A mom has taken to Reddit to ask for advice on whether she should seek a refund after her eight-year-old daughter’s birthday party at an indoor play center was punctuated by issue after issue.
The mother described the venue as “what every little girl would dream ofm” complete with a super dramatic long table and chandeliers.
But despite promising a fun and special experience, the reality fell short of expectations on multiple fronts.
Issue after issue
The mom recounted how the party package, advertised to include a dedicated party host to assist with setup and all needs, seemed lacking from the start.
“They brought my canapes out only when I asked where they were after the other food was already brought out,” she explained.
“They said it seemed like I was busy, so they didn’t ask when I wanted the food out. Then, I had to ring the bell for service to ask for plates. Then, I had to ring the bell for service to ask for our drinks. Then, I had to ring the bell for service to ask for cups, and I had to talk to three different people before grabbing cups from behind the counter myself.”
The final straw for the mom was when explicit music started blaring through the speakers, which had ‘the F word and sexual lyrics’ that were entirely inappropriate for the age group.
After the mom complained, the management attempted to compensate with free pizza and ice cream, but the damage had been done.
“On the way home, my eight-year-old daughter cried because this was the first time she hung out with a few friends outside of school. She was afraid that their mums weren’t going to let them hang out with her because they’d think we put that music on,” she wrote.
Disturbingly, her daughter also asked about the meaning behind some of the explicit lyrics… a conversation no parent wants to have with their primary schooler.
“My BIGGEST ISSUE is my eight-year-old daughter asking me, ‘Mom… I know the F-word song was bad. But what is wrong with saying, get on your hands and your knees and bounce for that money?’”
The mum concluded her post: “How mad should I be? This last part makes me want to ask for my entire $700 back. I paid a lot of money to have my kids party at a place fit for kids 10 and under and I shouldn’t have my little girl asking me about sexual sayings on the way home after crying that her friends won’t be her friends. Huge fail.”
“Totally unacceptable”
The forum community rallied around the mom, echoing her concerns.
“Call the owner. Express your concerns. Don’t bring up the slow service. That’s minor and makes the whole complaint feel petty. But talk about the music because that’s an issue. Explain what your daughter said. Tell them how you are worried that this could happen to another girl. That should 99% prompt them to offer you a refund,” said one.
Another wrote: “Whoever was in charge of the Bluetooth ruined the already bad party by playing vulgar music, leaving the birthday girl emotionally wrecked and parents needing to explain away sexually explicit lyrics…that’s like a cherry on top of a bad experience. Demand a refund.”
“This is totally unacceptable,” claimed another.
“Go full Karen on the business.”
