Guide
How MARCON works
Tiers, reviews, refunds, payments, and the answers to the questions people ask us most.
1. Credibility tiers & how to move up
Every MARCON account earns a credibility tier based on completed work, reviews, and professional conduct. Tiers are separate from identity verification — verification proves who you are, tiers show how you show up. Your tier updates automatically as you complete bookings and gather reviews.
- ·Complete identity verification (government ID + selfie match)
- ·Confirm phone and email
- ·Publish a complete profile with photo, bio, and at least one service, space, event, or portfolio piece
- ·At least 8 completed bookings on MARCON
- ·At least 2 verified collaborations with other MARCON members
- ·Average review score of 4.5 or higher
- ·No unresolved disputes in the last 90 days
- ·Response time under 24 hours
- ·At least 30 completed bookings
- ·At least 6 verified collaborations with other MARCON members
- ·Average review score of 4.7 or higher
- ·Cancellation rate under 5%
- ·Consistent on-time delivery across the last 6 months
- ·At least 75 completed bookings
- ·At least 15 verified collaborations with other MARCON members
- ·Average review score of 4.85 or higher
- ·No chargebacks or valid disputes in the last 12 months
- ·Repeat-client rate above 25%
- ·By invitation, based on sustained excellence
- ·At least 200 completed bookings and a 4.9+ score
- ·At least 40 verified collaborations spanning multiple disciplines
- ·Reviewed manually by the MARCON trust team
- ·Ambassador conduct in the community
How to move up faster
- · Reply to enquiries within a few hours — response time is tracked.
- · Deliver what you promised. Overshoot when you can.
- · Ask happy clients to leave an honest review after each booking.
- · Keep cancellations rare — a last-minute cancel hurts your tier more than a slow month.
- · Resolve issues on-platform. A resolved dispute is neutral; a chargeback is damaging.
Tiers can go down as well as up. Serious policy breaches, unresolved disputes, or a drop in review average will pull a tier down until conduct recovers.
2. What counts as a verified collab
A verified collab is a real, documented piece of work between two or more MARCON members. Collabs are separate from ordinary bookings — they show that people actually want to work with you, not just hire you. Each collab counts once toward the tier requirements of every member credited on it.
To qualify, a collab must
- · Involve at least two identity-verified MARCON members in distinct roles (e.g. photographer + model, venue + producer).
- · Be tied to a completed on-platform booking, a paid or mutually-agreed free opportunity closed on MARCON, or a jointly-published project on both members' profiles.
- · Have status Completed for at least 14 days — the review and refund windows must have closed with no unresolved dispute.
- · Be mutually credited: every named collaborator confirms the credit from their account. Silent tags do not count.
- · Include at least one shared deliverable visible on the collab record — final photo, edit, tear-sheet, event recap, or signed release.
Time windows & counting rules
- · Collabs count from the date the booking or project was marked complete.
- · Silver & Gold look at the last 12 months of collabs.
- · Platinum & Diamond look at the last 24 months, and Diamond requires collabs across at least three disciplines.
- · Only one collab per unique partner counts every 90 days — repeat work with the same person is great, but doesn't stack toward the tier count.
- · A refunded, disputed, or reversed collab is removed from the count for everyone credited on it.
Edge cases
- · Free collabs: a collab can be unpaid if every party agrees to it upfront and the work still happens through MARCON. Free collabs count toward tiers exactly the same as paid ones, provided all other qualifying criteria are met.
- · Self-collabs / same household: members who share a payout account, business, or address only count once combined.
- · Unpaid personal projects: only count if both sides confirm the credit and upload a shared deliverable within 30 days of the shoot / event date.
- · Group projects (3+ people): every credited member gets one collab, provided each one individually confirms and has a distinct role.
- · Ghost credits: asking someone to "credit you back" without real involvement is a policy breach and can wipe collab history and drop your tier.
- · Off-platform work: does not count, even with proof. Route it through MARCON to earn credit.
- · Suspended or removed accounts: collabs credited to a removed account no longer count for their partners from the date of removal.
MARCON's trust team spot-checks collabs, especially near tier thresholds. Fabricated or coordinated credits are treated as fraud and can result in tier reset or account termination.
3. Identity verification
Before you can apply, book, or transact you must pass identity verification: a government ID check, a live selfie match, 18+ confirmation, plus phone and email. Verification proves you are a real, unique adult — it does not vouch for skill, licensing, or outcomes.
4. Reviews & how they work
- · Reviews open once a booking is marked complete and close after 14 days.
- · Both sides review each other. Reviews are hidden until both are submitted or the window closes, so nobody can retaliate.
- · Star rating (1–5) plus a short written note. Public on the profile.
- · Reviews cannot be edited by the recipient. Authors can edit for 24 hours after publishing.
- · Fake, retaliatory, off-topic, or abusive reviews can be removed by MARCON on request at support@marcon.life.
5. Booking & payment flow
- Buyer picks a service, space, event, or opportunity, chooses a date/option and pays at checkout. Payment is authorised and held.
- Provider confirms the booking. If they decline, the buyer is refunded automatically.
- The work happens. Keep all communication on MARCON so there is a record if anything goes wrong.
- Booking is marked complete. Both sides can leave a review.
- Payout is released to the provider after the completion window and any refund/dispute checks.
Platform and payment-processor fees are shown at checkout before you pay. A Stripe-hosted receipt is available on every booking once payment is captured.
6. Payouts for providers
- · Add valid payout details (bank account / IBAN + sort code) in Account before your first booking completes.
- · Payouts are released after the booking is marked complete and any refund window has passed.
- · Typical arrival: 2–5 business days after release, depending on your bank.
- · You can view every payout, its status, and its related booking in your account dashboard.
- · You cannot delete your account while outstanding payouts are owed to you — clear them first.
7. Refunds & cancellations
- · Buyer cancels 48+ hours before start: full refund.
- · Buyer cancels inside 48 hours: non-refundable unless the provider fails to deliver.
- · Provider cancels a confirmed booking: buyer is fully refunded, automatically.
- · Non-delivery or misrepresentation: contact support@marcon.life within 7 days with evidence. Partial or full refunds may be issued.
- · Approved refunds return to the original payment method — usually 5–10 business days.
Full detail lives in the Refund Policy.
8. Disputes & resolution
- Talk to the other side first via MARCON messages — most issues are miscommunication.
- If that fails, open a dispute from the booking within 7 days of the scheduled end date.
- Both parties upload evidence (messages, files, photos). MARCON reviews within 5 business days.
- We issue a decision: booking completed, partial refund, or full refund. Payouts adjust accordingly.
- Please avoid card chargebacks before contacting us — we can almost always resolve it faster, and invalid chargebacks can lead to suspension.
9. Safety & conduct
- · Keep messages, files, and payments on MARCON. Off-platform deals lose refund and dispute protection.
- · Read profiles, reviews, and portfolios before you commit.
- · Meet in public or professional spaces first. Bring a friend if it helps.
- · Never share ID scans, passwords, or one-time codes with another user.
- · MARCON is not an emergency service — for immediate danger contact your local emergency number.
- · Report anyone who breaks the rules from the profile page or at trust@marcon.life.
10. Your account
- · Change your email or password from Account settings. Password minimum is 10 characters and checked against known breaches.
- · You can delete your account any time — provided no bookings are pending and no payouts are owed.
- · Deletion permanently removes your profile and everything you've posted. Some records are retained for legal, tax, and fraud-prevention reasons.
11. Frequently asked questions
Is MARCON free to join?+
Yes. Creating a profile, browsing, and applying is free. A platform fee applies to bookings and is shown at checkout.
Why did my tier drop?+
Tiers respond to recent activity. A late cancellation, low review, or unresolved dispute can drop you a tier until your rolling stats recover.
How long until my payout arrives?+
Payouts release after booking completion and the refund window, then take 2–5 business days at your bank.
Can I get a refund after the booking date?+
Only if the provider didn't deliver or the service materially differed from what was posted. Contact support within 7 days.
Someone is asking me to pay off-platform. What do I do?+
Say no and report the profile. Off-platform payments have no protection and violate our terms.
How do I get verified again if I lost access?+
Email support@marcon.life from the address on file. We will re-verify identity before restoring access.
Still stuck? Email support@marcon.life and we'll come back within one business day.