How is my walk-in tub delivered and can I schedule the time?

Every Ella walk-in tub ships fully assembled by less-than-truckload (LTL) freight from the Chicago facility, and standard delivery is curbside with a liftgate: the driver lowers the crate to the ground at your curb or driveway, and moving it inside is up to you or your installer. You do not pick the carrier, because a freight forwarder chooses the shipping company based on what is most affordable for you, and once the crate reaches the terminal serving your area the carrier calls the phone number on your order to set a delivery appointment window. Is Walk-In Tub Delivery Curbside, and When Does the Carrier Call to Schedule? covers the appointment itself, and this page walks through the whole sequence, from the shipping details you will receive to being home to sign, with the alternatives when a curbside drop will not work.

Who Delivers the Tub and How You Find Out

A crated walk-in tub is far too large for a parcel service, so it rides on a pallet with other freight on a truck fitted with a liftgate, the hydraulic platform at the back that lowers the pallet to street level. The carrier is assigned to your shipment rather than chosen by you, and its name appears on your shipment confirmation along with the ship date. Tracking is emailed once the carrier has picked the tub up, and the tracking page is also where you find the carrier's own phone number if you ever need to call it directly. Because the forwarder picks whichever carrier is most affordable for your address, the company name on your caller ID may not be one you recognize, so answer unfamiliar calls while a tub is in transit.

The packaging video on this page shows why the crate is as large as it is: the tub is wrapped in thick multi-piece corrugated material or a half-inch plywood crate, and the skid is wrapped in plywood to protect it from forklifts at the terminals. Who Ships Your Walk-In Tub, Tracking, and Getting It Into Your Home explains the carrier choice and tracking in more detail.

When the Shipping Details Arrive

Shipping details come in stages rather than all at once, so it helps to know which piece you are waiting for.

1. The invoice is first. It confirms the ship-to address, whether that is your home, your installer's business or a freight terminal, and the tub is released only after you confirm those details, so check the address and the phone number on it carefully.
2. The shipment confirmation names the carrier and the ship date.
3. Tracking is emailed once the tub has actually been picked up by the carrier.
4. The carrier calls the number on the shipping paperwork to schedule the delivery once the crate reaches the destination terminal.

Every Ella tub is assembled and tested to order, so no fixed timeline from paid invoice to delivery is published. Timing depends on the model, the options and current stock, and your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 confirms the current timing for your specific order. If you bought through a dealer or retailer, that seller holds your order and its delivery details, so start there for status and tracking.

Scheduling a Time When You Are Home to Sign

Freight carriers do not simply show up. The appointment call is the only way the carrier can book the local truck, and the driver cannot leave the crate unsigned, so the sequence below is what gets the tub to your curb on a day you can be there.

1. Keep the phone number on your order current and answered. If it changes, tell where you purchased or the team right away. Check that the number is yours and not a dealer office, a contractor or a relative.
2. When tracking shows the crate at the destination terminal, expect the call. If it does not come, check for missed calls and a full or unset voicemail box, then call the carrier directly using the number on your tracking page. My Tub Is at the Freight Terminal, When Will the Carrier Call Me? covers that situation step by step.
3. Agree on a delivery appointment window with the carrier. You or someone you designate needs to be there for the whole window to receive, inspect and sign for the crate.
4. Line up your installer or two or more helpers for the same window, because the driver leaves the crate at the curb or driveway and does not carry it inside.

If nobody is present during the agreed window, the carrier records a failed delivery and a second attempt has to be arranged, and the carrier bills for that second attempt. Carriers can also begin storage charges on a crate that sits at the terminal, so respond quickly to the call rather than waiting for a more convenient week.

Can the Truck Deliver Somewhere Other Than Curbside?

Curbside with a liftgate is the standard handoff. Drivers are not obligated to cross a lawn, enter the home, unpack the tub or carry it inside, and room placement is never part of the service. What Is Curbside Delivery with Liftgate for a Walk-In Tub? explains exactly where the carrier's job ends. There are four other routes when a plain curbside drop will not work:

• Inside or garage placement. Some carriers will move the crate to an agreed spot on the property, such as inside a garage, but it is not offered by every carrier or at every address and it never includes the bathroom. Ask before the tub ships, describe the route in detail, including gates, side entrances, distance from the truck, steps and their height, and the surfaces the crate will cross, and give an on-site contact with a phone number.
• Your installer's business address. The tub is invoiced and shipped to the plumber's or installer's shop, where there are people and equipment to handle it, and the installer brings it on installation day. Shipping Your Tub to Your Plumber or Installer Instead of Your Home lists what the team needs to set that up.
• Pickup at the carrier's terminal, when a full-size truck cannot make it down your road or into your driveway.
• Pickup at the Chicago warehouse at 2700 W Roosevelt Rd, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Central.

Say so before the shipment is booked if a truck cannot reach your house, and call (800) 480-6850 with your order details so the team can confirm what the carrier will agree to at your address.

Delivery Day: Inspecting and Signing

Inspect and photograph the crate with the driver present, before you sign. If you cannot inspect it properly right then, write Concealed Damage Possible on the bill of lading before you date and sign it, and note any visible damage on the bill of lading as well. Save all packaging material until the installation is complete, and inspect for concealed damage, both visual and operational, so that any freight-damage claim can be filed within 48 hours of receipt through ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850. The installation video on this page shows the next steps: the crate and packing material come off, every end and side panel is removed before the tub is moved into the home, and the installer fills the tub outside and runs all pumps to check for leaks before it goes in, which the video strongly suggests to prevent issues after installation.

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