My Padi Guide · Module 2 of 7
How a service request works, from tap to payout
Whether it’s shopping, cleaning, moving, or driving, every service on My Padi follows the same lifecycle: request → negotiate → pay into escrow → service runs on a timer → both sides confirm → provider gets paid. This module walks through each stage and every rule attached to it.
- Client
- The person ordering the service.
- Provider
- The person doing the work: a shopper, cleaner, mover, or driver.
- Escrow
- A safe holding place for the client’s payment. My Padi keeps the money there and only releases it to the provider once the work is confirmed done.
- Proposal
- An offer sent in the negotiation chat (a price, a duration, or both) that the other side can accept, decline, or counter.
- Service timer
- The countdown the provider has to finish the work, set by the duration both sides agreed on.
- Transportation fee
- The extra fee negotiated on shopping requests to cover the shopper’s travel.
- Shopping limit
- The maximum basket value a shopper is allowed to handle.
Finding a provider#
From the home screen, clients can browse service categories, see providers near you on the map, open a provider’s profile (bio, rating, reviews, services), and check market prices for common shopping items before ordering. Once the client has picked a provider, they send a request describing what they need.
The lifecycle#
Each step is tagged with the roles it involves ( Client Provider Automatic) so each reader can spot the steps meant for them. Reading all of them still gives the full picture.
- Request sentpending 5 min Client Provider
The request reaches the provider with the client’s description and location. The provider has 5 minutes to accept.
No response in time → the request is cancelled automatically and the client is notified. Nothing has been paid, so there’s nothing to refund. The client can also cancel freely at this stage.
- Negotiationnegotiating 10 min Client Provider
Accepting opens a negotiation chat. Either side can send:
- Price proposals: offer, counter-offer, accept, or decline.
- Duration proposals: how long the service should take. The agreed duration becomes the service timer later.
- Combined proposals: price and duration in one offer.
- Shopping list negotiation (shoppers): the item list with estimated costs plus a transportation fee, adjusted until both sides agree.
The negotiation window is 10 minutes. If it expires with no agreement, the request is cancelled automatically. Either side can also walk away. Declining ends the request as cancelled.
- Paymentawaiting payment 10 min Client
Once a proposal is accepted, a Pay button appears on it. The client has 10 minutes to pay using their wallet balance, mobile money (MTN MoMo / Orange Money), or both combined. The app uses the wallet first and charges only the gap to mobile money.
The money goes into escrow, not to the provider. If the window expires or the client cancels, any amount already taken (including a partial mobile-money deposit) is returned to the client’s wallet automatically.
- Service in progressin progress agreed duration Provider Client
The provider starts working. The client can track them live on the map, chat, and, for shopping, watch items get checked off with actual costs and receipt photos as the shopper buys them.
The service timer now runs for the agreed duration (if no duration was agreed, it defaults to 24 hours). Both sides can see the countdown.
- Completion: both sides confirmcompleted Provider Client
When the work is done, the provider marks it complete (optionally attaching a completion photo) and the client confirms. Both confirmations are required. The moment both are in, the escrowed amount is released to the provider.
If the release ever fails mid-way (bad network, app closed), a background job spots the double-confirmed order and releases the funds automatically within minutes, so the provider always gets paid.
- Review Client Provider
Client and provider rate each other. Ratings appear on profiles and drive discovery: better-rated providers are seen (and hired) more.
Running out of time? Extensions#
Only the service timer (stage 4) can be extended:
| Who | How much | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Client | 15 – 480 minutes per extension | As many times as needed |
| Provider | +30 minutes | Once per order |
The other party is notified every time the timer is extended. If nobody extends and the timer runs out, the order is cancelled and the client is refunded in full (see the next section).
Cancellation and timeout rules#
| Stage | Who can cancel | What happens to the money |
|---|---|---|
| pending | Client anytime; provider by declining; system after 5 min | Nothing was paid. |
| negotiating | Either side; system after 10 min | Nothing was paid. |
| awaiting payment | Client; system after 10 min | Any partial payment (wallet or mobile money) is returned to the client’s wallet automatically. |
| in progress | Only the system, when the service timer expires (neither side can cancel from the app) | The full amount in escrow is refunded to the client’s wallet automatically, with a receipt in the transaction history. |
| completed | Nobody, the order is closed | Problems after completion go through a dispute (Module 6). |
Whoever cancels, the app asks them to pick or write a reason. The reason is shown to the other party and kept on the order record, which matters if a dispute is raised later.
Expired orders are swept by the system every 5 minutes, so an expiry may take up to ~5 extra minutes to show as cancelled. The refund lands in the same sweep.
Shopping orders: fees and limits#
Shopping requests have two extra mechanics:
Shopper fee tiers. The shopper’s service fee is calculated from the total value of the items, with a flat fee for small baskets and a declining percentage for larger ones:
| Items total (FCFA) | Shopper fee |
|---|---|
| 1,000 – 5,000 | 1,000 flat |
| 5,001 – 10,000 | 1,500 flat |
| 10,001 – 20,000 | 1,500 + 18% of the amount over 10,000 |
| 20,001 – 50,000 | 3,300 + 15% of the amount over 20,000 |
| 50,001 – 200,000 | 7,800 + 10% of the amount over 50,000 |
| 200,001 – 500,000 | 22,800 + 5% of the amount over 200,000 |
| Above 500,000 | 37,800 + 5% of the amount over 500,000 |
Shopping limits. Every shopper has a maximum order value. Shoppers can’t take baskets above their limit, but they can raise their own limit anytime from the app.
If something goes wrong#
For a paid order that didn’t go as agreed (incomplete work, wrong items, a no-show), either side can raise a dispute from the order details screen. The order freezes, the money stays in escrow, and the My Padi team decides where it goes. How disputes and evidence requests work is covered in Module 6.