Lead Dispute Policy

Bidders are held to a defined service-level agreement (SLA) for lead engagement. A bidder is classified as unresponsive when the applicable SLA response window is missed with no attempted contact logged in the platform, no callback is placed to the lead within the required window, or no reply is sent to an inbound message from the lead. Lead disputes filed by consumers against unresponsive bidders may affect a business's Quality x Bid score independent of any refund outcome.

Bidders must file a dispute within 7 calendar days of the lead's original delivery timestamp. Disputes submitted after this window will not be eligible for review or refund, regardless of the underlying merits of the claim. Bidders are encouraged to review incoming leads promptly to preserve their dispute rights.

To initiate a dispute, the bidder submits a claim through their account dashboard, including the lead identifier, the reason code that corresponds to Sections 1 or 2 above, and supporting evidence. Rank1Local's review team evaluates the claim against platform records, including delivery logs, quality score inputs, and category rules. A written decision is issued to the bidder's account with the outcome and rationale.

Approved disputes result in the lead cost being credited back to the bidder's Rank1Local wallet balance. Wallet credits do not expire and may be applied toward future bids in any active city and category on the platform, per the terms outlined in the Advertiser Agreement. Rank1Local does not issue cash refunds to external payment methods for approved lead disputes; all approved credits are issued as bidding wallet balance.

Claims must be substantiated with objective evidence. Acceptable documentation includes call logs showing missed or unanswered attempts, message transcripts demonstrating a non-response or a disqualifying statement from the contact, and proof of invalid status such as a documented existing-client record or a service-area conflict. Disputes submitted without supporting evidence will be closed as unsubstantiated.

Rank1Local's review team commits to issuing an initial decision within 48 hours of dispute submission during standard business operations. Complex claims requiring additional verification may take longer, in which case the bidder will be notified of the extended timeline directly through their account.

Bidders who disagree with an initial dispute decision may request a single appeal within 3 days of the decision being issued. Appeals must include new evidence or a specific explanation of why the original decision misapplied this policy. Appeals are reviewed by a senior member of the Rank1Local operations team and are final at the conclusion of that review, subject to Section 9 below.

In the rare case that an appeal remains unresolved between the bidder and Rank1Local's internal review team, the claim will be referred to a neutral third-party reviewer designated by Rank1Local for a final, binding determination. This tie-breaker mechanism exists to preserve the integrity and fairness of the Quality x Bid marketplace for all participants.

Rank1Local requires that any cold-outreach script referencing a business's local ranking, competitive position, or category standing name only real, enrolled advertisers with rankings disclosed in accordance with the Quality x Bid marketplace's published methodology. Outreach scripts may not fabricate, estimate, or imply a ranking for a business that has not been enrolled and scored on the platform. For categories that have not yet reached a minimum of three enrolled advertisers, outreach is conducted exclusively through Rank1Local's beta-invitation program, which is disclosed to the recipient as an early-access opportunity rather than a ranking claim. Bidders who identify a suspected violation of this standard may report it through the dispute process described in Section 4, and confirmed violations are addressed under the Advertiser Agreement. Questions regarding this standard may be directed to claims@rank1local.com.

Authenticated bidders may access their bidder dashboard at any time to inspect the current Quality subscore driving their position within the Quality x Bid marketplace, along with the raw inputs used to calculate it. Disclosed inputs include aggregated review-source data, license verification status, and response time data measured against the applicable SLA. This disclosure exists so that bidders can independently evaluate the objective, data-driven basis for their ranking and identify the specific inputs responsible for any change in score, consistent with the evidentiary standards applied to the dispute process described in Sections 4 and 6.