Boomers Modesto — Attraction in Ripon

Had a lot of fun for a party. The two people running the bar were INCREDIBLE, and juggling the crowd amazingly well. I was happy with the strawberry daiquiri, it was super delicious!

I will say though, the laser tag experience was probably one of the most awful experiences I have ever had at a fun center, and it was because of the employee running it. There was a button to call an attendent to run the attraction, and a gentleman in front of me pressed it. A moment later, the employee, his name was Brendan, came out and shouted that we should not press the button, because of a sign saying "game in session" was posted up. There was absolutely no signage signifying not to press the button, and he went on to loudly and aggressively state that pressing the button would result in complications for the current game. I blame Boomers itself for that, as if it will cause issues, you should have signage somewhere stating as such. Most people are more than understanding of things like that, and anyone who isn't should absolutely be shouted at, lol. But the shouting and aggression from Brenden was all his own doing. He went on to repeat himself a total of three times, and the several groups waiting became very awkward and uncomfortable. The prior game ended, and he came out to get the next group.

The turnstile was apparently broken, and he told us very loudly to go around it. Our boss's kid who was maybe six tried pushing it, so Brenden grabbed the kid's arm and pulled him around the turnstile. Everyone was again, incredibly awkward after that, not sure how to handle the situation. Once the game started, one of the women who had been waiting was apparently looking to escalate the situation further, and I witnessed her pressing the button on purpose, and shoving the turnstile. All of this was met with further aggression from Brenden every time he came out or witnessed it, with more shouting on his part. I don't agree with her behavior, but I honestly can also see how it was justified. Brenden was a bully, and he seemed like he was on a power trip. I can't honestly find any explanation for grabbing a child who is not yours and pulling them in a direction you want them to go. Not cool.

I had an amazing evening afterward, riding the go karts, and the employees running that attraction were extremely polite...

First, I want to start by saying. This is not towards any specific employee. This is more about the policies implemented and how they are conveyed to the customers.

To keep this simple. I tried to book a birthday party for my 11-year-old daughter, they offered a 1p and 2p we selected the 1p. I was then told that the time is not available after they just offered it. Okay fine, no worries, someone must have just beaten me to the buzzer. I let that one go, I ended up just purchasing 12 wrist bands for our guests, and just showed up together.

I had 2 attraction passes that I purchased a few weeks prior I had never used them. So I decided to use those for myself. I was denied, they cited that my card was an old card and they couldn't take it. Strike 2, eventually, it was resolved, as they did take my money and I was able to prove it.

After my guests had finished their arcade credits, go karts, and everything else, they wanted to do the batting cages, at which they were deliberating whether or not the wrist bands covered batting cages. I told them it did not, but I asked if they all wanted to use batting cages I'll purchase the 30-minute or 1-hour batting cage rental as I've done many times before. I was told "we don't offer that" I looked up at the board with all the attractions and there it was 60 min rental $35. The employee called a manager I'm assuming, and they responded with "we are not offering batting cages, so do not sell batting cages."

I asked for clarification, in case it was under maintenance. The employee showed me a sticky note attached to the monitor saying "Do not offer batting cages." After that, they immediately offered me 25 pitches for $4. If I wanted to buy those I would have, but with 8 of us, that would have been $32 and we only wanted to bat for about 30 minutes anyway.

I would love to know how I'm supposed to handle this, as I didn't go in and complain like most would, I accepted that my experience was not going well, and I was not going to let it ruin my daughter's birthday. I would like someone to reach out and go over this issue more...

Disappointing Experience at Yosemite Council Popcorn Kickoff Event**

We attended Boomers of Modesto for the Yosemite Council popcorn kickoff event, and unfortunately, it was a frustrating experience from start to finish.

The Good: We arrived promptly at 6:00 PM as scheduled, eager to enjoy the evening with our scouts.

The Problems: Excessive wait times: We waited nearly 60 minutes in line for go-karts, which seemed poorly managed with slow turnover Confusing and contradictory information: Staff told us to get in line for bumper boats by 9:00 PM to guarantee a ride, but after waiting 15 minutes in that line, we were told bumper boats actually closed at 9:00 PM sharp as the park was closed at 9. The event flyer said 10 pm. Event timing issues: The Boy Scout flyer clearly stated the event ran from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, but Boomers claimed they closed at 9:00 PM - this miscommunication wasted our time and disappointed the kids Inflexible customer service: When we asked if the children could have one final ride before closing, staff refused to accommodate, despite the confusion over event times Bathroom access denied: Most disappointing of all, when we asked to use the restroom at the end of closing, before our hour-long drive home, we were told no and forced to find facilities elsewhere.

Bottom Line: The popcorn event itself took up significant time, leaving little opportunity to enjoy the attractions (boy scouts issue) Combined with inefficient operations, poor communication, and inflexible policies, this made for a very disappointing evening. For a family entertainment venue hosting a Boy Scout event, the lack of accommodation for basic needs like restroom access was particularly frustrating. The kids only got to ride one ride. No games, miniature golf, bumper boats, etc...

I hope Boomers (and boy scouts) can improve their event coordination and customer service for future group events. The kids deserved better after a long evening of...