By hiring a mermaid performer through Hire A Mermaid UK LTD [hereby referred to as ‘us’, ‘we’, or ‘the company’] you [also referred to as ‘the booker’] contractually agree to the following terms:
Deposits, Payment & Potential Fees:
- A deposit agreed between you and the company MUST be paid before your booking is guaranteed.
- A 24 hour grace period is given once your deposit is received, after this time it is non-refundable. Should you need to cancel, you can rearrange at no charge within 6 months of your original booking date.
- Once we have emailed the deposit details to you, your booking date is held for 2 working days, after this time we cannot guarantee that the performer will still be available.
- We advise contacting us via email before making payment if 2 working days have elapsed since the booking email was sent, as then we can check that the performer is still available and advise if you can still make payment. Should you make payment outside of the reservation period and we are unable to fulfil your booking we will refund the deposit paid minus a £10 administration fee. Your bank details will be required to process the refund and the payment may take up to 14 working days to reach your account.
- The remaining balance (total fee minus deposit) must be paid in cash to the Mermaid performer on the day unless otherwise agreed/the full amount was paid when booking.
- If you inform us that you wish to book less than 2 weeks before your party date OR the mermaid for your booking has another engagement immediately after your party the full amount will be due via bank transfer upon confirming instead of the deposit/cash balance method above.
- It is your responsibility to ensure the mermaid is able to leave in a timely manner once her booking is completed (see point 35), should you not action this on the day you may be billed for additional time OR should the mermaid have another booking to attend they may be forced to remove their tail in front of attending guests and exit. Examples of not facilitating the mermaid to leave on time include but are not limited to: ‘abandoning’ the mermaid (leaving them in a viewable position without assistance), not being firm with the guests that it is time to leave the venue/mingling/continuing to converse/beginning other pack down chores before assisting the mermaid, moving the mermaid to a secondary area to change but then allowing children/guests to be present outside the door, not having the correct cash for payment etc
Preparation:
8. The mermaid will likely keep their belongings with them but may require a safe facility for their clothes/other ‘human’ items if they are not easily hideable, you will need to have a pre-planned area (such as a locker or staff room) ready for their arrival in case this is needed.
9. You must provide a private area for the mermaid performer to change/touch up makeup etc if required.
10. To keep the ‘illusion’ of the mermaid they must be able to put on their tail away from the guests/attendees. Mermaids cannot move once in their tails as any attempts to shuffle or hop can damage the tail and cause personal injury – so the mermaid must be able to either:
A. Put their tail on in the performance/party area before guests/attendees are let into that area
OR
B. Be safely carried by two capably strong people, whilst wearing their tail, to their designated area. (Please keep in mind that some tails are very heavy, please see 10)
11. Should you elect to have someone of your choosing carry the mermaid, neither the mermaid nor the company are responsible for any injuries that may occur as a result, this includes but is not limited to: Back injuries, Sprains and falling etc.
What To Expect/What You Need To Prepare:
12. Your mermaid will arrive ready to begin (ie in full hair and makeup) with the exception of their costume. After travelling long distances your mermaid may want to top up their makeup/fix their hair/use the loo before getting into their tail, please indicate where they can do this.
13. The mermaid will bring everything that they need in order to complete the party, this includes:
– Costume & Accessories
– Equipment for Games
– Small Speaker for music
– A token ‘gift’ for the birthday child (each are handpicked/handmade by the individual mermaids so the gift will vary, it may be something as simple as a shell)
– Prizes IF REQUESTED*
*We are an environmentally conscious business and aim to reduce our plastic impact on the planet wherever possible, prizes are not necessary for an awesome party! However if you would specifically like prizes to be given you can request that these are added to your party where the mermaid will then bring ‘pirate coins’ (at no extra cost to you) OR you are welcome to supply prizes yourself and give these to the mermaid at the start of the party to hand out at their discretion.
14. You will need to provide a chair for the mermaid to sit on unless otherwise agreed.
15. You will be responsible for all decorations. We can provide decorations/backdrops if specifically requested at an extra cost.
During The Party:
16. Please keep in mind that due to our mermaids being in tails, mobility is extremely limited. We have designed our parties in such a way that the mermaid is able to lead activities from a sitting position; however you must remain vigilant in case the mermaid needs your assistance in any way.
17. Your mermaid will likely have a bottle of water with them, they must be allowed to drink whenever they deem necessary.
Safety:
18. Your mermaid is NOT responsible for the safety of other guests, attendees, children or anyone at the venue. You and the venue are entirely responsible for the safety of anyone associated with your party/event.
19. Mermaids are classed as ‘Entertainers’ and not guardians or babysitters, at least 2 adults to 10 children must remain with the party at all times, these adults will be responsible for:
– Taking children to the toilet when needed
– Insuring the safety of the children
– Assisting the mermaid whenever necessary
– Attending to the needs of the children
– Insuring the behaviour protocols are enforced (see our behaviour policy below)
20. Any children under the age of 5 must have their individual parent/guardian remain in the room at all times and assist them with participating in games if necessary etc
Behaviour Guidance Policy:
21. All of our mermaids regularly work with children and are used to dealing with many forms of behaviour across different age groups. Our mermaids are able to handle and/or redirect most unwanted behaviour. However, there are certain behaviours that will not be tolerated. These include:
– Trying to harm the mermaid performer (pulling at hair or earrings, biting, hitting, spitting, throwing things etc.)*
– Being destructive to our tails and costumes (gentle exploration is encouraged)
– Destructive behaviour towards company equipment
22. It is not necessary that all of the children present believe in mermaids, however we ask for your assistance in keeping the magic alive for those that do believe. This includes you referring to the Mermaid by their Mermaid name when in front of children/guests, not asking what the mermaids ‘Costume is made of’ or if they are ‘Wearing a wig’ etc
23. Our mermaids have strategies in place for when there are children present who do not believe, if encouraging them to believe doesn’t work then usually a quiet word of “can you help me pretend for the other children” will. However if any particular child or children who are fixated on the topic to the point it is distracting the mermaid/s from being able to entertain the guests, we ask that you intervene in a similar manner or redirect the child.
24. Harmful or aggressive behaviour towards the mermaid will NOT be tolerated, the restrictive nature of wearing the tail can leave entertainers very vulnerable to abuse and injury during their performances. Should you fail to intervene when a child is being aggressive towards the mermaid and all of the mermaids redirection tactics have not worked, the mermaid will break character to try and enforce safety and listening; if the behaviour does not stop after this and no adults have intervened, the mermaid may be forced to remove their tail in order to get away or restrain the child/guest, push them away and/or scream for help if tail removal is not easily achieved (this is often the case with silicone or ‘upgrade’ tails). This is extremely distressing to not only the attending guests and children but the mermaid as well and will only ever be used as a last resort; it is your responsibility to insure that violence does not occur meaning the mermaid does not need to defend her/himself.
25. If any intentional harm is brought to the mermaid/s by children (after a reasonable effort to get them to stop) or intentional damages to our costumes occur (e.g. pulling off fins, breaking flukes by stomping on etc) you may be liable for additional fees for compensation.
26. The mermaids will NOT tolerate any form of sexual harassment from the guests or clients.
27. Failure to follow our behaviour guidance policy may result in the mermaid/s leaving the booking before it has ended and clients being charged the full amount plus damages.
‘Mersona’ (Mermaid attire/look)
28. Whilst our mermaids’ costumes must meet a certain standard, every mermaid’s individual ‘Mersona’ (the colour theme, costume choice, backstory, personality traits etc) is different and is a personal artistic choice.
29. We will endeavour to send an image of your assigned mermaid when booking, however many of our mermaids have multiple tails/style options and their chosen costume on the day may not exactly match that of the picture.
30. You are welcome to make specific styling requests and we will pass these on to the booked mermaid, however we do not guarantee that these requests will be actioned.
31. We do not guarantee a certain number of accessories or style of makeup that the mermaid will be wearing including but not limited to: Crowns, Necklaces, face glitter, bracelets etc – The level of accessories and the style of makeup is completely up to the individual mermaid (see points 28 & 30)
32. Mermaid tops vary in style, size, shape, colour & level of coverage – please keep in mind that they are often bikini tops/styled bra’s etc. Mermaids with larger breasts will naturally have more cleavage on show than mermaids with smaller breasts. Should you wish for your mermaid to be more covered for ANY reason (religious, personal etc) we are happy to accommodate your request. Coverage requests MUST be made at the time of booking or within reasonable advance of the party and in writing, this is so that the mermaid can prepare accordingly and we have a record of your request. Complaints about the ‘level of cleavage’ or ‘appropriateness’ of the mermaid top received during or after the party when no prior coverage request was made will be ignored.
33. Hire A Mermaid UK does not discriminate against any body type, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. Any form of abuse or discrimination from the client towards the mermaid or any of the entertainers we supply will result in the immediate cancellation of your booking and potential legal charges.
After Performance/Event:
34. When the booked time reaches its end, the mermaid must be allowed to leave promptly as the paid period has finished and they may have another booking to attend. The best ways to achieve a prompt finish are as follows:
A. Children/Guests must be cleared of the party area immediately after the mermaids allotted booking time has finished so that she may take off their tail which will enable them to exit the party. Ensuring that the children/guests leave promptly will keep the illusion of the mermaid alive.
OR
B. Should the festivities be continuing past the mermaids allotted time an appropriate exit strategy must be in place such as carrying the mermaid to another room/out of sight of the guests (see sections 10B & 11)
What to do if you are unsatisfied with our service:
35. We will always endeavour that parties and events run smoothly, but should you have a discrepancy or any concerns, please contact Hire A Mermaid UK directly and immediately to resolve the issue.
36. Should you wish to make a complaint, you must detail this in an email to parties@hireamermaid.co.uk attaching any appropriate evidence within 48 hours of your booking being completed, this is to allow us to begin our complaints procedure and take any appropriate actions. Our ability to take action is time sensitive, so any complaints received after the 48 hour window may not be addressed.
37. If you are unsatisfied with the service you are still legally obligated to pay the remaining balance owed to the mermaid in cash on the day for services rendered. Please follow the instructions outlined in point 36; once our complaints procedure is complete, should we deem that compensation is necessary this will then be fulfilled by the company.
By paying your deposit you acknowledge that you have read the above terms and conditions thoroughly and with understanding and you agree to all terms and conditions herein. These terms must be agreed to before your booking is confirmed.