Refunding Deposit, Help!!

Business By KalisCakes Updated 16 Jun 2011 , 6:50pm by bakingatthebeach

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WykdGud Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:02am
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So if I get burnt out and just don't want to answer calls/emails from customers, I can just say "I went on vacation (FOR A MONTH)" even though I never left home and still had access to my email and messages?

I can't believe anyone here condones this type of "business" practice. I'm sorry, but there is no defense to this. When it's obvious someone is desperately trying to get ahold of you FOR A MONTH - the right thing to do is answer them.

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:02am
post #212 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by Annabakescakes

She said 8pm, not am.




Oh I'm sorry.... icon_redface.gif

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:07am
post #213 of 413

I'm sorry, 8PM. They left their event to come to my house to demand to know where the cake was.

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:08am
post #214 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by KalisCakes

I'm sorry, 8PM. They left their event to come to my house to demand to know where the cake was.




Wow I have never heard of people acting like that if they knew they didn't pay. Good grief!

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cakestyles Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:09am
post #215 of 413

I don't think anyone condones this business practice...I know I don't.

I think the OP needs to step back and take a serious review of her business practices.

You can't just ignore e-mails from existing clients. You won't be in business for long if you continue doing that. Sorry.

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jason_kraft Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:11am
post #216 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by WykdGud

So if I get burnt out and just don't want to answer calls/emails from customers, I can just say "I went on vacation (FOR A MONTH)" even though I never left home and still had access to my email and messages?



Sure, as long as you notify your customers that you will be unavailable for that month ahead of time, and not to worry, their orders are still confirmed. Why does the customer need to know the reason you will be unavailable?

And if you're that burned out, is it worth it to risk your mental health and not take a break?

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WykdGud Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:13am
post #217 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by WykdGud

So if I get burnt out and just don't want to answer calls/emails from customers, I can just say "I went on vacation (FOR A MONTH)" even though I never left home and still had access to my email and messages?


Sure, as long as you notify your customers that you will be unavailable for that month ahead of time, and not to worry, their orders are still confirmed. Why does the customer need to know the reason you will be unavailable?

And if you're that burned out, is it worth it to risk your mental health and not take a break?




It was a rhetorical question ...

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gatorcake Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:15am
post #218 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by WykdGud

So if I get burnt out and just don't want to answer calls/emails from customers, I can just say "I went on vacation (FOR A MONTH)" even though I never left home and still had access to my email and messages?


Sure, as long as you notify your customers that you will be unavailable for that month ahead of time, and not to worry, their orders are still confirmed. Why does the customer need to know the reason you will be unavailable?

And if you're that burned out, is it worth it to risk your mental health and not take a break?




Just curious if you think it is then okay to accept new business when you go dark. The OP clearly stated she accepted new orders that were scheduled online--so check to see if you have new business but tell existing clients you will be out of contact? Seems like if you are going to be doing new business you should not go dark on your existing clients.

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WykdGud Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:17am
post #219 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by cakestyles

I don't think anyone condones this business practice...I know I don't.

I think the OP needs to step back and take a serious review of her business practices.

You can't just ignore e-mails from existing clients. You won't be in business for long if you continue doing that. Sorry.




As I said earlier in this thread. The OP failed, and I think the customers are deserving of a refund. OP ignored their many attempts to contact her even though she knew they were trying to get ahold of her. They no longer have faith in her and she appears unreliable. I wouldn't want to worry on my wedding day, and they deserve peace of mind - AND THEIR MONEY BACK.

A refund is the right thing to do - especially since the news station is obviously going to follow up on this story.

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:19am
post #220 of 413

I wasn't burnt out. As I stated in the interview, and on here, I was doing quite a bit of work stil. The vacation was from the CS end. And, as I stated in the interview, I most definitely could have handled it differently. I have apologized for my error numerous times, in the interview, to the client, and in this forum. And it was not OBVIOUS someone was trying to get a hold of me. It wasn't obvious because she didn't come to my home until last Sunday; she didn't schedule an online appointment, even though she had already used the system and was familiar with it. The emails were not promptly answered; I've owned up to that, and again apologized and acknowledged that this is an area I will pay more attention to. She called numerous times, knowing (because I told her as I tell all my clients) that I do not answer the phone. A vacation, in and of it's self, is a break. A break from ANYTHING. My vacation was from the email and the voice mail. I still accepted online appointments, answered txt messages, and filled orders while I did my year end review and prepped for this season (and got some laundry done)

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cakestyles Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:22am
post #221 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorcake

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by WykdGud

So if I get burnt out and just don't want to answer calls/emails from customers, I can just say "I went on vacation (FOR A MONTH)" even though I never left home and still had access to my email and messages?


Sure, as long as you notify your customers that you will be unavailable for that month ahead of time, and not to worry, their orders are still confirmed. Why does the customer need to know the reason you will be unavailable?

And if you're that burned out, is it worth it to risk your mental health and not take a break?



Just curious if you think it is then okay to accept new business when you go dark. The OP clearly stated she accepted new orders that were scheduled online--so check to see if you have new business but tell existing clients you will be out of contact? Seems like if you are going to be doing new business you should not go dark on your existing clients.





Exactly! I completely agree with you gatorcake.

I don't care if these people have horns growing out of their heads and breathe fire....the OP took their order, took their deposit and than ignored them when she knew they were trying to cancel their order.

If she didn't want to work with anyone from this family/group ever again than she shouldn't have taken their money in the first place. It's very easy to say "I'm booked" every time they contact you if you don't want them as clients. YOU control who you work with.

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:25am
post #222 of 413

If its true what that article says, and there are 3-4 people complaining about the business practices of the OP in a relatively short period of time, then I guess its probably time for the OP to reconsider some of her methods....

The whole thing is kinda confusing still, the "he says, she says" thing going on here.

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jason_kraft Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:28am
post #223 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by gatorcake

Just curious if you think it is then okay to accept new business when you go dark.



Sure, as long as you know you will be coming back to work at a specific date in the future, and the delivery date for the new order is long enough after your restart date that you feel comfortable taking the order. The missing piece here is that OP did not inform customers she would be unavailable.

What's the reasoning for not taking new business if you know you can fit it into your schedule?

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cakestyles Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:30am
post #224 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kitagrl

If its true what that article says, and there are 3-4 people complaining about the business practices of the OP in a relatively short period of time, then I guess its probably time for the OP to reconsider some of her methods....

The whole thing is kinda confusing still, the "he says, she says" thing going on here.




It's said there's 3 sides to every story...hers, theirs and the truth.

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:32am
post #225 of 413

I also never stated I took new orders. I said I accepted appointments. And I did not know someone was DESPERATELY trying to get ahold of me. If that had been the case, I figured she'd have used the methods of contact that I went over with her, not just phone and email.
I also never said that not answering emails (or phone calls, which I don't answer anyway) had anything to do with not wanting to speak with her. Please, do not put words in my mouth or twist the information I have given.
Don't ya think if I was ignoring these clients intentionally because I didn't want to do business with them, that if I KNEW they were trying to get ahold of me to cancel their order, I'd have answered them?
I had no clue ANYONE was desperately trying to get ahold of me because my clients know to text me, they know to schedule online appointments, and they know WHERE I LIVE!!!

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:37am
post #226 of 413

Why don't you answer phone calls? Do you at least take voicemails and follow up later on them via phone?

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:41am
post #227 of 413

Thank you Jason, very well said. That was the missing piece. And it is something that I have learned from, and is one of the priorities on my "Do A MILLION TIMES BETTER" list.
I thought this forum was a place we could all go to learn from each other. I know I always have room for improvement. I know there are things I am spectacular in, and things I'm horrible at; things for which I posses a wealth of knowledge and skill, and things that I need help with. I didn't realize it was a place we could come to get chastised and criticized. Maybe I was under the impression that honey is better than vinegar, and helping someone up is always better than pushing them back down.
So yes, I did not inform each and every one of my current contracts I would not be answering emails for a period of time, and that is a mistake I really believe I will NEVER make again, even though telling client's i'm unavailable when they know where I live seems like quite a security risk to me. However, do I own her a refund because of this? NO! Wanna know why? Because everything is finalized BEFORE the contract is signed and the deposit taken. And I can't "run off with someone's deposit" if I haven't been given the opportunity to actually do the cake.

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:44am
post #228 of 413

Voicemails, absolutely. Though during this time I did not. I used to answer the phone, but what I found was that I was always on the phone and not getting work done. So it was either hire someone to answer the phone and set up meetings or change up the contact methods and keep costs down.

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jsmith Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:45am
post #229 of 413

Kaliscakes, I just wanted to say I'm rooting for you too. It's not fair you got tangled in this nightmare. You hit a really bad patch of customers and became the target of a lame journalist who needed a story no matter how weak it was. As much as we'd love to see how this all plays out, you may want to consider asking the mods to delete this thread so you can move on with your life and business. This will all blow over sooner than you think. Best of luck to you.

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LoveMeSomeCake615 Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:48am
post #230 of 413

Wow, I'm thoroughly confused now... icon_confused.gif

While I completely understand needing a break and a vacation, I guess I don't get your aversion to answering the phone in general. It's one thing to not answer the phone during vacation, but you seem to have a policy in place that you will not use the phone at all as a method of communication with your clients. I realize that we live in the technological age, but IMO texting and online appointment forms cannot and should not take the place of phone communication, especially once you have contracted to make someone's cake. Part of the job is being available during normal business hours to answer questions and concerns over the phone.

I guess I'm starting to wonder- why even have a business phone at all if you feel you don't ever have time to answer it?

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:49am
post #231 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by KalisCakes

Voicemails, absolutely. Though during this time I did not. I used to answer the phone, but what I found was that I was always on the phone and not getting work done. So it was either hire someone to answer the phone and set up meetings or change up the contact methods and keep costs down.




Oh okay, I'm sorry! I thought you meant you never did any business by phone. haha. I often do not answer mine either, if I'm running errands or driving or have my hands buried in cake or doing the kids (which is most of the time, one of the above!) but I try to call people back. Once in awhile if its a "I need a cake this weekend" I may not call back, or if their message is not very clear, then I may not...but otherwise I do try. I have seen a caker friend of mine who is very professional answer her phone in public though and kindly tell a client to send her an email and she'll get right back with her when she is available. My husband will do that on my phone too if I'm away...I will say that prompt communication really speaks volumes to people, when its feasible (and I know it isn't always that.) Of course I prefer email when people can do it that way!

Best of luck to you....

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cakestyles Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:49am
post #232 of 413

I really think your hands are tied right now.

Even if you refund their money, they're still going to continue to bad mouth your business. The news story only makes their case stronger, whether or not it's the truth, it's what's out there.

This is a mess.

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kelleym Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 3:53am
post #233 of 413
Quote:
Quote:

The vacation was from the CS end. ...My vacation was from the email and the voice mail.



Oh honey, I'm saying this in the nicest way possible, but in a service industry, you can't just decide to take a vacation from customer service. You can't. Especially without some kind of auto-response email set up to let your clients know that you will be unavailable to respond to inquiries until a certain date. The fact that you kept booking new orders but "took a vacation" from providing customer service to your existing customers is just not good. You do need to re-evaluate your business. I'm sure this has been an incredibly difficult time for you, and I wish you the very best as you go forward.

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Bettyviolet101 Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:03am
post #234 of 413

" If I had intended to accuse her of this I would have. I don't mince words." Vonda

Just asking...wow

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KalisCakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:05am
post #235 of 413

Thank you Kelly, and this is most definitely something I've learned A LOT from. You are most definitely correct; I should have set up some type of auto response. I made the BIG mistake of assuming, and well, I found out what happens when you assume. I assumed quite a bit about my current clients:
1) that because the cake design, tasting, etc. was done and everything finalized and approved, contract signed etc. that there really wasn't anything else to do until it came closer to final pmt time.
2) I assumed that my current clients would use the online booking system to get in touch with me if there was an emergency or they needed me, because they have used it before.

What I have learned:
1) I need to figure out how to use the auto response system for my email if I'll be away for a period of time, and possibly just in general to send out an automated acknowledgment.
2) I need to explain the entire process to my clients so they know what to expect and understand the various planning stages.
3) I should never assume anything ever.
4) I know what my focus needs to be this season.
5) I got ripped off on my web site.

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Kitagrl Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:12am
post #236 of 413

I have found that some of my clients seem really kind of jumpy about making a big cake purchase. Sometimes I just need to be available to soothe their fears and make sure they know I'm here, that I haven't forgotten about them, and that everything is still okay. I do get some high maintenance customers but I have others that are very trusting and are very quiet and the transaction is very straightforward. Many people have never purchased a big fancy cake before and it makes them nervous, especially ordering from a private baker, I find. They have to see that I'm professional, available, prompt, and will be here for any concern they have.

Sometimes its really annoying but in the end its rewarding to get that "Thank you!" email! I do find that sometimes my quiet customers will also never send a feedback email, while my more talkative/ask questions/communicate a LOT customers will also send me rave reviews and thank you notes and it turns out in the end to be a rewarding feeling that I spent extra time, went the extra mile, and made someone very, very happy.

I guess its just part of what we are getting paid for. (For those who think its just flour, eggs, and sugar, they can think again, that's for sure! haha.)

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Bettyviolet101 Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:18am
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There are some angry people on here who are getting very overly worked up over something that has nothing to do with them or their lives. Sorry you have to go through this. Hang in there!

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Annabakescakes Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:18am
post #238 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kitagrl

... They have to see that I'm professional, available, prompt, and will be here for any concern they have.

.......I spent extra time, went the extra mile, and made someone very, very happy.

I guess its just part of what we are getting paid for. (For those who think its just flour, eggs, and sugar, they can think again, that's for sure! haha.)




thumbs_up.gif Yeah, no kidding! I used to want to go into business to provide nice cakes for people who couldn't afford the more expensive places, but now I know why they charge so much, with all the babysitting and hand-holding!

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scp1127 Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:20am
post #239 of 413

This poor girl has owned up to everything. She is now still sharing with us. She knows what she did wrong. Not so great PR, guilty. Deceitful, not guilty. She's even nice when she is being attacked. Kali, there is more to this story and it sounds like the whole situation overwhelmed you and you shut down for a mental break. That's ok to take a step back. But, in all my years of customer service, my cell phone was even with me in my labor room (I made $30k that month alone, full commission). I rarely answer the phone, but I promise to answer during th next day's business hours. As a single mom, I wasn't going to miss anything. Vacations took place, but I briefly answered my calls. And in the construction company I owned, coming home from vacation would have happened if I was needed. I push exemplary customer service and some like to call it bending over backwards. If you can't tell my personality by now, that never happens.

Take this girl's experience and learn frm it and quit trying to beat her down. She's been forthcoming about the situation. But what did I say... the power of one dissatisfied customer...

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Kaybaby Posted 9 Jun 2011 , 4:22am
post #240 of 413
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bettyviolet101

" If I had intended to accuse her of this I would have. I don't mince words." Vonda

Just asking...wow




Just answering....

Vonda

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