HORRIBLE experience with Travis at Inked Expression in Chattanooga
I recently had a horrible experience with Travis? (i think ended up going to Damon now that i think back. i never got a name, just a phone number sent to me) from Inked Expression in Chattanooga on the 4th of July and wanted to share it with others.
Whether this will advise others who go or others who plan to get back dermals, I feel it is good to know. I went to them to get back dermals on the 4th of July. After a few chaotic cycles of calling to get an appointment together, which I take responsibility for, but I now see it as a possible sign that I shouldn't have gone through with it.
There wasn't really any conversation had or jewelry offered until his second co-worker came. He just showed me two studs and asked if they were nice. I just agreed, and he put them on the table.
About five minutes later, his co-worker asked me what color I wanted. I said I wasn't shown nor knew of the options. He gave me a case, and I picked some out similar to ones he had shown me. I relaxed again as we waited to begin.
The first time he tried, I asked about the pain, and he assured me it's the usual pinch, but the pressure was the worst part, which went along with what I had researched. What followed was nothing like we discussed, and the disregard that followed also still sits with me the next day. I brushed off the pain at first, or at least tried, but it did not feel right. I felt like the anchor stripped twice on my skin with no pause as he kept trying to twist and anchor it. I even felt a rough tugging under my flesh, which made me cry out, but he just brushed me off and said I could take it.
I continued to voice the pain, tightness, etc., to no avail. He kept going. When he stopped and swore, I asked if everything was okay. He told me everything was okay while I actively felt him pinching my back and repeatedly dabbing at what I knew to be blood on my back. It wasn't until the other artist asked him, 'Did it come out?' that he confirmed it. The entire process was about three to four minutes of pain dismissed as he tried to stop the bleeding. He tried again, the exact same piercing.
I said I didn't think I could do it, and again, he said I could take it and it would be okay. The second time was just as awful, if not worse. He said we would have to go a bit deeper this time. This quite possibly played into the issues, but again, it wasn't voiced to me. There were other customers in this time, and I tried to take it better, but once again, nothing but pain and almost the same amount of time.
Soon, I felt that pinching motion again, and the dabbing had returned. It had started bleeding again, and it still hurt. Once again, but more directly, I asked him, 'I am bleeding, aren't I?' He admitted it then.
I followed up with 'Does this happen every time?' which I already knew the answer to. He said no, it was not. We did not continue after that. I would say we both agreed this time, as I was not keen to continue after the first attempt in the first place. I feel that the presence of others was the only reason I was actually considered and listened to this time, compared to the first attempt. Or maybe he didn't take it or me seriously until the second failure, but my point still stands. In both cases, I didn't cry, but I cried out and writhed several times, and my hands were shaking after each attempt. My pain tolerance is above average, so I knew something was not right. In the end, we could not go through with it.
I didn't get a band-aid or aftercare despite still having a hole in my lower back, even though I was actively bleeding twice during the process. The marker was still on my back when I left as well.
I still tried to be polite and offer a tip for the inconvenience of trying to set my appointment up and taking me as a client, which he denied. He also offered a different style of dermals, which I said I would consider but would most likely not do today. I already felt pain in my back, and I truly did not feel comfortable going to him again. Mind you, he had attempted the same piercing twice consecutively. I am still in pain today and do not know how the hole will heal.
He later claimed that this had never happened before and was a result of the new set of jewelry they had purchased. This could be true, but the lack of regard was also my issue. So something wasn't right, but he continued to charge on at my expense?
I am quite disappointed because I have gone to them in the past, hence why I was comfortable returning, but I truly regret coming. These experiences were night and day in comparison. I will not jump to say it was racially motivated, but I left feeling rather dehumanized and vulnerable. My back is still in pain, and the hole has yet to heal or close up.
I am considering if I want to report this or not, because the experience felt rather unprofessional, despite how understanding I was trying to be. It is only with further reflection as I returned home that I noted all my issues with the events.
Again, I would not recommend returning to them, or at least being steadfast and direct with your concerns and issues, as I felt ignored when I attempted to do the same. I may try another place in the future, but this experience will sit with me for quite a while.