Why the BBB hit a Springfield tattoo shop with an F rating

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. —The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has given Underground Tattoo and Gallery an ‘F’ rating, their lowest possible rating.

The reason?

Consumer reports that the tattoo shop had taken deposits for work that never got done and refunds had practically been non-existent.

But now the tattoo shop is pushing back, calling the claims “completely false,” and saying the BBB failed to communicate with them after they responded to the allegations.

The report mentions one customer who said she’s out $380 after scheduling a tattoo for her and her son ahead of his birthday.

She told the BBB the business was closed on the day of the appointment and instead of rescheduling, she asked for a refund which she alleges has not happened yet.

OzarksFirst paid a visit to the Underground Tattoo and Gallery.

In a long, emotional, but off-camera visit, owner Cliff Taylor and Amanda Kemp told OzarksFirst they’re working to get refunds back to people, which have been delayed due to several factors including a recent death in the family.

They told OzarksFirst they have receipts and screenshots of digital payments that had gone through but at the time of the visit, were checking with their attorney before releasing anything that could have private information on it.

We asked if there would be any reason electronic refunds wouldn’t be processed yet, such as through third-party banking apps, and was told that would not be the case.

Another customer, Deborah Moore spoke to OzarksFirst about the refund she says she’s still waiting on.

Moore, a returning customer, said months ago, she reached out for a piece on her stomach, and placed a $300 deposit when the date was picked. But when she learned she was going to have surgery on her stomach, she wanted to make changes to the placement and the tattoo itself.

She said after some back-and-forth conversation and another $250 deposit, the communication diminished greatly.

“I didn’t hear anything back. I texted multiple times. I even personally, physically walked into the shop looking for them to get this figured out,” Moore said. “The day the tattoo appointment date came and I told them, ‘I’m not coming in. I don’t have a tattoo picked out like nothing was decided’ and then I contacted them. After that, I got no response from that either.”

She said she reached out to reschedule due to the money involved but was told with the last-minute cancelation, she wouldn’t get her money back.

Moore then said she filed a report with the BBB and then received part of her deposit when she threatened to take the company to small claims court.

“They sent back the 300, and I have not yet seen the $250,” Moore said. “I just gave up. I figured if they need that money that bad, they can have it because it was not worth my time anymore at that point.”

The owners at The Underground Tattoo and Gallery sent OzarksFirst screenshots showing what they say are two different refunds to Moore — one for $300 and another for $250.

Moore says she never received the $250 repayment because it went to a card that had expired.

OzarksFirst reached out to the BBB about how the investigations into business work.

“We have an internal investigator in our BBB office that covers southwest Missouri, eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. It’s often looking at a pattern of complaints. So if something gets noticed, something frequent, again, you start to see a pattern of something appear. they will start to look into that. They will attempt to reach out to the business,” Pamela Hernandez said. “We want to know a business’s side of the story, anytime a complaint is made, but in particular, if we see a pattern, what might be happening in that business? Are they willing to work on whatever’s happening? What is their side of the story? and then, of course, talking more to the consumer, because things may have changed since they made that original complaint.”

Hernandez said they have tips for anyone looking to get that next tattoo.

“Referrals, that’s a great place to start. Looking at reviews, seeing samples of the work. Those are all the places that you can start when you’re making your selection. Make sure that you don’t pay for everything upfront. You might need to pay something a deposit to secure that appointment, but wait until the work is finished and you’re satisfied before you make the payment in full,” Hernandez said.

Amanda Kemp, one of the tattoo shop owners, sent OzarksFirst a statement along with screenshots showing repayments. Here is the statement:

“I am writing to address the recent defamatory allegations circulating about my business, The Underground Tattoo and Gallery. The claims made against us to the BBB are completely false and inaccurate. Following the initial communication from the BBB, I promptly responded, but there was no further correspondence thereafter.

I urge the BBB to retract these baseless complaints immediately. Furthermore, I request that all news outlets correct the misinformation that has unjustly tarnished my reputation and destroyed my business within a matter of hours.

These instances were canceled/rescheduled due to the passing of my uncle, Dan Patterson, President and CEO of Lockheed Martin, who was like a second father to me. Traveling to his funeral required us to cancel/reschedule the appointments last minute so we could pay our respects and be with family in South Carolina. I made a solid commitment to address their concerns promptly, kindly, and responsibly. It is deeply troubling that such unfounded accusations have been disseminated without verification.

I urge all parties involved to rectify this situation swiftly to mitigate further damage to my business and personal integrity. Honest reporting and fairness are essential in our community, and I trust that you will uphold these principles.

Sincerely,
Amanda Kemp
OWNER @
The Underground Tattoo and Gallery”

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