Responds

Mom Battles No-Show Superhero For Son's Birthday

NBC BAY AREA RESPONDS

Avari Morrow of San Jose wanted a Batman-themed party for his fifth birthday last October. His mother Antoinette Marez made it happen — from the cake to the costumes to the piñata.

“I was just so excited,” Marez said. 

But one prominent piece was missing.

“Batman didn’t come,” Avari said.

Marez hired a Batman character to appear at the party. She booked the entertainment using Party Characters for Kids. The caped crusader was scheduled to arrive mid-afternoon. She called to confirm the superhero’s arrival, but he never showed up, according to Marez.

“Three o’clock came and he never showed up,” she said. “Four o’clock. Just hours and hours later, and everybody’s like, 'Um, it’s kind of late. The sun’s about to go down. Where’s Batman?’”

Batman was a no-show, but Party Characters for Kids did show up for one thing: Marez's money. She told the company Batman never appeared, but it still charged her debit card $62.

“I was so mad,” Marez said. “I was like, ‘Are you guys serious? You took my money?’”

For months, Antoinette tried to get a refund, with no luck. So she turned to NBC Bay Area Responds for help. We repeatedly asked about Marez's refund, but the company told us its “system doesn’t allow a refund.”

“It wasn’t OK,” Marez said. “That’s three boxes of diapers for my daughter.”

The company’s failure to respond to other consumer complaints has earned it an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Eventually, we did get Marez's money back — from an unexpected hero – her credit union. It didn’t like what happened and put the $62 back on her debit card.

“Oh my goodness, I was so happy,” Marez said. “And so thankful to you for helping us, because I thought I’d never ever see that money again. I really did.”

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