Do You Need Liftgate Service, and Can Shipping Be Recalculated Without It?

Liftgate service is needed whenever there is no loading dock or forklift at the delivery address, which is the case for nearly every home delivery. If your delivery point is a commercial location with a dock, or you have a forklift or another safe way to take the crate off the trailer, tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your order is finalized and the shipping charge can be recalculated without liftgate service. The same applies if you would rather pick the shipment up at the carrier's terminal or send your own carrier to the Chicago warehouse.

What Liftgate Service Does

A liftgate is a hydraulic platform on the back of the delivery truck. The driver lowers the crate on it to the ground at the curb or driveway. Without a liftgate the crate stays on the trailer bed, and someone at the site must bring it down. The driver does not carry the tub into the house or garage, so plan for your installer or helpers to move it indoors. How your tub ships and how to prepare for delivery day covers that part, and what curbside liftgate delivery includes describes the service in more detail.

When You Need It

• Delivery to a house, apartment, or any residential street.
• Delivery to a business without a dock or forklift.
• Any site where no one can safely lift a crated tub from a trailer.

When You Can Skip It

• A commercial address with a loading dock.
• A site with a forklift and someone able to operate it during delivery hours.
• Pickup at the carrier's terminal.
• Pickup at the Chicago warehouse by a carrier you arrange, since the warehouse has loading docks.

Shipping without liftgate service costs less than residential delivery with a liftgate. How shipping is calculated explains the weight, distance, and service-level factors behind the charge.

How to Have the Shipping Recalculated

1. Review the order paperwork before payment is processed. Residential deliveries include liftgate service by default, so a shipping line prepared for a home address will include it.
2. Tell where you purchased that the site has a dock or forklift, or that you will pick up at the terminal, and give the exact delivery address.
3. Ask for updated paperwork showing the revised delivery type: commercial with liftgate, commercial without liftgate, residential with liftgate, or pickup.
4. Confirm the revised shipping line before payment is processed so the order is booked at the correct service level.

Using Your Own Carrier

If you prefer to arrange your own freight, your order can be set up for pickup at the Chicago warehouse. The warehouse has loading docks, so your carrier can be scheduled to collect the crate. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 will need the pickup contact and delivery details for your carrier before the order is released.

Very Large Shipments

For oversized multi-unit orders, such as a dealer pallet of tubs, wall panels, and bases, carriers may decline liftgate service because of the weight and size of the load. In that case the receiving site must have a forklift or a dock, and the team will ask how you plan to unload before the shipment is booked.

Inspect on Arrival, with or Without a Liftgate

Whichever service you choose, inspect the crate before the driver leaves and note any damage on the delivery receipt. Freight damage claims must be filed within 48 hours of receipt through ellasbubbles.com/support, so keep all packaging material and check for concealed damage, both visual and operational. Delivery day inspection and moving walks through what to look for.

Related Guides

• How Do I Track My Walk-In Tub Freight Shipment, and What If It Stalls?
• What Are Shipping Size and Shipping Weight on a Walk-In Tub?

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.