Disputing a refund
What gets refunded automatically, and how the 7-day dispute works.
Sometimes the TV's reports say a paid play didn't run when it actually did. You have 7 days to dispute a refund.
What gets refunded automatically?
- Missed plays: when a booking ends, every play your TV didn't report as played in its booked hour is refunded — that play's share of the screen-time price. The usual cause is the TV being offline (no heartbeat) during a booked hour; a play that starts outside its booked hour doesn't count either.
- Hours you release: if you give back a booking's remaining hours, those hours are refunded. If the ad hasn't played yet, the advertiser's processing fee goes back too, in full — it was never part of your 80% share, so your share loses only the released hours.
- A screen you delete: deleting a screen cancels every booking on it that hasn't finished and refunds each in full — whatever of the advertiser's payment is still with you, processing included — and each advertiser is told. Restoring the screen within its 30 days does not bring those bookings back.
- Declines and cancellations: a booking you decline, or the advertiser cancels, before its first play is refunded in full, processing included.
- Bookings our team cancels: a paid booking our team cancels is refunded in full — whatever of the advertiser's payment is still with you, processing included — even if the ad had started playing. You're told when it happens.
The refund comes out of your payout account's balance. RedSquare returns its 20% fee on the refunded screen time, so for missed plays and released hours what you lose is your 80% share of them.
Any kind of refund can be disputed: missed plays, released hours, or a full refund.
Filing a dispute
- Open your earnings page (
/my-screens/earnings). Refunds and disputes lists every refund on your screens, with its kind and cause. - Every refund from the last 7 days that hasn't been disputed has a Dispute button on its row. Click it. The form already shows that refund — its amount, kind, screen, when it was issued and the last day you can dispute it — so there's no booking ID to look up and no amount to type. Pick the reason category and write your argument.
- Add evidence links if you have them (web addresses starting with http:// or https://): ISP outage notices, security camera footage, photos. Anything that proves the ad actually ran.
- Submit. You get a confirmation notification with an 8-character reference; quote it if you contact us about the dispute.
Each refund can be disputed once. After that, its row shows the dispute's status (Submitted, Under review, Upheld or Refund stands) where the button was. After 7 days the button is gone.
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Who can file
You, or a Manager on your team (see Inviting collaborators). A dispute your manager files is still yours: it's listed on your earnings page, the notifications come to you, and the first one says a manager on your team filed it. It also shows in your team activity on /team. Operations and Finance members can't file one; Finance sees each dispute's status.
What we do
Staff read your argument and check the TV's reports, and you get a notification with the outcome:
- Upheld — we agree the refund was wrong. The decision is recorded on your dispute, and both you and the advertiser are told. No money moves: the refund is not reversed and nothing is paid to you.
- Refund stands — the reports hold up; we tell you why.
A dispute can't return money to you today: the refund came out of your own payout account, and RedSquare stopped paying make-good credits when payments began going straight to owners. What an upheld dispute gives you is a wrong reading of your TV on the record.
Timing
Disputes filed within 7 days of the refund are reviewed. After 7 days the refund is final — file early.
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