Our 30-Day-Worry-Free-Guarantee:
All live fish are covered by our 30-Day-Worry-Free-Guarantee.
Replacing Fish Due to Delayed Delivery:
If delivery of your fish is delayed for any reason other than a closed location* and boxes in your shipment are a total loss, Blue Ridge Koi will replace the items lost at no charge to you for the fish.
*Please see below for our policy regarding delayed deliveries due to a closed location.
Customer Responsibility For Shipping Cost on Delayed Deliveries:
If the shipment was delayed due to an error on UPS’s part, Blue Ridge Koi will receive credit from UPS for the shipping cost, and you will receive credit or a refund of your shipping cost.
Common examples of UPS errors include mis-sorting of a package or flight delay due to mechanical issues.
If the shipment was delayed due to “force majeure” (aka an act of god), Blue Ridge Koi does not receive credit from UPS for the shipping cost, and you will not receive credit or a refund of your shipping cost.
Common examples of “force majeure” include transit delays due to thunderstorms, snow or other inclement weather or environmental factors.
Packaging Costs For Delayed Boxes:
Your cost for the shipping box, ice pack and insulated liner (if applicable) will always be refunded in the event of a delayed shipment.
Delayed Delivery Due To A Closed Location:
Blue Ridge Koi does not have any influence on the time that UPS will attempt to deliver your fish shipment. It is your responsibility to be available to receive your fish shipment on the first delivery attempt.
All live fish shipments are sent with UPS “shipper release,” which instructs UPS that it is ok to leave the shipment at a location if no one is there to receive it. However, UPS instructs their drivers that if the location is a “high risk” area where they deem it a significant risk that the packages may be stolen, they are not to leave the packages.
If UPS does not deliver your shipment on the first attempt due to your location being closed:
Please contact Blue Ridge Koi as soon as possible to notify us. We will contact UPS to attempt to have them reattempt delivery on the same day.
If UPS will not reattempt delivery on the same day and the delivery is delayed until the next day:
On the first occurrence, Blue Ridge Koi will replace your fish free of charge. However, you are responsible for shipping and packaging charges on the replacement shipment.
On the second and all subsequent occurrences, you are responsible for all fish, packaging and shipping charges and Blue Ridge Koi will not refund, credit or replace your fish.
Refused Shipment Policy:
If a shipment of live fish is delayed en route to your destination, Blue Ridge Koi asks that you do not refuse the delivery.
In the event of a refusal, UPS returns the boxes to us, and we are charged shipping for the return trip.
If a delivery is refused and returned to Blue Ridge Koi, we will charge your account a Refused Shipment Fee of $48 per box.
Instead of refusing the delivery, we ask that you accept delivery and dispose of the delayed boxes (assuming that the fish are DOA).
Payment Terms:
Payment due on ship date or with 10 to 30 day terms by check, COD or electronic payment for qualified customers with approved credit application. We accept ACH and all major credit cards including Amex and Discover. After credit is established, only one invoice open; all previous invoices must be paid before the next shipment. There will be a $20.00 Charge for all returned checks.
Fish Health:
As with all livestock, Koi and Goldfish are susceptible to outbreaks of disease. Blue Ridge Koi uses the following precautions and procedures to ensure that you receive a healthy, disease-free product.
- Environmental stress is reduced as much as possible during processing and packaging.
- Water quality parameters in holding facilities are continually monitored and adjusted. These parameters include dissolved oxygen levels, ammonia, nitrite, pH, temperature and salinity.
- Samples of imported fish are quarantined for a minimum of 14 days at temperatures at which koi and goldfish are most susceptible to disease (70-75 degrees F.)
- Samples are taken from imported fish and examined microscopically for external parasites and medicated accordingly.
- Quarantined fish are periodically examined for signs of disease caused by bacteria and viruses and medicated accordingly.
- When contagiously diseased fish are discovered during quarantine, sales of all potentially exposed fish are suspended and customers that may be affected are notified.
- To ensure the safe and timely arrival of the fish, we notify customers on the day of shipment with time of arrival, flight number, and airway bill or tracking number.
We guarantee live delivery and satisfaction of our live fish products. However, the responsibility for maintaining the health of the fish must be shared by the customer. We request that you follow the recommendations listed below:
- Learn what is required to successfully maintain healthy fish. There are numerous publications dealing with water quality, disease treatment, etc. Our website, blueridgekoi.com, also contains this information
- Quarantine new arrivals for 3 weeks at a minimum temperature of 75 degrees F. Some fish diseases are not apparent at cooler temperatures. We cannot accept responsibility for conditions created by mixing new fish with old fish.
- Request that your customers quarantine for 14 days prior to introduction into their ponds or tanks. Blue Ridge cannot be held responsible for conditions in your customer’s ponds or tanks.
- Please contact our office immediately if you have problems with the fish. Although our guarantee covers losses, we would like to have the opportunity to help with health issues before they advance.
SHIPPING:
We ship for arrival to your door Tuesday through Saturday via UPS Next Day Air OR via Southwest Air Freight for Thursday arrival to a cargo office near you.
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm EST. Abbreviated hours during fall and winter months.