Okay, I did a cake for a lady that my instincts told me to just get out of. She didn't know what she wanted and she wanted to pay no more than $130 for the cake. After the initial consultation, I put her down for the date and sent her emails of some ideas that we could go with. She called me for weeks to make sure I was doing her cake and to confirm (when I had already confirmed the date when we had the initial consultation). She called me every week to make sure I was doing this cake. Ticking me off. I called her earlier this week to see what the he** she wanted 'cause we had discussed everything there was to discuss. I went over the design with her once again and that was that. She said she didn't care what the cake looked like as long as it was nice and Winnie the Pooh (mind you this is the cake that only 2 people put in their favs in my gallery here....go figure). She then goes on to tell me that she wants each layer to be different colors which meant no butter cake 'cause it would alter the colors so I had to use white. And she was specific as to which layer she wanted each color. She said she was expecting 60 people...I charge $3.25 for tiered cakes and that's what she wanted....So now, I'm undercharging myself 'cause she only wants to pay $130. I'm trying to work with her 'cause she REALLY wants me to do her cake. Now fast-forward a bit. Not only did I make her cake for more people 'cause I KNEW she was going to look at the cake and say it wasn't big enough for $130 but I made the cake 3 layers with alternating colors. Just trying to be nice and give a little wow factor to it all. I'm buttering up a customer that I didn't want to deal with in the 1st place. Talking about trying to get a little $130 payment out of the devil. I didn't even need the $130....especially from her. ANYWAYS, it goes on. I used 10x10 and 8x8 (3 layers each) for this cake and the little bear pan at the top. My hubby drops the cake off and she's extremely pleased and pays him. Nothing about "OH I think this cake is toooooo small" or anything. NOW, she calls me about 10 minutes ago to tell me that she was dissatisfied with the cake because it was tooo small and dry in some places. People that have had my cakes said that they were surprised 'cause it was dry and not what they expected. Normally, I don't use white cake 'cause I think butter is better but as stated before, I was coloring the cake. She said she didn't care about the cake so I did just that. She calls me and says she wanted to know if we could work something out. I'm so ticked that I don't know what to do. Everything that I suspected about her...happened. I haven't called her back and right now as we speak, I'm shaking trying to type this 'cause I am sooooo upset. I don't want to give her any part of the money back but I don't want to this to get any uglier than what it is. Should I tally up my expenses and go from there?? What a learning experience....'cause I don't have a policy on dissatisfied customers...but I will after this. Now, I'm not looking to be lashed out at because of the stupid mistakes I made with this order....I know this. I need a shoulder to cry on and a opinion to a solution. Sorry this is soooo long but I'm mad as he** and normally I reply to threads not post them....so this says something.

Okay, I'm a little calmer now. Guess no replies allows me to let it go and not rehash the whole horrible thing.

Reading the situation, I can totally relate....I can't say for sure that I have a solid tip for you though, cause dealing with the public has its constant risk of these predicaments. I would definitely show her the cost & time put into it, and give her a nice reminder of how many times you went over the details & WHY you used that white cake. See how reasonable she's prepared to be about it- I sure don't think you need to give her one DIME back for the size that cake was!!

First, let some time go by so that you're not so hot under the collar. Good reasoning never happens when you're emotionally charged. Step back from it a bit and don't take anything she says personally.

Next, maybe show her the math (on paper) that what she paid was a HUGE bargain -- the cake was a give-away. Show her, in black and white, that ordinarily, that particular cake would have cost "X" amount more had you charged her your usual and customary fee. Also, include in your stance the extra time it took to individually color the layers and that alone would have upped the price. Try to make her see what a great bargain she got compared to what you charge your other customers.

She said it was too small? Ask her if every one got a piece. If everyone got a piece, then it wasn't too small. If she says not everyone got some, ask her how large she cut each serving -- probably too large if there wasn't enough for everyone. Explain the traditional serving size that she should have cut.

She said parts were too dry? Then that means the ENTIRE cake wasn't dry, correct? So, in light of the fact that she was grossly undercharged, it's an acceptable situation that PARTS of the cake weren't moist.

Above all, stay calm when talking to her. Word of mouth travels quickly and if you get hot with her, she'll tell everyone. Lastly, considering how she was undercharged to start with, I wouldn't offer a refund of any kind.

THANK you fellow Gemini I am almost in tears 'cause I want to let it go but I'm finding it difficult to. I'm just so disgusted that, here again, I can't be respected and appreciated. I'm a nice person that was just toooo nice this time. Thanks again.

Tell her she already got a nice and big discount on her cake.

*edit* Ah I was too late

Thanks Camillethecat. I'm alot calmer but still almost in tears 'cause I let her disgust me and the obvious points that I want to say, I can't 'cause they are stereotypical and judgemental BUT I pegged her right. What I felt about her...I felt coming. EVERY SINGLE THING that I felt about her, the whole situation, happened. And that's sad 'cause sometimes stereotypes are what they are. I don't want to BE that person. Forgive me if I offend anyone....please forgive me.

ok, I've never sold a cake, so this is all IMHO

I wouldn't 'work something out' with someone after the cake was gone! If she had a complaint, she should have put the cake knife away after the first piece (okay, or two) and called you then. If they ate the cake, obviously it wasn't BAD, or they wouldn't have kept eating! Some pizza delivery places have the same rule - show me the uneaten portion or your complaint is invalid! It's just to prevent being taken advantage of by people who would do anything for a discount/freebie! And you already accomodated her size wise by giving her a more generous cake than she paid for! Any complaint in that arena should have been voiced when she first saw the cake, not after she had time to contemplate!
Keep the money and treat yourself for trying so hard to please someone so difficult!
Once again, IMHO
I hope you feel better, you sound so down!

I could tell by your post, you had the wind knocked out of your sails, glad you are a bit more calm now. Dealing with the public, the rude behavior, the sneaky try to get something for nothing, and the totally self-absorbed whiners are why I do not sell ANYTHING. I could not take the stress that you appear to be under. Ten years ago, I gave up being in business for myself because I could not take it any longer for above stated reasons. There are many business people that handle these situtations like a breeze, bet they have learned how to cope with idiots. Calm down, and don't take this personally, be prepared to encounter these type of folks and get your game plan in order so you will know exactly how to respond in these situtations without getting crazy yourself. Hang in there, if this is what you love to do it will work itself out. I am sure there will be folks like Indy giving you some sound advice.

I know this is easier said than done (I'm a people pleaser, myself), but I would hate to see you "work something out" with her, only to possibly have her as a repeat customer some day.

THANKS Novacaine24. Your opinion is also what I was thinking. Thank you so much for being so kind and thank you all for taking the time to read such a long post. THANK YOU ALL, sincerely.

Ps...I did treat myself yesterday with a new vacuum cleaner. LOL

I looked at the picture of the cake and it is gorgeous! My first inclination is to tell her to stuff it. However, that probably would not be a nice thing to do so I agree with what other people have said. Let her know what a good deal she got and then let it go.

Maureen

Poor baby, I didn't know this was your post, I had to check again! Don't give her any money back. She got a huge bargain in the first place and if something was really wrong with it, I imagine she would've mentioned it to your husband in the first place. And on top of that, if that cake didn't feed 60 people, I don't know how big she was cutting the slices!

It's not your fault she's so ignorant. Do not give her money back. Some people just complain, about everything, which also is not your fault. What a lovely cake, I would be so proud to serve that at any gathering.

Thanks Maureen! My 1st mind was to tell her to stuff it AMONG other things. LOL Glad I can laugh about it now. My hubby is ready to give it to her though. I told he no...we'll ride this one out. Well at least until I'm calm enough to talk with her without being her.

Some people will drive you flippin CRAZY!!!

I would definately wait until you are calm and then call her to find out what the problem (in detail )was..................I have a store front and if I get a customer like this I usually will give them the next cake for free or discount depending on the situation, but in this case I would probally give her half her money back and tell her you will no longer do business with her. Get that monkey off your back!!!

Also I just looked at your pictures and you are reallllllllllllllllllly talented!!!!
I mean...... take my breath away good!!

By the way the cake would have feed 85 people at least.......................so the H$LL WITH HER!!

Hold your head up! And, don't let her negativity get to you. The more you give in and try to "please" her, you will lose. Sounds like this woman is greedy and doesn't deserve anything else from you. Because, if you happen to give in, maybe someone who is in her circle of friends will try the same tactic as she did. Best to move on away from her and her friends.
I always try to remind myself that it takes much more energy to be mad then it does to be happy. Good luck with everything! Thinking about you!

I think it's funny that her complaint ended up being, "This is terrible, and there's not enough of it." She wanted the actual cake to be different colors? Weird. White cake is made without eggyolks- of course it's not as moist as other flavors!
That cake serves AT LEAST 60. I think some people don't realize that when you say, "serves 60" that means 60 reasonable slices, that DOESN'T mean "60 people can eat as much of this magical cake as they want so don't bother to provide any other food...and there will still be leftovers for you to scarf in your kitchen in the middle of the night."

I think I would tell her that you're sorry she didn't like your work and that you felt you gave her a really good deal on a cake you were proud of- that you'd be willing to refund her money, but that if you had to do that, you wouldn't feel comfortable taking any orders from her after that (whether or not you ever would again, anyway---I think it might just make her a little more honest about how she really felt) because you'd be concerned that you aren't able to meet her needs, and every time you have to give a refund, you lose a lot of money!

You did an awesome job on the cake and definitely underchareged her, DO NOT WORK ANYTHING OUT! She already got her discount and I would point that out to her!

My instincts are usually pretty good. If she's calling you weekly and appears difficult, it's usually a good indication that she's going to be trouble. Nothing bad about having a good sense of these things.

Be completely forward and to the point with her and don't let her put you on the defensive side.

Ask her what her concerns are. If you gave her size and serving information, then she can't argue with you. It can't be your fault if she just giant pieces.

Tell her that you already sold her that cake well below what you normally would, and went along with her tri-color request, so you will not be offering rebates.

However, if she has an issue with taste and dryness, that may pose to be a problem. Is she lying? Is she just being difficult? I don't know, but you may want to investigate that further. Has she sampled your cakes before? Is she really that upset?

If you know your cake was fresh and moist, then chances are she's just looking for trouble.

I wouldn't offer to give her any money back, personally.

Good luck!
Angie

And here you are trying to be a good person and not go by stereotypes raging in your head! Bless your heart. I can only echo the other opinions here. Ask to see and taste the cake in question. Oh, there is no left over cake? Humm, must not have been too bad.

The only thing to work something out is to offer a coupon for 10% off her next cake order, with an expiration date 3 months from now. Coupon must be presented at the time of order, not a mention of "oh, and remember you said I get a discount".

Ok, I'm not sure what I would do. You did the cake, it looked great and you undercharged her. Maybe go with what I've heard on here before and give her a discount on a future cake.

That said, I was looking through your photos and your cakes are......superb!!!! You are an amazing artist! I wish I had a fraction of your talent! Keep up the great work and don't let her get you down!!!!

I checked out Earlene's chart and it says you gave her 64 servings. And that doesn't include Pooh! But maybe she started off cutting the slices way too big!

The cake looked adorable! I love the streamers that are under Pooh! You did a great job.... I wouldn't refund any money since you already reduced your price so much!

Please don't even tell me you are talking about the first cake in your gallery. B/c if you are, you don't have to feel bad about anything. If I gave someone absolutely no direction and paid only $130 and got this cake, I would be thrilled (actually guilty that I only paid that much). Can't even believe someone would have the nerve. Understand you being upset b/c I am the same way, but I would calmly show her what you invested in the cake and what a BARGAIN she got.

if you want to show her the math and explain how she already got a deal. I most certantly would not refund any money to this micromanaging pain in the patooty. Besides your cake is just wonderfully decorated, and I can not for the life of me figure out how she did not have enough, was she serving brick size slices or what??
In her defense however, this is exactly why I will not do white cake. I have yet to have a white cake come out any more moist than sawdust. I am a scratch kind of gal so I can not speak for any box white cake.

you're cake was beautiful!!

Hi,
Just looked at the cake in your pics and I would NOT! give her a dime back!!! I just did a baby shower cake this weekend almost the exact size and shape of yours for my nephew and his wife and I know alone the cost of the supplies for that was like $35 or $40 and I did it as a gift. So add in your time and cost and your electrcity and she got A BARGIN!! I would not give her money back..just my opinion.

Dawn

I had something similar happen to me a little while ago. I was destroyed for days and I was almost a nervous wreck when my next customer came to collect a cake.

DO NOT give her any money back.

If you knew from the start that she was going to be trouble, then trust your instincts. You know you make good cakes (I'm still in awe of the one you made of the baby's outfit - skirt & top!).

Tell her you're sorry she was unhappy with the cake and that in future you hope she can find a cake maker who can live up to her exacting standards (I then gave my customer a couple of websites of THE most expensive cake makers I could find... they've made cakes for movies and celebrity weddings.... they KNOW how to charge, big time!! LOL) Tell her you're surprised as nothing whatsoever was said when the cake was delivered. She told you how many people she needed to feed and you provided a cake large enough - was the person cutting and serving it aware of the standard portion size? You've made the cake many times before and no-one has ever complained about it being dry.

Please - don't give her any money back! I'm now furious on your behalf!

Suzanne

ps: i worked out that a 10" square plus an 8" square would feed 72 people. Then there's the teddy on top! How big a piece of cake did she give each person for goodness sake?