Will I get a refund for my fish if it is DOA (aka Dead-on Arrival)?
DOA will be handled on a case by case basis. There are many reasons why a fish could arrive dead and both parties need to see exactly what happened. First, there needs to be a clear video of the customer opening the box for the first time, this ensures both parties can see the fish when they first open the package if they are dead or alive. In any case, if there is no video from the beginning, do not remove the dead fish and throw it in the trash etc., this will automatically void any of our guarantees. When you open the bag and then it dies an hour or two later, let us know there is a problem with the fish and we will work with you on a case by case basis. Remember, during the checkout process, the customer agreed to the terms and agreement, you did read what you are reading now, and you did read the entire terms and agreement. Please contact us first with photos and videos so we can resolve this. If the customer does not comply with our terms and agreement, there will be no refunds. DOA means the fish was dead on arrival. DOA is not the fish dying after being in the customer's aquarium for minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years. This is something we do not cover. If the courier is late in shipping, the DOA will be included and considered on time. Only the cost of the fish will be refunded, no shipping, special bag (if needed) or handling fees. The customer has 1 hour to contact us via our Facebook business page or email (Fishworld919@gmail.com) from UPS or FedEx when it shows the package has been delivered, or Southwest freight shows the package is ready for pick up on their website, which means the package is in their facility, ready for the customer to deliver. For FedEx, do not leave the package outside under any circumstances due to theft and weather conditions. Theft is not covered by our company; you need to contact your local police department. If FedEx delivers your shipment to someone else's home or business, we will consider the order as delivered on time, and if your package is successfully recovered on the same day or the next day, we can still guarantee DOA, after the third day nothing. UPS and FedEx do not guarantee live arrival for any live animals, if they even offer a live arrival guarantee, the businesses they order from will provide the live arrival to the customer. Customers who choose to leave their package with Southwest after the 1 hour deadline, there is no DOA guarantee for (those) fish, and no exceptions. If the customer takes more than an hour to arrive at Southwest, they must arrange time to leave their residence or wherever to arrive at the airport on time. The customer has an air waybill (tracking number) which shows when the plane will arrive. The customer has selected a delivery date and the customer needs to be ready to pick up the package immediately. Having to work late, not having a car to drive to Southwest at the time, not having a babysitter etc. is not an excuse and DOA will not be honored. The customer needs to open the package at Southwest to confirm that the fish is alive or dead and within the DOA guaranteed hours. We take great care and pride in how we care for and package our fish for shipment all over the country and we want our customers to take the same care and pride when picking up their fish and get the fish to their new home as soon as possible and not just when it is convenient for them to pick it up. If the customer chooses to have the fish left at a FedEx center for the customer to pick up, the customer must receive the package by 12 noon or there is no DOA guarantee and we will confirm the customer's pickup time with UPS or FedEx. If this is a problem for any customer, please do not place an order with us.
What if I'm not home when UPS or FedEx delivers?
UPS or FedEx will usually try 3 times to deliver your package, and most of the time they will leave a note on your door stating that they will deliver, but this may not happen. You must be present for the first attempt. We do not know how long the driver will deliver the package until they make a second or third attempt. If you are unable to make the second or third delivery attempt, you must call FedEx at the end of your shift and pick up the package. Usually, they will unload the package at the end of the day. You must do this as soon as possible or they will ship the package back to us. If this happens, you will not receive a refund; it is 100% the customer's responsibility. The DOA rate is very high when the fish is returned to us. Even if the fish arrives alive, there will be no refund. UPS or FedEx has the right to charge us a fee for handling rejected items. Also, if you decide to ship your fish with UPS or FedEx, we do not guarantee 2-day delivery, only same-day or 1-day delivery, even if they deliver by 10am the next day. If we agree to ship your fish on a certain day, e.g. Monday shipment, Tuesday arrival, and UPS or FedEx is unable to deliver your package for any reason, you must be available the next day (e.g. Wednesday). We have no control over UPS or FedEx deliveries, such as delays, rerouting, etc. If you are not available on the day of arrival, the fish is not guaranteed to be DOA.
What if I cannot pick up the fish at the airport at the scheduled time?
You must pick up the fish at the airport at the time the plane is scheduled to arrive; if you are late you will void any guarantee on the shipment. We do not shoot for one departure time. If one is not available we will use the next available.
No Fish Pickup at the Airport
If we ship a customer's fish to their chosen airport, agree on a shipping day, pay for the order, etc., and the customer does not pick up their fish, the fish are either destroyed if still alive, given to another local fish person if possible, or shipped back to Fish World Inc. only if they are still alive. When the fish are shipped back to us, we now have to pay the shipping that the customer would have paid first before we can release the shipment. Then, once the fish are back to us, we have to pay the shipping costs. Under no circumstances will the order be refunded to the customer, even if all the fish are still alive. If the customer files a claim with PayPl, their credit card company, etc., we have the shipment round trip, the costs, and any other evidence needed for the claim. No money will be refunded to the customer due to the two shipping costs, the stress on the fish, our time, travel, etc. Just because the fish is back in our possession does not mean the fish will survive in the next few days. It is entirely the customer's responsibility to pick up the fish upon arrival as agreed upon prior to checkout.
Should I quarantine my new fish?
Every hobbyist needs to understand that even if a fish has been quarantined for 2-3 weeks, sometimes longer, it is eating, has no obvious signs of illness, is very active, etc.
If a fish is stressed, it can easily develop visible signs and invisible signs within a few hours, such as during shipping. This does not mean that we shipped out 1 sick fish; this is something that is completely out of our control. You must always quarantine fish no matter who you buy your fish from, no matter how good that person's tanker is, how clean and clear the water looks, how good the fish look, etc. We cannot guarantee that every fish we ship out is parasite free, etc. In any aquarium, fish are susceptible to disease at any time in their life. Most diseases are invisible to the naked eye or in vitro, but we do our best to ensure that every fish is as healthy as possible. You do not want to risk spreading any disease when first introducing new fish to an established aquarium, always quarantine fish.
A fish died in my aquarium, what do I do?
If a fish dies in your aquarium, it is out of our control whether the fish has been in your aquarium for 5 minutes or 5 days. Once the 1 hour pickup period after the plane arrives on time or when FedEx delivers the fish, there is no more guarantee. Arriving at the airport to pick up the fish after several hours voids the DOA guarantee. Leaving the fish out for several hours also voids the DOA guarantee. Fish are living animals and can die at any time, from one water to another, temperature fluctuations, shipping and handling, age of the fish, over stress, PH issues, acclimation, etc. Fish dying in your aquarium is not a DAA (Death on Arrival) means, no refund will be given, no exceptions. DOA ends the moment the fish is verified to be alive, just because there are 55 minutes left on the DOA arrival guarantee well does not mean that when you add the fish to the aquarium, it will eventually die minutes or hours later and we will replace it. DOA ends as soon as the confirmed live fish is removed from the bag. This also includes adding aquarium water to the bag to acclimate the fish, or moving the fish to a quarantine aquarium or any type of temporary container to acclimate the fish. What happens in the client's aquarium is none of our business, the well-being of that fish is now in the hands of the client.
How do you acclimate the fish?
The acclimatization of fish that are transported using pure oxygen is generally different than the fish you buy from your local fish store. When the bag is sealed with oxygen for 12-72 hours or more, the oxygen cannot escape, thus lowering the PH. In a way, ammonia is not toxic at low PH. However, once the bag is opened, the oxygen escapes, the PH rises, and ammonia quickly rises to toxic conditions, usually in just a few minutes. We acclimate the fish for up to 2 hours. We use clear tote bags and place them in front of the tank where we place the fish. We then add some transport water to the tote, with enough water to cover the bottom but not completely cover the fish, and then use the oxygen tube to drip water to acclimate the fish for 1-2 hours. We use a slow drip so as not to shock the fish with a rapid change in water parameters. During the acclimatization process, we monitor the fish to make sure they are behaving normally, not upside down, etc. After acclimation is complete we place the fish in the aquarium. Now we check for any condition issues like cloudy eyes, body issues, fin issues, any visible signs of infection, etc. The tank is then treated as needed. This is how we acclimate fish, but everyone uses their own methods. The survival of the fish is not guaranteed during the acclimation process, and each fish reacts differently to it. If the fish dies during or after this process, there will be no refunds.
Cancellation/Rerouting UPS or FedEx or Southwest Freight Shipping
If a customer calls UPS or FedEx or Southwest Freight or any other shipping service to cancel or reroute a shipment back to Fish World Inc, due to them not being able to pick up the shipment or being home at the time of delivery, or any other excuse, if the fish is returned, cannot be returned to our store, died in transit, got stuck in UPS FedEx, got stuck in Southwest Freight, got stuck in Delta Air Cargo, I was unable to pick up the shipment, especially out of state, for any reason, the customer will not be refunded. This situation was taken over by the customer who caused this problem, and therefore the death of the fish is the customer's responsibility. There are no refunds for fish that are rerouted back to our facility, as we have to pay for the shipping back to us, any fees, inconvenience, travel time, travel miles, etc.
What if I discover a problem with the fish a day or so after it has been in the tank?
We do not guarantee the welfare of the fish once it is in the customer's tank. There are too many variables that could cause a problem with the fish. Our guarantee ends after the DOA guarantee passes, which is 1 hour after delivery via FedEx or Southwest Freight. The DOA ends the moment the fish is verified as alive, just because there are 55 minutes left on the DOA arrival guarantee does not mean that when you add the fish to the aquarium it will eventually die minutes or hours later and we will replace it. The DOA ends as soon as the confirmed live fish is removed from the bag. This also includes adding aquarium water to the bag to acclimate the fish, or moving the fish to a quarantine aquarium or any type of temporary container to acclimate the fish. What happens in the customer's aquarium is none of our business, the welfare of that fish is now in the hands of the customer.
Ship Date Selected by the Customer
Customers who select a ship date will not be informed that their shipment is being shipped prior to shipment. If a ship date is not selected, we will contact you to schedule a shipping date. Shipments are shipped in the order they are received. If there is a problem with your shipment, such as we cannot get to your shipment or the fish is sick, UPS or FedEx or Southwest issues, bad weather, cold weather, etc., then we will contact you. Otherwise, expect to ship the next day of your choice. Fish are delivered to UPS or FedEx and Southwest Freight between 6pm and 9pm EST. Your tracking number/airway bill will be updated once the shipment is processed. We do not ship fish via UPS or FedEx on Thursdays or Fridays. This is due to the possibility of delays. If the fish is not delivered on Friday, it may not arrive until the following Monday. We do not provide a DOA guarantee if the customer decides to take the risk. If the customer chooses a UPS or FedEx DOA guarantee, we will edit the order to reflect the no DOA guarantee. The same goes for Southwest.
UPS or FedEx Operational Delays
Sometimes there are delays with UPS or FedEx. Usually, they show up as operational delays, usually for incorrect addresses and other reasons. Unless the customer provided an incorrect address, the address on the label is correct. This usually means it will be delivered the next day. You must go to the nearest UPS or FedEx distribution center to pick up the fish. It will show where it came from on the UPS or FedEx tracking page. Otherwise you run the risk of your fish dying after it is shipped another day. Heat packs and oxygen only last so long.