Fish Shipping / DOA Policy

Occasionally, despite the best efforts and care, fish get shipped and sometimes don't make it.

We provide our DOA policy as follows:

To make a DOA claim in the event of DEAD ON ARRIVAL ("DOA") fish we require two clear photos sent to doa@baybridgaquarium.com of the dead fish: in the closed, sealed bag and also outside the bag, within 2 hours of the carrier delivery timestamp.  On approval, we will provide a store-credit to use for a for a future fish order.
Our responsibility ends once the bag is opened and is in customers' hands and/or in their tanks, as what happens to the fish is then completely out of our control. Our DOA policy applies to fish in the bag only.  We do not provide insurance or guarantee fish will survive once in a customer's aquarium. 

We may request dead fish to be returned to us at our discretion and cost, prior to issuing any credits.

Fish may appear to be dead or cold on arrival or appear lethargic, but once acclimated, come "back" to life. Give them a chance!
The pH of the water may change once the bag is opened, due to release of CO2 built up during transit, and this may harm some fish in some circumstances if not acclimated and handled carefully.  Different acclimation methods may result in different outcomes.

We can offer help with lots of advice and suggestions, and diagnostics when things go wrong, but appreciate your understanding that we cannot take financial responsibility for situations outside our control.  Weak, fragile, or sensitive fish species could easily be killed by a customer.

We do not provide DOA coverage for issues caused by the carrier, carrier delays, address/access problems, or weather delays. 

We will provide a store-credit to be used strictly for another future fish order (not dry goods), valid for one year of issue. DOA fish, shipping costs, and credits are not refundable.  Additional shipping charges must be paid for any new or replacement order.  We will ship out a replacement-only order without the need to purchase additional fish, but shipping charges must be paid.

For orders sent with promotional discounted or free shipping, replacement fish can only be sent again without a new additional purchase by paying for the full carrier shipping charges.  Otherwise, a new additional purchase can be made meeting any promotional minimums, if applicable and available at the time of the new order.  Future fish prices are subject to change, and DOA credits only apply to the original purchase value.

FedEx Priority Overnight will provide the highest chance of your fish arriving on time and is the most reliable shipping service offered, and is what we suggest.  GLS as an alternate carrier is a more affordable option, and is usually overnight throughout most of California, Reno, and Las Vegas (about 94%), but is not quite as reliable in our experience as FedEx.  Please keep this in mind when ordering.  Shipping fish is always a risk, and livestock can and do occasionally die in transit, and and we cannot accept loss due to factors beyond our control.  Both parties assume some risk when shipping fish: we will pay for replacement fish, and the customer will 

We apply the absolute best practices possible and standards of care and pack using 100% oxygen, methylene blue, double/triple bagging, hand knot sealing, and using hot or cold packs with insulation.  

We ship fish on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays only; should the carrier not deliver a Friday-intended shipment on time, they generally won't try again until Monday.  They would be unlikely to survive over the weekend, so we don't ship this way.  While two-day transit is still too long, there is a much higher chance of them surviving than four-day.  

 

This is the same DOA policy as most online fish stores, and is necessary for us to survive without otherwise going out of business. We appreciate your understanding.

Some additional exclusions may apply to certain fish that are difficult to ship and exempt from any DOA coverage.

Purchasing fish from us indicates your understanding, agreement and concurrence with this DOA policy.

Please ask us for details if you have any questions. 

Thank you!