What Is an Offline Dispute?
An offline dispute is triggered automatically by the platform when a job payment or completion issue enters a state that requires offline resolution. You cannot manually file an offline dispute from this page — disputes appear here after being initiated by the system based on job events.
The page info card summarises the key rules that always apply:
- Used when online payment resolution fails
- Platform provides evidence documentation only
- Legal resolution is pursued through external channels — HelperGen does not adjudicate the outcome
There are two dispute paths:
1. Voluntary Payment Dispute (provider-initiated) The provider initiates this path. A 72-hour voluntary payment window opens immediately. During this window the job poster can pay directly on the job page to resolve the dispute. If the window closes without payment, the job is frozen and an evidence package becomes available to generate. The countdown timer on each dispute card and in the detail panel counts down this 72-hour window in real time.
2. Late-Cancellation Penalty Dispute (immediate path) This path covers no-show and late-cancellation scenarios. It enters offline dispute status immediately — there is no voluntary payment window. The disputed amount is a 30% late-cancellation penalty of the agreed job value (no tax). For hourly jobs the 30% is applied to the bid rate multiplied by the estimated hours. An evidence package is available to generate immediately.
The info card at the top of the page adjusts its message based on your active disputes: if you have a mix of both types it notes both paths; if you only have late-cancellation disputes it explains the immediate path.
My Offline Disputes
The My Offline Disputes panel on the left lists every offline dispute associated with your account. A blue badge shows the total count; if any disputes are archived a separate count is shown next to it.
Each dispute card shows:
- Job title and unique job ID
- Your role — one of four labels that appear as a small badge:
- "You initiated this dispute" — you are the provider who started this dispute
- "Provider initiated this dispute" — the other party is a provider who started it
- "You filed this dispute" — you are the job poster who reported the issue
- "Dispute filed against you" — the report was filed against you
- Counterparty name — labelled Provider or Client depending on your role
- Proposed start date (if set on the job)
- Status badge — PENDING, FROZEN, WON, LOST, or ARCHIVED (see Dispute Statuses)
- Disputed amount in CAD
- Initiated date
For pending voluntary payment disputes, a live countdown timer appears below the dispute details showing time remaining in the 72-hour window. The timer changes colour based on urgency:
- Blue — more than 12 hours remaining ("Payment window is active")
- Orange — 1 to 12 hours remaining ("Payment window closing soon")
- Red — less than 1 hour remaining ("Payment window closing very soon!")
- Green — window has expired ("Evidence Package Ready" — generate button appears)
A progress bar shows the percentage of the 72-hour window that has elapsed.
For late-cancellation penalty disputes, a Generate Evidence Package or Download button appears directly on the card alongside an "Evidence Package Ready" or "Evidence Package Ready to Generate" indicator.
Click any dispute card to load its full details in the right panel.
Dispute Statuses Explained
Each dispute shows one of five statuses:
- PENDING — the dispute is active. For voluntary payment disputes the 72-hour window may still be open.
- FROZEN — the job has been frozen because the voluntary payment window expired without payment.
- WON — the dispute was resolved in your favour.
- LOST — the dispute was resolved against you.
- ARCHIVED — you manually archived this dispute. It is hidden from the active workflow but all records are preserved. The underlying dispute status (PENDING, FROZEN, etc.) is retained — archiving is a display preference only. You can reopen an archived dispute at any time.
Dispute Detail View
Clicking a dispute card opens the detail view on the right, which has three cards:
Status Card — shows the job title, unique ID, and status badge at the top. Below that, three information tiles display:
- Amount (blue tile) — the disputed amount in CAD. For late-cancellation penalty disputes the label reads "Late-cancellation penalty (30%, no tax)" and shows the percentage and base amount used in the calculation.
- Counterparty (green tile) — the name of the other party.
- Initiated (purple tile) — who filed the dispute and on what date.
If the dispute is archived, a grey box shows the archived date and time, and any note that was added at the time of archiving.
Voluntary payment disputes (pending) show a "Voluntary Payment Window" section with the full-size countdown timer inside the status card.
Late-cancellation penalty disputes (pending) show a red "Late-Cancellation Penalty Dispute (Immediate)" notice confirming there is no voluntary payment window.
Timeline — a dedicated section inside the status card showing key events:
- Initiated — the exact date and time the dispute was triggered (with local timezone)
- Payment Deadline — shown only for pending voluntary payment disputes with an active window
- Payment Received — shown if a payment was successfully made against this dispute
Evidence Packages
An evidence package is a PDF file (named Evidence_Package_{ID}.pdf) generated by HelperGen and downloaded directly to your device. It contains all documented information about the disputed job — job details, agreed terms, timestamps, and payment records — for use in external legal or mediation proceedings.
When is a package available?
- Late-cancellation penalty disputes: Available to generate immediately. Click Generate Evidence Package in the Evidence Packages card or directly on the dispute list card. The file is generated server-side and automatically downloads to your device.
- Voluntary payment disputes — window still active: Not yet available. The Evidence Packages card shows "Payment Window Still Active" — the package becomes available after the 72-hour window expires.
- Voluntary payment disputes — window expired: Click Generate Evidence Package to create and auto-download the package.
Viewing and downloading existing packages
Once a package has been generated it appears in the Evidence Packages card showing its package ID, creation date, and file size. Click Download to save another copy.
If multiple packages exist for the same dispute the most recent one is shown as the primary card. Click Previous packages (N) to expand a collapsible list of older versions and download any of them.
Access restrictions: Family members with View Access cannot generate or download evidence packages.
Available Actions
When a dispute is selected the Available Actions card shows every action available to you. Which actions appear depends on your role (job poster or provider), the dispute type, and the current status.
View Job Details — available to all users on all disputes. Navigates to the full job page showing the complete history, messages, and timeline.
Archive Dispute — available to all users on non-archived disputes. Hides the dispute from your active workflow. Before confirming you can optionally add a note (up to 1,000 characters) for your own records, for example: "Waiting for legal advice before proceeding." The dispute and all its records are preserved and can be restored at any time. Family members with View Access cannot archive disputes.
Reopen Dispute — available to all users on archived disputes only. Restores the dispute to your active workflow.
Pay Job — job posters only, pending voluntary payment disputes. Links to the job page where you can complete payment to resolve the dispute before the 72-hour window closes.
Cancel Job (Pay 30% Penalty) — job posters only, pending late-cancellation penalty disputes. Links to the job page with the cancellation flow pre-opened. Confirming cancellation settles the dispute by cancelling the job and paying the 30% penalty amount displayed on the dispute card.
Send Payment Link — providers only, pending voluntary payment disputes. Emails a secure payment link to the client so they can pay without going through the job page flow. After sending, the button enters a 60-second cooldown to prevent duplicate emails — the button shows a countdown timer and is disabled until the cooldown finishes. Family members with View Access and family members in limited mode cannot see or use this button.