Elevate Trampoline Park — Attraction in Champaign

Absolutely the worst experience I have ever had at a business. I booked a birthday party for my child at Elevate Trampoline Park in Champaign, IL, expecting a fun and welcoming environment. Instead, I was met with unprofessional teenage staff, ridiculous hidden fees, unsafe conditions, and what I strongly believe was outright discrimination.

Horrible Customer Service & Unfair Charges

• I prepaid for 15 kids, but only 10 showed up. When I asked if I could get a refund or discount for the missing guests, I was flatly told, “No, it doesn’t matter if they come or not.” No business should charge for services that weren’t rendered.

• The “party room” was a joke—two tiny benches and a single table, barely fitting the children. Adults had nowhere to sit, and when we tried to sit on an empty bench, we were told we had to pay $50 extra just to sit down.

• We finished in the birthday area early, so we told the kids they could go play while we cleaned—but staff actively stopped them from jumping, claiming their time was up. Nowhere in the booking was this restriction made clear.

Unsafe Conditions & Negligent Staff

• My 5-year-old child and his friends were bullied TWICE by much older kids (around 10 years old). The so-called “supervisors” on duty did absolutely nothing—I had to personally intervene and speak to the parents of the older children.

• The staff spent most of their time huddled together, laughing and playing on their phones, instead of ensuring safety or enforcing rules fairly.

Unnecessary Restrictions That Ruined the Party

• I brought a safe pull-string piñata for the kids to enjoy. They refused to let me use it, even though it was not a safety risk and I was fully prepared to clean up afterward. This ruined a major part of the birthday experience.

Discrimination & Unfair Treatment

• The supervisors ignored other families breaking rules, but when it came to my family, they were quick to enforce unnecessary restrictions and push back against any concerns.

• I was even told to check my email for “fine print” rules, as if I were too dumb to read the terms properly. The condescending, dismissive attitude of the staff made me feel targeted and unwelcome.

This place is run by immature teenagers who have no idea how to manage a business. They prioritize nickel-and-diming parents over actual customer service. DO NOT book your child’s birthday party here unless you enjoy being scammed, ignored, and discriminated against. No clue how they have 4 stars definitely review...

PROS: -It was fun -It was clean -Lots of space -Ample number of cubbies available for your belongings -Kids loved it -We were not rushed out of the party room at the end, maybe because our party was at the last time slot of the day. But we appreciated it. -Birthday child gets a free pass to Elevate and the guests get 50% off coupon towards admission to Elevate. CONS: -Prices are high, particularly for the birthday parties -Poor organization -All employees were young with seemingly no one supervising things -Poor communication regarding parties. No instructions were given for steps to take when arriving or as to how things work during the party. We were not told that a tip is required for the party coordinator. We were not told that there were also cubbies upstairs to put our belongings.We were not told that we were supposed to carry all the supplies and gifts upstairs to the party coordinator. Etc.... -Not enough food was provided for number of party guests. We had to order an additional pizza. -Delays were created due to the lack of communication. We were not able to start jumping at our party until at least 15 minutes after we were supposed to. -The party coordinator kept leaving during the party without telling us anything.

The party coordinator/someone should be waiting for you to arrive to lead everything and give you instructions. That did not happen with us. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TIP THE PARTY COORDINATOR. The suggested minimum amount for ours was $40.00. This was in addition to the already high price of the party. We were not aware of this policy beforehand. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE PARTY COORDINATOR WAS INCLUDED IN THE PRICE! Ours really didn't do that much. We didn't even know what the party coordinator was supposed to be doing. We cut the cake and served a lot of the pizza. I guess I can understand that maybe the amount of the coordinator's pay should be contingent upon the quality of their service, similar to waitresses. I feel the minimum suggested tip was too high though and I think the price of the party should be lowered if we are required to tip the coordinator. Any other place we've purchased a party package at did not require or suggest a tip! It's highly unlikely that we will have another party at Elevate in the future. But if we did, it would be much better since we now know more about how it is done.

Since this is a newly open business, hopefully the process will get smoother with time and they will...

Total free for all!

My wife and I took our small daughter to Elevate today 10/03/2021 and we went to the zone specially labeled 5 years and under. Kids over 5 years of age constantly entered the zone and made it difficult for our daughter to have a good time.

There are plenty of staff members working. But do they enforce any rules? No! Instead they walk around in circles on their phones. If Elevate offers retirement and health benefits sign me up! These workers enforce zero of the policies that keep children safe. I guess that’s why they force you to sign a waiver.

My wife and I politely asked two boys who could have easily passed for at least 8 years old to move from the bottom of slide so that I could take my daughter down. When they only moved to the sides of the bottom of the slide I told them “No. You have to leave the bottom of the slide.” As they were leaving the slide finally their Karen mom confronted me and asked aggressively if they could be in the area. I replied No! This area is for kids 5 and under. It’s clearly posted. Plus they’re at the bottom of the slide when my daughter and I are trying to go down and we’ve already asked them to move. This confrontation would have never occurred had the staff enforced safer practices.

And do not ask me how many times my daughter was almost knocked down by the older kids who were running. They have clear signs posted not to run on the deck and yet kids blow by employees while they’re busy on their phones. I guess that tiktok video is more important than a 100lb kid who shouldn’t be in the area knocking my daughter down.

I understand that it’s a place for fun and activity. But who’s responsible when someone gets hurt. The first thing Elevate will point to and say is well you did sign the waiver. Even though their own policies were not followed or enforced they’ll somehow blame the victim.

My wife and I paid the ridiculous overpriced amount that everyone else paid and for only a small fraction of the facility. The least the staff could accomplish is making sure that this small 5 years and under zone is safe for small...