A schoolgirl has been left too ashamed to go outside after a trip to Claire's Accessories to have her ears pierced left one of her lobes ripped open.
Poppy Bennett had the procedure done a Claire's branch in Liverpool as a treat ahead of her First Holy Communion.
But Poppy was ridiculed by her friends for having her ears "ripped open" just a few weeks after getting the tiny studs put in.
The incident has left Poppy too embarrassed to go outside without her ears covered up.
Speaking to the Liverpool ECHO , Poppy's mum Catherine Walsh said: "She had them for her communion on May 21 so she had her ears pierced on May 10.
"They showed us where with a pen and I said 'you're the specialists, you know where to put them and she said that was the best place'. They were the tiniest earrings.
"She kept them in for three weeks and when we were changing them it was when she got diamond earrings as a present. She said 'my friends are skitting me saying my ears are ripped'."
The mum-of-four said Poppy's ripped ear lobe has "knocked her confidence" and that the nine-year-old is now facing the prospect of cosmetic surgery to fix the damage.
Catherine, 36, told the ECHO : "It's knocked her confidence. It was a really tiny little earring. When we went to the doctors they said we have to let it heal to close. She will have to have cosmetic surgery just to close the ear in a few weeks."
Since discovering the damage to her daughter's ears, Catherine has been in touch with Claire's Accessories to complain about the piercing job.
She claims she was initially offered a £25 refund and £30 compensation in the form of a store gift card.
However, the ECHO understands Catherine has now instructed a solicitor and will be pursuing legal action against Claire's over the damage.
The ECHO approached Claire's for a comment and a spokesperson from the company said: "Over 40 years, Claire’s has pierced more than 100 million ears. Customer well-being and safety is always our main priority.
"We were concerned to hear about Miss Walsh's ear lobe and are in communication with Mrs. Walsh regarding this issue."
