ConsultEarth carries a Report action on every public expert profile, message, and job post. Reports are reviewed by the Trust & Safety team and are treated as confidential. This article explains what counts as a reportable issue, how the reporting flow works, what consequences exist for the reported account, and the rule against retaliation.
What is reportable
The Report action is for behaviour or content that breaks the platform rules. The categories shown on the report form are:
- Harassment. Threats, hate speech, or repeated unwanted contact.
- Fraud or impersonation. Scams, false credentials, or pretending to be a person or organisation the user is not.
- Spam. Unsolicited promotion, or asking the other side to move the conversation or payment off the platform.
- Inappropriate content. NSFW material, off-topic content, or anything otherwise unsuitable for the platform.
- Copyright or IP. Stolen work, infringing portfolio items, or misuse of another party's protected material.
- Something else. Anything not covered above. The free-text field is read in full.
Disagreements over the quality of work, fit for a role, or whether a proposal was strong enough are not in scope. Those belong in the standard application, refund, or engagement amendment channels.
For suspected illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, terrorism content, or credible threats to life, contact the relevant UK authority first (the police on 999 for an emergency, or the IWF / CTIRU for content removal). A platform report can be filed in addition, but is not a substitute.
How to report
Every reportable surface carries a three-dot menu in its corner. Opening that menu reveals a Report option. The Report action is intentionally tucked behind the menu rather than shown as a top-level button, which keeps surfaces uncluttered and makes casual misuse less likely. The same pattern applies on:
- Expert profile pages. Three-dot menu in the actions area of the profile.
- Job posts. Three-dot menu in the job sidebar.
- Direct messages, engagement workspace chat, and service inquiry messages. Three-dot menu on each incoming message bubble.
The Report option opens a short form. The reporter picks a category, writes at least 10 characters describing what happened, and optionally attaches up to three image or PDF files (5 MB each) as evidence. The form is gated to signed-in users; a signed-out visitor who clicks Report is routed through the sign-in modal first.
The form also carries an "illegal content or immediate risk of harm" checkbox. Tick it for content that involves threats to life, child safety, or terrorism material. Ticking it puts the report at the top of the Trust & Safety queue with a same-day triage target rather than the standard 10 business days. For a UK emergency, also call 999; a platform report is not a substitute.
If the issue does not sit on any of the surfaces above, or it is urgent, the Trust & Safety inbox is open: safety@consultearth.com. Include the username, profile URL, job ID, or message context being reported, the approximate date and time, and any evidence the reporter is willing to share.
What happens after a report
Each report is reviewed by the Trust & Safety team within 10 business days. The reviewer reads the report, checks the evidence, looks at the reported account's history, and decides on one of three outcomes:
- Warning. A private notice is sent to the reported user with the reason. The account keeps full access. Repeat behaviour can escalate to suspension.
- Suspension. The reported account is locked out of all client and expert surfaces. Any active paid subscription is paused so no further invoices land during the review window. The reported user receives a notification and an email with the reason and an appeal path.
- Dismissal. The report is closed without action. The reported user is not notified that a report was made.
The reporter receives an in-app notification when the review concludes. The notification states whether the report was addressed or no policy violation was identified. The specific action taken on the other account is not disclosed.
A report cannot be re-filed against the same target by the same reporter while it is still open. New information should be sent to safety@consultearth.com referencing the original report.
Confidentiality and no retaliation
The reporter's identity is never disclosed to the reported user. The reported user is told that a report was upheld and the reason, but not the source.
Retaliation against a reporter, or against any user the reported party suspects of reporting, is itself a policy violation and is grounds for immediate suspension regardless of the merit of the original report.
What a suspended user sees
A suspended user can still sign in, but every protected page redirects to a single lockout screen explaining that the account is under review. The screen carries a link to email safety@consultearth.com for appeal. The user has no in-app path to lift the suspension; only the Trust & Safety team can clear it.
Suspension is reversible. When the review concludes in the user's favour, an admin clears the lock and the account regains full access. Any paused subscription resumes through Stripe with the next billing cycle.
Limits and abuse prevention
To deter mass-reporting, each account is limited to 3 reports per hour and 10 per day. Hitting either limit returns a friendly error from the form. A genuine urgent issue beyond these limits can be raised by email to safety@consultearth.com.
The same reporter cannot file repeated reports on the same target while a prior report is open. Submitting the form on a target with an active report returns a notice that the existing report is under review.
Related
- Acceptable Use (part of our Terms):
/legal/terms - How expert names are masked: /help/name-masking
- Downloading your data and deleting your account: /help/data-and-deletion