Mad Science of Sno-King

Great time. I had my reservations when I first walked in but the kids had a great time and so did I.

Let me start by saying that the scientist was great. He did a good job with the kids and my son loved it. My problem is the pricing and customer service. The initial fee is 195 $ for a 50 minute presentation. Kind of spendy but my kid loves science so I did it anyway. When I got the invoice before the party it had everything listed as was stated in my phone call with the lady at Mad Science. Everything except a travel charge. Now the website states that travel charges may apply. I WAS NOT told that it would affect us. I was also not told how much we would be charged or how they calculate the charge. I tried to email numerous time to ask about the charge the Friday before my sons party only to have the emails bounce back and my calls go to voicemail. Monday (after the party) rolls around, I get another invoice saying that they charged my credit card for the remaining balance of 202 $. So I call to see why and the lady tells me that, that was a mistake but the party total was wrong and that even though we gave him 220 $ cash. we still owe 2 $. I told her we gave him plenty for the bill. We paid well over the final invoice. Then I asked about that travel fee and why we weren’t informed. She then got mad and told me that of course she told me that she tells everyone and that is what she does all day long. She knows she told me, because she remembers telling me that I would split with the birthday party going on in Kent and that she knows that she me specifically because I wanted to make sure the fee wasn’t too outrageous. She didn’t. Never did we talk about the travel fee. We paid $ 22.50 and according to her she did split it between both parties. So she normally charges 45 $ to drive to Kent??? I drive 60 miles round trip everyday to work and back in an SUV and I fill up once a week for 35 $. Id honestly like to know how they figure that out, She then continues to argue with me about how if you are outside the city limits you get that charge and that she is charging what is allowed by state law .54 a mile. and asks why I called just to argue with her. I didn’t. I called because she charged my credit card when she shouldn’t have. I just happened to ask about the mileage and that’s when she got upset and defensive. Nobody want to drive that far they had to beg employees to do it. If that’s the case maybe it should be called Bellevue Mad Science and not Sno-​King Mad science. a better approach to customer service would be nice.
4 Stars for the scientist who came out.
0 Stars fro the customer service given.

After watching the promotional video & reading quite a few reviews I decided to book Mad Science for my daughters 7^th birthday.
Overall, Audrey was very helpful & nice. One issue I had was that I was using a promotion & then had another promotion for a finale (cotton candy). I was sent a receipt showing both with my total owed at the bottom. After the party ended & we went to pay the balance the 1^st promotion had been added back to my balance! There was a note saying (only one promotion allowed) which I understand, but I do think that’s terrible customer service to not notify me prior to adding the amount back onto my total due. When I mentioned both promotions in the beginning, nothing was said at that time & even when I received my reminder email days before the party, they were both taken off. Like I said I can understand the reason, just be up front & honest about it for the customer.
Onto the party… I feel like the birthday video on their website is borderline false advertising. At our party almost everything in the video did NOT happen. Kids were shown a tesla coil, flash paper, & different light through paper glasses. That’s it. I understand that it can’t be identical to the video, but my husband & I were both waiting for it to get more exciting & it never did. In fact, it ended after only 35 – 40 minutes! We were promised 45 – 50 minutes! In a tiny quiet room these things are noticeable. Also at the time of booking when I asked about making silly putty, Audrey told me they only make slime at parties now. Their website still lists 3 different types of experiments as options for taking home. So personally, I feel that this company has a lot of kinks to work out. Only reason for my star rating is because my daughter had fun.
I’ve had & been to a lot of kids parties. All in all I think this one was $ 160 more than it should have been for what we received. I appreciate what they are trying to do with science, but they need improvement all around.

After numerous parties at the pump it up and bounce 321, My 8 year old boy wanted something different for his birthday. I’m glad I found this place. Atomic Alex is awesome and all his friends (who are from gifted program) had a great time. We all learned so much within that 1 hour and the kids had a blast. Audrey was also very nice and informative. Overall, I will give them a 5 stars.

After seeing Mad Science at a company summer picnic, we sought them out for our daughter’s 11^th birthday. Alex, a former science teacher and self-​proclaimed lover of all things science, came to our home WELL prepared. He was patient, engaging, and definitely taught these girls things they hadn’t known before. It was engaging, informative… and even the skeptical 14-​year olds admitted that he made it FUN! He brought together many of the concepts they’ve learned in school, but in a very fun way. With a simple tesla coil, the kids were able to see electricity arc… neon light up… and how currents really work! He showed how fire is a chemical reaction and how heat can make different chemicals light up in different colors. Mostly, he made my 11-​year old quite happy. I was a bit nervous that we would see many experiments we had seen before (e.g. making slime, making a potato light up), but he definitely ‘brought it’.
Audrey, at the front office, was well-​informed and helpful. Alex called me a few nights before the party to confirm any last-​minute details and ensure all was in order.
Very professional, and I highly recommend them!

We had a fantastic birthday party there. Our mad scientist is Alex, who used to be a school teacher so he knows how to manage 20 2^nd graders very well. The execution of the science demonstration was excellent. We came with food and drinks, they provided all paper products. Prior to the party, our questions were answered promptly and politely.

I want you to know what a great gift you given to all of these kids and how they go away excited after a Monday of science… my 8 yr old can not stop talking about what she has learned and how she is so interested in science. You are so great and we will miss you as the year comes to a close but we will definetly look for you next year.
Special thank you to Madeline who listened to me and helped make this possible. How lucky we are to have someone like you.
Warmly Katia and Mia Shuchman

My son really likes the Mad Science after school programs. For the most part, they seem to be run well, though the instructors vary in discipline styles and effectiveness. The turn over also seems to be high, as we’ve never seen the same instructor more than one semester and once the instructors switched halfway through.
They do great experiments though, and have cool take-​home projects.
My big problem with this organization is their lack of food allergy awareness. They’ve insisted they will not epi-​pen train their instructors because of liability issues. Hence, I have to sit outside the classroom for an hour every day that my son has Mad Science. It’s fine, since I only work part time and my schedule is flexible, but otherwise he’d be excluded from Mad Science since he cannot be left without an adult in the vicinity who knows how to recognize anaphylaxis and administer an epi-​pen.
If I could, I’d give four stars for content, and one star for my interaction with the Mad Science corporate office.

Mad Science hosts terrific birthday parties for kids in your home (or wherever). Also have seen them do summer camps as well as after-​school activities at local schools. The kids have enjoyed this, however, once they’ve done it 3 or 4 times, they’ve seen the whole repetoire. Could use some new juice.