Handling complaints and disputes on Allegro: deadlines and status

On Allegro, a complaint and a dispute are two different matters with two different clocks, and missing a deadline can cost you money and your Super Seller status. We explain how much time you really have and how to run your handling so you don't lose quality points.

Complaint or dispute: two matters, two different clocks

The shortest answer to the question of handling complaints and disputes on Allegro is this: they are two separate processes, with two different deadlines and two different consequences. A dispute is informal post-transaction contact in which the buyer signals a problem (they didn’t receive the parcel, the item doesn’t match the offer, they want a refund). A complaint is a formal claim based on non-conformity of the goods with the contract or the statutory warranty, in which the customer demands a specific remedy: repair, replacement, a price reduction, or a refund.

The difference is practical, not just terminological. For a dispute you have roughly 24 hours to respond (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and statutory holidays), and what matters most here is speed and whether the matter gets resolved. For a complaint you have the statutory 14 days to take a position, and if you miss that, the law treats the complaint as accepted (so-called deemed acceptance). Confusing these two deadlines is the most common cause of losing money and quality points. Below we break both processes down into their essentials and show how to run them so you don’t lose your Super Seller status, especially after the changes to the My Sales Quality panel announced for the second half of 2026.

Deadlines you must not miss

Deadlines are the heart of the whole topic. The table below gathers the most important clocks that start ticking when a customer reports a problem. Values marked as approximate are worth confirming in the terms and in the Allegro Help Center, because the platform updates them.

Dispute: you have about 24 hours

When a buyer opens a dispute, the clock starts immediately. Under Allegro’s dispute time frames, you have roughly 24 hours to respond, counting from the moment it starts, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and statutory holidays. If you don’t respond within that window, or the buyer decides the problem hasn’t been resolved, Allegro may step into the matter and settle it based on the available evidence. That’s why the golden rule is: respond the same day, ideally within a few hours, and never leave Friday messages until Monday without at least an initial reaction.

Complaint: 14 days and deemed acceptance

A complaint is governed by law, not by the platform’s terms. For consumer sales, the basis is non-conformity of the goods with the contract under the Consumer Rights Act (rules in force since January 1, 2023), while in B2B relations the statutory warranty (rękojmia) under the Civil Code still applies. One deadline is key: 14 calendar days from receiving the complaint to give the customer your position. If you don’t respond within that time, deemed acceptance comes into play: the complaint is treated as justified, and the buyer can pursue the remedy they requested. This is not an Allegro contractual penalty but a statutory consequence that a late email cannot undo. If the fourteenth day falls on a Sunday or a holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day, but it’s not worth cutting it close.

When a buyer can mark a matter as unresolved

In disputes there is a second clock. For a report of the “I didn’t receive the product” type, the buyer can mark the dispute as unresolved after 7 days without an agreement (this does not apply to Allegro Lokalnie), and for other reasons, such as a damaged parcel or missing items in a set, after 14 days. An unresolved matter then goes to Allegro for review and genuinely weighs on your quality indicators. Allegro closes a dispute automatically when proof of delivery appears (for a missing-parcel report), when you issue a refund, or when there has been no active conversation in it for 30 days.

Types of post-transaction disputes and how to respond

Not every dispute means the same thing, and the reason determines what you should actually do within that first 24 hours.

• I didn’t receive the product. The most common case. Check the tracking number, the courier status, and the delivery date. If the parcel is in transit, send the customer the tracking and a realistic timeframe. If it’s stuck or lost, file a claim with the carrier and offer a replacement shipment or a refund. Filled-in tracking numbers aren’t just convenient; they’re hard evidence in a dispute like this.
• Item doesn’t match the offer. Ask for photos and compare them with the description and the offer’s parameters. If the error is on your side, it’s faster and cheaper to settle amicably (a surcharge, a partial refund, a replacement) than to wait for escalation.
• I want to return the product. A consumer has the right to withdraw from a distance contract, as standard within 14 days without giving a reason. Don’t make it difficult; provide the return rules and the address. We cover the details in the article on the new e-commerce return rules for 2026.
• Certain reasons trigger a chat instead of a dispute. When a buyer selects specific complaint-related reasons (item doesn’t match the offer, damaged in transit, defective, with missing parts), Allegro creates a chat handled outside the standard dispute time frames. Respond to it just as quickly.

In each of these cases the same hygiene applies: respond specifically and to the point, document your agreements in the thread, and work toward a resolution before Allegro takes over the matter. If you want to tighten up response times across your whole store, check out the guide on how to speed up order handling.

How to handle a complaint in line with the law

A complaint requires a position, not just a polite reply. Within 14 days you must clearly state whether you accept the claim and how you’ll carry it out, or why you’re rejecting it. The order of the remedies matters, because the customer doesn’t freely pick the most expensive option.

Always keep a record: the date the complaint arrived, the content of the demand, your position, and the date you sent your reply. If you refuse, justify it substantively (e.g., mechanical damage caused by the user, documented with photos). Remember that deemed acceptance also applies when your reply is stuck in drafts or lands in the wrong inbox, so keeping to a single, shared place for reports isn’t a whim but protection against losing automatically.

It’s also worth not confusing a complaint with the manufacturer’s warranty. A complaint based on non-conformity of the goods with the contract (or the statutory warranty in B2B) always goes to you as the seller, and it’s you who is responsible for the deadline and the outcome, even if the manufacturer offers a separate warranty. The customer chooses the basis, and you cannot refer them solely to the manufacturer’s service if they invoke non-conformity of the goods with the contract. Liability for non-conformity of the goods with the contract covers, as standard, two years from the release of the item (for used items, by agreement, it may be one year), so complaints can come back long after the sale. That’s another reason to archive proofs of postage, offer photos, and correspondence, because you can only defend yourself with what you have in writing.

Changes to Sales Quality: what changes for disputes and complaints

This is the most important part for anyone holding on to Super Seller status. Allegro is rebuilding the My Sales Quality panel. Changes originally announced for July 27, 2026 have been pushed to August 26, 2026 (the dates are worth confirming in the Help Center, as they’ve been postponed before). The direction is clear: fewer metrics, tougher thresholds, and a focus on what genuinely depends on the seller, namely shipping, complaints, and customer service.

What does this mean in practice? First, a Complaint handling time metric appears: according to the announcement, you’ll get the maximum points on this metric when your average handling time is under 7 days. Delaying your response, even within the statutory 14 days, stops being neutral, because it lowers the indicator. Second, the old unresolved-disputes metric is replaced by the broader Unresolved customer matters. Third, with a smaller pool of points and a higher Super threshold, every lost case weighs more than before. The conclusion is simple: fast, substantive, and effective handling of disputes and complaints stops being a soft plus and becomes a condition for keeping your status.

How not to lose Super Seller status

Super Seller isn’t a one-off award but a state that Allegro verifies cyclically and can suspend when any indicator drops. Below is an approximate set of requirements (confirm the current thresholds at the source, because a rebuild of the quality system is underway in parallel).

Status verification can take up to 21 days, and renewal happens cyclically, as long as you maintain the indicators. As you can see, disputes and tracking numbers are on the front line of this equation, which is why it’s so important that no matter goes unanswered. It’s also worth remembering that after the switch to the new model (from August 26, 2026), the place of the old unresolved-disputes indicator will be taken by Unresolved customer matters and Complaint handling time, so what gains real weight is not the response speed itself but effectively closing the matter.

A practical handling process: a checklist

The following work rhythm lets you watch both clocks at once and not lose track of any matter.

1. Check notifications about disputes and complaints several times a day, including on weekends, even if only preliminarily.
2. Identify the type of matter: a dispute (24 h clock) or a complaint (14-day clock). That determines the priority and the form of your reply.
3. Gather evidence: the tracking number, delivery status, photos, message history.
4. Respond specifically: what you propose, by when, and on what terms. Avoid generalities.
5. For a complaint, send an unambiguous position before the 14 days are up and record the date you sent it.
6. Work toward a resolution in the thread before the buyer marks the matter as unresolved or Allegro steps into the dispute.
7. Fill in tracking numbers for all orders; it’s your indicator and your evidence in disputes.
8. Once a week, review the My Sales Quality panel and the tab with the new results, so you can see the trend before you drop below the threshold.

If you sell on several platforms at once, plan in advance for a single place to handle messages, orders, and labels, instead of jumping between panels. That’s the direction new tools for Polish sellers are heading, including the Nimo that’s in the works. The Allegro integration and order automation alone won’t answer a complaint for you, but they shorten the time it takes for you to even learn about a problem.

The most common seller mistakes

• Treating a dispute like a complaint (and vice versa). A reply after 10 days is fine for a complaint, but in a dispute it’s long since a lost cause.
• Cutting the 14-day deadline close. One Sunday, one day off, one message in spam, and deemed acceptance kicks in.
• No paper trail. Verbal agreements and conversations off the platform won’t protect you during an escalation.
• Empty tracking numbers. Without tracking, you lose disputes over undelivered parcels and hurt your indicator toward Super Seller.
• Ignoring the changes in the quality panel. With a smaller pool of 400 points and a Super threshold of 230, there’s no longer any slack for piling up unresolved matters.

Frequently asked questions

How much time do I have to respond to a dispute on Allegro?

Roughly 24 hours from when the buyer opens the dispute, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and statutory holidays. After that time, or at the customer’s request, Allegro may step into the matter. In practice, respond the same day. You’ll find the exact time frames in the Allegro Help Center.

What’s the risk of not responding to a complaint within 14 days?

So-called deemed acceptance kicks in: the complaint is treated as justified, and the buyer can pursue the remedy they requested (repair, replacement, price reduction, or refund). This is a statutory consequence that you can’t undo with a late reply, so send your position with time to spare before the deadline.

Can a single unresolved dispute cost you Super Seller status?

It can tip the scales, because the unresolved-disputes indicator is very tight (approximately up to 0.02% over 30 days), and from August 26, 2026, its role is taken over by Unresolved customer matters. With a smaller pool of points and a higher Super threshold, a single lost case weighs more than before. Confirm the current thresholds in the My Sales Quality panel.

When can a buyer mark a dispute as unresolved?

For an “I didn’t receive the product” report, after 7 days without an agreement (this does not apply to Allegro Lokalnie), and for other reasons, after 14 days. The matter then goes to Allegro for review and weighs on your quality indicators, which is why it’s worth closing it earlier.

Complaint vs. return on Allegro: are they the same?

No. A return is withdrawal from a distance contract, as standard within 14 days without giving a reason. A complaint concerns a defect or non-conformity of the goods with the contract and requires your position within 14 days. Different legal bases, different deadlines, and different consequences, so handle them separately.