People Are Cracking Up At This Reply By A Piercing Studio Owner In Response To ‘Karen’ Leaving 1-Star Review
Interview With OwnerHaving a business means you will have to learn how to deal with unsatisfied customers. Very often business owners and employees will apologize for not living up to the customer’s expectations and offer something in exchange, regardless of whether the complaint was reasonable or not, because the ‘the customer is always right.’
However, more and more business owners are coming to a realization that the customer isn’t actually always right and their requests can be too ridiculous to satisfy. And they are less afraid to tell that to the demanding customers. Actually, they probably feel relieved if those kinds of clients won’t come back.
One of these business owners is Gregory Charles, who is the owner of Wasted Youth Tattoo & PMA Piercing who doesn’t let customers bash the employees and the services without reason. One of his responses on Google reviews to a ‘Karen’ complaining about what she didn’t like there went viral and people love this new approach of showing that the people working in a business are in control and not the customers.
More info: Imgur
A mom brought her daughter to get her nose piercing fixed, but felt the need to leave a poor review, to which the owner responded without holding back
Image credits: Kelly Sue DeConnick (not the actual photo)
The 1-star review written by a mom named Erica who brought her daughter for her nose piercing explains what she had a problem with and in the reply, the owner shows a different side to the story.
Erica begins with saying that she will not be returning and the owner is glad that he won’t need to deal with her ever again, as the workers stayed late to fix her daughter’s piercing that was put in by someone else and the mom didn’t show any gratitude despite having come in 15 minutes late.
The mom was unhappy that her daughter’s nose was bruised and that the price was too high
Image credits: Herebychoice
Erica was also dissatisfied with not being allowed to bring in a purse and having to ‘shower,’ which meant just washing their hands. Both of those things are a part of the safety protocol to keep everything sanitary in order to protect everyone from Covid and were explained to the daughter when she booked an appointment only an hour before coming in.
Another thing that might have been a valid reason for anger was that the daughter’s nose was bruised when she came home, but the owner doesn’t think it was his or any of the employees’ fault as the nose was already swollen because the girl tried to force her piercing in after not wearing it for long enough that the hole shrank, so there was nothing they could have done to make the process less painful.
She also showed attitude towards the safety protocols that were practiced to prevent the spread of Covid
Image credits: Herebychoice
Another thing the mom brought up was that the price was as high as performing the piercing for the first time and she thought it was too expensive. Gregory, the owner, admits that there are definitely places that charge less, but his prices are justified as he and his employees have many years of experience and use only the highest-quality jewellery and supplies.
In her review, Erica says that she doesn’t recommend the place for people who are looking for gentle service for a reasonable price and to that Gregory called out how rude and ungrateful she was when the employees were trying to help and do it in a safe way during a pandemic.
The owner replied to the review and gave a different perspective on the situation
Image credits: Herebychoice
Bored Panda reached out to Gregory and we asked if he thinks that businesses should stand up for themselves more often and not let customers step all over them and he said “I think every business should be honest and direct when speaking with clients and when addressing any issues. If they do that, it would be my approach.”
This reply to the review is not the only one and actually Gregory replies to many reviews, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. He said that he “will continue to be honest and direct with all reviews and all clients.”
Turns out, the daughter’s nose was already swollen, so pain was inevitable
Image credits: Herebychoice
We were also interested to know if he isn’t afraid to lose potential or current clients that may see these responses and get scared to use his studio’s services, but Gregory isn’t worried, “We have found our clients appreciate our honesty, directness and standing up for ourselves when necessary, along with us taking the time to respond to all reviews.”
Also, those sassy responses to negative reviews don’t mean that the owner or his colleagues can’t take criticism. On the contrary, “We appreciate all feedback and find it to be a great thing. It allows us to grow and make positive changes, and helps us get to know our clients better. We have noticed that most poor reviews happen when a person is denied a service or thinks we’re too expensive, or they didn’t get their way. We try to listen and review everything that’s said and reflect on our interactions with every client.”
The owner was not planning on apologizing for the prices either because he wants everything in the studio to be of the best quality
Image credits: Herebychoice
The owner of the piercing and tattoo studio wanted to add his perspective on how he sees his work and how his mind works when he is interacting with clients, “We work daily to keep our PMA: ‘Positive Mental Attitude.’ Keeping a positive mindset sometimes includes removing yourself from negative situations or people. What it does not include is standing by while others unjustly put you down or try to harm your reputation. We are not perfect, but we try to give every client a great experience in a modern and clean environment, with well-trained artists and staff using only the best supplies. We know we can’t make everyone happy, though we really do try to.”
And it seems that the ‘Karen’ was rude not only in the review but in real life, so the owner is glad she doesn’t want to return
Image credits: Herebychoice
What do you think of the owner’s response? Do you think that Erica, the ‘Karen’ in the story, deserved to be put in her place or do you think that the reply to the review was too harsh? What do you think about the approach that all of the customers’ needs must be satisfied and all their requests must be fulfilled in general? We would like to know your thoughts so leave them in the comments!
People who read the story were applauding the owner for standing up for his business and agreed the woman acted entitled
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Share on FacebookIs anyone else concerned about the "they may as well made us shower" comment? Like, is being told to wash your hands really so bad enough that you have to complain about it? How much do you want to bet that she's either an anti-vaxxer or doesn't wash her hands at home either?
She is definitely an antivaxxer antimasker insane woman
Load More Replies...It's about time that business owners stood up to review bullies. There is a wonderful ice cream shop in my neighborhood owned and operated by a firefighter with mostly high school aged staff. He will definitely defend his employees if reviewers treat them unfairly. His clap backs are part of the charm!
I love the fact that this business owner didn't let this piece of crap get away with her sh*tty review. I think all business owners should counter the bad reviews if they are as false as this one. I also love that he stood up for his employees as well. Hopefully Karen changes her own daughter's piercing herself from now on. Not sure why she needs to go to a shop to have her piercing changed. My daughter has had hers for 13 years and she always changes her own.
Mom complains about washing her hands. Do you really think she’d be at all vigilant about teaching her daughter to keep her nose piercing clean? (I would also like to know this kid’s age, btw. Especially when her mom talked about her “little nostril” being bruised, even though the kid caused the bruising herself by monkeying with the piercing before going to the shop.)
Load More Replies...My piercer's shop is over 2 hours away so I went to a local shop when I lost an opal in my captive ring and got a replacement. I told him when I got this pierced and which style of captive ring I wanted. He put it on and the entire process was SO painful. My ear also stayed swollen for the next few months. I decided to make to drive to visit my piercer. She told me immediately that the guy didn't pick the right size and that's why it hurt to put it on and it had been irritating my ear. If she refused service, I would have been so devastated. She did a wonderful job and she made me feel calm through all the pain and blood. It took her a while to remove it too because of the state of my ear. I was okay a few weeks afterward. For people who say this piercer shouldn't have helped, there are also people like me who are very grateful that there are piercers who would fix issues that are not caused by them. And do a wonderful job at it too.
It's business savvy for them too. You are far less likely to try another place and will recommend them to your friends. A similar thing happened to me with a cartilage piercing. It never healed right and it was the only thing I didn't have done at my normal place. Many of my friends used the same guy and they all had messed up tattoos and piercings, I discovered later. Well worth going out of your way for good body art.
Load More Replies...The owner’s response would have been classier and more devastatingly effective if he had not resorted to profanity (at least it wasn’t spelled out, but we all know what it meant) and stooping-to-the-customer’s-level insults. He could have easily made his points and made her look even more petty by taking the high road and leaving those out.
It's a tattoo & piercing place not a religious bookstore.
Load More Replies...I can't even! Good for you Gregory, for taking up for your employees and for following the covid protocols!
Often it's a safety concern or a Contamination concern. If safety, she may have a weapon in there andnif Contamination... well being asked to wash hands is essentially a shower to her so gods know where that purse has been
Load More Replies...Good for the owner, love it. The saddest part is that this behavior is probably already ingrained into her daughter….
Well the mother's name is Erica not Karen and the business owners name is Gregory but maybe someone should call him a ken for being an entitled business owner..Really getting tired of the Karen s**t. Find a new one or better yet use their real name and only their real name when shaming.
This pandemic really showed me how unhygienic many people are. People railing against the ads about hand washing, exclaiming that they know this already, then proceeding to leave bathrooms without washing lol
It's the part she went they should stick to tattooing. Well I hate to tell this Karen but if she's going to go to a tattoo shop for piercings instead of Claires then yes the price will be alot because they are professionals who know all about the importance of a sterile environment. She should be grateful I had my nose done with a gun it was terrifying
I'm a big fan of this trend of businesses replying as they have every right to defend themselves, because most people only take the time to leave a review when they're angry. So if I see a consistent complaint on a Yelp page I'll take it to heart, but otherwise I assume that person had a bad day. And it's not fair to slander a business or a person if it could mess with their ability to make money. That being said, people can judge for themselves whether or not they think the business owner and his response were in poor taste and that solves that. There's other places to choose from. Personally I like hearing both sides of the story and getting an idea for how the business owner stands up for themselves, provides additional circumstances /OR/ acts just as childish as the customer complaining. Tells me what I need to know. And that's different for everyone. So it should be an equal playing field.
Heh heh heh! I am anti-tattoo, anti-piercing, and an assortment of other antis. HOWEVER I wanna figure out something that I can do to support this awesome shop and owner!
Just more hate upon hate. Take up for your business and refute the accusations? Sure. In a professional manner. But when you talk like a piece of gutter trash and throw out foul language and nastiness, you're no better than the customer you're "putting on blast". I wouldn't go there simply because he sounds no better than she does and also quite pompous as well.
Am I supposed to applaud the business for being just as much of an a**hat? That response wasn’t cute or funny, it was rude and pompous. And “gentile”…? Are people really that stupid?
He didn't name & shame other businesses, he simply acknowledged that there are studios of a lower quality than his own. He isn't outright insulting anyone's practice or dragging anybody down by telling the Karen to take her business elsewhere & get the piercing done cheaply. It isn't like he recommended specific competitors or anything...
Load More Replies...I think you misunderstood. This studio did not do the girl's original piercing; they were asked to re-pierce it, which is entirely professional. Having had piercings, the swelling the girl came in with after trying to force the stud through the partially healed piercing is mild. The studio did the right thing in enlarging the piercing for her, which would prevent future swelling and possibly infection too.
Load More Replies...Is anyone else concerned about the "they may as well made us shower" comment? Like, is being told to wash your hands really so bad enough that you have to complain about it? How much do you want to bet that she's either an anti-vaxxer or doesn't wash her hands at home either?
She is definitely an antivaxxer antimasker insane woman
Load More Replies...It's about time that business owners stood up to review bullies. There is a wonderful ice cream shop in my neighborhood owned and operated by a firefighter with mostly high school aged staff. He will definitely defend his employees if reviewers treat them unfairly. His clap backs are part of the charm!
I love the fact that this business owner didn't let this piece of crap get away with her sh*tty review. I think all business owners should counter the bad reviews if they are as false as this one. I also love that he stood up for his employees as well. Hopefully Karen changes her own daughter's piercing herself from now on. Not sure why she needs to go to a shop to have her piercing changed. My daughter has had hers for 13 years and she always changes her own.
Mom complains about washing her hands. Do you really think she’d be at all vigilant about teaching her daughter to keep her nose piercing clean? (I would also like to know this kid’s age, btw. Especially when her mom talked about her “little nostril” being bruised, even though the kid caused the bruising herself by monkeying with the piercing before going to the shop.)
Load More Replies...My piercer's shop is over 2 hours away so I went to a local shop when I lost an opal in my captive ring and got a replacement. I told him when I got this pierced and which style of captive ring I wanted. He put it on and the entire process was SO painful. My ear also stayed swollen for the next few months. I decided to make to drive to visit my piercer. She told me immediately that the guy didn't pick the right size and that's why it hurt to put it on and it had been irritating my ear. If she refused service, I would have been so devastated. She did a wonderful job and she made me feel calm through all the pain and blood. It took her a while to remove it too because of the state of my ear. I was okay a few weeks afterward. For people who say this piercer shouldn't have helped, there are also people like me who are very grateful that there are piercers who would fix issues that are not caused by them. And do a wonderful job at it too.
It's business savvy for them too. You are far less likely to try another place and will recommend them to your friends. A similar thing happened to me with a cartilage piercing. It never healed right and it was the only thing I didn't have done at my normal place. Many of my friends used the same guy and they all had messed up tattoos and piercings, I discovered later. Well worth going out of your way for good body art.
Load More Replies...The owner’s response would have been classier and more devastatingly effective if he had not resorted to profanity (at least it wasn’t spelled out, but we all know what it meant) and stooping-to-the-customer’s-level insults. He could have easily made his points and made her look even more petty by taking the high road and leaving those out.
It's a tattoo & piercing place not a religious bookstore.
Load More Replies...I can't even! Good for you Gregory, for taking up for your employees and for following the covid protocols!
Often it's a safety concern or a Contamination concern. If safety, she may have a weapon in there andnif Contamination... well being asked to wash hands is essentially a shower to her so gods know where that purse has been
Load More Replies...Good for the owner, love it. The saddest part is that this behavior is probably already ingrained into her daughter….
Well the mother's name is Erica not Karen and the business owners name is Gregory but maybe someone should call him a ken for being an entitled business owner..Really getting tired of the Karen s**t. Find a new one or better yet use their real name and only their real name when shaming.
This pandemic really showed me how unhygienic many people are. People railing against the ads about hand washing, exclaiming that they know this already, then proceeding to leave bathrooms without washing lol
It's the part she went they should stick to tattooing. Well I hate to tell this Karen but if she's going to go to a tattoo shop for piercings instead of Claires then yes the price will be alot because they are professionals who know all about the importance of a sterile environment. She should be grateful I had my nose done with a gun it was terrifying
I'm a big fan of this trend of businesses replying as they have every right to defend themselves, because most people only take the time to leave a review when they're angry. So if I see a consistent complaint on a Yelp page I'll take it to heart, but otherwise I assume that person had a bad day. And it's not fair to slander a business or a person if it could mess with their ability to make money. That being said, people can judge for themselves whether or not they think the business owner and his response were in poor taste and that solves that. There's other places to choose from. Personally I like hearing both sides of the story and getting an idea for how the business owner stands up for themselves, provides additional circumstances /OR/ acts just as childish as the customer complaining. Tells me what I need to know. And that's different for everyone. So it should be an equal playing field.
Heh heh heh! I am anti-tattoo, anti-piercing, and an assortment of other antis. HOWEVER I wanna figure out something that I can do to support this awesome shop and owner!
Just more hate upon hate. Take up for your business and refute the accusations? Sure. In a professional manner. But when you talk like a piece of gutter trash and throw out foul language and nastiness, you're no better than the customer you're "putting on blast". I wouldn't go there simply because he sounds no better than she does and also quite pompous as well.
Am I supposed to applaud the business for being just as much of an a**hat? That response wasn’t cute or funny, it was rude and pompous. And “gentile”…? Are people really that stupid?
He didn't name & shame other businesses, he simply acknowledged that there are studios of a lower quality than his own. He isn't outright insulting anyone's practice or dragging anybody down by telling the Karen to take her business elsewhere & get the piercing done cheaply. It isn't like he recommended specific competitors or anything...
Load More Replies...I think you misunderstood. This studio did not do the girl's original piercing; they were asked to re-pierce it, which is entirely professional. Having had piercings, the swelling the girl came in with after trying to force the stud through the partially healed piercing is mild. The studio did the right thing in enlarging the piercing for her, which would prevent future swelling and possibly infection too.
Load More Replies...
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