Banter by Piercing Pagoda — Local services in Elizabeth

Sunday, June 16, 2019- I had the worst experience ever at this location. My wife and I purchased something a few days prior that we decided to return. When we arrived at the store, we noticed there were 2 associates assisting customers...so we waited. After about 10 mins, the male associate asked another female associate, (whom we never even saw as she was sitting so low to the floor (under the displays/ registers) to assist us. When I noticed her, she was on her phone and she never replied to the male associate and she never got up to assist us. The second time, he mentioned to her to assist us, she came over very rudely...Sophia (the very rude associate) never spoke and she wasn't friendly at all.

As she approached me I told her I had a return, she very nastily says, "Are you exchanging?" Again, I say, "I have a return". She snatched the receipt from the counter and proceeds to return the item. Due to the register being in the middle, Sophia would have liked me to come closer to where she was but instead of her politely asking could I come around, she said, "You need to come over here"...I couldn't believe how rude she was so I stayed where I was. She rudely, muffled again..."You need to move over here" In return, I said, "A please and thank you would be nice". My wife noticed how rude and nasty Sophia was being so she moved around to make things easier...I followed my wife.

The transaction was barely over before another female associate came over and asked that we excuse (Sophia) her attitude. I told her (I don't have her name but she was very helpful) that I didn't have to excuse Sophia's rude, nasty, obnoxious behavior as this was her job and she should be providing excellent customer service. Especially since I was not rude, nasty, disrespectful or anything else that warranted her attitude. Sophia even while at work, representing Piercing Pagoda verbally went back and forth with us about how shes not going to give respect to anyone, etc. She should be ashamed of herself.

I hope this is not the behavior that this company accepts. Sophia is a horrible representation of Customer Service...I'd hope in the very near future if she continues to be the face of any company that she first goes through the proper diversity and customer...

My awful experience with Pagoda, no baby should come here. I took my 3 months old baby to this store to open her ears, I told them I wanted hoops earings, but they told me they don't use those to open ears and showed me their options. I paid almost $80 for those tiny earings with soft back that my baby lost one month later, first one and before I knew the other. During a month i didn't have the time to go back. When I came back to Pagoda and made the claim they told me that yes I could have had the hoops, and that they don't guarantee the lost. I told them I have your invoice and all the other papers you gave me when I bought them and remind them they told me I couldn't have the hoops, and now I have those hoops earing my cousin brought me from DR , that please just check if the ears are still open and put them, but they told me they wouldn't open the ears again unless I buy another earings from them!!! Now they would sell me hoops!!!, that maybe if I would bring one of the earings I first bought they would do it!!!, so the invoice and all the "guarantee paper" are crap and to make believe you have some sort of support from them, that YOU WON'T HAVE UNLESS YOU KEEP BUYING FROM THEM. Awful service, awful employees, awful experience, putting my most valuable and important person in my life in their hands, it should be prohibited to them to work with babies, put them to go through this pain knowing they can lose that earings easily just to sell you more even knowing that means more pain...

I was there yesterday to have my son’s ears pierced and I was very impressed with the professionalism and patience Aaron demonstrated. On a very busy Saturday night, this young man was left alone to man this kiosk all by himself. He was surrounded by customers and remained calm, courteous and completely professional. Understandably we had to wait a bit for him to help us but he did remind us that he knew we were there and that he’d get to us as quick as he could. When he helped us he was not only kind but very careful about the placement of the piercings. He asked for my opinion and my son’s opinion before he pierced his ears. He even managed to laugh and make a joke or two with us despite the fact that he was clearly overwhelmed. Kudos to Aaron for doing a wonderful job managing that pressure I’m sure he was under yesterday!...