I had a customer ( DH bosses wife) ordered a cake from me and I sepnt day's tring to figure out what to do for her daughter and the mom says she liked pottery, books, art, musical note and trebil clefs, and her colors were purple and pink! I tried for days to come up with an idea that would make her happy, it came down to crunch time with no ideas and something had to be done. I emailed the mom and said I had an idea to make a stacked cake to look a piece of pottery with art work on it. Well I called the next day when I did not get a response and she said she had no time to talk and would call me that night after 9:30, so of course I said fine, now I have 2 days before cake was due. Well she never called so I figured the pottry thing was good and she'd like that idea so I started the cake bad idea I went to see her at the job site and by that time the cake was made stacked and frosted just had to put the fondant on and it would have been done, or so I thought! At this time when I saw her I said I had an idea about the cake what do you think? And she said "no just make me a flat cake with some writting on it" I was upset but it was my fault for starting it without consent and we had already agreed on a price so that wasn't an option and it was cheap. So needless to say I am an idiot! Lesson learned, mom also said that daughter doesn't like purple and pink and liked the Florida Gators So went home made a flat cake with music and the gators and I even dropped it off to her at the place of business because she was busy. And low and behold never got paid for the cake and she still has not mentioned it to me or my DH ! She loved the cake but I would have also enjoyed to be paid for it seeing it was so cheap and it covered the costs I am so for me allowing this to happen... sorry really needed to vent and DH not to worry about it i just wanted to vent sorry

Sorry to hear you got messed around! Not fun...Next time I would get a clear answer by a certain date so you can start. I didn't get paid for a cake from a co-worker once too and that was the last one I did for anyone at work.
PS: I noticed it's your b-day today (it's mine too!) enjoy...

she was "so busy" that she didnt' have time to pick up her own daughter's cake?

hmmmm......do I hear a "mom of the year" nomination here?

Happy Birthday to you both.

I had been making train cakes for a shop in my town that holds birthday parties. I had made one for a friend who had her son's party there and they had called asking if I would make the cakes for them. They offer my cake in their "extreme" package. I carve the cake, make an engine and 3 boxcars. I found out in the package they also charge $10 extra(more than I charge them) and I even deliver the cakes, while making almost nothing. I cover them in fondant, put the childs name on it in fondant and their age. I had 2 of these cakes that were due Jan. 15th. I show up only to find the building is nearly vacant and a sign on the door saying closed until April. They did not bother calling to cancel. So needless to say, I am out money for 2 of these cakes and all the time spent! I also had a stacked cake to do which was difficult(and carved) that I could have spent more time on to look nicer, had I known. now I'm giving cake away because I have no place to freeze or store it! And yes I do this for fun, and people like this take all the fun out of it!

This is why i always get paid in advance. I don't care who it is. I'm doing some work for an awesome friend of mine - at cost - all money up front. I may love you - but I don't take money out of my house to put it in yours for no apparent reason. Not gonna do it!