Buyer Beware / AVOID AVOID AVOID
We were really looking forward to getting my daughter's ears pierced for her 7th birthday. A few friends had recommended Sharon Carpenter's Sweet Needle Studio, and after reading the positive reviews on the website (we later discovered that she only shares positive reviews on her website), we felt confident booking. Unfortunately, our experience left a very bitter taste and turned what should have been a special occasion into a disappointing one.
The piercing itself was carried out professionally, and my daughter was happy with the process. However, everything surrounding the appointment was extremely disappointing.
We booked the child's double piercing package (£55). After carefully reading the information on the website, I believed the earrings were included in that price, as nowhere could I find anything stating otherwise.
We arrived 15 minutes early for our appointment. The booking information makes it very clear that arriving more than five minutes late can result in losing both the appointment and your payment. Despite arriving early, we then waited around 40 minutes past our appointment time before being seen.
While we were waiting, I went to move the car because of the delay. During that time, my husband was shown a black velvet display board of earrings for our daughter to choose from. He was asked whether he knew about screw-back studs, but no prices were pointed out, there were no labels indicating which earrings were included in the package and which carried an additional charge, and no extra costs were mentioned. We chose pair D5.
When the piercing began, I immediately noticed Sharon had inserted a different earring to the one we had selected. I mentioned this, and was told, "It's the light." I accepted that explanation at the time. However, Sharon later confirmed in an email that the earrings we had chosen were actually out of stock and she had substituted a different pair. Had this simply been explained on the day, we would have happily chosen another design ourselves.
After the piercing, I expected to pay the remaining balance of £27.50, plus £12.50 for the aftercare spray, making £40. Instead, the card machine showed £60. When I queried the total, Sharon explained there was an additional £20 charge for the earrings, adding that she had "forgotten to mention that."
This came as a complete surprise because no additional cost had been mentioned beforehand, either when the earrings were chosen or during the appointment. Had we been told in advance that the pair we selected carried an extra £20 charge, we could have made an informed decision.
I contacted the studio shortly afterwards and was told Sharon would call me back, but she never did. I therefore emailed to explain my concerns.
Unfortunately, Sharon's responses did not resolve the issues. During the email exchange, she stated that my husband had been informed of the earring prices when choosing them. This simply did not happen. In fact, when I queried the payment on the day, Sharon herself apologised and said she had not told us about the additional charge.
The later confirmation that our chosen earrings had been substituted because they were out of stock also directly contradicted what I had been told during the appointment.
What disappointed me most was the way the complaint was handled afterwards. This could all have been resolved very easily. Had Sharon acknowledged that the additional charge had not been explained, accepted responsibility for the misunderstanding and refunded the £20, my review would have been very different. Instead, she refused to refund the charge despite accepting that she had not told us about it beforehand, leaving me feeling that I had no option but to pursue a chargeback through my bank.
I eventually received the £20 back through the successful chargeback. It was never about the money—it was about the principle of transparency, honesty and good customer service.
The piercing itself was fine, but the lack of transparency over the underhanded additional charge, the substitution of earrings without explanation, the lengthy delay despite strict lateness rules for customers, and the way my complaint was handled completely overshadowed what should have been a lovely experience for my daughter. Based on my overall experience, I would not return or recommend this studio.
