*Please note if you need to cancel or change your order after processing but prior to shipping (once shipped we cannot cancel as there is no practical way to get a package back from USPS or Fedex), there will be a 10% fee (applied to the entire order including shipping) for canceling or a $1 Fee to change an order to cover the labor costs of packing and then unpacking an order/purchase as well as time spent canceling labels and refunding (in the case of an order change, this $1 fee does not even come close to covering expenses involved such as labor & USPS fees, however we keep it low as a customer courtesy).
Terms and Conditions: (For UV Bulb information, please scroll to the bottom of the page for further information)
1. All return requests must be initiated within 30 days from when the products are delivered to you. (This excludes returns initiated by email, requesting us to take care of warranty issues on a product purchased from us or to repair a product out of warranty).
We can make exceptions that we receive up to 60 days, however we cannot receive our merchant fees back nor are we allowed to refund payments back to a customers credit card or PayPal account after 60 days (as per credit card company policies), so it is impossible to refund any return that we receive after 60 days
*However warranty returns can be taken at any time. , as we attempt to handle as many warranty concerns “in house” to avoid as few hassles as possible for our customers. We also mostly sell products that we use or our “sister” aquatic maintenance companies use (at least 85%), so we are confident in the quality we sell and also know what can go wrong and can generally correct these few problems.
For warranty returns, make sure to provide evidence of your purchase from us, such as transaction ID, original packing slip, etc.; as we have had multiple attempts by persons to utilize our in house warranty returns for purchases made elsewhere. This is a service provided for our customers only!
*Broken or damaged shipments need to be handled within 7 days.
The simplest way to handle all return or breakage requests/complaints is to respond directly to the email we send with ALL sales at the time we finish processing your purchase or via our Contact Page. We send ALL customers this email, if you cannot find it in your email please check your SPAM folder as Yahoo, AT&T/Bell South, and many other email services often have poor spam filters that often spam our “Thank You”/Shipment information emails.
We have also found that many customers use "old" email addresses in PayPal or similar credit card accounts that are no longer checked, Please note that these Shipping information emails from us are sent to the email provided by your PayPal or Credit Card account (unless you type the current email at the time of purchase), so please check these email accounts if our email cannot be found.
We cannot respond to requests for returns or replacement via phone messages, as this is very inefficient for us and does not allow for efficient referencing of the original sale, attachment of photos, shipping of any replacements, etc.
All phone messages for returns/replacements cannot be honored as our requirement for return/replacement/damage.
Requirements for Return
• The product has not been used (although if returned in saleable condition we can refund up to 85% of the purchase price, this amount can vary depending upon time to recondition, clean and what we can sell the product for based on condition). (This does not apply to warranty returns)
• The product is in original packaging material which is also in new condition.
• All of the original parts, accessories, instruction manuals, paperwork, etc. is in the packaging.
2. You can email us using our Contact Form (recommended/preferred), or info@americanaquariumproducts.com
*Please enclose a letter with your return. Please include name & your order number, copy of email correspondence (or email used), the product that you wish to return, and a reason for the return including how you used this product if it did not work correctly.
3. Customers are responsible for all return shipping costs, including on defective merchandise. This is analogous to paying for gas to drive a product back to the store you bought it from.
*As well our prices retail are often close to what many stores pay and even with return shipping a product we sell for wholesale price of $16 often sells for $30 in stores and with shipping back you are still ahead (many of our customers are retailers such as Aquarium/Pond Maintenance companies, many of whom resell our UV-C replacement Bulbs due to our low prices for premium quality UV bulbs/lamps)
*Packages that arrive with "COD" or "Postage Due" will be refused. .
*It is also noteworthy that we too are sent incorrect or defective merchandise from our manufactures and it is our responsibility to pay for return shipping to them.
4. All return products must be received in new, resalable condition. The condition of the product will be determined at our discretion.
5. For Shipping Damage/Delivery Issues (& some defective items); Pictures of outer packaging, and broken items is all that is necessary for products damaged in shipping for shipping within the USA. We must have BOTH pictures of outer packaging and the broken product.
Please attach these pictures (or mail) to the original email sent at the time of shipping for us to process your damage complaint (return of such shipments is rarely required). Pictures can also be mailed via USPS, although this will likely delay your claim. Be assured that Purchases damaged in shipping (in the USA) go to the top of our priorities, so we usually will get a replacement on their way as soon as we have pictures.
We check/test most all fragile products prior to shipping (including liquids) to ensure that your item was shipped in good condition, however even with the best of care in checking and packaging damage can happen and we attempt to correct this ASAP and pictures often work best.
*Please do not return broken items and claim they were broken in shipping, asking for a refund without proof of this damage. We need proof, as there are many who have ordered an item, broken the item themselves and claimed shipping damage. This sadly is an occasional scam, and any returns attempting this will be refused.
We have also had many persons to attempt to return so-called defective UV Bulbs, that were clearly purchased elsewhere, for this reason (along with the fact we test/check all bulbs prior to shipping) we must either have these returned or a picture that clearly shows the product number on the bulb (this is at our discretion if the picture is acceptable)
*Liquid products are packaged very carefully (these also are generally “loss leaders” when our costs of shipping is factored in), and we have found that even with severe damage 90% of the product is contained in our outer wrapping. For these reasons we do not return damaged liquids, rather we simply credit your account in full for the cost of the product, leaving the customer with generally 90% of the product at no cost (only the initial shipping cost)
*International: As stated on our Shipping Policy Page we receive no guarantees when shipping internationally, and unfortunately Canada Post in particular damages or looses more packages than all other shippers combined; in an effort to provide our products to international locations we will do our best to aid a customer with losses internationally (so please do not take your frustration out on us, complain to Canada Post to bring their shipping up to world standards!). Please understand that lost international packages cannot be fully credited due to the lack of guarantees for us. International breakage MUST be emailed in advance of returns
*In rare instances, there may be a problem with delivery. Most of the time, this is because the package was delivered to a side entrance instead of the main entrance and the customer is unable to locate the package. If you believe the package was not delivered to your address or have any other similar problems, please contact us within 5 days of when the package was supposed to arrive. Any longer delays may seriously hinder our investigation.
*Incorrect Address Provided: We transfer all address directly from the shopping cart, which makes incorrect addresses impossible, however customers have occasionally typed in the incorrect address, which then causes the package to be shipped to the incorrect address.
Once an item is shipped, we can still change a FedEx shipment up to 1 day prior to delivery to a different address, however FedEx charges us $13 and we will send a bill for this prior to requesting a new label.
Unfortunately many of our “light” packages, rural, or international are shipped via USPS and there is no way to re-route a package. The best that can be done is for a customer to call their local PO and request that the package be held for pick up or returned.
Please note, we will still help a customer as a courtesy in any reasonable way we can if a package is not delivered or is return due to an incorrect address
6. A 15% restocking fee will be charged for all non-defective returns. A larger restocking fee may be deducted if the returned merchandise is not resalable (for example, a tamper-proof seal broken, the packaging damaged, the product scratched, manual missing, etc.).
We will wave this fee as a one time courtesy if the item is returned for another item of equal or higher value, please note that this is a courtesy as after employee costs, shipping and other fees we pay this often comes to a loss for us.
7. Packages refused by the customer will be restocked with a 20% fee deducted from the refund. In addition, any postage due or brokerage fees associated with recovering a refused package will be deducted from the refund.
8. Shipping charges are not refundable under ANY circumstances once an order has shipped.
9. Returns that provide pertinent information will be processed within 5 business days, usually within 2 ("business days" exclude weekends, holidays, and the day the package is delivered) Returns without any sales information, refused packages, and undeliverable packages can take up to 3 weeks to be processed and may be refused, returned to you at your expense, or restocked with a 20% restocking fee. If your return has not been processed within the specified time then please email returns@americanaquariumproducts.com
10. Non deliverable packages due to incorrect addresses will be charged a re-label fee of what ever the charge to us is (generally $10-$15). All labels are "pasted" directly from your shopping cart, so whatever is provided (unless we are immediately notified) is what we use.
As well even phone orders are charged this fee, as we read back all orders and we then send (as we do for internet orders) a confirmation of this order, so it is the customers obligation to make sure this order is correct. It is also noteworthy that phone orders are customer courtesy and not our preferred way of doing business, since our profit margin is extremely small and these orders cost us more in fees and time (since they are not automated). For this reason we are very strict as to incorrect address charges when it comes to phone orders, if uncertain about a phone order please email us with your correct address or place it via the internet.
11.All our electrical devices are 110-120V, so these pumps, filters, Sterilizers, Lights, etc. will not work in the UK, Australia, etc. unless you have step down transformer and all returns for this reason will not include shipping and be charged a 15% re-stocking fee
12. We reserve to ship ANY product replacement the most cost effective way possible, regardless of initial shipping method or package destinations
13. Finally, 99% of the products we sell, we have either a good relationship with the manufacturer or we will simply back the product ourselves; So please do not feel you should have to “eat” a product that you feel has not lived up to its warranty (or similar), please contact us by email or return with a note and quite often we are able to replace your product or repair it for no cost or simply parts other than shipping to us.
Please note all warranty returns are for purchases made at American Aquarium Products only!
Return Address:
American Aquarium Products
913 SW H Street
Grants Pass, OR 97526
Return Shipping/Packing Instructions:
All returned items should be packed in the same manner as they were originally shipped to you. Products must be returned in separate shipping box for to prevent damage, as well the original product box should be returned whenever possible (although many replacements can be handled without it, however we cannot refund without the original product box).
You are free to use any carrier that you choose although we are not responsible for any packages lost or damaged during the return trip.
*We provide a customer courtesy (one time per purchase) UV Bulb replacement up to 6 months after purchase, even if the evidence upon return is of a short or similar malfunction of the customer’s UV Sterilizer/Clarifier upon return (in fact 90% of returns test as such)
*We inspect and check ALL our premium superior quality quartz UV-C replacement lamps (Hot Cathode Germicidal UV-C low-pressure mercury arc lamps) prior to shipping so as to prevent problems with the end user. We also randomly “fire” bulbs/lamps from new batches of UV-C bulbs we receive for further quality control (this firing of the UVC light will leave a “hazed” or used appearance, but please be assured that we perform this time consuming process to insure you the best quality/hassle free UVC bulb).
*Usually when a bulb does not work it is the UV unit itself. This is especially true for the low end Jebo, Aqua Medic, and Garden Treasure UV Sterilizers which are of very poor quality and low durability in our experience as well as most submersible UV Sterilizers such as the Pondmaster line that utilize a straight tube UV Bulb (this is based on over 30 years of pond and aquarium maintenance as well as designing of UV Sterilizers and a very good working knowledge of their function).
Also it is noteworthy that an old bulb lighting in a unit is not proof that the UV Sterilizer is OK, as I have seen many units not “fire up” a new bulb yet work with an old lamp due to a weak ballast (again this is more common with the before mentioned units), as it takes a stronger ballast to fire a new UVC Bulb
You can test your ballast using a Multi Meter and touching the probes to the ballast wires or more simply in many models to the receptacles for the lamp pins.
Also a more clear example of a bad ballast is if upon placing your new lamp into your unit, your filaments get blown out you obviously have a bad ballast or a short (possibly from water inside the unit where it does not belong).
*The bottom line is that this results in less than 1 in 250 bulbs being defective by the time the consumer gets our bulbs, this results in about 19 out of 20 returned bulbs testing good when returned (we can still return the bulb without further charges as a customer courtesy, however due to the measures we take to get the customer a quality UV-C replacement bulb and these statistics we cannot help the customer with their return shipping costs)
Be assured, we replace the first return as a customer courtesy (in most instances), even if the return bulb tests fine upon return (which we have yet to have a single return of our T5 UVC Bulbs test bad upon return).
Bulbs with blown filaments or other evidence of a short are clear evidence from our 30 years experience of an issue with the UV Sterilizer/Clarifier; however we will generally replace only one UV-C bulb as a customer courtesy, this is a onetime offer, as we cannot replace more than one lamp/bulb for a UV Sterilizer that continues to short out or not fire the bulbs/lamps even though when we pre-test these UV Bulbs/lamps which “fire” properly in a new UV.
Also since we check our bulbs before shipping, it is highly unlikely that two bulbs would not work in the same unit, and this is also a strong indicator of a bad UV Sterilizer for which we cannot guarantee a bulb. It is also important to note that a new UV Bulb may take longer to “fire”, especially in weak units.
Further UV-C Bulb/Lamp Information:
A blown filament is 99% of the time an indicator of a short or similar problem (such as a bad ballast), which is often caused by water inside the electronics (this is based on almost 30 years experience of working with UV Sterilizers and is especially common with UV Sterilizers/Clarifiers that are used for pond applications where moisture penetration is quite common!).
This will often happen immediately, however if moisture is the cause of a short, this can happen at any time moisture penetrates the electrical components of your UV. As well I have also observed over the years that a UV Sterilizer with a short caused by moister or other issues to only “burn/blow” a new bulb, while not an old bulb/lamp as the higher electrical pull of a “fresh” lamp will often cause destructive arcing that may not occur with an older” worn” bulb/lamp.
*If you suspect moisture is the problem, I recommend thoroughly cleaning your UV Sterilizer/Clairifer prior to attempting to re-install another UV-C replacement bulb/lamp.
Finally even better made UV Sterilizers can go defective (even new units), especially the units with electronic ballasts (which represent the majority nowadays). What does not happen is a tested bulb does suddenly not work, so we cannot honor further returns after replacing a bulb once and it tests fine. However; We can apply full product credit (not shipping) toward a new UV Sterilizer, which bluntly is often a better idea than tinkering with or the cost of a new ballast for some of the less reliable UV Sterilizer commonly sold.
