A Child's Joy
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
A Child's Joy is highly regarded for its accommodating nature, reliable service, and well-behaved animals, making them a strong choice for children's parties and school events. They offer a range of rentals including bounce houses, petting zoos (with donkeys and ponies), and party essentials. While the delivered service and product quality are consistently praised, one significant concern involves the owner's reported confrontational communication during an administrative issue.
Key Highlights
- ✓Arrived early for setup, allowing parties to start ahead of schedule.
- ✓Quick responses to customer questions (e.g., via Laurie).
- ✓Accommodated last-minute changes, such as adding a donkey just 2 days before the party.
- ✓Friendly and efficient setup staff.
- ✓Animals (donkeys, ponies) are consistently described as very docile, calm, and well-behaved with children.
- ✓Good selection of bounce houses and rides.
- ✓Laurie (owner/contact person) is often described as informative, kind, pleasant, and accommodating (in positive interactions).
- ✓Able to accommodate tight schedules for setup and takedown (e.g., for school events).
- ✓Clean and appealing bounce houses.
- ✓Ponies (e.g., Fiona) come with fun thematic gear (e.g., unicorn gear with bows).
- ✓Pony guides facilitate interaction, like allowing kids to feed carrots.
- ✓Very flexible, even able to send an extra table last-minute on the day of the event.
- ✓Received positive feedback even before services were rendered, based on initial communication.
Standout Features
- ⭐Variety of party rentals: bounce houses, petting zoos (donkeys, ponies), and tables.
- ⭐Highly flexible and accommodating service, even for last-minute requests and scheduling.
- ⭐Professional and friendly delivery/setup staff.
- ⭐Well-tempered and engaging animals.
- ⭐Thematic animal presentations (e.g., ponies in unicorn gear).
- ⭐Perceived as having a 'great rate' and 'insanely reasonable' pricing.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →If your event requires specific documentation (e.g., city permits, insurance certificates), initiate communication about these needs very early and be prepared for potential administrative friction based on one reported incident.
- →Confirm generator availability or if you need to provide your own, as one reviewer mentioned competitors include them.
- →Don't hesitate to ask for last-minute additions like an extra table or animal, as they have shown capacity to accommodate these requests.
- →Expect friendly and knowledgeable staff for setup and animal handling.
- →Their animals are noted for being gentle, making them suitable for interactions with young children.
Things to Consider
- ⚠Owner (Laurie) reportedly yelled at a customer over the phone during a discussion about city-required insurance documentation, described as 'absolutely appalling' and 'incredibly rude and unaccommodating'.
- ⚠Refused to refund a deposit despite the contract stating the customer was entitled to one, according to one review.
- ⚠The negative interaction included venting about being 'busy' and not offering an apology for the behavior.
- ⚠One customer experienced significant difficulty getting cooperation for necessary event documentation due to the owner's attitude.
Price & Value
Generally perceived as providing excellent value, with terms like 'insanely reasonable' and 'great rate' mentioned for their services and animal quality. While one negative review suggested competitors might be cheaper and include generators, the overall sentiment points to competitive and fair pricing for the quality offered.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •No specific accessibility accommodations mentioned in the reviews for their services (as they are mobile rentals).
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Not applicable as they are a mobile rental service. However, they do allow supervised feeding of carrots to ponies by children.
🚗Parking Info
- •Not applicable as they are a mobile rental service that comes to your location.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Not applicable as crowd level depends on the host's event, not the service provider itself.
🛡️Safety Features
- •Animals are consistently described as docile and calm, indicating good temperament and handling.
- •Pony guides are present to introduce animals and manage interaction (e.g., controlled feeding).
⏰When to Avoid
- • If you anticipate complex administrative requirements (like city permits/insurance) and prioritize consistently smooth, non-confrontational communication above all else, one review suggests exercising caution due to a severe negative interaction with the owner.
- • If you have a very low tolerance for potential customer service issues related to owner communication, particularly concerning administrative details.
Pricing/Package/Events
📅Booking Policy
- • Book by contacting them directly via phone or email.
What People Say
What's Great
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 4 reviews)
- Fun and entertaining activities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Great for birthday parties (mentioned in 5 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Jessica D
a year agoAmazing service . I rented the bounce house and petting zoo with donkey . They arrived early to set up and we were able to start a little earlier than scheduled. Laurie was quick to answer questions and was even able to make a last minute change 2 days before the party , we wanted to add the donkey . The gentleman that set up everything was also very friendly and did a great job . The animals were very docile and the kids had a blast . Impressed with everything.
Elaine Cannon
2 years agoOur school's PTA used A Child's Joy for our fall festival this year and it turned out great!! Not only did they have a great selection of rides and bounce houses, the kids also loved the petting zoo. Laurie and her staff were so great to work with, and even extra accommodating to get everything set up and taking down during our tight schedule with school hours. Would definitely use them again!! Thank you!!
Samantha Perry
3 years agoThis company should receive 0 stars. The interaction I had with Laurie was absolutely appalling. I have never once in my life been yelled by the owner of a company, until now. I worked with Laurie on renting a bounce house for my daughter’s birthday party. The City of Chandler required insurance documentation from A Child’s Joy, and there was a pretty tight deadline because of the holidays. When I tried to get Laurie’s cooperation she got extremely nasty with me and yelled at me over the phone. When I asked her why she was getting angry with me, she offered no explanation and continued to yell at me and vent to me about “how busy I am, and I guess I will just stop what I am doing and go get those documents for you right now!” She was incredibly rude and unaccommodating, so I cancelled my reservation with her and hired another company for much cheaper. While trying to cancel my reservation she argued with me and refused to refund my deposit despite the contract stating I am entitled to a refund. Not once did I receive an apology for her behavior either. Please do not give this woman your money, there are plenty of event rental places that are cheaper, will provide a generator for you, and will not speak to you in the manner Laurie did to me. She should not be running a business.
Savannah Orr
8 years agoHave yet to even use their services, but can say that after a day of speaking with many bounce house companies..... getting Laurie on the phone was a breath of fresh air. She was so informative, kind..... and after speaking with her I forgot I had even considered going with anyone else. She had exactly what I wanted, at a great rate. And was so accommodating with our schedule. I am looking forward to leaving another review on their services after experiencing drop off, pick up, and their product. I anticipate it will be a great experience.
Yo mama “Biatch”
6 years agoGreat company! Laurie was pleasant, accommodating, and very professional. On the day of our big pony party 2/1 we realized we made an error and did not order a second table. We called laurie and she was able to send one out with our pony with no issues whatsoever. The bounce house was clean and appealing to the eye. We all loved Fiona the pony, she was calm, she did well with all the wild kids running around, and she was absolutely beautiful. She came prepared, decked out in her unicorn gear with bows in her mane. Delivery staff were pleasant and knew exactly what they were doing. Our pony guide introduced us to Fiona and let us feed her just a few carrots (not too many so she wouldn't get a belly ache). The price was insanely reasonable. A Child's Joy will be highly recommended by me! Thank you Laurie and staff for everything you did to make my daughters pony party absolutely perfect! We'll be back next year. Melissa, Leo, and Sierra