Wee in ball pool at play place

[Tippytoes]

Had ds party today in a small play place. One of the party, girl of 4, wees in the ball pool, obviously an accident. We tell the owner straight away and they promptly announce that nobody is to go in the ball pool. Anyway, they want the parent responsible to pay £100 (which is what they say it costs) to clean it. We were made to feel really bad for the rest of the party and it really spoil it for me (not the children though!). Do you think this is right, they should pay or not?

four isn't odd for weeing incidents at all.
Very strange to charge I think. Surely they have procedures in place to clean the balls anyway, seeing as they have small chn in there all the time.

YANBU at the £100 cost.

It is annoying for the softplay place but tbh not unexpected and if they really want to do that they should put up a notice or tell customers as they go in.

at the idea that it is unusual for a 4yo to have the occasional accident.

I don't think the dye thing for wee in swimming pools can be standard. Place would be completely purple when it was the baby swim session.

Excited + full of juice + wheeking about at high speed - I think they'd be capable of accidents up to age 6 under those circumstances.

Or maybe mine ought to be doing their Kegel's already

In fact a mumsnetter had an incident last weekend apparently - anyone see that cartwheel thread? Luckily they weren't in a ball pool.

i thought the entrance fee covered things like this and I'm surprised there is an extra charge. After all they don't charge extra if you drop crumbs on the floor do they?

Turns out she wasn't entirely real though

pea was she a troll?

Does NOT cost £100 pound to clean. The staff on duty will probably clean it, we used to bale out as many balls as possible into a cage or net bags,
dam up the rest in one corner using soft play blocks,
mop uncovered floor,
Create onother dam,
wipe balls individually and chuck into other dam,
remove first dam and mop floor at that end,
take bags or cages outside and hose down (or wipe down if not able to go outside),
pour them all back in.

Yes does take a bit of time, but each area will have to be deep cleaned at some point anyway at regular intervals. As an owner of soft play its just one of those things you have to get staff to do.

If they want payment for accidents it must be in the terms and conditions.

Its only baby wee, doesn't count until they are at least 8.

StudentMadwife, they found that certian children loved to swim around making coulered streams in the water

Most pools thought that it was making it wirse nit better!

To the OP, they were bang out of order IMO, it goes with running a childs play area and they must clean regularly for all thise children who keep quiet! I exoect they were cross at having to close because you told them, if you hadn't they could have carried on trading at full capacity etc. They couldn't say that of course but I bet that is the true story!

Haven't read all replies but I am very surprised and think this is silly. Don't allow under 5s (at least) in if you don't expect any accidents!!

On the one hand, £100 seems completely ridiculous, as does the idea that children will never have accidents.

On the other hand, it makes a change if a soft play place is actually going to the bother of cleaning. I stopped going to our local one after a child weed in the ball pool and the staff took a couple of balls out - and that was that. Ugh.

cornsilk, I think so. Turns out "she" had posted exactly the same,word for word, on another board somewhere.

Gosh those places are awful, aren't they? I've taken the DCs to one or two of them in my time for parties. My experience is that they were invariably (a) shabby (b) smelled of urine and (c) served instant coffee.

IMO (c) was the worst offence but as trips, the DCs enjoyed them moderately but they were hellish for me.

YANBU

its a kids play area, and therefore accidents happen FFS

i wouldnt pay and DEF name and shame!!

we have 3 near us and all 3 the balls stink of pee etc, and i REFUSE to go in them with my kids

I don't think they should pay and don't think it's enforceable (as someone who once studied law, a long long time ago!).

PeaMcLean on Sat 22-Nov-08 23:25:56
"cornsilk, I think so. Turns out "she" had posted exactly the same,word for word, on another board somewhere."

oh gosh, I didn't realise that made you a troll

No I'm sure it doesn't but it did all look rather odd if you'd seen it.

If they don't have a sign, then they don't have a policy.

Their general sign's not good enough - it needs to be specific and relate to toilet accidents, or else tough on them.

they should never have charged, in fact they have no chance of actually getting the money

but apparently 100 is about the going rate

Well if that what it costs to clean a bit of wee, I AM GOING TO BE RICH!!!!!!!!!! DD4 is potty training. Oh no! Just realised I will be the one cleaning, and probably will en up paying for it as well...

YANBU, they definitely are at the play area. Do you think it might at all be possible that one of their employees might use that to make a bit of money on the side?

Just read littleduck (crossposted) My jaws are falling. surely their insurance should cover that cost!

maybe i should have claimed some money from our playplace, after dp went down the slide with ds2 on his lap. he stood up at the end and his bum/legs were soaked, he had "dried" the slide on his way down. i should have charged them for the cleaning bill of his trousers then as he cleaned up for them!