Fun-Dunk Entertainment

I’m never a fan of writing terrible reviews about a company but when someone treats me and other businesses as cruelly as Fun Dunk did… I have to write about it.
I help plan events as part of my services and have worked with hundreds of places like Fun Dunk all over the country. I was referred to them when I was searching for a moonwalk (or bounce-​house) for an event I was helping produce in Little Rock, AR. I contacted them about a moonwalk, a person to monitor it throughout the day, and a generator. I needed them from 8 AM — 5 PM. Their initial quote was too high so I negotiated a fair cost we both agreed on. Then came the first red flag… their contract. It demanded in BIG BOLD LETTERS that the full amount was due as the deposit. How is the full amount the deposit? I always do payment upon delivery to ensure things are set up and handled properly. I called to discuss with the owner Jerry Dean. Jerry not only wanted the full amount up front he had a quirky cancellation policy. Like I said… I deal with entertainment businesses all the time and EVERY place has the same policy; 24 hours advance notice cancellation. Now, that is what it says in Jerry’s contract but over the phone he explained that in fact it was 24 hours advance notice to get a 50% refund, the remaining 50% would be kept on file for a year for me to use for a future event… that way I was locked into doing business with him. Red flag #2.
I decided not to use Fun Dunk and called back to cancel. I spoke with another gentleman who explained that it would be fine to have payment on delivery the day of and that I could sign the contract then. This worked for me so I had my client’s accounting department prepare a check for the full amount. I brought the contract and check with me to Little Rock.
The morning of the event Fun Dunk was a no show. They called us at 9 AM to check on the weather (it was lightly raining) and to see if we still wanted them to come. They left that message on our machine asking us to call them back. We did… no answer. We called multiple times and every time it went to the voicemail of the man who was supposed to be delivering on site. At noon we called the main office number and finally spoke to the guy who reluctantly agreed to come. He showed up at 1 PM… without the generator. He then had to drive all the way back to get the generator. At 2 PM the moonwalk was finally up and kids were bouncing happily. I talked to the guy (who was the original contact and person I negotiated price with) about the miscommunications and we discussed a solution. The agreement was that he would only charge me 50% and I would call them on Monday to get a new invoice so a check could be sent out ASAP.
On Monday there was no answer at Fun Dunk and no one returned my call. I called Tuesday and explained that I was calling to get a new invoice so I could get a new check sent out ASAP. They explained they were paid in full. Turned out a member of the crew gave the Fun Dunk guy the check that was supposed to be voided and shredded. No worries, we can do a refund instead. Then all hell broke loose with owner Jerry Dean.
While it was a civil conversation the tone was blatantly aggressive from the get go as Jerry laid in to me and accused me of being at fault. He said «I’m not refunding 1 penny!» I explained that his company was 5 hours late, that we agreed on site to a new price, and that I had not signed an agreement/​contract. He argued that we were at fault for them being late, he was unaware of any new agreed price, and conceded that there was no signed contract. Jerry went on a tirade and threatened to get his lawyers involved. I think it is important to point out that the total cost was $ 300 and the new agreed cost was $ 150…yeah…this guy wants to get lawyers involved over $ 150. Calm down Jerry. Our conversation ended and I immediately contacted the local Better Business Bureau to report them and file for a resolution refund of $ 150. Then I called Jerry one last time to try to resolve things calmly. «I’ve got your signed contract right here!» Jerry proclaimed. I was taken aback because I was holding the unsigned contract in my hands. «Who signed it?» I asked. «You did.» He continued. I replied calmly, «Jerry, I never signed anything so if you have a signed document from me you must have forged my signature.» Jerry snarkily replied, «I’m sure that’s what you’ll say.» I ended our conversation with pleasantries and hung up.
Bad business is bad business… forging a signature on a document is something completely different. This place is bad news. Negative 5 stars, BBB claim file, and possible small claims court.