A charge reading GIH*GLOBALINDUSTRIALEQ on your credit card or bank statement is a purchase from Global Industrial, a commercial and industrial supply distributor based in Port Washington, New York. “GIH” is a short reference to the company and “GLOBALINDUSTRIALEQ” stands for Global Industrial Equipment.1Global Industrial. Terms and Conditions If you or someone with access to your card ordered shelving, safety gear, office furniture, janitorial supplies, or similar MRO products from globalindustrial.com or one of its sales reps, that is almost certainly what you are looking at. If nobody on the account placed an order, treat it as potentially unauthorized and dispute it.
Why the Charge Looks the Way It Does
Global Industrial Company distributes more than one million products across categories like material handling, storage, HVAC, safety, and janitorial supplies, selling to businesses, nonprofits, schools, and government agencies.2Yahoo Finance. Global Industrial Company Profile Orders are charged to the card before the order is accepted, and the total you see usually bundles the product price, shipping and handling, and any sales tax.1Global Industrial. Terms and Conditions
Statement entries commonly show the company’s customer service number, 800-645-2986, along with a Florida location code.3Global Industrial. Shipping Information Your bank may stick its own prefix on the front, such as “CHKCARD,” “POS PURCH,” or “PENDING,” describing how it categorized the transaction.
If You Recognize the Purchase but Want a Refund
Global Industrial requires you to contact the company within 30 days of receiving the item to arrange a return. The item has to be unused, in its original packaging, and in resalable condition. A 15% restocking fee applies to returns, shipping and handling charges are not refundable, and you pay the return shipping, including insurance and tracking.4Global Industrial. Shipping and Returns
Returns authorized after the 30-day window still carry the 15% restocking fee, and anything you get back is issued as credit toward future purchases rather than a refund to your card. Several categories cannot be returned or canceled at all: custom-built items, special orders such as mezzanines, assembled lockers, generators, and cranes, leased products, and hazardous materials.4Global Industrial. Shipping and Returns If an order is canceled before it ships, the company says it will issue a prompt credit to the card that was charged.1Global Industrial. Terms and Conditions
To start any of this, call Global Industrial customer service at (800) 645-2986.3Global Industrial. Shipping Information Reseller accounts have a separate line at 844-671-1547.5Global Industrial. Reseller Contact Us
If the Charge Is an Unexpected Interest Fee
Global Industrial offers a branded store credit card with a promotional financing deal: no interest if you pay the balance in full within six months on purchases of $499 or more. If you do not clear the promotional balance within that six-month window, interest is charged retroactively from the original purchase date at an APR of 29.99%. Paying only the minimum each month is unlikely to clear the balance in time. There is no annual fee, and a $2.00 minimum interest charge applies. The card also offers a 5% purchase discount as an alternative to the financing deal, and the two cannot be combined.6Global Industrial. Credit Card Payment Terms If a surprise interest line item has shown up on a Global Industrial statement, that deferred-interest structure is the likely cause.
If You Don’t Recognize the Charge at All
First, check with anyone else on the account, including employees or family members who may have been authorized to buy supplies. If no one placed the order, treat the charge as unauthorized.
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability for unauthorized credit card charges is capped at $50, and many card issuers waive that amount entirely. To formally dispute the charge, send a written notice to your card issuer’s billing inquiries address within 60 days of the statement date that first showed it. Include your name, account number, the amount and date of the charge, and why you believe it is wrong. Certified mail gives you a record of delivery.7Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
Once the issuer receives your dispute, it must acknowledge it in writing within 30 days and resolve it within 90 days, or two billing cycles. While it investigates, it cannot report you as delinquent on the disputed amount or try to collect on it, and you may withhold payment on the disputed portion while continuing to pay the rest of your bill.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Do I Dispute a Charge on My Credit Card Bill If the issuer agrees it was an error, the charge and any related fees or interest must come off. If it upholds the charge, it has to explain why in writing and give you a deadline to respond before starting collection.7Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
What to Watch For When Dealing With Global Industrial
Customer reviews filed with the Better Business Bureau show some recurring friction around billing and refunds that is worth knowing about if you are mid-dispute.
- Refunds that are promised but never processed. One customer reported that a $34.09 refund for damaged goods was never actually sent, even though two representatives said it had been handled; the customer’s bank confirmed no refund attempt was ever made.9Better Business Bureau. Global Industrial Customer Reviews
- Partial refunds offered as a default. Several reviewers said initial refund offers came in under the original purchase price, with one customer short roughly $40 until escalating to get the full amount back.9Better Business Bureau. Global Industrial Customer Reviews
- Cancellations that still ship. One customer requested a cancellation within 12 hours of ordering after a backorder notice, and the items shipped 60 days later anyway. Another reported that a shipping label was generated and the order was handed to a carrier hours after the cancellation request, even while the order status read “cancellation requested.”9Better Business Bureau. Global Industrial Customer Reviews
- Difficulty reaching live support about order status, missing items, and refund inquiries.9Better Business Bureau. Global Industrial Customer Reviews
The practical takeaway: if you request a cancellation or refund, verify in writing that it was processed, check your card activity for the actual credit, and be ready to open a formal dispute with your card issuer if the money does not come back within a reasonable period.