Dealing with a vendor about items damaged from cold

[Leafmite]

Did the plants sit outside once delivered? If not, complain to whoever delivered your plants. Most vendors mark the boxes as 'live plants' and they should not have been left on a truck in the cold. What if they had been birds?
As for sending the plants back...I think it is reasonable if their policy states this. If you buy a dog from a kennel and it dies of distemper, you typically need to have the vet certify its death. Petstores have you bring the creature in before they will replace or refund. Unfortunately, some vendors have been burned in the past so they are ultra careful now. I have had plants affected by unpredicted cold weather (welcome to Ohio where the forecast can change hourly!) and I have saved them...a few times. Often I find that my plants do bounce back with babying. The orchids often need some isopropyl alcohol treatments to prevent rot (vanilla seems to be really temperature sensitive for me). Read the policy and if it doesn't state that they plants may need to be returned for a refund, you might want to argue that.

---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 PM ----------

I see you recieved the package directly. I am surprised, then, that the vendor isn't more interested in learning why the plants didn't get better care while being shipped. I have recieved lowland equator rainforest plants in the dead of winter with no damage (no heat pack, either, regular post)! That package sat out somewhere in the cold, likely on a truck or loading dock. Your vendor should be happy to be notified of such service!