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Our Ordering
Guidelines
By placing your order, you have completely
read, agreed to, and understand all the terms of our ordering guidelines
and warranty notice. Agreeing to these terms voids any right
to a chargeback. If you cannot agree to our terms set
forth, we suggest you buy from another company. Sorry for
sounding so unfriendly up front but we are tired of getting
burned by people that don't know how to read!
PRIVACY NOTICE - YOUR
PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT TO US! All personal information
obtained is held in strict confidence in our company only! Your profile, credit info,
email address, or anything for that matter, will not be sold or released for
any reason to anyone. Our company has worked too hard to
build our customer database and would never do that, so please
rest assured that if we were ever approached to sell our database
list we would simply hang up! We will NEVER send you email solicitations,
or share your email address with anyone, and the only reason why
we would want your email address is so we can send you a tracking
number and ETA of an order you placed with us. You are now
part of our private family and hold you in the highest regard.
1. Decide on the way you
want to order. You can place it by Email, Fax, Phone, or
our secure Shopping Cart. Please do not leave orders on
our voicemail system.
2. Live Good Order Minimums-Plant
or Live Good Orders must total no less than $35.00.
3. Box/Handling Fees - A
very common fee in this industry. All live good orders are
subject to a $5 box fee. Dry good orders and
orders over $100 are not subject to
this charge. A lot of work goes into packing an order, this
small fee helps us cover just a fraction of the costs of labor
and materials incurred in putting your order together. Again, if
you place an order for more than $100 and we will waive this
fee.
4. Dry Good Orders Do Not have
minimums - items like fertilizer, aquarium supplies, books,
etc. are free of box fees and minimums. This means, if you want
to order.....for example: 1 little pack of
fertilizer... no problem, we'll mail it to you without any box
fee or minimum.
5. You must order more
than one item priced under a buck. Our prices are
ridiculously low, please make it worth everyone's while. Some
items may have larger minimum's where noted.
6. Substitutions -
sometimes if needed we make subs, only sometimes, and only with
'like' items. If we are ou If you don't want any subs,
please tell us.....but we rarely make subs, this is why our
business is unique..."We cater to your needs"
7. Deadlines
for placing live good orders are Monday Night at 7 PM Arizona
Time, for orders to be shipped out the same week....usually
every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Shrimp and Fish
ONLY orders will go out Tuesday or Wednesday!
Plant ONLY orders plus Plant
orders that contain Shrimp/Fish will ship on Thursday!
We have this Monday night
deadline because at around 9pm every Monday, we begin the
collection process for all of the plants/fish/shrimp sold for
the week. We must pull, divide, count, and sort hundreds
of plants every week, let's not forget accounting, paperwork,
box building, and final packaging MUST be completed by our
shipping deadline. The end result is you, the happy customer
getting your order the same week you place it.
If you place your order
after about 9pm on Monday it will have to ship the following
week, we need to have a stopping point. We are happy to
take your order anytime or any day we are here, but if you get
it to us after our deadline and it will need to ship the
following week.
8a. Shipping Services:
Our competitive shipping rates are
based on the actual weight of your package, not the dollar
amount of your order or some arbitrary schedule. We only charge
the rates published by FedEx and nothing more. The
charges are based on the carrier, the service (Ground, Priority
Overnight, etc...) the box size, and the distance to your
address.
This is why we charge you separately for your "shipping
costs" from your actual "product" invoice because we do not
guess at what your shipping is going to cost, we base it on the
actual weight and box size. We can't explain this any
better than this. (There are some customers that just
cannot understand this statement and are shocked by shipping
costs or separate charges.) WE SHIP FEDEX because they are
the absolute guaranteed, fastest method to get your order the
next day.
We ship heavier products (gravel,
etc.) via FEDEX GROUND and you can track where your
package is. Rates vary so you'll need to go to
www.fedex.com
website to calculate rates (our zip code is 85742) When we
ship out your package, we will automatically send an email to
you with your tracking number and ETA. You must generally
be home to sign for your package, or you can request a "Waiver
of Signature" so FedEx will leave your package at the door.
You can also have your package "Held at the FedEx Station" for
you to pick up. Email or call us if you want either one of
these options.
8b. FedEx Rate Examples:
READ THIS BEFORE YOU ORDER FROM US! The closer you live
to Arizona, the cheaer the rate, the farther you live from
Arizona, the more expensive the rat.
FedEx "2-day" deliveries
start
at about $20.00
FedEx "3-day" deliveries start
at 19.00
FedEx "Priority Next Day" morning
deliveries
start at about $30,
Fedex "Standard Next Day"
afternoon deliveries start at about $25.
Rates vary from day to day
depending on current oil prices and depending on the ACTUAL
WEIGHT and SIZE of your box.
Rates with FedEx are not cheap,
we agree, but the harsh reality is shipping can be pricey!
In times like these where gas is so expensive for our cars, we
not only feel the pain at the pump but also with our shipping
charges. With the ever rising costs of fuel (not just cars
but also jet fuel as well) people all over the world will need
to accept the fact that shipping anything is getting more and
more expensive. How many times a year does the US Post
Office raise their rates now? Years ago the post office
raised the rates of a stamp every 5 yrs or more, now it's like
every 5 months. Once in a while we will get an email from
a customer complaining that his/her order's shipping costs were
outrageous. First, we will refer them to this spot on our
site, then we will explain 2 things:
We cannot stress to our
customers enough that there is NO relation to what OUR
company's products cost you, and what FedEx charges for
their services.
Secondly: Perhaps if we had
sent your package a slower method, we wouldn't be explaining the
high cost of shipping right now, but rather the fact that our
customer would be insisting that we replace his rotten/doa order
at OUR cost because slower shipping killed everything in the
box. If you want your order to show up in the best
possible condition we always suggest that your package be sent
Next Day delivery only.
We chose to use FedEx because we
know how they treat your packages, we know that FedEx will
guarantee your package, we also know that time is very valuable
to you, and you probably have better things to do than sit
around waiting for a package that isn't going to arrive had we
used another carrier. LET US CHOOSE
your shipping. We have been in this business a long time, we
want to get it to you for the cheapest rate but also for the
most practical, so your goodies come in perfectly! We have an
option on our shopping cart for "AAG CHOOSE SHIP".
Choose this one if ever in doubt, we will send your shipment via
We guarantee everything we sell, because of this option, we know
you will get everything you wanted in excellent condition, and
for the best rate possible. We can also have FEDEX bill your
FEDEX account number if you have one, or call 1-800-go-fedex to
obtain one, or click here to sign up now. Save
10% on Express Shipping We will ONLY guarantee your live
goods order, and your satisfaction when your order is shipped
FedEx next day.
We have had some customers tell
us they are used to paying $15 for other fish orders sent
overnight through FedEx. This is hard to believe! If
you want to get an idea of what shipping charges might be like,
let's do a apples to apples rate example of a typical box and
check the costs with all the major shippers below.
A 5lb 12x12x12 box shipped
from AZ 85742 to NY 10036 standard overnight
delivery (rate example performed on Aug 22, 2008)
www.fedex.com 88.10
www.dhl.com 93.09
www.ups.com 100.27
If you're lucky enough to live in
AZ or in CA, common shipping rates are about $20 if we use
www.ontrac.com. An
amazing price for a typical order.
8c. Shipping
tips:
1. DO NOT request to have your fish, shrimp, or
snails
sent GROUND or 2-DAY. We must ship them NEXT DAY service
only. Some snail orders can probably go 2-day with minimal
casualties.
Please refer to 12b. for our guarantees.
Plants that you choose to ship Ground will not be guaranteed.
2. This is just an example: don't order $15 dollars in shrimp....
your shipping is going to cost you more than the order is worth.
Plan your order carefully, perhaps go in on an order with some
friends and split the costs. Figure if it costs $20 dollars to
ship an envelope Overnight via FedEx , then a box that weighs a
few pounds will certainly be more than $20. Please do not
direct your anger at our company because the cost of shipping is
so expensive. This is a hobby for pure entertainment and
enjoyment, this is not a necessity!
3. PLAN YOUR
ORDER OUT CAREFULLY! We generally do NOT ship out
heavy bags of substrate or heavier items such as wood with plant
orders for two main reasons. #1 They could crush your
plants and #2 we ship plants out overnight. Sending heavy
items via overnight would not be cost prohibitive!.
So, if you require substrate BEFORE you get your plants, then
please tell us your situation either through email or add a memo
to the "comments" sections of your cart order. We will be
better able to orchestrate your shipment so everything arrives
to you in the order you need them.
8d. EXPORT INFO -
Shipment's to Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, UK,
and Puerto Rico, etc., are shipped FEDEX INTERNATIONAL, DHL or
US Postal Service depending on the rate, we will ship it with
the least expensive carrier. We only ship non-perishable
items out of the US.
Sorry but we do NOT ship LIVE ANIMAL SHIPMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE US.
9. Tracking numbers
- When your shipment goes out, and if we have your valid email address,
you WILL get an email from us indicating the tracking number and
the ETA (estimated Time of Arrival). Those emails are sent
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights around 5pm
Arizona MST. If
you don't get an email, your order probably did not ship, or with all of
the spam blockers blocking junk email, you may want to make sure
that OUR emails aren't getting deleted or are going into a spam
folder.
10. Payment of Order =
Two Separate Billing Charges: We accept
Debit Cards, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover
Cards! Please know that we bill our product
charges separately from the shipping charges, so you will typically show 2 charges
on your credit card statement from us. 1 for product, 1
for shipping. We charge the full product amount on Monday
nights, and the shipping amount on the same day your order is
shipped. If there is an item(s) we were out of stock on
when we pack your order, we will either refund your card, or
give you a back order. Please refer to 13a for more info
on back orders. WE ALSO ACCEPT PAYPAL, however, you
will need to call, email, or fax request your total amount due
before submitting payment to our paypal email address p a y p
a l @a z g a r d e n s . c o m
11. C.O.D.'s &
Prepay's - We do NOT ship out COD orders. Doesn't
everyone have at least 1 credit card or a checking debit card.
No credit card? Do you need to prepay for an order?
The only way this can be done is if you call us at 520-742-3777
to make arrangements. We will accept cashier's checks, and
money orders only. No personal checks please. But,
prepay orders must be phoned in! Thanks.
12a.
Cancellations/Returns
- We understand that sometimes unexpected events happen in life
that may require you to re-schedule your order. We
understand this, and we will try to work with you. Canceling your
live order
'after' our order deadline, will result
in a $20 or 20% restocking fee, whichever is
greater, this is because putting together an order (large or small)
is very time consuming and we put a lot of love into our
orders, so, please make all changes to your orders before "7pm
on Monday" to avoid these charges. We had a customer
cancel on a Thursday due to a appendix surgery and his wife called
to reschedule the shipment, obviously we didn't charge them a
fee....just be good to us we'll take excellent care of you.
"Refused" orders, or "Return to Sender" orders
will result in rejection of all future business, no exceptions!
It costs more money to ship plants BACK to us, then if you were to
just keep them and let us work out a resolution for the problem. If
you have a dry goods return you must call/email us to get a return
authorization number. There are no restocking fees for dry
good returns, however the product must be returned in new,
unused, or unopened condition. We will credit your
in-house account after we get your product, less all shipping
costs involved.
12b. DOA's: In the
event that you have a DOA (dead on arrival) fish, shrimp, snail
or plant, please email or phone us a list of the deceased items
within 24 hours of receiving your shipment and we will give you an in-house credit for your losses that can
be used toward a future purchase with our company. No cash
refunds will be given on live good losses. We
ONLY guarantee your live goods order and your satisfaction when
your order is shipped FedEx next day, either priority or
afternoon, or if you request that AAG chooses your ship method. Please also refer to 8c.
We offer a "live arrival guarantee" only. It is YOUR #1
responsibility to
properly acclimate your new aquatic life,
and make sure
your tank has all of the appropriate water parameters and
environmental requirements the particular species needs to
thrive. DOA's
that occur after your animals are installed in your water are
your responsibility.
Lastly, we are not responsible for
losses that occur due to incompatibility of your fish or shrimp.
12c. Chargebacks or Fraud
Orders:
This is absolutely not tolerated. If you have an issue with
an order we will certainly fix it, we guarantee everything we sell
so just call us, and interact with us, don't react to a problem
that is so easily fixable. If you email us and haven't
gotten a reply, try sending your email with a receipt so that you
are sure we are getting it. There is no need for you to go
to your credit card company and refuse to pay your bill.
This ends up costing us, the "merchant" and you the "consumer"
more money in the long run. Chargeback customers will be
blacklisted from our company for life. Overseas orders from
Nigeria, Africa and others are usually fraud anyway and will not
be processed. We're not stupid, just keep your fraud out
of the USA, and don't waste our time.
13a. Back-Orders - When you
get your order from us, look at the bottom of your invoice.
It may indicate: "You have a back order" (B/O),
or Your
order was shipped in more than 1 box, other box(es) may follow. A B/O is done when items are not available
when your order was packed. Please accept our apology, this
is non-intentional, trust us. This is just the nature of
the nursery industry. (Read 13b) Those items
will be shipped to you when they become available, but usually
within a week or 2. Box fees
are always waived on B/O's. B/O's are orders
that are typically $20 or more in merchandise and should be available within
a couple weeks or your B/O
will be cancelled and your credit card refunded. You may add items to your B/O.
You may also request your B/O items to stay on our system past 2
weeks.
If you wish to cancel a B/O please call us. 520-742-3777 or
email us.
13b. Multiple
Shipments - When it comes to
shipping livestock, we cannot guarantee that we'll ship everything
in 1 box. In fact, had we waited to ship your whole order in one
box, perhaps some items from the first week would now not be
available, you may incur multiple shipping charges. Your
order may also need to be in several boxes. We are in the
shipping business and we'll try to get everything in 1 box when
possible. Had we been in a business that
"manufactured" plastic plants and fish and we didn't ship it all
in 1 shipment, you'd have every right to be mad at us for not
shipping it all in 1 box, but we sometimes have to wait for things
to be ready to ship, resulting in multiple shipments. It is
important for our customers to understand and accept the reality
of this.
14. Waiting Lists -
Is there an item on our list that is constantly saying unavailable?
Call us or email us and get yourself put on a waiting list.
We do it all the time! Hey, if we only have 5 or 10 of something
available, we're not putting it on the net to get 100 orders for
it! So, try this next time you see a "NO" next to that
item you've been waiting for. Also let us know your special
requests. We are an importer as well, we bring in many plants
from overseas, so ask us to fill your special requests!
15. .....click, click, click,
submit, Read before you click. This
website is very straight forward. There are no hidden
messages, there is no FINE print, so there should be no question
about our policies as it is written in a easy to read, precise
and accurate form. If you cannot accept
our terms above, or our very clear way of explaining them, we
suggest you buy your products from another company, and do not
click the "submit your order" button.
Our
Commitment To Excellence!
Arizona Aquatic Gardens is a
family-owned and operated business that offers hundreds of
varieties of plants for Aquariums, Paludariums, Ponds, Terrariums,
Aquascapes, and Environmental Habitats. We are an importer,
grower, and wholesale distributor. Our company is built on
honest work ethics, old fashioned values and integrity. We offer
personalized customer service to help you with your order, as
well as after you receive your order. We are NOT the new kids
on the block. We have proudly been in business for over 16
years. Our company has been imitated by many, but here, you can
always trust the quality of our plants, merchandise and our
expertise in educated aquatic gardening. Rest assured we will
do everything we can to make each customer happy, and we will
treat you like you're part of our own family. With the competitive market this
industry has brought in the last couple of years, rest assured
that you are dealing with a reputable company that will still
be here after all of the other web-based "here-todays"
are gone tomorrow. We know you’ll agree, we offer
the best quality plants at the lowest prices in the industry as
we invite you to join our long list of satisfied customers.
SORRY, No Catalogs! Our website has the most
up-to-date info posted weekly, or we can fax you a 8 page price list!
No Walk-In Retail Business. Arizona Aquatic Gardens does
not have an open-to-the public store. Our facility is
strictly "mail order only". We operate out of 2 nurseries,
1 hatchery, and
1 shipping facility.
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