AIBU Claire's ears piercing

[cindersrella]

So I have just been to Claire to get my children's ears pierced (they wanted them done) my older daughter (9) begged and begged to have them done, I told her yes..
So the earring were got out put in the gun and she went into melt down.

To cut a long story short after encouragement from one assistant who was lovely to the manager who had had enough for the day (her attitude was shit once my daughter had started to get itchy feet) she didn't have them done. However I have still had to pay for them as they came out of the pack and were no longer sterile

So I have basically just paid £75 for one pair of ears to be pierced with earrings, a pair of earrings which are possibly never going to be worn and some solution.

AIBU to feel really pissed off at been charge £37.50 for some 9ct gold earrings ?

@Dustybun we were lucky enough to walk away with the very expensive earrings & cleaning solution 🙄. In hindsight I should have got them to use them on my own ears so at least I’d got something out of them!
Well we live and learn. Hope your daughter gets sorted when she’s ready @cindersrella

I did get the earrings and one bottle of cleaning solution

No. We are about an hour away from you. Must be something in their training that makes them grumpy x

No: Claire's are not professionals in ear piercing. They say they are, and claim their practices are safe and clean because the only thing that touches the ear is the stud.

Cross-contamination is still an issue though, because the guns are made of plastic and can't be autoclaved, so they're not cleaned at a high enough temperature to make them sterile. Also, ramming a blunt object through flesh is never advisable (and doing it through cartilage is insanity; it can cause it to collapse). Infection is also a far higher probability with those flat-backed studs because of the gunk that collects behind them.

Professional piercers wear gloves, autoclave their jewellery and equipment, use a new needle which is discarded after each piercing and are likely to cause far less damage to the flesh. IMO those piercing guns should be made illegal.

Sunshine I thought it may have been the same shop but yes I agree... training in grumpy 🤪

What material are the earrings that your other DD got pierced with?

Can you buy some titanium earrings to put in instead to try and stop infection?

I was told absolutely no need to twist my titanium earrings

Yourostar 9 year old with pierced ears is a bit yuk to my mind

Useful

Am I the only one that thinks 9 is to young to decide on body modification?

That IS what ear piercing is.

They are 14kt white gold 3mm ball earrings

Friday... i don't think 9 is to young but it's personal opinion

They are overpriced, but you agreed to purchase them and now they can't re-sell them. So YABU if you want a refund. You should have done your homework and gone to a proper piercer.

Everything @MarieIVanArkleStinks said.

Didn’t know gun piercings were considered bad.
My daughter and I have about 8 between us ( Claire’s )
No problems at all

You should not have been charged the full amount as the ears didn’t get pierced!

I had a daith piercing done at a tattoo parlour a year ago - this is considered an expensive piercing, and I only paid £39!!! It's never been infected or anything. They also said NOT to turn it, as every time you do, you disturb the wound again, and it has to start healing all over again.

I had my DTDs ears pierced at a jewellers when they were 5 (they wanted it as a birthday present), and they never had any problems either. I think it cost £20/child, including earrings.

I think they should have just charged for the earrings in the assumption you would return when she was calmer
My daughter just had her second piercings at a local tattoo/piercing place, done with a needle (much less pain from a poll of parents who all had their kids done end of Y6), and it was £28 for the piercing and choice of studs included or pick her own more expensive ones.

Am I the only one that thinks 9 is to young to decide on body modification?

As long as the child can make a safe and informed choice then no, not too young.

That IS what ear piercing is

Indeed. And one of the easiest to heal and remove.

Claire’s are day light robbery for ear piercing. Both my dds has their ears pierced by an independent guy with his own piercing business. Cost £7 each and they’ve never had a problem.

Piercing with a gun is a huge no no - and the training Claire's staff undergo is so awful. Practice on teddies I heard?

No, not teddies, fake ears first and then eventually all your colleagues ears.
They are also not just shop assistants. They do undergo training for it, but it's nowhere near as much as a proper piercer, so I would take my own child to a tattoo and piercing parlour personally. That being said, I have had several piercings done there and never had any problems. All my colleagues and many many customers never had any problems (they come in for a check up and 100% of mine were fine). There are two types of guns- one that shoots it through (which I wouldn't recommend) and one that pushes it through like a needle.
I was a Claire's piercer, and like I said, there were never any problems with anyone's ears. However for my own child I would still go to a piercer, if only for the cost!

They have no training in any piercing practice.

That's not true. They do receive training and have to pass, but obviously it's nowhere near as much as a proper piercer. I'm not disputing that a piercer is better, but don't spread misinformation about them never having any training at all.

but don't spread misinformation about them never having any training at all

I have a friend who did the “training”. It wasn’t training. At that point she decided to leave the job.

Let’s not pretend that Claire’s are in any way reputable.

I'd never get any piercing done in Claire's, whether a child or not. Go to a proper piercer - in a tattoo studio if necessary - and get it done properly. It will cost far less, be done better and heal properly.

It's not as easy as opting for somewhere other than Claire's. I called half a dozen tattoo/piercing studios to pierce my 9 yo dd's ears and they all refused for ethical reasons! One was so overtly judgemental I felt compelled to fb message them justifying my request with painstakingly detailed counter-arguments (like a complete twat ).

Twistycurlywurly I don't want a refund.. just been pissed off at been charged the full price when there was no piercing done and customer service was shit

It's not as easy as opting for somewhere other than Claire's. I called half a dozen tattoo/piercing studios to pierce my 9 yo dd's ears and they all refused for ethical reasons!

But then you just tell your child “no” until they can have them done somewhere properly!