Chargeback Policy

1. Agreement

By placing an order with Signature Composites ("we," "us," "our"), you agree to the terms below. They apply to every order, regardless of how you paid — credit or debit card, Shop Pay, PayPal, or any other method offered at checkout.

This agreement sits alongside our Refund Policy, Shipping Policy and Terms of Service, and forms part of the Terms of Service by reference.

2. What These Terms Mean

Customer — the person placing the order, or anyone authorised to use the payment method used.

Chargeback — a request to your bank or card issuer to reverse a payment made to us, rather than a refund requested from us directly.

Illegitimate chargeback — a chargeback filed on an order we fulfilled as described, for a reason that conflicts with the policies you accepted at checkout, or filed without first contacting us. Sometimes called "friendly fraud." It is distinct from genuine card fraud, which is covered in section 5.

3. Contact Us First — This Step Is Required

Before disputing a charge with your bank, you must contact us and give us a chance to resolve it. Reach us through our Contact page. We respond within 1 business day.

There is almost nothing a chargeback fixes that we cannot fix faster: a replacement part, a refund, a corrected shipment, a return label, or simply telling you what a charge was for. A chargeback does the opposite — it freezes the funds and the order for weeks while the card network investigates, and during that time we are not permitted to refund, replace, or ship anything for you.

If your concern falls under our Refund Policy, start with the return request form. If it is a shipping or delivery problem, our Shipping Policy sets out the reporting windows — particularly for freight damage, which must be noted on the delivery receipt at the time of delivery.

4. Reasons That Are Not Valid Grounds for a Chargeback

The following are disagreements to raise with us, not with your bank. We contest disputes filed on these grounds:

• You ordered the wrong part for your vehicle. Confirming fitment before ordering is the buyer's responsibility, as set out in our Terms of Service. We will help you exchange or return it under the Refund Policy.
• The part was harder to install than expected, or your installer charged more than you anticipated. Installation cost and difficulty are outside what we sell.
• You changed your mind after the return window closed, or after the item was installed.
• The item was installed or test-fitted and then reported as not as described. Installing a part is treated as accepting it.
• The item is marked non-returnable on its product page and you disagree with that after the fact. Where an item cannot be returned, we say so on that item's page before you buy.
• A made-to-order item took longer than you hoped, where the product page stated an estimated lead time. Lead times are estimates and are disclosed before purchase.
• Normal variation in a hand-made part — carbon weave alignment, gloss, or finish differing slightly between examples of the same product.
• A freight shipment was signed for without damage noted on the delivery receipt. A carrier will not honour a claim recorded after the fact, and neither can we.
• A competition or off-road product is not street legal where you live. Where a product is sold for off-road, track or competition use, that is stated on its product page, and compliance with local law is the buyer's responsibility.
• You disagree with a policy you accepted at checkout.

5. Genuinely Unauthorised Charges

If you believe your card was used without your permission, contact us immediately. We take card fraud seriously, and we would rather stop a fraudulent order before it ships than argue about it afterwards.

We will investigate promptly, share what we can about how and where the order was placed, cancel and refund it if the facts support that, and cooperate fully with your bank and with law enforcement if needed.

Please check with anyone else who has access to your card first — a spouse, partner, or family member placing an order is one of the most common causes of "unauthorised" reports, and it is far easier to resolve with a phone call than through a dispute.

6. Charges You May Not Recognise

Orders appear on your statement under Signature Composites or a closely related descriptor, which may not match the brand name you remember buying from. Before disputing a charge you do not recognise, check your order confirmation email, or contact us with the amount and date and we will identify it for you.

7. What Happens When a Dispute Is Filed

Once a chargeback is opened, the payment is frozen and the matter moves to your card issuer. We are notified, and we respond within the network's deadline.

We do not contest disputes where the fault is ours — an order we failed to ship, a package lost in transit, a duplicate charge, a refund we agreed to and did not process, or genuine unauthorised card use. In those cases we accept the dispute or refund you directly, whichever is faster.

Where the dispute conflicts with these terms, we contest it and submit the full record of the transaction, which includes:

• The order, its itemisation, and the prices and policies in effect when it was placed
• The billing and shipping addresses given at checkout
• The IP address and timestamp of the order
• Carrier tracking, delivery confirmation, and any signed freight receipt
• All correspondence between us and the customer
• The product page as it appeared at the time of sale, including fitment, lead time, and any non-returnable or off-road-use notice
• The Refund, Shipping and Terms policies, and this agreement, as accepted at checkout

8. Liability for an Illegitimate Chargeback

Where a chargeback is filed on a delivered order in conflict with these terms and is not withdrawn, you remain responsible for the amount owed, and we reserve the right to recover:

• The disputed amount
• Chargeback and payment-processor fees charged to us
• Shipping, freight and return costs already incurred
• Reasonable administrative costs of responding to the dispute
• Reasonable collection costs and attorneys' fees permitted by law

We may pursue this through a collections agency or a claim in an appropriate Texas court.

9. Refusal of Future Service

We may decline future orders from, and close the account of, any customer who files an illegitimate chargeback. We may also withhold any pending refund, replacement, warranty support or installation service on the affected order until the dispute is resolved.

This is not automatic and not permanent by default. If the circumstances are explained and the dispute is withdrawn, we will restore the account.

10. Withdrawing a Dispute

If you have already filed and would rather resolve it with us, contact your bank to withdraw the dispute and let us know. We will pick it up from there. We would far rather sort something out with you directly than through a card network — the outcome is usually better for you, and always faster.

11. Resolving Disagreements

Both sides agree to attempt to resolve any dispute in good faith and directly before starting legal proceedings. Most problems are a misunderstanding about what was ordered, what was delivered, or what a policy says, and a conversation settles them.

12. Governing Law and Venue

This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute arising from it will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Dallas County, Texas, and both parties consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.

13. Use as Evidence

This agreement, together with the record of your acceptance at checkout, may be submitted to payment processors, card networks, banks, collection agencies and courts as evidence of the terms you agreed to.

14. Changes

We may update this agreement by posting a revised version on this page. The version in effect when you placed your order governs that order. The "last updated" date above changes whenever the text does.

15. Severability

If any part of this agreement is found unenforceable, that part will be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law and the remainder stays in full effect.

16. Questions

Ask before you order, not after a dispute. See our Contact page for how to reach us and our current hours.