Spa Cover Delivery Overview & Details

There is a difference in the cost of shipping spa covers to businesses versus residences. To be clear, unless you live in a remote location or offshore island, all new ThermalGuardian spa covers include FREE HOME DELIVERY to most addresses in the continental United States. However, there are times when it may be preferable to have your cover shipped to your place of employment like you don't want to take the day off of work to be home to receive the cover. There are distinct differences in the way that our freight partners look at business deliveries and residential deliveries.

The shipping companies that we must use due the size of the cover, typically drive tractor trailers and to a lesser extent 26 foot straight trucks. They also typically run normal delivery routes through commercial areas and do not call before delivery. Why? Because they are set up to deliver to businesses. They do offer delivery to residences and home-based businesses, but they typically charge more. Recent changes by the freight carriers have also lumped schools and churches into residential deliveries. Deliveries to these locations will be treated as residential. America's SPA-MART has been able to procure a waiver on residential delivery surcharges and that is why we can offer free home delivery. However, our covers cannot be shipped to a school or church without additional charge.

Here are some informational points regarding the delivery of our spa covers.

• WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS, MOST NEW SPA COVER ORDERS INCLUDE FREE HOME DELIVERY TO AN ADDRESS IN THE CONTINENTAL LOWER 48 UNITED STATES.
• In the cases where we must charge extra for delivery, you will be contacted with the amount of the High Cost Limited Access Delivery fees before your spa cover enters production. We will contact you with these charges and you will have the option of cancelling your order if the charges exceed what you want to spend.
• Deliveries into Gated Communities will be assessed an additional $150 delivery charge.
• Spa covers are too large to ship with package delivery services (UPS, Fedex, DHL). They must be shipped via LTL Common Carrier Truck.
• We currently use a mix of carriers, but do not have discounted pricing with all carriers. As the customer, you have the right to select your own freight carrier, but may be responsible for extra charges if the carrier you choose charges us more than our normal carrier.
• Some of our manufacturing partners offer delivery to us in select parts of the country. If you live in one of these areas, you may not have to be home for delivery as we are not consigning the shipment to a freight carrier.
• Residential deliveries include prior notification. Business deliveries do not. Prior notification of business deliveries are subject to a notification fee from the freight carrier. If prior notification is needed, we encourage you to consider a home delivery.
• In most cases you have the option of picking up your cover at the local freight carrier's terminal. This is not available in all areas and keep in mind that a terminal will typically service a 100-250 mile radius so it may not be close to you. Contact us with your zip code for the location of the terminal in your area.
• Deliveries are made Monday through Friday.
• There are additional charges for inside delivery. Delivery includes the driver helping you take it off the truck.
• A qualified business address meets the following criteria.
  
  • Not based in a home. Not a school or a church. Not a construction site. Not an oil field.
  • Open Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm
  • Staffed during business hours.
  • First floor delivery or ability to street unload delivery.
• You or your agent MUST be present during delivery to inspect the shipment for possible damage and sign the delivery receipt stating there is no damage.
• If the carrier attempts delivery (to a business during normal hours or to a residence during a scheduled appointment time) and no one is available to accept delivery, you will be assessed a redelivery fee by the freight carrier. These are not cheap fees and will be added to your order retroactively if an appointment is missed.
• Inspect shipment for any possible damage to the cover BEFORE signing the delivery receipt. If you are unsure of the extent of possible damage, please call our office at 800-823-3618 immediately. If in doubt, always open the box and inspect the cover itself. Damage to the box and interior packaging is not a valid claim to the freight carrier.
• UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you sign the delivery receipt if you feel the cover is damaged.
• We EXPRESSLY PROHIBIT the practice of leaving a signed note authorizing delivery in lieu of actually being present. The carrier may suggest this to you to make it easier on both you and the carrier. However, a signed note is like signing the delivery receipt free and clear and in this case there is nothing we can do to help you get paid for a damage claim. All requests for damage claims must then be made directly with the carrier.

Shipping Damage

• SPA COVERS VIA LTL CARRIERS. Customers are responsible for proper inspection of the shipment at time of receipt. See spa cover receiving information below. Failure to do a proper inspection may jeopardize the ability to file a freight claim with the carrier. Concealed damage (damage discovered after the shipment is received) that this reported later than 24 hours after receipt may jeopardize the ability to file a claim with the shipping company. Customers have the right to select his/her own freight carrier for large items such as spa covers if they are willing to pay the difference of shipping cost between their selected carrier and our preferred carrier.  Damage and/or loss that occurs during shipment by another carrier is the responsibility of the customer.
  • IF YOUR SPA COVER IS DAMAGED AT ALL, PLEASE REFUSE THE SHIPMENT. No matter what the driver may or may not tell you, you can and must refuse a damaged shipment. In the event of a refused damaged spa cover, the cover will be immediately returned to our facility for inspection and a new unit will be shipped out within 48 hours. If you properly refuse a damaged spa cover, the process is automatic requiring no further action on your part as we will file the claim on your behalf.
  • In the event that the delivery receipt is signed, the purchaser will be responsible for filing the freight claim with the carrier. In this situation, another cover will need to be ordered (and paid for) and the appropriate claim information will need to be submitted along with the original and replacement invoices. The freight carrier will then pay you directly. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO NOT ACCEPT A DAMAGED SPA COVER SHIPMENT. If a damaged cover is signed for, our personnel can advise you on the process, but cannot do the claim for you and the replacement cover must be purchased again.

Responsibilities of Customer Upon Delivery of Spa Covers (via LTL motor freight carriers)

• All spa covers must be thoroughly inspected by the receiving party prior to signing the delivery receipt.  Look for any damage.  Open the box, if necessary, while the driver is still there. Note any damage to the cover on the delivery receipt.  If unsure of the nature of the damage from the outside of the box, open the box BEFORE signing the delivery receipt.  If the cover is damaged, DO NOT SIGN the delivery receipt nor accept shipment.
  
  IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE RECEIVING CUSTOMER TO THOROUGHLY INSPECT THE DELIVERED SPA COVER.  DO NOT SIGN THE DELIVERY RECEIPT WITHOUT FIRST INSPECTING THE PRODUCT. NEVER SIGN FOR A DAMAGED SPA COVER.
  
  If you discover damage after taking delivery of the spa cover, call both America's SPA-MART and the freight carrier immediately. The earlier you catch the damage, the easier it is to convince the freight carrier to pay the claim!
  
  IF THE SPA COVER IS DAMAGED, SHIPMENT MUST BE REFUSED. IF THE PURCHASER OR THEIR AGENT SIGNS FOR THE SHIPMENT, THEY WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FILING OF THE FREIGHT CLAIM AND THE COST OF A REPLACEMENT UNIT. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO NEVER SIGN FOR A DAMAGED SHIPMENT NO MATTER WHAT THE FREIGHT COMPANY TELLS YOU. IF THE SHIPMENT IS DAMAGED, YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE THE SHIPMENT.

Frequently Asked Questions on Spa Cover Shipping

• What is the charge for spa cover delivery?
  For most orders of new ThermalGuardian spa covers, home delivery is absolutely FREE (technically included in the price). If you live in a remote area, an offshore island or a dense metro center like Miami Beach or New York City, there will be additional shipping charges in the form of High Cost Limited Access Delivery fees. We will contact you with these charges after we receive your order and you will have the option of cancelling your order if the charges exceed what you want to spend. At this time, shipping to Alaska is $399 and shipping to Hawaii is $399. Due to recent dramatic cost increases, we are now adding partial delivery charges to spa cover shipments to the states of Washington ($109), Oregon ($109), Idaho ($109), Montana ($139), Wyoming ($129), Utah ($109), New Mexico ($109), Arizona ($109), California ($109), Colorado ($119), Nevada ($109), North Dakota ($99) and South Dakota ($99).
• How will I know when the cover is to be delivered?
  Our LTL freight carriers will call to make an appointment for your home delivery. In the case of the cover delivering to a business address, no appointment is made. Please do not miss your appointment for delivery.
• Do I have to be home for delivery?
  In the case of an LTL freight carrier delivering your cover, YES you need to be home. If our manufacturing partner services your area, you typically do not need to be home.
• During what hours are spa covers delivered?
  Most of our covers are delivered via LTL freight carriers like UPS Freight, R&L Transportation and Roadrunner Transport. These carriers deliver Monday through Friday, typically between 10am and 6pm. In the event that our spa cover manufacturing partner is delivering your cover, the delivery window could be Monday through Saturday, 6am-9pm. Don't worry though, if our manufacturer delivers the cover you don't have to be home.
• I don't think I can be home to accept delivery. The carrier says I can leave a note. Is that okay?
  That is NOT okay. Do not leave a note. The carrier treats it as your signature accepting delivery without damage. If your cover is damaged, that note gets the freight carrier off the hook. Your options are to reconsider your ability to be home, take delivery at a location where you can be like your place of work or to pick the cover up at the local servicing terminal.
• Should I ever sign for a cover that I know if damaged?
  There is absolutely NO time when you should ever sign for a spa cover delivery that you know is damaged and you are not ready to accept as whole. Did we mention you should never sign for a damaged cover?
• If my cover is damaged, what happens next?
  In most cases, the cover is sent to us for inspection and then a brand-new spa cover is constructed and send back out. The damage replacement order skips to the front of our production queue to minimize the delay.
• The driver says I cannot inspect the delivery before signing. What should I do?
  Don't accept the delivery or at the very least make the driver wait while you call us at (800)823-3618. They have to let you inspect the shipment and they have to wait. Honestly, in the cases that we've heard of drivers doing this the product is already damaged and they just want to get out of there before you notice it so they don't have to file the paperwork. Ridiculous, we know.
• How do you select your delivery vendors?
  We have a list of criteria that we use to select carriers. Our manufacturer partners' logistics are often preferrable, but in the case of freight carriers we are looking for companies that minimize damage, keep transit time respectable and costs low, and present a professional face to all of our companies.

Call us toll-free at (800)823-3618 if you have any questions regarding delivery of your new spa cover.