What happens if I refuse the walk-in tub freight delivery at my door?

Refusing the freight delivery sends the crate back with the carrier instead of leaving it at your curb, and the right response depends on why you are refusing it. If the crate is severely damaged, call (800) 480-6850 before the truck leaves and you may reject the delivery. If the order was canceled or is a duplicate, do not sign for it, note the refusal with the driver and contact the team the same day so the carrier returns it and the refund can be arranged. For a crate with only light scuffs, accepting it and writing the damage on the delivery document protects you better than refusing, as the Printable Delivery Day Checklist for a Walk-In Tub explains.

Three Situations Where Refusing Is the Right Call

• The crate is severely damaged. Light scuffs on the outside of the crate are normal and should simply be documented, but a severely damaged crate may be rejected. Call (800) 480-6850 before the truck leaves so the team knows what is happening while the driver is still there.
• You canceled the order after it shipped. Once freight is on a truck, cancellation becomes a return in transit, and the team asks the carrier to route the freight back to the Chicago warehouse. Do not accept or sign for a delivery you have canceled.
• A duplicate tub arrived. Duplicates usually happen when a homeowner and their contractor each order the same tub. If a second unit shows up, do not sign for it. Refuse the delivery, note the refusal with the driver, and contact the team so the carrier returns it and the refund can be arranged.

Refusing a Severely Damaged Crate

Every walk-in tub arrives fully assembled on a freight truck, and the bill of lading the driver presents is the document that records what was handed over and the condition it was in. Refusing without documenting leaves you with nothing to show later, so take these steps in order:

1. Walk around the crate and photograph every side, the top and the skid before anything is moved.
2. Call (800) 480-6850 while the driver is still there and describe what you see. The team will tell you whether to reject the delivery or accept it with the damage noted.
3. Write every dent, puncture or crushed area on the delivery document and have the driver sign next to your note. Damage that is not on the delivery documents cannot be claimed properly, and that applies whether the crate stays or goes.
4. Keep your copy of the bill of lading. It travels with the freight, so it is the record that connects your photos to the shipment.
5. Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with the photos taken at the curb, the signed bill of lading, your invoice and your order number. If a dealer or retailer holds your order, report the damage to them as well.

The refused crate goes back with the carrier, and the team confirms the next step for your order. Because every tub is assembled and tested before it ships, the team, or your Ella dealer, confirms the current timing for your specific order rather than quoting a general date. The first video on this page shows what the packaging looks like when it leaves Chicago: a multi-piece corrugated box of thick material, or a half-inch plywood crate, on a skid wrapped in a layer of plywood to protect it from forks at the shipping terminals. Marks on that outer layer are what the crate is there to absorb, which is why a scuffed crate is documented rather than refused.

When Accepting and Noting the Damage Is Better Than Refusing

Most delivery-day damage is cosmetic to the crate, and a refused tub means nothing is left for your installer to work with. The checklist approach keeps your claim rights intact while the tub stays at your home:

• Write every scuff, dent or puncture on the delivery document and have the driver sign it, even if it looks minor.
• If you cannot inspect fully while the driver waits, sign with the words "subject to further inspection" so the carrier knows your inspection is still to come.
• Open the crate carefully and save all packaging, including the crate, until installation is complete.
• Inspect the shell, door, glass, finish and every fitting for concealed damage. A complete inspection is both visual and operational, so plan the pre-installation water test before the walls are finished.
• Report any damage or missing parts within 48 hours of receipt through ellasbubbles.com/support.

The second video shows this operational check on a Transfer60: the installer removes the case and packing material, takes off the end and side panels, fills the tub outside to check for leaks and runs all the pumps before the tub is drained, dried and moved inside. Doing that check before installation is what turns a hidden problem into a documented claim. What the delivery paperwork records and why a clean signature matters is covered in What Is a Bill of Lading (BOL) on a Walk-In Tub Delivery?.

Refusing a Canceled or Duplicate Delivery

If you canceled after the tub shipped, the team has already asked the carrier to hold the shipment and return it to the warehouse. That can take a few exchanges, especially once the freight has been handed to a final-mile delivery agent, so a truck may still arrive. Tell the driver the order was canceled, do not sign the delivery receipt, and contact the team the same day so they can confirm with the carrier that the freight is heading back. The team confirms the refund once the returned freight is back with them. For a duplicate, the process is the same: refuse, note the refusal with the driver, and contact the team. Before ordering, confirm with your installer that only one of you is placing the order, and double-check the door side and drain side on the confirmation, since those are the details a duplicate usually gets wrong. The full picture, including canceling before shipment and canceling over installation estimates, is in Canceling a Walk-In Tub Order Before or After It Ships.

Changed Your Mind? Call Before the Truck Comes

Turning the truck away without warning is the slowest way to undo an order. The moment you decide, contact the team through ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850, or contact where you purchased if you ordered through a dealer or retailer, and have your order number ready. The team checks whether the tub has left the warehouse and either cancels the order or asks the carrier to stop the delivery and route the freight back. If a carrier calls to schedule delivery anyway, say the order was canceled and contact the team that day. Ask the team to confirm how your refund will be processed, and keep the written cancellation confirmation with your records.

If you have already accepted and unpacked the tub, refusal is no longer an option and the published return policy applies instead. Returns are for brand new, uninstalled tubs in their original packaging, and the tub must be repacked on its pallet, photographed and collected at the curb with a return bill of lading. That process is described in Preparing a Returned Walk-In Tub for Carrier Pickup.

Related Guides

• My tub arrived damaged. What should I do in the first 48 hours?
• My order arrived damaged, how do I file a freight damage claim?
• Can I return my walk-in tub? The 30-day return policy explained

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