Gather Your Evidence

• Before you even contact the credit card issuer, carefully document the problem. If the merchandise you ordered arrived damaged, take pictures of the damaged packaging and the damaged product itself. Get closeups showing exactly where the product is broken. If the merchandise arrived intact but failed to perform as promised, carefully document the problem and prepare a letter that details exactly what went wrong. The more detailed the information you provide the better off you will be during the investigation.
  
  

Find the Charge

• Locate your most recent credit card statement and find the charge for the faulty merchandise. Find the transaction ID number listed on the statement, along with the date the charge went through, the name of the merchant and the amount of the charge. Also look for a phone number listed next to the transaction ID or description.
  
  

Contact the Merchant

• Contact the merchant yourself before initiating a charge back through your credit card issuer. The merchant may be willing to replace the defective item at no cost, eliminating the need to dispute the charge with the credit card company. Explain exactly what the problem is, and exactly what you want the merchant to do. If you want the merchant to send a new item and a prepaid return label to send the defective item back ask for that explicitly. The company might be willing to make some concessions to keep you as a customer and avoid further problems.
  
  

Dispute the Charge

• If you are unsuccessful at working things out with the merchant, you can call the credit card issuer and take advantage of the protections afforded to credit card customers. Start by calling the customer service phone number on the back of the card. Tell the customer service representative that you want to dispute the charge, then get the address to file your dispute. You can initiate the dispute over the telephone, but it is a good idea to follow up in writing as well. Following up with a written dispute also gives you the opportunity to submit the evidence you gathered to support your claim.