- Report: #1241654
Complaint Review: Twist N Shout - Morganville New Jersey
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Twist N Shout
165 Amboy Rd Ste 702 G Morganville, 07751 New Jersey, USA
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Twist N Shout Pat Pasqua - Owner Didn't give everything they charged for & added additional money to the bill that didn't make sense Morganville New Jersey
I cannot believe how unprofessional they were. Just be prepared, Pat, the owner is not worried about this being a good experience for your child as much as he is worried about the money. I too purchased a Groupon with the intention to try out a new place. This is a place that we haven't attended a party at yet. My 8 year old was super excited, she even picked out the 10 games he asked for with the final RSVP. The Groupon stated for 20 kids with pizza, drinks and ice cream. When asked for the final head count, I let him know that I wasn't getting many responses back, we were at 15, I was working on more, but I didn't expect to have more than 20. The place is very small and with a warehouse type of feel. It seemed dirty!
Upon arrival, he was no where to be found. He was behind his curtain and my guests were just standing around. The kids started to play with the 3 balloons that he had blown up and threw in the group of kids, as they started to play, he yelled at them to "calm down." He started to play a game that required passing a ball and literally was belittling the children, yelling at them, "what is wrong with you?" "don't you know how to follow direction?" amongst other really mean things. 1 girl ended up in tears, these are 8 year olds. The parents commented and were very upset. They even have video because they were in shock and couldn't believe it. He didn't play any of the games that my daughter requested and when I told her to let him know, she said she was scared because he was mean and looked like he was in a bad mood. I did ask the helper to ask him to play a song that my daughter wanted and he looked really annoyed.
I ordered 3 additional pies for the parents as well as soda. The soda was flat and when I let them know, they took it away and brought out more flat soda. I was embarrassed as my guests were the ones that brought it to my attention. We ended up with 19 kids, I paid for 20. The helper asked to take slices from the pies that I bought for the adults because there wasn't enough. I did bring it to Pat's attention and he said he only ordered for 15 as they don't like an overage of food. I paid for 20, so I am not sure how this could've happened other than the details to our party were done as if he didn't care and was cheap about it. There were not even enough chair or seats for the 20 guests. Some ended up sitting on the floor or the stage.
It came time for ice cream and of course I had 4 kids left without ice cream. When I asked the helper why there weren't more, she said they only planned for 15 guests. So, again, there wasn't enough. Regardless if I had 5 kids or 20, I still had as the Groupon stated for 20 kids. At the end of the party, he was quick to throw everyone out and making it very uncomfortable. At the end, he handed me another bill for $180. This he stated was for 20% gratuity as well as the pies and soda. Something didn't seem right, I asked for a receipt and he said he would email it to me. I asked for a paper copy and with hesitation, he handed it to me, still I haven't received an emailed receipt. He did over charge me on gratuity, he has yet to respond as to why. I did ask what gratuity covers and he did say this wasn't considered a tip as other guests tip them on top of that.
He did however offer me $50 in giveaways at my next party there. I was blown away at his lack of hospitality as well as how he runs his business.He has sneaky business tactics. It doesn't matter how long your business is open, that doesn't mean you are good. There will definitely not be another party here and I would NOT recommend it to anyone. If anything, it left some of the kids and parents upset and my daughter crying on the way home as well as him ripping me off. The concept of the place is fun, but I bet the kids would have had a better time dancing to a radio. DO NOT PURCHASE the groupon, it is NOT worth it and neither is having a party here at this establishment. Oh, and according to him, if you book a party with your groupon, most of us are cheap and do not like to spend money. I am sure that I can say for many parents out there, when it comes to your children's happiness, you will not spare any expense. I should have followed my intuition upon my first phone call with him. He was not friendly at all. Don't even take a chance!
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Pat
Freehold,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
The truth
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Thu, August 27, 2015
Thank you for your feedback.
Unfortunately, many negative reviews submitted are less than half true. I admit that we are not perfect, and have made some mistakes. Recently we have had some close family members' very severe health issues affect our business and I apologize to anyone who was affected. I am also sorry if anyone took my demeanor in the wrong way, or if I came off any way other than the crazy fun guy that my clients over the past 20 years know me to be. But I wish to set the record straight on some of the issues posted here::
Our new location is 1500 sq ft, in a new building, freshly painted with a brand new floor and decor.and we hold up to 60 guests - we try not to have more than 50 for our client's comfort.
We clean and sanitize all surfaces before and after every event, with a complete sanitizing at the end of every weekend.
My approach to running an event is sometimes misconstrued but I am never mean - I assume a wacky persona and do sometimes yell - but it is all done tongue in cheek - and never to hurt anyone's feelings.
When I say certain things to the kids, like "Calm down" or ask "What are you doing? (I have never asked a child "What is wrong with you?" - unless it was with comedic intent and delivery), and what I Do sometimes ask is "Doesn't anyone listen or follow directions anymore?" - these are always delivered in a crazy fun way.
Every person who books a party with us gets a contract - for their protection and ours. Each contract specifies what we will provide, and fully discloses what the client will be charged, along with our terms and conditions. Most people read their contract, some do not and are "surprised".We cannot control that. 99% of our clients agree that our contract and terms are fair and reasonable considering the very personal and interactive nature of our parties.
At every party, we strive to do the activity that the client/birthday child requests. Sometimes certain activities are NOT geared to the actual crowd that comes. We reserve the right to choose something that works for that crowd. It is very rare that we do not cover most of a birthday child's requests, and in those cases we are usually reminded by the parents of the activities requested, and gladly do them. In fact, we want and expect parents to "advise" us if the birthday child has any issue at the party. Otherwise it is often impossible for us to know.
For each party that we do, we always ask our clients to provide certain details so that we are prepared to conduct the party successfully. If a client gives a certain headcount, then we order foods and supplies based on that headcount. This helps us to keep our costs in line. In instances where more kids than expected show up, there is usually not an issue if we have to take aslice or tow of pizza from the adult order. If we have to order foods at the last minute, it often takes too long for delivery. We usually have plenty of giveaway items in stock for the extra kids. If fewer kids show up, we do not charge anyone for our having ordered too much. We always do our best to make accommodations for extra guests.
Since our parties do not include "giveaway items" - and kids just love this stuff - we always suggest that clients purchase some to be handed out as prizes. Most clients do so instead of or in addition to making a goody bag. If a child loses or breaks their item, we usually replace it free of charge.
We never "throw everyone out". We always thank everyone for coming, congratulate the guest of honor, and play a final song as the guests gather their things and say their good byes. Sometimes we have to ask that guests make their way out if we need to clean and reset for another event - but this is always handled very "diplomatically".
We encourage every prospective client to check our reviews online or otherwise. There are some sites which contain 50 or more reviews of us. 99% are positive. In 20 years we can count negative reviews on one hand. Many of those are only party justified, and most of those came about because of circumstances beyond our control.
Although we aim to do so, we obviously know that you cannot please everyone.
Bottom line: According to 99% of our clients, we still run the best, most fun kids party in NJ - and we do so with your input. We value every client and welcome your comments and honest critiques.
