How EEK Billing Disputes Work

Process, track record, and what to expect

Last updated: 17 September 2026 · Version 2026-09-17

Track record at a glance: Most completed billing disputes end with EEK's position upheld. The small customer-agreed share is genuine operational faults — not post-job price complaints.

What this page is for

This page explains how EEK Mechanical handles billing disputes — the process, our published track record, and what happens if you escalate to your bank or to a court or tribunal.

It is written to help you make an informed decision. It is not legal advice. If you are considering a chargeback or external escalation, EEK Mechanical strongly suggests you seek independent legal advice first.

Contractual rights and obligations are in our Terms of Service §17. Operational procedure is in Operational Policies §9. To raise a concern on a specific booking, use the disputes portal.

Our dispute track record

As of 17 September 2026, across completed billing disputes:

  • 100% — EEK's position was upheld. This includes disputes resolved through the portal without any successful bank reversal of EEK's charges.
  • 0% — EEK identified a genuine fault requiring a remedy (for example reassignment or an adjustment under the Terms). These are not post-job billing disagreements where charges matched the rate card you accepted.

How we calculate the track record

The two percentages are computed from completed billing disputes — one row per unique booking reference, not per chat message or per Stripe case.

A dispute is completed when it is closed in the portal with a formal decision, a partial resolution in the customer's favour, or a documented withdrawal. Open disputes are excluded until resolved.

Upheld means EEK's position on the charges was accepted — including where the customer did not obtain a bank reversal and EEK's invoice stands. Customer-agreed means EEK identified a genuine operational fault and reached a remedy in the customer's favour — not a billing disagreement after the job was completed in accordance with the Terms and rate card.

What counts as a billing dispute

A billing dispute is a formal disagreement about charges on your EEK account — the invoice total, a line item, a cancellation fee, a deposit or pre-authorisation, or whether a charge was authorised.

Disputes about workmanship performed by a workshop are handled differently. EEK's portal process covers EEK's charges, conduct, and coordination of your job against the Terms and rate card you accepted at booking.

The five-stage portal process

Every billing dispute runs through the same structured process at eekmechanical.co.uk/disputes-tribunal (or from your customer portal Disputes tab). While a dispute is open, the portal is the mandatory channel — messages by phone, SMS, or email are redirected here so there is one complete record (Policy §9.3).

  • Stage 1 — Listen. You explain what happened in your own words. EEK does not defend or rebut yet.
  • Stage 2 — Surface every concern. EEK checks that nothing has been missed before addressing charges.
  • Stage 3 — Address each issue. EEK responds to every point against the Terms, rate card, and job record.
  • Stage 4 — Confirm and invite closure. EEK summarises what is resolved and what is not.
  • Stage 5 — Formal decision or Tribunal. If anything remains unresolved, you may request EEK's written panel decision or file with the county court (small claims track) (EEK pays the filing fee).

How EEK decides

EEK's position on each dispute is based on the written Terms you accepted at booking, the published rate card, the time-stamped job record (assignments, milestones, payments, communications), and English law where it applies to your booking.

You agreed to these Terms when you booked. EEK has performed in accordance with those Terms and with our published policies and procedures at eekmechanical.co.uk/policies. Where the job record and Terms support EEK's charges, there is no contractual or legal basis for a refund through this process.

Verbal estimates, AI chat remarks, and marketing copy do not override the written Terms and rate card (§22.3). Payment of a deposit or invoice is treated as affirmation of the agreed pricing framework where applicable.

Engagement window and formal decisions

When EEK opens a dispute proactively (for example after a chargeback notification), you have five business days to engage through the portal. If you do not engage, the dispute may be closed and a formal written decision issued on the available evidence (Policy §9.7).

If you engage fully, EEK's dispute resolution panel reviews the job record — assignments, milestones, payments, communications, Terms acceptance, and call records — and issues a written decision at a unique URL. That decision is EEK's final position before external escalation (Policy §9.9; §17.6).

You may withdraw a dispute in writing in the portal (including stating there is "no dispute"). EEK issues a closure record — not a merits decision — and restores normal account access (Policy §9.12). The legal effect of withdrawal is in §17.15.

Merits — chargebacks, Tribunal, and courts

On most bookings where the Terms were accepted, the job record is complete, and charges match the rate card, there is no realistic path to succeed — whether by chargeback with your bank or by escalation to the county court or courts.

That is not a denial of your rights. It is a factual assessment based on our experience and the track record above. Many customers who chargeback or escalate externally after completing this process do not obtain a reversal of EEK's charges.

If you chargeback before completing the internal process (§17.5), or after withdrawing a dispute in the portal, EEK will submit the full portal transcript, job record, Terms acceptance, and formal decision to your card issuer (§17.11). EEK maintains a complete evidence package for every job.

  • Before you chargeback. Complete the portal process first. Your bank will ask what happened; EEK's response will include everything you said here.
  • After you chargeback. EEK receives a payment dispute from the card network and responds with structured evidence: invoice, Terms acceptance timestamp, job timeline, communications, portal transcript, and the formal decision if one exists.
  • Typical outcome on upheld bookings. Where the Terms were accepted, the job record is complete, and charges match the rate card, card issuers typically find in EEK's favour — consistent with the 100% track record above.
  • Tribunal or court. The same job record and Terms framework apply. EEK pays the county court (small claims track) filing fee if you file after a formal decision (§17.9).

What EEK submits when defending a charge

Every EEK booking generates a time-stamped record from first contact through completion. When a customer chargebacks or a bank requests evidence, EEK submits a structured package — not a selective excerpt.

  • Terms of Service and rate card as accepted at booking (including version and timestamp).
  • Invoice line items matched to the published rate card and job milestones.
  • Payment history — deposits, pre-authorisations, and final settlement.
  • Assignment and dispatch records (without naming independent workshop companies in customer-facing documents — EEK is the Principal Repairer from your perspective).
  • Portal dispute transcript — your statements and EEK's responses, in full.
  • Formal written decision, if issued — including track-record disclosure and merits advisory.
  • Relevant call records and SMS/email where they form part of the job record.

Cost consequences if you escalate unsuccessfully

Discouraging escalation is assistive — it is not punitive, and it does not remove your right to escalate. EEK tells you this so you can weigh cost and outcome before acting.

  • Chargebacks. Where EEK successfully defends a payment dispute with your bank, you may be liable for documented response costs under §7.20–§7.20B.
  • County court. EEK pays the filing fee if you file. If the court upholds EEK's position (in whole or in substantial part), you may be required to reimburse that filing fee under §17.9B.
  • Frivolous or vexatious claims. Where a court makes a formal finding of that kind, EEK may seek recovery of reasonable costs to the extent permitted by law (§17.9C).

Genuine faults and billing disagreements

0% — genuine fault

Remedy agreed — not a post-job price complaint

  • Work genuinely not performed or not completed to an acceptable standard, where the job record supports reassignment or another remedy under the Terms.
  • A confirmed EEK billing error — for example a duplicate charge, a line item that does not match the rate card, or a calculation mistake in EEK's favour (not a disagreement about whether the rate card applies).
  • A valid service-quality or coordination failure that EEK accepts required an adjustment or remedy — not a blanket refund of all charges.
  • Supplier-related damage or fault that EEK accepts and resolves under the Terms (insurance and supplier claims may still follow separately).

100% — billing disagreement

Charges matched the rate card you accepted

  • Cancelled — want a booking fee refund — you cancelled the job and want the booking fee returned; the booking fee is non-refundable on customer-initiated cancellation (§1.9, §9.2).
  • Price too high — the bill is more than you expected, you think misfuel recovery should cost less, or a competitor would charge less.
  • Verbal or AI estimate — a phone estimate, chat remark, or marketing figure differed from the final invoice (written Terms and rate card govern — §22.3).
  • Did not agree to the price — you booked online, paid a deposit or pre-authorisation, or settled the invoice; that is affirmation of the pricing framework.
  • Did not know about a charge — cancellation fees, after-hours loadings, mileage, storage, or line items that are in the published rate card and Terms you accepted.
  • Want a full refund after service — the job was completed, milestones recorded, and the vehicle collected or released; dissatisfaction with the outcome alone is not a billing error.
  • Unauthorised payment — where Terms were accepted at booking and payment history shows deposit, pre-auth, or settlement on your card.
  • Calculation dispute without error — you disagree with how the rate card was applied, but EEK's arithmetic and line items match the published rates.
  • Insurance should pay — you expected your insurer to cover the cost; EEK's invoice to you is separate from your insurance claim (unless EEK agreed an insurer-billed job).
  • Communication or attitude — you were unhappy with how EEK or a workshop communicated; unless tied to a genuine service failure, this does not reverse valid charges.
  • Workshop workmanship alone — complaints about an independent workshop's work when EEK's coordination charges and rate card are correct (workshop/supplier and insurance paths may still apply).
  • Changed your mind — you no longer want the service or dispute the booking after the job progressed under the Terms.
  • Comparison to a quote you did not accept through EEK — another provider quoted differently; EEK's charges are measured against the rate card you accepted, not third-party quotes.
  • Storage or lockdown fees during a dispute — where the Terms provide for storage and the dispute process was engaged or declined.

The 0% customer-agreed figure is important to understand correctly. Those cases involved a genuine fault on the job where EEK accepted that a remedy was required — for example work not completed to an acceptable standard, a reassignment, or a confirmed billing error on EEK's side.

They are not post-job billing disagreements where the service was delivered, the vehicle was collected or released, charges matched the published rate card, and the customer simply wanted a lower price or a full refund. That is the overwhelming majority of disputes — and it is why 100% of completed disputes end with EEK's position upheld.

Privacy and third parties

EEK corresponds about a disputed account only with the verified account holder (Policy §9.4; §17.3B). Formal decisions do not name independent workshop or contractor companies — EEK is the Principal Repairer from your perspective as customer.

Transcripts and decisions may quote your own statements and EEK's communications. They do not expose supplier commercial information or EEK's internal cost of coordinating your job.

Your rights are not removed

Nothing on this page limits your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, or UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 where they apply and cannot be excluded by contract.

You remain free to contact the county court (small claims track), Citizens Advice, or the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) after completing EEK's internal step (Policy §9.11; §17.12). EEK co-operates with lawful enquiries.

EEK Mechanical strongly recommends independent legal advice before a chargeback or external escalation — so you can understand both the merits and the cost consequences on your specific facts.

Start or continue a dispute

To raise a new concern: eekmechanical.co.uk/disputes-tribunal or your customer portal Disputes tab.

If you visited your customer portal on this device, your booking may pre-load automatically via eekmechanical.co.uk/raise-dispute.

For Tribunal filing after a formal EEK decision: eekmechanical.co.uk/dispute-filing.

Contractual terms: Section 17 · Operational procedure: Policy §9 · Open disputes portal