Michaels — Local services in Irvine

UPDATE: I initially left 2 stars due to a frustrating balloon helium experience where I paid for a service that wasn’t delivered—and had to escalate to get a proper refund. After speaking directly with the store manager Mike, I received a full refund (including compensation for the balloon). I appreciate the resolution but still believe this should’ve never happened in the first place.

Customer service should never make the customer do the legwork to get what’s fair. If I hadn’t advocated for myself, this would’ve gone unresolved. Grateful it was handled, but this store still has room to grow in terms of accountability and consistency.

———

This was my first time visiting this Michael’s location, and I left genuinely disappointed.

I brought in 8 balloons that I had purchased from Etsy—a set I had been saving for two weeks to create a meaningful, personalized setup. One of those balloons, a blush pink design that was my favorite, was lost during the helium inflation process by store staff. I was informed of the loss only after the fact, and no real apology, solution, or offer of replacement was given.

While I appreciate that I was not charged for the missing balloon’s helium, the overall handling of the situation left me feeling dismissed. This was not just about a balloon—it was about attention to detail, care, and service quality. I had brought in my own items with clear instructions and expectations, and those were not respected.

As a first-time customer, I expected better accountability. I respectfully request that Michael’s consider offering a replacement balloon or a refund for the service, as this was not the experience I anticipated from a...

I love going to this Michael's as it's close to home and there are often great deals! I always find the cashiers friendly and the staff willing to help. I have to admit that I'm really disappointed by the Framing Department/Aaron Brothers, though. The first employee was very helpful in explaining our options. We came in with the poster the second time and the employee and manager didn't know how to do a matte lamination. They said they would speak to the first employee and get it completed. It was due to be completed on the next Monday. I stopped by in the early afternoon and I knew there was a possibility it wouldn't be ready, and it wasn't. I was told we'd get a phone call. By 7 pm, we called in to see if it was ready and we were put on hold so long the call transferred back to the queue. We got tired of waiting so we decided to go in person. It was not ready. We finally got a phone call on Tuesday night that it was ready and I picked it up the next morning. When we put it up, we realized it had some pretty obvious dents in the foam. We decided to leave it as is because we didn't want to deal with chasing them again. Disappointed in...

I was taking a Montessori exam on May and we needed lots of materials from Michael’s. I usually shopped a lot in Michael’s as well, but because the time is limited so we bought some stuff which is not what we need for the courses. One tool I just need to return and it was passed the returning date. Usually they gave store credits and it’s very convenient as well. But this time the manager, her attitude was like, I am stealing money from them. She said the case was opened so it can’t be returned. Then I tried to know more policies, like, if it is within the return period, we still cannot open the case? And how could we know this tool is right for using? Some questions like these, very basic common sense. But her face was like, you cheating people just tried to take advantage of us. It’s an awful experience for me and so rude with no reason. The cashier is much better but I doubt this manager was not working in Irvine and didn’t know Irvine residence. I won’t go shopping in this location and also want to give...