Pickup & Drop Policy

Policy 03

The safe collection and return of your plants is the most operationally critical part of our service. This policy establishes the rules and responsibilities for both parties to ensure every plant is handled with the utmost care from your doorstep to ours and back.

3.1 Service Zones

Plants Daddy's free pickup and drop service currently operates within the following zones in Lucknow:

Zone A — Free Pickup & Drop

Gomti Nagar · Gomti Nagar Extension · Sushant Golf City · Ekana · Vibhuti Khand · Sector H, I, J of Aliganj (adjoining)

Zone B — Surcharge Applicable

Areas within 8km of Zone A boundaries. A transport surcharge of ₹99–₹299 applies depending on distance. Confirm surcharge at time of booking.

Zone C — On Request Only

Areas beyond 8km from our nursery. Subject to availability and team scheduling. Surcharge of ₹299–₹499. Cannot be guaranteed during peak season.

Out of Zone

Areas outside Lucknow city limits are not serviceable for pickup/drop. However, customers outside these zones may self-deliver plants to our nursery by appointment.

3.2 Scheduling Your Pickup

Upon booking confirmation, you will receive a 2-hour pickup window (for example, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM) on your selected pickup date. Our team will call you approximately 30 minutes before arrival to confirm they are en route.

Pickup requests must be submitted at least 48 hours in advance for standard bookings. Same-day pickup is available exclusively for Garden Traveller subscription members and for the Emergency Pickup add-on (₹299), subject to team availability.

Standard Pickup Window: 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM on all days including Sundays
Summer Protocol (May–June): Pickups scheduled before 9:00 AM or after 5:00 PM to protect plants from extreme heat during transit
Monsoon Protocol (July–September): Pickups suspended during active heavy rainfall. Rescheduled to the next available slot at no charge
Holiday Pickup: We operate on all public holidays. Festival-period pickups must be booked at least 5 days in advance

3.3 Customer Responsibilities at Pickup

To ensure a smooth, damage-free pickup, customers are responsible for the following on pickup day:

Be present or arrange access: An authorised adult must be available at the pickup location during the pickup window. If you cannot be present, inform us in advance with the name of the authorised person and ensure they have complete access to all plants.
Plants must be accessible: All plants should be gathered near the door, lobby, or lift lobby for easy loading. Plants on high shelves, locked rooms, or rooftops that require special equipment to access may not be included in the pickup.
Declare any fragile or special plants: Inform us in advance (at booking or latest by midnight before pickup) about any bonsai, orchids, very large specimens, or plants in heavy ceramic pots that require special handling protocols.
Acknowledge the intake documentation: You or your authorised representative must confirm on WhatsApp: "I confirm that [X] plants have been picked up by Plants Daddy on [Date]" after our team's departure. This is your digital acknowledgement of the service commencement.
Disclose pre-existing conditions honestly: Any yellowing, pest infestation, recent repotting, or known fragility must be disclosed at or before pickup. Plants Daddy cannot be held responsible for deterioration of conditions that existed prior to intake and were not disclosed.

If our team arrives and no one is home: We will wait for 15 minutes and attempt to call twice. If no response, the pickup will be marked as a failed attempt and rescheduled. A ₹149 failed-pickup fee applies for the second failed attempt. The third failed attempt will result in booking cancellation with no refund of advance.

3.4 The Plant Tagging & Documentation Protocol

Every plant picked up by Plants Daddy is subject to our Golden Tagging Protocol — a non-negotiable standard that ensures zero mix-ups and complete accountability throughout the stay.

Each plant receives a unique waterproof tag bearing the Booking ID and a sequential plant number (e.g., PD-2025-0047-003) — applied to the pot before any movement.
Three photographs are taken of every tagged plant at pickup: top view, side view, and tag clearly visible. These are saved to a digital record associated with your Booking ID.
A Plant Intake Form is filled for each booking capturing: plant types, approximate age, watering frequency, sunlight needs, known issues, and estimated value.
The customer receives a pickup confirmation message on WhatsApp listing the number of plants collected and the Booking ID within 30 minutes of our team's departure.
All plants from one booking are stored in a dedicated zone at our nursery, physically separated from other bookings. They are never mixed.

3.5 Transit Safety Protocols

Plants Daddy takes full responsibility for any damage that occurs during transit between your home and our nursery, and on the return journey. We hold ourselves to the following transit standards:

Open-top padded crates are used for all plant transport. Plants are never stacked on top of one another.
Soil surface is covered with newspaper or soft cloth before transit to prevent spillage and soil compaction.
Tall plants are gently staked and their stems loosely secured before loading.
Rare and delicate plants (orchids, bonsai, fiddle leaf fig) are transported in separate dedicated crates, handled individually, and in some cases hand-carried by team members.
Maximum load per trip: 25–30 medium-sized pots per vehicle. We do not overload our transport to protect your plants.
Weather-safe timings are enforced (see Section 3.2). No plant is transported in extreme heat, active rain, or high wind conditions.

3.6 Drop-Off Procedure

The return of your plants — the moment we call The Homecoming — is handled with the same care as pickup, with the added step of our pre-dispatch preparation protocol.

Pre-dispatch preparation: Every plant is hand-wiped, misted, dead leaves removed, and soil top-dressed 24 hours before return. Your plants will arrive looking better than when they left.
Return confirmation: We contact you 24 hours before the drop-off date to confirm your availability and exact delivery window.
Door delivery: Plants are delivered to your door — not to the lobby, lift, or security desk. If your building has access restrictions, inform us in advance so we can coordinate entry.
Plant count verification: Our team unloads all plants in front of you. You are requested to count the plants and confirm the number matches your booking. Any discrepancy must be raised immediately — not after our team departs.
Balance payment collection: The remaining 50% balance is collected at this point, via UPI/GPay/PhonePe. Plants will not be transferred until balance payment is confirmed.
Delivery confirmation: You confirm receipt on WhatsApp: "I confirm receipt of [X] plants from Plants Daddy, all in good condition." Any concerns must be noted at this stage.

If you are not available for delivery: An authorised adult must be present. If no one is available at the scheduled time, a ₹149 re-dispatch fee applies for rescheduling the delivery. Plants will remain in our care (charged pro-rata) until successful delivery is completed.

3.7 Liability During Transit

Plants Daddy accepts full liability for damage that occurs to plants due to our handling during pickup and drop-off transit. This includes physical breakage of pots, snapped stems, or soil spills caused by our team's handling.

We do not accept liability for damage caused by:

Shock or wilting caused by changes in environment (moving from a familiar indoor space to our nursery) — a normal occurrence for some sensitive plants
Damage to plants that were already structurally compromised or overwatered/root-bound before pickup (documented in intake photos)
Breakage of pots that were pre-cracked or already damaged before pickup (documented in intake photos)
Plant stress caused by extreme weather conditions beyond our control, where all reasonable precautions were taken