Bouncy-castle operator ‘sorry’ for ruining children’s communions with no-shows

Dublin company says it will refund families affected

Stock image of a bouncy-castle party — © Getty Images/Image Source

Melanie Finn

The owner of a bouncy-castle company who took deposits off parents for inflatables that he never delivered has issued an apology and vowed to return the money.

As reported in the Irish Independent, a well-known Dublin company has been leaving countless families celebrating communions high and dry by not showing up.

Some parents booked inflatables as far back as September, paying €50 via PayPal, only to be ghosted by the company owner on the day, who turns his phone off and doesn’t respond to texts. “He is very, very sorry for everything that has happened,” said a close friend. “The company is in the process of contacting all the customers who were let down by him and they will all be refunded in due course.

“He has someone working on contacting all those people affected to organise all the refunds.”

He insisted that there was “no criminal element” to what had happened and no suggestion that he had deliberately defrauded unsuspecting customers.

When asked for a reason for his behaviour, he claimed that the man was unwell.

Given the huge demand for inflatables, most parents book them over six months in advance which limits consumer rights

“This is not fraud – this is something dreadful that’s happened to a person. They are devastated about what has happened,” he said.

Asked why the website is continuing to operate and take deposits, he said the man is hoping to rebuild the business and “make it better”.

The company has been operating for a number of years but has attracted a surge of criticism in recent times.

Around a dozen parents have left negative comments with Google reviews over the past month, detailing similar experiences of forking out a deposit via PayPal and then being left with a no-show on the agreed date.

PayPal operates a “buyer protection” clause where a person can apply for a refund on a product but it must be activated within 180 days of the purchase date.

Given the huge demand for inflatables, most parents book them over six months in advance of the communion date which limits their consumer rights.

Sarah Regan, a mother from Donaghmede, Dublin, booked with the company last September 19 for her eight-year-old daughter Aoife’s communion, paying a €50 deposit. But Aoife was left in floods of tears after the company owner refused to answer Ms Regan’s texts or phone her back to let her know he wasn’t coming.

“To see a little girl sitting in her communion dress in her sitting room with tears plopping down her face was absolutely devastating – I had to walk out of the room,” she said.

She added that “a tiny bit of communication would have gone 100 miles but to be completely ignored was just so frustrating”.

Alan Mullane from Blackrock, paid a €90 deposit for a high-end inflatable for his child’s communion last week – only to be the victim of a no-show from the company.

A spokesman for the body representing bouncy-castle operators in Ireland has advised parents to check its website before booking an inflatable.

Over 50 companies have registered with the Irish Inflatable Hirers Federation and are listed on its website, meaning they are fully insured and reputable operators. “Somebody who is insured has gone a long way to have been recognised and they are all listed on our website,” he said.