Safety & claims

How SwapHours keeps your exchanges fair

Peer-to-peer skill swap doesn't have to mean the wild west. Four layers of protection cover you from the moment you open the app to the moment the session settles.

Four layers of protection

Defense in depth: each layer catches what the one before it missed.

Prevention

Stops bad actors before they can harm you.

  • Verified members: real name and photo via Google, LinkedIn or email — no anonymous profiles
  • Skill tiers are deterministic — no one can self-declare a surgeon's rate
  • Trust score seeds low for new accounts and grows with successful sessions

Detection

Catches abuse while it's still recoverable.

  • Bilateral confirmation: both sides sign off before credits release
  • Scope-match reviews flag bait-and-switch patterns automatically
  • Admin flags triggered by asymmetric or Sybil-shaped behaviour

Remediation

Fixes what slipped through.

  • Disputes freeze escrow — no one gets paid until an admin rules
  • Partial refunds, full reversals and scope adjustments are all on the table
  • Repeat offenders lose trust score and, eventually, their account

Legal & social

The safety net around the tech.

  • Terms explicitly ban bait-and-switch, Sybil accounts, review bombing and identity fraud
  • Ambassador program: local mediators with elevated powers in each active city
  • Public review history — reputation follows you, good and bad

How disputes work

Five steps. Credits stay frozen until the last one clears.

  1. 1

    Session

    Booked and scheduled. Credits moved to escrow on the session row.

  2. 2

    Confirm

    Both sides mark the session as completed inside the app.

  3. 3

    Disagree

    If one side disagrees, the other can raise a dispute flag from the session page.

  4. 4

    Admin review

    An admin reads both sides, chat logs, reviews and payment history.

  5. 5

    Resolution

    Escrow releases fully, partially, or reverses entirely — always with a ledger entry explaining why.

Need to escalate?

File a claim

If bilateral confirmation failed or something went wrong, open a claim. Only the two parties on the session can file.

Available soonThe self-serve claims flow ships next — meanwhile email safety@swaphours.com.

Verified members

✓ Verified member

We don't ask for ID documents. Every member signs up with Google, LinkedIn or a verified email — a real name and photo, no anonymous profiles — and reviews come only from completed swaps. That's how trust works here.

Community standards

Four behaviours that get accounts suspended — no negotiation.

Bait-and-switch

Offering one skill, delivering another. A scope-match review of NO is a warning; three in 30 days is a ban review.

Sybil accounts

Running multiple accounts that trade credits with each other to game trust scores. Pattern-detected and permanently banned.

Review bombing

Coordinated negative reviews aimed at suppressing a user. Reviews are weighted and coordinated waves are downranked.

Identity fraud

Submitting someone else's ID, fake documents, or forged licenses. Immediate ban and referral to local authorities where warranted.

Read the full Terms of Service →

What we can't protect you from

We're honest about this: SwapHours is not a guarantee of quality and we are not physically present. Some risks live outside the app.

Before your first meeting

  • Meet in a public place first — a café, a park bench, a community centre.
  • Share your check-in with a friend. Most phones have a one-tap safety share.
  • Trust your gut. If something feels off, cancel — there is no penalty for pulling out before confirmation.

Talk to a human

Contact safety

For urgent issues, safety concerns or suspected fraud — we read every message.

safety@swaphours.com
SwapHours — Trade an hour of skill for an hour of skill