Delivery and Returns

UK Orders

Check your information

The UK address and contact information you provide us when placing your order will be used for deliveries. We will not use or consider stored address information with third party payment providers (e.g. PayPal). 

When placing your order, please ensure that all contact details provided (address, email, and phone numbers) are up to date and complete. This is especially important for perishable goods such as livefood, frozen food and live plants. Updating your contact information after the order has been processed and/or dispatched will not work.

If your address is particularly awkward to find, we are happy to add your unique What 3 Words to the delivery label, simply add these to the 'notes' section at the checkout.

Check your emails

When goods leave us, we will send out an email notification to inform you that your delivery is on its way. Depending on the service, you may also receive communication directly from our couriers, this is usually to give you a more accurate delivery window. Please check all your inboxes regularly to ensure that these emails do not accidentally end up in your junk folder. We have tested our email notification system over many years, and we know this system works very efficiently. Some email providers may automatically block domain addresses, it would be advisable to mark our email domain (@exotic-pets.co.uk) as a safe sender to be sure. You can do this easily when you receive your order confirmation after placing your order.

Shipping Charges

Shipping charges and delivery times vary depending on the type of product you are purchasing, the total weight, and in some cases, where you live.

*Our checkout will default to the correct delivery method and cost when you add items to your basket. We do not offer free delivery - if no delivery option is shown, it means the item/animal cannot be delivered to your area. Please contact us before ordering if you are unsure. If orders are placed with no delivery method selected, the order will be cancelled and refunded as per our terms of sale.

Specialist Animal Courier

Please read the Livestock Information page thoroughly before ordering and contact us before attempting to make payment if you are interested in purchasing a reptile or amphibian from us. 

We use a specialist DEFRA registered animal courier. The cost (shown above) is set by them, is non-negotiable and will be calculated based on your location at the checkout.

Invertebrate Deliveries

All of our pet invertebrates are sent out via Royal Mail Special Delivery, or next day courier (weight depending) to ensure their safe arrival. If you require the parcel to arrive on a specific day, please contact us as soon as possible so we can work with you to accomodate this. Once the order has been dispatched, you will receive an email containing tracking information, and your parcel will be delivered the following day. This is information is also available if you login and view in ‘My Account’. More information regarding invertebrate deliveries can be found towards the bottom of the Livestock Information page, please read this thoroughly before ordering.

Can you ship internationally?

We do not offer shipping to any other international countries. This includes livestock, food, and supplies, any orders to anywhere outside of the UK will be cancelled and refunded as per our terms of sale.

Pet food and supplies

Do you keep everything in stock?

Most of the products we sell online are kept On Site and picked straight from our warehouse. Any items purchased that are kept Off Site (e.g. bulk bags of livefood) will be ordered into stock and then dispatched to you at the first opportunity; along with the rest of your order.

When will you dispatch my order?

We aim to dispatch standard orders within two working days. Orders placed outside of working hours will be processed the following day. If there is a delay (e.g. product is out of stock) we will contact you with the different options available. Orders containing Off Site items can take a little longer to be dispatched.

Specialist and perishable items going via courier (livefood, frozen, live plants) are shipped Monday-Thursday only.

Which couriers do you use?

We dispatch orders with Royal Mail, Parcelforce, FedEx and Palletline.

Will I get a tracking number?

Where appropriate, this information will be available for you to log in and view in My Account.

Can I specify a delivery day?

This can be arranged for invertebrate, frozen, and standard courier deliveries only (days of delivery are usually Tuesday-Friday). We cannot guarantee this service for items being dispatched via Royal Mail. Please add any special instructions to the order notes during the checkout process, we will try to accommodate all requests where possible.

Do you offer next day delivery?

We cannot always guarantee next day courier deliveries. Please also be mindful that orders placed outside of our opening hours will not be seen until the next working day. 

If your order is urgent, please contact us before ordering and we will do our best to help.

Perishable goods

Livefood, frozen food and live plants and invertebrate orders are all classified as ‘perishable goods’. Once orders have been placed for these types of items, it is particularly important you are available to receive them at the first delivery attempt. Failure to do so may result in the order being returned to a courier depot, or the order being left somewhere considered safe by the courier for an extended period. If this happens and your order contains frozen goods or livefood, there is a possibility that the goods will be spoiled when you unpack them. If a failed delivery happens because you were not in to receive the order, the order was left in a 'safeplace' or you have re-organised a new and later delivery date with the courier, we as a company will not be held responsible for spoiled goods, nor will we offer replacement goods or a refund.

If an order is returned to us by the courier because the order was not called for, or you were not present for delivery, we will process it as follows. All perishable products contained in the order will be disposed of immediately. Any remaining pet supply products on your order we will contact you about and ask if you would like these re-delivered or refunded. You will then also have the option of re-ordering any spoiled goods that have been disposed of. In this situation, please note that you will be responsible for any additional products purchased or re-delivery charges occurred.

In the unlikely event of livefood/pet invertebrates arriving dead, a courier delay (i.e. misrouted parcel), and/or frozen goods arriving spoiled, you must inform us immediately (within 1hr of receipt). Please take photographs of the inner/outer packaging, and video evidence of any spoiled goods in their original containers (this is especially important with live insects and frozen goods). Do not throw these goods away without speaking to us first and/or before submitting any supporting evidence to us. This information will form part of your claim, failure to provide the requested information will make any claim null and void.

If all the information provided shows clear evidence that ourselves or the courier was at fault, we will happily arrange a credit, replacement goods or a refund (depending upon the items) as soon as possible.

N.B. During the winter period, live insects can appear dead/dormant on arrival. Keep them at room temperature and usually within 1-2 hours they will all become lively and active again as normal. Very few insects will perish this way.

False claims will not be tolerated and considered fraudulent, this will result in the immediate suspension of your online account.

Special notes

• Adverse weather conditions can cause shipping delays in some circumstances (e.g. hot weather and the shipping of frozen goods).
• Bulky and large items may have to be sent via specialist couriers and may take longer to reach you (e.g. large glass tanks on pallets).
• Courier deliveries to remote regions may not arrive the next working day (Usually the Scottish Highlands, offshore or Northern Ireland). The shipping of frozen goods may not be possible to some of these regions.

Returns Information

You may return any unwanted goods to us within 14-calendar days of receipt. Any goods returned, must be in a new, unused and saleable condition. You the customer are responsible for the cost of the return of these items and we would recommend, using a tracked and insured service to guarantee they arrive back with us safely.

If you receive an item damaged or faulty on arrival, please contact us immediately. We will then issue you with a pre-paid postage label, so we can recall the item for inspection and testing. In some circumstances, we may ask for a digital photograph to support your claim. This often speeds up processing any refunds or replacements.

We do not accept returns for gift cards/vouchers. Flat-pack vivariums and cabinets that have been removed from the original packaging and/or that have been partially assembled. Perishable items such as live food, frozen food and live plants can also not be returned. If you've received livestock or something else you're unhappy with, please contact us to discuss this in more depth.

Before returning any item, please contact us for a returns authorisation number.

FAO Returns Dept 
Peak Pets Ltd 
Bagthorpe Farm
Hollins, Old Brampton
Chesterfield
S42 7JH

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