AS
Amber Smith
Aug 19, 2026
⭐ 1/5 — Parents, PLEASE get your total before they pierce your child's ears.
I brought both of my daughters to Rowan to have their ears pierced, with one being a special birthday experience for my daughter. What should have been a happy memory ended up costing our family nearly $500, and I am extremely disappointed in both the experience and Rowan's response afterward.
The part that bothers me most—and something I think other parents absolutely need to know—is that I actually asked about taking care of payment BEFORE my daughters' ears were pierced.
I was essentially told not to worry about it and that we could take care of everything afterward.
I trusted that process and allowed them to proceed.
Then, AFTER my daughters' ears had already been pierced, we got to checkout and I was shocked by the total. Had I been allowed to pay when I originally asked, and had someone shown me that the complete cost was going to be nearly $500, I would have declined and walked out. We could not afford it.
That's why I have such a problem with the way this is handled.
When I specifically offered to pay beforehand and was directed to wait until after the piercings, it leaves me seriously questioning why payment and final price approval aren't handled first. Once your child's ears have already been pierced, you're in a completely different position. You can't put the service back on the shelf and say, "I'm sorry, that's outside my budget."
I can't say what anyone's intention was, but after this experience, I absolutely understand why a customer could feel that waiting until afterward makes it much harder to decline once they finally see the complete price.
I contacted Rowan Customer Experience and explained all of this. I specifically suggested that piercing services should be PREPAID. Select the jewelry, calculate the piercing fees, earrings, add-ons and taxes, show the customer the COMPLETE total, collect payment, and THEN pierce the ears.
Rowan ultimately acknowledged that clearly communicating the full cost before performing the service is important and said they would pass my suggestion along. However, despite explaining the financial hardship this caused our family and specifically asking them to consider a full or partial refund or another accommodation, they did not address my refund request or offer to do anything to make the situation right.
That was incredibly disappointing.
And parents need to understand just how quickly the pricing adds up. This was nearly $500 to have two girls' ears pierced, and we were not intentionally selecting some extravagant, high-end experience. If you're expecting the price of a typical ear piercing, please do not make that assumption here.
If you're considering Rowan, my strongest advice is this:
Before they pierce even ONE ear, insist that they calculate your complete out-the-door total. Ask whether the jewelry price shown is PER EARRING or per pair. Ask about the piercing fees, add-ons and taxes. Do not let the piercing begin until you know exactly what your card is going to be charged.
If several hundred dollars would be difficult for your family to absorb, I would personally recommend going somewhere else.
I wanted to give my daughter a special birthday experience. Instead, nearly $500 unexpectedly came out of our family's account, and after reaching out to Rowan multiple times, I was left with apologies and promises to "share my feedback" but no meaningful attempt to make things right.
That's incredibly disappointing, and I hope sharing our experience prevents another family from finding themselves in the same situation.