My son was trapped in a deflated bouncy castle. AIBU to complain?

[knackeredmother]

I was at a party today with my 2 dc in a leisure centre, bouncy castle in a small enclosed room with door locked so no one could 'escape'. Suddenly realised I'd lost sight of my 3 year old son and then saw the staff were deflating the bouncy castle. I asked if they were sure there was no one left in it and they assured me they'd checked and carried on deflating. I began to panic, I couldn't see my son anywhere, they carried on deflating. Another mum heard a 'gasping noise' and managed to somehow dive in through the back of the now deflated castle and pull out my son. He was struggling to breathe, I think more through fright and after hysterics was ultimately ok.
The staff weren't interested, didn't apologise or ask if he was ok.
I then asked to see the manager at the front desk, she wasn't available and the lady was completely uninterested and said 'well he's ok isn't he?'.
This was quite a big castle, I think an adult would struggle to fight their way out if inside, I shudder to think what would have happened if the other mum hadn't heard him and pulled him out.
Now I realise I should have been watching him but it really only seemed like a few moments that I lost sight of him and I probably wasn't as vigilant as usual knowing the door to the room was locked. So should I complain about this or accept it was my responsibility to have not lost sight of him? Or is it really a non event? My dh thinks so but it really scared me and him.

OP, your local paper would absolutely love this story. A picture of you looking traumatised with Parkwood Leisure logo in the background would pretty much guarantee a quick response from the useless bastards.

LDaisy, actually safety is the responsibility of the people who run these things. That's why they can end up having to pay large fines or going to prison if they've been negligent and something awful happens.

Yanbu to complain - loudly and vociferously.

I would send formal complaints to the leisure centre, council, local HSE and anybody else that seemed relevant (eg is the centre a member of an industry group or show a quality mark?)

I would also put some very harsh cutting remarks on their Facebook page, twitter etc. Something along the lines of 'can't believe staff didn't check bouncy castle before putting it away with my 3 yr old ds trapped in it. Eternally grateful to other mum who heard him in there gasping - whilst staff completely disinterested and not caring they had almost suffocated my son. Even management not bothered that their staff nearly killed my son. You've been warned - let your kids on their bouncy castle at their peril!!'

Something basically true but emotive that if other people are contemplating using the centre or booking a party there that will make them think twice. Maybe if their bookings are affected they might start to be a little bit more concerned...

Complain & keep on complaining & don't take any notice of that silly fecker LDaisy.

LDaisy Have my first ever

Do you have children LDaisy?

If not, you are not really qualified to comment

If yes, then I would worry more about the effect you having an affair with a Danny Dyer look-a-like may have on them (and your own terrible personal taste) than what anyone else is doing

YANBU... What an awful thing to have happened and a disgusting attitude from the staff. Complain, complain, complain.

Just to add, it was a large castle with an inbuilt slide so I'm not sure if he was in the stair area and she didn't check properly or he snuck back in after she checked. Either way very worrying.

LDaisy. While deflating equipment, safety and responsibility lies firmly with the staff undertaking the duties.

I would sue the fuck out of them.

I have read all the replies to your OP, but I would be very surprised if anyone thought YWBU.

I have a 2 and a 4 year old and felt a rising tide of anxiety just reading your account of what happened. What a nightmare. Thank God you realised he could be in there and that woman found him.

Uh, ok, just read the post before mine. There was one then. There's always one isn't there.

It's difficult to keep your eyes on two children, even in a locked room. She noticed he was missing and asked if he could be on the castle so clearly not negligent. The staff assuring her he was not are not once but twice negligent in missing him on there/climbing on and then failing to check when queried.

You'd have to practice your sad face if you went to the local paper. They'd have you outside the venue, arms folded, looking distraught posing for photos so quick your head would spin.

This is a really serious matter. It needs looking into officially. That is why it is important to send a proper complaint to the HSE (Health and safety Executive). They will investigate the procedures and agree further actions.

Don't start with Twitter, and local papers etc. That way the Leaisure centre will just make some half arsed apology and say they are improving training and nothing will happen.

Please complain. My Husband hires out Bouncy castles and slides for a living, and he is always SO careful about this sort of thing. You HAVE to be. Safety first, ALWAYS.

The staff should not get away with this, and you must make sure this doesn't happen to another child by taking this matter all the way. The staff must be idiots.

Such an awful thing to happen. I hope your little boy is ok.

Your complaint and minor embarrassment could save another child's life. Do it. Do it in writing.

Ask to see their risk assessments
Contact the hse for your loca area
get a solicitor to look into it on your behalf
Contact papers , daily mail would love this!!
Tell all your friends and family
Never go there again
Ignore idiot poster . (not me :-))

Thanks for the supportive comments. LDaisy what an awful thing to write to someone who is really shook up. I was standing near the bouncy castle, I wasn't on the other side of the room, which was how I was fairly sure my son was on the castle. I took my eyes away for what seemed like a few moments and suddenly the castle was going down. My 5 year old was also there on the other side of the room, I can't force them to stay side by side and need to take eyes off one briefly to watch the other. I was near the 3 year old as he is younger.
I didn't leave him unsupervised but did lose sight of him long enough to not know if he had got off or not. Thanks for making feel really great.

'Don't start with Twitter, and local papers etc. That way the Leaisure centre will just make some half arsed apology and say they are improving training and nothing will happen.'

Not true, Blu. A story in the paper combined with a formal complaint to company and to HSE will put a rocket up them.

I'm with your dh on this. I don't think it was that big a deal (and I say that as someone who was on a bouncy castle that deflated as a child).
You don't really know what happened.
Maybe they did shout everyone off. Maybe they did check. Maybe your ds went back on. . . Or maybe they were completely remiss . . . but the fact is that you don't know. You complained at the time and that would be enough for me.
However, I can see I'm obviously in the minority on this

Oh and to whoever asked about the staff, it was a young girl deflating the castle. She did look mortified and I think perhaps that's why she didn't check he was ok.

The op would have heard if the staff called people off the castle.

Yanbu! I can't believe how blasé people are about deflated bouncy castles though.

Dd went to her friends birthday party last September and they had a massive castle with slide in the hall. When I went to pick her up they had let the air out and other mothers were telling their children to jump on it to deflate it quicker . A couple of minutes later the parents went off somewhere and Dd's friend started jumping through the little tunnel as it was deflating and a few other children tried joining in. I got in their way and told them not to go on the castle as it was dangerous. Anyway, we ended up staying a little longer and the other mothers came back (had saw me SAVING their children's lives) and shouted "any other children want a few more jumps on the castle before it goes down" and looked my way! I couldn't believe it. Stupid cows.

Anyway, deflating bouncy slides/castles are really dangerous and I'm shocked the girl hadn't noticed your son go in.

Def complain councils are really big on health & safety, mind you that might mean they stop having kids parties! Not only are the staff morons for not checking the castle was clear before letting it down but I hate hate hate it when people ignore the basic principals of good customer service. It would incense me that they didn't apologise to you and give your ds a lolly or something. It's basic but it works.

I had a similar experience. We were allowed to play on the bouncy castle as it was deflated and we were all falling all over the place. I fell and then a wall came down on my head and other kids fell either side trapping my mouth and nose against the plastic. I got free quickly but it was a terrifying few seconds.

Definitely complain.