How To Find The Best Bouncy Castle Hire Company.

Not all bouncy castle providers are created equal and there can be a big differential in the quality of the service and equipment offered. So here are a few tips to help you find the very best bouncy castle hire company local to you.

Online Presence

We would always recommend checking a companies Facebook page and also looking for their professional website and any other social media outlets. There are two kinds of bouncy castle companies, one is professionally run - a full-time job with all insurances and independent testing in place. The other is a person who has a Monday to Friday job and hires out a bouncy castle at the weekends to earn some "beer money". Unfortunately with the latter there is no guarantee that the equipment will be safety tested or insured.  Also, if you hire from a one-man band and that person happens to be ill or have some other pressing commitment, you leave yourself open to a last minute cancellation of your party. If you go for a larger company with a good website presence they will have more manpower and more vans to be able to cover your party should anything go wrong. 

Quality Of the Inflatables

The really is no replacement for seeing a company's equipment in the flesh . If you are considering holding a bouncy castle or soft play party, start taking note of the providers that your friends are using when you visit parties and take a mental note of the quality of the equipment they have.

It's all too easy to post a stock photo or a photo from when the castle was brand new on advertising literature however the reality may look somewhat different. A 10-year-old castle isn't going to look like it did brand new when they took the photos. It is worth taking a look over their Facebook page because Facebook photos

Testimonials

Many bouncy castle companies will publish their own testimonials on their own website however we would recommend being a little cautious of taking too much notice of these as they are generally vetted by the website provider and the company can choose to not publish any negative reviews they may receive. Instead we recommend looking at Google reviews as these are much more independent and Google do go to great lengths to ensure that they are genuine and that each individual can only leave one review you giving a match fairer reflection of the service customers are receiving. Here at It's Funtime we are extremely proud to have over 300 5-star reviews on Google - take a look at them for yourself.

What Is Included In The Fee?

It's always worth taking a moment to understand exactly what is included in the bouncy castle hire fee. Different providers will offer different packages and these will include different features. Does the hire charge include setup and take down?  This may seem obvious but it can take 15 to 30 minutes for both setting up and packing away and some companies charge separately for this.  You'll also want to take this into account when planning your event timings. Also the rental duration - how long will you have the bouncy castle for? If you require an early delivery or a late collection, you will need to check with your company to check that they are able to offer the hours that you are requesting.

Delivery

Like most things these days, bouncy castles can incur delivery charges.  Here at It's Funtime we do offer free delivery to Bourne and the immediate villages, however there are delivery charges for locations further afield. These delivery charges can vary massively between companies so it is always worth factoring them into the price of your party before booking. Some companies may add a hefty delivery charge so as to appear cheaper for their actual bouncy castle hire but once you've added the delivery charge they can be quite expensive.

Safety instructions

When you hire a bouncy castle you should make sure the supplier gives you all the safety details and instructions ideally these should be written down as it can be hard to remember everything when you're trying to get ready for your party. Most companies will expect you to return equipment in the same condition as it is delivered, so should you get any food, party streamers, confetti etc on the castle, you will need to sweep it off prior to collection to avoid cleaning charges.

Bouncy Castle Insurance

Is the equipment insured and does the provider have full public liability insurance? With proper supervision bouncy castle accidents are very rare however when they do happen it is imperative to have insurance in place. Here at It's Funtime, we are fully insured to cover every inflatable and soft play that we own and all of our inflatables are independently safety tested for your peace of mind. Insurance and safety testing are a legal requirement and it is always worth asking for a copy of your providers PIPA safety tag and insurance document which you can cross check to ensure that your bouncy castle that you have selected is covered on the policy.

If you follow all of the above information you should have no problem in securing a great inflatable for the best price possible, but please always remember CHEAPEST ISN'T NECESSARILY BEST!