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

The best and least painful long term method is to use tiny sleepers (little gold hinged rings) in newly pierced ears. Proper gold, not plated. That way, you bathe the ears where pierced with salt water, and gently rotate the ring in the hole so that it doesn’t heal over where it has been pierced. The salt water keeps it clean (it doesn’t sting) and the inside of the hole heals, without losing the hole. A few times a day initially, don’t remove the sleepers for around two weeks. Hence why most teenagers used get them done on leaving school, as they weren’t allowed back in my school days. Mine were done with a sterilised clean needle the day I left school, sleepers put in, and I was lucky enough never to have had a single issue in 40+ years. The cheap piercers used to use studs, which aren’t as easy to keep clean, and don’t rotate as well. The backs can be painful as well.

It's probably tried to heal itself over already, and those ''staple gun'' studs Claires use are quite thick..the one I had was ''stepped'' rather than a straight gold bar.

I DID have a staple gun piercing done by Claires years ago and it was FAR more painful than a needle.

A piercing studio is unlikely to pierce your daughter's ear as she's under 18.

This.

I’d have found another sterling silver or gold back (assuming you have pierced ears and have one OP?), disinfected it in boiling water with a bit of disinfectant and made sure no gunk left in it. Gently swabbed the ear with salt and warm water solution, got someone to hold a mobile torch light while I pulled the ear lobe down gently to find the hole, then reinserted the earring.

Job done and better than letting them heal up and getting it done again as she’ll likely be a bit worried about it happening again.

I was always taught to squeeze warm salted water around the stud and back when I did mine and DDs so it healed quicker and wasn’t painful.

You could ask for a refund to buy a new pair of gold studs as the pair you were given weren’t usable without one of the backs.

The back probably wasn’t secure in the gun and they should have checked that.

Absolutely this! Those little oldskool hinged 9 carat gold sleepers. {But some schools won't allow ''rings''}

I had gold rings at age 14 I had it done in school lunch hour without telling parents at a jeweller! - healed fine.

Ears don't finish growing until livery starts, which is around 10 years old. If ears are pierced earlier the location of the piercing on the lobe will move as the ear grows.

Claire's are shut at piercing. Google it. Most posters on MN will tell you need to pierce with a needle. I did LOTS of research and the only part of the body that can be successfully pierced without a needle is the ear lobe. I took DD to piercer who would use a needle, as that's what MN had advised we had a long discussion and settled on a disposable gun. Money wasn't an issue, and DD had no problems with the piercings.

Having said all of that...you should have a full refund. Take photos of both ears as evidence. I can't write an email now but the link might help

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/complain-about-a-service/#:~:text=Get%20the%20service%20done%20again,get%20the%20service%20done%20again

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?

Poor thing, she must be very disappointed. I would leave the other one in if the back is secure (if she's happier with one than none for now), go back to Claire's and ask for a refund. Waiting for a week is terrible advice as it needs to heal before redoing. I also would not put the earring back, or another one. It will have started to heal already and will be painful and traumatic for her. I'd ask a reputable piercing shop when you can get it re done and book it in.

I worked at Claire's back when I was 17-19 - so 25 years or so ago. The training we had for ear piercing was to pierce 10 ears. We mostly pierced the ears of the other sale assistants or found a willing friend. Once you'd pierced 10 ears, that's it you're trained!

The youngest we could pierce was 18 months which to me seems ridiculously young. This involved two sales assistants and piercing both ears simultaneously. Presumably because if you did one at a time the baby would be inconsolable and you'd have little hope of doing the second ear.

The guns are prone to jamming and not making it fully through the lobe. The after care solution was massively overpriced.

The training may be more robust now but based on my experience I wouldn't recommend it. Much better to go to a professional piercer with more experience, needles and a sterile environment.

Hope your daughter isn't too upset @formula3 .

Ooh yes I'd say don't take it out, I had another cartilage piercing heal up years and years after it was done because I took the earring out.

I also have issues with different metals reacting with different parts of my ears, strange isn't it? I've also become allergic to earrings that I used to be able to wear without problems. My ears are daft!

I can’t believe you went to Claire’s and not somewhere more reputable! Didn’t you do any research? Particularly given your DD’s medical history?! I’d take them out, leave them to heal and go to a reputable piercer next year.

Good question! Maybe a jewellers?
Possibly a Piercers will do a lobe on a child.

That's why I did it myself on son {But have pierced other's ear lobes before- so felt confident }

as I’ve said already, all her friends and cousins went there with no problems so no, I didn’t do further research.
given my daughter’s medical history? And what on earth do you know about that and how it would affect where she got pierced?

I don't understand why anybody is still going to Claire's. It's literally a 30-second Google to find out why they should be avoided.

@formula3 I googled...Under 16's are sometimes pierced {earlobes} with a parent present and valid ID at a piercing studio.

I had my nose done with a gun, 45 years ago. The hairdresser was a bit sceptical as they'd never done a nose before. Never had a problem with it.

Our preferred tattoo shop will do under 18's with an adult present to countersign the form. I took a gaggle of 16 year olds and did worry they wouldn't let me sign them all off but it was fine. I had texts from all the mums, just incase. They had various parts of the ear, nose rings and eyebrows done.

They will. That’s a myth. The (excellent) piercer where I took DD will pierce over 5s, lobes only, if they are accompanied by a parent (who needs photo ID and proof of parental responsibility).

A lot of reputable places will take kids younger than 18. OP, when it’s redone, it’s worth waiting until the start of the school summer holidays as it gives it time to heal before swimming lessons / school PE lessons where it would have to be taped over if the earrings can’t be removed

I'd second everyone who has suggested taking the other earring out and then waiting and getting them re-pierced after a minimum of 6 months at a proper piercing parlour. No judgement on taking her to Claire's in the first place; they advertise in the window and it seems so child-friendly, there's no reason as a mum without any experience with piercings would guess there's a problem! For next time, a piercing shop who use needles will be safer, the earring more secure (they should use a proper titanium stud and fasten the back by hand) and, in many people's experience, hurt a lot less than a gun piercing.

As far as the pain goes, taking the other earring out might hurt for a few minutes but it shouldn't last much longer. Earlobes heal over quickly, especially with such a new piercing, that if you're lucky she'll hardly be able to feel where they were in a few days' time. Clean them with saline if you can- boiled water with some salt is an easy solution to prepare at home. I know seeing your kids in any sort of pain is horrible, but it shouldn't last for long and by the time she comes around to the idea of having earrings again she'll be all the more ready for it.

You will never get a safe or good quality piercing with a gun at Claire’s.
i would take DD to see a proper, qualified piercer who uses a needle and ask for advice. Lots will see children with a parent carrying ID, so long as the child can verbally consent ie not a baby or toddler. Both of my kids have been to a piercer before 18
please do not take her back to Claire’s

This studio, one of the few I would trust to pierce me allows it from 8+ with caveats. I’ve attached their FAQs which explain it.

www.holier-than-thou.co.uk/services/piercing-faqs/

You were fortunate it didn’t shatter the cartilage.

@formula3 Here is a beautiful job which shows a needle..

@TheWombatleague you got lucky! I would ask if the hairdresser was on a YTS, but I'm not sure they were a thing 45 years ago.

Don't distress the poor kid any further. Leave it out, don't force it back through. It will cause more damage to already sensitive skin and likely take longer to heal or get infected. Either leave her with one or (if she'll let you) take the other one out and let it heal. Now she knows what it feels like let her decide if/ when she want to try it again. Poor kid!