My Little Needle Tattoos — Local services in Plymouth

We have not had a good experience with getting my 17 year old daughter's piercing here. She had her lobes double pierced and a helix piercing in December 2023 by Dylan. Dylan was never very friendly, but that's OK, as long as they do their job. Dylan mistakenly overcharged us by $30, which luckily I caught a few days later as I just happened to be looking at the receipt. We were refunded promptly when I messaged the studio, although I also tipped them on the overcharge, which I did not get back. My daughter followed all care instructions and even purchased the product recommended by Dylan. The helix has taken forever to heal, and is still not fully healed 16 months later. We have returned twice--once for a downsize as recommended, and again for a checkup due to pain. Dylan saw my child all 3 times, but only needed birth certificate and ID the first time. Today we came again for the 4th time with an appointment to see Dylan for a checkup since it still isn't fully healed. We walked in, there were 3 staff (including Dylan) at the front desk and no customers. Dylan said "I will collect your paperwork" but did not give a warm greeting or make eye contact. I wasn't even sure if they knew who we were. Anyway, I said "I don't have any paperwork" as they didn't ask for it the previous 2 times we were there for downsizing/checkups. Dylan explained rather rudely that they could look at my daughter but "I'm not touching her." I tried to reschedule the appointment for next week, but was told they would just cancel my appointment and I would have to go online to make a new appointment, and they would also be charging a $10 fee since the policies are on the website. At that point I was very irritated, as Dylan had already seen my daughter 3 times previously (twice without requiring birth certificate and my daughter's ID), so I said just cancel the appointment and we will go somewhere else. Dylan said "I wouldn't even see an adult without looking at their ID, I can't imagine I would see a child." OK Dylan...you DID, twice. They acted like such a rude snob we will never return there. Why don't they upload photos of the ID and birth certificate for return customers, especially if there is not going to be anything new, just a checkup for a piercing already done and already looked at multiple times? There are plenty of studios in the area. No need to go somewhere where they are rude and condescending. Edit regarding owner's response: I have no problem with the policies requiring paperwork. I immediately asked to reschedule our appointment so I could come back with the proper identification, but Dylan told me I had to go online to schedule it, which annoyed me as they were looking at the schedule on the computer. It really felt as if they had no interest in checking my daughter's piercing, even though it was Dylan's work. I decided we would go somewhere else that is more friendly. Dylan likely needs some social skills training if they are going to work the front desk and handle customer service. Any person saying to a parent "I'm not touching her" in a rude tone is going to turn that parent off. At that point, I never wanted Dylan touching my child again. It's not your policies that are the problem. It's the attitude of one particular staff member, and for that, I would NOT...

I’ve debated leaving this review because I really value the work of artists and I never want to hurt anyone’s reputation. Also, I am happy with the final product, which is the only reason this is not a one-star review. I left with a tattoo that I love. However, my experience also came with a lot of negatives and as such, I will not be booking with Ferg in the future.

Things I liked about booking with Ferg: -I was able to book enough in advance to budget and get the time off. I sent Ferg a deposit and secured that date: 7/18/23. -Ferg was open to any ideas I brought to the table and (I thought) very communicative about what I should expect from the appointment (time, price, design, directions, etc.) -The artist checked in about comfort throughout the tattoo appointment and gave me breaks as needed.

Things I was unhappy with about my tattoo experience: -The day of my appointment, Ferg asked me to push back the appointment an hour. I agreed. My original appointment was at 12:30pm and it was pushed back to 1:30pm. No biggie, except: -After pushing the appointment back, the artist cancelled the appointment less than an hour before the new appointment time as a result of their lack of communication with the shop. They did not a space to tattoo me. I was already on my way to the appointment. -After rescheduling, the artist showed up to the second appointment late (7/27/23). -The artist drew a different design than we discussed via email, adding roughly 30 minutes to the time already waited. My appointment was at 12:30pm, we did not start tattooing until after 2:00pm. -The artist charged me for the time it took to redraw the design after they drew a design that we did not agree upon. Looking through emails, I was clear about the design I wanted at this appointment. -Only half of my original deposit applied to the price of the tattoo at the end. I’m not sure what the rest of the deposit was for. -I was told this tattoo would take 2-3 hours, and ended up paying for 4 hours (at $185/hr.) I was not prepared to pay that amount.

I’ve also posted a photo of the tattoo that I left with and it altogether cost me $790. I left at the end of the day feeling cheated and that this shop/artist doesn’t respect my time or me as a client. At the end of the day, I spent $235 more than I had budgeted for, which I feel is not a good way to do business.

Update: I did consider removing my review following the response from the owner. However, Ferg is a part of the staff there, whether full-time or part-time. The artists you choose to represent your shop are what make...

Dom swapped some jewelry for me about 2 years ago, when I got fed up with my old nostril screw and gave me a really comfortable flat back instead. She made me super comfortable before, during, and after. I can handle tattoos, injections, IVs, and blood draws, but something about getting my nose ring messed with makes me feel like I'm going to puke. She is the 1st person in my extensive piercing history who totally knew how to shut that feeling down and keep me at ease. She taught me how to use a taper to get my jewelry back in by myself quickly and easily. I have stopped in a few times to add to my jewelry collection, and although it's a smaller selection of jewelry every once in awhile, I've never left disappointed or empty-handed. Everyone at the desk has been friendly and helpful, there's high quality jewelry, great value for services, and they're honest professionals. I thought was REALLY cool that 2 people in this shop were interested in, and sincerely complimented my tattoos (that were done by my regular artist of nearly 10 years who doesn't even work here). I have a handful of clients of my own that I've sent over for piercing and they've all been impressed with the service here and appreciated the recommendation. When I stop being a wuss about new piercings, this is where I'll go for them! Cheers to an excellent small business that totally excels in...