Repeat Customer Behaving Badly
Decorating By summernoelle Updated 16 Sep 2008 , 12:39pm by SweetResults
My stand rental policy (which is on my website and clearly spelled out in their contract):
I require a $150 deposit, which will be returned if the stand is returned in good condition within 72 hours. After those 3 days, I charge $10 per day late fee up to 4 days. On day 7, I consider their deposit forfeited, and I buy a new stand.
I also include strict care instructions with my stands (no dishwashers, no steel wool, air dry, etc.) They must sign the contract agreeing to these - so if they "accidentally" ruin a stand, I have covered my butt and have no problem cashing their deposit check.
Also, I have rules about when customers can come to my home. I allow customers to come between certain times - either 9 - 11 a.m. or 5 - 7 p.m. I'm not going to sit around all day waiting for someone to show up. They schedule either an a.m. or p.m. pick-up for cakes and I make sure to let them know that if they show up outside of those times, I may or may not be home, and if I'm not, they've forfeited their cake and their payment.
I've only had one person show up outside of their time, and they were early (good thing the cake was already done) - and I was P!SSED! I tell customers they can do the stand drop-offs between those times as well.
You've gotta stand your ground girl! Glad that you cashed the check - you either have to train your customers, or they will train you.
Well, tomorrow was the deadline I gave her in the email. Not. A. Word. What's up with that? Seems like her plan was to keep the stand anyway. Hmmmm. Well, looks like I will be shopping tomorrow for a new one!
Well, tomorrow was the deadline I gave her in the email. Not. A. Word. What's up with that? Seems like her plan was to keep the stand anyway. Hmmmm. Well, looks like I will be shopping tomorrow for a new one!
Did you include a courtesy call too? Not everyone checks their email daily. (They are strange and I do not understand them but that's a whole 'nother story 
)
Well, tomorrow was the deadline I gave her in the email. Not. A. Word. What's up with that? Seems like her plan was to keep the stand anyway. Hmmmm. Well, looks like I will be shopping tomorrow for a new one!
Did you include a courtesy call too? Not everyone checks their email daily. (They are strange and I do not understand them but that's a whole 'nother story
)
No, I didn't. But you are right, that is the right thing to do. I'll call her in the morning. She does check her mail, though, because she was always emailing me right back when we were planning the cake a few weeks ago. She was always very prompt.
DO NOT CALL HER!!!! END THIS ALREADY! THE MONEY IS YOURS AND THE STAND IS HERS!
SHE IS A BIG GIRL AND OBVIOUSLY CHECKS HER E-MAIL, BE DONE WITH IT AND THE NEXT TIME SHE ORDERS FROM YOU DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BE BOOKED!!!
I DON'T MEAN TO SEEM LIKE I'M YELLING AT YOU BECAUSE I'M NOT BUT YOU SOUND LIKE CHARLIE BROWN.
OK, Charlie Brown? Gee, SO sorry to be considerate to my client and give them a courtesy call.
AND YES YOU ARE YELLING.
Here's some backbone for ya-what is your problem?
summernoelle, I just wanted to say that while you do need to stick up for yourself and stand your ground, I also agree with you that you have to do what is comfortable for you and if you didn't feel right taking your already prepared cake back and snapping at the poor guy when he gave you a check , and if you prefer to give her a little time to return your stand before you go to the hassle of cashing out her deposit and purchasing a new stand, that's your right.
Sure, maybe you'll have problems now and then, but you can't beat yourself up over it either, and maybe they will appreciate it and "behave" better in the future, as well as referring others to you. I don't think you deserve to be raked over the coals here, you are only seeking advice to right the situation.
LOL, well the only reason I stated that she should give her a courtesy call is not because I think she should be wishy washy and let herself continue to be strung along, but rather that if her contract does not specifically state that the deposit is forfeited by a certain date if the stand is not returned, it might cause trouble for her to arbitrarily decide that the deposit is suddenly non-refundable--rather than "refundable-upon-return" as (I would assume) the client has been told. If there was no return deadline in the contract, then she needs to ensure that the client is aware of the newly stated return deadline, I would think for legal reasons as well as ethical reasons. JMO!!
Of course if there is already a return deadline that they signed off on, then I would agree that she shouldn't have to mess around with this anymore since she DID cash the check.
Anyway I am sorry you are going thru this summernoelle, I am sure this is so frustrating when it is a client who has previously been reliable 
.
Maybe she wrecked the stand and is too scared to tell you and is dealing with it through procrastination (my method of choice).
That's what I was thinking too although....if she paid by check.....maybe she was looking for some freebies. Did she have enough funds in her account summernoelle? Hopefully everything will work out fine for you!
Yes, she did have funds in the account. I went to her bank, and they just handed the cash right on over! I was thinking that she was going to put a stop payment on it, so I am glad that I just went ahead and cashed it.
I had told a friend about it, and she thought it was fishy that when she "stopped by" when I was out that she didn't just leave the stand.
I'll let you all know if she contacts me before the deadline-but I'm betting I'll just get to keep the $50.
Jasmine-Thank you!
summernoelle
First of all I want to apologize because as I re read the post, I do sound like I'm yelling.
Second, I don't even sell my cakes so I don't know exactly what you are going through.
Third, I just hate to see anyone getting the run around by people.
I have also looked at your cakes and think that you have the talent to not worry about her. Others will be knocking down your door to get a cake from you.
Sorry again Charlie Brown was a little harsh! Now I feel like Lucy!!
When I am cancelling an order or not refunding a deposit, I give a call. It's best done in person. In fact, when I am cancelling a cake, I call, and if I get voicemail I send an e-mail, AND then I send a certified letter re-stating what has transpired.. this way they can't say I didn't get the message/e-mail.. they have to sign for the letter and I have proof I sent it.
I can't wait to hear the outcome.
Thank you for the apology, lilyanddane.
Still nothing, 2 hours to go! I was thinking about sending one last email at 5 that says:
This is a courtesy email to inform you that your deposit has been forfeited. After several emails to attempt to meet with you, I have gotten no response. I attempted to set up a meeting with you on Tuesday, September 2nd, which you did not arrive to. In response, your check was cashed on Wednesday, September 3, which I also informed you of by email. I offered to hold the deposit in cash until September 5th, which you also did not respond to.
Due to this, I will be using the cashed deposit to purchase a new stand this evening, so a refund will not be possible.
****UPDATE*****
And here we go. Got this email from her today. Please note that it has been THREE weeks since she took my stand. What a B this woman is!
I see that the deposit was cashed. I actually sent an email to try and set up a time and also came by your home hoping to catch you. Due to my situation of moving into another home and having no internet access, I was unfortunately unable to read any of your later emails. I also didn't have the internet access to find your website and get your phone number. So I guess I bought an overpriced cupcake stand.
......AND then I send a certified letter re-stating what has transpired.. this way they can't say I didn't get the message/e-mail.. they have to sign for the letter and I have proof I sent it.
this is a great idea (mental noting this for future reference).
So this customer lives in my town and I let her pick up cakes at my home. She borrowed a stand from me 10 days ago with her order of cupcakes. I didn't hear back from her, and contacted her, which with she replied
"Oh, I tried to stop by earlier today, but you were out."
This bothered me, because I feel like it is inappropriate for clients to stop by my home unannounced. Yes, she was trying to return the stand, but it is still my home and I would like some notice or an appt. But anyway, I sent her an email saying fine, please just stop by Tuesday after 2:30 and return it.
Guess what. She didn't show up.
So...do I cash her check, and then hold the cash until she shows up with the stand, just to ensure that she didn't stop payment on it?
She already went against my policies and paid with a check when she picked up the cakes (big no no for me. I take cash only at that point, which I told her when we discussed pick up times).
Any help would be great. Thank you!
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Tough call with a repeat customer, BUT...I wouldn't let her push you around. Here's my recommendation:
1. Yes - cash the check!
2. Next time a customer (even a repeat) comes to pay with a check, don't give them the cake if your policy is cash only. If you allow it once; they'll expect it to be allowed again and before long THEY will be running your business...not you. Also, is it customary that you deliver the cakes to the customers and, if so, why was this particular customer allowed to pick it up at your home? Again - if you start letting the customers call the shots, you're no longer in charge of your own business. Stick to your
policies and they'll respect you as a serious business person. When you start wavering they'll realize they can push you around and - believe me - they will!
3. ALWAYS include the price of your stand (to be refunded when the stand is returned) in the cost of the cake. A very dear friend of mine learned the hard way people will come up with all kinds of excuses to keep a pretty cake stand.
4. If you run a business out of your home, you must expect that at some point people will stop by without an appointment...that's just how it is. It might be intrusive if unexpected, but you have to take some bad with the good. Maybe a pretty sign on your door as a subtle reminder that you work by appointment only is all that's needed and they'll realize they need to call first and won't even bother knocking. Unfortunately, some people are just rude so I don't think you'll ever NOT have drop-ins again, but hopefully if they see that they need an appointment they'll at the very least go to their car and call you on their cell phone to see if you have time if they stop by "in a minute". Then that gives you the opportunity to say, "I'm in the middle of working on an order right now but I can see you tomorrow at 4:00."...or whatever.
Blaise, you crack me up! Ouch, a cupcake stand in her booty, that will learn her!
One, I agree, I don't care if you moved out of state, you had someone else's property. Common courtesy dictates you try MORE THAN ONCE to get it back to that party, especially if she was worried about forfeiting her deposit.
Two, she didn't have internet access for 3 weeks? Come on! Her husband nor she worked and had absolutely no way to get emails or find your number? Sounds pretty soft to me.
If you do talk to her again, I'd tell her that you needed her deposit to buy another cupcake stand. That is why you get deposits in the first place. I would have tried to give her a call, though, just to try to see what the deal was. It may have averted some of this drama, but it was her responsibility to get it back to you so don't stress about that. Cannot change the past so just move on.
And if she was a repeat client, how did she not have your name or card somewhere? If you do lose her business in the future, although it's unfortunate, I think you're better off.
It sounds like's she ticked off, but it's no one's fault but her own.
Oh, you got me on my soap box now! What is it with people who "borrow" things and never return them? A friend of mine does Stampin' Up! stuff and borrowed my heat embossing gun and had it for so long (because the newer ones don't get as hot as mine) that I just told her she could keep it. I still get to "borrow" it back to make my Christmas cards in the fall, but she gets it back as soon as I'm done. Some people....
I don't mean to turn this thread into a "my friend/pal/family borrowed this and never gave it back" thing, not my intention, but some people never think of anyone but their own little selves. At least be glad you had a deposit and now your client has an "overpriced" cupcake stand!! I wish her well!! 
It's just so unreasonable, you know? Like I can read her mind and know why she isn't responding. This is what I am thinking of saying back:
I am sorry that you feel that way. I did respond to your email to set up a time, but you did not arrive. You also did not respond to that email. In all, I sent 3 emails regarding this issue, which you did not respond to. I sent you an email telling you that your check had been cashed, but that I was holding the cash for you to return the stand. You did not respond.
It has been three weeks since you borrowed my stand, and that is not a reasonable amount of time for it to be in your possession. Even if you were moving, it was still your responsibility to return it to me within a reasonable time frame, which you did not. You also did not make me aware of your moving situation and that you would be unreachable. There is no way for me to know why you were not responding to my emails. When you did not respond to my emails, I could only assume that you would not be returning the stand.
ok, went to your web site and yes your cakes are wonderful but clearly your greatest creation is the adorable little Miss Charlotte.
Your Wall E cake is great.
Thanks. She's my little tenacious sweetheart.
"I see that the deposit was cashed." As a repeat customer, she should be fully aware of your policies by now.
"Due to my situation of moving into another home and having no internet access, I was unfortunately unable to read any of your later emails." It's called RESPONSIBILITY. Grow up and learn how to have it.
"I also didn't have the internet access to find your website and get your phone number." As a repeat customer, she should have some sort of access to your contact information by now.
"So I guess I bought an overpriced cupcake stand." Glad to see she's FINALLY firing on all cylinders. (not to say that it's overpriced, but that she is finally seeing the consequences of her inactions)
DH says I have ba!!s of steel. I will loan them to you when necessary! 
Who doesn't have email access every where they go? I understand your computer not being hooked up, whatever. I still have access to a computer at work, a computer at the library, a computer at my in-laws house, a computer at KINKO's for criminy's sake. If I needed something in my email bad enough, I would FIND a way. That's just a stupid excuse. Oh, and you must not be in the phone book or directory assistance either, right?
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