Live Arrival Guarantee Policy

By placing an order with us, you acknowledge that you have completely read, understood, and agreed to the terms & conditions and information regarding our Live Arrival Policy as stated below.

What is Not Covered by Our Live Arrival Guarantee:

1. LOCAL PICKUP ORDERS

Please ensure that you inspect any Plant(s), Animal(s) or Item(s) once you've received your order, we will not be liable for any issues once your order is out of our possession.

2. LIVE PLANT(S) OR ANIMAL(S) SHIPPED WITHOUT THE NECESSARY SHIPPING UPGRADES IN EXTREME WEATHER

Please refrain from ordering, or notify us immediately if your local temperatures or temperatures in the surrounding areas are predicted to go above 90F or below 25F at any point within 1 week of your order being placed. In the event of extreme weather conditions, we recommend that you arrange for the package to be held at the post office or local UPS/FedEx store/facility to prevent it from sitting in a cold/hot delivery truck before it's delivered to you. Even with a Cold Pack or Heat Pack these temperatures will likely be too extreme for the Cold/Heat Pack you've purchased with your order to work and we will NOT be able to cover any DOA plants or animals if temperatures are either above 90F or below 25F at any point during transit.

For our Live Guarantee policy to apply, you are REQUIRED to purchase either a Heat Pack, Cold Pack, Heat Reflective Insulation, or our Weather Insurance if your local temperatures are not within the following ranges at any point while the shipment is in transit:

  • 32F-80F for Live Aquatic Plants
  • >60F for Live House Plants
  • 60F-80F for Live Animals unless stated otherwise

If you fail to do so, you will be fully responsible for any issues that may arise after your order has been shipped and will forfeit your ability to file a claim for a refund or replacement for any issues under our Live Arrival Guarantee. 

Any damage or deaths that we determine are caused due to the customers' negligence, such as leaving the package outside for a prolonged period of time during extreme weather conditions, will also forfeit the Live Arrival Guarantee for your order. Rest assured though, we will be happy to guide you through the steps needed to nurse any plant(s) or animal(s) back to health, if possible.

3. ANY ISSUES WITH PLANT(S) OR ANIMAL(S) NOT BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION WITHIN 2 HOURS OF THE 1ST DELIVERY ATTEMPT.

We only guarantee that any Plant(s) or Animals(s) will be alive upon arrival within 2 HOURS of the 1st Delivery Attempt

Live Plants and Animals MUST be checked immediately upon arrival for any DOA claims, and DOA or any other issues MUST be reported to us with clear photographic evidence in their UNOPENED packaging (if DOAs are visible from the packaging) via email (to windycityaquariums@gmail.com) within the first 2 HOURS of the timestamped 1st Delivery Attempt, NO EXCEPTIONS.

We've had too many people wait till days after to notify us of any issues, and as much as we'd like to extend our guarantee timeframe, we DO NOT want to risk the health of our Plants and Animals.

It is your responsibility as a customer to provide the correct shipping address and to ensure someone is at home to receive a shipment when it is scheduled to be dropped off. This means not having Live Plants or Animals shipped to a PO Box/Non-Residential Address etc where access may be limited, or to your home when you know you or someone else will unlikely be able to receive them as soon as they are delivered. 

It is also your responsibility to make accommodations for the pickup of your Live Plants or Animals should there be changes in a shipping schedule made by the shipping carrier. Shipments left outside, or otherwise unattended beyond the 2 hour reporting window, will NOT be covered by any Live Arrival Guarantee. 

Having your Plants and Animals arrive to you healthy is our NUMBER ONE priority, so please make sure you only order them when you know that you or someone else is able to be physically present to receive the shipment during the 1st Delivery Attempt.

4. LIVE PLANT(S) OR ANIMAL(S) SHIPPED VIA USPS FIRST-CLASS, OR ARRIVE LATE DUE TO SHIPPING CARRIER DELAYS. 

For Live Plants: We can only provide a Live Arrival Guarantee if the package is not delayed more than 2 days outside of the initial estimated delivery date (e.g. if it is 2-Day shipping, we can only guarantee live arrival up to 4 days). 

For Live Animals: We can only provide a Live Arrival Guarantee if your animals are delivered within 3 days after being shipped. If your shipment gets delayed, we will work with you to file a claim with the shipping carrier if necessary. 

​Live Arrival Guarantee Claim Process

In the rare event of a DOA (Dead On Arrival) case, please follow the instructions included in the package which should include a QR code to our DOA form. If you cannot access this form please send us an email at WindyCityAquariums@gmail.com within 2 hours of the 1st delivery attempt (if none of the previously mentioned conditions apply) with the following information:

  • Your name, order number, email or username associated with the order
  • Location of purchase (e.g. Our Website, eBay, Reddit, etc)
  • Your order's tracking number.
  • Several clear pictures or videos and names of any DOA plants or animals in their unopened packaging (this is strictly required unless the plants or animals are packaged in such a way that you are unable to see them inside the packaging).
  • A clear picture of all of the item(s) shipped in the package laid next to the box with the shipping label clearly visible.
  • A clear picture of any damages to the box if applicable.

Please also let us know that you had an issue accessing the form so we can investigate and try to 

We will happily assist you in resolving the issue within roughly 1 - 2 Business Days once we receive the information required as stated above. Please ensure all the above information is given to us to ensure we can process your claim quickly. This also applies to any damaged dry-good orders.

A refund or replacement for the DOA plants or animals will strictly only be given if the message and pictures or videos are received within 2 hours of the first delivery attempt as we will NOT be able to guarantee Live Arrival after that time period.

We may sometimes ask for additional information or photos to help us make a decision. We request that you respond to our requests for additional information or photos within 48 hoursFailure to provide the necessary information we need to process your claim (for all Live Plants, Animals, and Dry-Goods) within a reasonable amount of time may result in your claim being denied. All decisions made by us are strictly final and are made at our sole discretion. 

We handle each claim on a case-to-case basis, and as long as you have followed all the guidelines to our Live Arrival Guarantee policy and have purchased the necessary shipping option or shipping upgrades you should be covered and we will be more than happy to assist you in making things right!

The Health Of Your Plant(s) or Animal(s)

We do our best to ensure any Plants and Animals sold by us are well cared for and healthy before they reach you. We unfortunately can not guarantee that you will have success in growing or keeping your Plant(s) or Animal(s) once they are out of our possession as this is beyond our control. Many factors affect how well live plants will do in your aquarium, such as the environment, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filter, and CO2. We suggest having a look at the individual animal or plant's information section on its product page if available, or to do a quick Google search for information on the appropriate care and tank requirements for them to ensure you are providing the right conditions for them to thrive in!

We are also happy to answer any questions about the care of any plant or animal sold by us via email. We also can recommend a selection of plants that will be suited for your setup if you are a beginner or unsure of what to purchase, or we can create a custom package for you that is suited for your setup and budget if you fill out this form!

Our Rights

We reserve the right to amend our Live Arrival Guarantee without prior notice.

We reserve the right to refuse refunds or replacements of any Live Plant(s) or Animal(s) if we deem that any damage, deaths, or issues with their health are determined to not be due to something caused on our part or within our control, or if we have determined that the requirements for our Live Arrival Guarantee Policy to apply have not been met.