Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the 99 Blue Bananas, question and answer section. You'll find some of the most common questions asked by our customers listed on this page. Please browse for the question you have and click on the appropriate link to read a response. If this doesn't answer your question or if you have a question that isn't covered here, you can call our Customer Service line on 1 (888) 996 6899 to speak with one of our consultants. Please select a link for further information:

Finding and Ordering a Gift

What is a taster? A taster is the recipient of a Blue Banana Experience or Gift Card. A taster can choose a flexible activity based around their schedule. What is a Blue Banana? A Blue Banana is the perfect gift What is a picker? A picker buys the Blue Banana Experience for the taster. Picking a Blue Banana is simple, user friendly and offers wonderful choices to make it as easy as possible. Who is 99 Blue Bananas and what is an Experience? 99 Blue Bananas is a specialist gift finding and booking service. We spend significant time searching for truly startling, unusual and unexpected gifts. Most of these gifts are in the form of Where are the Experiences based? Our Experiences are primarily based in around the West Coast, although we are looking to expand our activities into the continental U.S.A What does 99 Blue Bananas do for me? If you purchase a Gift Card from us we will arrange the booking of these Experiences with our Experience Providers. All our Experience Providers are vetted to ensure they operate within strict safety and professional guidelines. Our aim is to take the stress out of buying gifts. We find and book the gift of your dreams... Are prices on 99 Blue Bananas competitive? Yes. We market on behalf of 99 or more different Experience Providers, and it is in our interests, as well as those of our supply partners, to ensure that we bring Experiences to you at the same price you would pay if you went direct. We guarantee that you will pay no more through us with our 100% Price Certification a commitment that allows you to buy with confidence. Why do prices for some activities vary from location to location? We use a variety of Experience Providers across California. Some may offer slightly different itineraries or equipment. As far as possible, we have included full details of activities in the long description and agenda sections of the product pages to help you decide. Where can I buy 99 Blue Bananas Experiences? There are three easy ways to buy experiences: - Here on our website - By calling our Customer Service Center on 1 (888) 996 6899 - By writing to us at 99 Blue Bananas, PO Box 251240, Los Angeles, CA90025 We currently have over 99 diverse activities to choose from, and our list is constantly growing. In addition, we create unique packages designed to appeal to different ages and tastes. How do I buy online? Our quick browse section can help you locate experiences by category, location or price range. Alternatively our Gift Finder can further narrow your search by including type and age. Once you have selected your gift, simply add to cart and follow the easy steps. After a successful purchase you will be sent a confirmation email and the lucky I would like to buy a gift, but I'm not sure which Experience to choose? Why not purchase a 99 Blue Bananas Gift Card? It Do you have any Special Offers on any of your Experiences? We often have Special Offers for certain Experiences, dates and times at special prices that you can buy at short notice. Do I have to choose a specific date for the Experience when I No, the Experience can be left "open-dated", so that your recipient can choose a date. If you'd prefer to book the date of the Experience when placing your order please call us on 1 (888) 996 6899 to check availability and confirm. Please note that dates are subject to availability. You should not make any travel or other related arrangements until the experience booking has been confirmed. How long are Gift Cards valid for? All Gift Cards are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase unless otherwise required by applicable state law. Can I give my 99 Blue Bananas Gift Card to another person? 99 Blue Bananas Gift Cards are completely transferable prior to activation (i.e. before the date has been requested). Once the date of the Experience has been confirmed with the Experience Provider, your Gift Card cannot be transferred to another recipient. What do you receive in the 99 Blue Bananas Gift Pack? All 99 Blue Bananas Experiences arrive in plain packaging and can be sent directly to you or the person receiving the gift. Inside the pack you will find a beautiful presentation folder accompanied by all the relevant details you will need to know about your Experience. The pack contains your Experience Gift Card, an individually produced and personalized message card, which can also be left blank to be filled in later, and a picture information card with details of how your recipient books a date for their Experience of a lifetime. To view a sample Gift Pack click here. Can I personalize the Gift Pack with a message? Of Course! At 99 Blue Bananas we pride ourselves on our personalized Gift Packs. We can pre-print a special personalized message card, which is included in the gift pack. If you prefer, we can leave it blank for you to fill in by hand. Can I get another Gift Pack sent to me? If your Gift Card or Gift Pack is lost or stolen (provided it has not already been redeemed) we can cancel it and provide a replacement Gift Pack. There is a $20 administration charge for this service. Please call our customer service team. Are there any restrictions that I need to consider before buying an Experience? Some Experiences are subject to minimum or maximum requirements, e.g. age, health, height or weight. We will advise you before you place your order if any restrictions apply. These restrictions are specified by our Experience Providers for your own safety. Once booked, you may be liable for charges if you have to cancel because the minimum requirements are not met. Full details are included in your Gift Pack and we ask you to read this carefully as soon as you receive it. What are the risks for the Experience or activity I am booking or participating in? Each Experience and activity comes with its own unique risks. All of our operators are professional, established outfits, with excellent track records. Your safety and satisfaction is our primary concern. Some of the more adventurous activities (such as skydiving or bungee jumping) will require you to sign a compulsory waiver form, in accordance with accepted standards within the industry. If you are concerned in any way, 99 Blue Bananas encourages you to discuss these with the Experience Provider prior to taking the Experience. What happens if something goes wrong whilst participating in an Experience? 99 Blue Bananas has a widespread range of Experience Providers that extend across the US. Although great care is taken in choosing our Experience Providers and venues, 99 Blue Bananas cannot guarantee the safety standards or satisfactory performance of any Experience Provider, nor can 99 Blue Bananas accept responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by a participant whilst participating in the Experience for which the Experience Provider will be solely responsible. What about Insurance? Insurance varies from Experience Provider to Experience Provider. 99 Blue Bananas encourages participants to enquire about and view the Experience Provider I live overseas. Can I buy a Blue Banana for a friend who will be visiting the US? Absolutely. So long as our system accepts your payment, you will be able to pick a Blue Banana for a visitor to the United States When do I need to Sign In or Create Account? Once you proceed to checkout you will be asked to sign in to your account. If you do not have an account you will need to create one. What payment types do you accept? We accept the following payment types: - Debit or credit card. We accept all major debit and credit cards including American Express - Virtual Checks and Checks or postal orders. Make your check or postal order payable to "99 Blue Bananas" and send to 99 Blue Bananas, PO Box 251240 Los Angeles, CA90025 with the appropriate payment and full contact details. Please allow 7 days for your check to clear. - You may also redeem your Gift Card as payment for your order. Please note we cannot reserve dates or dispatch your pack until full payment has been received. You can also pay through PayPal Are my details safe if I buy on-line? We are totally committed to protecting your security and privacy. The security of personal and credit card information is our highest priority. We use all the latest available technology to ensure the highest level of safety. All payments made through our website are processed by LinkPoint International and secured by Verisign which offers highly advanced fraud protection for online credit card payments. Payments are verified by Visa How do you protect my privacy? Full details of the type of information we collect can be found in our Privacy Policy. Where is the Experience Provider located? How do I know what to bring? We will provide you with the address of the Experience Provider after a date has been confirmed for your Experience. If there are any items such as apparel that are important to the day you will be advised of this at this time. After I have scheduled my Experience, can I move the date? Once you have scheduled your Experience you will be bound by the terms and conditions of the Experience Provider with whom you will be going. Contact details and information will be provided in your Gift Pack. What happens if my booking is cancelled? If the Experience Provider cancels an Experience an alternative date should be organized directly with them. In exceptional circumstances 99 Blue Bananas may need to cancel an Experience. 99 Blue Bananas will notify participants as soon as possible in such cases and offer all available alternatives. We do not refund any expenses incurred relating to the cancelled Experience. Has gratuity been included in my experience? No, service gratuity has not been included in your Experience.

Redeeming a Gift and Booking an Experience

When can I start booking my Experience? As soon as your Gift Pack arrives in the mail, all the necessary booking details will be enclosed. You can also make your booking request after you purchase a Gift Card online. In general, for best availability, we suggest you make your booking as soon as possible, and typically no less than 30 days prior to your intended arrival date. Any exceptions for a particular package will state specific reservation restrictions or requirements on your purchase verification. How do I redeem my Gift Card and book a date for my Experience? When you are ready to redeem your Experience, click on the link Use a Gift Card at the top of any page and enter your Gift Card number. Next, you will be asked to create a user id and password (if you do not have one already) that will link your Gift Card to your personal 99 Blue Bananas account. You can then choose your preferred time and location to schedule your Experience. 99 Blue Bananas will notify you by email when the booking has been verified and confirmed. If your requested date and time is not available, we will offer you two alternatives. Present both your 99 Blue Bananas Card and the booking confirmation number to the Experience Provider for the Experience of a lifetime How can I determine my account balance? When you log in to our website, your account balance is shown on your home page. You can also view full details of all of your purchases by clicking on Purchase History. You'll be able to view your account balance, update your contact details, browse our huge range of Experiences and place your order online using your balance as payment. Alternatively, you can contact our Customer Service Center on 1 (888) 996 6899. What if the balance in my account doesn - If your order total is less than the amount of your Gift Card the balance will be added to your account as store credit. - If your order total is more than the amount of your Gift Card we will ask you for your credit card to cover the balance. Can I use my Gift Card to book directly with an Experience Provider? No. A 99 Blue Bananas Gift Card can only be redeemed on our website. I want to book an Experience for today. How do I go about this? Usually our Experience Providers require at least 48 hours notice before finalizing an Experience. However, we want you to be able to take the Experience when you want and we'll do everything to help you with your request, please call one of our 99 Blue Bananas consultants on 1 (888) 996 6899 to discuss your needs. Do I need to go on my Experience before the expiration date? No, however you must schedule and receive your booking confirmation number before the expiration date. Your Gift Card is valid for a period of one year from the purchase date except where otherwise stated by law. Can I cancel the Experience I am booked for and choose another one? No. Once you have booked an Experience, you cannot change it. The weather isn't looking good. How will I know if my Experience is postponed? Many of the Experiences offered by 99 Blue Bananas are dependant on weather conditions. The Experience description will include advice about weather conditions and participants may need to confirm with the Experience Provider on the day. A telephone contact number will be provided in your booking confirmation. In the event that the Experience is cancelled, participants will be able to re-book directly with the Experience Provider. However, we will not reimburse you for any traveling and other related expenses caused by cancellation due to adverse weather. What happens if I cannot attend the confirmed day of my Experience? If you cannot attend your Experience on the date confirmed, you are responsible for contacting the Experience Provider direct ASAP. As a basic minimum, most providers require at least 48 hours notice; however this may be significantly more depending on individual providers. If you don't you may incur a cancellation fee or even the full cost of the Experience. The Provider Can we bring children/spectators to the different Experiences? Many activities will allow spectators to attend and for children to participate, but in order to be sure please check when booking your Experience.

Shipping

What are your delivery details for the Gift Packs? Your personalized Gift Pack will be sent in plain packaging and no value or price information will ever be included in the Gift Pack so we won't spoil any surprise. You can choose to have it delivered directly to you or directly to your recipient. Can I specify when the gift is delivered? Yes, you are able to specify on which day the gift is mailed. This means you can buy your gift up to 2 months in advance, taking the stress out of last minute rushed purchases. All orders will be processed the following business day. We do not process orders on weekends or holidays. If you need the gift pack delivered urgently, you can use our next-working-day courier service. I've left it late and need my Gift Pack ASAP what do I do? Click the next day delivery option on the buying page and so long as you order your Gift Pack before 2pm, we will guarantee delivery next working day. (If it's later than this call us we may still be able to help out). How will you ship the Gift Packs and what is the cost? We use FedEx for shipping. FedEx Ground (5 Bus. days) - $7.99 FedEx 2 Day (2 Bus, days) - $15.99 FedEx Overnight Standard - $21.99 FedEx Overnight Priority - $28.99 Courier charges are non-refundable How can I track my order? Once 99 Blue Bananas has shipped your Gift Pack, we will email you a shipping confirmation with a Fed Ex tracking number. You can then use this number to track the status of your order via the Federal Express I haven't received my order, what should I do? If you have not received your order please contact 99 Blue Bananas Customer Service at 1 (888) 996 6899

Additional Info

Why the name "Blue" I operate an experience that I would like to offer through your company ... We are always interested in finding new high quality suppliers offering unique experiences. Contact us on 1(888) 996 6899 or email us at partners@99bluebananas.com How do I give you feedback on my experience? We appreciate all feedback, good and bad and are 100% committed to improving our customer experience, whether it I am a journalist looking to write an article about 99 Blue Bananas. Whom do I contact? Contact our PR/Marketing department by calling 1 (888) 996 6899 or email us at press@99bluebananas.com. I would like to run a promotion with 99 Blue Bananas, whom do I contact? You should contact our business development team on 1(888) 996 6899 Does 99 Blue Bananas handle corporate gifts / staff incentives? Absolutely. Many of our Bananas are perfect for corporate gifts, retreats and teambuilding exercises. We have personnel specially dedicated to business clients. Our advisors are at hand to help you find the right solution to improving your incentives and rewards, offering corporate gifts and creating sales promotions operations. To find out more contact us on 1(888) 996 6899 or email us at corporateservice@99bluebananas.com. I haven`t received an on-screen confirmation on completion of my order or booking Please call our Customer Service on 1 (888) 996 6899 during office hours (0900-1730 PST Mon-Fri). If you wish to check your order status you will be asked to provide your full name and details of your order. I`m not sure if payment has been processed correctly, how do I check this? If you think that your payment has not been processed correctly please call us during office hours (0900-1730 PST Mon-Fri) on 1 (888) 996 6899 with your details so that we can check this for you. Why have I received a message saying my session has expired? To store your shopping basket information we work within timed `sessions`. If your `session` has expired, you will need to add your items to the shopping basket again, or if you prefer you can call us on (0900-1730 PST Mon-Fri) on 1 (888) 996 6899 What do I do when your offices are closed? If you are calling us outside normal office hours, you can leave a message on our voicemail system and we will call you upon our return. Alternatively, you can email us at customerservice@99bluebananas. and we will respond to your questions during office hours. Still Not Sure? We are always happy to discuss any questions you may have with any aspect of our service. Please view our full Terms and Conditions. Please call us on 1 (888) 996 6899 or email us with your query on customerservice@99bluebananas. Our opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am

GIFT FINDER