I just got off the phone with one of my brides, who has always been a little on the over-stressed, prickly side.
Meetings are never at good times, nothing ever seems to work out in her favor.
ANYWAY, first, she wants a finalizing meeting for her cake next month. Now, all the details are set, she says nothing's really changed, she just wants to "finalize." 
Fine, here is what I have on the date you requested, a 6pm slot.
"Well, don't you have anything in the early morning, like 7 or 8am?" Um, no, 6pm, take it or leave it, or we can do finalizing over the phone right now. She takes it.
THEN she asks if I take credit cards. Sorry, no I take cash or check.
Her: "Well that stinks because everyone wants their money right now because its a month before the wedding."
Me: "Yeah, that one month mark is tough. I wish I could help you, but CCs are something I just don't do right now."
Her:"Well I understand, but its just so hard because no one takes credit cards."
Me:"Well, we're all small businesses, and some of us like to keep costs down..."
Her: "yeah, I get it, but one of you is going to have to understand that SOMEONE isn't going to get paid then."
SERIOUSLY?! HECK IF IT'S ME, WOMAN!
lol no pay no cake.... thats what I would of told her LOL
Guess she has to decide which particular service she will do without then. No pay caterer - no meals or drinks. No pay chauffeur - no posh car. No pay florist - no flowers. No pay caker - no cake. Silly woman. Sounds like her budget has caught up with her. I did laugh at your last comment, couldn't help myself 
Somebody call the Waaaaaahhmbulance for this Bride! What a whiner! 
Ummm, after that conversation I would tell her cash or certified check only!
People never cease to amaze me. Like her lack of funds is YOUR problem and not her problem. Like somehow, because she is a bride, she's entitled to a free cake because you don't accept credit cards. Unbelievable!
Oh, yes. The American way. Can't afford the wedding so just put it on credit - and pay for it for the next 10 years - probably longer than the marriage will last!! I know a MOB who took out a second mortage on their home to give her daughter a $40,000 - over the top wedding.
yeah, the other funny thing about that statement is that she owns her own business....wait for it....
as an ACCOUNTANT!!!
BWAhaahaahaa.
I'm sorry but YOU called ME, wanting 25 table cakes with whipped icing and crimson stringwork, plus a 2 tier for the head table. If that's not enough to send me to the loony-bin, I don't know what is, so I have no pity.
I have NO problem adjusting the design/size to fit her budget. But I will NOT change my payment due date. And its on my contract, my website, everywhere. It is also on my website under payment FAQs that I do not take credit cards. So really, she should just take out a cash advance and suck it up.
Oh well, I'll be running to the bank Friday morning to cash that baby, I can tell you that. (at least I have a whole month to make sure it clears!)
i had 4 checks from a bride once and it was 3 days before the wedding I demanded cash. Told me mom was going to pay me at reception hall.. got there no one is there but me and the caterer and the dj'.
All of us were waiting to get paid. the caterer had been ask if she could wait two weeks for her money she told them no. I was the only one that had the brides cell and the moms cell .. no answer but each of us left a message that they had 30 minutes to get the money for each of us to the hall or we were all leaving. (why i went in the first place was beyond me). It shows were not the only ones that people play with. Unfortunately were the last ones that they pay.
The father of the bride showed up in 28 minutes. Cash in hand.. I even made them pay for the bounced check fees...
from then on its 15 days before no payment no cake... cash or check. I think i am going to make it 30 days.
Her: "yeah, I get it, but one of you is going to have to understand that SOMEONE isn't going to get paid then."
Well, you just better convene that monthly meeting of the "Wedding Caterer/Florist/Limo Driver/Dress supplier/Venue Owners Club" and let them all in on this little tidbit!
Maybe you can all draw straws to see which poor schlub doesn't get his/her $$............
I mean, it's only fair, right? That she get EVERYTHING she wants, but only a lucky few actually get paid on time for it 
OMG, just shoot me now 
Rae
haha that is ridiculous! seriously, i feel bad for the vendor that "doesn't get paid". cash that check as soon as you get it!
If you can't afford it you don't get it.
Has anyone shown her you live with in a budget starting with the wedding and one who spends money like that there soon to be spouse better have a bottom less check book or this could be one expensive lesson big wedding big divorce big bucks..
Make the checks a 30 day ahead deal if it does not clear no cake no fooling.
Just have to tell her to take her credit card to the bank for a cash advance or pay by credit card cheque. Interest is more but thats her problem.
I accept CCs through PayPal and through Google Checkout... BUT (and it's in my contract as well) I charge a percentage more. 3% to be exact. This is more than I am charged, but since I have to wait for the money to be transferred from the paypal/google into my bank acct, I feel it's both fair AND acceptable. And I haven't had anyone complain about it yet, though I have had people opt for cash instead 
I accept CCs through PayPal and through Google Checkout... BUT (and it's in my contract as well) I charge a percentage more. 3% to be exact. This is more than I am charged, but since I have to wait for the money to be transferred from the paypal/google into my bank acct, I feel it's both fair AND acceptable. And I haven't had anyone complain about it yet, though I have had people opt for cash instead
Watch out for this...If you accept credit cards it's illegal to charge a service fee for taking them. I don't know what paypal's policy is, but I suspect it's the same. You can give a discount for cash, but you can't charge more for a credit card. It amounts to the same thing, it's just in the wording.
Even if you cash the check you can't be assured that you will be paid. I used to sell Mary Kay and have cashed checks only to find out later that the customer either stopped payment or didn't have sufficient funds. I was charged a bank fee and the amount of the check was deducted from my checking account. Glad I'm just a hobby baker.
I had a similar conversation with a bride yesterday. I met with a couple the first week of April for their July 1, 2011 wedding. The couple wanted cupcakes because in my area cupcakes are usually a little cheaper than cake and there is no cutting fee from the venue. Bride proceeds to tell me that her future MIL is loaded but refuses to pay anything for the wedding so they are on a tight budget. I kept my mouth shut because to me, I don't think the parents of the bride or groom should be "expected" to pay for anything. If you are getting married you should be finacially stable - which means able to pay for your own wedding (we paid for our own wedding entirely without going into debt and was able to buy a house with a large downpayment 7 months later).
As she and her hubby to be were walking out the door she made a comment about having to balance her check book because of the recent wedding expenses she has paid for and she probably bounced a couple checks but "that is okay because my fiance works at the bank and waives any fees I get". 
I didn't hear from them until a month later (first week of May). She wanted the exact break down of what the cupcakes would cost because she wanted to add little fondant daisies to each cupcake. She wanted 12 dozen cupcakes and I charged her $0.25/daisy (small Wilton daisy cutter) for a total of $36 (+ the 12 dozen cupcakes for $276). She said she would let me know because the extra $36 was not in the budget.
I didn't hear from her again until yesterday (now less than 1 month from her wedding). Her email stated "sorry for the disappearance, we have hit rock bottom on our wedding budget. Are you still available on our wedding date to make cupcakes?" Why would I want to take her on as a client knowing she doesn't have any money left? Plus, with less than 1 month to go before the wedding date I would require payment in full in cash, which she probably couldn't come up with. I told her I was already booked and I hope she can find someone to help her.
Which is true, I am already booked. Another bride booked and paid in full for a July 2, 2011 wedding for 21 dozen cupcakes.
I was a new accounts manager at a bank for 8 years. When you take the check to your bank you could ask them to call on it. This would at least let you know if the funds are available right now, that way if they aren't you don't have to deposit the check so you don't get a fee, although this still doesn't mean that by the time the check gets there that the funds will still be there.
Another option is taking it straight to her bank to cash that way you get the money right away (if the funds are there). Her bank might charge you a check cashing fee for a non-customer if you don't bank there, but you will have the money!
You have to be careful with cashiers checks also, she could place a stop payment on one if the wanted! With this bride I would seriously only accept cash! Good luck!
I accept CCs through PayPal and through Google Checkout... BUT (and it's in my contract as well) I charge a percentage more. 3% to be exact. This is more than I am charged, but since I have to wait for the money to be transferred from the paypal/google into my bank acct, I feel it's both fair AND acceptable. And I haven't had anyone complain about it yet, though I have had people opt for cash instead
Watch out for this...If you accept credit cards it's illegal to charge a service fee for taking them. I don't know what paypal's policy is, but I suspect it's the same. You can give a discount for cash, but you can't charge more for a credit card. It amounts to the same thing, it's just in the wording.
. Just wanted to throw what I know about this out there I work right now for the "A" company and we have to take hours of classes on the fed regs on card useage and it isn't illegal for a merchant to charge a fee when a customer uses a card with them, but they have to charge the same fee for all cards accepted. If they pick and choose then that is a form of suppression, then they can get in trouble for that.
lol no pay no cake.... thats what I would of told her LOL
I like that. Growing up my dad always told us "You pay, you say". So if I wanted to eat out at a different restaurant than my parents, I knew better not to say so unless I was willing to pay for all of us! Good times.
I hope this bride gets something from Dave Ramsey for a wedding gift. He's awesome!
I also by the way do not take plastic, however I encourage using paypal to my card members when they call in claiming a person they are trying to do business with doesnt accept certain cards. I trouble shoot this idea so that they still get the incentives of their cards such as points rebates ect.,and the small business in the equation doesn't lose a potential business growing purchase. I use the same encouragement with my cake customers. In return I get paid and have a smaller fee with paypal then I could ever negotiate with the card companies to accept plastic. You would be surprised the hundreds of people I work with in a week how many of the have no clue how to use their card in more ways than just a swipe machine and appreciate it when I share other options and they see that even when paying full price for something they are getting full incentives of the plastic they carry. It's a win-win
Another option is taking it straight to her bank to cash that way you get the money right away (if the funds are there). Her bank might charge you a check cashing fee for a non-customer if you don't bank there, but you will have the money!
This method doesn't work if the check is written to your business instead of you personally, the customer's bank would need a way to officially certify that you are the owner of the business account, and my bank (Chase) couldn't figure out a way to do that. YMMV though.
I accept CCs through PayPal and through Google Checkout... BUT (and it's in my contract as well) I charge a percentage more. 3% to be exact. This is more than I am charged, but since I have to wait for the money to be transferred from the paypal/google into my bank acct, I feel it's both fair AND acceptable. And I haven't had anyone complain about it yet, though I have had people opt for cash instead
Watch out for this...If you accept credit cards it's illegal to charge a service fee for taking them. I don't know what paypal's policy is, but I suspect it's the same. You can give a discount for cash, but you can't charge more for a credit card. It amounts to the same thing, it's just in the wording.
. Just wanted to throw what I know about this out there
I work right now for the "A" company and we have to take hours of classes on the fed regs on card useage and it isn't illegal for a merchant to charge a fee when a customer uses a card with them, but they have to charge the same fee for all cards accepted. If they pick and choose then that is a form of suppression, then they can get in trouble for that.
Now I'm curious what the "A" company is! As far as I know, Paypal's terms of use doesn't let you flat-out say you're charging a surcharge because they're using a credit card, but you can phrase it as a "handling fee" or something like that. Just need to be careful in how you word it.
Another option is taking it straight to her bank to cash that way you get the money right away (if the funds are there). Her bank might charge you a check cashing fee for a non-customer if you don't bank there, but you will have the money!
This method doesn't work if the check is written to your business instead of you personally, the customer's bank would need a way to officially certify that you are the owner of the business account, and my bank (Chase) couldn't figure out a way to do that. YMMV though.
Yes you're correct, but she could take it to her bank and have them stamp the back certifying that "blank" business name is her. Its more of a pain and Im guessing that the amount shes getting for the cake isnt worth all that!
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