting Arbitration, you can contact our Support Team.