Our Guarantee & Policy
Shipping, DOA Guarantee & Returns
Find everything you need to know about shipping protection, dead-on-arrival claims, returns, cancellations, and our store policies.
110% DOA Guarantee
We carefully prepare and package your live aquarium plants for safe delivery. If an eligible plant arrives dead or in poor condition, we provide 110% of the affected plant value as store credit, subject to the claim requirements below.
Our voluntary DOA Guarantee applies to qualifying Express shipments. Shipping charges and applicable taxes are excluded from DOA credit calculations.
Which Shipping Method Should You Choose?
The right shipping option depends on what you're ordering. Compare the options below to choose the service that works best for your order.
Best for Live Plants & Livestock
Choose Express when ordering live aquarium plants, shrimp, or snails. Faster transit helps reduce the time live products spend in transit and provides eligible orders with our 110% DOA Guarantee.
Live aquarium plants, tissue cultures, shrimp, snails, or a combination of live products and dry goods.
- Faster transit for time-sensitive live products.
- Qualifying live products are eligible for our 110% DOA Guarantee.
- Approved DOA claims receive 110% of the affected product value as store credit.
- DOA claims must be submitted within 2 hours of the courier's delivery timestamp.
Best for Dry Goods & Supplies
Choose Regular or Ground shipping when your order contains dry goods that don't require faster delivery. It's a cost-effective option for aquarium supplies that can safely spend more time in transit.
Aquarium filters, lighting, tools, substrates, hardscape, accessories, or other non-living aquarium supplies.
- A more economical choice when faster delivery isn't necessary.
- Suitable for most non-living aquarium products and supplies.
- Live plants shipped by Ground are not covered by our voluntary 110% DOA Guarantee.
- If your order includes live products, we recommend selecting Express instead.
We recommend choosing Express shipping when your order includes live products, even if you're also purchasing dry goods. This helps minimize transit time for your plants or livestock and ensures eligible live products can qualify for our 110% DOA Guarantee.
How to Submit a DOA Claim
If an eligible plant arrives dead or in poor condition, follow these three steps.
Inspect Your Delivery
Check your plants immediately upon arrival. Submit your claim within 2 hours of the courier's recorded delivery timestamp.
Take Clear Photos
Photograph the affected plants inside their original, sealed packaging. Make sure their condition is clearly visible.
Do not plant or discard affected items before documenting their condition.
Email Your Claim
Send your order number and photographs to doa@aquascaperoom.ca.
Once your claim is approved, the applicable store credit will be added to your account.
Monitor your tracking information and arrange to receive your package on the first delivery attempt.
Missed deliveries, customer-requested holds, address changes, and redirects to courier pickup locations may delay delivery and void DOA coverage.
The 2-hour claim window begins at the courier's recorded delivery timestamp, not when the package is opened or collected.
Additional Store Policies
Select a topic below to view the full policy.
DOA Eligibility & Exclusions
Qualifying Claims
Our 110% DOA Guarantee applies to eligible live plants shipped using a qualifying Express service.
To qualify, email clear photographs of the affected plants in their original, sealed packaging within 2 hours of the courier's recorded delivery timestamp.
What Is Not Covered?
- Plants shipped using Regular or Ground service.
- Claims submitted after the 2-hour reporting window.
- Plants that have already been removed from their packaging and planted.
- Damage associated with missed deliveries, customer-requested holds, address changes, or package redirects.
- Delivery problems caused by incorrect or incomplete shipping information supplied at checkout.
- Normal transit wear, such as minor yellowing, damaged outer leaves, temporary wilting, or displaced tissue culture gel, when the plant remains viable.
Store Credit Calculation
Approved claims receive store credit equal to 110% of the affected plant value. Shipping charges and applicable taxes are excluded from this calculation.
Our voluntary DOA Guarantee provides store credit rather than a refund. This does not limit any remedies required by applicable law.
Live Shrimp & Snail DOA Claims
Live Shrimp
Eligible live shrimp orders shipped with qualifying DOA protection are covered against dead-on-arrival conditions.
If shrimp arrive dead, email your order number and clear photographs or video showing the affected shrimp to doa@aquascaperoom.ca within 2 hours of the courier's recorded delivery timestamp.
Approved shrimp claims receive 110% of the affected shrimp value as store credit, excluding shipping charges and taxes.
Live Snails
Snails may remain inactive or retract into their shells after shipping. Temporary inactivity does not necessarily mean a snail is dead.
If you suspect a snail has arrived dead, contact our DOA team within 2 hours of delivery with your order number and photographs.
Our team may ask you to observe the snail for 24–72 hours and provide additional information to confirm its condition.
Studio Creations & Attached Plants
Studio Creations combine live plants with hardscape materials such as driftwood or stone.
If the live plant portion of an eligible Studio Creation arrives dead, the 110% DOA credit applies only to the value of the affected plant, not the full Studio Creation.
Damage to the hardscape itself should be reported separately to our customer service team for review.
Returns, Refunds & Incorrect Items
General Returns
If you would like to return an item, please contact us with your order number, the item you wish to return, and the reason for your request.
Our team will review your request and provide return instructions where applicable. Please do not send items back before contacting us.
Incorrect Items
If we send you an incorrect item, contact us with your order number and photographs of the item received. Where a return is required because of our error, Aquascaperoom will cover the applicable return shipping.
Live Plant DOA Claims
Eligible dead-on-arrival plant claims are handled under our 110% store credit guarantee. Refunds or other remedies will be provided where required by applicable law.
Shipping Weight & Remote Locations
We strive to provide accurate shipping rates at checkout. However, some orders may incur additional carrier charges that are not reflected in the initial shipping estimate.
Additional charges may apply to heavy or oversized shipments, products requiring special handling, and deliveries to rural or remote locations.
If Additional Shipping Is Required
We will contact you before shipping and provide the additional shipping amount. Your order will remain on hold while we await your response.
You may choose to pay the additional shipping charge or cancel the affected order for a full refund before shipment.
If carrier restrictions or shipping costs prevent us from fulfilling an order, we will contact you and refund the affected order.
Shipping Delays, Weather & Delivery Changes
Weather-Related Holds
We may temporarily hold live plant or livestock shipments during extreme heat, freezing temperatures, severe weather, carrier disruptions, or other conditions that could compromise safe delivery.
Processing & Transit Times
Estimated shipping times refer to carrier transit after an order has been dispatched, not the total time from order placement.
Processing times, scheduled shipping days, holidays, weather, and carrier disruptions may affect the delivery date.
Address Changes & Redirects
Customer-requested address changes, delivery holds, or redirects to courier pickup locations may add 1–2 business days or more to transit and may void DOA coverage.
Incorrect Shipping Information
Customers are responsible for providing complete and accurate shipping information at checkout. Delivery issues caused by incorrect or incomplete customer-provided information are not covered by our voluntary DOA Guarantee.
Coupons, Sales & Promotional Pricing
Discounts, coupons, and promotional prices apply during their advertised promotional periods and are subject to the conditions of each offer.
Promotional codes must be applied during checkout. Unless the specific offer states otherwise, discounts cannot be applied retroactively to completed orders.
If a new sale begins after you place an order, the new promotional price cannot be applied retroactively to that order.
Order Cancellations & Restocking Fees
Cancellation Requests
If you need to cancel an order, please contact our customer service team as soon as possible.
15% Restocking Fee
A 15% restocking fee may apply to customer-requested cancellations made within 24 hours of the scheduled shipping date, when the order has already entered the preparation or fulfillment process.
Cancellations During Promotional Events
Where permitted by applicable law, discretionary cancellation refunds requested during an active promotional event may be processed after the promotional period concludes.
This policy does not affect statutory cancellation or refund rights.
Stock Availability & Pricing Errors
We make every effort to keep product availability, descriptions, and pricing accurate. Occasionally, an item may become unavailable or a pricing error may occur.
If we cannot fulfill an affected order, we will contact you to discuss the available options. If the affected order is cancelled, the cancelled items will be refunded.
Buy & Save Promotional Offers
Buy & Save offers, including Buy X, Get X Free promotions, apply to eligible regular potted and tissue culture plants unless otherwise stated in the offer.
Eligible Products
- Regular potted aquarium plants.
- Eligible tissue culture plants.
Excluded Products
- Plant packages and bundles.
- XL plants.
- Studio Creations and plants attached to hardscape.
Excluded products do not count toward the qualifying purchase quantity and cannot be redeemed as free items.
For Buy X, Get X Free offers, the lowest-priced eligible item is free unless the promotion states otherwise. Additional offer-specific exclusions may apply.