Returns & Live Arrival Guarantee
Here’s how we handle things when they go wrong — and what we need from you to make it fast and fair for everyone.
Live Arrival Guarantee
Every live order, every season
Video Helps Claims
A short unboxing video helps us act fast
Same-Day Reporting
Contact us the day your fish arrive
Refund or Replace
Your choice, no paperwork
At Tropical Fish Co, we take real care to make sure every fish arrives healthy. We strongly advise againstreturning live fish once they’ve been acclimated — the handling alone can kill a fish that was fine on arrival. This policy sets out how we handle DOA claims, live returns, plants, and non-live equipment, and exactly what we need from you to process a claim quickly.
The Live Arrival Guarantee
Every live fish, shrimp, snail, and plant in every order is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee. If any livestock arrives dead, dying, or in clearly compromised condition on the day of delivery, you’re covered for a replacement on the next shipment or a full refund to your original payment method. Your choice.
The guarantee is unconditional once a claim is approved. We don’t ask for receipts, we don’t haggle, and we don’t try to blame the courier to get out of covering it. If it arrived wrong, it’s on us.
Unboxing video helps us resolve DOA claims
To approve a Dead-on-Arrival claim under the Live Arrival Guarantee quickly, please send a short, continuous unboxing video showing the parcel being opened for the first time and the fish still inside the sealed bag.
What helps less on its own
- •Phone calls describing the condition of the fish
- •Text-only emails or WhatsApp messages
- •Still photos on their own
- •Videos that start after the parcel has been opened
- •Videos of fish that have already been moved into your tank
These can still be useful, but the short unboxing video is the clearest record and lets us resolve the claim without going back and forth.
Why a short unboxing video helps
- 1A clear starting point. A continuous video shows the parcel was still sealed and the fish were checked straight away. That gives us a clear record so genuine DOA claims can be approved quickly.
- 2Root-cause documentation. Kevin personally reviews every DOA video. If a heat pack failed, a bag leaked, the parcel was left in direct sun, or the courier mishandled it, the video shows it — and the packing or routing gets fixed so it doesn’t happen to the next customer.
- 3Courier claim support. Our licensed live-animal courier may ask us for continuous unboxing evidence when we raise a claim. Having it from the start helps us resolve the issue without asking you for extra details later.
- 4Speed and clarity for you. With a clear video, Kevin approves replacements or refunds the same day you send it in — usually within an hour during working hours. Without one we’d be trading messages for days trying to work out what really happened, and neither of us wants that.
How to film the unboxing (takes 60 seconds)
It doesn’t need to be polished. An iPhone or Android video shot vertically with good lighting is perfect. Just follow these five steps:
- 1Start recording before you open anything. Show the outer parcel still completely sealed, with the courier label clearly visible for a second or two.
- 2Cut the tape on camera. Keep filming in one continuous take — don’t stop and restart, and don’t edit.
- 3Show the polystyrene box being opened, then lift out the fish bag (or bags) so they’re clearly visible. You should be able to see the fish inside the sealed bag before anyone touches the bag knot.
- 4Pan the camera over each bag so we can see the water, the fish’s condition, and whether there’s any leak, blood, or cloudy water. A close-up for each affected fish helps.
- 5Stop recording and send the video to Kevin on WhatsApp with your order number. Don’t acclimate or release any of the affected fish until we’ve replied — we may ask for one more angle.
Tip:film vertically with good overhead light, don’t cover the lens with your hand, and don’t worry about the background. Short and honest beats polished and staged.
Replacements & refunds
Once your video is approved:
- Refund— processed within 3–5 business days to your original payment method
- Replacement on your next order — added at no extra shipping cost, dispatched in the next Tuesday or Wednesday window
- Replacement on its own — standalone replacement shipment, £20 shipping applies (same as any other order, covers the courier and packaging)
Returning live fish that are still alive
If you’re unhappy with the fish on arrival but they’re alive and healthy, do not add them to your aquarium — contact us on WhatsApp the same day. We can only accept returns of live fish that are still in their original transport bags and have not been introduced to a tank. Moving a fish back out of a tank is extremely stressful and often fatal, so once they’re in, they’re in.
If you experience health issues within 48 hours of delivery after acclimation, contact us with photos, a tank water test, and the fish’s symptoms. We can’t offer a guarantee in that window because we have no way to verify the tank conditions, but we will always do our best to help you troubleshoot.
Live plants
Live plants are covered by the same Live Arrival Guarantee. If plants arrive damaged, badly melted, or dead on arrival, send photos (a video isn’t required for plants because they do not need the same sealed-bag unboxing check as live fish). Some melt after shipping is normal and recoverable; obvious decay isn’t, and is covered.
Equipment & non-live items
Non-live items can be returned within 14 days of receipt, unused and in their original packaging. You cover return shipping unless the item arrived faulty or incorrect — in which case we cover it. Contact us before returning so we can give you the correct returns address and a reference number.
Refund processing times
Approved refunds are processed within 3–5 business days to your original payment method. Card refunds typically land within 24–48 hours after processing; Klarna and PayPal refunds are handled by those providers on their own timelines.
Contact & opening a claim
For anything returns-related, the fastest route is WhatsApp to Kevin. Attach your video there and we’ll usually come back within an hour during working hours.
- WhatsApp: +44 7464 593131 — preferred for DOA videos
- Email: hello@tropicalfishco.co.uk — attach the video as a file or a WeTransfer link
- Contact page: /contact — best for general questions, not DOA claims