Please Double Check The Info People!!!!-Long Vent
Business By CakeMommyTX Updated 20 Oct 2009 , 5:43pm by Ladiesofthehouse
Why is it people don't read their orders and just ok it right away?
If you were paying hundreds of dollars for a cake wouldnt you want to double check your order (as suggested by me) and make sure the info is correct?
Like is the date the right date?
Is the time the right time?
Is the delivery address an actual location or is it a portal to hell?
People annoy me so much!
I always email a copy of the order to the customer I let them know that this is the info I have , this is the info I will put in my books, this is the info I will use when making/delivering your cake, please make sure it is CORRECT!
And yet still I get people saying it is correct when things like addresses, times, flavors, name spellings etc. are wrong!
How am I supposed to know they really meant the 23rd when they said the 24th, or when they say chocolate they really mean vanilla, and 5pm is actually supposed to be 3pm!
I can't tell you how many times this has happened, luckily I've caught it in time and was able to verify the correct information but it's like pulling teeth.
I can only go by what the customer tells me, I cant read minds, so if they tell me the wrong information unfortunately thats the information I write down.
And I do most of my correspondence through email so it's in writing, if they accuse me of screwing it up I can point out the fact that they were the ones that gave me the faulty info.
I know when I order/pay for something I make darn sure it's right, I don't just hope the person I'm buying from is a mind reader!
I'm probably going to have to cancel and order now because they gave me the wrong email address for the PayPal invoice and I havent been paid yet (just sent out the new one after asking a 3rd time if the email address was right, turns out it wasnt), the order is for this Friday (in 4 days)and I needed to start work on it last Friday (gum paste figures, structure, sugar work etc), and yet now I have lost 3 days of work time because they can't take the time to read and confirm their order, and I am not starting a darn thing until I'm paid!
Sorry for all the exclamation points I'm just really peeved right now.
I am giving them until 8pm to pay and then Im canceling, Im only giving them that much more time because I really want to do the cake, it would be my entry in this months contest 
Seriously is it that hard to make sure your info is right?
Sorry again for the vent, I feel better now. 
amen sister! and i dont even sell cakes. but i get frustrated just doing them for family/friends!! they think because its FREE then can order when they want, pick and choose what they want at the last minute and change the dates/times! and im suppose to sit there with this dumb a@@ smile on my face. because i hear- its not like we are paying for this cake! UGH!!
and because my skill level is min. at best. i hear can you do a triple tier with fonant this and that...with figures of this or that. and when i explain i CANT do stuff like that..........they look at me like i got 10 heads!!
then i say, alot of times. go to a bakery and order what you want so you will be happy the the final result. this is my hobby, not my trade or business. im learning as i go. if you want to enjoy the ride with me fine. if not ill give you the number of a couple of local bakers in the area.
more times than not, i make it because they find out how much a speciality order cake is.
so-not to go off your rant.....but i can so sympathize with you!!
((((((hugs to you!))))))
I used up all my patience on my 4 kids, none left over for anyone else...lol
I re-read my post and it does sound kind of hostile but I was so annoyed.
I still am, but I'm home now and working on some ribs for dinner so now I'm annoyed with pork.
I don't blame you. If I were you and didn't get paid by today, I would cancel the order too. Alas, I think we will always have people giving us the wrong information. And there's nothing you can do about it, no matter how many times you ask them to verify. But you're doing good to have it all in writing, so that when something gets messed up, it's not your fault.
You have every right to be hostile. If you show up late with the cake, do you think they will be loving and understanding about the car wreck that blocked traffic while your car ate all the gas because the AC was cranked on high to make sure their cake was in good order? I think not. Be hostile - get it out of your system so that you won't bite their heads off tomorrow when they call and confirm the order they mean for Thursday!
When I'm going over the forms and documents at the close of our consultation, I tell them, "This is the form I will be looking at when I'm making your cake. So make sure that what I've got written down is what you're expecting. Because if it's not written down ... it's not happening."
How could you! 
When I send out the statment for the final payment I include a checklist of all of the details of design, flavors, start time, location, etc. That way if something is wrong I have something that shows they approved the details as I had them.
I started doing this after one bride changed her wedding date and didn't tell me!!! 
I was standing there with the cake and the contract with that day's date on it, but the wedding had been changed to the next day! What the heck, did it just slip your mind to mention this to your vendors??? Geez...
That's what irks me is the fact that I do go over the details with them and I do send them a copy and I do tell them that this is the info I will use to make and deliver their cake so ppplleeaassee make sure it is all correct .
And I still get "sure it's right" and it turns out that no it's not right.
For this latest order (that sparked my temper tantrum), I repeated the email address to the customer on the phone, emailed her the order and asked again if the email address was correct, she said yes both times.
Sent out the invoice and emailed her again to let her know I sent the invoice to [email protected] to just to make sure I sent it to the right address, she said all is good.
So this is 3 times I have asked if I have the right address, once on the phone and twice in writeing.
Fast forward 3 days and no payment, email her again to see if the address is correct she emails me back saying I have the wrong one (off by 1 letter) gives me the new one.
I also explain that I need payment immediately and that her order is not booked until I get payment.
So I still havent got the payment and it's past my 8pm deadline so I guess no cake.
Now I have to cancel her cake and be the bad guy, when if she had just read her order and double checked it then all of this could have been avoided.
And to top it off I turned down another last minute order for this one 
If this cake was'nt due in such a short period of time it would'nt such a big deal but I have so much detail work to do that at this point in time I don't think I have enough time to complete it all and give my other orders the attention they deserve.
So I have little choice but to cancel it. Ugh I hate being the mean cake lady!
I do nearly all of my order work online, too, but in case like this, I would have also picked up the phone again, too.-------- especially if I really wanted to do the cake..........................
Rae
Maybe you can keep a scrapbook around that shows some really horrible fowl ups. Some people are just not reader learners (I happen to be a see one, do one teach one kind of gal). Keep it serious , include the horrible outcome and make them sign off. Yes, fellow CCers...this on top of everything else. You have the time and space, right? LOL.
Don't know if this will help for next time but, after having so much difficulty I would have them send you an email from their address. This way it is correct.
I have had to do this since the address I was given over the phone didn't work and then when they sent me an email it was off by one also.
Still a pain but might help you resolve the email issue a little quicker.
Just a thought/suggestion.
Sorry for all your trouble.
Do you have a website? If so, can it be set up so that you have customer fill out an order form with you and pay with Paypal on your website? Don't know if this can be done with cake orders, but I am sure there is a link that you can send customer to to pay with paypal directly and then the money goes into your account.
When I have to input customers info on Paypal virtual terminal I think that I only need correct address and phone number.
My website is not cake related so I do not know if you can use this information.
Just the suspicious person in me, but I've sent people emails that didn't get returned to me, so I knew the address was right, but they said they never got them. I've also had people say they sent me things that supposedly never got to me. Surprisingly, the never-received emails generally deal with payment issues 
Just the suspicious person in me, but I've sent people emails that didn't get returned to me, so I knew the address was right, but they said they never got them. I've also had people say they sent me things that supposedly never got to me. Surprisingly, the never-received emails generally deal with payment issues
I know people pull the whole "I don't have a PayPal account so it'll be a few days before I can pay you", I guess they don't know that when you enter their email address it says whether or not they have an account. And of course they never get the invoice, although I get a confirmation email from PP saying the invoice was sent.
I had one person order a cake and not have the money for the deposit until she got paid the next friday, I told her I could'nt hold her date until she paid, well she lost her date to someone who actually had the money to pay for what they wanted.
Ok so a few more details about this fiasco involving the wrong email address is the fact that I was dealing with the "party planner" aka friend who is helping out and wants a really cool title. So she gave me the wrong info, I've never actually spoken to the party host .
If she was a professional party planner then she would understand the basic procedure for ordering a cake, and this includes double checking you clients info and making payment on time, and of course not waiting until 1 week before the event to order a cake!
Ugh I hate being the mean cake lady!
I hate being the mean cake lady too, but it's not your fault. You did everything you could to make sure you had her email address right. Her fault, not yours.
Oh, I don't mind playing that part. So far, for being solid as a rock with requirements, not allowing people to push me around about pricing, and learning when to say NO.....I have enjoyed myself, had great orders, zero trouble with brides, enough free time with family, and lots of repeat customers. 
Ugh I hate being the mean cake lady!
I hate being the mean cake lady too, but it's not your fault. You did everything you could to make sure you had her email address right. Her fault, not yours.
Oh, I don't mind playing that part. So far, for being solid as a rock with requirements, not allowing people to push me around about pricing, and learning when to say NO.....I have enjoyed myself, had great orders, zero trouble with brides, enough free time with family, and lots of repeat customers.
Ok so a few more details about this fiasco involving the wrong email address is the fact that I was dealing with the "party planner" aka friend who is helping out and wants a really cool title. So she gave me the wrong info, I've never actually spoken to the party host .
Oh my God, that's the worst! Save me from the friend-turned planner! They really stink.
Also, on the "I didn't receive the invoice" baloney--a copy is always sent to your email address as well, so you have proof you sent it. Like another poster suggested, you can have them email you the address they want you to send it to, then copy and paste the address to send the invoice. If there is still trouble I am afraid you may just be dealing with a flake.
I had a customer drag out her payment for almost 2 weeks and I finally just said Enough. I cancelled the order and told her nicely that she may want to check back WHEN SHE HAS THE MONEY to see if the items are still available. It was really tempting to play along and wait for payment because it was a large order, but I realized in the end she wasn't really paying, only talking about it and wasting my time.
I don't know if it is a sign of poor economic times or just overall unaccountability, but I have never had as much trouble with people paying for stuff as I do now and I have had my website for over 12 years.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%