Using a Credit Card

TThe safest method of payment online when buying a diamond will always be with the use of your credit card. If your card is ever billed for a charge you did not authorize, simply call your bank and have them issue a chargeback.

What is a chargeback? A chargeback is when you are refunded your money for a transaction you did not authorize, did not receive goods for, or were defrauded in some way.

For more information on chargebacks and how to dispute a charge, please continue to the next section below.

How to Dispute a Charge

Before disputing a charge, always try to dispute it with the merchant first. Often, the name of the business and phone number will both appear on your credit card statement. Call them and tell them you did not authorize the charge, are not satisfied with the item or were sent the wrong item, that it was misrepresented, or whatever the case may be.

They are obligated to respond to you in a timely and courteous manner to get the charge reversed or resolved in some manner you deem suitable. It's always best to call them first because you can often bypass the entire chargeback procedure. Simply tell the merchant if you are not compensated to your satisfaction and that you intend to initiate a chargeback. It is in their best interest to try to satisfy you, because if the chargeback is successful, it could hurt their credit rating. Merchants who get excessive amounts of chargebacks can even have their merchant accounts terminated.

If after you've called them and they are unwilling to compensate/refund you in some way, call your credit card company and tell them you would like to dispute a charge and initiate a chargeback. They will ask you why, and you tell them your story. Afterwards, every bank has its own policy. Some will reverse the charge right away, while some require a signed and written document of the incident, etc. Follow their instructions; they will often tell you to ship the merchandise you were given back to the merchant as well.

Once you've done everything they've told you to do, they should refund you your money. The merchant has 30-60 days (depending on the credit card company) to dispute the chargeback. The credit card companies often side with the card holder, so in most cases you will win if you can prove that you were given inaccurate/misleading products, never received the item, or whatever the circumstances are, and that you shipped it back to them.