HMD Scientific LLC
Effective Date: [_August 25, 2026] | Version 1.0
This Policy forms part of the Terms of Sale and Terms of Use. It explains how to raise an issue with HMD Scientific, what we will do and how quickly, what records we keep, and how to escalate.
1. Contact Us First — Before Any Payment Dispute
Nearly every issue is resolved faster by contacting us directly than by filing a payment dispute. A dispute filed with your bank or card issuer typically takes 30 to 90 days to resolve and gives us no ability to reship, correct an address, or replace a damaged item in the meantime.
By placing an order you agree to contact HMD Scientific and to allow the process in Section 3 of this Policy to run its course before initiating any chargeback, payment dispute, or third-party complaint (Terms, Section 14.2).
Email support@hmdscientific.com with your order number. First response within 1 business day.
2. How to Raise an Issue
| Issue | Where to send it | Include |
|---|---|---|
| Damaged, defective, wrong, or missing item | support@hmdscientific.com — subject “Claim — Order #” | Order number, lot identifier, photographs (Refund & Return Policy, Section 5) |
| Lost, delayed, or not-received shipment | support@hmdscientific.com — subject “Transit Claim — Order #” | Order number, tracking number, statement required by Shipping Policy Section 8.4 |
| Billing question or unrecognized charge | support@hmdscientific.com — subject “Billing — Order #” | Order number, charge date, last four digits of the payment instrument |
| Account, access, or registration question | support@hmdscientific.com | Account email |
| Formal complaint or escalation | compliance@hmdscientific.com — subject “Formal Complaint” | Order number, prior ticket reference, written statement of the issue and the outcome sought |
| Legal notice | compliance@hmdscientific.com and by mail to HMD Scientific LLC, [mailing address on file — contact compliance@hmdscientific.com], Attn: Legal Notices | As required by Terms, Section 17.10 |
Telephone: [_August 25, 2026], Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. All matters affecting an order must be confirmed in writing.
3. Our Service Levels
| Stage | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement, with a ticket reference | 1 business day |
| Request for any additional documentation | 1 business day |
| Written decision on a complete claim | 5 business days |
| Reship dispatched, if approved | Next business day after decision |
| Refund issued, if approved | 10 business days from approval — and in all cases within 30 days |
| Formal complaint acknowledged by compliance | 1 business day |
| Formal complaint decided by compliance | 10 business days |
If a matter requires longer — for example, while a carrier trace is open — we will tell you in writing, explain why, and give an expected date.
4. What We Can and Cannot Do
We can: reship an order under the Reship Guarantee; refund under the Refund & Return Policy; correct a billing error; cancel an unshipped order; open and manage a carrier trace; supply an invoice, delivery record, or lot certificate of analysis; and close your account.
We cannot: accept a return of any delivered Product for restocking (Refund & Return Policy, Section 1); issue a refund outside the Refund & Return Policy; issue a refund to any instrument other than the original payment method; refund because of a change of mind or unsatisfactory experimental results; or supply any information about quantity, administration, frequency, or use of any Product in any living organism, in any channel, under any circumstances.
5. Before You File a Chargeback
If you are considering a payment dispute, please first check the following, as these account for most disputes we see:
- Unrecognized descriptor. Charges appear on statements as “HMDSCI”. This is us.
- Multiple charges. An authorization hold and a settled charge can appear separately; the hold drops off on its own, typically within 3–5 business days.
- Someone else at your address or institution ordered. Ask before disputing.
- Package not received. Every shipment requires an adult signature. We can produce the signature record — ask us.
- Order still in transit. Check the tracking number in your shipping confirmation.
6. If You File a Chargeback
6.1 What happens. We treat every chargeback as a formal complaint and open a compliance file. We will contact you at the email on your account.
6.2 Representment. Where we believe a chargeback is unwarranted, we will respond to the card network within the network’s response window with the documentation described in Section 7. If a chargeback is decided in our favor, the amount is redebited to you by your issuer.
6.3 Effect on your account. Filing a chargeback without first completing the process in Section 3 is a breach of Section 14.2 of the Terms. HMD Scientific may suspend or close the account, cancel pending orders, and decline future orders from the account and from any address or payment instrument associated with it.
6.4 No double remedy. Where HMD Scientific has already reshipped or refunded a claim, and a chargeback is subsequently filed and won for the same order, HMD Scientific may invoice the Buyer for the duplicate amount and may pursue reimbursement.
6.5 Fraudulent disputes. HMD Scientific reports demonstrably fraudulent disputes — for example, a claim of non-delivery contradicted by a carrier signature record — to its payment processor and to the applicable card network.
7. Documentation We Retain
For 24 months from the order date, HMD Scientific retains, for every order:
- the entry acknowledgement (21+ and researcher acknowledgement) with timestamp and IP address
- the account registration record and the representations made under Section 3 of the Terms
- the checkout acknowledgements, including the research-use-only acknowledgement, with timestamp and IP address
- the version of the Terms, Shipping Policy, and Refund & Return Policy in force at the time of the order
- the order record, itemized charges, and payment authorization result
- the AVS and CVV verification results returned by the processor
- the packing record, lot identifiers shipped, and the certificate of analysis for each lot
- the carrier tracking history, delivery scan, and signature record
- all correspondence with the Buyer, including every claim and its resolution
- the receipt and order confirmation as sent, including the disclaimers in Section 5 of the site policy set
This documentation is used to resolve claims and, where necessary, to respond to payment disputes and regulatory inquiries. Handling of personal information is described in the Privacy Policy.
8. Escalation Path
| Level | Who | When | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer Support — support@hmdscientific.com | First contact for any issue | 1 business day |
| 2 | Support Lead — reply to your ticket with “Escalate to Support Lead” | Level 1 decision is disputed, or SLA missed | 3 business days |
| 3 | Compliance — compliance@hmdscientific.com, subject “Formal Complaint” | Level 2 decision is disputed | Acknowledged in 1 business day; decided in 10 business days |
| 4 | Written notice of dispute under Terms Section 16.1 | Level 3 decision is disputed | 30-day informal resolution period, then arbitration or the courts under Terms Sections 15–16 |
At Level 3 we issue a written decision stating the outcome, the basis for it, and the documentation relied on.
9. California Residents — Complaint Assistance
Under California Civil Code § 1789.3, California residents may reach the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.
10. Continuous Monitoring
HMD Scientific reviews complaint and dispute volume monthly, tracks root causes, and corrects recurring causes in packaging, fulfillment, listing accuracy, and communications. Complaint records are made available to HMD Scientific’s payment processor and acquiring bank on request.