If you have purchased inflatable amusement devices from US manufacturers, you have undoubtedly had an opportunity to find out exactly what kind of warranty policy that manufacturer supports. Most inflatable manufacturers carry at least a 1-year warranty policy containing specific terms and conditions as to how to claim a warranty repair for your inflatable purchase.

Some manufacturers claim that they can offer you the best warranty in the industry.
What does that mean exactly?
Does it mean that they will replace the inflatable with a loaner during the repair of your inflatable? I think not. I have never heard of any company offering that type of service. How could they? The shipping of your inflatable to and from the manufacturer is expensive enough without adding to the expense by sending out a second inflatable to use in its absence under your inflatable is repaired. If this were the case, you would double the cost of just the shipping portion of the repair.

Some manufacturers provide “Bumper-to-Bumper” warranty protection of your inflatable.
What does this mean exactly?
Does this mean that if you were to send in an inflatable that had giant holes torn in the unit from dragging across a paved parking lot, the unit was used for a graduation party, unattended by you or your staff, filled with the school’s football team all at the same time and all the obstacles were ripped or torn, could this unit still be covered under this warranty policy? Again, I think not. How can a manufacturer offer such a ridiculous policy unless the terms of how to claim this type of warranty is spelled out disclaiming “abuse, or normal wear and tear” not being covered?

There are even manufacturers claiming to offer a 2-year warranty on their products.
What does this mean exactly?
Does this mean, if purchasing a basic bouncer for the new cheap prices being offered these days, then use the unit for 23 months until there are visible signs of wear and tear and seams starting to separate if not completely, and then contacting the unit’s manufacturer that offered this 2-year warranty and expect that they will overlook all the glue patches along with wear and tear and still repair the unit for free? Once again, I think not.

Ask questions when you purchase the unit as to what will and what will not be covered by the manufacturers warranty policy. Avoid an ugly discussion with the sales person you purchased the inflatable from regarding how the warranty works before you actually have to use it. You, the buyer of these products, should be prepared in the event of a necessary repair of your inflatable. Realize to allow travel time for shipping to and from your repair person. This, combined with the actual repair time, could take as long as two weeks to complete. Have back up inflatable pieces to substitute to your customers for rentals or parties you are absolutely committed to honoring.

Put yourself in the place of the manufacturer with regards to what is a legitimate claim for warranty. Abuse by your patrons, extreme wear and tear due to overloading of patrons are not legitimate warranty claims. What should be covered is: seams opening due to the manufacture not stitching properly (these are usually evident after the first or second use of the inflatable), netting pulling apart, Velcro coming loose, etc. – None of which is generally caused by anything that the owner of the device has done incorrectly.

Also, who will handle this warranty repair? If you bought a Ford, do you bring it to a Chevy dealer when something breaks simply because they are closer to you, and tell them to send the bill to Ford? This is a common problem when attempting to resolve a warranty claim with a customer. No one wants to miss out on business because your inflatable has to be shipped off to be repaired. Keep in mind that most manufacturers will honor warranty repair cost if done in their facility where they can observe what happened to cause the inflatable to fail in the first place. Manufacturers cannot be made to pay out sums of money to anyone with a sewing machine that says they can fix the damage for you just because it is not convenient for you to send it back to the manufacturer for the repair. Understanding and reason is the best course to be taken by both parties here.