Refund policy

Returns & Live Arrival Guarantee

At Tropical Fish Co, we pack every live order with care: insulated boxes, oxygen bags, heat packs when needed, and tracked UK delivery through specialist live-animal couriers. Because we sell live animals, returns work differently from ordinary dry goods. This policy explains what is covered, what we need from you, and how refunds or replacements are handled.

This policy does not affect your statutory rights.

Live Arrival Guarantee

Every live fish, shrimp, snail, crab, and live plant is covered by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

If livestock arrives dead, dying, or clearly compromised on the day of delivery, we will offer either:

a refund to your original payment method, or
a replacement on a future shipment.

To make a claim, contact us the same day your order arrives.

WhatsApp is fastest: +44 7464 593131
Email: hello@tropicalfishco.co.uk

Please include your order number and a short continuous unboxing video.

DOA Claims: Video Required

For fish, shrimp, snails, crabs, and other live animals, we require a continuous unboxing video for Live Arrival Guarantee claims.

The video should show:

the parcel still sealed before opening,
the box being opened in one continuous take,
the affected livestock still inside the sealed transport bag,
the condition of the bag, water, and animal clearly visible.

Please do not move affected livestock into your aquarium before contacting us. We may ask for another angle before confirming the claim.

We cannot usually approve Live Arrival Guarantee claims from phone calls, text-only messages, or still photos alone, because they do not show the condition of the parcel at the point of arrival.

Someone Must Be Home

Live animals cannot be left in a safe place, with a neighbour, or sitting unopened for hours. Someone must be available to receive the parcel on the first delivery attempt.

If no one is available, or the parcel is left unopened until later, the Live Arrival Guarantee may not apply because we cannot verify the condition of the livestock on arrival.

If your plans change before dispatch, message us and we will move the order to the next suitable delivery window.

Returning Live Fish

For welfare reasons, we strongly advise against returning live fish once they have been acclimated or released into your aquarium. Catching, re-bagging, and sending them back is extremely stressful and can be fatal.

If you are unhappy with live fish on arrival but they are alive, do not add them to your tank. Contact us the same day while they are still in their original sealed transport bags, and we will advise what can be done.

Once livestock has been introduced to your aquarium, we cannot accept it back as a standard return.

Health Issues After Delivery

If livestock develops health issues within 48 hours of arrival, contact us with:

clear photos or video,
your order number,
your acclimation method,
current water test results,
tank temperature,
symptoms observed.

We cannot guarantee fish after they have entered an aquarium because tank conditions vary, but we will always try to help you work out what has happened.

Live Plants

Live plants are covered if they arrive dead, badly damaged, or heavily melted beyond normal shipping stress.

For plant claims, photos are usually enough. Please contact us the same day your order arrives. Minor melting after transport can happen and often recovers once the plant settles.

Non-Live Items

For equipment, dry goods, food, and other non-live items, you may cancel and return within 14 days of receiving the item.

You then have another 14 days to send the item back.

Returned non-live items must be unused, complete, and in their original packaging where possible. Please contact us before sending anything back so we can give you the correct return details.

If the item is faulty, damaged, or incorrect, we will cover the return cost. If you are returning because you changed your mind, return postage is your responsibility.

Refunds

Approved refunds are processed to the original payment method.

For Live Arrival Guarantee claims, we aim to process approved refunds within 3-5 business days.

For non-live returned items, refunds are processed within 14 days of us receiving the item back, or receiving proof that you have sent it.

If you return a whole non-live order under cancellation rights, we will refund standard outbound delivery where required by law. Enhanced delivery upgrades are not refunded beyond the standard delivery cost.

Cancellations Before Dispatch

If you need to cancel or change an order, contact us as soon as possible.

Live orders can usually be cancelled before they are packed. Once livestock has been packed or handed to the courier, the order cannot normally be cancelled because the animals are already in transit preparation.