What’s the worst that could happen using a cheap unreputable company?

I’ve given this blog much thought over the last couple of months.  I decided to write this after receiving a call from my cousin, who attended a friends’ party where they decided to rent from a cheap unlicensed craigslist company, which we will not name.  Knowing that we have successfully ran our own bounce house company for almost 13 years, he called in sort of a panic asking how his son could have gotten a rash on his arms & legs from a bounce house.  Apparently over half of the children that attended all had the same rash.  I explained to him how important it is (for us anyway) to clean and sanitize our inflatables before each and every use.  I explained it must be a hypoallergenic/biodegradable/non-toxic cleaner used as well to avoid allergic reactions to harsh cleaning chemicals.  The unfortunate truth is over our years of experience, we have encountered probably hundreds of new clients that have had the same experience with a previous rental company.  It’s sad for us to answer a call from a client and the first thing they ask is if our bounce houses are clean because they have had a horrible experience with other companies.  We have heard stories ranging from food left inside the jumpers from the previous party to dirt & rocks to our personal favorite or should I say the most disgusting, a dirty diaper left inside the jumper from the previous party.

Let’s do some math here.  Imagine not cleaning a jumper for 1 month.  An average jumper is rented 5-6 parties per month.  There is an average of 15 children per party.  That means you’ve had almost 100 children in the jumper before you rented it.  Barefoot and bouncing around with runny noses, coughs’,  skin rashes, food & candy falling out of their mouth as they bounce, and again our favorite, the dirty diaper.  Remember folks that viruses, bacteria and all those other wonderful things cannot be seen.  So even if the bounce house looks clean, it doesn’t mean that it is clean. 

In our years of experience, we have seen companies come & go.  We’ve seen the best & the worst.  Companies that don’t clean, that don’t secure the jumpers and those that don’t replace old & aging jumpers with new inventory.  Bounce houses covered in mold because they weren’t stored properly in a dry space or worse were rolled up and put away wet allowing the perfect breeding ground for mold & mildew. 

In conclusion,  I would like to address those occasional calls we receive where they tell us that our prices are too high & they have found a craigslist (or similar company) that will do it for half price.  I will tell you like I tell them, please realize that you get what you pay for.  If that company decides not to show up, not to secure the bounce house, or your son or daughter gets a rash or something worse from the bounce house, that is a risk you will take.  It is never worth saving a few dollars for the health & safety of your children & those attending your party.  I speak from being a parent of 3 young boys myself.  No amount of money, much less $20-$50 savings, is worth risking my children’s health or safety.  Do your homework, make sure your company is licensed & insured and check their online reviews. 

Again, we receive about 10-12 calls a month, the day of the party, where the customer had rented with a less than a reputable company and the company did not show up.  Now they call us sometimes crying begging us to bring out a last-minute bounce house so that their parties are not ruined all because they tried to save a few bucks and didn’t do their homework.  Nothing gives us more satisfaction than when we come back to pick up the bounce house and the parents are thanking us for making their party a huge success or when receiving an online review stating the same.  We appreciate all of our customers and we always have & always will provide the cleanest, safest and over-all best service possible.

Thanks again from Jump Around Party Jumpers!!!