Gardaí investigate fraud complaint after bouncy castle firm’s no-shows for communion days

A formal complaint has been made to Blackrock garda station in the wake of the most recent incident in Dublin.

A spokesperson confirmed that the force is following up on the allegations.

“Gardaí are investigating an incident of fraud that occurred in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Investigations are ongoing,” the spokesperson said.

As revealed in the Irish Independent, parents celebrating their children’s communions have been paying deposits of up to €90 via PayPal for bookings made last year.

The owner of the company, which cannot be named for legal reasons, contacted them the week leading up to the communion day to confirm the booking and ask if the surface was grass or concrete.

However, on the day, the owner did not show up and turned off his phone, failing to respond to text messages or calls or notify them that the inflatable they had booked would not be arriving.

One mother living in Dublin 3, Emma Smith, had booked an inflatable for her son James (8). She paid a €50 deposit last October and got a confirmation message a few days prior to the communion, but the owner “completely ghosted” Ms Smith on the day.

“Over the course of the morning, my son got progressively more anxious and upset. I spent what should have been a lovely morning with my family with my phone in my hand, trying to sort out the mess and reassure my son,” she said.

Another mother who was left high and dry on the day of her daughter’s communion said she was “just disgusted” to be let down in that manner, with her child in tears.

The website for the company in question is still live and continuing to take bookings and deposits.