Dispute Resolution Policy
Version 1.0 | Effective Date: 1 January 2025
Document Owner: Head of Operations, JobSeal Pty Ltd
1. Purpose and Scope
This Dispute Resolution Policy ('Policy') sets out the framework by which JobSeal Pty Ltd ('JobSeal') receives, investigates, and resolves formal disputes raised by candidates, employers, employer users, and referees ('Participants') in connection with their use of the JobSeal platform ('Platform').
This Policy applies to all disputes arising from:
- A candidate's computed JobSeal or individual role score;
- The outcome or conduct of an employment verification process;
- A suspected fraudulent or bad-faith referee response;
- An employer's use of Platform data in a manner alleged to breach the Employer Terms of Service;
- A billing or subscription dispute; and
- Any allegation that a Participant's account has been suspended or terminated unfairly.
This Policy does not apply to general customer support queries, technical issues, or requests for information, which are handled through the standard support channel at support@jobseal.co.
2. Guiding Principles
All disputes will be handled in accordance with the following principles:
- Procedural fairness: Each party to a dispute will be given a reasonable opportunity to present their position before a decision is made.
- Independence: Disputes involving a score or verification outcome will be reviewed by a member of the JobSeal Integrity Team who was not involved in the original process.
- Transparency: Participants will be kept informed of the status of their dispute throughout the process and will receive a written outcome notice.
- Proportionality: The level of investigation applied to a dispute will be proportionate to the significance of the matter and the evidence available.
- Privacy protection: Dispute investigations will be conducted in a manner that does not unnecessarily disclose the personal information of any party to another.
- Finality: Decisions made under this Policy represent JobSeal's final internal determination. External escalation pathways are available where a Participant remains unsatisfied.
3. Types of Disputes
3.1 Score Dispute (Candidate)
A candidate may raise a Score Dispute where they believe that a role score on their profile has been affected by a procedural error in the verification process. A Score Dispute may be raised on the following grounds only:
- The verification request was sent to a person who did not hold the role described and was not a legitimate referee for that employment record;
- A referee responded to a survey that had expired or to which they had not been legitimately invited;
- There is credible evidence that a referee acted with malicious intent;
- A technical error in the scoring engine produced a mathematically incorrect result; or
- A score was attributed to a role that is not associated with the candidate's account.
Important limitation: A Score Dispute may not be raised on the grounds that a candidate disagrees with the substance of a referee's assessment, believes the score is unfair, or would prefer a different outcome. JobSeal does not adjudicate on the merits of a referee's professional opinion.
3.2 Verification Process Dispute (Candidate or Employer)
Either a candidate or an employer may raise a Verification Process Dispute where they believe the verification process was conducted outside the procedures described in the Terms of Service or this Policy.
3.3 Fraud Allegation (Any Participant)
Any Participant may raise a Fraud Allegation where they have credible grounds to believe that another Participant has engaged in fraud, collusion, or manipulation of the scoring system. Fraud Allegations are treated with a higher level of urgency and may result in account suspension pending investigation.
3.4 Employer Conduct Dispute (Candidate)
A candidate may raise an Employer Conduct Dispute where they have credible grounds to believe that an employer has used their Platform data in breach of the Employer Terms of Service, including using data for purposes outside hiring, sharing reports with unauthorised third parties, or making a discriminatory employment decision based solely on a JobSeal.
3.5 Billing and Subscription Dispute (Employer)
An employer may raise a Billing Dispute in relation to charges they believe are incorrect, a subscription tier they believe was applied incorrectly, or a refund they believe is owed in accordance with the Employer Terms of Service.
3.6 Account Action Dispute (Any Participant)
Any Participant whose account has been suspended or terminated may raise an Account Action Dispute if they believe the action was taken in error or without adequate basis.
4. Raising a Dispute
4.1 Eligibility and Time Limits
Disputes must be raised within the following time limits from the date the Participant became aware of the matter:
| Dispute Type | Time Limit |
|---|---|
| Score Dispute | 90 days from score publication |
| Verification Process Dispute | 60 days from verification completion |
| Fraud Allegation | No time limit — report as soon as reasonably possible |
| Employer Conduct Dispute | 12 months from the date of the alleged breach |
| Billing Dispute | 60 days from the invoice or charge date |
| Account Action Dispute | 30 days from the date of the account action |
4.2 How to Submit
All disputes must be submitted in writing through one of the following channels:
- Online: Via the dispute submission form in your account dashboard;
- Email: disputes@jobseal.co; or
- Post: Disputes Officer, JobSeal Pty Ltd.
Verbal or informal dispute notifications do not commence the formal dispute process.
4.3 Required Information
A valid dispute submission must include:
- Your full name and registered account email address;
- The type of dispute (as categorised in Section 3);
- A clear description of the matter giving rise to the dispute;
- The specific outcome you are seeking;
- Any supporting evidence you wish to provide (subject to Section 4.4 below); and
- For Score Disputes: the specific employment record and role score in question.
4.4 Evidence Limitations
In the interests of maintaining referee anonymity and the integrity of the scoring system:
- Candidates may not submit evidence purporting to identify a specific referee or to attribute a specific score to a specific individual;
- Candidates may not submit communications from a referee provided in a personal capacity outside the survey process, as the basis for a dispute; and
- JobSeal will not disclose individual referee identities, responses, or dimension scores to any party in the course of a dispute investigation.
5. Investigation and Decision
5.1 Acknowledgement
JobSeal will acknowledge receipt of a dispute submission within 2 business days and will assign a Dispute Reference Number.
5.2 Preliminary Assessment
Within 5 business days of acknowledgement, the assigned case handler will conduct a preliminary assessment to determine whether the dispute falls within scope, whether sufficient information has been provided, the appropriate investigation pathway, and whether any interim measures are required.
5.3 Investigation
The investigation will generally:
- Review the audit log for all actions associated with the relevant verification request, score computation, or account action;
- Where a Fraud Allegation has been made, apply fraud detection analysis procedures including response velocity, IP geolocation, email domain verification, and statistical outlier analysis;
- Seek a response from any other Participant who is a subject of the dispute, where appropriate; and
- Document all findings and the basis for the proposed determination.
5.4 Resolution Outcomes
| Outcome | Description |
|---|---|
| Dispute not upheld | No procedural error, fraud, or breach found. The existing score, outcome, or account action stands. |
| Score removed | A procedural error or confirmed bad-faith response is found. The affected role score is removed and the role displays as 'verification disputed'. |
| Score re-solicited | The verification process for the affected role is reinitiated with corrected referee contacts or process steps. |
| Candidate statement added | No procedural error found, but the candidate is entitled to attach a written statement of up to 500 words. |
| Verification report corrected | A JobSeal process error in a report delivered to an employer is acknowledged and a corrected report is issued. |
| Account action reversed | A suspension or termination is found to have been applied in error and is reversed. |
| Billing credit or refund | A billing error is confirmed and a credit or refund is issued. |
| Fraud finding | Evidence of fraud or collusion is confirmed. The offending account is suspended or terminated. |
| Employer conduct referral | An employer conduct dispute with credible evidence is escalated to the Legal team. |
5.5 Resolution Timeline
| Dispute Type | Target Resolution |
|---|---|
| Score Dispute | 20 business days |
| Verification Process Dispute | 15 business days |
| Fraud Allegation (urgent) | 5 business days for interim measures; 20 business days for full finding |
| Employer Conduct Dispute | 30 business days |
| Billing Dispute | 10 business days |
| Account Action Dispute | 10 business days |
5.6 Outcome Notice
On completion of the investigation, JobSeal will provide a written Outcome Notice setting out the findings, the outcome determination and reasons, any action taken, and information about further escalation options.
6. Internal Review
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of a dispute, you may request an internal review within 20 business days of receiving the Outcome Notice. Submit your request to disputes@jobseal.co with the subject line 'Internal Review Request — [Dispute Reference Number]'.
An internal review is not a de novo investigation. It will consider whether the original investigation followed this Policy's procedures, whether all relevant evidence was considered, and whether the outcome determination was reasonable in light of the findings.
A written Internal Review Outcome Notice will be issued within 15 business days.
7. External Escalation
7.1 Privacy Complaints
Disputes involving the handling of personal information may be escalated to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):
- Website: www.oaic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 363 992
- Post: GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
7.2 Consumer Protection
Disputes involving the supply of services to consumers may be escalated to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) or the relevant state consumer protection body.
7.3 Employment-Related Disputes
Where a candidate believes that an employer has used Platform data in a discriminatory manner in connection with an employment decision, they may be entitled to make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission or the relevant state anti-discrimination body.
7.4 Mediation and Arbitration
Where the internal process has been exhausted and both parties agree, a dispute may be referred to a mutually agreed mediator or to the Resolution Institute for mediation or arbitration.
7.5 Legal Proceedings
Nothing in this Policy limits any party's right to commence legal proceedings. However, both parties agree to first attempt resolution through the processes set out in this Policy and, if unsuccessful, through at least one session of mediation.
8. Confidentiality
All information exchanged in the course of a dispute investigation is confidential to the parties involved and to JobSeal's dispute handling team. Dispute information will not be shared with other Participants or third parties except where necessary to conduct the investigation, where required by law, or in anonymised, aggregated form for the purpose of improving JobSeal's processes.
9. Conduct During the Process
All Participants are expected to engage with the dispute process in good faith. JobSeal reserves the right to close a dispute without resolution if a Participant provides false or deliberately misleading information, engages in abusive or threatening behaviour, or attempts to contact or intimidate any other Participant involved in the matter.
10. Policy Review
This Policy will be reviewed annually. Where amendments affect substantive rights, at least 30 days' notice will be provided to registered Participants before the changes take effect.
11. Contact
- Disputes Officer, JobSeal Pty Ltd
- Email: disputes@jobseal.co
- Business hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm AEST
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