Dispute and Acceptance Policy

1.1This policy explains how an order is accepted, how disputes are opened and decided, and how the money held by Manuroute moves in each case. It forms part of the Manuroute Terms of Service and applies to every order between a customer and a producer on the Platform.

1.2When the customer pays, the amount is held on the customer's payment method and nothing is charged. It is charged when the seller accepts the order. From that moment the money stays on the Manuroute platform balance. It is released to the producer only when the order is completed, or according to the outcome of a dispute.

1.3This policy applies in the same way whether the seller is a trader or a private person.

1.4On a catalog order the merchant is the customer under this policy. Its buyer deals with the merchant, and Manuroute does not contact the buyer.

2.1Every order is checked against:

• the file: in Ready-to-Print orders, the part must be printed exactly from the sliced profile in the customer's file (same material, colour, nozzle and settings), unless the customer approved a declared change before printing;
• in Managed Print orders: the mesh and the warnings shown at the order, for STL, OBJ and converted STEP, within ±0.5 mm or ±1% of the axis, whichever is larger;
• on a catalog item: also the photos of its sample;
• the acceptance criteria recorded in the job: critical dimensions, finish and visual tolerance, where defined when the order was placed.

2.2Default acceptance criteria. When the customer does not define acceptance criteria, the following apply. The part is acceptable when it:

• matches the sliced file: the geometry is complete, and all plates and objects in the file are present;
• is printed in the material shown on the job, which is the slicer's filament type when the job names one (for example HT-PLA, not any PLA), and in the ordered colour family;
• has no layer shifts, no missing layers, no severe warping, and no unremoved supports, brim or skirt;
• is packaged so that it arrives undamaged.

Cosmetic differences inherent to FDM printing are not defects: visible layer lines, small seams, minor stringing, slight colour variation between filament batches, and small marks where supports were removed. Dimensional accuracy is whatever the customer's own file and slicing settings produce on the declared machine class; no tighter tolerance is implied unless the customer recorded one in the job.

3.1Once the parcel is delivered, a 72-hour acceptance window opens. During the window the customer can:

• accept the order, which completes it immediately; or
• open a dispute through the Platform.

3.2If the window ends without a dispute, the order is completed automatically.

3.3On completion, the producer's share (producer price minus the 20% producer-side fee, or on a reduced-fee order its fee on that order) and the parcel money are released and paid out after the delay for the producer's trust level (Terms, section 8.1).

3.4How delivery is determined. The parcel is delivered, and the 72-hour window opens, when the carrier's tracking status shows "delivered" or when the customer confirms receipt on the Platform, whichever comes first. If tracking never shows delivery, the parcel is treated as lost under section 11.3 once the conditions there are met; the customer may also confirm receipt at any time, which opens the window. At a pickup point the window opens at collection, and a parcel waiting at a point is not lost.

4.1A dispute is valid when it is opened within the acceptance window and shows that the part:

• does not match the file or the sliced profile (wrong material, including another variant of the same family such as PLA for HT-PLA, colour, nozzle, or an undeclared parameter change);
• does not meet the acceptance criteria recorded in the job;
• is incomplete (missing parts or plates);
• arrived damaged or was lost in transit (see section 11).

4.2A dispute is not valid when:

• the issue comes from the customer's own design or slicing choices, and the part was printed as sliced;
• the part shows characteristics normal for FDM printing that fall within the acceptance criteria (for example visible layer lines);
• the customer changed their mind or no longer needs the part (the right of withdrawal does not apply to personalised goods);
• the part was used outside the declared use, or for a prohibited use under the Terms (safety-critical, medical or aeronautical);
• the parcel came back or was not collected for a reason on the customer's side, which follows 11.6 and 11.7;
• it is opened after the acceptance window has closed.

5.1Producer evidence (mandatory before shipping). For every order the producer must upload, before shipping:

• a photo of the print plate;
• photos of the finished part;
• a photo of the part on a weighing scale, showing its weight;
• a photo of the packed parcel;
• a valid tracking number.

The weight is compared with the filament weight estimated in the sliced file. A measured weight that deviates by more than 10% from the estimate is treated as a sign of an incomplete or altered print (for example missing objects, changed infill or a different material), unless the producer explains the difference credibly in the dispute (for example a documented purge tower or filament density declared by the manufacturer that differs from the slicer's default).

5.2Customer evidence (when opening a dispute). The customer must explain the problem and upload clear, unedited photos taken in good light, at least:

• one photo of the whole part as received;
• one close-up of each defect claimed;
• one photo of the packaging as received, where the dispute concerns damage or a missing item;
• where the dispute concerns a dimension, a photo showing the measurement with a ruler or caliper in frame;
• where the dispute concerns an incomplete or altered print, a photo of the part on a scale showing its weight.

5.3Evidence deadline. Evidence must be genuine and relate to the order. From the moment a dispute is opened, each party has 72 hours to add statements and further evidence through the job chat. The producer is notified immediately and must respond within those 72 hours; a producer who does not respond is treated as having no objection to the customer's claim. After the 72 hours the guided flow of section 6 proposes an outcome on the evidence available.

5.4No physical returns. The customer never has to return the part, and the producer may not require it. Disputes are decided on the photos and the weight evidence of this section; a part that is found defective stays with the customer, whatever the outcome. The one exception is a wrong or swapped part (11.13).

6.1When a dispute is opened, the Platform first runs a guided resolution: it shows the customer's photos next to the producer's photos and the acceptance criteria, and guides both parties towards one of the outcomes in section 8. An order printed by the Operator's own producer account has no guided resolution (6.4).

6.2If the customer and the producer agree on an outcome, it is applied and the dispute is closed.

6.3Timeline of the guided flow. The flow runs on fixed deadlines counted from the moment the dispute is opened:

1. Hours 0 to 72, evidence. Both parties add their evidence and statements (section 5.3).
2. Hour 72, proposal. The Platform proposes one of the outcomes in section 8, based on the acceptance criteria, the photos and the weight comparison.
3. Hours 72 to 120, agreement. Each party may accept the proposed outcome or propose a different one from section 8 (for example the producer may offer a reprint or a partial refund, the customer may ask for a refund instead of a reprint). As soon as both parties have accepted the same outcome, it is applied and the dispute is closed.
4. After hour 120. If no agreement is reached within 48 hours of the proposal, the proposal applies by itself in a small dispute (6.3.1). Every other dispute is escalated automatically to the operator (section 7).

6.3.1Small disputes. When the customer paid under the limit below for the order, parcel included and less any rush surcharge refunded, the proposal applies at hour 120 with no person reading it, if it is a concrete outcome. Both parties are told that an automatic rule closed the dispute and that a reply asks a person to look again. A settlement by this rule is not a lost dispute and does not touch anyone's record.

The limit follows the currency of the order: 50 EUR, 75 CAD, 45 CHF, 1,200 CZK, 370 DKK, 40 GBP, 18,000 HUF, 500 NOK, 220 PLN, 260 RON, 540 SEK, 55 USD. These are fixed amounts and do not follow the day's exchange rate.

A person still decides when: a chargeback exists on the order; it is a lot; the tracking shows delivered and the customer says otherwise; the parcel is damaged, came back or was not collected; a tracking code is flagged or false; a lost parcel has no verified scan; the customer did not accept the rule on late arrival (11.12); the proposal is a partial payout or none; a notice on the order or file is open. If the rule fails to apply, the dispute goes to a person.

6.4The Operator's own producer account. On an order printed by the Operator's own producer account, the customer is refunded everything right after the dispute opens and is told why. The producer receives nothing, with no parcel money and no second parcel, and the dispute counts as lost. A chargeback, a parcel that came back, a free order or a lot stays on the normal path.

7.1If the guided resolution does not settle the dispute, it is escalated to the Manuroute operator, who reviews the evidence, the order history and the job chat. A settlement by rule (6.3.1, 6.4) does not reach the operator.

7.2The operator decides within 7 days of the opening of the dispute and informs both parties of the outcome and the reasons.

7.3The operator's decision is final as far as the Platform is concerned and is applied to the held funds. It does not prevent either party from exercising any rights they have under the law. A settlement by rule is applied the same way and does not limit those rights either. A closed dispute does not reopen on the Platform: if a person finds a settlement wrong after a reply, we correct the money by hand.

8.1Shipping in a refund. In a refund outcome the parcel money paid by the customer is refunded too, even when the parcel has been shipped; the same applies to a full refund chosen instead of a reprint. Sections 11.3, 11.10 and 11.11 say what the producer keeps.

8.2Reprint. A reprint is performed by the same producer at no cost to the customer: material, machine time and the second shipment are borne by the producer, whose payout is released only after the new acceptance window. If the same producer cannot reprint (declared failure, machine unavailable, or account suspended), the customer chooses as in 9.2: confirm the next seller, named on the order, at no extra cost, or take a full refund. When the outcome is "reprint", the customer may choose a full refund instead (see the table), at any point before the reprint is shipped. The second parcel is paid as 11.15 says, which prevails over this paragraph.

8.3A dispute lost by the producer counts in the reliability score and in the dispute rate used for trust levels (for example, the Reputation level requires disputes below 3%). A settlement under 6.3.1 does not count. A refund under 6.4 does.

8.4Lots. A lot follows this policy. A refund of a bank transfer goes to a bank account: the payment provider asks the customer for the details by email, and it can take longer than a card refund. A seller who does not issue an invoice the customer asked for is raised through this path; Manuroute issues none for the part.

8.5Rush. While the promise stands, a partial settlement pays the producer's half of the surcharge on top and the Platform keeps its own, and a whole refund returns the total with the surcharge in it. After a missed date the surcharge has already gone back, and only what remains is refunded. An open or lost chargeback ends the promise: no half is paid and nothing is refunded on top. If the chargeback is won, the surcharge is refunded then, when the date was missed or the promise had ended.

8.6Currency of a refund. A refund goes back in the currency of the charge. If the customer's bank converted the charge or converts the refund, any difference in its rate falls on the customer.

9.1If a print fails while the order is in production and the producer cannot complete it, the producer must declare the failure through the Platform as soon as possible.

9.2The customer is notified of the failure and chooses within 48 hours:

• another seller: the Platform names the next compatible seller, and the customer confirms that seller with one click within 24 hours; or
• a full refund, including shipping.

If the customer does not choose within 48 hours, the Platform names the next seller and asks the customer to confirm in the same way. Without a confirmation, or if no compatible seller is found, the customer is refunded in full, including shipping. The customer never pays more than the amount already paid: the price stays the same, and the Platform's risk reserve bears any higher price of the next seller.

9.3The producer receives no payment for a failed order, and the declared failure lowers the producer's reliability score. The weight of a declared failure, and how it compares with a lost dispute, are set by the matching rules and shown to producers in the producer dashboard; a declared failure always weighs less than a lost dispute, because declaring promptly is the behaviour we want.

10.1Each offer to a seller expires after 6 hours, or 12 hours for Managed Print. If the seller declines, does not reply in time or can no longer take the order, the Platform names the next compatible seller and the customer confirms that seller with one click (Terms, 4.2.1). The order does not go to another seller without that confirmation. A rush offer expires after 2 hours, and if nobody takes it the order falls back to normal speed (Terms, 4.5.1).

10.2After a maximum of 3 attempts without acceptance, or when the hold is about to run out, the order is cancelled, the hold ends and nothing is charged. If the amount had already been charged, the customer receives a full refund, including shipping.

10.3Sellers with auto-accept skip the offer step: the order is accepted and the amount charged at once.

11.1Shipping. The producer ships with its own carrier, follows the Platform's packaging instructions for the material and size, uploads a photo of the packed parcel and enters a valid tracking code. Tracking is mandatory and the parcel photo comes first. A scan is verified when the carrier's own events show it. The periods below are the same everywhere.

11.2Damage in transit. If the part arrives damaged, the customer must open a dispute within the acceptance window with photos of the part and of the parcel as received, and keeps the box while the case is open. If the packaging did not follow the instructions, or there is no parcel photo, the producer bears it. With compliant packaging and the photos, 11.3 applies.

11.3Loss. A parcel is treated as lost when the carrier's tracking shows no movement for 15 days, or earlier when the carrier confirms the loss. Either party may then open a loss case, which is handled as a dispute. In a loss case with a verified scan and the parcel photo:

• a reprint is offered first, and the customer may take a full refund instead, including shipping;
• on a refund the producer receives only its parcel money, up to the list price we read for that route and band, and keeps its claim against the carrier;
• the Platform's risk reserve covers that payment, except on the Operator's own account (6.4).

Shipping insurance is not required. The producer files any claim with its own carrier and keeps what it recovers.

11.4No verified scan. With no verified scan the customer is refunded in full and the producer is not paid. A person first checks the carrier's public page. A carrier's acceptance receipt with the same code moves the case to 11.3.

11.5Delivered, and the customer says no. The producer asks the carrier for proof of delivery. If it matches the address the dispute is refused; otherwise 11.3 applies. For a consumer the scan is only a presumption that can be rebutted. Claims are counted per customer.

11.6Wrong address. A parcel that comes back because the address was wrong is the customer's responsibility: the customer pays a second parcel or gives up, and the producer is paid.

11.7Refused or never collected. The same applies to a parcel refused or never collected, including at a pickup point, unless the carrier made no attempt or the refusal follows a delay beyond section 4.3 of the Terms.

11.8Late and heavier parcels. Shipping late follows section 4.3 of the Terms. A box that needs a dearer band than the one paid is the producer's cost: it sees weight and sizes before accepting.

11.9Cancelled after handover. A cancellation under section 4.3 of the Terms stands even if the parcel has already been handed over. A later refusal follows 11.7.

11.10Partial refund. The parcel money stays with the producer. The refund touches only the price and the customer's fee.

11.11Full refund for a defect. The producer loses the parcel it paid for. The part goes back only if the producer asks, at its expense.

11.12A parcel that arrives after a refund. The customer accepted this rule when taking the refund: it chooses a new payment or a return at the producer's expense. Nothing is charged automatically.

11.13Wrong or swapped part. The producer pays the reprint, the second parcel and the return.

11.14False codes. A code counts only with carrier events and on one order; otherwise 11.4 applies. A code proven false means no payment and a suspension with reasons.

11.15The second parcel on a reprint is paid by whoever caused it: the producer for a defect, a wrong part or poor packaging; the Platform, for the parcel only and up to the list price, for a carrier's fault with a verified scan; the customer for a wrong address.

12.1A card chargeback opened by a customer with their bank is treated as a dispute on the order, with the same evidence and outcomes as this policy. The customer is asked to withdraw the chargeback and use the dispute process instead; while it is open:

• the funds held for the order stay held and are not released to the producer;
• payouts related to the order are paused, including a payout already scheduled for that order;
• the customer's account is suspended: no new orders, existing orders continue.

12.2The suspension is lifted when the chargeback is resolved. If the bank decides in the customer's favour, a person settles the order and finds whose fault it was: the producer's, the carrier's, a customer's fraud or nobody's. A finding against the producer needs a refund outcome and written reasons, and the producer then owes what Terms 5.7.1 says, from later payouts. A carrier's fault or a customer's fraud costs the producer nothing and is not a lost dispute. If the evidence shows the part was conforming, the Platform's risk reserve covers the producer's share.

12.2.1Currency of a producer's debt. A debt under Terms 5.7.1 is written in the currency of the order and is recovered only from a payout in that same currency. When the payment provider reports no fee in that currency, the debt uses the provider's list fee, restated at the rate on our rate card.

12.3A chargeback opened after a dispute on the same order has been decided under section 7, and then lost by the customer, is treated as dispute abuse and leads to closure of the customer's account.

12.4A chargeback opened after the producer has already been paid out does not reverse the payout by itself. The Platform handles it with the payment provider. If it is lost and the producer is at fault, 12.2 applies; otherwise the Platform bears it and recovers what it can from the customer where the law allows. A recall of a bank transfer also holds the payout.

13.1Manuroute monitors disputes and orders for abuse, including:

• customers who open disputes repeatedly without valid grounds;
• false, edited or recycled photos from either party;
• producers who ship without printing as sliced, or who change parameters without approval;
• suspicious customer-producer pairs (for example the same IP address or the same address), used to inflate reputation or move money;
• orders moved outside the Platform in breach of section 9.1 of the Terms.

13.2Depending on the case, Manuroute may decide a dispute against the party responsible, lower trust levels and order limits, hold payouts related to the conduct concerned, and suspend or close the account, as set out in the Terms of Service.

13.3Automatic review. The Platform flags an account for review by the operator when a customer has opened 3 or more disputes in the last 90 days, or disputes on more than 20% of its orders once it has placed at least 5; when a producer's dispute rate exceeds 3% (the threshold for the Reputation level) or it has declared 2 or more failures in the last 30 days; and whenever a customer-producer pair matches the fraud signals in 13.1. A flag triggers a review, not an automatic penalty; actions follow the review.

13.4Settlements by rule. A settlement under 6.3.1 is not counted in a producer's dispute rate.

Questions about an order or a dispute: through the job chat or at hello@manuroute.com.

Antonio Sasso, Via Giuseppe di Vittorio 171/B, 71043 Manfredonia (FG), Italia.