Disputes and incidents policy
Last updated: August 2026 · What to do when something goes wrong, and how we resolve it
Most trips end without incident. This document is for the rest: when a dispute can be opened, what Vribe looks at to decide, how long it takes, what happens to the money depending on the outcome and what it means for each party's reputation. It includes the most serious case, vehicle theft, which follows its own path.
Definitions
- Booking:
- The agreement between a traveler and a host for the use of a vehicle on specific dates, created on the platform and governed by the contract both sign.
- Rental:
- The amount corresponding to use of the vehicle for the booked period, excluding deposit and delivery fee.
- Security deposit:
- Refundable amount that answers for damage, missing items, fuel, fines and other charges under the contract.
- Payout:
- The payment Vribe transfers to the host for a booking, with the commission already deducted.
1. When to open a dispute
A dispute is for when the problem is not resolved by talking to the other party. Before opening one it is worth trying through the booking's chat: many cases are a misunderstanding and close in minutes. If it is not resolved, these are the reasons the system recognises, and each is recorded under its own category:
- Vehicle damage — the host finds new damage when comparing the handover and return inspections.
- Vehicle not as listed — the traveler receives a vehicle that does not match what the listing promised.
- Conduct — inappropriate treatment by either party, during or around the trip.
- Charges — a charge you do not recognise or an amount that does not match what you accepted.
- Other incidents — anything that does not fit the categories above but affects the trip.
2. How it is opened
From the relevant booking, attaching evidence: photographs and a description of what happened. The more concrete the evidence, the faster it resolves — a dated photo and a description of what happened and when are worth more than a long account. Vribe does not accept disputes outside the platform, because outside it there is no case file and no way to verify anything.
2.1 Who can open one
Either party to the booking, for as long as the booking exists. The host typically opens one when reviewing the return, within their 24-hour window; the traveler, at any time from when the problem appears. A third party outside the booking cannot open one, though they can report content or conduct through the channels in the Community rules.
2.2 What happens to accounts meanwhile
Opening a dispute does not suspend anyone by itself. Accounts keep working and both parties retain access to the booking and its chat. The only exception is theft, which does suspend immediately and has its own section below.
3. What happens as soon as it opens
The booking freezes: it does not close and no money is released while the dispute is live. The security deposit is held until resolution, and if a host payout was pending, it waits. This is deliberate — once money goes out, recovering it depends on the goodwill of whoever received it, so it is stopped before and not after.
4. The deadline
Vribe aims to resolve each dispute within 72 hours of it being opened. The system watches that clock on its own: when 12 hours remain it flags the case as due soon, and if the deadline passes without resolution it escalates it internally so it is not lost. It is a management target, not a promise of outcome nor a contractual deadline: a case with contradictory evidence or one needing further documentation may take longer, and if that happens we tell you in the case itself.
5. What evidence is looked at
The case file is not built by asking you for paperwork: it is built from what already exists on the platform from before there was a problem. That is what makes it hard to manipulate.
5.1 The two inspections
The handover and return photographic inspections are compared with each other, and that comparison is what distinguishes damage from the trip from damage that was already there. The photos are sealed with a digital fingerprint when signed, so any later alteration would be detectable. If one of the two inspections is missing, the case is far harder to resolve: that is why the system does not let a trip start without the handover one.
5.2 The contract and the conversation
The contract signed by both parties fixes what was agreed: the dates, the amounts, the authorised drivers and the cancellation policy in force. The booking's conversation is recorded and is usually what clarifies the sequence of events — who said what and when. That is why agreements between the parties are best made there and not outside.
5.3 What each party contributes
On opening the case, and while it is under review, each party can add photographs and explanations. Everything is looked at, but the verifiable weighs more: a workshop invoice, a police report or a photo with metadata weigh more than an assertion. If a party contributes nothing, the case is decided on what there is.
6. The two outcomes and the money
A dispute is resolved in favour of one of the parties; there are no intermediate outcomes. What changes is where the money comes from and where it goes.
6.1 In the host's favour
The determined amount is taken first from the security deposit, which exists precisely for this. If deposit is left over, the remainder returns to the traveler. If the amount exceeds the deposit, the difference is not automatically charged to the traveler's card: it remains a matter between the parties, with the case file as documentary support.
6.2 In the traveler's favour
The full deposit is released and the applicable part of the rental is refunded, including additional payments if there was a date change or an extension — the refund cascades across all of that booking's payments. If promotional credit had been applied, it returns to the balance before the cash refund is calculated. The host's payout for that booking is voided.
7. Effect on the Trust Score
A resolved dispute moves both parties' reputation, and it is worth knowing by how much before opening one. Whoever wins gains 3 points. Whoever loses receives a single penalty, whichever applies:
- Losing a dispute costs 10 points.
- Losing a dispute over vehicle damage costs 12 instead of 10: that ruling is the confirmation of the damage, and reporting it is not enough for it to count.
- The two never stack. One incident produces one penalty, the most severe that applies.
8. Vehicle theft
If the vehicle does not turn up, the host can open a theft report from their dashboard. It is a different path from a damage dispute: the booking goes into dispute immediately and the case is treated as a serious incident from the first minute, without waiting for the ordinary review.
8.1 Immediate suspensions
When a theft report is opened, the accounts of the traveler and of any additional drivers authorised on that booking are suspended. A suspended account cannot create new bookings. It is a precautionary measure, not a verdict: if the dispute is resolved in the traveler's favour, those suspensions are lifted.
8.2 Release of documents to the host
Faced with a reported theft, the host may need the traveler's identification details to file the police report. Vribe does not hand them over automatically: it releases them case by case, when it considers it justified, and only for that purpose. Verification documents are retained precisely so they can serve as evidence in a case like this. The detail is in the Privacy Policy.
8.3 The police report is yours, not ours
Vribe documents, holds the money and releases the information that is due, but does not file criminal complaints on anyone's behalf nor replace the authorities' investigation. Vehicle theft is a crime, and the person with standing to report it is its owner.
9. After the decision
Vribe's decision closes the case within the platform. Vribe mediates between the parties and decides on the money it processed; it is not a court and does not replace the justice system, and its decision does not prevent either party from exercising the remedies the law grants them. If you disagree, the route of the competent court remains, under the terms of the dispute resolution clause of the Terms of Service. The case file — inspections, contract and conversation — is retained and may be provided to anyone showing a legitimate interest or to an authority that requires it.
What this policy is not
It is not insurance: what Vribe can refund is limited to what it processed for that booking, and the vehicle's insurance is the host's. Nor is it a guarantee that you will win: Vribe decides on the available evidence, and sometimes the evidence is not enough to find for anyone. It is not a process with instances or formal appeal: the decision closes the case on the platform. And it does not replace reporting to the authorities when a crime is involved.
In the event of any discrepancy between the translated versions of this document, the Spanish version prevails.