Live Arrival Guarantee & DOA Protection Policy

🛡️ Live Arrival Guarantee & DOA Protection Policy

Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC

Last Updated: August 2026

At Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC, we take the safe arrival of your fish seriously.

Eligible live fish shipments are protected by our Live Arrival Guarantee, provided all requirements below are followed.

Please read this policy before your fish are shipped. The requirements are important and must be followed for a DOA claim to qualify.

✅ Live Arrival Guarantee Requirements

To qualify for Live Arrival and DOA coverage, all of the following requirements must be met.

📦 UPS Deliveries

Someone must be available to receive the package when it is delivered.

Fish should be brought inside and inspected immediately.

Leaving a live-fish shipment unattended outside, on a porch, in a mailbox area, or exposed to unsafe temperatures may void Live Arrival coverage.

✈️ Southwest

Customers must monitor their Air Waybill (AWB) and flight information.

You must be prepared to pick up your shipment promptly when it arrives at the destination cargo facility.

Cargo shipments must be picked up within 1 hour of being available for pickup unless a carrier-related delay prevents timely pickup.

Do not wait for the airline to call you before heading to the cargo facility.

🎥 An Unedited Unboxing Video Is Required

A clear, continuous, unedited unboxing video is required for every DOA claim.

Start recording before opening the shipping box.

Your video must clearly show:

📦 The unopened shipping box

🏷️ The shipping label

✂️ The box being opened

🐟 The complete unboxing and unbagging process

🔍 All fish clearly visible in their bags

💀 Any fish believed to be DOA

Do not stop, pause, edit, or cut the video during the unboxing process.

A video recorded after the box or bags have already been opened does not meet the requirements of this policy.

⏳ Claims Must Be Submitted Within 1 Hour

A DOA claim must be submitted within 1 hour of the applicable UPS delivery timestamp or airline cargo arrival/pickup timestamp.

Your claim should include:

Full name

Order number

Unedited unboxing video

Clear photos of the affected fish

Tracking number or AWB number when applicable

Please photograph any deceased fish before disposing of the fish or its bag.

Submit your claim by:

📧 Email: JasonsPlecosCichlids@Outlook.com

📱 Text: 859-305-3281

💬 Facebook Messenger: Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids

Submitting a claim does not automatically mean it has been approved. We will review the information provided to confirm that the requirements of this policy were met.

🚫 Do Not Throw Anything Away

Do not discard:

The deceased fish

Fish bags

Shipping box

Shipping label

Packing materials

until your claim has been reviewed and approved.

We may request additional photographs or information while reviewing the claim.

💰 What Happens If There Is a DOA?

The resolution depends on the shipping method and what happened during transportation.

📦 Standard UPS Delivery — No Carrier Delay

If UPS delivers the shipment on time and a fish is verified DOA:

You will receive 100% of the purchase price of the affected fish.

You may choose:

💳 Refund

🛒 Store credit

Original shipping charges are not reimbursed for a standard on-time UPS DOA claim.

⏱️ UPS Is Delayed and the Fish Arrive Alive

If UPS delays the shipment by one or more business days, but the fish arrive alive:

We will reimburse the UPS shipping charge as a courtesy.

You keep your fish, and the qualifying shipping charge is reimbursed.

All Live Arrival requirements must still be followed.

💀 UPS Is Delayed and the Fish Arrive DOA

If UPS delays the shipment and qualifying fish arrive deceased:

We will reimburse 100% of the qualifying order, including the affected fish and UPS shipping charge.

In addition, you will receive a:

🎁 10% discount on your next order

The Live Arrival requirements, including the required unboxing video and claim deadline, still apply.

🚗 UPS Delivers to the Wrong Address — Fish Arrive Alive

If UPS mistakenly delivers your package to an incorrect address and you must retrieve it yourself, but the fish arrive alive:

We will reimburse the qualifying UPS shipping charge for the inconvenience.

The incorrect delivery must be verifiable through tracking information or other appropriate documentation.

🚗💀 UPS Delivers to the Wrong Address — Fish Arrive DOA

If UPS mistakenly delivers your shipment to the wrong address and the qualifying fish arrive deceased:

We will reimburse 100% of the qualifying order, including the affected fish and UPS shipping charge.

All DOA documentation requirements still apply whenever reasonably possible.

✈️ Southwest & Delta Cargo DOA

If a qualifying fish shipped through Southwest Cargo or Delta Cargo arrives DOA:

Approved reimbursement covers the purchase price of the affected fish only.

You may choose:

💳 Refund

🛒 Store credit

Airline cargo charges, tips, and other carrier or handling charges are not reimbursed unless we specifically state otherwise or applicable law requires otherwise.

Customers must follow the cargo pickup, unboxing video, and one-hour claim requirements.

⚠️ What Is Not Covered?

The Live Arrival Guarantee does not cover losses caused by circumstances occurring after successful delivery or pickup, or by failure to follow the requirements of this policy.

Examples include:

🚫 Nobody available to receive a UPS shipment

⏰ Unreasonable delay retrieving an airline cargo shipment

📹 No qualifying unedited unboxing video

⏳ Claim submitted after the required one-hour deadline

🌡️ Fish left outside or exposed to unsafe temperatures after delivery

💧 Poor water quality

🧪 Incorrect water parameters

🌡️ Incorrect aquarium temperature

🐟 Aggressive or incompatible tankmates

🍽️ Improper care or feeding

🪣 Improper handling after arrival

🚚 Customer-requested rerouting or delivery changes that cause a delay

❌ Refusing a shipment

📍 An incorrect shipping address supplied by the customer

🐠 Death occurring after the fish was documented as arriving alive, except where specifically covered by another written provision of this policy

Normal changes in coloration, stress coloration, minor fin damage, or temporary shipping stress are not considered DOA when the fish arrives alive.

🐟 What If the Fish Arrives Alive but Looks Stressed?

Shipping can be stressful for fish.

A newly arrived fish may temporarily:

Lose color

Breathe rapidly

Sit still

Hide

Clamp its fins

Act differently than expected

These signs do not automatically mean the fish is dying or qualifies as DOA.

If you are concerned about a fish immediately after arrival, contact us as soon as possible and send a video.

Do not immediately add medications or take drastic action without determining what may be happening.

🐠 Fish That Arrive Alive

If a fish arrives alive and there was no qualifying carrier issue covered elsewhere in this policy, the Live Arrival Guarantee has been fulfilled.

After arrival, many factors are outside our control, including:

Aquarium water quality

Acclimation

Temperature

Tankmates

Aggression

Diet

Stress

Customer handling

Existing diseases or parasites in the customer's aquarium

For this reason, we strongly recommend quarantining every new fish.

Please see our Quarantine Your Fish page for additional information.

📦 Carrier Delays & Problems

UPS, Southwest Airlines Cargo, Delta Cargo, and other carriers operate independently from Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC.

Delays, cancellations, misroutes, mechanical issues, weather disruptions, and other transportation problems can occur.

Our Live Arrival Guarantee provides the reimbursement described in this policy when a qualifying carrier problem occurs.

Customers must still make reasonable efforts to receive or retrieve their shipment as soon as possible.

💵 Reimbursement Processing

DOA claims are reviewed after all required documentation has been received.

Approved reimbursements that are processed through our insurance provider may take approximately 3–4 weeks.

During holidays or periods of unusually high claim volume, insurance reimbursements may take 4–6 weeks or longer.

Processing times are estimates and may depend on the insurance provider or payment processor.

📦 How We Protect Your Fish

Every shipment is prepared based on the fish, destination, weather, and shipping method.

Depending on the shipment, we may use insulated boxes, pure oxygen, multiple bags, specialty heavy-duty bags, protective packing materials, and heat or cold packs when appropriate.

For complete information about our shipping and packing procedures, please see our Shipping & Payment Information page.

📄 Related Policies

This policy should be read together with our:

Terms & Conditions

Shipping & Payment Information

Returns, Refunds & Cancellations Policy

Quarantine Your Fish

Privacy Policy

For questions specifically involving a fish arriving deceased or a Live Arrival Guarantee claim, this Live Arrival Guarantee & DOA Protection Policy controls.

Applicable law controls where a legal requirement cannot be waived or modified by this policy.

⚖️ Acceptance of Policy

By purchasing live fish from Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC, you acknowledge that you have had the opportunity to review this Live Arrival Guarantee & DOA Protection Policy before shipment.

Customers are responsible for following the delivery, pickup, documentation, and claim requirements stated above.

If you have questions about the policy, please contact us before your fish are shipped.

📞 Contact Us

Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC

📍 Union, Kentucky

📱 Text Only: 859-305-3281

📧 JasonsPlecosCichlids@Outlook.com

🌐 www.JasonsPlecosCichlids.com

Serving the aquarium hobby since 2017.

© Jason’s Plecos & Cichlids LLC 2017–2026