Delivery Information
Delivery costs are calculated according to the total weight of your order.
Delivery prices
Royal Mail Tracked 24
Estimated delivery within 1 to 3 working days
£4.99 for orders weighing up to 5 kg
DPD Express Delivery
Estimated delivery within 1 to 2 working days
£6.99 per 25 kg
DPD Midday Delivery
Estimated delivery within 1 working day
£12.99 per 25 kg
DPD Weekend Delivery
Saturday or Sunday delivery to eligible mainland UK addresses
£12.99 per 25 kg
Same-working-day dispatch
Orders placed before 4pm, Monday to Friday, will normally be dispatched the same working day.
Orders placed after 4pm will be dispatched on the next working day. For example, an order placed after 4pm on Thursday will be dispatched on Friday. The earliest normal delivery day for a next-working-day service would then be Monday.
Orders containing special-order products will only be dispatched once every item in the order is available. Please contact us before ordering if you are unsure.
Royal Mail Tracked 24
Royal Mail Tracked 24 is suitable for smaller parcels.
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Estimated delivery within 1 to 3 working days
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Fully tracked
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Dispatched the same working day when ordered before 4pm, Monday to Friday
We cannot leave specific Royal Mail delivery instructions but you may be able to do this when Royal Mail contact you via email or text.
DPD Express Delivery
DPD Express Delivery is normally delivered within 1 to 2 working days after dispatch to mainland UK. This is an estimated timescale and is not guaranteed.
DPD will provide tracking information by email.
Some areas of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, are not treated as mainland UK by DPD and do not qualify for Express Delivery at the standard price.
Delivery costs £6.99 per 25 kg. Heavier orders may therefore incur an additional delivery charge.
DPD Midday Delivery
DPD Midday is delivered within one working day after dispatch to eligible mainland UK addresses.
DPD will provide tracking information by email.
Some areas of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands, are not treated as mainland UK by DPD and may not qualify for this service at the standard price.
DPD Weekend Delivery
Weekend Delivery is available for eligible mainland UK addresses.
Your parcel will be delivered on Saturday or Sunday but this is at the discretion of DPD.
DPD will provide tracking information by email.
Tracking, signatures and safe-place instructions
DPD deliveries are fully tracked and some require a signature.
We recommend downloading the DPD app for the most up to date delivery options, providing specific instructions for finding your property or leaving your items in a secure place if you are not home. We can deliver to an alternative address, such as your workplace, provided that the correct delivery address is entered during checkout and someone is available to accept the parcel.
Checking your delivery charge
You can check the available delivery services and costs by adding the required products to your basket and entering your delivery details at checkout.
Delivery timescales and delays
Delivery times are estimates provided by Royal Mail and DPD and are not guaranteed unless stated otherwise.
Delays may occur due to severe weather, flooding, ice, vehicle breakdowns, access problems or incidents affecting the delivery route.
DPD delays
DPD Midday is normally a one-working-day service, while DPD Express typically takes 1 to 2 working days.
If you choose DPD Midday and your parcel is delayed, you may claim the difference between the DPD Express and DPD Midday delivery charges. Any successful claim will be credited to your Aqua Essentials account rather than issued as a refund.
DPD Express is not a guaranteed service, so delivery-delay claims cannot be made. However, if live plants perish as a direct result of a DPD delay, we will cover the affected plants in accordance with our live-arrival policy.
Royal Mail delays
Royal Mail parcels can occasionally take longer than expected to arrive.
If live plants are delayed when Royal Mail has been selected, we cannot cover plants that deteriorate or perish as a result of the delay. Customers ordering live plants should select DPD Express Delivery where available for greater peace of mind.
Royal Mail requires us to wait 15 working days before a parcel can be treated as lost. Once this period has passed, we will issue a replacement rather than a refund.
Incorrect or incomplete delivery addresses
It is the customer’s responsibility to provide a complete and accurate delivery address, including the correct postcode.
Your order confirmation email will show the address submitted at checkout. Please check it carefully and contact us immediately if anything is incorrect. This is particularly important when ordering live products.
If a parcel is returned because the address supplied was incorrect or incomplete:
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DPD currently charges us an £8 return fee. This will be deducted from any refund issued.
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Royal Mail currently charges us a £4.99 return fee. This will be deducted from any refund issued.
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If you ask us to resend a Royal Mail parcel, a £6.99 charge will apply. This contributes towards the return surcharge and the cost of sending the parcel again.
We do not make a profit from these charges. They contribute towards the additional costs incurred.
When a returned order is resent, we will resend the same plants that were originally supplied and returned to us. We will not replace them with fresh stock.
If a parcel is lost or delayed, or the plants deteriorate because the delivery address supplied was incorrect or incomplete, our plant guarantee will be void. We cannot refund the products or original delivery charge, provide free replacements, or raise a loss claim using incorrect delivery information.
Please double-check your delivery details before completing your order. This helps prevent delays, additional charges and unnecessary stress to live plants.
Shortages
Any unexpected shortages must be reported to us within 24 hours of receiving your delivery.
