The Geode Gallery's Return Policy
At The Geode Gallery, our primary goals are to put the customer first and offer quality specimens at affordable prices. With the dramatic rise in the amount of business conducted over the Internet in recent years, it is of even greater importance to provide the most accurate pictures and descriptions of our specimens offered on the website so our clients can feel most comfortable in ordering from us in a non-personal transaction.
We realize that seeing a specimen in person and on the Internet is not the same situation, so we try our best to offer many pictures for each specimen so details of the specimens can be seen, and full size/description information is provided, including any dings, "nicks", rubs (i.e. damage). Many collectors will find through careful analysis of the pages that very few specimens are damage-free and this may be a curiosity to some. Please keep in mind that hardly any specimen is truly "damage-free". I feel if you look hard enough at any specimen you can find flaws. While this may seem to be a pessimistic point of view, I feel that it is IMPERATIVE to mention these problems, especially on the website, no matter how severe or miniscule the problem is. Better descriptions provide the viewer and potential client a more comfortable and accurate description and a higher confidence to purchase specimens. Many of our clients are collectors who are looking for specimens for competitive displays or want the best they can get because quality specimens are those that are most appealing and will increase in value in the future. We also believe that honesty is of paramount importance in this business - we are not afraid to tell you of any problems with specimens.
The Geode Gallery's Return/Refund Policy and Shipping Claims
Geodes purchased Whole (Mexican or Keokuk): For geodes purchased in unbroken (whole) form, if the geode is completely filled in (solid) with crystals or is non-crystalline once opened, we will replace the geode FREE OF CHARGE and will send you a replacement geode of the same value/size immediately at no cost to you. Just tell us through an email or phone of the problem. While we strive for perfection in trying to figure out whether or not the geodes we send are hollow, we admittedly make mistakes from time to time (nobody is perfect). You should not have to incur any loss from our mistake, so we send replacements at no charge to you.
Ebay auctions, Minerals, and other opened Geode specimens: We strive to provide the most accurate pictures in terms of lighting, color accuracy, and number of pictures to give the viewer an accurate and true mental image of the specimen of interest. We follow up by providing a very detailed description of each and every specimen, including size, any damage, and other pertinent details. Through the pictures and description, we feel there should be no surprises when the specimen arrives and you can handle it in person. If there are surprises (besides the specimen actually looking better than the photos - positive surprise) and they are negative, just tell us that you are unhappy with the specimen(s) and would like to return it (them). We will refund the original specimen price or final value fee for eBay auctions, no questions asked.
INSURANCE CLAIMS: All of our specimens are sent packed very securely, but occasionally, specimens do break during shipment. If this is the case, and the order was insured, we will send you the receipts (if not sent with the order) showing the actual value of the specimen(s) purchased, along with the insurance slip. If there was no insurance on the order, we will not refund money for any part of the order (specimen or postage) since USPS, Fedex, or UPS will not honor claims if no insurance was initially purchased! It is at your own risk to waive the insurance fee but please feel rest assured that we have very, very few specimens break during shipment. We do NOT ship through UPS unless absolutely asked for - for some reason we have had some terrible experiences with handling of our packages through their system. Fedex Ground is considerably better in handling for large items.
To this date, all claims have been honored and paid in full.
HOW WE HANDLE REFUNDS: Refunds are paid by two and only two methods. If payment was made by credit card, we will refund your money by crediting your account (at your request). If we credit your account, please make sure it appears on your statement. If payment was made by check or money order, we will issue a check for the refund. If payment was made through Paypal, we will either refund the appropriate funds to your Paypal account or send you a check, depending on the situation. If you have any questions, please let us know. Once settled, refund checks are send immediately, there is no delay. If you would like to have a credit to your next order, we can do that too, or send a replacement item of equal value. Just let us know.