Shipping Delays and Delay Protection

What is the Likelihood of a Shipping Delay?

Shipping delays are RARE. Less than 5% of the packages we ship annually experience shipping delays. 

What Happens if a Delay Occurs in Transit?

Our team is constantly monitoring the weather in transit and at the destination, and staying tuned to backlogs at UPS. However, shipping delays in transit may still occur along the way that are outside of our control.

We always pack with delays in mind; 30 years of experience makes a difference here. In most cases, as long as the weather in transit isn't particularly hot or cold, and UPS handles the package well, orders delayed a full day arrive with a 100% success rate.

However, in some unfortunate cases, a shipping delay may occur that will result in the loss of your livestock. Especially when ordering under extreme conditions (especially very cold or very hot temperatures), the effect of a shipping delay on your livestock will be greater. Remember, you are ordering live saltwater fish, which are sensitive to water temperatures. No manner of packaging can account for extreme cold or heat affecting your box for an extended period.

Holidays, winter months, and other seasonal events may increase the likelihood of delays occuring despite the precautions that we take to avoid them.

Carriers (including UPS) do not cover the losses of perishables (such as live animals) in the case of a delay. UPS had us sign an agreement that we could not file claims for losses of perishables. To allow our customers the option to have the peace of mind of full coverage in the case of a delay outside of our control, we are offering Delay Protection at the cost of $20.

What Constitutes a Delay?

A shipping delay is any package delivered after 12 PM local time, the day after shipping. All packages delivered after that time are considered delayed.

What Does Delay Protection Cover?

Delay Protection will cover any items lost due to shipping delays, for the full 15 days after the delayed delivery. In addition, delay protection will allow for a full refund of lost items if requested, in lieu of store credit, if your package is delayed in transit. This way, you are not obligated to place a new order with your store credit, because of something that was lost for reasons outside of your control.

You are required to accept the delayed package and inspect/acclimate the contents upon arrival. If anything does not make it, a photo of the deceased item outside of water is required for the claim to be processed. Being unavailable to accept your delayed package upon delivery and report any losses will void your coverage.

Please note, an item lost as a result of a UPS shipping delay where delay protection is purchased, is the only instance where a refund can be issued once an order has been shipped. Delay Protection coverage is non-refundable.

Our guarantee policy does not cover items lost due to shipping delays, so if you do not select the option for delay protection and a delay occurs, unfortunately any items lost as a result of the delay will NOT be covered by the guarantee. Your guarantee will be VOID if a delay occurs and coverage is not purchased, as the delay may potentially affect the survivability of your livestock.

How Can I Purchase Delay Protection?

The option to purchase Delay Protection can be found in the dropdown menu under "Shipping Options" on our Checkout Page.

Please note, if you Autofill or use Apple Pay, you may miss this option.

Is Delay Protection Necessary?

Delay Protection is not necessary most of the time, as they are very rare. We also have a very high success rate with delayed orders during mild weather.

However, just like any coverage/protection policy, purchasing coverage allows for peace of mind in the case something outside of our control occurs.

What If I Did Not Know About This Policy?

There is a mandatory checkbox where you must acknowledge that you understand our policies and that we offer Delay Protection coverage, before you are able to check out.

We know that sometimes people check boxes and acknowledge policies without reading, but this is important information concerning your order, and it is not within our control if you choose to ignore it. If you are ordering in extreme conditions and choose not to opt-in for Delay Protection, you must understand the potential risks of not doing so.

Am I On My Own if I Didn't Opt-In for Delay Protection?

This is a tricky situation, as we understand that it is frustrating to feel completely on your own when the delay was not your fault, and you chose not to opt-in for Delay Protection. We also do not want to lose customers over a situation that is not our fault either, but can be costly and frustrating if a delay occurs.

If a delay occurs and you did not purchase Delay Protection, we will absorb up to 25% of the losses that occur, for up to 24 hours after the delayed delivery in an effort to help with the losses. This means that we will not be making any profit on your order after our costs. 

Please understand that we did everything we could to ensure that you read the policy, and offer coverage for these rare instances. Even if you ignore the checkbox, or knew about the policy and chose not to purchase Delay Protection, we will not leave you on your own.

Why Doesn't Reef Beauties Include Delay Protection for All Orders?

Some customers have remarked that we should include Delay Protection automatically. Doing so would mean a noticeable increase in prices across the board, for an occurrence that rarely occurs.

Less than 5% of the orders we ship annually get delayed in transit. And especially during mild weather, due to our livestock quality and packaging expertise, delays do not always result in DOAs.

Note that we are the ONLY online store offering any sort of coverage for losses that occur due to shipping delays. Other online stores are purposefully vague about their policies on shipping delays, as if they do occur, they will simply blame the carrier and leave you on your own.

As you may have seen, this hobby has only gotten more expensive every year. We don't feel that it is sensible to charge higher prices for something that occurs so rarely and does not always lead to losses of livestock.

Thanks for reading, and we kindly ask that you be mindful of the conditions that you are ordering under!

-The Reef Beauties Team