Please Clarify Your Policy (BlueZoo)

MHG · 02/06/2017, 08:21 AM

I have placed orders in the past with BlueZoo and I had great success. I was planning another order but the prices are much closer to what I would pay at my LFS these days so I figured, I would take a look at your policy. The policy mentions weather delays. OK I get it check your local weather. Makes sense. But unless you know what cities Fedex has their hubs in, it would not be of much use to know the weather of the final destination by itself. I would suggest indicating such info on your website so we can do the leg work to see when the best time to ship is...

I do not see a policy on your web site for when Fedex is not on time with the delivery for a non weather related reason. Such as I am home but for whatever reason the package does not show up. The weather is great. The web site says "out for delivery" and it just does not show up for another 8 hours. Or not at all...

Are you relying on filing a claim with fedex? Does your company have a success rate of fedex claims that is worth mentioning? Fedex has a terrible history with not honoring claims as it is...

BlueZooAquatics · 02/08/2017, 01:32 PM

Thank you for the questions.

Weather is really more our concern than the customers. Like you mentioned, unless you can see the route the shipment will likely take through the FedEx system, you cannot make a judgement call as to whether or not weather will affect the shipment. That's what we do. We track temperatures and possibility for inclement weather along the path of every single order that goes out. We then know heat or cold pack usage, if it is a better idea to have the customer pick up the order from FedEx or if it is a good idea to hold off shipping until conditions improve. This is part of the daily ritual when preparing orders for shipping. So rest assured that we always have the best interest of the animals at heart and do everything within our power to ensure a safe journey.

Delays in the FedEx system happen but not very often. They boast a 97% on time delivery rate so late deliveries are relatively rare. Obviously the time of year and the weather conditions play a large part but in general, the service from FedEx is very good. We do pack every single animal with 48 hour transit times in mind just in case of delays so if you have an order arrive 8 hours late, you will have no issues with the animals.

FedEx does honor shipping prices paid on any delayed order not caused by weather. Since the percentage of delays is relatively low, the success rate for receiving shipping dollar credit is very high. FedEx has never covered the cost of the animals if there are losses. They have strict policy about live animal shipments. We do say that we are not responsible for any losses due to delays in the the shipping but honestly, in 12 years we have never had to fall back on that policy. We do give credit for any losses incurred in shipping no matter what the cause of the loss is.

Hope that helps.

SantaMonica · 04/20/2017, 10:58 PM

We are not as far away, but we've always received our orders nicely.

BlueZooAquatics · 04/21/2017, 10:57 AM

We also have a Will Call service for local customers to pick-up their orders. The Will Call hours are Tues-Thurs from 3pm to 6pm and Friday from 12noon to 3pm.

02/06/2017, 08:21 AM	#1
MHG Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 2,919	Please Clarify Your Policy (BlueZoo) I have placed orders in the past with BlueZoo and I had great success. I was planning another order but the prices are much closer to what I would pay at my LFS these days so I figured, I would take a look at your policy. The policy mentions weather delays. OK I get it check your local weather. Makes sense. But unless you know what cities Fedex has their hubs in, it would not be of much use to know the weather of the final destination by itself. I would suggest indicating such info on your website so we can do the leg work to see when the best time to ship is... I do not see a policy on your web site for when Fedex is not on time with the delivery for a non weather related reason. Such as I am home but for whatever reason the package does not show up. The weather is great. The web site says "out for delivery" and it just does not show up for another 8 hours. Or not at all... Are you relying on filing a claim with fedex? Does your company have a success rate of fedex claims that is worth mentioning? Fedex has a terrible history with not honoring claims as it is... __________________ MHG (LIRA Member) 60G Cube, Kessil 360's

04/20/2017, 10:58 PM	#3
SantaMonica Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Santa Monica, California, USA Posts: 2,511	We are not as far away, but we've always received our orders nicely. __________________ Inventor of the easy-to-DIY upflow scrubber, and also the waterfall scrubber that everyone loves to build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843

02/08/2017, 01:32 PM	#2
BlueZooAquatics RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Carson, Calif. Posts: 545	Thank you for the questions. Weather is really more our concern than the customers. Like you mentioned, unless you can see the route the shipment will likely take through the FedEx system, you cannot make a judgement call as to whether or not weather will affect the shipment. That's what we do. We track temperatures and possibility for inclement weather along the path of every single order that goes out. We then know heat or cold pack usage, if it is a better idea to have the customer pick up the order from FedEx or if it is a good idea to hold off shipping until conditions improve. This is part of the daily ritual when preparing orders for shipping. So rest assured that we always have the best interest of the animals at heart and do everything within our power to ensure a safe journey. Delays in the FedEx system happen but not very often. They boast a 97% on time delivery rate so late deliveries are relatively rare. Obviously the time of year and the weather conditions play a large part but in general, the service from FedEx is very good. We do pack every single animal with 48 hour transit times in mind just in case of delays so if you have an order arrive 8 hours late, you will have no issues with the animals. FedEx does honor shipping prices paid on any delayed order not caused by weather. Since the percentage of delays is relatively low, the success rate for receiving shipping dollar credit is very high. FedEx has never covered the cost of the animals if there are losses. They have strict policy about live animal shipments. We do say that we are not responsible for any losses due to delays in the the shipping but honestly, in 12 years we have never had to fall back on that policy. We do give credit for any losses incurred in shipping no matter what the cause of the loss is. Hope that helps.

04/21/2017, 10:57 AM	#4
BlueZooAquatics RC Sponsor Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Carson, Calif. Posts: 545	We also have a Will Call service for local customers to pick-up their orders. The Will Call hours are Tues-Thurs from 3pm to 6pm and Friday from 12noon to 3pm.