Arrghh.. I'm So Pissed.. Need To Vent!

Decorating By serenelui Updated 16 May 2009 , 2:12am by mommachris

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serenelui Posted 15 May 2009 , 11:05am
post #1 of 19

hey all... i seriously need to vent. I recently got a last minute request from a customer saying that she wanted me to do some wedding cupcakes for her. However, she had specific ideas about how she wanted the cupcakes to be packaged and packaged individually in fact!!

As it was quite an urgent request, i had decided to forego getting a deposit from her first to confirm the order, and had gone around looking for what the customer wanted in terms of her packaging and began buying what i needed to do the cupcake packaging for her.

All this running around to look for the items was done in addition to the fact that i was running a temperature and having a bad flu!!! Now after i've just completed getting everything i need to package her cupcakes per her requirements, she just drops me an sms telling me that she's decided to go with another supplier for her cupcakes!! Then when i sms'ed back to let her know that i've actually already purchased everything to do her cupcakes for her, i don't even get a courtesy of an apology or reply from her. And when i tried to call her, she doesn't even bother to pick up her phone!!!

I'm so mad right now that i feel like writing a seriously nasty e-mail to her.. and this is all heaped on top of the fact that i'm now out of my own money since i had purchased the items up front, AND i'm stuck with all the items i had specifically purchased so that the cupcakes would be packaged the way she wanted it!!! ARRGGHH!! I wouldn't be so pissed if these are items that can be easily re-used for my other cupcakes or requests! But they are too specific and can't be used, which means i've wasted all my effort, time and money for a crap customer who can't even be bothered to apologise or offer to repay for the basic costs of the items i've purchased for her cupcakes! Arrgghh!! I mean what's up with this person!

18 replies
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cupcakesnbuttercream Posted 15 May 2009 , 11:26am
post #2 of 19

Wow...that's awful!! Is there any way you can get a refund on the items? I feel your pain, but your experience has helped me...so... thanks? I now know that no matter what...I'll be using a contract & getting a deposit!

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serenelui Posted 15 May 2009 , 11:50am
post #3 of 19

hi cupcakesnbuttercream.. unfortunately i can't get a refund on the items plus, it would be quite a pain since i had to buy the items from several places and they are all located all over the place. Sigh... definitely making sure no matter how rush an order is in the future that i will demand a deposit first. I'm just so pissed that i'm out of the money and stuck with everything which i can't use normally! sigh...

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artscallion Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:02pm
post #4 of 19

I'd bill her for your expenses. She probably won't pay it and there's probably not much you can do. But it will at least let her know the real $$ consequences to you of her flighty actions.

or...since the new baker will have to buy those same specific supplies as well, offer to sell them to her to have the new baker use. That way, no one loses.

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artscallion Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:07pm
post #5 of 19

or...
if she refuses, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to stopping strangers on the street to tell them all about what she did, making sure to mention her name and her email address...
but that's just me.

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cakes22 Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:12pm
post #6 of 19

Can you sell your items on ebay? Or maybe someone in the cupcake area would be willing to purchase your stuff? You may not get all your money back, but it would be better than being stuck with stuff your not going to use.

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sadsmile Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:18pm
post #7 of 19

geeze! I wonder if the baker she is going with would like to take those off your hands... say plus a shoppers fee?

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solascakes Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:18pm
post #8 of 19

If it were me,I'll ask for a refund of the items and if she doesn't pay me, I'll go to her house and throw the stuff I bought at her.That way she knows I'm not lying about the things I said I bought, plus if i'm lucky she'll have some visitors to witness that she is a witch.
I might not get my money but I'll have a nasty story to tell everybody , how she did me wrong.

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michellesArt Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:24pm
post #9 of 19

i agree that you could try to sell those items to the new baker (and be glad you don't have to deal with the PITA) i hope your feeling better soon (rest and drink lots...of water hehe)

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-K8memphis Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:29pm
post #10 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by artscallion

or...
if she refuses, I'd dedicate the rest of my life to stopping strangers on the street to tell them all about what she did, making sure to mention her name and her email address...
but that's just me.




This is good, very good. <insert evil grin> Reminds me...

We bought a new couch --first non-hand-me-down couch ever- got it all delivered--so proud-- I sat down on it (there was an audience of family)--the dang thing broke the whole side of it caved in--furniture store dude said he'd fix it have it back in 6 weeks --and I got no discount--I said get this piece of dung out of my den! I told everyone on the planet to never ever ever ever buy furniture there.

So I can relate.

But back to our poor op--I think I'd blame this on the flu --I mean it's the mean lady's fault and then your judgment was off due to the fever.

Are you all better now from the flu????

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aandecakedesign Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:45pm
post #11 of 19

Omg. this is horrible. I would be pissed too. I tell all my customers that I need 2 weeks notice with a 50% deposit. I do this in my home and I have to buy supplies per order and adjust my personal schedule to make my product. I have recently turned down some 1st time customers because it was under 2 weeks. I am not rushing for people that want to be last minute. People think I can just snap my finger and get supplies and bake a cake.

I did a cake one time with no deposit and she canceled after I made it. Luckily it was for 4th of July and someone else had bought it. I will never do that again.

I hope this all works out for you. Never take an order from her again.

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kaciealexa Posted 15 May 2009 , 12:55pm
post #12 of 19

reading this i have to wonder, who are you pissed at? her or yourself?

bakers, if we have learned nothing else from this website, haven't we learned, time and time again, to always get a deposit, always get a contract.... no matter how rushed the job is...... poor planning on her part is not an emergency on yours....if you were feeling unwell, it was last minute, just say 'no, I'm sorry, I'm not able to accommodate your last minute order. especially an order that is so 'customized' ' .. I'm not a routine cake maker/decorator, but i have been 'lurking' for a couple of years now, and your story has been so par for the course.... like i always tell people... we expect/demand that our children say no to peer pressure, not to jump off bridges just because all their friends are, BUT, if our children see us always saying 'yes', when we should be saying 'no', what message are we sending them?
i apologize in advance to everybody I've PO'd off.....

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solascakes Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:15pm
post #13 of 19
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaciealexa

reading this i have to wonder, who are you pissed at? her or yourself?

bakers, if we have learned nothing else from this website, haven't we learned, time and time again, to always get a deposit, always get a contract.... no matter how rushed the job is...... poor planning on her part is not an emergency on yours....if you were feeling unwell, it was last minute, just say 'no, I'm sorry, I'm not able to accommodate your last minute order. especially an order that is so 'customized' ' .. I'm not a routine cake maker/decorator, but i have been 'lurking' for a couple of years now, and your story has been so par for the course.... like i always tell people... we expect/demand that our children say no to peer pressure, not to jump off bridges just because all their friends are, BUT, if our children see us always saying 'yes', when we should be saying 'no', what message are we sending them?

i apologize in advance to everybody I've PO'd off.....





I totally agree ,you shouldn't have taken the order at all,because the fact that you were not well even complicates everything.I will only go the extra mile like that for close friends or family that I know they dare not cancel on me.
But we all learn everyday.

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Kiddiekakes Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:18pm
post #14 of 19

well..unfortunately we all learn quickly the hard way.Try and sell the items on ebay as a lot sale meaning everything sold as one large item.Maybe even see if someone is interested here but you have to be careful not to post a "For Sale" as that is against the rules here.

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Idreamofcakes Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:34pm
post #15 of 19

I too hope you are feeling better.
Try too contact her again and let her know what kind of money your out and how much time you wasted on her, i'm persistant and wouldn't give up, until I was either answered or had told enough people to satisfy myself icon_wink.gif
I would also post a couple pics on here and see if anyone could use them, may be a new thread or just right here? I'd be interested in looking icon_biggrin.gif

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Ahunt Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:47pm
post #16 of 19

I am sorry to hear about your dilema. I can totally relate to you!! Unfortunatly I am the only cake decorator in both mine and my husbands family and that makes everyones cake emergencies and so on my responsibility..... they think! icon_evil.gif

I always get money up front for special things. Doing the baking in my home on the side, supporting my family comes first so any upfront costs I wont front. I have even had to set some standards with our families. I dont think all people are inconsiderate, I just think that they dont understand that there are costs associated with preperation.

Hope you can find a resolution...... I too would be interested in seeing what you have...

Good luck!

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AuntieE Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:57pm
post #17 of 19

Lesson learned. I bet you never do that again. It's the risk you take when you are in business for yourself. Sorry that happened to you but you probably realize by now that you have learned a really valuable lesson and you will make much better business decisions in the long run.

But wow, calling her a crap customer, that's not nice either. Write it off as life experience and move on. Remember, people mostly remember the mean or negative things you do and that kind of gossip runs like wild fire. You wouldn't want people to start talking negatively about your business because you had a bad experience with one customer.

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poohthebear Posted 15 May 2009 , 4:07pm
post #18 of 19

Wow what a thread! I am so sorry about your situation! My first thought was to inform her that you will be calling bakeries in your area and letting them know what she did. But then I read AuntieE's and it reminded me of my spirtuality. Your customer will get "hers" 10 fold, but don't follow into that trap. Bite the bullet, wish her well, and forget it. Well, don't forget it, just think of it as a lesson learned and look you got to remind all of us how important the deposit and contracts are.

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mommachris Posted 16 May 2009 , 2:12am
post #19 of 19

who said, "They aren't your customer until you get money and a signed contract?"

mommachris

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