I really wanted to love my experience with Gold Hollow, but I think it's important to ensure that…read moreothers are aware of how clients can be treated at this establishment...
I was researching piercing studios to get lobe piercings with my elderly mother. I had positive experiences emailing back and forth with Gold Hollow, so I bought a few gift cards for a Black Friday special, and pre-paid for a few earrings online in advance, and I booked a couple of appointment slots (for 90 minutes total) for our piercings, and I paid almost $700 in advance of the appointment.
Unfortunately, we arrived late. I ran up ahead to sign us in for our appointments, and I was met with two women staring at me from behind the desk. One of them appeared angry upon my entrance. I was a bit frazzled from rushing up the stairs, but introduced myself, and the angry woman responded by telling me I was late, asking if I called (she was sitting next to the phone and knew I hadn't), and told me that we couldn't be seen today as it's very busy. Bewildered, I said I guess I'll call to rebook, walked back down the stairs, but then remembered that I had reserved a lengthy slot and pre-paid hundreds of dollars in anticipation of our visit. I went back up to ask if there was anything else that could be done, and she begins raising her voice at me and says, "YOU CAN'T BE SEEN TODAY. YOU CAN'T JUST COME BACK IN ALL UPSET AND EXPECT TO GET AN APPOINTMENT!" I pointed out to her that she seemed a lot more upset about this than I was, and said that I would like all my purchases to be refunded.
I had no idea who this hostile woman was, as she did not introduce herself, but I slowly realized when she said that this is "her" place and she doesn't have to serve anyone, that this was the owner herself! Appointments are not required at Gold Hollow, and it was quite clear that our piercer was not otherwise occupied with other clients. That's not to say it was fine to be late, that was on us, however, I could not see any real reason to be unable to carry on as normal with such a long slot booked and paid for. Of note, I had confirmed in advance with a staff member that this was "more than enough" time for our piercings. If there were limitations with what could be done with the remaining time left, or a wait time as someone else was being seen, I would have been open to this. There was no one else waiting, and the owner was just sitting at the front desk. We also noticed that there was a sign outside proclaiming that walk-ins are welcome. So, walk-ins were welcome, but we were not.
To add insult to injury, within the week, they posted a video to their social media pages mocking the situation and shaming late customers, depicting customers as entitled, ridiculous and unreasonable. The video takes great creative liberties: the depicted customer is two hours late, and the service provider remains calm, and is busy with other clients. Very interesting. Very mature and professional behaviour on display here.
Of note, the owner did not refund the deposit for the appointment, and I had to dispute it through my credit card as a fraudulent charge.