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Mumsnet mini meet Wednesday 10th June 10am at Playzone, Inverness

45 replies

flier · 03/06/2009 13:10

This is the new softplay in Inverness, opposite Matalan at Inshes retail park.

Entrance is £3 each.

If you can make it let us know by posting here so we can watch out for you on the day

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Rach1972 · 03/06/2009 13:57

I'll be there!

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flier · 03/06/2009 15:02

yay! Thats 2 of us

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FairMidden · 04/06/2009 21:55

Hi folks, I might be up for this if I can wangle the car for the day.

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flier · 04/06/2009 22:23

That'd be nice, FM

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FairMidden · 04/06/2009 22:39

I'll get back to you if I can make it.

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Twinklemegan · 04/06/2009 22:55

Can't make Wednesday unfortunately. I'm going to be off work the last week in June though if anyone's up for another meet then?

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FairMidden · 04/06/2009 22:57

If that includes Friday the 26th then I can very probably do that

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flier · 05/06/2009 07:55

I Should be able to meet up last week in June too

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FairMidden · 06/06/2009 20:52

Hi, I can do this Wednesday

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flier · 07/06/2009 08:30

excellent, FM. See you there. x.

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invernesian · 09/06/2009 01:29

M review of the playzone here, please do not remove, you are welcome to contact me with any questions:

Awful, dangerous, please avoid if you love your child. We visited this place. When we arrived, there were no staff on the reception at the door which could be opened without locks or anything. The place was full of older children (It was a week day during the day, there was no holiday on), the kids were running wild, it was noisy, there were no seats, 4 kids walked past me wailing in the first half an hour, they had been hit, knocked over and otherwise damaged by other kids. Staff, we saw a few of, but i wandered out and back freely a couple of times out of the main door, nobody on reception, the doors unsecured. Food: 1 cherry tomato, a small spoonful of lettuce and one ?baked potato? which had been stuck in the micro and nuked for a few mins, no nice bakes skin, small spoonful of tuna mayo, very small adult portion, kids food looked wholesome thought, apart from the bit of cake which was added. The place was overrun with big and small kids, too many to know who was where and when, there was no control, we left after half an hour and persuaded a couple with small child not to go in at the car park outside, instead we advised to go to the well run play centre near Forres, which is also new.

I value my kids lifes, I would never ever step foot into this place again, if the kids dont get their head stamped on by another wild kid in this overfilled underfed zoo, then there is a chance your kid can be nicked what with no security whatsoever at the door!

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flier · 09/06/2009 07:59

What a shame you've had shuch a bad experience, Invernessian. I've been twice and have thought it to be a great place.

Can I ask which day you went? I was there last Thursday when some of the inverness schools were closed as they were polling stations for the euro elections and although I went early, as time went on it got really busy with alot of older kids running about. I was glad it was time for us to leave then anyway. I know some schools were also closed on the Friday.

The food has been excellent when I've been. Perhaps the day you were there they were a bit overwhelmed with the numbers, as they are a new business and have a sign up apologising in advance for any teething problems which may occur while they are getting established.

I must admit, softplays are the type of place that I try to time very carefylly when I go - I have a 3yo and a 5yo and avoid these places in the summer holidays and weekends.

As for the front door being unmanned - I find that very strange as any time I have been there it is never unmanned.

You should have complained.

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DBarras · 09/06/2009 20:22

Hi Net Mums I am Denise the Owner of Playzone. I must apologise for the bad experience you had Invernessian. The only day that there was older children in prior to 3pm was on Thursday (polling day). The rest of the time it is normally toddlers. We designed this playframe to enable parents to walk round it when SUPERVISING their childrens play but bear in mind that is what they are - children, they run, they get excited and inevitably they will bang in to each other, that is why we always have a qualified first aider on duty and ice packs behind reception. There has now been a high reach handle fitted to the exit so that children cannot run out and our other exits are alarmed. I am surprised about the food as we have had lots of comments about the reasonable price and quality so much so that there are many parents who have returned for lunch without their children. We are a new facility and I am sure we are only so busy because it is still a big novelty. Our playframe is registered for 120 children but I have deliberately only supplied seating for 60 adults, this ensures that we will never be at capacity as I believe it may well be too much for the children. We take all comments seriously and I am very disappointed that you have had such a negative experience. I personally am always available and in fact, usually cover reception and cannot understand that there was no-one there when you arrived. Your comments have been noted and once again I apologise. Mums net meeting on Wed, Make yourself known to me it will be nice to meet you.

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flier · 09/06/2009 21:06

FM, Rach, see you there?

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FairMidden · 09/06/2009 21:15

was just about to post asking where exactly it is!

Will it be obvious if I just go to Matalan?

Will try to be on time ...!

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flier · 09/06/2009 21:52

hi! yes it will be obvious . think I have your number somewhere but will email you mine just now.

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DBarras · 09/06/2009 22:06

Hi again invernessian just looked at the thread you had joined by accident and noticed that you referred to it as the Fun Zone at Westhill. Tried to contact you but note that you do not wish to receive messages from anyone. Glad Rach, Flier and FM are coming tomorrow and look forward to your suggestions on what we can do for net mums

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Rach1972 · 09/06/2009 22:06

Hi Girls
I'll definately be there and I will say hello Denise!

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Mistymoo · 09/06/2009 22:25

DBarras - you may want to note that this site is "mumsnet" and not "netmums" which is another site which also has a forum for discussion!!!

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FairMidden · 10/06/2009 14:46

Denise - I will be positively reviewing your play centre for the local listings page

Thanks for a fun morning! Good to see you and your wee one again Flier, and nice to meet you and yours Rach. DS is passed out in bed, so I really ought to get some washing done now ...

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Rach1972 · 10/06/2009 19:05

Hi Girls
Lovely to see you and your little ones today! My 2 were exhausted and slept for 2 hours!!! and I had a lovely time doing the ironing!
Denise - good to meet you too and I thought your play centre was superb just what the kids of Inverness need for the rainy days! The Cafe also gets a thumbs up from me the cake was excellent and I have vast cake experinece!!!! and the kids picky lunch was fab
All in all a lovely morning until DS bit DD in Tesco on the way home!!!!! LOL ( I was pushing my luck they were very tired!)

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flier · 10/06/2009 20:27

Aww! my little one was so tired too but only got about 10mins on the way home, as we then had to go to sports day at DS' school. So dd was in bed early tonight

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flier · 10/06/2009 20:35

oh and hope you have a lovely holiday btw Rach

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invernesian · 11/06/2009 09:36

Hi,
I have no problem with anyone contacting me, if this is in account settings, let me know and will modify this.
Thanks

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invernesian · 11/06/2009 09:47

Im sorry, but completelt disagree with thoughts of others, this was the wildest play place i have ever been, never before had i wanted to rip my kids out because i felt they were in danger, the food was fine but it is fact that i received a nuked baked potato, soft with simple tuna mayo, nothing at all special, the salad was pitiful.

To show that im not just a griper, we go to Noahs Ark in Perth a lot, well run, the kids dont seem to be as wild, there are staff around and adults taking an active part in what their kids are doing (The adults in Inverness were almost completely all sitting around eating and drinking whilst their kids ran amock), also the one near Forres (New one) again is run well, good food, large and clean, and not as sterile and characterless as the one we went to in Inverness.

The Fun Zone in Greenock was fantastic, not once has my kids been "threatened" by other kids, ran back to their table to ask if it was OK if they went home (My son) or anything like this.

Crazy, tiny portions of food i wouldnt eat at home (exclusively Nuked baked potatos, they could at least have baked them in the oven the day before) and tiny salad portions, and 1 cherry tomato!

Who could argue about the security, there is cameras all around, if reviewed, it would be possible to see me wandering in and out, no magnetic door locks, no press and release from one of the staff, there were no staff whatsoever at reception when i went there.

If you like, i'll come up, take a member of staff round, and show them exactly what i think is wrong, incidentally, Im a journalist, if anyone is at Rock Ness this weekend, i'll meet them there, to show im not a malicious poster, we were delighted to see that there was a soft play in Inverness, but hadnt expected such chaos, I went to "The Auctioneers" in the town for a real meal afterwards, after escaping without difficulty with the kids from the Play Zone.