On placing an order, you are deemed to have reviewed and agreed to these terms and conditions.

     Our terms and conditions apply to all orders without exception and are non-negotiable.

     If you have any questions regards these, or if there is anything that you do not understand - please contact us with your query before placing an order.

 

   

     Ordering your colonies

     To place an order, you should first contact us to confirm availability, method of payment, and to arrange a posting date. This should be done by email or via our website.

 

     Declined orders  

     Some orders may be declined. We maintain a blacklist of people who have tried to dishonestly obtain stock from us / submitted false claims and share information with other traders about potential 'scammers', and we reserve the right to decline any orders we deem as being 'at risk' and in so doing are not obliged to give a reason.

     However, for your information, orders are typically declined from new customers when we have been warned not to deal with you by other traders, or we think you are purchasing for someone else who is on our blacklist.

 

     Minimum order amount

     Due to the amount of work involved in preparing and posting small orders, we have decided to introduce a minimum order amount. This is 100 U.K. Pounds Sterling. (Stock value - not including postage).

 

     Reservations

     We have decided to remove the reservations option, as customers are abusing this service. Some customers are placing orders, and then stating they cannot take delivery at the moment, and asking us to take care of the colonies for an additional 3 - 4 weeks. This involves a lot of work and within that time frame, some colonies can increase substantially in size. Hence customers are ordering smaller-sized colonies, then expecting us to ‘grow the colony on’ and send them a larger colony for the same price.

 

     Payments

     Orders can only be dispatched after we have received full payment. 

     All potential customers will be requested to pay via a 'bank to bank' transfer or a PayPal 'Friends and Family' payment.

     You can make a bank transfer of the required amount in U.K. Pounds Sterling direct to our bank account in the U.K. If you have internet banking facilities that allow international funds transfer you should be able to complete the transfer yourself, and the funds are usually transferred within 24 hours. If this option is requested, we will send you our account details after we have confirmed the availability of your order.

 

     Credit card payments

     We do not accept credit card payments or other forms of payment funded by a credit card, such as those linked to a PayPal account. Any payments that are linked to credit cards will be refunded and the order cancelled.

     Why? Because this method of payment is frequently abused by scammers, who after they have received the goods claim a chargeback on their card.

 

     Refunds / Order cancelation

     If for some reason you need to cancel your order and payment has been made by PayPal you will receive a refund within 48 hours. If a refund is due for a bank transfer payment it will be made within 5 working days. Note: If you made the original payment by PayPal e-cheque then we will not refund you until your original payment has cleared, which may take between 7 - 10 days.

     Orders cancelled by the customer before 7 days of the agreed posting date are not subject to any cancellation charges, and a full refund will be given. Note the amount of refund may be subject to currency fluctuations, however, this would in most cases be only a small amount.

     Orders cancelled less than seven days of the agreed posting date will be subject to a 10% cancellation charge to cover all the preparatory work already completed.

     Orders that are cancelled within 48 hours of the agreed posting date will be subject to a 25% value cancellation charge. This is because we will have already removed the colony from its habitat and prepared all the boxes/paperwork.

 

​     Legality

     For all export orders, it is the customer’s responsibility for ensuring the legality of importing the goods into their country. If the colonies are seized or impounded by customs for any reason, then regrettably we cannot replace the colonies or make any refund.

     Customers are also responsible for checking if any import permits / other documents are required for importing ant queens/colonies into their country. If so, it is the customer's responsibility to obtain these prior to the stock being posted.

 

     Additional charges

     The buyer, or recipient, is exclusively responsible for any importation taxes, customs duties, brokerage fees, and expenses related to importation and compliance with the appropriate import laws for each country. Please consult your local customs service and other relevant authorities to confirm that no restrictions or special requirements apply to your order.

 

     Returns

     Because of the limited shelf life, we are not able to accept the return of any items sent. If any consignments are not accepted by the consignee and hence returned, or returned by 'governmental agencies' such as customs, then they will be considered as having been delivered and no refund will be made under any circumstances.

 

     Postage Dates

     Any dates quoted for delivery of goods are approximate only and we shall not be liable for any delay in the delivery of goods however caused. If your order arrives after the expected date this is the fault of the postal company. We cannot be held responsible for any delay or failure to deliver and you cannot claim a refund. 'Expected delivery times' from past orders sent can be found on our 'posting information page'.

 

     Postal Delays

     We check the ‘Thai EMS site’ for updates/notifications prior to sending colonies out, and if there are going to be any delays will notify the customer prior to posting.

     However; it is the customer’s responsibility to check their own countries postal service regards the possibility of delays with delivery. Customers should notify us of any expected delays and discuss the implications prior to the arranged posting date. if we have not received any notified concerns from the customer, it is taken that their post-service is operating as normal.

     We are not responsible for any delivery delays caused by the Thai EMS service, or the customer’s local post service company. Any loss of packages or stock arriving dead because of postal delays will not be replaced and no refund will be made.

 

     Cold Weather Postings

     Orders due to be posted to cold climate countries during their winter should only be sent when the temperature on delivery is expected to be a minimum of 8 - 10°C.

     It is the recipient's responsibility to check the forward weather forecast for the expected delivery date and notify us if the temperature will be too low. If so, we will then ask the recipient to check on the climate forecast for another agreeable delivery date, so we can confirm an alternative posting date. Any stock lost due to cold weather at the time of delivery, when we have pre-notified the customer of the posting date and they have not requested an alternative date will not be replaced.

 

     Our Liability

     Once the colony has been posted we have no control over what then happens and are unfortunately unable to guarantee delivery services and times for shipping service companies, so our liability ends.

     We are not responsible for delays, additional import costs, or confiscation and/or death of colonies resulting from acts or decisions of local governmental agencies or the postal company used, or for any other ‘ad hoc’ reason.

     We are also not liable if a colony arrives dead due to low temperatures during storage/delayed transport by the postal authority, or adverse weather conditions during the time taken to arrive.

 

     Warning

     Some of the ants we supply can give a painful bite or sting. We will advise you if this is applicable when you place your order, but please note that you are buying the ants at your own risk, and we cannot be held responsible for any injury caused by any of the ants supplied.

 

     Your obligation

     We sell our colonies to you on the understanding that they will not under any circumstances be released into any non-native habitats.

     It is important to understand that if the tropical ant species we supply to you are not native to the local fauna of your country you should never release any of the colonies into the wild, as this may have a detrimental effect on local species and in most countries is contravening wildlife laws.

     If you have a non-native colony that you no longer want, try contacting other hobbyists and maybe they will exchange for another species, or buy the colony from you. Alternatively, some sellers in your country may be willing to buy the colony from you.

 

     Summary

​    

     Although our terms and conditions seem to be very strict, they are applied and enforced to protect our business from potential scammers making dishonest claims.

     Ants are living insects and if they are kept under incorrect conditions or mishandled can perish very quickly. Some customers are purchasing exotic species for the first time and have little experience in keeping them, and as such, there is a possibility that some of the colonies may die soon after delivery due to mishandling and incorrect care.

     When this happens some customers just think about how they can get their money back, and the first action they take is to try and submit a false/unjustified claim. In purchasing ants, you are buying a living product, and if you destroy that product by incorrect housing or care, then it is your fault and not because the product you purchased was defective.

 

     Take into consideration

     We have been exporting colonies direct from Thailand for twelve years, and this has given us the experience to minimize any potential problems, resulting in most orders being delivered quickly without any complications.

 

     Live arrival guarantee

     Our knowledge regards colony preparation prior to posting, and our specialized packing method, which has been perfected over the past twelve years, is now probably the best in the trade. This is supported by the fact that the vast majority of our ants arrive without any problem. The only notable reason for any loss is delayed delivery, and this is caused by the postal company service whose actions are beyond our control.

     Hence, we feel that the offer of a live arrival guarantee is not required, and going on past experience if it was implemented it would only be abused, and the result would be a surge of false claims by potential scammers. We would then have to increase our prices to cover the loss caused, and we do not think that additional costs caused by scammers should have to be covered by our other honest customers.

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