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Original poster

Child ear piercing gone wrong - help me with what to say

416 replies

formula3 · 15/02/2025 20:30

DD8 had ears pierced today at Claire’s. All went fine, until we got home and she said “my earring has fallen out” and after initially telling her that was impossible l looked, and sure enough there was no earring in right ear. She hadn’t fiddled with them in the 3 hours they had been pierced and we got home, and I found the earring itself in the hood of her coat, no sign of the back so assume it was loose from start and is still somewhere in the shopping centre.
she was very upset, obviously, as she’s 8 and was panicking due to some blood around hole. I called Claire’s and explained what happened, the lady I spoke to sounded very shocked and said she had never had this happen and she needed to call her senior. She called back to say they were very sorry, that it must have been a fault with the earring (though it looks fine) and all that can be done is to leave it a week to heal over and they will pierce it again and as an apology not make me pay again!

I was too shocked to really process it other than to say that I didn’t think she’d want to come back there given she’d been brave to get it done in the first place and was now very upset, and said I had to go as had a very upset little girl to sort out but Could someone senior get back to me. That didn’t happen by the end of the day.

what do I do now? Contact head office? I spent £68 on good quality piercing earrings and about £15 on the piercing aftercare which for me is a lot but it was a special occasion that has gone really wrong. I’d like a refund because I feel I’ve paid for a service that has been poor (be it the fault of the equipment, or staff not checking the back was secure). My daughter is upset she only has one earring (fair enough) and I will try and encourage her to get it re-done elsewhere but right now there’s no way she’d agree to being pierced again.

I don’t write very well- could someone help me word an email and what I should say/ask for? I mainly want to stop this happening to someone other child but I’d also like my money back, not just free new piercing which can’t be goof
for her ear after a week? ☹️

thank you X

OP posts:
Justalittlehandhold · 16/02/2025 07:39

ReggaetonLente · 15/02/2025 23:38

Oh my god, just stop seriously

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Hopefully this morning, once the Saturday night wine had worn off, this poster will withdraw from the thread.

Any thoughts she had that may have been valid, have been made pointless by her ridiculous onslaught of dramatic posts. Including ask OP if she would agree with her daughter sleeping around at age 14 or whatever.

Totally crazy and hope she wakes this morning with a sore head, reads back her posts, is totally embarrassed.

OP, my advice is take the other out, let them heal and rethink during the summer holidays.

ZZGirl · 16/02/2025 07:34

formula3 · 15/02/2025 22:31

Sorry if this is a silly question, but if peircing studios/ units in tattoo shops won’t pierce U18, where to people get their kids ears pierced before they are adults?

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They will. It's with parental permission and you'd be there

Fiveandeight58 · 16/02/2025 07:34

I’d contact a professional piercer in your area most tattoo studios have a professional piercer, get their advice they may be able to re pierce it with a fine needle they don't use the gun type piercers that Claire’s use, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t charge anywhere near what you’ve paid and you really don’t need to purchase that solution they sell you at Claire’s,they will be fine just bathed in salt water Claire’s have had a terrible reputation for ear piercings for years my daughter had hers done there about 20 years ago ended up in A&E a week later having to have them removed they swelled up so much.she eventually had them done again afew years later when she was older at a professional piercers with a good reputation and done with a needle they can also numb the ears too I think so you don’t feel anything, anyone can buy those gun type piercers I’ve seen them on shiene and temu for less than £2.

ZZGirl · 16/02/2025 07:33

Complain and then let it heal and go to a tattoo/piercing studio where someone has actually taken a proper course in piercing and uses a needle and not a gun. I can't believe people still use Claire's for ear piercing!

sashh · 16/02/2025 07:28

I don't think giving a mother a kicking for going to Claire's is going to do any good. It's just going to upset the OP.

I also don't get the hate for modern guns. There seems to be a mantra of, "blunt force trauma" which clearly isn't true because the ear does get pierced.

Yes there can be issues with reusable guns and not always having a autoclave but most guns are now single use.

Also there is a lack of knowledge about what is and isn't sterile. I've yet to come across a piercer who has scrubbed and actually uses sterile gloves. So the second you touch the jewellery it is no longer sterile.

In fact the piercing needle is often not sterile. It arrives in sterile packaging but again, as soon as you touch it with non sterile gloves it is no longer sterile.

I understand the hate for people only having 10 mins training and not knowing about after care.

HiptotheHopp · 16/02/2025 07:27

RedHelenB · 15/02/2025 20:55

It really isn't. My dc were 7, as were a lot of their friends.

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It really is. Yours being even younger doesn't make it ok.

MinnieBalloon · 16/02/2025 07:24

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Hysterectomynext · 16/02/2025 07:23

I don’t understand why so many people are saying take the other one out? She wants her ears pierced eventually so why deliberately have both re pierced rather than one? Genuine question because so many people are suggesting this

PenguinLover24 · 16/02/2025 07:21

Try and get an earring back in. If it's already closed I'd probably take the other one out and let them both heal and when she's ready take her to a tattoo/ piercing shop where they use a needle and not a gun. I asked for mine to be done when I was 7, my mum took me to Claire's and a week later one earring fell out when I was playing at school. It was closed up by the time I got home a few hours later and I had to go back and get it repeirced. Had nothing but issues with the healing but now I'm older and have went to a tattoo shop for them (since had another 5) and never had a problem.

PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 16/02/2025 07:20

Contrary to your original post @formula3 you clearly write very well and need to give yourself a bit more credit Smile

littleblackcat247 · 16/02/2025 07:12

CaroIus · 15/02/2025 20:39

The drama 🤣🤣🤣

Just disinfect the earring and put it back in.

Yeah - okay.

Did you miss the part where the back of the earring is missing?

Did you miss the bit where OP said she had tried to put an earring in and it was bleeding ++ and causing pain to her daughter?

Get over yourself,

DreamTheMoors · 16/02/2025 07:00

There are some very knowledgeable and wise women on this thread.
I’m very sorry your little girl was so unlucky, @formula3— I hope she gets her new pierced ears lickety split.
I was 12 before my mum let me pierce mine, and our dentist did it. Mum bought a good pair of gold balls and the dentist sharpened them up and loaded my earlobes full of novocaíne and shoved the posts through.
That was a million years ago and they’re still good.

ItShouldntHappenToMeYet · 16/02/2025 06:57

There should be a minimum age for piercing. It's as bad as circimcision, yet parents are happy to mutilate their child.
But 'everyone does it', apparently.

FarmGirl78 · 16/02/2025 06:21

Mumtobabyhavoc · 16/02/2025 01:02

I couldn't fault anyone for going in for ear piercing. FGS, who would think research was necessary? Especially if you know people who've gone there without issue. If the place was dangerous it would be shut down.
Research? 😂😂😂

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I would. I'd want to know good practice so if I rocked up to a piercing studio and there was evidence of BAD practice I'd spot it and know to not go through with someone ultimately doing something that could cause me pain, infection or a bigger medical issue. You don't need enough research to be getting an NVQ, just 10 minutes on google to find regulations and general consensus of opinion.

I've never had my ears pierced, don't have children, but even I know Claire's are the place NOT to go to for ear piercings.

Hyperbowl · 16/02/2025 06:11

LaTristesseDureraToujours · 16/02/2025 01:45

Tattooist here, trained to pierce but hated doing it so stick to tattooing but know about piercing and work with an excellent piercer:

Haven’t read full thread so apologies for any repeats of advice:

Don’t try to reintroduce non-sterile jewellery into the hole. Fresh (and healed) piercings can close very fast and it’s not a good idea as it’ll just increase risk of infection. Let it heal over, I think I audibly gasped when I read they were going to try and repierce after A WEEK. The fact a staff member at Claire’s would do that is disgusting. It’ll need a fair bit of time to heal, my studio would say 3 months bare minimum as that tends to be how long it takes for a piercing to be completely healed and settled.

When you get it repierced, search on the UKAPP website for a piercer near you- these are some of the best piercers in the country, and stock only high quality jewellery. It makes me so sad on your behalf that you were sold ‘high quality’ earrings for your daughter when no jewellery Claire’s sells is high quality. You ideally want implant grade titanium as it negates any risk of reactions to the metal (we see reactions to lower quality surgical steel/mystery metas quite often in piercings done at other local shops). Not all good piercers are part of the UKAPP but it’s a good starting point. Avoid anywhere that offers piercing with a gun like the plague, I’m sure someone’s already said it but it’s not a good way to get a piercing unfortunately. More trauma to the skin than necessary and is basically forcing a blunt piece of metal through rather than a nice blade or needle that cuts a teeny weeny hole.

Feel free to use any of this info in a complaint email. If I were you I’d say I’ve spoken to a professional piercer who told you all of the info you’ve gotten in this thread and feel you were missold the jewellery as high quality when it isn’t, request a refund for the overpriced aftercare solution (Neilmed do a good solution but any sterile saline in a sterile shot glass soaked on the piercing will do the trick and is very cheap to buy at the pharmacy), and the fact that it fell out.

You don’t want it repiercing as the risk of piercing through healing flesh is so high and it’s crazy they even suggested it. Piercing guns aren’t precise enough to get it through the same hole again anyway, a professional piercer will be able to do that once it’s well healed and this avoids a scar. Make sure they know you want a refund and not it redoing, and once it’s healed nicely I’m sure you’ll be able to find a great piercer who will repierce and sort it for you and your daughter.

It boils my piss that Claire’s is even allowed to still do this. One of my work clients worked at Superdrug and was made to ‘learn to pierce’, aka piercing guns on noses and ears. She knew it was wrong but didn’t want to lose her job. She had an hour’s training on some fake skin before she was let loose on the public…

Apologies for the essay, Claire’s piercings gone bad are so so common and it really gets my back up! The best piercer I know could have done a set of earlobes with high quality internally threaded titanium with lovely stones or attachments for the same price you paid and that makes me so angry for you.

This post is so concise, informative and well-written. Absolutely nailed it. So glad you touched on the fact that they sell poor quality jewellery and massively inflate the price and claim it’s the “best quality”. Many people have spoken about why guns are so dangerous and needles are far superior but you were the first person I read that highlighted the importance of surgical grade materials being needed. Too often gold and silver jewellery are touted as “the best” but in reality are just the most expensive they offer and the worst quality for healing, along with the butterfly back style that aren’t secure and don’t allow for swelling.

Claire’s are barbaric and myself like many others cannot believe they are still allowed to continue to do this. Hopefully they’re the next company to go out of business so this practice stops. They should be banned and am mind-blown that they haven’t been.

GrandTheftWalrus · 16/02/2025 05:50

RedHelenB · 16/02/2025 05:45

In mumsnet world, in the real world they're not seen as problems and occur without issue regularly.

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Basically this. There is no age limit on ear piercings but yet an 8yo is too young.

My parents took me to get my 1st done. My gran took me to my 2nd done. Then again my parents took me for my 3rd set. They weren't inline so I done my 4th on my own at 14.

RedHelenB · 16/02/2025 05:45

Bazinga007 · 16/02/2025 04:23

2 problems here, she's 8 and you went to Claire's.

In mumsnet world, in the real world they're not seen as problems and occur without issue regularly.

GrandTheftWalrus · 16/02/2025 05:40

Ffs OP you've had a kicking here. I got my ears pierced for the 1st time at 7 and I remember it all. It was done in a hairdressers with the gun. I then got multiple ears done with a gun or by myself by the time I was 15.

However my oldest is now 8 and if she wants her ears done I am taking her to the local tattoo/piercing place as I am not having hers done by a gun.

Only on mumsnet is piercing a child's ears under 18 is a fucking disgrace.

purpleme12 · 16/02/2025 05:07

These threads are always interesting reading on here!!

Hope you get it sorted @formula3

Bazinga007 · 16/02/2025 04:23

2 problems here, she's 8 and you went to Claire's.

sanityisamyth · 16/02/2025 03:53

ReadingSoManyThreads · 15/02/2025 21:10

YABU to go to Claire's to pierce ears. You said you didn't know they weren't reputable therefore again, YABU to have done ZERO research into this.

YABU to pierce an 8yr olds ears. That's too young, and she cannot give informed consent for the procedure. Yes, I'm judging you, as I'd judge any parent for piercing a young child's ears.

And just because a child asks or begs for the ears pierced, doesn't mean you have to say yes, be a parent and say no.

100% this.

Gogogo12345 · 16/02/2025 03:49

Oblomov25 · 15/02/2025 21:15

Your dd is only 8, and clearly not mature enough to have her ears pierced. And to go to Clare's is a big mistake.

Why is she not mature enough? She didn't fiddle with them

Gogogo12345 · 16/02/2025 03:43

Skandar · 15/02/2025 20:46

What earring is she disinfecting? The one that they can't find because it fell out sometime after leaving Claire's?

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They found the earring in cost hood. It's only the back missing

XelaM · 16/02/2025 03:26

OP - Mumsnet is crazy about kids getting their ears pierced. I personally don't see any issue with it at all. I had mine pierced when I was 4. 35 years later I've had zero ill effects and still wear earrings 🤷‍♀️ my daughter also had her ears pierced at Claire's at a similar age as yours and again no ill effects (she's now 15 and wears earrings every day). I think it's weird Mumsnetters overreact so much over ear piercings.

sashh · 16/02/2025 02:53

Write to head office

Dear Sirs,

On X date my daughter had her ears pierced at Y Claire's.

By the time we got home Z hours later one earing had fallen out.

Under the Consumer rights act 2015 goods sold must be of: satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.

A piercing ear ring that falls out within hours is clearly none of these things. My daughter is traumatised and does not want to return for a second piecing and I totally understand her reasoning.

I expect a full refund of the cost of piercing, after care and x,y,z to be refunded to me within 30 days.

Please send payment to:

Address or bank account details.

yours sincerely