TERMS & CONDITIONS
DELIVERY, RETURNS & IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Delivery Policy:
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PLEASE NOTE: LIVESTOCK WILL BE COURIERED BY A LICENSED REPTILE COURIER SERVICE OR COLLECTION ONLY. PLEASE CALL BEFORE YOU ORDER ON 07827224894 OR EMAIL US: torthut@gmail.com.
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Delivery Information:
We aim to dispatch all orders within 24 hours of purchase(Monday-Thursday). Live plants will be sent on a next day delivery service(Monday-Thursday).We use DPD and Royal Mail as our dry goods and live plants courier. We use a specific licensed livestock courier for transporting tortoises, but this must be arranged at the time of purchase. During busy periods, we will dispatch orders as quickly as possible, however there maybe an occasional 24 hour delay while we catch up. The situation is changing all the time, and the couriers are also extremely busy, so in some instances this time frame may be further extended. Dispatch times quoted are subject to stock availability with our suppliers. If items in your cart are not in stock (e.g 2 -3 days) then your order will be dispatched via the selected service upon their arrival back into stock. If for any reason, the plant you have ordered is out of stock, we will make a substitution for a similar plant of at least the same monetary value or more.
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FOOD4TORT bags are available to be purchased by Royal Mail 1st class post or by DPD next day delivery service. If the Royal Mail option is purchased, the food4tort bag will be sent at the buyers risk as we cannot control the timescale of Royal Mail delivery times. We do offer a guaranteed next day delivery service with DPD as a separate product.
All plant orders are sent on a next working day delivery, (Monday to Thursday) if you're plant order has not arrived with you within 48 hours (excluding weekends), please email us with your order reference number so we can contact the courier company. It is important we are contacted within 48 hours of the due delivery day due to the plants being perishable items. Any claims made after 48 hours will not be valid for a claim/compensation.
Delivery Charges:
Delivery is charged at checkout. In addition, a number of chargeable delivery upgrade options are available on request. Deliveries of larger orders to some postcodes including Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle and Man, Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight are subject to an additional handling charge by our carriers which we have to pass on. Actual charges are shown once you have logged in. We would love to be able to offer the same rates across the UK but our couriers have delivery zones, some of which may incur extra charges. Scotland deliveries are available to limited postcodes please call before placing an order to get a quote for delivery. When purchasing a tortoise from us, please ensure the Livestock courier delivery option is chosen at checkout.
Next day services:
Any orders dispatched on a next day service(Monday-Thursday) are normally received next day, however, on some occasions couriers may be required to delay the delivery. We will not be held responsible for short term delays, caused by the couriers. If for any reason a delay occurs, please get in touch so we can track the parcel.
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Livestock courier:
When purchasing a tortoise from The Tortoise Hut, you must choose the correct price band before adding to the cart, this is determined by whether a setup is being purchased from The Tortoise hut or not. You must then choose the Livestock courier delivery option at checkout if you wish the tortoise to be delivered to you. Please call us on 07827224894 to arrange this. If you wish to collect from us in South Devon, please call us on 07827224894 to arrange an appointment to collect. If you are not purchasing a setup from the Tortoise Hut, we will require a photo of your setup with details of lighting and heating shown to us prior to the tortoise leaving us. We reserve the right to refuse sale of the tortoise if we believe the setup does not meet the tortoise's requirements. We recommend all new livestock should be quarantined before mixing with your existing livestock.
Please ensure you research the tortoise's requirements before you add them to the enclosure and contact us immediately if you have any queries regarding compatibility. We cannot be responsible if you add a different species to your existing livestock. If you have any issues or queries regarding the livestock received, please contact us immediately.
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Return & Exchange Policy:
For dry goods:
If you are unhappy with any product then please contact us within 14 days of receiving the goods and return the goods to us in their original condition within another 14 days for a refund. It is the customers’ responsibility for the safe return of any item and the cost of returning it. For faulty items in guarantee, we will repair or replace the item for you. If the item is no longer available, we will send a substitute of equal or greater value.​
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For Perishable items i.e.plants:
Perishable items (such as live plants), these should not be returned to us. Instead, please email a photograph of the plant in its original packaging and another out of the packaging, with details of the issues, within 24 hours of delivery. If for any reason the whole plant is badly damaged, we will offer a refund for that individual plant.
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For livestock:
We are unable to accept any returns on livestock due to the complex procedure for transporting them, so please ensure you order the correct tortoise and have checked their requirements and compatibility with your existing stock.
Cancellations & amendments of orders:
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Orders may only be cancelled if they have not already been dispatched from The Tortoise Hut and postage hasn't been purchased. Please call us on 07827224894 or email us at torthut@gmail.com as soon as possible.
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If you need to amend an order, we will try our best to accommodate any changes as long as the order has not been packaged up or dispatched. Please contact us as soon as possible to make any amendments.
Important Information:
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A variety of substrates are used to grow our live plants, the most common being coco coir, an organic, sustainable product, which is completely safe for use around all herbivores. There is no need to repot into topsoil, insertion straight into your indoor/outdoor enclosure is perfectly safe. Occasionally small white particles maybe found in the soil, this is horticultural grit used to aid drainage. At no time are any pesticides used so on occasion, there may be bugs hatch out, although unwanted, not harmful in any way. All plants are perfectly safe to be ingested by your herbivore, however, a varied diet with the growing or collection of weeds is preferential during the appropriate season.
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We recommend lining all wooden enclosures with a waterproof liner before placing substrate in to preserve the life of the enclosure.
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Although we throughly check all substrates, we do recommend that any substrates that are a natural product should be screened to ensure any unwanted items are removed prior to adding to your tortoise's enclosure.
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All plants listed on the website are confirmed as safe to feed or feed in moderation. We do not offer any "no feed" plants on this site.
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We do our best to package each plant individually by wrapping it in bubble wrap, on the rare occasion you receive your plant and it is damaged, please send photos within 24 hours to our email address and we will do our best to resolve the situation. More often or not, the plant will need to sit in a shallow dish of water to recover from any damage during transportation. wrapping it in
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If for any reason, the plant you have ordered is out of stock, we will make a substitution for a similar plant of at least the same monetary value or more.
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Flowers & petals on plants are not guaranteed to arrive in perfect condition as the nature of a flower is only a temporary component of the plant and are somewhat more fragile than the main foliage. As long as the foliage arrives fresh and healthy, new flowers will soon appear.
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All details such as plant height, pot size, varieties, colour etc are all approximate and subject to change. These are given as a reference only
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It is important for you to enter the correct delivery address along with the relevant email and mobile number for you to be able to track your delivery.
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Once ordered, it is the customer's responsibility to track and ensure you are able to take delivery or rearrange with the courier company for a more convenient time. Failure to do so can result in the parcel being returned to us at the Tortoise Hut some days later. If perishable items ie plants are within your order then unfortunately these cannot be refunded or resent.
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