Live Arrival / DOA Policy

RJ AQUA takes the safe transportation and arrival of live aquatic livestock seriously.

This policy explains how Dead on Arrival (“DOA”) and significant transportation-related livestock issues are documented, reviewed, resolved for the customer, and, where appropriate, pursued against a responsible carrier or other third party.

What Qualifies as DOA

For purposes of this policy, DOA generally means livestock that is deceased upon carrier delivery and before introduction into the customer's aquarium.

This policy is intended to address the condition of livestock at delivery and does not constitute a general survival guarantee after successful live arrival.

Reporting a DOA

If livestock arrives deceased, the customer must contact RJ AQUA within 2 hours of the carrier-confirmed delivery time to qualify for RJ AQUA's standard seller-provided DOA review, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

Please contact us before disposing of the livestock or any shipping materials.

Prompt reporting helps us resolve the customer's issue quickly while preserving evidence necessary to determine what occurred during transportation.

Required Unboxing Documentation

For the standard DOA claim process, customers must provide a continuous, unedited unboxing video beginning before the shipping package is opened, unless RJ AQUA expressly waives this requirement.

The video must continue until the condition of the affected livestock is clearly documented and should show:

  • The unopened shipping package
  • The shipping label
  • The exterior condition of the box
  • The opening of the package
  • Internal insulation and packing materials
  • Livestock bags before they are opened
  • The condition of the affected livestock while it remains in the original shipping bag

Clear photographs may also be required showing:

  • Affected livestock
  • Shipping label
  • Exterior packaging
  • Internal packaging
  • Livestock bags
  • Heat or cold packs
  • Any visible damage, leakage, crushing, puncture, or abnormal condition

The affected livestock should remain in the original shipping bag until the required DOA documentation has been completed.

RJ AQUA may waive an individual documentation requirement at our discretion when the circumstances can otherwise be reliably verified.

Preserve All Evidence

For any DOA, carrier delay, package damage, temperature-related issue, missing livestock, or other transportation incident, do not discard or materially alter relevant evidence until RJ AQUA confirms that it is no longer required.

Please retain:

  • Shipping box
  • Shipping label
  • Insulation
  • Fish bags
  • Heat or cold packs
  • Packing materials
  • Damaged contents
  • Affected livestock

A carrier, insurer, shipping account holder, payment processor, or other responsible party may request photographs, measurements, inspection, or additional documentation.

Failure to preserve sufficient evidence may limit RJ AQUA's ability to verify the cause of the loss or pursue reimbursement from another responsible party.

Customer Resolution

RJ AQUA's first priority is to resolve legitimate customer issues promptly and fairly.

Once a DOA or other qualifying issue has been sufficiently documented, RJ AQUA will review the circumstances and determine an appropriate customer resolution.

Depending on the circumstances, resolution may include:

  • Full refund of affected livestock
  • Partial refund
  • Replacement livestock, where available
  • Store credit
  • Shipping charge adjustment where appropriate
  • Another mutually agreed resolution

RJ AQUA may choose to compensate the customer before responsibility for the underlying loss has been fully determined.

Providing compensation to the customer does not constitute an admission of fault or liability by RJ AQUA.

Carrier & Third-Party Claims

Customer compensation and determination of responsibility are separate matters.

Where available evidence indicates that a shipping carrier, insurer, shipping account holder, fulfillment provider, supplier, or another third party may have caused or contributed to the loss, RJ AQUA reserves the right to separately investigate and pursue reimbursement, indemnification, insurance recovery, or another available remedy.

A refund, replacement, credit, or other accommodation provided to the customer does not waive RJ AQUA's right to pursue recovery from another responsible party.

Customers agree to provide reasonable documentation and cooperation when necessary to support such a claim.

Customers should not discard relevant evidence or seek or accept duplicate compensation for the same loss from multiple parties.

Customer-Caused Delivery Issues

Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate delivery address and making reasonable arrangements for prompt receipt of live livestock.

Problems caused by circumstances such as:

  • Incorrect address supplied by the customer
  • Refusal of delivery
  • Unauthorized shipment rerouting
  • Failure to retrieve a held package
  • Prolonged delay in receiving the shipment after delivery is available
  • Other avoidable customer-caused delivery delays

may fall outside RJ AQUA's standard DOA coverage.

RJ AQUA may nevertheless review unusual circumstances individually.

Conditions After Successful Live Delivery

Once livestock has arrived alive, environmental and husbandry conditions are outside RJ AQUA's direct control.

These include, but are not limited to:

  • Acclimation procedures
  • Water quality
  • Water chemistry
  • Temperature
  • Aquarium cycling
  • Oxygen levels
  • Filtration
  • Medications
  • Feeding
  • Tankmates
  • Aggression
  • Disease exposure
  • Other aquarium conditions

RJ AQUA's DOA policy therefore applies primarily to the condition of the livestock upon arrival and is not a general guarantee of survival after successful live delivery.

Local Pickup

The carrier-based DOA provisions above do not apply in the same manner to local pickup orders.

Customers should inspect livestock at pickup before accepting possession. Once the livestock has been inspected and accepted in visibly live condition, the pickup is considered successfully completed.

Any issue observed at pickup should be reported before the livestock leaves RJ AQUA's custody.

Livestock Appearance

Unless a product listing specifically states that the exact individual pictured will be supplied, photographs may be representative of the species or livestock offered.

Live animals naturally vary in:

  • Coloration
  • Pattern
  • Markings
  • Size
  • Body shape
  • Fin appearance
  • Other biological characteristics

Normal biological variation is not considered a DOA, product defect, or fulfillment error.