Similar to other reviewers, we chose Rivera Events to provide catering services for my son's 1st birthday after Vanessa sold the company to us as being a "family business" with many years of experience. We requested 40 hot dogs, 40 hamburgers, 40 pan con lechons, and baked beans for 40 guests from 12-3 PM. To start, the cook was unprofessional and rude, pulling a random party guest to the side at around 1:30 PM and telling him that he was "leaving at 2 PM (an hour before the agreed upon time) because "no one was really eating". This confused guest informed me at which point I called Vanessa for clarification. She confirmed it was until 3 PM and the cook didn't so much as glare at my direction or apologize for the misunderstanding. He maintained his gaze downward and just started grilling some hot dogs -- it was obvious he did not want to be there. Then, I had MULTIPLE guests come up to me to tell me that he was only offering them hot dogs and hamburgers, despite me having paid for 40 pan con lechons and baked beans as well. My husband's cousin even told me that at one point he went up to the cook to ask what he had and that the cook replied "I only have hot dogs". We are a hispanic family, in no way are my relatives going to choose a hot dog over a pan con lechon. When my husband and I informed our families of the selections, some guests went to get, however, at this point, it was nearly 3 o'clock and conveniently time for him to start cleaning up. I subsequently expressed all of my frustrations with Vanessa and received no sense of empathy for my experience despite having paid +$1200 for this service. She retreated to make irrelevant comments such as, "He [the cook] also mentioned that you had by paella so many options for your guests to choose from" (this was provided by another catering company, which I'd gladly refer to friends and family) & "there was a sign with all the food that we provided as well as him offering what we had". When we shared a picture of the bare table with NO menu on display (thank goodness for my guests and their cameras; see picture below), it was conveniently disregarded by Vanessa who clinged to the notion that the cook provided my guests with "utmost attention and professionalism", despite not having been there herself. Lastly, being that pan con lechon and baked beans were not presented to guests, you would assume there would be a lot of leftovers as I paid for 40 people per item. Especially if guests had allegedly declined beans as the cook claimed, right? Well, I never received any baked beans to take home and only ONE tray of pan con lechon (which could hold no more than 12). I raised this concern to Vanessa four times, and to this day it continues to be left unaddressed, which is a red flag in my opinion. Her only response days later, after MULTIPLE follow-up attempts by me, was a copy of the invoice (???) saying "These are the services we were hired for and these are the services that we provided." No, Vanessa, services were not provided as agreed upon considering the above statements. At this point, her emails are starting to emulate an AI-generated auto-response with no genuine apology or some form of compensation in site. All in all, please read and consider the ONE STAR reviews. In my opinion, this company does not genuinely care for its clients and should not be rewarded with their time, consideration, or money. read more

Rivera Party and Events - Party Equipment Rentals Near Me

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Had the pleasure of working with Rivera Party & Events for a work function and needed to get balloons to decorate and promote 2 fast approaching events. Ivan the owner, was incredibly responsive, professional and on point. Every team member he spoke to loved him. His team came in the day we planned and quickly set up and left lasting impressions with their beautiful balloon decorations. They succesfully delivered and exceeded expectations not once but twice! I know I will be using them again really soon. Rivera Party and Events is a one stop shop so if you're planning a party, wedding, work event etc...have Ivan and his fabulous team do the work. They will get you what you want and take the stress out of planning. read more

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Called them yesterday for a quote for a magician for 1 hour. Was told it was $350/hr, same as the website. Today I received an email invoice for $472.00. When I spoke to someone else today they told me that the price increase is because of an "increase in cost of living." Okay, thanks. Save yourself the time and book a professional. read more

I was looking for someone to host our Super Bowl Party without costing me an arm and a leg. I came across Rivera Party Event Planner on-line and they responded to my inquiry quickly. I spoke with Ivan and provided him with ideas of what I had in mind. He then came up with a menu for us with a great price which included delivery and set-up. The day of the event, they arrived on time, they were professional, courteous and quickly did the set-up. I did not have to worry about a single thing as Ivan and his team thought of everything. They brought the food and tray warmers (which I got to keep), paper plates, utensils, napkins and condiments. Everything was coordinated with the Football theme for the Super Bowl. The food was delicious and my guests were very happy. I would highly recommend and personally use again Rivera Party Event Planner for future events. Great food and customer service, professional and courteous, friendly and convenient, and all for a great price. Ivan, I would like to thank you and your team for making my event a total success. read more

This company is amazing. I threw my son a very last minute 2nd birthday. We had a farm theme as my son loves farm animals. Rivera party rentals got back to me right away and were able to accommodate us with less than a weeks notice. I was impressed. They showed up 15 minutes early with the animals. They helped the children feel comfortable with the animals. The animals were clean and friendly and clearly well taken care of. (Which was very important to me). We had a very memorable and extremely fun event! Thank you Rivera Party Rentals for helping to make it possible. read more

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I wanted to write this review as a big "thank you" for all the excellent job Rivera Events has done in preparation for my son's third birthday. My overall impression is wonderful and I only have the best feeling about their services for kids entertainment. I will definitely recommend them to everyone and 100% will use ONLY their services again for any future parties. With than in mind, I want to be objective and mention some things that I would have done differently working with them next time. Here's the good part: - Staff was extremely professional! Kids were in love with characters that I got and the face painter is beyond of what I hoped for. Unbelievably great!!! Bounce house attendant was great and didn't just sit nearby (like many of them do), but was constantly "on foot" watching children closely. - I initially booked characters for only an hour, but kids loved them so much that I wanted to keep them longer and my request was accommodated immediately without any issues - I find their prices and accommodations to be very reasonable (I got a lot of services from them and received a nice discount as well) - I was working with Ivan, who was very responsive, extremely helpful, came out to supervise the party, and was overall a great professional to work with! - They have a lot of services to choose from, and they will set up everything you need for the party as well (tables, tents, chairs, etc) - They kindly accommodated my request for the bouncy house and all the furniture (tents, tables, tablecloth, dishes) to be delivered the day before the party at no extra charge. This was extremely helpful as we had more time to set everything up, and my son enjoyed the bouncy house an extra day - Two or three days before the party I decided I wanted tents and they provided them "last minute" without any issues (extremely appreciated!) Here's what I would recommend to others who plan 3-year-old party: - If you know you would be adding extras, do everything one time only, as every time I added something there was additional credit card convenience fee (it wasn't too big and I didn't mind, but preparing the full quote the first time on my side would have helped to save a little) - As it comes to kids entertainment, it didn't really work. I'm not upset about because Ivan made me a great discount for the entertainer even before the party, but for future parties I will probably not request entertainment at all. This could be my mistake (not the company's), because I had face painting, bouncy house, and two characters, and kids were so distracted that they didn't really want to do any other games. There was too much going on and entertainer couldn't get children's attention. I think for the older age group it would have been different - Characters arrived 10-15 min late. I'm totally not upset about it because they also stayed extra and no guests really showed up on time, but if you want to make sure they are at your house at exact time, I would recommend to book them 15 min prior Bottom line: everyone had the best time; I'm extremely happy with the staff; great help in organization from Ivan; good prices; huge variety of services; ability to accommodate "last minute". I find this company to be very professional and only have the best words to say about them. Undoubtedly a 5-star rating. Can't wait to have another party! read more

Rivera Party and Events - The face painter was the best ever!! - Party Equipment Rentals Near Me

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We first used them for our wedding they were amazing and we've e been using them for our family parties for the last few years and they never disappoint. Highly recommended a great group of people read more

Read the reviews and was happy with everything that was being said. Emailed them for a quote for a magician and bounce house package. Immediately get a response from someone named Vanessa asking if it was going to be at my home or a park. I responded back and that was the last communication. I waited a couple of days and spoke to Ivan who apologized for the situation. Again, the email came back with pictures of The services quickly. Once I had any questions about prices or packages I never get a response back. Not using them. Very dissatisfied with the first impression. I was even going to recommend them for other friends and even thinking of using them for my school events but not after this experience. If this is how they treat a simple order I can not imagine a school event. No thank you! read more

I have been trying to get a quote from them for weeks. All I get is the run a round. Not sure why they dont want the business during these times. Cant seem to get a reply thru email and when I call they say they will email me a quote and I'm still waiting. Very bad communication read more

I hired their services for a bounce house rental and kids entertainer and they did not disappoint. They were recommended by a good friend which I had seen their kids entertainer's work before in her child's party. They installed and uninstalled the bounce house. The entertainer was fun and the kids were very engaged, she even had a session for little ones. My son was turning 1 and he participated in some of the activities. The pricing was also very reasonable and they gave me a discount to combine services. I would definitely use their services again. read more

We threw a last minute birthday party for our son this year too. We used Rivera last year and had a great experience. This year they gave me a call and gave me a great deal, so we hired an entertainer. She came a little early to set up and even dressed as Wonder Woman to match our superhero theme. The kids had so much fun and even the adults got in on the fun! I will definitely use them for our next party, and I highly recommend Rivera Party and Events. Thanks! read more

All the kids and staff really enjoyed the shows. We had a magic show one week and characters another week. Very reliable and we are extremely satisfied. We found our new company for summer camp events. Thank you Vanessa Preschool Director Miami, FL read more

Amazing experience overall! Couldn't be happier with the outcome! Food was delicious, and on time. Staff was super friendly and full of energy! Me and my family are grateful for a very successful event! read more

Wish I could have given less than one, I had a bad experience with their customer service. I booked with them 3 different services (ponies, clown and character) aside from renting their bounce house. Everything went well but the clown that they sent us was VERY shy and had no grace no joy to be a clown. My husband had to assist her in gathering the kids, mind you it was a family gathering and we had less than 10 kids. She was very quiet and did no games. I was happy with the character and everything else. On the following Monday I contacted Mrs. Vanessa, and I told her what was going on, all I wanted was some sort of credit as courtesy since everyone had complained about the clown and she literally did nothing to entertain the kids. I explained the whole story, she responded 3 days later and apologized and said the girl had been fired. That is not a way of handling things, the girl was nice but she is too shy or didn't have the expertise. That is not the customer's fault, they should train the entertainers prior to sending them out. She not once offer a credit or a discount for a future event, her solution was firing the girl. Very disappointed to see how petty some companies are, they forget that they have business through word of mouth and great customer service. Please beware and know that they are all in for the money and not to provide a good service. Once they have your money they really do not care if you are happy or not with the service. read more

We had my daughter's 3rd birthday party at a local park yesterday. I was in touch with Rivera Party and Events weeks in advance to book the entertainment for the day. Vanessa was easy to work with and explained what we would be getting for the package. We were booked for 11am sharp to start since kids will all be arriving around 10:30am. I explained it is at a park in town and gave specifics where to go. Day of the party and I get a call at 11:05am from our community gate that "Elsa" is trying to get to our house. I had to have the gate give her my phone number to call me to explain our location. Meanwhile I am greeting guests while trying to give this woman directions. The entertainer arrived and she was very sweet, good at face painting but her games were a little boring. She left to go to the bathroom to change into her "Elsa" outfit and explained I can get the kids set up around the table for the birthday cake. We waited and waited, the guests were getting anxious and I was sweating. My mother had to go to the bathroom to find Elsa to make sure she didn't fall in. When Elsa emerged her blond wig was falling off and her brown bun was visible. She was sweet but this was a bootleg operation. Note, when I called Rivera (Vanessa) at 11am to find out where they were nobody picked up. When I texted about her being late and lost I was told "she left an hour and a half ago, you live really far." We shouldn't have been booked for the party then if it was that far away and an issue for said Elsa. I would think twice about having a character, maybe just some music and face painting would get the job done but this was disappointing. read more

Rivera Party and Events are great people. They are dependable, flexible and I am glad I found them. Recommend them highly for any of your events. read more

After trying to get a quote for a small party I had in my house, out of 5 companies Rivera was the Ivan (from Rivera) was the only one who took care of it. A day prior to the event , he checked everything once again to make sure all the information was correct. I had 2 waiters and 1 bartender, all of them very professional, great mood and smile during the party. Had a great experience and will for sure count on them for my next party. read more

Had an awesome performer and show last week! We paid for 1 hour and 1/2 and got over 2 hours of fun fun fun. Our school will be using this company for our special events. Thank you for doing such a great job! :o) Jenny Preschool Director Hollywood, FL read more

It was extremely disappointing & unprofessional that the magician from Rivera Party & Events did not show up to my 6-year old son's birthday party last Saturday. Especially, since we confirmed with them 2 days prior to the party. My son had been looking forward to a magician coming to his party for over a month. I hated seeing my son upset & disappointed on his birthday. Plus, I could not enjoy myself or host the party, because I was trying to get in touch with Ivan & then we were trying to figure out what to do for over an hour. The magician was supposed to be at our home at 4pm. At 4:15pm, I started texting & calling Ivan. He got back to me 20 minutes later. Ivan didn't know where his employee was. Ten minutes later, he texted me saying his employee was in an "accident". Then, Ivan said someone could be at my house by 6pm. Even though, many of our guests were leaving, I said that I DO want that person to come & that I also wanted a FULL refund, as well. At least, the birthday boy & a few of his friends would be happy. At that point, Ivan said that it was too late for someone to come & that he would just issue a refund. There was no more discussion after that. A real professional company would eat their cost & send someone to the party, because they were at fault. Unfortunately, Rivera Party & Events could not step up. Rivera Party & Events is in charge of other peoples' special occasions that only happen once in a life time. My son will never be 6-years old again. In my opinion, when dealing with such events, you must have back-up staff on call if an emergency arises. I know that the company had a big wedding over the weekend, as well. So, they probably took on more than they could handle & my son got shorted. I personally do not believe someone had an "accident". It is just bad business. Don't waste you time with this unprofessional company. read more

As an update, I called the owner of this business, Ivan, and left a message after seeing his post below. Unfortunately, he never called me back. About a month after I tried to call him, he called and texted my husband. We requested a refund of $100 to remedy the situation, given both the time discrepancy as well as the fact that we felt the DJ treated our guests in a disrespectful manner. Ivan continued to text us e-mails and screenshots to try to prove that we authorized over an hour. He never once acknowledged that we were unsatisfied with the DJ's services and the way he treated our guests. We standby the fact that the governing document in the transaction was the contract - executed by all parties involved. We contracted for four hours of service. We became so frustrated with the fact that the owner didn't understand where we coming from, and was so adamant about proving that we authorized the $100, that we gave up. We even had to ask him to stop contacting us. At this point, we have realized the situation won't be resolved and it's been such a headache that we are happy to be done with it. We are disappointed with the way we were treated by Rivera Party and Events. read more