Why Organization Matters
A disorganized evidence file — a folder of screenshots, emails forwarded to yourself, and notes on your phone — is almost as useless as no evidence file. The purpose of an evidence file is not storage. It's presentation. Every exhibit in your file should be labeled, dated, and directly relevant to a specific point in your dispute.
Think about who will be reading it: a compliance reviewer, a BBB mediator, or an AAA arbitrator. None of them know your case. Your evidence file has to tell the story without explanation.
Evidence by Category
Delivery proof
- —App delivery confirmation screenshots (with timestamp)
- —GPS location data for the delivery window
- —Customer signature or delivery photo
- —POD (proof of delivery) record from the platform
Communication records
- —Every email with dates and timestamps
- —Screenshots of app messages or chats
- —Notes from phone calls (date, who you spoke to, what was said)
- —Read receipts and delivery confirmations for your dispute letters
Settlement documentation
- —Settlement statements showing the deduction
- —Prior settlements for comparison (showing your normal pay pattern)
- —Any written explanation from the company for the deduction
Contract and policy documents
- —Relevant sections of your independent contractor agreement
- —Any SOP documents related to the alleged violation
- —Company policy documents you were provided at onboarding
Company's documentation (or lack of it)
- —Any damage reports, photos, or repair invoices they provided
- —Documentation of what they failed to provide when requested
- —Dates of unanswered documentation requests
How to Label and Number Exhibits
Every document in your evidence file should be labeled as an exhibit. Use simple sequential numbering: Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, and so on. Include a one-line description of what each exhibit shows and why it's relevant.
For arbitration, you'll need a formal exhibit index — a list of all exhibits at the front of your submission package. But even for informal dispute stages, labeling your attachments as exhibits signals that you've prepared a structured case. It changes how the reviewer reads what you sent.
Don't start from scratch
Evidence Checklist — included in Dispute System
ClaimGuard Pro's Evidence Checklist covers all five categories with dispute-type-specific line items. Know exactly what to gather before you send your first dispute response.