Okay about a month ago (or slightly more) I get a call from a lady who wants one or two LV purse cakes. Estimated 50 servings. Not sure if she wants them.

Calls back a week later asking again...still unsure.

Calls back two weeks ago, definitely wants two LV purses, one white and one brown, total of 100 servings. I quote $500, tell her I need half as deposit. I tell her to pay online. She wants to send a check. I say its ok, but it has to be sent same day as her cake date is coming up.

About 3 days after she was supposed to send the check, she gives me a quick call asking for my website and then says "Bye" and hangs up.

Now by Thursday I still do not have a deposit and so I call her cell phone and leave a voicemail.

Friday no check. No call. I call her phone again and leave another voice mail.

Her cakes are due next Friday. I still have to buy fondant (I just ran out) and make the handles to dry. She has not returned my calls. I don't even know if she is getting them. Do I call back Monday and leave a message that the cake order has been cancelled? And how do I know she will get such a message? What would you do?

Who has time to chase someone down for payment. Your time is worth more than that. I would never deal with someone who was so unsure of everything and to hang up on you is extremely rude . Under no circumstanses would I ever think of helping someone like this.

If I were in your situation I would simply call her and tell her that someone has ordered a cake and you have recieved there deposit. You unfortunately cannot make her the cake, because you are now booked. Tell her good luck in her search.

I know you probably wanted to do the cake and everyone needs cash flow, but I always screen my clients. From the initial cake tasting I am also enterviewing my clients. Don't sweat these kind of people. Potential this lady could of brought even more headache to you.
Andrea

She always did sound strange on the phone too. Don't know how to explain it.

Actually I did get another order for next weekend (I think...somebody who called and claimed they'd pay a deposit last night and never did!). We'll see. What is it with people who are all excited about a cake and are fine with the price and promise a deposit and then they get all weird.

And then some people call back to confirm their cake so much later than our initial email/phone consult that I have deleted their notes and figured they changed their mind.

People.

She was probably shopping around possibly having to deal with other people who were planning the occasion with her. I always get as much contact info from a client as possible, just so I can have a traceable way to reach them. And if you don't do a contract, it's good just to put it in writing so that everyone is on the same page.

I learned this the hard way-once, a co-worker took a catering inquiry on my day off, and mailed the lady a cateing menu. Didn't get the lady's phone number, address, business name-nothing. I still had her hand written notes in my book, like 2 months later when 450 school teachers showed up expecting a happy hour. WTH? We just mailed her menus, she didn't book anything....no deposit received, no menu selected..nothing. After that, I became a fanatic about taking meticulous notes, keeping them forever, and confirming that your function is not booked, and if you show up on XYZ date we will not be expecting you! Nicer than that, of course.

No money - No cake..... you have done your part trying to contact and confirm the order...you have a lot of ahead preparations and need to know...

You should always require a deposit on an order that big and special...the deposit confirms that day and time is theirs... if they can't commit with a deposit you can't promise a cake.

I always do require a deposit, usually half the final cost...she hasn't paid that yet.

Oh and she is buying the birthday cake for herself so its not like there's any wires crossed in the planning. She is just really weird, TBH.

I agree with your, she is just really weird.....a flake. People like that just drive me nuts.

If you really want this order maybe one last try at contacting her....pay by Monday or no cake.

You only have a few days left. She needs to let you know now.

I would just VM or email her one final time "....to confirm that since I haven't heard from you regarding the payment for the LV purse cakes, that you have canc'd the order and/or made other arrangements."

I do not believe in lying to someone by telling them "I booked another cake". She screwed around with your time! You dont' have to make up a reason to kick her to the curb! No money .... no cake. And that's all the reason she needs to know.

I did leave a VM yesterday saying if I did not hear back from her today I would assume she needed to cancel the cake.

Had another order on Friday for two large cupcake cakes for this weekend, lady promised to go home and do an online deposit that night and never did. Guess I'll call her next. I just came down with a chest cold anyway...I need the money but maybe I need the rest more!

Watch. She'll call Monday and tell me she wants to leave the deposit. This (LV customer) is the same lady who kept me on the phone twiddling my thumbs for a half hour waiting for her to figure out my online Paypal page and finally saying she didn't understand it and wanting to send a check.

It's simple.. If she doesn't pay you IN FULL by monday.. you can't make the cake. You will have to rush order your fondant and it takes planning to make carved cakes. She is being ridiculous and I would have nothing to do with her. E-mail her or VM her and tell her no money.. no cake. And get yourself a contract. My policy is that your retainer is required or your date is still open. You snooze you lose.. not my problem. I am kind and give reminders, but no money.. no cake. It's not my job to make sure you live up to your 1/2 of this deal.

I had the SAME thing happen to me! But it was in a shorter time period! This woman calls me two weeks before she wants a cake and I told her I would figure out the cost and what I can do and call her the next day to confirm.(she wanted a sculpted cake and it was late that night)
I called the next day and left a message...nothing...I left several messages over the course of the week and heard nothing...I EVEN contacted the lady that referred her to me and SHE didn't even know where she was. Well! Unfortunately I didn't make the cake. She called at 10 pm SEEING if I was still up and if she could pick up the cake! I had to tell her I didn't make it the night before she needed it...and it was for a VERY non-traditional wedding! I was sooo worried about that BUT...NO MONEY NO CAKE!
You just don't know when someone is going to rip you off! Call her one last time and say that because you have received no payment you are canceling the order to make room for other orders.
Good luck!

If she does call you tomorrow and wants to give you a deposit, you should tell her the price has gone up 10% because it's now a last-minute order that's being placed less than two weeks in advance