Weather and Cancellation Policy

1. Why this policy exists

Inflatable equipment is affected by wind, lightning, rain, and ground conditions in ways that cannot be worked around. This policy sets out, in advance, what [Operator / business name] ("Operator") will do when the weather turns, so that both sides know the answer before the day rather than during it.

Safety comes before the party. Where this policy and a safety decision pull in different directions, safety wins.

2. Conditions under which Operator will not set up, or will stop use

Wind at or above the manufacturer’s maximum operating wind speed for the unit booked. Manufacturers commonly cite a limit in the range of roughly 15 to 25 mph, and the figure that governs your booking is the one on that unit’s label: [limit for the unit(s) booked].

Lightning, thunder, or an active storm within [distance / time] of the site. Use stops immediately and does not resume until [your resume rule].

Heavy or persistent rain, or rain forecast for most of the rental window, for units not rated for wet use.

Saturated, flooded, or frozen ground, where stakes will not hold or ballast cannot be safely placed.

Temperatures outside [range], or any other condition Operator reasonably judges unsafe for the equipment or the participants.

This list is not exhaustive. Operator may decline setup or stop use for any condition it reasonably judges unsafe.

3. Who decides, and when

The decision to set up, to stop use, or to cancel for weather rests with Operator. It is a safety judgment and it is not delegated to the Customer or to a forecast.

Operator will make the go or no-go call by [time] on the day of the event where conditions allow, and will contact Customer immediately at [phone / the number on the booking].

Conditions can change after the call is made. If weather deteriorates after setup, Section 6 applies.

Customer may not overrule a weather decision, and may not use the equipment after Operator has stopped its use.

4. If Operator cancels for weather

The booking becomes a rain check. It reschedules to a mutually available date, subject to availability, at no additional charge.

Rain checks are valid for [90 days / through the end of the season; state which] from the original event date.

If no mutually available date can be found within that window, [state what happens; for example, the amount paid beyond the deposit is refunded].

A weather cancellation by Operator is not treated as a Customer cancellation under Section 7 and does not trigger the cancellation charges there.

5. Deposits and refunds

Attorney review recommended

HAVE YOUR ATTORNEY REVIEW THIS SECTION. What a business may keep when it cancels, when the customer cancels, and when nobody is at fault is governed by consumer-protection rules that differ from state to state, including whether a deposit may be described as non-refundable at all.

The deposit of $[amount or %] holds the date. [State whether it is refundable, and in what circumstances.]

On a weather reschedule, the deposit and any payment made carry to the new date in full.

Where a refund is due under this policy, Operator will issue it within [__] days to the original payment method.

6. If the weather turns during the rental

Everyone exits the unit, the blower is switched off, and the unit is deflated or secured. Nobody re-enters until Operator or the responsible adult confirms conditions have improved and the unit has been re-checked.

If use can safely resume within the original rental window, the booking continues with no adjustment.

If use cannot resume, the rental ends at that point. Operator will [state your terms; for example, apply a partial rain check of [__]% for a mid-event shutdown before the halfway point of the window].

Operator may collect the equipment early where leaving it is unsafe, regardless of the time remaining in the window.

7. Customer cancellations, including cancellations for forecast

A Customer cancellation follows the cancellation terms of the rental agreement, not this policy. A forecast is not a weather cancellation.

If Customer cancels more than [__] days before the event, [terms]. Within [__] days, [terms].

Customer may ask to move the date on the strength of a forecast. Operator will accommodate that where it can, subject to availability, on these terms: [your forecast-move terms; for example, a one-time move requested more than [__] hours ahead].

This distinction is the point of the section. Operator calling off an unsafe setup and Customer calling off a party they are worried about are different events with different terms.

8. Notice and contact

Operator will contact Customer by [phone call · text · email; list the methods you actually use] at the details on the booking.

Customer will keep a phone reachable from [time] on the day of the event.

Where Operator cannot reach Customer and conditions are unsafe, Operator will not set up, and this policy applies as though notice had been given.

9. Events outside anyone’s control

Attorney review recommended

HAVE YOUR ATTORNEY REVIEW THIS SECTION. A force-majeure clause decides who bears the cost when neither side is at fault, and how far it can go varies.

Neither party is liable for failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including severe weather, flood, wildfire, power failure, road closure, or an order of a public authority.

Where such an event prevents the rental, [state what happens to amounts paid: reschedule, credit, or refund, and on what terms].

10. Acknowledgment

This policy forms part of the rental agreement between Operator and Customer dated [date]. Where the two differ, [state which controls].

By signing, Customer confirms they have read this policy, understand that a weather decision rests with Operator, and agree to the reschedule and refund terms above.

Customer signature: ______________________ Date: __________

Operator signature: ______________________ Date: __________