BIG HUGS to you Debi... both for the situation, AND for appreciating the posters, both positive and negative. It just shows how simple things can be interpreted either way. We can all learn from it.

I have a full satisfaction guarantee. It is clearly stated on my site and must be checked at the time of payment.

One dissatisfied customer can cost you for years to come, especially when the issue has gotten worse. She will bad mouth you every time the word, "cake", comes up in conversation.

If someone doesn't like the taste of my cake, they are offered a full refund, including delivery charges. After that, they will be offered another cake that may be more to their liking.

In the same scenario as above, my policy will cause that same person to speak well of my company every time cakes are discussed.

For a few dollars and a little of my time, a bad situation can be turned into a great marketing tool.

I would be one of those people who never forgets.

And before anyone starts on people taking advantage, that doesn't happen.

So far, I have never had to refund money, but I won't be upset if I do. Complete descriptions go a long way in describing the taste and heading off problems.

Debbie,

There are just so many people living in the area you are marketing your cakes to; it's a free market.... just remember Pizza Hut doesn't refund its customers' purchases just because their pizzas do not meet the expectations of the customers taste-wise, and just because 100 or 1000 consumers hate Pizza Hut doesn't mean it has to shut down its operation, what more 1 customer in your case, over 10 yrs.
Chin up, ok?

This one is tough. I see both sides of the refund/no refund coin. My first thought is no refund unless I did something wrong BUT I've been to many a restaurant where the waiter would stop by and see I haven't eaten much - as soon as I tell them I didn't care for the spice or whatever, the manager is there immediately to remove it from the bill. I think it's ABSURD! Because they didn't do anything wrong, I just didn't care for it. But, they still do it. All the time! I would NEVER ask for a refund in that situation though. Now, if I asked for no bacon and it came with bacon...that's a different story.

As far as OP's response, I think I have to agree with the others that short is the way to go. Not because I didn't think the e-mail was good - I thought it was excellent - but, shorter is better, especially when sending e-mails due to the exact reason mentioned before - that tone can't be conveyed in e-mail.

My suggestion would be that, whever you have your flavors posted, to post an explanation beside it like "this is a dense but moist cake with a slight sweetness and a light vanilla flavor" or whatever it is so they understand whether the particular cake is dense or fluffy.

Chin up, it happens to everyone - whether just a partciular customer with a different palette than most or a bad cake day!

I would not call her if she emails you again. I would not email her back. This is a situation that you need to just let go and drop all contact.

You will never convince her that she is wrong and never convince her that your cakes are the preference of some people, no matter how much talking or writing you do.

Yes, you do need to realize that you can't please 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time. There will always be unhappy ones. You have to look at all the people who are pleased with your cakes and go from there. Don't feel bad at all. Just remember, she is one of many and you don't have to worry about dealing with her anymore since she said she won't order from you. Chin up!

I sent her a final email this morning, simply stating "I truly am sorry that you and your guests did not enjoy the cake. It saddens me more than I can express."
And followed that with a reiteration of my offer of a cake at cost, or alternatively, I offered to give her a complimentary box of cupcakes that she can pick up at the shop that I deliver to every week. (So if she didn't want to see me again, that could be another way for her to "get something" back.)

And I'm leaving it at that.

I'm sticking with my decision of no refund. If I had any inkling that there was a possibility of the cake not being good, I would rethink that, but not only did I taste it, and it was delicious, but I sold out of cupcakes made with the same batch. And my website is very clear on the style, texture, and flavors of my products. There is no way she could claim she didn't know what she was ordering.

Just ready to put this behind me. On the plus side, I got two more "likes" on my facebook page this morning, and scheduled a wedding cake tasting for next week. So...onward and upward.

Automatic full refund?? Rubbish. What would you do if someone did try to take advantage? (and would you really know?) Would you give them free cake after free cake? I mean it says so on your site right? You have to check off on it every time right? What's stopping someone? And wouldn't you look the fool if you had to go back on that? I can see guarateeing recourse... that everyone should walk away feeling like they were taken seriously and validated and a soluition was offered , but full refund for every whining customer?? Nope. Unless you have STRICT guidelines, and then you are really just saying 100% refund everytime to get hits and customers and aren't really offering it. Like a bait and switch of sorts.

I get that saying that makes you look good in print, but what I am asking is *IF* push came to shove and someone was trying to play you what would you do? Since it's 100% guaranteed and all... how would you back out without looking like you were insincere?

I cater to an upscale clientele and they don't play games. My clients do not need refunds because they are in an upper income bracket. What they do need is the only bakery that supplies premium products.

Also, I am no pushover and my professional demeanor is met with a professional attitude from the customer.

I have never had to use my refund offer, but one day, if someone doesn't like one of my cakes, I will look at it as the opportunity that it is... to develop a loyal client that will always speak well of me.

I have owned three start-up businesses... a marketing company (and guess what, many businesses in my area still practice what I preached, and so do I). I have also owned a construction company, and now the bakery. I have practiced the same PR and marketing policies over the years and have never had someone try to take advantage of me.

Sorry, but if you don't know how to manage your customers, I suggest that this policy will not work for you.

I agree with step0nmi...when I read the e-mail, I really thought it was professional and so well written. I was surprized and quite shocked at what some of the people here have said. If I was the customer, I would've really appreciated that e-mail. I would've liked how long it was because it shows that the issue is important to Debby. I have a strong suspicion that this customer was the type of person to complain about anything and everything and it wouldn't have mattered what Debby said.

Debby: Like others have said though, don't forget that you've had years and years with no complaints. That's awesome! Keep in mind too, you certainly can't please everyone in this world! Even here for example, I think your e-mail was perfect, while others are ripping it apart.

You are a caker though... and don't have a beef with the OP. If you read it with that in mind it changes things. The client doesn't want to hear why what they feel is wrong, and that is what the email said. No matter what the intent, the client was going to take it as reasoning that she was wrong and should be thankful to have a cake from the OP.

Now I know that the OP was in no way trying to convey that to her client. She was trying to be helpful, but in instances like this you need to validate the clients feelings, let them know you appreciate the feed back, and offer a resolution... not try to convince them you are awesome (even if you are )

I still say 1 client complaint in that many years... consider that the best compliment ever. You can't win them all.

I remember reading a posting from bobwonderbuns just a week or two ago, telling us how a very wealthy lady client of hers, wanting a cake but had no intention of paying for it, in the first place.

And here we think the affluent will not think twice of paying any amount given to them.


*I'm not well-to-do but I would never intentionally take advantage of anybody in any given situation. So I don't think we should generalize rich = honest-to-God-won't-fleece-money-out-of-people, and poor = always trying to squeeze every penny out of everyone around them.

Forgive me if I sound like I'm starting an argument, I'm just trying to stop all these generalizations.

To quote someone on CC a while bake "cakes are like wine, some like light and airy, some like it sweet, some prefer it dry, some like it rich and full bodied, etc..." That was a complete paraphrase but you get the point.

Sorry you got the bad review. I know it was like a kick in the gut but you will bounce back. But step back and look at it this way, she had never ordered from you before, right? Okay so she has purchased her cakes elsewhere in the past, right? Now just looking at it like that she may be the type that didn't like anything about the other bakers either and just gets a new baker for every occasion. Maybe she is the type who is never satisfied, maybe she complained to the other bakers and got her money back and moved on to the next. Don't know but at any rate if all your other clients have been pleased in the past just shake this off.

If you have a complaint in the future I would keep the response short and sweet "Sorry you weren't pleased with your order I will be happy to provide you with another cake or a refund." When you go into the "but everybody else likes my cakes, it tasted fine to me, etc.....It kinda makes the other person feel you are saying they have no taste or there is something wrong with them. But that is just my opinion.