On CIRI a problem is raised on one item, never on the whole project. That matters most when a project has several sellers: one item going wrong does not stop anyone else from working or being paid.
Scenario
Maya runs a skincare brand. Her campaign uses a product photographer and a retoucher from different sellers, plus a lighting kit, all in one project.
- Where
- Within 10 miles of E2 8DD
- Budget
- About £1,500 all in
Hire the photographer
Maya picks a product photographer and adds their half-day service to a new project.
- Category
- Photography
1 listing meets this now
£10.00 / projectPhotography · Erskine G. · 3 days delivery
Book the retouching
She adds a retouching service from a second seller: 60 images, square crop, as the brief says.
- Category
- Editing, retouching and colour
1 listing meets this now
£10.00 / projectEditing, Retouching & Colour · CIRI Test Rmp Creative · 3 days delivery
Rent the lighting
The studio has no lights, so a continuous lighting kit from a third seller goes in the same project.
- Kit
- Continuous lighting
1 listing meets this now
£5.00 / dayHackney
CIRI Test Kiln Studio · Lighting · Collection only
The shoot goes well. The retouching doesn't.
The photographer submits their delivery and Maya approves it. The retoucher submits 40 images in landscape. The brief, and the retoucher's own quote, said 60 images in a square crop.
Report a problem on that one item
On the retouching item in her project, Maya presses Report a problem. It takes five short steps: What went wrong, Describe it, What you'd like, Evidence and Review.
- What went wrong: she picks Wrong specification. The other reasons are Not delivered, Below the agreed quality, Late delivery, Damaged or faulty, Charge I didn't agree to, Conduct and Something else.
- Describe it: what happened and what was agreed, in up to 2,500 characters.
- What you'd like: she asks to Redo the work. A client can also ask for a full refund of the item, a partial refund, to complete the delivery, or something else. It is a request; CIRI decides any refund.
- Evidence: she attaches files already on the project, the brief and the delivery. New files can't be uploaded at this step.
- Review: she checks it and presses Report problem.
What stays held, and what doesn't
- Only the retouching item's payment is held while the problem is open. The seller sees it as Held, dispute open.
- The photographer and the lighting owner carry on as normal. A problem on one item never touches other items or other sellers, and they can't see the case.
- While it is open, the retouching item can't complete on its own and neither side can cancel it. The case decides.
Agreeing a fix together
Maya and the retoucher see the same case page. Either can add notes, and either can Propose a remedy: redo the work or complete the delivery, with the scope written out and an optional redelivery date. The other side accepts that version or declines it. Notes never count as agreement; only accepting a version does.
The retoucher proposes redoing all 60 images in a square crop by Friday. Maya accepts. The case resolves there and then, and the item goes back to In progress.
Redelivery and completion
The retoucher submits the new delivery. Maya presses Approve delivery. Had she done nothing, it would have completed on its own 72 hours after delivery. The retoucher's payment for that item is held for 7 days after completion, then paid.
If you can't agree
A CIRI admin reviews the case and decides one of three outcomes: a full refund of the item, a partial refund, or releasing the payment to the seller. The reason is shown to both sides. A full refund returns the item's price and its share of the 12% service fee; Security Protection and Priority Support are not refundable. A closed case is final, and a new problem is a new report.
When you can report a problem
- You can report a problem on a service or package while it is in progress, delivered and awaiting review, in revision, or for 7 days after it completes.
- It has to be before that item's payout is sent, and there can be one open problem per item at a time.
- Rentals have their own handover, return and dispute steps, so this guide is about services and packages.
Put it together as one project.
Add the people, the space and the gear, send one inquiry, and pay each seller once.
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