My 1St Disgruntled Customer! Ugh! What To Do?! Help

Decorating By sweetneice Updated 28 Aug 2015 , 5:09am by Jedi Knight

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sweetneice Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:28pm
post #1 of 31

Hey guys! First the good news, My shop has been going VERY VERY GOOD! No problems or complaints at all, only wonderful compliments and great clientele at a quick escalating pace. Having said that........here we go.......

As you know easter brings about lots of orders and busy times for any cake shop. I have an assistant baker who knows how to ice cupcakes (which isn't tremendously hard). Well, a woman called and was desperate for a dozen easter colored cupcakes. Just vanilla with easter colors, no biggie. I was swamped with cake, cupcake, and new customers coming in, but told her we'll fit her in at the end of the day, but it will be basic bc we're already booked. The lady was more than happy! She shows up, and waited for a few minutes bc we were so busy. My dh gave her and her children complimentary drinks (even though it was only 5 mins) just for waiting. She was shown the cupcakes, said they were fine, thanked us continously and left.

20 mins later she calls and asks me about refrigeration, etc, and I told her how to care for them. She then thanked me again for helping her and hung up. 25 mins later her husband calls ranting and raving at me on the phone that these were the most atrocious looking cupcakes he ever saw! WHAT?!!!!!!!! He then proceeds to tell me that If I want to stay in business that I will have to do better than this or I won't make it very long. That ticked me off, so I told him as a matter of factly, "ACTUALLY, we're doing quite well, thank you very much, and I will refund your money if you want to come up here right now!" My dh comes in the front and asks what's going, says his peace and the man calms down. I don't get it guys! The woman had ample time to complain of anything from the time of purchase, the phone call about the refrigeration, or even on the way home! The man says he's bringing the back to me one day this week and wants his money back! I haven't had one issue at all in the short time span I've been open, and I don't want this person badmouthing my business. How do you handle this? I feel bad, maybe I shouldn't be worried about it so much, but I really really am. Hugs, help and advice are appreciated. Oh btw, my dh will be there when he comes! lol!

30 replies
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shearpamela Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:34pm
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I'm not an expert in this cake business thing but in my humble opinion if the wife was happy when she saw them, and spoke to you on the phone later without a complaint still - then that should have been enough time to know if they were acceptable or not.
Once she left the shop with them as a happy client it should have been a done deal. Just the fact her controlling husband had to butt in a make a rude phone call speaks volumes for the kind of person you are dealing with to begin with.
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sweetneice Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:47pm
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Thanks so much! It confirms what I said to my dh about his contolling attitude. Your kind words are appreciated!

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Jeep_girl816 Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:47pm
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Did they eat the cupcakes? If they didn't bring them back that day, as soon as Mr. Man saw them and deemed them unacceptable I wouldn't give them a dime. She saw them before she took them, called to ask a question about them, not complain, he probably just figured that she paid too much or something, probably used to walmart prices, and thought he'd be all macho and give that high and mighty baker a piece of his little mind. Don't sweat it. Some people just suck.

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dalis4joe Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:50pm
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I see your dilemma.... my opinion... you need to think about what's going to benefit your NEW business in the long run... if that happened to me... I would tell her DH... just what you said.. although I am very surprise to hear that you are not satisfy with the order... your wife saw them when she picked them up and she said they were fine and she had no problem with them.... not even later on when she called to question fridge info, etc... AND.. all our clients have been very satisfied with the caliber of our work... however, If you are not satisfied... I would be more than happy to give you a full refund...

That's how I would handle this... just because like you said.... ur business is new and u do not want that kind of badmouthing...

I hope everything turns out well for you... in the future, you might want to ammend your order form/contract to state that a refund will only be given IF upon receiving their order (in the shop/ at delivery time, etc) they are not satisfied.... but once they take them... so sad... so bad...

Obiously SHE! had NO PROBLEM with them.... DH might be a needleBu## and she might not be allowed to have an opinion in the matter....

good luck sweetie icon_smile.gif

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sweetneice Posted 4 Apr 2010 , 11:52pm
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He did mention the price, so I know you're right on that one! lol! Thanks for your advice! This is why I love this site........when you're feeling bad or confused about something there's people like you guys that will help or confirm what you're feeling...and let you know you're not alone. Thanks so much for that

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Butterpatty Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:06am
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I agree with Dalis4joe about handling this. Also, if you stay calm and he is ranting or carrying on, then he will be the one to look foolish. icon_redface.gif - I would also quietly write their name down on a note and post it near the phone so that no more rush orders would EVER be taken for them and I would consider being booked up when they called even ahead of time (unless the cupcakes do turn out to be horrible when he returns them icon_surprised.gif ).

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Jeep_girl816 Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:08am
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Maybe the Mrs dropped them or something and said she bought them that way!!! Throw the baker under the bus! icon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

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ShopGrl1128 Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:26am
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The wife was your client, not the husband; if she was happy with the order, that's all you need to know.
I would ONLY give a full refund if the wife (not the husband) brings ALL the cupcakes back; maybe she spent more money than what he thought and he's pissed at the wife.

I'm so sick of people keeping and eating the product and then asking for the money back...if there were so unhappy they won't be back to you regardless whether or not you give them a refund.

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Melnick Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:28am
post #10 of 31

I think this has nothing to do with the quality of your cupcakes and whether they were liked or not by the wife. It just screams of a husband who was furious at his wife for purchasing cucpakes. He probably told her to call or take them back and she would have told him he will have to call you because she wouldn't. I think he sounds like a controlling jerk too. To be honest, I think you may find he never materialises - after he calms down and gets hungry over the weekend, he'll probably eat them with everyone else. I imagine he is one of those people that you just roll your eyes to when they start carrying on.

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BlakesCakes Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:38am
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Betcha' wifey paid too much for the cupcakes, in DH's opinion.
He's PO'd, so he calls and tries to buffalo you into a refund because you're new and will feel threatened.
If the cupcakes come back looking EXACTLY the way they did when they left the shop, don't even talk to him. Take the cupcakes, hand him his $, and walk away--don't engage this moron.
If they come back messed up--NO REFUND! That's not what you sold and you don't know who messed them up--SORRY!

Next time, don't even talk to anyone other than the person who placed, paid for, and picked up the order!!!!

Rae

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JustToEatCake Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:47am
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IMHO "one day this week" wouldn't do. He'd have to bring them back by the next day at the latest.

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dalis4joe Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 12:56am
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I agree with Blake... don't entretain him.. take the order... make sure they the same way as when you handed them to her... give the $$ and that's it... don't let his "comments" get the best of you.... just say... here you go... have a nice day sir....

and NO MORE RUSH orders for them... obiously he doesn't appreciate that you went out of your way to accomodate their last minute order...

And... they should be bringing them on your next bus day... not SOME DAY THJIS WEEK..... hello?!?!?! just as JustToEatCake said....

Please let us know what happens.... we at cc take these things personally! if it happens to one of us... it's like if they did it to us!

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mamawrobin Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 1:21am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeep_girl816

Maybe the Mrs dropped them or something and said she bought them that way!!! Throw the baker under the bus! icon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gif




I also thought maybe they had been dropped before dh saw them. I was leaving for church this morning carrying two plastic containers of cupcakes and dropped one. The bc stayed on the cupcakes but they certainly weren't pretty anymore. It is quite possible that this is why HE threw a fit and SHE didn't have a problem.

And since you went out of your way to fill a rush order for this woman "one day next week" for them to be returned for refund would not be acceptable. I'd almost bet that they didn't make it home in the same condition as when they left your shop. Just my opinion.

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spring Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 2:04am
post #15 of 31

Glad to hear your shop is doing well!!! I've had a storefront 5+ years and I can tell you this guy won't be your last unhappy customer. And it always happens to be the customer that you've bent over backwards to help with the least expensive order that will complain the most.

If you don't already, you should have a company policy that speaks to returns/refunds. Post it or set up your cash register to print it on the receipt. It is easier to deal with a complaints if you have policy in place.

If this situation had happened in my shop there would be no refund. The wife was your customer and she was happy when she left your shop. The husband was not your customer and you had no obligation to deal with him. Over, done, Elvis has left the building, move on.

The guy is going to bad mouth you regardless if you return the money or not. Unfortunately he will also tell them how easy it was to get his money back.

Good luck,

Minette

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kizrash Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 2:05am
post #16 of 31
Quote:
Originally Posted by shearpamela

I'm not an expert in this cake business thing but in my humble opinion if the wife was happy when she saw them, and spoke to you on the phone later without a complaint still - then that should have been enough time to know if they were acceptable or not.
Once she left the shop with them as a happy client it should have been a done deal. Just the fact her controlling husband had to butt in a make a rude phone call speaks volumes for the kind of person you are dealing with to begin with.
Consider the source icon_smile.gif
Don't let blowhards ruin your day or your confidence!




Well said.... It was her that bought the cupcakes, she was happy with her purchase. Actually so happy that she had to call back to make sure she cared for them properly once she had them home. It sounds like he's a pi$$ed off jerk coz she's spent his possibly hard earned money (or beer money) on cup cakes. I'd tell him where to stick his 'atrocious' cupcakes. Sorry, thats just me!!!! icon_lol.gificon_lol.gificon_lol.gif

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sweetneice Posted 5 Apr 2010 , 2:10am
post #17 of 31

Thanks guys for all the suggestions and insight. I too think that wifey may have had an accident, spent too much money, or just plain ticked off a controlling husband altogether. I did learn something new by listening to all of the insight. Make a contract that states once it leaves my shop, NO REFUNDS AFTER APPROVING AT THE COUNTER. They will sign upon pickup so that way this won't happen again. I will also remember their names for future orders from them that I will NOT be taking again. We as bakers/cake designers take pride in our work, put forth 110%, and I don't understand why people act they way they do sometimes. Just a consequence of dealing with all walks of people in this business. I won't let this rotten apple spoil the hundreds coming in and complimenting us. Thanks again to you all!

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sweetneice Posted 9 May 2010 , 6:59pm
post #18 of 31

Here's an update: The guy NEVER SHOWED! LOL! How's that for ya? lol!

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Jeep_girl816 Posted 9 May 2010 , 7:15pm
post #19 of 31

Totally doesn't surprise me. Guys like that are mostly all show, he was probably all ticked off at his wife and decided to call and take it out on you. Jackass.

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JohnnyCakes1966 Posted 9 May 2010 , 7:37pm
post #20 of 31

We all have to deal with jerks like him. Wife spent more money than he expected, and husband is upset and knows he won't get his money back unless he says something was "wrong" with the product. I think from now on, I'm going to take a picture of EVERY customer at delivery, holding/standing beside the cake/cupcakes, and giving a thumbs up and a big smile thumbs_up.gif as proof that they were satisfied.

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Rose_N_Crantz Posted 9 May 2010 , 10:22pm
post #21 of 31
Quote:
Originally Posted by spring

If this situation had happened in my shop there would be no refund. The wife was your customer and she was happy when she left your shop. The husband was not your customer and you had no obligation to deal with him.




And this right here is the reason I would not have honored a request for a refund. The wife was the one that ordered, the wife was the one that picked up and paid for the cupcakes. And she said she loved them and sounded very thankful for them.

Done and done.

Now allow me to channel the great IndyDebi:

NEXT!!!!!

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Occther Posted 9 May 2010 , 11:00pm
post #22 of 31

Once he bit into one and realized how delicious they were, he was too embarassed to admit how many he ate!!

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MCurry Posted 9 May 2010 , 11:22pm
post #23 of 31
Quote:
Originally Posted by dalis4joe

I see your dilemma.... my opinion... you need to think about what's going to benefit your NEW business in the long run... if that happened to me... I would tell her DH... just what you said.. although I am very surprise to hear that you are not satisfy with the order... your wife saw them when she picked them up and she said they were fine and she had no problem with them.... not even later on when she called to question fridge info, etc... AND.. all our clients have been very satisfied with the caliber of our work... however, If you are not satisfied... I would be more than happy to give you a full refund...

That's how I would handle this... just because like you said.... ur business is new and u do not want that kind of badmouthing...

I hope everything turns out well for you... in the future, you might want to ammend your order form/contract to state that a refund will only be given IF upon receiving their order (in the shop/ at delivery time, etc) they are not satisfied.... but once they take them... so sad... so bad...

Obiously SHE! had NO PROBLEM with them.... DH might be a needleBu## and she might not be allowed to have an opinion in the matter....

good luck sweetie icon_smile.gif




I agree! Also Melnick brings up a good point too. It sounds like a domestic issue and you are now in the middle. It will be interesting to see if they bring back ALL the cupcakes. If she was unhappy that would be one thing and I'd worry a little more since most orders come from women. He's just mad! You'll do the right thing!

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mamawrobin Posted 10 May 2010 , 12:24am
post #24 of 31

Maybe wife finally admitted to him that she damaged the cupcakes before getting home with them?

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Cakepro Posted 10 May 2010 , 1:22am
post #25 of 31

On our order forms, we have two signature and date lines: the customer signs and dates the order form after reviewing it when placing their order, and they again sign and date it when they pick it up. I forgot the legalese we included under the signature lines but can tell you tomorrow when I get back to the shop.

If they drop it or have buyer's remorse, too bad, so sad.

However, I do understand your dilemma as my bakery is only 3 months old and is in a small community where everyone knows absolutely everyone. Word of mouth is an EXTREMELY important factor in small-town situations.

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Cakelayer Posted 10 May 2010 , 2:05am
post #26 of 31

That's exactly what I was going to post....that I would bet that he wouldn't show up and he didn't. I expect he was just trying to make a point with his wife. I'm glad you didn't have to deal with him.

DianaJJ

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sparkledee3 Posted 20 Aug 2015 , 4:55pm
post #27 of 31

Just my two cents, but I don't think giving someone like this his money back will stop him from bad-mouthing your business! Sounds like this is the type of person he is and his wife was probably embarrassed to death by his behavior. And... I agree, I'll bet they eat the cupcakes and not bring them back.

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indydebi Posted 21 Aug 2015 , 12:03am
post #28 of 31

First I have just about zero tolerance for women who send or who "allow" their husbands to do the b*tching for them.  Yes, I will factor in the 'domestic' issues that are behind closed doors, but I am one who escaped that situation so it really really bugs me to see women who are in that situation.

Second, you can just figure he's a bully ..... easily yells at you over the phone but showing up face to face?  nah. Doesn't have the guts to do that.

Bullies are not just on the playground.

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Jedi Knight Posted 21 Aug 2015 , 5:19am
post #29 of 31

Five. Year. Old. Thread.

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MinaBakes Posted 27 Aug 2015 , 11:28pm
post #30 of 31

So? It could help others now.

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