DOA/ Shipping Policy

Shipping & Dead on Arrival (DOA) Policy

At Coral Vault, we take pride in providing high-quality coral livestock to our customers. We are committed to ensuring that your order arrives healthy and in the best condition possible. Below are the details of our shipping and Dead on Arrival (DOA) policy:

Shipping Policy

  1. Processing Time:
    Orders are processed Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed the next business day. Please allow up to 2 business days for order processing before shipment.
  2. Shipping Method:
    We ship all coral livestock via ‘Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm’ to ensure the quickest and safest arrival of your order. Live coral is shipped with adequate packaging and temperature control to maintain quality during transit.       We are currently shipping Tuesday – Thursday on a next day signed for service.
  3. Shipping Rates:
    Shipping charges are a set fee of £17.99 per order.
  4. Shipping Address:
    Please provide a valid and accurate shipping address. We are not responsible for delays or lost shipments due to incorrect or incomplete addresses provided by the customer.
  5. Delivery Time:
    We aim to dispatch your order within 1 business day. However, should you know that you won’t be available to take receipt of this order on the expected day please leave your preferred delivery day in order notes, or send us an email on sales@CoralVault.co.uk. We will try our very best to accommodate your request! Once shipped, you will receive a tracking number to monitor your shipment.
  6. Signature Requirement:
    Live coral shipments WILL require a signature upon delivery to ensure the package is received by the correct person. Please track your order to ensure successful delivery. Missed first delivery will result in a voided DOA guarantee.

Dead on Arrival (DOA) Policy

  1. What is considered DOA?
    A coral is considered Dead on Arrival if it arrives at your location and is visibly dead, without any signs of life, or in a state of extreme decay. We require clear photographic evidence of the coral within 1 hour of receipt.

In the event that a coral arrives stressed or damaged and not clearly dead, we do ask that you allow 2-3 weeks for the coral to be evaluated for DOA credit. Many corals begin to quickly recover from shipping stress. Especially soft corals and Zoas.

  1. DOA Claims Procedure:
    If your coral order arrives DOA, please contact us immediately at sales@CoralVault.co.uk within 1 hour of delivery. You must provide:
    • Clear, high-resolution photos of the DOA coral(s)
    • A photo of the sealed bag and packaging materials
    • The shipping label or tracking number
  2. Refunds/Replacement:
    • Refund: If a DOA claim is verified, we offer a full refund for the coral(s) in the form of store credit. Valid for 12 months from issue. 
    • Replacement: If stock is available, we will offer a replacement for the coral(s) at no additional cost. Shipping for the replacement is free, and the replacement will be shipped as soon as possible.
  3. Exceptions:
    • Claims submitted after the specified time window 1 hour cannot be processed.
    • DOA claims that do not meet the required documentation or are not submitted in a timely manner may be denied.
    • This policy only applies to the coral(s) that arrived dead. Any issues occurring after delivery are outside the scope of this policy.
    • We do not offer any refund for delivery costs.
    • Delays due to weather, mechanical failures, etc. which result in loss will not be covered under our Live Arrival Guarantee.
  4. What We Do to Ensure Your Corals Arrive Safely:
    We package all orders with care to protect the coral livestock during transit. This includes heat sealed, double bagged 500 gauge poly tubing bags which are wrapped in bubble wrap to help insulate and also reduce unwanted movement. We use a strong polystyrene box with 48 hour heat packs. Finally, shipping live coral is inherently risky due to variables in weather, handling, and transit times.

Customer Responsibility:

  1. Acclimation:
    It is the responsibility of the customer to properly acclimate the coral upon arrival. This includes placing them in an appropriate environment with stable water parameters. Failure to acclimate the corals properly can result in stress or death, which is not covered by our DOA policy.
  2. Health of Coral After Arrival:
    After receiving your coral(s), we recommend inspecting them immediately and placing them in suitable aquarium conditions. We cannot guarantee the health of corals if they are not acclimated properly or if aquarium conditions are not optimal.
  3. Temperature Considerations:
    Extreme temperatures (hot or cold) during shipping can cause stress or damage to live coral. If you expect extreme weather conditions, please contact us prior to ordering to discuss the best shipping options or delays.
  4. Returning Coral:
    Any returns of coral to CoralVault need to be packed appropriately with heat packs and protection, We are not able to cover any dead corals that arrive back to us.

Appearance of corals, colour, polyp size, etc, will vary from tank to tank due to different lighting, flow and water conditions.

Abusive behaviour towards any of our staff will not be tolerated and Coral Vaults decision is final.