ComplaintsforAvant-Garde

• Initial Complaint

  09/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 09/20/2022 around 8:00pm I went in to get new jewelry put into my navel. I had notified the man who was going to do it (*****) that the bottom hole was closed up. He had me sit down in the chair and with no warning, no preparation to my skin, and without even asking any further questions. He forced the jewelry with not a sharp edge into my closed skin. He went on to say how bad my scar tissue was and continued to shove things in there. I felt layers of my skin being broken and nearly yelled at him to stop. I have many piercings and tattoos and never had as horrible of an experience as this. I am now left with a purple swollen belly button from the bruising from not only what he did but how hard he was grabbing me. Not to mention he also left me with blood on my stomach that I had to go home and clean up myself. If he does it to me hes doing it to others. I paired around $25 just to have that happen. He was even rude to me even before he brought me back. I asked to step outside for a smoke and he said if I wasnt back when he called me in that hed skip to the next person. (I was the only person in the whole place). Thanks for reading. Have a blessed day.

  

  Business response

  10/28/2022

  We are saddened to hear about the negative experience ****************** had with our store during her visit on 9-20-22, for that we are sorry her time with us did not live up to the standards we strive towards.
  
  ****************** requested a "Regauge" procedure, this procedure is used in an attempt to reopen a closed piercing which still is still suspected to have an existing fistula, piercing channel within the skin.  To perform this procedure we use tools called insertion tapers, they start out small at one end of the taper and gradually increase in thickness as you move towards the other end, to state more simply the regauge process stretches the hole in the skin to accept larger jewelry than the skin would tolerate with the use of insertion taper(s).  Our internal definition of a regauge also encompasses any procedure in which jewelry is placed into a fistula that currently has no jewelry or item present transiting through the fistula. The size required for the jewelry ****************** provided was a 14g (1.6mm) in thickness.  The charge for this procedure currently is $12.69, due to the drastic increase in costs for PPE equipment within our industry we also have a "Post COVID-19 Medical Supply Surcharge of $7.99 which allows us to procure supplies and keep our procedure costs lower, we hope to reduce and discontinue this surcharge in the future as PPE costs normalize.  This brought the total for the procedure ****************** received on 9-20-22 to $20.68.
  
  As evidenced in the provided photo named "D1AA5F4C-43A3-481A-83D7-A3642C188A01" a reddish-purple line can be observed approximately 3/16"-1/4" below the top (smaller) gem ball.  This is indicative of a scar and its size and shape, based upon my experience, is most likely the result of a surgical procedure ****************** received approximately 6 months or more previously, based upon my experience.  This scarring will not stretch as easily as undamaged tissue which can lead to a more uncomfortable regauging experience for a client based upon individual pain tolerances and other forces, discussed in paragraph 6.
  
  The bruising, noted by ****************** but not observed in the provided photographs, is a normal side effect of the regauge procedure and results usually from finger pressure on the skin to maintain proper angles and alignment of the fistula during the procedure although it can also result from micro tears of the epidermis and/or subcutaneous structures of the skin during the procedure.
  
  Regauge procedures do not require skin disinfection/sterilization as the skin is not typically broken during this process.  If there are tears which present on the exterior of the body first aid is provided in the form of a sterile gauze pad or sterile band aid to absorb any bleeding and to facilitate protection of the wound, it should be noted that neither of the two photographs provided allow for an assessment of the skin immeadiatly surrounding the fistula so it is impossible to confirm or deny the possible existence of any tears which may or may not be present.  Tapers are sterilized prior to use and client provided jewelry is disinfected using an intermediate level disinfectant similar to disinfectants used in healthcare settings.  Tapers and jewelry are also coated in Triple Antibiotic ointment to provide protection against infection if tears exist but are not observable, inside the fistula, while additionally providing lubrication to assist the taper and jewelry during insertion into the piercing site.
  
  Regauging a piercing site can be a painful procedure based solely upon each persons individual pain tolerance, stress and anxiety levels at the time of the procedure, and the type of procedure being performed.  We are sorry that ****************** found the experience excessively discomforting during their procedure.  Regauges are regularly preferred as an alternative to repiercing an old piercing site when indicated.  The reasons for this are many but the largest one is the significantly lower risk of infection when performing a regauge procedure as opposed to making a new injury which occurs during a piercing procedure.  This ultimately makes regauging a fare safer procedure.
  
  As there are no time stamps associated with the photographs that have been provided it is impossible to tell which image is closer to the procedure date and time, although I would hypothesize that the photograph titled "D1AA5F4C-43A3-481A-83D7-A3642C188A01" is closer to the procedure date and time than the photograph titled "B22C7086-C9BD-484D-B603-622C0F39B3D2", please correct me if I am wrong so that I may amend the statements contained within the response appropriately.  The site of a regauge will normally appear red where the tissues of the skin have been manipulated to facilitate the regauge procedure and any bleeding which may occur due to tearing within the fistula will typically take anywhere from 00:10 minutes to 24:00 hours or longer to become observable.  This is due to the pressure of the skin on the jewelry preventing the escape of any fluids beneath the skin surface.  Only once the fistula begins to relax around the jewelry will fluids present below the skin surface work their way to the surface of the skin.  Unfortunately if the site of the procedure is not actively bleeding at the conclusion of the procedure we are unable to provide first aid as we simply did not see any indication to do so at the time we concluded the procedure.
  
  I hope this helps in understanding how regauge procedures work and that what ****************** experienced, while not ideal and on the rarer side of the spectrum, are normal side effects associated with Regauge procedures.  In the future, if ****************** elects to have other piercing sites regauged I would suggest using cold compresses and over the counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen or naproxen and OTC pain relieving medications such as acetaminophen. NOTE: Always take OTC medications according to the manufacturers directions for use, and if you have any concerns with taking OTC medication please consult with your ************ Team before starting any OTC medication.  Avant-Garde Body Piercing LLC staff members are not trained medical professionals and as such cannot and do not provide medical advice regarding treatments and healthcare.  Suggestions by Avant-Garde Body Piercing LLC are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a trained medical professional.
  
  With regard to the customer service experience ****************** received during her visit, once again please accept our apologies.  When expressing to clients how their actions, in this case leaving the store waiting area, impact their place in our walk-in que information can sometimes be relayed very quickly, dry and to the point.  This is to eliminate any confusion and the need of our staff to multitask during our busy periods.  Please understand that this is not an excuse, we would just like to expand upon the situation surrounding your interactions with our staff.  Specifically in this case, if appointments had arrived while ****************** was not in our waiting area they may have been forced to wait longer to receive their procedure as we assisted the pre-booked appointments which arrived.
  
  A client's bodily autonomy is of the utmost importance to our company and our staff.  On the surface this can appear at odds with the business of body piercing as clients regularly ask us to cause small discomforts and pain to produce the aesthetical appearance they desire.  Having established that, our staff are people just like everyone else and we cannot read minds.  If at any time during a procedure a client requests us to stop with will do so and discuss with them their concerns at that time including what we as professional body piercers estimate will be required to complete the procedure.  The only time we will not stop our actions is in the event a client requests us to stop and doing so would place the client in harm or result in a dangerous situation.  An example of this would be if a client asked to stop the procedure with the needle only partially inserted into the skin, backing the needle out from the skin could result in a dangerous bleeding risk in addition to the needle being allowed to be uncontrolled in the client skin could cause needless damage to deep tissue body structures in addition to causing excessive bleeding.  In this example it is safer to get the sharp end of the needle out of the skin first and foremost even if it decided to ultimately remove the needle and not insert jewelry as the injury from the needle rarely bleeds and will close up and heal over within 2-3 days with long term healing finishing around 1-2 weeks from procedure date usually.  Once the needle is out of the skin it can be made safe and then our staff can work with the client to properly and professionally address their concerns or questions.  Once again I apologize the ****************** felt unable to express this with me during the procedure and will feel comfortable to do so if she elects to have further body art procedure performed by Avant-Garde in the future.
  
  ******************, please know that nothing I ever do is malicious or carries ill intent.  I do feel bad that I didn't achieve the customer service level that I, and my co workers aspire to.  If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for improvement I would look forward to hearing about them and assessing them to see how we can implement them into our business so we can do better in the future.  Please feel free to submit your ideas to our email ******************************* or via social media on our ******** page @AGPiercing.
  
  Thank you and have a great day.

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