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

[formula3]

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

How’s she going to manage taking her earrings out at school for PE?

I had mine done at Clare's when I was little and they've always been painful, one stud was too tight and sucked into the hole 🤢 Please use proper piercing places who use needles, I gave up wearing earrings eventually because that one ear never healed.

Sorry I misread that bit

Your poor daughter! Ignore nasty posters. Of course she was excited, and for it to go wrong like this must be really upsetting for her.

Maybe keep the one in you have and then go to a tattoo/piercing place to get the second hole done - with a needle.

People don’t like to admit this but Claire’s is a reputable piercer. They pierce 1000s of ears every year with no issues. You only hear about the ones that go wrong because we’ve all heard of Claire’s. I wouldn’t personally want my adult ears pierced with a gun now, but it fires through children’s lobes like a hot knife through butter. Act as you would if this had happened at a tattoo place - you would accept the solution they offered. Don’t think that if you escalate to HO you’ll somehow be able to get a payout.

Mum/dad can do it night before but dc aged 6 + can easily manage to take them out. Some schools let them use tape over them too.

They’re studs, they are allowed to be kept in for PE 🤷‍♀️

I’d say take the other out and write for full refund. Wait a few more years to get them pierced again. She sounds a bit too anxious about it to me as this point so id wait.

Maybe the back of the earring is in her clothing. Regardless she sounds a brave little soul and seems to have been through so much. I hope you get a full refund.

8 is too young!

Mumsnet isn't just one entity (see all the different responses) and it's not particularly weird to not want to mutilate a child.

Freeze it with ice cubes , put another gold or silver earring in.

“Dd ended up with an infection 4 months after we thought her ears had healed”

You can get infections in them once they have healed at any stage. I have three piercings in each ear, and have had my nose and lip done. I haven’t worn anything in any of them for years. The lip and nose have closed but the ears are still open. They all get sore from time to time and have occasionally become infected. Even when they close over they leave a partial hole or indentation which can potentially become blocked by sebum/ dead skin etc.
I remember the pain of trying to force jewellery through half healed piercings, it was horrible. Piercings are just not worth it ime.

Sorry, but this sounds so blown out of proportion to me

A hole was made in the lobe
The earring fell out

Just put the earring back in after disinfecting it and the ear (iodine, alochol, whatever). If she's worked up or it's sore, ice it first.

I can't believe it's healed over within hours. There may be dried blood or a scab, but not a fully healed lobe.

@formula3 I'd leave the piercing that has the earring still in place alone, and keep it clean.
Could Claire's not give you a new {presumably gold} stud to replace the missing one? a new hole will want to heal fast, though.

£15 sounds a lot for cleaning stuff- I pierced my son's ears myself with sterile piercing ''green'' needles and antiseptic {at 16yrs} as he refused to go to a ''girl's shop'', and a piercing studio wouldn't pierce someone under 18.

I put a 9 carat gold studs in {cheaper than rings}- and there was no infection or any pain - he used Hibiscrub to keep them clean and still has {silver} earrings in them now, they healed fine.

Good luck!

Can't see what the issue is. It's unfortunate that the back came off. But it's happened now. Either put a new one in or take it out and let it heal.

I had my first piercings done with a gun because I didn't know any better. My later piercings (and my daughters') were done with a needle. YANBU for not knowing.

I think a previous poster suggesting wording to demand a refund is spot on. If they come back, explain they have damaged your trust in their ability to pierce ears safely, and have upset your daughter and therefore a replacement piercing will not be acceptable.

I echo others' advice. Remove the remaining piercing and let them heal fully - a professional piercer would be able to advise how long they think that should be. When you do get them redone, go to a professional. UK APP (Association of Professional Piercers) ideally. They may not, however, pierce someone as young as your daughter.

If the piercing was done today, it sounds like the hole will still be ''soft'' and it will be fine to put a fresh {boil it first} gold earring in there to keep it 'open'.

Assuming Claires used those ''staple'' type devices that fire an earring in- that's what they used to do years ago.

I had mine done when I was about 17 and even then I found them quite fiddly and sore until I got used to them. I’m glad I didn’t have them done as a kid.

Sterling Silver can be more reactive than gold for a new piercing - Gold is much less allergy making if it is 9 carat or more.

8 absolutely isn't too younger if its what she wanted, people are just judgemental. I had 2 in my ears at 8. I would take the other one out and let them both heal but then take her to an actual piercing shop that will.use a needle, guns are horrific for piercings.

I think those cassette staples are brutal..I pierced son's ears at 16 with two sterile''green'' hypodermic needles from pharmacy, and slipped in gold studs- no trauma and no pain..and no infection.

This

Gosh I got my ears pierced at Claire's 20 odd years ago when I was around 13/14 and one became infected. We thought the earring had fallen out but it was inside my ear and it had closed up. I still remember the pain, despite laughing gas, of the doctor trying to push it out.

I'm mid 30s now and never got it done again.

I'd take them out, op. Let them heal and leave it a few years. Hope your daughter feels better soon

I'd you want to remove the good earring they can be tough as the backs fit on very snug so they stay put and don't fall out.
The one that did must have been faulty or was pierced incorrectly.
If you can't get it out (if that's what you decide to do) and pulling isn't working a pair of pointy tweezers in each of the butterfly loops to open it more can help.
Tbh I've had ear piercings by Claire's and professional piercers and I've had more issues with the latter, same with DD(as an adult)
I would repierce but maybe in longer than a week and regardless of what you do in the meantime clean both ears regularly,
Also it's recommended to leave an earring in when there's an infection as sometimes when removed the holes can close trapping infection inside, an earring can allow any pus ect to drain if the post is long enough.