The complete rental agreement governing every Inflated Expectations booking. Effective date: May 28, 2026.
Effective Date: May 28, 2026
Last Updated: May 28, 2026
These Terms of Service and Rental Agreement (collectively, the "Agreement") form a binding contract between you ("Customer," "you," "your") and Inflated Expectations LLC, a New York limited liability company located in Schenectady, New York ("Inflated Expectations," "we," "us," "our"). Please read this Agreement carefully. By booking a rental, completing the online checkout process, signing a paper rental agreement, or accepting delivery of equipment, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these terms.
This Agreement governs your use of the Inflated Expectations website at inflatedexpectationsny.com (the "Site") and any rental of bounce houses, water slides, combo units, interactive inflatables, concession equipment, or related party-rental items (collectively, the "Equipment") supplied by Inflated Expectations. By accessing the Site, requesting a quote, completing a booking, paying a deposit, or accepting delivery of any Equipment, you accept these terms in full.
If you are booking on behalf of another person, a household, an organization, a school, a religious body, a business, or any other entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that party to this Agreement, and references to "you" include both you individually and that party.
You must be at least 18 years old and have full legal capacity to contract under New York law to enter into this Agreement. Persons under 18 may not book Equipment directly; a parent or legal guardian must complete the booking and sign the rental agreement on their behalf.
Inflated Expectations rents inflatable amusement equipment and party-rental items for short-term use at customer-selected locations within the Capital District of New York and the surrounding service area. A typical rental includes delivery, setup, anchoring, a pre-use safety walkthrough, blower and extension cord, and pickup at the end of the rental period. Specific inclusions vary by Equipment type and are disclosed on the individual unit page during booking.
We do not provide attendants, supervisors, or on-site monitors during your rental unless explicitly contracted as an additional service. The Customer is solely responsible for supervising the Equipment and all participants for the entire duration of the rental period.
We reserve the right to refuse service, decline a booking, or terminate a rental in progress if site conditions, weather, customer conduct, or safety considerations make continued service unreasonable in our sole judgment. In such cases, refund eligibility is governed by Sections 3 and 7 below.
Deposit. A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to confirm any reservation. The deposit may be paid via credit card, debit card, or other electronic methods accepted at checkout. Until the deposit is received and processed, the requested date and Equipment are not held and remain available to other customers.
Balance. The remaining balance is due on the day of delivery, before the Equipment is unloaded and set up. Balance payment may be made by credit card, debit card, or cash. We do not accept personal checks for the balance payment.
Pricing. All published pricing on the Site is exclusive of New York State sales tax. Applicable tax is calculated at checkout and itemized on the deposit invoice. The deposit invoice is the controlling document for the total contract price; price changes after the deposit is paid are limited to add-on services requested by the Customer.
Cancellation by Customer. Customer-initiated cancellations more than 14 days before the scheduled event date may receive a credit equal to the deposit, applied to a future rental within 12 months. Cancellations within 14 days forfeit the deposit. Cancellations within 48 hours forfeit any balance payment already made for additional services.
Refunds. Deposits are non-refundable. Credits are issued at our sole discretion and are governed by Section 7 (weather), the cancellation rules above, and the rebooking policy linked from the customer confirmation email. We do not refund deposits or balance payments in cash; all refunds, where issued, are credited to the original payment method.
Returned payments. Any chargeback, payment reversal, or returned card transaction is subject to a $35 administrative fee plus the actual cost of recovery, including reasonable attorneys' fees.
The standard rental period is four (4) hours of customer use, with delivery and setup completed before the rental window begins and pickup occurring after the rental window ends. Specific delivery and pickup time blocks are agreed upon at booking and confirmed in the delivery confirmation email.
Evening setup the night before is available at no additional charge when selected at booking. When evening setup is selected, the Equipment is delivered between 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM the night before the event and picked up after the rental window the following day.
The Customer is responsible for providing safe, lawful, and accessible site conditions, including but not limited to: a substantially flat area of grass, dirt, or low-pile artificial turf large enough to accommodate the unit and a 5-foot clearance on all sides; a power outlet within 100 feet (or notification at booking that no outlet is available, in which case we supply a generator at no charge); access for our delivery vehicle within 100 feet of the setup location; and a clear path with no narrow gates (under 36 inches), low overhead obstructions (under 9 feet), stairs requiring a hand-carry of more than 25 feet, or active animals on the property at the time of delivery.
Equipment set up on driveways, decks, concrete, or other hard surfaces requires sandbag anchoring instead of stakes, which must be selected and disclosed at booking. Equipment may not be set up on sloped terrain exceeding 5 degrees, on gravel, on mulched or recently fertilized lawns, near in-ground sprinkler heads, or under power lines.
If site conditions at the time of delivery materially differ from what was disclosed at booking such that safe setup is not possible, we will work with the Customer to identify an alternate location on the property. If no safe alternate is available, we will return the deposit minus a $75 dry-run fee covering driver time, fuel, and the lost reservation slot.
Supervision. The Customer must designate one or more responsible adults (18 or older) to supervise the Equipment at all times during use. The supervisor must be physically present, sober, and alert. The supervisor enforces capacity limits, separates children of disparate ages and sizes, monitors for horseplay, prevents food and drink inside the unit, and shuts down operation immediately if any safety concern arises.
Capacity. Each unit has a maximum rider count, a per-person weight limit, and a total weight limit, all disclosed on the unit listing and the rental agreement. The Customer agrees to enforce these limits at all times. Exceeding the limits voids manufacturer specifications, voids our insurance coverage for any resulting incident, and is grounds for immediate rental termination without refund.
Weather. The Customer is responsible for monitoring real-time weather during the rental and shutting down operation immediately if winds exceed 15 mph sustained, if lightning is observed within 10 miles, or if rain becomes heavy enough to pool water inside the unit. The Customer must evacuate all participants from the Equipment in such conditions and notify us promptly. See Section 7 for our weather-rescheduling policy.
Safety rules. The Customer agrees to enforce the following at all times: no shoes inside the unit; no food, drink, gum, or candy inside the unit; no sharp objects, jewelry, eyeglasses, or hard hair accessories; no climbing on netting or external walls; no flips, head-first sliding, or wrestling; no use during thunderstorms, high winds, heavy rain, or temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit; no pets inside; no more than the posted rider count at any one time.
Waiver. All participants and the parent or legal guardian of each minor participant must sign the Inflated Expectations Liability Waiver, available at inflatedexpectationsny.com/waiver.html, prior to entering the Equipment. Failure to obtain signed waivers does not relieve the Customer of liability under this Agreement.
Site security. The Customer is responsible for the security of the Equipment from delivery through pickup, including overnight if evening setup is selected. Equipment must not be moved, deflated and re-inflated, modified, or used outside the agreed location and time window without our prior written consent.
The Customer agrees to use the Equipment only for its intended recreational purpose, in accordance with all rules, instructions, and safety placards posted on the unit and supplied at delivery. The Customer is responsible for any damage to the Equipment occurring between delivery and pickup, other than normal wear and tear.
Our damage charge schedule is published in the customer confirmation email and at the time of waiver signing. Common charges include: vinyl puncture or tear repair ($75 to $400 depending on size and location), seam separation repair ($150 to $500), blower replacement ($350), netting replacement ($125 to $300), and pump-out and replacement cleaning for biohazards ($150 minimum). Total loss of a unit is charged at the unit's documented replacement cost, typically $1,800 to $4,200.
We require photo documentation of any damage charge before billing. Photos of the damage, taken at pickup and in our shop after takedown, are emailed to the Customer along with the itemized invoice. Disputes regarding damage charges must be raised in writing within 7 days of the invoice and may be appealed under the dispute resolution process in Section 15.
Damage caused by use of food, drink, gum, candy, paint, glitter, slime, silly string, ink, or any substance that stains, tears, or contaminates vinyl is the Customer's responsibility regardless of who caused it. Damage caused by sharp objects, shoes, jewelry, hair accessories, or animal contact is the Customer's responsibility. Damage caused by exceeding posted capacity is the Customer's responsibility.
Damage caused by manufacturer defect, undisclosed pre-existing wear, or our own setup error is not the Customer's responsibility. The same is true of damage caused by weather conditions that we declined to evacuate the unit for despite forecast warnings.
We monitor the forecast for every event location starting 72 hours before the scheduled delivery. If conditions are forecast to make safe operation impossible (sustained winds above 15 mph, severe storms, persistent heavy rain, lightning within 10 miles, or temperatures below 40 degrees), we will proactively contact the Customer to discuss rescheduling.
If the Customer elects to reschedule due to severe weather, the deposit and any balance payment already made are credited to a new rental date within 12 months at no additional charge. There is no rebooking fee, no penalty, and no expiration deduction.
If the Customer elects to proceed despite forecast severe weather, the rental proceeds at the Customer's discretion. We reserve the right to shut down or refuse to inflate the Equipment if conditions at the time of delivery would create a safety hazard. In such cases, the rental is treated as a weather reschedule under this Section.
Light or intermittent rain that does not create unsafe conditions is not grounds for weather rescheduling, and the rental proceeds as scheduled. We do not refund or credit rentals that proceed in light rain conditions.
If we cancel a rental for reasons within our control (vehicle breakdown, staffing issue, Equipment unavailable), we will offer either a full refund of all amounts paid (including the otherwise non-refundable deposit) or a substitute unit or rescheduled date with a credit of equal value. The choice is the Customer's.
Inflated Expectations maintains general liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, plus a current New York Department of Labor Amusement Device Operating Permit. Certificates of insurance are available on request for parks, schools, religious organizations, or other venues that require COI documentation. Requests should be sent to [email protected] at least 7 days before the event date.
Our insurance covers losses arising from our own negligence in the setup, delivery, or condition of the Equipment. It does not cover losses arising from Customer misuse, failure to supervise, failure to enforce capacity limits, failure to evacuate in unsafe weather, or violation of any safety rule.
The Customer is encouraged to maintain homeowner's, renter's, event, or umbrella insurance covering use of inflatable amusement equipment on their property. We do not provide and do not act as a substitute for the Customer's own coverage.
New York General Obligations Law Section 5-326. Inflated Expectations operates within New York State and acknowledges that General Obligations Law Section 5-326 prohibits owners or operators of recreational facilities from enforcing certain pre-injury releases of liability against members of the public who use the facility for a fee. To the extent that any provision of this Agreement, the Liability Waiver, or any related document would otherwise be deemed unenforceable under Section 5-326, that provision is severable and the remainder of this Agreement continues in full force and effect. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to release Inflated Expectations from liability for its own negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct to the extent such release is prohibited by New York law.
To the fullest extent permitted by law and subject to the limits of New York General Obligations Law Section 5-326 referenced in Section 8, the Customer agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Inflated Expectations LLC, its members, employees, contractors, insurers, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, losses, liabilities, judgments, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to:
(a) any injury to or death of any participant or third party using or near the Equipment during the rental period; (b) damage to the Equipment caused by Customer or any participant; (c) damage to the Customer's property or the property of any third party arising from the rental; (d) any violation of safety rules, capacity limits, weather restrictions, or any term of this Agreement; (e) any failure to obtain signed waivers from participants or their guardians; (f) any failure of the Customer's supervision; or (g) any claim by a participant or guest brought against Inflated Expectations that would not have arisen but for the Customer's conduct.
This indemnification obligation survives termination or expiration of this Agreement.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Inflated Expectations' total cumulative liability arising out of or related to this Agreement, the Site, or any rental shall not exceed the total amount actually paid by the Customer to Inflated Expectations for the specific rental giving rise to the claim. In no event shall Inflated Expectations be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, lost wages, lost opportunity, emotional distress, or property damage to items other than the rented Equipment, even if Inflated Expectations has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
The limitations in this Section apply to all claims, whether sounding in contract, tort, strict liability, statute, or any other theory, and survive termination of this Agreement. They do not apply to claims for which limitation is prohibited under New York law, including claims for personal injury arising from our negligence to the extent protected by Section 5-326.
All content on the Site, including text, photographs, logos, layout, source code, the Inflated Expectations name and logo, the IE bounce icon, and all related design elements, is the property of Inflated Expectations LLC and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and trade-dress law. Customers may print or download a copy of the rental agreement, waiver, confirmation emails, and methodology pages for personal record-keeping. Any other reproduction, redistribution, commercial use, framing, scraping, or derivative use of Site content requires our prior written consent.
Photographs taken by Inflated Expectations of Equipment setup at Customer events may be used by Inflated Expectations for marketing and operational purposes unless the Customer notifies us in writing at the time of booking that they do not consent. We do not photograph children or guests. Operational photographs are limited to the Equipment, the setup, and the surrounding outdoor area.
Our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal information are governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into this Agreement by reference. By booking a rental, you confirm that you have read and agreed to the Privacy Policy. The Privacy Policy describes what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and your rights to access, correct, and delete it.
We may amend this Agreement from time to time. The current version is always available at inflatedexpectationsny.com/terms.html with the effective date displayed at the top. For active reservations, the version of this Agreement in effect on the date the Customer paid the deposit is the version that governs that reservation, unless the parties otherwise agree in writing. Material changes will be communicated to Customers with active reservations at least 14 days before the new version takes effect for new bookings.
Continued use of the Site, submission of new bookings, or acceptance of delivery for any rental on or after the effective date of a revised Agreement constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
This Agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of the dispute-resolution provisions in Section 15.
Customer agrees that any cause of action arising from this Agreement or any rental must be filed within one (1) year after the cause of action arose, or it is permanently barred.
Informal resolution. Before initiating any formal proceeding, the parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute by good-faith written communication. The Customer should email [email protected] with a detailed description of the dispute and the desired resolution. We will respond within 10 business days and propose a path to resolution. Many disputes resolve at this stage.
Small claims. Either party may bring a qualifying dispute in the small claims court of Schenectady County, New York, or the Customer's county of residence within New York State, without invoking the arbitration provision below. Small claims jurisdiction in New York currently extends to disputes up to $10,000.
Arbitration. Any dispute exceeding the small claims threshold that is not resolved by informal communication will be settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, with the arbitration seated in Albany, New York. The arbitrator's decision is final and binding. The prevailing party may seek to enforce the award in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Waiver of class actions. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Customer agrees to bring any dispute on an individual basis and waives any right to participate in a class action, consolidated action, or representative proceeding.
Venue. For any dispute not subject to arbitration or small claims, exclusive venue lies in the state and federal courts located in Schenectady County, New York, and the parties consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.
For questions about this Agreement, to request a Certificate of Insurance, to provide notice under any provision, or to initiate informal dispute resolution, contact us at:
Inflated Expectations LLC
Schenectady, New York
Email: [email protected]
Phone: Contact Us
Written notice under this Agreement is deemed delivered when sent to the email address on file for the Customer's account or sent to the address above with documented confirmation of receipt.
Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect, and the invalid provision will be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving the parties' original intent.
Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Liability Waiver, the Privacy Policy, the customer-facing booking confirmation, and the rental-day damage schedule, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties regarding the subject matter and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, written or oral.
No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement does not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other.
Assignment. The Customer may not assign or transfer this Agreement or any rights under it without our prior written consent. Inflated Expectations may assign this Agreement to any successor entity, affiliate, or purchaser of substantially all of its assets.
Force majeure. Neither party is liable for delays or failures in performance caused by events beyond reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disasters, pandemics, government action, civil unrest, or utility failures.
Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
By booking with Inflated Expectations, you confirm that you have read this Agreement in full, that you understand it, and that you accept its terms. If you have questions, contact us before completing your booking.