I was so hurt this weekend.......I had a customer NOT like her cake. She said it wasn't what she ordered. It wasn't what she wanted or pictured. I know in the past I have maybe disappointed people but no one has ever said anything to me........I just don't get more orders from them. This lady was very bold......the cake was good.....but not what she wanted. I left feeling bad about myself and my work. I don't feel as bad today.......I'm sorry it happened. Has anyone else ever experienced an unhappy customer and what do you do about it?
Was she specific in her request? As long as you gave her what she asked for and did a good job on it ~ I wouldn't worry about it. Some people say things like that to see if they can get something for nothing. Did you post the cake?
Debbie
Sorry to hear that it happened, maybe she was one of those customer's that will never be satisfied with what she wants.
If you took notes of what she was describing, maybe go over those notes and then talk to her and say this is what I have written down for what you want. And then apologize for the miscommunication that may have happened in the process from either end. I would not give her money completely back though since you did take the time to make the cake. This is alway a touchy subject when customer's say what you did was wrong, because sometimes you are right and the customer did not explain themselves clearly enough.
*Hugs* It will all work out.
Sorry that happened! She said the cake was good though. So what exactly was the problem? Maybe she could be more specific. That way you could address the problem and work it out.
I have had one person do the same and once questioned, she could not be specific. So as far as I was concerned there was no issue. How could the client expect a positive result with no info? You have to be able to tell people what they have done incorrectly.
Give yourself a pat on the back the cake was good! 
When I made the Charlie Brown cake that's in the gallery the customer couldn't even give me a flavor or size. All she wanted was a Charlie Brown cake. Not CB on a cake but it had to be CB. That's all I could get out of her. (family friend) I picked the flavor and at the last minute she needed more cake and I had already baked one so she got that size in double the height (it was supposed to be for the birthday boy and his immediate family and turned into a birthday party). When I took her the cake she looked at it and said "He doesn't have skates on?" I told her that she hadn't even mentioned skates ~ just CB and that is what she got! Then she loved it! You just never know!
Debbie
Don't feel too bad about it, everyone has that happen sooner or later. It's impossible to always understand what someone has in their mind. Especially if they don't take the time to communicate it well. It's sad but true that quite a few people will try this to see if you will give them a free cake.
I used to work with a party planner here in town and one day she asked me to do a police car for a customer. I told her "No, I don't do sculpted cakes like that" (the customer supplied a pic of a cake she saw--a policeman arresting a criminal, bent over the hood of the police car, figures made of fondant). It was very corny looking and that's not my style. Fine. A few days later, the customer asks the party planner "Please get him to do my cakes--it doesn't have to be a police car." Okay. So I sit down with the party planner and we come up with two cakes (two police buddies both celebrating their birthdays) in the shape of police badges, each with their names and badge numbers. Chocolate cake and cannoli filling with strawberries. The customer was fine with that, but she kept going up and down with the number of servings she needed. I once again washed my hands of it, but the party planner got to me and I gave in and made them. The day of the party comes and goes. Finally I hear from the party planner: the cutomer hated the cakes and had to run out in the middle of the party and buy cakes at a local bakery.
I hear this after the fact (like 3 days). I felt horrible. I immediately asked the party planner what she wanted to do. She was giving the customer her money back; so I gave the party planner her money back. Moral of the story: some people are odd and when they don't like something, don't let it get to you (although I was sick over it for a couple of days) and do not work through anyone (like the party planner). I have a feeling I got ripped off somehow. It was for $150.00 and a lot of time spent making the cakes.
By the way, the customer's comments were that the "cakes were stale" (they were made the morning of the party!) and that it wasn't "real cannoli filling" (I'm Italian!). What a nut!
Now I work alone (no intermediaries to jack up the price and not tell me!) and when I get a bad "vibe" from someone, I turn them down. That's the beauty of no longer having my business be my sole source of income. I can do as I please.
... recently was in a similar situation. I just knew from the moment I talked to this particular woman, there would be a problem. It was a cake ordered for a 94 yr old woman. The woman ordering the cake was not interested in a cake with a photo. she had seen some years ago and didn't like the quality, I explained that I have had great success and would sent her some of my pics..but no! Ok, that's fine, we have plenty of other options. She said she would get back to me. So she didn't call back until two days before the party and said she forgot to call me and still wanted a cake and leaving the design up to me. I used the petal pan trimmed it with a pink ruffle border and put a little party hat andballoons on it and her message. When she picked up the cake from my husbands workplace, she said how beautiful it was and some of the employees were telling her she should have gotten a photo on there because they look so neat. Don't you know she called me two hours before the party and asked if I could take everything off the top and put a photo 
. She said my caked looked like it was for a 4 year old, not a 94 year old. Balloons on a birthday cake.....silly me!!!!!!! 
I was crushed! I was in the middle of making several other cakes and just didn't have the time to do it over, nor do I think I should have had too. It bothered me for days!
We put our hearts and souls into the cakes/cookies we make and therefore take it sooooo personal when a customer isn't happy. Anyway, these things are going to happen, just as they happen in any business. Personally...I am looking forward, not behind!!
Ha...you know I have not yet had this problem. I specifically tell them I make them at home and may have some flaws, although I will try my best to bake and decorate their cake. Plus lets not forget to mention myy height is a little on the short side so is my temper.
I hope I never get put in this position!!!! 
Mrs. Missey--your example is so typical of some people. And calling two days before to order the cake! What is with some people?!? I find it so aggravating when dealing with people who never learned common curtesy and how to communicate.
Last August my niece called and asked me to make her wedding cake in October. My sister had offered to make it as her gift to them but then wasn't able to because of another family situation. I told her I would do it depending on what she wanted as I was inexperienced and wouldn't have time to learn a lot of fancy work for her. I told her I was doing my first wedding cake the Saturday before her wedding, and halfway accross the country. I'd have to re-arrange my travel schedule to allow time to drive to Ca and begin the whole process. Oh, she just wanted a three tier stacked heart cake with the smoothe icing. Just very simple. I sent her a pic of the sample cake I'd made for my friend using the faux fondant and she wrote back that she loved it so plan on doing that. She sent me a pic off the internet of what she wanted and that was fine. But then she started writing about other pics she'd been looking at and just couldn't decide for sure. Then there were the colomns she'd bought to go between the top and second tiers.
Finally I told my sister that if her daughter tried to make one more change I would be quoting her my price for her wedding cakes. I didn't hear another thing from my niece about it, although she griped to my daughter which was a mistake. LOL My sister had told her no more changes and leave me alone to do what I know how to do. My niece never said one word to me about the cakes. Not at the wedding/reception or dance later. Not in the two days she was around after the wedding OR when she was out here after Christmas. THEN, almost three months after the wedding she sends out their thank you's and says thanks and how pretty the cake was. Well, I guess I snapped. I let her know that in the almost three months since I made her cake this was the first word she'd bothered to say to me about it. Now, I'm not just out for praise, I'm really not. She insisted that she'd showered me with thank you's at the wedding and afterwards for two days even. Bolognie!!! In this case I couldn't hold back any longer. She had the gall to tell me that there were many times that she could have told me to forget it because as simple as she wanted it I'd just made it all that much more difficult. I gave her exactly what she wanted. It's posted it in the traditional wedding cakes album. (Hearts with Roses) Gee, I didn't mean to make it so hard for her. It's almost, I said almost, laughable now but I was ticked when she told me those things. She got about $400 worth of cake, and that ain't Ca prices, for nothing. That's humble Kansas girl bakes at home pricing. After that I'm not taking crap off anybody. I've been taken advantage of once and that's it. I don't depend on this venture for my livlihood and I'm not going to let things/people like that spoil it for me. I'm hear to have fun and provide a fine quality product. I'm careful to get details before I agree and they get what they asked for. What more can you do? My people are happy with my work and the rest, well, they can go to Wal Mart.
Okay, I'm done. Glad to have that off my chest, so to speak. LOL Thanks for listening.
Glad you did too Carol Ann!! Some people love to use us don't they!!
When I do cake orders I show the person pictures of cakes that fit their description or I ask them to describe the cake to me & I try to draw it. When they say yes to a pic or my drawing I then let them know that I will get my cake as close to that as I can. It will not look exactually like it. If they agree with me then it's no worry on my part. I've never had a mad person & I hope that I never do... I have a pretty bad temper too when someone isn't being resonable with me!! I won't stand for shouting & I won't stand for someone calling me a liar. I don't hit LOL but they will think I will!! I will never do a cake for them again. Period! And life goes on.... on to the next cake~
I hear ya Tina. Life is way too short to put up with that stuff. I also was asked about doing a wedding cake for a girl I knew. A friend of the family contacted me thru my daughter so I called the girls mother and talked to her about it. This is the long way around. She seemed very interested in seeing my work and the dang wedding was just three weeks away. Actually they'd gotten married last year and this was to be a reception. After hearing what the girl wanted I thought the faux fondant would be perfect for her cake. I told her about it and she asked to see my photo book. I'd send it with my daughter the next day and she said she'd look at it with her daughter and call me the next evening. Three days later I'd heard nothing so I called and left a message on her machine saying I could not do their cake. I honestly had a special olympics tournament to work that weekend that I'd forgotten about but I could have done the cake. How rude to ask three weeks before the event then keep you hanging for three days without a word. I have no idea what they did and frankly don't care. That's just plain inconsiderate. Who needs it? People have no clue what goes into cakes. They think they can whip up a 9x13 in an hour so how hard can it be, it's just a cake!! They're the Wal Mart bakery customers as far as I'm concerned. Ü
I had someone ask to see my pictures so I sent them with someone so they could see them. I've never gotten my pictures back! From now on unless they come to me or meet me i'm printing pictures off on regular paper ~ several cakes to a page!
Debbie
I tend to learn everything the hard way! Of course it was the friend of a friend so who would have known...
Debbie
Yes, it is one of mine. It's posted on the site but I have to look and see where it's posted. Here is the link to all of my photos on the site. You can see it here. I hope I do this right...
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-photos-by-thecakemaker.html
Debbie[/url]
Thank you! It's hard to not do a good job with all of the help here!
Debbie
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