Party Center Shocker! Did You Know...???
This past Saturday my son was invited to a birthday party of a classmate, at a local moon bounce party center. My son was very excited to help his friend celebrate his 6th birthday, at a party center that we have driven by countless times. Arriving early I signed the release waiver, and spoke with the hostess. The boys greeted each other, and talked very animated about how much fun they would have during the two and half hours of chaos and jumping fun!
As we have been to other moon bounce party centers, I was not surprised that the party guests and adults were asked to huddle near the entrance and wait until everyone arrived. (I was also used to a safety video, and silently was thankful that my son would be reminded to not jump on anyone.) As the minutes ticked by the kids grew more and more antsy. A little girl in our group asked if she could be taken to the bathroom, and her mother quickly returned stating she was unable to get the the bathroom.
It was then that we all were notified that someone had gotten ill at the last party. Two of the staff members then used balloon ribbon to block off the area and taped a sign that said "Do Not Enter." When the party hostess inquired how long the wait would be for them to clean up that mess, she was informed "We don't clean vomit, there are paper towels down. You can bounce on the first bounce house and obstacle course."
What? Are you kidding me? I was shocked and appalled, as I watch two children step in this mess! It was then that I decided that would call the Health Department! 30 minutes before we headed into the party room to have pizza, cake, and snacks; a man arrived with a wet vac to "clean," the vomit. He did not wear gloves or use a solution to sanitize the area, after the wet vacuum sucked up the vomit. I just watched in complete shock!
I learned the following things from this event:
As we have been to other moon bounce party centers, I was not surprised that the party guests and adults were asked to huddle near the entrance and wait until everyone arrived. (I was also used to a safety video, and silently was thankful that my son would be reminded to not jump on anyone.) As the minutes ticked by the kids grew more and more antsy. A little girl in our group asked if she could be taken to the bathroom, and her mother quickly returned stating she was unable to get the the bathroom.
It was then that we all were notified that someone had gotten ill at the last party. Two of the staff members then used balloon ribbon to block off the area and taped a sign that said "Do Not Enter." When the party hostess inquired how long the wait would be for them to clean up that mess, she was informed "We don't clean vomit, there are paper towels down. You can bounce on the first bounce house and obstacle course."
What? Are you kidding me? I was shocked and appalled, as I watch two children step in this mess! It was then that I decided that would call the Health Department! 30 minutes before we headed into the party room to have pizza, cake, and snacks; a man arrived with a wet vac to "clean," the vomit. He did not wear gloves or use a solution to sanitize the area, after the wet vacuum sucked up the vomit. I just watched in complete shock!
I learned the following things from this event:
- Not all Moon Bounce Party Centers, show a safety video! As a group, we watched numerous kids get hurt, either due to lack of space or lack of knowledge.
- Lack of communication from the teenage staff members, might be "normal." They never stated that someone was arriving to clean the vomit, just that "We don't clean vomit, there are paper towels down."
- When I contacted the Maryland Health Department, I was shocked to learn that party centers that allow out side food to be brought in (pizza, cake, or snacks) and do not have a kitchen on sight, are NOT regulated by the state! They are not held to the same standards as other party locations that provide and serve food!
- I learned that corporate office, may or may not answer your phone calls and messages.
My advice to you, if you are planning a party for your child:
- Ask a million questions about safety, and what happens if someone vomits or gets hurt?
- Prior to signing a contract, ask if there will be credit given if your child is not allowed full access to all party apparatus?
- Ask for supervisor details, and/or corporate information if the staff is only run by teenagers during party hours! Who is contacted in the event of a concern or emergency, and can answer questions for the business?
I am sad, shocked, and now on the other side of the fence, about moon bounce party centers. In full disclosure this was not the well know chain that I have been to many, many times, and have never had any issues. This was a smaller franchise unfamiliar to me, and ran completely independently!
Thank you! I am so glad for your post. Very few people ever pass on information that can be truly helpful. We all have been to places where we're uncomfortable with the way staff or management handles things. But this is not the way to run a business. Teenagers, policy. The health of a child should have come first.
ReplyDeleteThat is completely unacceptable!
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely uncalled for by this company!! When you for a company that provides a service, especially directed towards kids, the employees should have training to deal with these situations. In my opinion there is no reason his company can not suppl gloves, a bottle of bleach cleaner for them to have cleaned this up. I hope the birthday boy's parents fight to get some of their money back!
ReplyDelete