Hi Steve,
Thank you for the feedback. We now offer UPS 2nd Day Air and Next Day Air shipping options at flat rate prices. This is a far more reliable service than USPS proved to be and the real bummer was people getting product 4 days after they ordered it and it showing up dead. We wanted to be able to continue to guarantee everything we ship with our 100% Alive On Arrival Guarantee and unfortunately we could no longer do that if we did not move away from the Postal Service. UPS has eliminated this problem for us and we are still able to offer the cheapest two day shipping available and a 100% Alive on Arrival Guarantee. All orders $80 and up now ship free with UPS 2nd Day Air.
What was most important to us is that we got product to our customers alive and on time, the first time, every time. This means we had to rework our business model slightly but we felt this way was far better than the alternative which was to stop offering a guarantee and stick with the USPS. Sure, it would seem like a great deal at checkout but it would have left our customers with dead, delayed product, and no way to recover their loss and get a replacement. This means they probably would not have come back and we want people to know that when they order from AlgaeBarn they will get their product, on time and alive every time or it will be replaced free of charge. At the end of the day, we looked at the service and product we wanted to provide and the repeat customers we wanted to attract and that justified the switch to UPS once we were able to get a rate that is actually more competitive than even some of the largest online fish stores. Everything we do has the best interest of our customers in mind and that is how it always will be.
Lan
