Frequently Asked Questions

Below is a list of answers to commonly asked questions regarding our services. Should your question not be listed, please do not hesitate to contact us

Q: How do I book? A: Use our online booking form! Follow the on-screen instructions after selecting a castle or other equipment. Alternatively, we can be reached by emailing: info@fairplay.im or by phone on 468742. Q: How long do I get the equipment for? A: We usually arrive to set up the equipment approximately 1 hour before the start time of the party although we may need to arrange an earlier setup time depending on other bookings we may have on the day.

If you have very specific times to operate to (i.e. you have a hall hired for a set period), we will do our best to arrange our bookings around this. We can't always confirm times when you book as we will need to arrange our deliveries geographically.

We collect from 5.00pm, although later collection and overnight hire (secure locations only), can be arranged for an additional fee which starts from £5.00 up to a maximum of £30 after 7pm. Equipment is available to hire 7 days a week, including bank holidays. Q: How do I pay? A: You can pay online using a credit/debit card, or upon delivery. We can also accept cash on delivery.
Q: Vat and Pricing A: If you are booking an event for an organisation or company party, then VAT will be applied to the price displayed on our website. A VAT invoice will be sent to you via the email address you provide after your order has been placed (separate to the automated booking confirmation email). This invoice should be used for all VAT refund and reporting purposes. The invoice will include the Vat Registration Number of switched on events as Fair Play is a trading name. Q: I only need the inflatable for a few hours. Do you do discounts for shorter hires?A: Sorry, no. It has been suggested that as equipment may only be needed for a few hours that we would have the opportunity to rehire the equipment again on the same date and as such that may be worth a discount. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. The majority of parties take place within half or even an hour of one another and on the rare occasion that the timings may allow for this, the logistics involved in order to deliver, collect, clean and then redeliver equipment to another area are usually prohibitive. Q: Do I need to provide power? A: There must be access to a 240V mains power supply (general mains socket is fine). If there is no access to power at your venue, Fair Play can supply a generator and fuel for an additional cost and subject to availability. Please note, no power is required for the sumo suits, soft play, garden games or activity centre. All of our simulators require a 240v mains supply that is a good quality socket and separate to any other items.Q: How much does it cost in electricity to run a bouncy castle, slide or inflatable? A: It costs approximately £1 to run a bouncy castle, slide or inflatable all day.Q: What should I do before you arrive?A: The area for the inflatable needs to be completely free of any sharp stones, objects, toys, debris, dog mess or excessive mud. We may not be able to set up a castle if the ground is not in a suitable condition and would take too long to clear.Q: How do you secure the inflatable?A: If the inflatable is on grass, in the interests of safety it is imperative that we drive stakes into the ground to secure the castle. Our pegs will penetrate to a depth of approx 300mm. Our staff do need to be informed of any underground pipes (gas, water, electricity etc), that may be damaged by pegging the inflatable into the ground. If we do inadvertently cause damage to underground services we cannot be held responsible for the repair costs. If the inflatable is to be sited on concrete, a wooden floor, area of hard standing etc, then we will either attach sand bags, or drill down anchor bolts into tarmac and attach to each anchor point of the inflatable. Depending upon the site, we may also secure further by attaching ropes to the inflatable and then tie them to a secure nearby fixture eg: railings. Q: Can equipment be set up both indoors and outdoors?A: Yes, we can set up the equipment inside or outside providing the area is suitable. Please ensure you have checked the ceiling height for indoor hire. Q: My garden has a slight slope - will that be OK?A: Yes. A slight slope is not a problem. Typically, we will place the entrance of the unit at the top of any slope. If the incline is more than a little, we may not be able to set up in that location though. Different inflatables can allow for different amounts of slope, for example, if an inflatable slide is placed on a slope it would increase the speed and therefore risk to a user. If you are unsure, please request a site visit prior to booking. Q: What about access?A: Equipment can be bigger and heavier than most people expect and can require large sack trucks to transport them. We usually need a minimum 3ft wide clear access point to deliver (standard door) for smaller inflatables and a larger space for some of the bigger inflatables. If there are steps, narrow passageways or flights of stairs to go up, please contact us to ensure we can deliver. If we are not made aware of any difficult access we may not be able to deliver the inflatable safely without additional members of staff. Q: Can we move the bouncy castle, slide or inflatable?A: No, for insurance and safety reasons, once the bouncy castle, slide or inflatable has been delivered, installed and our staff have left, it must not be moved or re-positioned under any circumstances. Q: What happens if the Bouncy Castle deflates during the day of our hire?A: Firstly, evacuate the inflatable immediately and make sure children are kept away from the equipment while you make the following checks:

Check the power cord hasn’t become unplugged
Check that the inflation tube is still attached to the blower and the blower hasn’t been blocked

If this doesn’t solve the problem contact us by phone ASAP and we will talk you through possible solutions. If the problem cannot be fixed over the phone, we will come out and check the item. Should we be unable to solve the issue, subject to availability, we will replace the item with another castle for the remainder of your hire period. Always evacuate an inflatable should it be deflating, do not allow children to play on an inflatable that is not inflated properly. Q: Do I have to supervise the unit or do you provide supervisors? A: The simulators (Rodeo Bull, Surfboard etc), Zorbs and some other items (outlined in each item's description) come with supervisors as standard to run the equipment. If you require said equipment longer than the allotted time there is a charge of £50 per hour for supervisors trained to run these rides. The unsupervised items are hired out on the condition they will be overseen by a responsible person at all times. We will provide you with a disclaimer form and safety sheet. Alternatively, the items can be hired with a First-Aid trained supervisor for an additional fee and subject to staff availability. Q: What if it rains? A: Most of our castles have inbuilt rain/shower covers and can still be used in light showers but not heavy or persistent rain. If the weather conditions are poor, we will contact you on the day to confirm whether you still want to hire the equipment if the forecast is for light showers. Children are safe to to use the castle in very light rain as long as measures are taken to keep the front step of the inflatable and any cables dry. Extra care should be taken when children are getting on and off the castle.

Once confirmed and delivered, the hire fee is due and we cannot accept any cancellations or refund any payments after this point. It is the supervising adults' responsibility to stop play on an inflatable that is clearly becoming very wet and too slippy to be used safely.

If we make the decision that the rain is too heavy for the inflatable to be used in accordance with our health and safety policy, then you will be informed that we cannot deliver the item and be offered the option of changing to a different date. Q: Are there any circumstances that mean a castle is unsafe to use?A: High winds could result in an inflatable becoming unsafe and would lead to cancellation of your delivery. Guidelines state that inflatable castles can be used in winds of up to 24 mph, however, our limit is 20 mph allowing for gusts. In cases where winds exceed these speeds, it would be unsafe and negligent of us to deliver your castle. We should stress that these circumstances are fortunately very rare and that we would give as much notice as we were able to and assist in finding an alternative venue if required. Should the wind be forecasted to approach 20mph during your hire, we will leave you with a handheld wind monitor. This can be used to check wind speeds are below a safe level. Q: Do you have a cancellation policy? A: We understand that it is sometimes necessary to cancel your booking, this is no problem but our cancellation policy will apply unless otherwise agreed.You can cancel at any time up to the evening before (apart from cancellations that have to be made on the day due to bad weather). Cancellations must be made by phone as emails are not always received on time. Cancellation Policy:Any deposits paid are non-refundable - this covers any administration that has been undertaken. It also covers Fair Play Entertainment for lost bookings as the equipment and date are allocated to you, which means we turn customers away for equipment already booked out.For any bookings with an outstanding balance, the following charges will be applied:Orders under £200Days Before Booking: 2 or More = Loss of Deposit Days Before Booking: On Day or Day Before = 100%Orders over £200Days Before Booking: 29 Days or More = Loss of DepositDays Before Booking: 28 Days or Less = 100%In instances where you want to move the date of your booking (and providing we have availability), your deposit or any payments made will be transferred to your new booking date. If your event is on a large scale or has cost a considerable amount, you may wish to consider insurance to protect yourself against bad weather and event abandonment.
If Fair Play has to cancel your booking due to reasons beyond our control, then a full refund of all monies paid, including your deposit, will be issued. Q: Are you insured? A: We have public liability insurance up to £5,000,000. This covers us against accident and injury caused by our equipment failing from incorrect installation. Safety checks are carried out on each of our units before and after every hire and any issues that may arise are resolved before the unit is returned to public hire. Public Liability however, does not cover the hirer for accidents or injuiry arising from the misuse of the equipment or improper supervision.