Big D’s Pony Rides

I have used Big D’s twice – once for pony rides and once for the small petting zoo. Each time, they were prompt, courteous, and the kids just loved the animals. They sent a contract before they spelled out costs and procedures – no surprises. The handlers were very professional. I’m surprised to see so many negative reviews because all of my interactions have been just great. I highly recommend them for a fun kid’s party!

You can mark Big D’s Amusements and Party Rentals as a «BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!» If you are looking to book entertainment for a party, look elsewhere! We booked a trackless train for my son’s Thomas the Tank Engine birthday party TWO MONTHS in advance. When booking, I was told the date was wide open and that I had my pick of times. Two hours before the party they called and said they would be 1.5 hours late because they double booked and the other person booked first… what a lie! This is a big problem for a little kids’ party when naptimes are involved!
They then called at the new arrival time and said the train was there. I rounded everyone up to go outside, and there was no train. In fact, they kept stringing me along for the next hour telling me that he would be there any minute. He never showed.
We had around 30 kids waiting for a train that never came. What a disappointment! They never even called to say it wasn’t coming or that something happened. This prevented me from fully enjoying the party and my guests.
The next day, we got a quick email saying the driver had car trouble and that they’d send back the deposit. Not a care in the world about disappointing the kids who were excited about this train and the party planned around it!
Please, please don’t use Big D’s Amusements and Party Rentals!

We just used Big D’s for our daughter’s 6^th birthday party… imagine my surprise when they showed up almost two hours late. The party started at 3:30 and they were supposed to arrive around 3 pm to set up. I had even spoken with someone named Joy confirming arrival time that morning (based on these other two Unilocal reviews, I got nervous). By 4 pm they were MIA. After getting nothing but an answering machine, a girl (and by girl I mean maybe 17 or 18 years old) called me to say she was on her way but she was stuck in traffic. I could not get an answer out of her about how late she was going to be, finally she fessed up that her GPS indicated she was an hour away! When she finally did arrive around 5:15 pm, the ten animals I had payed for («small petting zoo with ten animals»), was actually more like six. In the end, they would only knock $ 25 off the price as well. Clearly poorly managed, and kind of a scam as well. DO NOT USE!

Please don’t use the reviews to judge them. The review are 2 years old and I actually made a reservation with them and then cancelled because of the reviews… well guess what the other company I hired actually contracted them. They are punctual and they did a great job with the kids. I would highly recommend to others. Their prices are the best in the area… it is a very good deal… I ended up paying a lot more to only have them contracted via the other company!

BIG D’s = BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I hired Big D’s a week before my son and daughter’s birthday party. I spoke to a woman named Joy who said they could send a pony to our event at 5:30pm. At 5:40pm the day of, she left a message on my phone saying the driver was stuck in traffic around Dulles and would be late. That must have been some HEAVY traffic because the pony never showed up. I tried calling the office, but no one picked up. Here it is three days later a I have yet to get a call back or an apology from Big D’s. I am just so thankful that I didn’t pay a deposit and/​or give them a credit card number.

To their credit, Big D’s Pony Rides did get back to me, the day before the party (which is why I bumped them up to 2 stars). However, by then I was over it and didn’t call back.

This establishment is not good at all. I made a reservation with them for a birthday party, but they never showed up. Nor would they answer their phone or reply to any emails. It was very disappointing explaining to a 3 year old that the main entertainment for his birthday party was not going to show up. These people have not even bothered to call or email to apologize for not showing up… never do business with them…