Made By Hand Crystals

If I could give this store zero stars, I would. On a random Saturday, my husband and I decided to stop by Made by Hand Crystals in Trumbull Mall to look at some crystals, as I was interested in possibly purchasing one. When we first walked in, there was only one person inside. I was told to go back outside and wait to be greeted. I hadn’t seen the sign, so I stepped back out, read it, and waited as instructed. When the gentleman came out, he immediately spoke over me and directed his questions to my husband, asking him if he understood English. My husband hadn’t heard him clearly, so I responded but I was completely disregarded. He continued speaking only to my husband and explained all the store “rules” to him, ignoring me again. When I politely asked if I could ask a question, he told me to wait until we were inside and that he would come back to me. That honestly should have been our cue to leave, but we decided to give it a chance. Inside the store, we walked around until he approached us and began what seemed like an unsolicited “reading.” I had not asked for one. He recommended a specific bracelet and made certain claims about why I “needed” it. When I asked the price, he told me and walked away. Later, I found another item I was genuinely interested in and asked about the price. He responded with the price but then said, “You’re not getting that you’re getting the bracelet.” I explained that the bracelet was out of my price range for the day. His response was simply, “Oh, well thank you for coming,” and he walked away. We left shortly after. As we walked through the mall, I felt physically unwell my heart was racing, I felt nauseous, and I even developed a headache. The entire interaction left me feeling dismissed, uncomfortable, and pressured. What’s ironic is that I normally don’t tolerate being treated that way. I would have lost it. But for some reason, I stayed calm, let him do his thing, and just observed. Maybe the crystals really did bring me peace because I handled that situation far more calmly than I usually would have. After reading other reviews, I realized this experience was not unique. The behavior was unprofessional, dismissive, and inappropriate. No one should perform a “reading” without consent. And consistently ignoring a woman to only address the man she’s with is disrespectful and unacceptable. I cannot recommend this store based on our experience. I’m sure he or whoever owns or runs the store may respond to this review with a smart remark, but I am being completely honest and transparent about what happened. This is not a store I would ever recommend. ——————————— ——————————— There should really be an option to reply to your response, and I hope you see this. You mentioned my behavior, and I would genuinely like to know what behavior you’re referring to, because there was nothing inappropriate about how I acted. I simply questioned why I had to wait behind a red line before being greeted. Asking a question should not be considered a problem. It’s unfair to suggest that a woman asking for clarification is behaving improperly. Also, your comment about my husband being timid or scared is completely inaccurate. That assumption is wrong. I hope you reconsider how you address customers in the future

Stopped in this store hoping to pick up some great bargains after seeing several signs outside advertising 50–90% off EVERYTHING. I was excited thinking I could purchase so many wonderful things for friends and family. I was even more excited when I noticed no one was in the store. I walked in and was greeted by the owner, who thoughtfully suggested I step back outside and wait at the red line. After stepping away to check the other window, he graciously reappeared about five minutes later and invited me into the store. What excellent customer service! It was truly a wonderful experience being given so many specific rules to follow while shopping. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more stores adopted this fabulous business model? I especially appreciated being able to relax without touching merchandise. I loved the trust-building exercise of keeping my hands at my sides at all times. It was also refreshing to browse items without the burden of knowing their prices. Shopping is so much more enjoyable when cost is a mystery! Unfortunately, I had to leave because each time the owner entered my space I felt smothered by his presence. I can’t wait to return to the Trumbull Mall, enjoy a nice meal at the Cheesecake Factory and then happily walk right past this place 😊