Having 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
