Question 1

Is Ditto's payment processing safe?

Accepted Answer

We use Plaid and Stripe to facilitate online payments. Plaid verifies the bank institution credentials, then Stripe processes the payment. Both providers are industry-leading financial technology companies, and we've chosen them for their stability and commitment to security.

That being said, we know many people are hesitant to enter online banking credentials anywhere outside a bank's own site. We understand; it's smart to learn more about the security of a platform before sharing financial details with it. Plaid is a secure, audited, and trusted system that has built partnerships with most major US-based financial institutions and thousands of credit unions across the country. Plaid is also a trusted provider for major financial apps and services, like Venmo, Robinhood, and Stripe. Put simply, banks are on the Plaid platform because banks trust Plaid. (And they know that Plaid improves their customers' experiences!) Please read more about Plaid security if you seek additional information to help you make an informed decision.

An important note: Ditto never has direct access to anyone's bank username or bank password. When our service prompts you for this information, you are actually interacting with a secure window into the Plaid system that pops up onto their screen. All credentials are securely encrypted between that pop up window and Plaid, using industry-standard end-to-end encryption.

Similarly, once the connection is made, Stri

Question 2

I'm not receiving notifications from Ditto.

Accepted Answer

Oh dear. We're glad you want to hear from us, and sorry that you're not!

First, please check your spam or junk folder. If you find a notification from Ditto, please:

whitelist us / add us to your safe senders list (this process varies by email provider - just reach out if you need help troubleshooting)
let us know! This isn't strictly necessary for your OWN purposes, but we'd appreciate it. It helps us to know if this is happening so that we can proactively address it.

Question 3

I can't connect my bank account - help!

Accepted Answer

If you (or your client) is having trouble paying an invoice - perhaps getting an error message along the lines of "couldn't connect to your institution" - this is happening at the "bank authentication" step of our payment process, which is handled by Plaid.

We use Plaid because it's a best-in-class financial technology provider, and the experience is intended to feel seamless for clients. Rather than entering accounting and routing numbers for your bank, you instead enter the login information you use for online banking. Plaid uses that information to authenticate and connect your bank account in order to process an ACH payment - this information is never stored. (Learn more about Plaid here.)

If you've never interacted with Plaid before, it can be a little confusing.

Here are some suggested troubleshooting steps:

confirm that you're entering bank login information (not Ditto login information)
confirm that you're entering bank login information for your checking account, not login info for a credit card account
confirm that the login info is being entered correctly

As always, please do reach out to us if you're having trouble - we're here to help!

Question 4

What if my client wants to add contract terms?

Accepted Answer

At present, Ditto is set up so that only a contractor can create a project, add phases, and add contract terms. (This is mainly because we don't want a client making requests related to price or timeline, but if you think it's something we should change, let us know!)

SO, if your client would like to add contract terms, you can either: obtain the terms they'd like to add, and add them to the contract via Ditto, yourself - or - sign a separate agreement outside of Ditto. (HelloSign is good, and it's free for occasional use.)

Question 5

What if a client and contractor disagree?

Accepted Answer

Ditto assumes that both contractor and client have all intentions of creating an open, positive working relationship. When used correctly, with good intentions and open communication, Ditto is designed to prevent disputes before they arise.

When a contractor believes that a Phase is complete and requests payment, the client may reject that request. If the client does not approve the release of funds, he must provide the contractor with the reasons for rejection, giving them an opportunity to remedy the situation.

The contractor will then perform updates or work as requested and re-submit the payment request via Ditto. Should the contractor disagree with the client’s assessment and request, the project will be considered “in dispute.”

We expect that all reasonable efforts will be made to come to a resolution. Ditto won't get in the middle of your relationship or particular issue, and Ditto is not liable if the contractor and client have disputes that require legal mediation or intervention.

Ditto will not release funds being held in escrow without either the unanimous consent of both contractor and client or a legal order to do so.

Please see our contract for full details on this dispute policy. All contractors and clients must agree to this contract in order to work through Ditto.

Question 6

What if a client is not satisfied with a contractor's work?

Accepted Answer

At the end of every phase, the contractor will click a button inside their project portal, telling Ditto that a phase of work is complete.

This triggers a notification email to the client, telling then that the phase is now IN REVIEW. (They'll see the phase state change in their project portal, too.)

Once a phase is IN REVIEW, the client has four days to respond. If they do nothing, Ditto will assume that they're happy with the work, and the payment will be released to the contractor.

If the client is not satisfied with the contractor's work for a given phase, they have the option to refuse to release payment for that phase. They do this by clicking the REJECT button next to that phase in their project portal.

When the client clicks this button, they will be prompted to share feedback with their contractor. We expect that they'll provide information about what isn't quite right and request changes to improve the work that was just delivered. This feedback is not shared through Ditto - it happens directly between client and contractor however they typically communicate (email, Slack, phone, etc.). Ditto does send a notification to the contractor indicating that the payment was not released and that more work (or at minimum, a conversation) will be required.

(All of this is outlined in "legalese" as part of the Ditto Terms & Conditions, which every user of Ditto must agree to in order to sign up and use Ditto.)

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