Consumer complaint received 2025-01-06 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
On XXXX, I purchased a gold bracelet from XXXX

On XXXX, I inquired as to whether my order XXXX had shipped yet.

On XXXX, I received a reply from the merchant for the order number.

On XXXX, I emailed the merchant with the order number and I requested to cancel the order if it has not shipped yet.

The merchant responded in the same day stating that it was packed and shipped already.

On XXXX, I emailed the merchant to request a tracking number.

On XXXX, The merchant sent me this tracking number : XXXX. Since it looked like a USPS tracking number, I tracked the package until it was delivered. 
On XXXX, The package departed from XXXX, CA On XX/XX/scrub>XXXX, It arrived to it's final location in XXXX, CA. 
On XXXX  I emailed the merchant to complain that they sent a false tracking number since I don't live in XXXX, CA. I also informed the merchant that I will be submitting a credit card dispute as a result of them providing a false tracking number and that I have not received the bracelet. I called customer service and inititiated a dispute with my Fidelity Visa credit card stating that the merchant had not sent me the bracelet I ordered and provided a false tracking number. 
On XX/XX/scrub>XXXX The merchant sent a XXXX tracking number which stated that a package would be delivered to my address. The tracking number stated that a label had been created on XXXX a full week after I had originally requested to cancel my order. The label stated it was created in XXXX XXXX despite the contact us on their website stating that they were located in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I finally received the bracelet. Due to the problems I had receiving the item and that it originated from XXXX instead of XXXX and reading reviews about the merchant on XXXX from other customers who said they received counterfeit merchandise from this merchant, I became concerned that the gold bracelet was counterfeit. 
On XXXX, I took it to a jewelry repair shop to get their opinion as to whether the gold bracelet is counterfeit. He weighed the bracelet and asked me how much I paid for it. I told him I paid {$660.00}. He stated based on the weight alone and that it can not be authentic gold because is a commodity and nobody would sell 18K gold for less than what it's worth. 
This made sense to me and I emailed the merchant stating that the bracelet was fake gold and I requested the merchant to send me a prepaid return label so I could return it to them. I also called Fidelity Visa to inform them that I received the bracelet but I was told that the gold is counterfeit and I would like to modify the original dispute as counterfeit merchandise instead of not receiving it. The merchant emailed me back as well to state that the bracelet was " 100 % real gold ''. I emailed the merchant again and asked how many grams of gold are in the bracelet. Again the merchant emailed me and stated it was 16-19 grams of gold.

On XXXX I emailed the merchant and stated that the spot price for 18k gold per gram at that time was {$64.00}. If the gold in the bracelet weights 16 grams, then the gold should cost {$1000.00} which means the merchant is selling the gold bracelet for 35 % less than spot at {$660.00} and I doubt they would sell this new bracelet for a loss. Again I requested a prepaid return label so I could return the bracelet. The merchant emailed me again to state they have their own jewelry factory so the price is completely different from your quotes and again stated it's 100 % real gold. I emailed the merchant again and said I do not want the bracelet and told them to send me a prepaid return label. The merchant email me again and said the return instructions will be sent asap. 
On XXXX I emailed the merchant stating I still have not received the return instructions or prepaid shipping label. The merchant emailed me to state she will mail it out next week. 
On XXXX Fidelity Visa requested the email communications I had from the merchant and I sent the communications to them.

On XXXX Fidelity Visa resolved the dispute in favor of the merchant and stated they can only find in my favor if I provide them with a document stating the bracelet was counterfeit. I asked a Fidelity Visa representative who to go to get such a document. He said I should try going to a gold buyer and in his opinion, they should be able to provide this document. 
On XXXX I went to a gold buyer near where I live and requested if he could provide a document stating the gold was counterfeit. He said he couldn't provide that but he did do a 18K acid test on the bracelet and state the gold was counterfeit.

On XXXX, I took the bracelet to a jewelry appraiser near where I live and requested if he could provide a document stating the gold was counterfeit. He said he could appraise the bracelet for {$75.00} but if it turned out the bracelet was not gold and " costume jewelry '', he could not provide any appraisal document but rather a verbal confirmation that the bracelet is not gold. 
On XXXX, I called Fidelity Visa to inform them that I can not get the document they are requesting because nobody is willing to provide me with a document stating the gold bracelet is counterfeit and asked Fidelity Visa how to proceed further. I'd like to return this bracelet but the merchant is not communicating with me anymore and would it be enough to return the bracelet to the California address on their website even though it originated from XXXX. Fidelity Visa told me a dispute case handler would call me back within two days and I never received a call from them. 
On XXXX, I called Fidelity Visa again and talked to a dispute case handler and she told me that they had to have that document by XXXX XXXX XXXX or proof that the bracelet had been returned by that time or the dispute case would be resolved. I told her I though that was strange and didn't make any sense. She agreed and put in a request for the case processor to call me. 
On XXXX, that case processor called me to inform me that the dispute case was closed and could not be reopened due to some Visa deadline running out. I said this is unacceptable. Fidelity Visa has not communicated to me in a timely manner and provided me with all the options I had to resolve the dispute in my favor. Had they told me that I could have returned the bracelet to the merchant instead of what turned out to be the more difficult and perhaps impossible task of obtaining a document stating it was counterfeit, and resolved the dispute in my favor, I would have done that. But now Fidelity Visa said the time has run out on the dispute and they refuse to resolve the dispute in my favor even though it's clear to me that the merchant has defrauded me and is no longer communicating with me. I would like Fidelity Visa to resolve the dispute in my favor since it's clear the merchant has defrauded me.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation