Learn more about disputes – Transport Exchange Group

Should any disputes arise between members either during a load booking or after, members have the option to raise a dispute.

The difference between raising a dispute and leaving feedback

On The Exchange, disputes are different to feedback. Feedback rates how well a booking went.

If you were happy with how it went, you leave positive feedback. If you weren’t particularly happy with something, but it didn’t necessarily put your business in jeopardy or escalate to a very serious situation, you can leave average or negative feedback.

Disputes should not be confused with negative feedback. Disputes should only be raised in the most serious circumstances.

Additionally, disputes will not be converted into feedback even if the decision reached by our team is not in your favour and vice versa.

The purpose of our disputes policy

Our disputes policy protects the integrity of The Exchange; our team strives to be neutral and fair with all members.

Drivers have a responsibility to deliver freight professionally and efficiently, and load posters are responsible for honouring the payment terms advertised on the load.

If something happens during or after a booking that has seriously impacted a member’s business or reputation, and they believe it warrants raising a dispute, they must be able to submit evidence.

Disputes are taken very seriously, as they pose a risk not only to another member’s business reputation but also to our platform.

Acceptable vs unacceptable disputes

Please note: the following example scenarios are fake and have not been taken from actual disputes raised.

Example dispute	Subject	Why this would be dismissed or upheld
Unacceptable Example 1	DO NOT USE! Although the job was booked a day in advance – the driver was an hour late to collection and refused to load goods. Cowboys that should be banned from the Exchange. Other feedbacks noting the same. Disgraceful	· Deterring others from using a member’s services · Abusive/slanderous name-calling · Taking matters into your own hands and speaking for the Exchange · No evidence attached
Acceptable Example 1	The driver was an hour late, although the job was booked in advance, and I have received an email from my customer with frustration of the delay. (Find attached).	· Clear dissatisfaction with service · Clear evidence of the accusation · Unbiased view
Unacceptable Example 1	The driver was 3 hours late to the job and he swore at me once challenged. He then refused to do the job as multi-drop and now I have no cover for the job. This guy was a complete waste of space. AVOID AVOID AVOID.	· Deterring others from using this member (defamation of character) · No evidence included · Abusive and slanderous wording
Acceptable Example 2	The driver was two hours late to the job. Instructions were provided to him (as you can see in the diary). He drove off and then sent abusive texts and emails. Please review.	· Clear dissatisfaction with service · Clear evidence of the accusation · Unbiased view
Unacceptable Example 1	After advising and posting as a small van with no logos this cx member has arrived at my customer's collection site in a Mercedes car. Have a very angry customer and have lost over £200 because of this cx member. I would encourage all not to use at all !!!!!	· Could prevent the member from obtaining future work · No evidence included from the customer · No evidence of money lost
Acceptable Example 2	After advising and posting as a small van with no logos this cx member has arrived at my customer's collection site in a Mercedes car. Have a very angry customer and have lost over £200 because of this cx member. (Evidence uploaded.)	· Evidence attached · Experience included without displaying emotive personal thoughts

What is our general policy on disputes?

Evidence will always be required for disputes. For a dispute to be investigated, the evidence must be submitted. If no evidence is submitted, then the dispute will be immediately dismissed.

For example, we will dismiss any dispute instantly if:

It is submitted blank
It is submitted with no information and/or evidence.
It refers to accusations or verbal communications that are not backed up with proof.
If your payment or delivery dispute is against a non-member.

We will reconsider re-opening a dispute if you have provided evidence within 24 hours after a dispute has been dismissed.

When filing a dispute, please ensure you provide immediate evidence. (Remember, the Exchange is not privy to conversations outside of the platform). All evidence must be factual.

We will always remain impartial

The Exchange will remain impartial and fair to both parties throughout the investigation of a dispute. Each dispute will be looked at individually and other factors such as the length of the membership will not play a part in distinguishing facts and coming to a decision.

Members must attempt to engage with each other prior to making a dispute

We hope that members can manage any differences of opinion without the need for the Exchange to get involved. Most often this is the case. Therefore, we ask that all disputes be raised after there is a clear effort to engage the other member.

How the Exchange handles dispute submissions

Once a dispute is submitted our team will check to see if you’ve attached evidence.

If there is no evidence, the dispute will not be reviewed and instead be promptly dismissed. In this case, you can respond to the email sent to you, within 24 hours.

Once we receive a dispute with evidence attached, our team will review our policy outlined below and decide on the appropriate action. The quality of your dispute submission is crucial if you want a fast, effective outcome.

Can I raise a dispute against non-members?

Unfortunately, we cannot support payment or delivery disputes against non-members.

The different types of disputes explained

There are two types of disputes that be raised on the Exchange.

Payment disputes

To be raised only if non-payment of the invoice has exceeded 7 working days past the due date on the invoice, or there is a dispute concerning additional fees that weren’t agreed to.

If payment was received but was received late, please leave negative feedback.

Delivery disputes

This type of dispute can be raised if a major issue arose with the driver’s service.

Examples of what warrants a delivery dispute could be co-loading without authorisation, holding goods for ransom, damaged goods, failure to communicate, or threatening behaviour.

If you were simply unsatisfied with delivery, but you feel the seriousness doesn’t warrant a dispute, you should leave negative feedback instead.

Please note, members must allow seven additional days after the agreed payment date before submitting a dispute. All payment disputes provided earlier than 7 days will be dismissed. Please also note, each booking needs to have its own dispute.

Unfortunately, we can't assist with payment disputes made 90 days past the due date of the invoice and these will be dismissed.

Policy in greater detail

Type of dispute	Definition	Evidence required	The policy response/outcome	Penalty if the dispute is upheld
No payment	The member is claiming that they haven't received payment even after the required documents have been sent and received.	Evidence of postage, such as a Certificate of Posting (free form all Post Offices).	If evidence has been provided and the member hasn't made payment within 24 hours, we have the right to suspend the account. If the member hasn't made payment by the end of the month, we have the right to mark them for revocation.	ld and published. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our disputes team. We can impose restrictions on a member's load-posting activities, as well as completely removing the ability for them to post loads. We will provide clear guidance as to how restrictions can be lifted while monitoring the account for further disputes. If this activity continues, it could lead to a suspension or revocation of the membership entirely.
Cancellation of a booking	When a load poster or carrier cancels a confirmed load booking and payment/damages are requested from the other member, but the money hasn't been received.	N/A	Transport Exchange Group cannot intervene in disputes regarding additional charges following the cancellation of a load booking. It must be resolved between the members themselves or the small claims court.	N/A
Other additional charges	When a driver requests additional payment for unforeseen circumstances like waiting times and additional work.	There must be evidence in the booking footer of the load that the load poster agrees to pay international bank charges.	Transport Exchange Group cannot intervene in disputes regarding additional charges. must be resolved between the members themselves or via the small claims court.	N/A

How to raise a payment dispute

If you have not received your payment and you have followed all the instructions included within the booking footer of the load and attempted to contact the member yourself, you can raise a payment dispute.

Please note, we can only support disputes that are 7-90 days overdue.

To raise a dispute, you must:

Raise this through your diary, by clicking on the ‘Leave Feedback’ option
Select Payment NOT received

You will then be directed to submit the dispute and attach the appropriate evidence. Please note, you can only submit a dispute if the invoice is 7 days overdue.

If the invoice was created outside of the Exchange (i.e., using your own accounting software), you will be asked to provide the date the invoice was raised and then confirm that it is more than 7 days overdue.

After that, our system will ask you to confirm the following:

That you have submitted the invoice and POD
That you have verified the member has received the invoice and POD
That you have attempted to resolve the non-payment with the member
That you can provide written/recorded proof of this attempted contact

If you answer 'Yes' to all the above, you will be redirected to a screen where you can access the 'Disputes Submission Form' where you’ll be asked to upload:

The load or invoice ID the dispute is about and;
All proof of attempts with the other member

Once you have submitted all crucial information, click 'Leave Feedback' and return to the Feedback screen to complete the process by clicking on the 'Confirm Complaint’ button.

It is crucial you attach evidence to your dispute. If your dispute does not have evidence attached, we will allow 24 hours for you to provide evidence (we will email you and request this information)
Please don’t submit your dispute blank – you need to add detailed comments to your dispute, explaining why you’re submitting it
Please ensure that a dispute is raised against a booking. This still stands if you have multiple disputes against one company

Once the dispute is received, a member of our team will investigate this and come back to you if further information is required.

Delivery disputes

There are ten different types of delivery-related disputes that our team has procedures in place for.

We no longer assist with delivery disputes made 30 days after the delivery date and will dismiss them without further action.

Type of dispute	Definition	Evidence required	The policy response/outcome	Penalty if the dispute is upheld
Co-loading	When a driver accepts an additional load booking without documented permission from both parties.	Evidence of multiple load bookings being completed as reflected on the system	If no evidence is provided that this was permitted by both parties prior to the booking being completed, the will be upheld against the offending member.	First offence - a warning will be given (valid for one year) and additional diary management and rules training required. Second offence (within the same year) - a one-month suspension will apply (the account will be restricted) and a final warning will be issued to the member which is valid for life. Further offence(s) after a final warning issued - the account will be revoked with 2-year minimum enforcement.
Branded PODs	Evidence of a POD having been submitted with personal branding/company information on it.	Using branded PODs falls under the realm of poaching customers. The dispute will be upheld if evidence shows that there was personal branding/company information on the POD.	Using branded PODs falls under the realm of poaching customers. The dispute will be upheld if evidence shows that there was personal branding/company information on the POD.	First offence - a warning will be given, and further training required (warning valid for the life of membership) Second offence - depending on the circumstances and severity of the offence, enforcement could range from a further warning being given to suspension and even revocation of the membership
Poaching customers	When an attempt is made to steal a customer from another member on the Exchange after a load booking is confirmed (appears in the diary) in the CX/HX system. Please see our policy on poaching customers for more guidance on how we approach these claims.	If a poaching dispute is raised, our team will need documented evidence confirming the actions of the other member advertising their own business. Customer statement CCTV footage Digital evidence (CCTV footage, photos, phone conversation recordings)	The dispute will not be upheld unless the other member can provide our team with documented. We strongly urge members to engage with one another to review all the circumstances and agree on a resolution. If this is not possible, we will review the evidence submitted and assess the case in line with the following questions: Was the action proven to be deliberate? How serious was the action taken? Is there evidence to prove the offence? If not, the will be dismissed. Is this a first or repeated offence? Was the previous load completed within two years? In most cases acceptable evidence will consist of: Email Customer Account Photo evidence (branding & PODs) Diary evidence Once the has been submitted, reviewed, and decided, that decision is final and not subject to appeal. It is important to recognise the severity of the consequences of a deliberate attempt to poach another member’s customer.	If there is clear, undisputed evidence of an attempt to poach a customer, we have the right to enforce a lifetime membership revocation.
Load booking cancellation because of a conflicting booking	The member E-quoting on a load has already accepted another booking.	There is evidence of cancellation in the system via the diary.	If the member quoted on several loads and is allocated multiple bookings within a specific time frame (for example, within 5 minutes), it is the responsibility of the quoting member to immediately dismiss/decline and inform the load poster that they are no longer available either by a phone call or email. There must be evidence that they made a clear effort to ensure that the load poster is aware of their change in availability. If this evidence is present, the will be dismissed, and the quoting member will be warned about excessive quoting.	First offence - a warning will be given to the offending member, and they'll be given mandatory training on quoting best practices. Multiple offences (within a short timeline) - the member's account will be reviewed and a final decision enforced
Load booking cancellation without reasonable notice	A carrier cancelling a load booking without reasonable notice. It is the responsibility of the member transporting the load to either accept or dismiss the load booking upon receipt in the system.	There must be evidence of a load booking cancellation in the system via the diary. If the load booking is found to still exist in the system, we won't accept any other form of evidence.	Once the load booking is accepted by the carrier, they are responsible for that load. If the booking is cancelled without giving the load poster reasonable notice, the carrier is at fault. Only in exceptional circumstances, like an accident or breakdown, will the evidence be considered.	First offence (evidence that the booking was accepted) - the member will receive a final warning and additional training recommended (valid for one year). First offence (evidence that the booking was not accepted) - our disputes team will review the circumstances and enforce a proportionate penalty, which can range from finding no fault, to a warning. Second offence - membership revocation (2-year minimum enforcement)
Cancelled job by the poster due to lower price.	When a load poster cancels a load booking with a carrier because they've found another member who can do the delivery at a lower price.	There must be evidence of cancellation and re-allocation to another member who quoted a lower price for the same load.	Once a load is allocated and accepted, the load poster and carrier have entered into a contract. If our team finds clear evidence of load re-allocation for a lower price, the will be upheld.	First offence - the member is issued with a warning. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our disputes team based on the number of loads posted within the period of initial and secondary offence. Depending on the circumstance, we can impose restrictions with clear guidance as to how these are lifted, or we will impose additional recorded warnings.
Load booking cancellation without reasonable timing or while a booking is in progress	When a load poster cancels a booking without reasonable timing or while the carrier is already moving the load.	We require evidence of the cancellation on our system via the diary. If the system shows that the booking wasn't cancelled, we won't accept any other form of evidence. Our team will do their best to review every effort the load poster claims they made to cancel the load within a reasonable time.	The dispute will be upheld if it was cancelled on short notice or while the booking was already in progress without satisfactory explanation (the load was cancelled by the customer with proof).	First offence - the member is issued with a warning. Further offence(s) - this triggers a scalable review by our disputes team based on the number of loads posted within the period of initial and secondary offence. Depending on the circumstance we can impose restrictions with clear guidance as to how these are lifted, or we will impose additional recorded warnings.
Delivery times not being met	When load collection or drop off times aren't met.	There must be evidence on our system that shows the pickup and drop-off times of the load.	The dispute will be upheld if the times weren't met (collected or delivered the load late) without any evidence of exceptional circumstances.	First offence - the member will be issued with warning and their account will be suspended (valid for one year) and additional diary management with rules training required. Second offence - the member will be given a one-month suspension (their account will be restricted) and a final warning will be issued (valid for the lifetime of membership). Further offence(s) - Their account will be revoked (two-year minimum enforcement).
Damaged goods upon arrival	When goods arrive damaged at the drop off destination after completion of the load booking.	The dispute will only be upheld if the insurer comes to that decision. Transport Exchange group won't get involved in the case and the member whose goods were damaged upon delivery will be advised to leave negative feedback on the other member.	The dispute will only be upheld if the insurer comes to that decision. Transport Exchange group get involved in the case and the member whose goods were damaged upon delivery will be advised to leave negative feedback on the other member.	Our team keeps a record of these instances to spot patterns. If a member has two or more incidents within six months, the member will be retrained and warned that we could potentially take action should the behaviour persist. This could result in a refusal for membership renewal or suspending their account. If the insurance provider is of the opinion that the dispute should be upheld: First offence - the member will be issued with a warning and be retrained. Second offence (within a year) - the member's account will be suspended for two weeks.
How we handle abusive/threatening language or behaviour disputes	When a member has abused or used threatening behaviour towards another member of the Exchange or a member of Exchange staff.	We require written evidence that this behaviour took place in the form of text messages or . No audio will be accepted.	We do not tolerate or accept threatening behaviour on the Exchange. If a member sends threatening messages to another member on the Exchange or to one of our staff, the will be upheld immediately.	If the case is debatable, we will issue the offending member with a warning. If we are provided with substantial evidence, we can revoke the offender's membership immediately without a warning. If we don't have any evidence, our team will be alerted to this member, and we'll be tracking them to spot patterns.

When should I raise a delivery dispute?

Delivery disputes MUST be submitted within one calendar month of the delivery date

If the other member has co-loaded without your permission
Non-delivery, damaged goods, failure to follow instructions/provide documentation, late delivery without any notice or communication
If the other member attempted to poach your customer at delivery (evidence will need to be provided)
If the other member threatened you in any way or used abusive/offensive language (evidence will need to be provided)

If you are unsatisfied with a delivery, you can leave negative feedback, or if the matter is of a more serious nature, you should escalate this to a delivery dispute.

Go on 'Diary' and then click ‘Leave Feedback’ under the member details.
Fill out the form below to leave your feedback

If you have witnessed a member breaking our rules, regulations and general policies of the Exchange, please contact us .

Please note, we won’t follow through with a dispute if:

You raise a dispute without any supporting documentation or evidence.
You raise a dispute as revenge for negative feedback received will be dismissed

By raising a dispute, you are agreeing to abide by the decision we reach. These decisions are final and not open to appeal.

We encourage you to make every attempt to resolve the matter on your own before proceeding with a dispute.

Once the dispute is received a member of our team will investigate this and come back to you if further information is required.

Please ensure that ALL disputes have comments and evidence attached. If the dispute is submitted blank (with no comments or no evidence) then it will be dismissed.