Venting!
This lady called me about a birthday cake for the guest of honor in a big law firm. She called last Thursday for the cake due on the 17th. She sent me a sketch of what she wanted on the cake. Round base, carved mountain on top with a bike trail leading up to the top. At the base of it, she wanted to include all his interest in 3D, like a tennis court, a guy fishing at a pond with fishing equipment, legal symbols, books, and a fountain of youth. All this she wanted for a cake that feeds 50-60 people. Oh I almost forgot, the birthday boy had to be on a bike with his arms up in the air on top of a snow-capped mountain!

For a cake that feeds 50-60, I told her I can only include a couple of her ideas for the cake to be visually appealing and not look crowded. She seemed to REALLY want the mountain and biker on there, so I sent her a sketch including a 12" base cake and a carved mountain and how much it'll cost. She replied a couple of days later saying it was more than what they budgeted for and can I do something for $300.

So I sent her a scaled down version of the cake, still tiered but not carved, but with 2D images of snow-capped mountains on one tier and his interests on the bottom tier. One week goes by with me sending reminders (2). Last night I sent her another email asking her if she still wants the cake and if I dont hear from her by 5pm today, I'm going to assume she is going with another baker and that I wont be making her cake. She emails me this morning saying she doesn't quite like the second sketch because the mountains seem too prominent(she insisted on the mountain being there at first and still is for that matter) and can we still do the first sketch but with the guy upright on his bike at the top of a PEAKED mountain. I bent my rule(as requested by her) of always making my toppers edible by using a plastic bike to cut down on the cost for her. I told her I can do flat topped mountain with biker on top or peaked mountain with biker at the base. Then she says, she still wants the biker on top of the peaked mountain, maybe I can make the bike and rider smaller to fit on there .(the bike is 4" long and I don't know, nor do I have time, to see if a smaller one is even available) Oh, and "can you sketch the new design and send it for my approval by the end of the day?"(I said she needs to agree on a design by 5 today)

I'm ready to drop her like a hot potato at this point! I just sent her an email saying I cannot compromise the structure of the cake and my reputation on her design (in a nicer way ofcourse) . She has to pick one of the two designs we talked about - no sketch at this point! I took a leap of faith and agreed to be paid next week (slap me! ) because she is on vacation and wont be at the office till Monday.

not worth taking the order...she will never be satisfied

RUN!

I agree....She is being very particular about what she wants but doesn't want to pay the price.I deal with people by telling them exactly what they will get for XX amount of dollars and that's it..You want more...you pay more...It makes me mad waiting around for emails etc to hear from these idiots to decide and then the try and nickel and dime you anyway...cake muggles...

I agree with the others... RUN! I would e-mail her and tell her your not going to be able to do her cake because you just had a client call and book you for that day. I always tell all my clients that their cake is not booked until I receive a deposit and I can only do SO many cakes per week/day.

And she doesn't want to pay until after!?! I smell a remorseful buyer in the making. Put on your track shoes and RUN!!

Idk about the pia fee--but an idea for you is this--bake cookies and scout the internet for pictures and use edible ink markers to make her dream come true--

You can make a fountain of yoot pouring out side of the the mountain, stick a fishing rod on the bank with the fishing line in the water. A tennis court would be easy--just do half like the mountain is on top of the other half and put the net right up against the bottom of the mountain with the visible half of the tennis court on the board. Or just place a tennis racket somewhere.

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2197900610054976741FSqdHf?vhost=good-times

Just an idea perhaps for some of the items she likes.

I like to do cakes like this with the "This Is Your Life" theme. I think they're fun.

I mean a mountain cake is easy and fun--$5 to $6 a serving--why not?

Oh here's a little picture:

I don't even do sketches until I have a deposit, and I know the customer's budget (made a sketch before and it was above the customer's budget so I had to start again, that's why the last part...)

You don't really even need cookies.

How 'bout you make a cyclist with a fishing rod jammed where the sun don't shine for her? Whooops! - did I just say that out loud?....

Seriously, I think you should suddenly be booked up on that date for a confirmed, paid order.

Oh #&*$ NO! If she hasn't paid a deposit take the opportunity to not do the cake when she doesn't pay you on Monday (notice that this isn't a matter of if she doesn't pay, it's a matter of WHEN she doesn't pay.) Cash only if she does pay you, which I doubt will happen.

Oh #&*$ NO! If she hasn't paid a deposit take the opportunity to not do the cake when she doesn't pay you on Monday (notice that this isn't a matter of if she doesn't pay, it's a matter of WHEN she doesn't pay.) Cash only if she does pay you, which I doubt will happen.

This sounds like someone who will never be satisfied. I do cakes for FREE, and I can't tell you how many times people have tried to nit-pick design, exotic flavors, crazy handmade toppers, "no I don't like this, can you do that." But the good thing about not charging for cakes is that it's relatively easy for me to say "NOPE."

Even if you took this order, I can almost promise you that she'll find something to gripe about.

mmmmmmmmmmm.....I think your next hurdle may be making certain that she really, really, really understands that unless she hands you a CASH payment in full at the moment you require it---THERE WILL BE NO CAKE

Given all it's taken to get approval on a design in the 11th hour, I'm guessing that you may need to all but beat her over the head with this concept--no "Oh, this is coming out of the corporate budget and we only cut checks once a month", no "Oh, I'll need a detailed invoice to send down to accounting", and no "Wellll, it's not exactly what we discussed, so we'll need to renegotiate the price", etc. etc.

Good luck with this one....
Rae

If you don't get a deposit up front and wait to get paid you only have yourself to blame. You need to run, and fast!

Can't lawyers afford to pay more than a measly $300 for a cake? Just sayin'....

Ugh I have one friend who is like this! She got me to make her son's cake, I drew her a design of a thomas the train cake, two tiered and completely unique, like she asked for. She wrote me an email back (she never even bothered calling me about this cake btw) to tell me that she didn't like the design, she didnt want it to look like a walmart cake!!!! talk about a slap in the freaking face! So, she instead sends me another email a few days before the party, wanting a cake from Pinkcakebox.com and wants the exact cake. It was a cute cake, but I had to figure out how to sculpt Thomas in less than 3 days, as well as two of his little buddies! THEN she for about a month hinted she wanted a purse cake for her birthday, and I finally said just ask if you want one! So she did, wouldn't tell me any colors or design ideas or flavors, just "leave it up to you" she says...THE DAY BEFORE HER BIRTHDAy, after the cakes are all baked and begining to stack, she wants red velvet! some people can never be happy

Blakescakes - thanks for the advice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChefCJ619

Can't lawyers afford to pay more than a measly $300 for a cake? Just sayin'....

That's what I thought too! They charge that much for 15 minutes of their time, if not more. There are about 30 lawyers there and all they can afford for this 70 yr old guest of honor is $10.00 each??

I never have forwarded my sketches to a client for approval, mainly because the are stick cake sketches with notes on the side with arrows--for my benefit and not helpful to the client. Sounds like I might be in the minority here.

As far as the PIA factor, I am sending cake angels your way and hoping that you get paid. Good luck!

Oh, you *could still run. A contract is a "meeting of the minds." No meeting of the minds? No contractual obligation. Especially if no money has exchanged hands.

Personally. I have a policy of never sending people 'reminder' emails or as I refer to it 'chasing people down'. That just gives them an extra opportunity to jerk you around and try and twist everything so they get their way (i.e. on price). If they don't like my suggestions or prices they can go to costco. It is not worth my energy to understand why someone planning a first and third birthday party for 80 people on two separate days in the same weekend does not have a cake lined up 4 days in advance! People are crazy!!!!!