Cake Refund Letter?

Decorating By Candyce0928 Updated 17 Jul 2012 , 2:34pm by LNW

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Candyce0928 Posted 29 May 2012 , 3:57pm
post #1 of 20

Does anyone have possession of a letter to propose a partial refund to a customer? Thanks in advance!

19 replies
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cakecoachonline Posted 1 Jun 2012 , 6:40pm
post #2 of 20

I do not have a letter of apology but if I did it would be along the lines of:-
Dear Mrs.................. We are so sorry that you were disappointed with your order from (your company) We truly would like to apologize and as a way of trying to compensate you for the error would like to offer you a refund of. $ ... We have been in business for over.................. years and have never experienced this problem with this design before. We are very sorry if this error with your order spoilt your celebration. Please accept our apologies once again.

Kind regards................................

Changing We to I if you are only one person!!

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KoryAK Posted 1 Jun 2012 , 8:07pm
post #3 of 20

Wow, I am shocked to hear that you did not enjoy the taste of your cake as much the look. All of our cakes are baked from scratch from our own special recipes and while the great majority of our clients love it, some are accustomed to more of a grocery store, box mix-style cake even most local bakeries use this type. Would it be possible for you to bring in the remaining portion so that I can see if there was actually an issue with the cake or if it is simply a matter of different tastes?

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cakecoachonline Posted 1 Jun 2012 , 8:37pm
post #4 of 20

Now my reply sounds really English! - Sorry about that! icon_lol.gif

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Jess155 Posted 1 Jun 2012 , 11:20pm
post #5 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by KoryAK

Wow, I am shocked to hear that you did not enjoy the taste of your cake as much the look. All of our cakes are baked from scratch from our own special recipes and while the great majority of our clients love it, some are accustomed to more of a grocery store, box mix-style cake even most local bakeries use this type. Would it be possible for you to bring in the remaining portion so that I can see if there was actually an issue with the cake or if it is simply a matter of different tastes?




I would NOT use this one. If I got that letter, I would be more mad about the letter than the cake.

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costumeczar Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 1:25am
post #6 of 20

Personally, I would avoid any kind of explanation and just get to the point. Something like:

I'm sorry that you weren't happy with the cake that you purchased on May 15th. We want all of our customers to be happy with their cakes, so we'd like to offer you either a partial refund of XXXX amount, or a XXXX percentage off of your next order. Please let us know which one you'd prefer and we will get it to you right away.

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PinkLotus Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 1:30am
post #7 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jess155

Quote:
Originally Posted by KoryAK

Wow, I am shocked to hear that you did not enjoy the taste of your cake as much the look. All of our cakes are baked from scratch from our own special recipes and while the great majority of our clients love it, some are accustomed to more of a grocery store, box mix-style cake even most local bakeries use this type. Would it be possible for you to bring in the remaining portion so that I can see if there was actually an issue with the cake or if it is simply a matter of different tastes?



I would NOT use this one. If I got that letter, I would be more mad about the letter than the cake.




I agree. Maybe this kind of explanation is standard (I'm not in business, so I really don't know) but speaking as a customer, I would find this extremely insulting. (Not the asking for some of the cake to sample - that, I find reasonable).

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KoryAK Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 7:14am
post #8 of 20

Hmm, maybe I get too much into thinking on the professional side and forget what it looks like from the other perspective. As a customer, what would you prefer to see?

(I'm really asking, not being snotty in case anyone thinks that.)

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scp1127 Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 7:22am
post #9 of 20

Why not a phone call? I think a problem deserves a real live personal contact. A lot can be remedied with a good talk. Then tell them that you will immediately send the refund.

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SoFloGuy Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 7:30am
post #10 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by Candyce0928

Does anyone have possession of a letter to propose a partial refund to a customer? Thanks in advance!




I think you need to discuss it with the party in question first. You give a partial refund. Proposing a partial refund sound like you are offering it and hoping the person declines it and says everything is fine. If not ask them how much of a refund they feel would be fair. If they say everything is fine still send an apology letter with an offer for a free cake for a graduation or mother's day or Christmas (or some other occasion that won't break the bank.)

Just speak from your heart.

I was not happy with the service that I provided you and understand your frustrations, I offer an apology for not living up to the standards that were expected, also please find the enclosed refund for $___.

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PinkLotus Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 12:20pm
post #11 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by KoryAK

Hmm, maybe I get too much into thinking on the professional side and forget what it looks like from the other perspective. As a customer, what would you prefer to see?

(I'm really asking, not being snotty in case anyone thinks that.)




Speaking as a reasonable customer (and I recognize that a lot of customers are NOT reasonable, haha) I'd want the baker to at least acknowledge my issue and try to come to a resolution. I'd be willing to bring in some of the leftover cake for the baker to try. If it was just a difference of tastes, and the cake tasted exactly as it should, I wouldn't expect a refund. But if it were a dryness issue, or there was something WRONG with the cake, then I'd want the baker to do something, no matter how small.
But as a customer, being told that I probably didn't like the cake because I'm used to box mixes and grocery store cake would infuriate me and insult me. I have worked in customer service in the past, so I know that the customer is often wrong, but I think there should at least be attempts to investigate and see what the problem is.
Now, that being said, I know that there are a lot of customers out there who just can't be pleased, and it probably doesn't matter what you say because you won't ever make them happy!
Sorry, I didn't mean for this to be so long!

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kelleym Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 1:40pm
post #12 of 20

Yes, a while ago there was a CC'er who actually sent a customer a "you're so used to crap that you don't know what good is" (paraphrased) letter, and the customer was even more enraged.

As far as the original question, I would have a hard time composing a letter of refund without knowing the actual problem, so absent that, my suggestion would be: "I am very sorry that you were not satisfied with your purchase. Customer satisfaction is our first priority, so we would like to offer you a refund of ___ on your cake." But, as I said, it's really difficult to write without knowing the reason. Best of luck, I hope it works out for you.

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SoFloGuy Posted 2 Jun 2012 , 4:57pm
post #13 of 20

Whatever you do don't make a form letter to give a refund. Nothing upsets me more than getting a form letter, a lot of websites do that to save time and it seems that many times they do not even address the matter or issue that you are upset about.

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cakecoachonline Posted 4 Jun 2012 , 9:44am
post #14 of 20

If I had had a problem as a customer, personally I would prefer someone to telephone me and have a discussion rather than receiving a letter. At that discussion the whole problem can be discussed and a conclusion drawn and agreement reached. But as this thread suggests without knowing what the original problem was - it is difficult to advise. Was the cake cracked, was it royal iced and could not be cut, did it just taste wierd and not as expected? Was the design wrong, wrong colour, etc. But a phone call is what I would like to receive.

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Helenw78 Posted 6 Jun 2012 , 11:16am
post #15 of 20

hmmmm...a phone call is nice but, to cover yourself I would have it all down in writing as well.

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flourxxchildxx Posted 12 Jul 2012 , 7:33pm
post #16 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by KoryAK

Hmm, maybe I get too much into thinking on the professional side and forget what it looks like from the other perspective. As a customer, what would you prefer to see?

(I'm really asking, not being snotty in case anyone thinks that.)




I don't know if that's exactly,"professional" ive always worked in the food industry and the one thing that all of the restaurants have agreed on is "the costomer is always right". No matter what. It sounds more like your insulting their taste and I think that would further anger them :/

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carmijok Posted 12 Jul 2012 , 7:59pm
post #17 of 20

A phone call followed by an email or letter (or both) stating what was discussed and resulting concession came of it: "Thank you for speaking with me regarding the issue with your cake. I'm glad we resolved it and per our discussion, enclosed is a refund of $_________ along with my sincerest regret that your order did not meet your expectations.
Customer satisfaction is my number one priority and I hope that you consider giving (name of bakery) another opportunity in the future. Sincerely....."

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jgifford Posted 12 Jul 2012 , 8:12pm
post #18 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmijok

A phone call followed by an email or letter (or both) stating what was discussed and resulting concession came of it: "Thank you for speaking with me regarding the issue with your cake. I'm glad we resolved it and per our discussion, enclosed is a refund of $_________ along with my sincerest regret that your order did not meet your expectations.
Customer satisfaction is my number one priority and I hope that you consider giving (name of bakery) another opportunity in the future. Sincerely....."




You are always so classy! This is really nice. thumbs_up.gif

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pinkfluffycupcake Posted 13 Jul 2012 , 5:41pm
post #19 of 20

"Please accept our sincerest apologies for your less-than-satisfactory experience. As a gesture of appreciation for your patronage and in an effort to restore your faith in our products, we would appreciate having the opportunity to welcome compensate you $xx or one dozen cupcakes at no charge. When its convenient, please contact me directly so that I may personally look after all arrangements."

This is a tweaked version of a sample on the Office.com website; if you search under Templates for "apology", you'll come up with dozens of examples you can download and customize to your particular situation.

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LNW Posted 17 Jul 2012 , 2:34pm
post #20 of 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmijok

A phone call followed by an email or letter (or both) stating what was discussed and resulting concession came of it: "Thank you for speaking with me regarding the issue with your cake. I'm glad we resolved it and per our discussion, enclosed is a refund of $_________ along with my sincerest regret that your order did not meet your expectations.
Customer satisfaction is my number one priority and I hope that you consider giving (name of bakery) another opportunity in the future. Sincerely....."




This. I dont own a bakery but we have rental business and weve had to evict renters (doing two evictions this month actually). We always call the renters and speak with them about the issue but we also send a certified letter as well. Gotta have a paper trail. I realize my situation is much different (legalities and all) but anyone can claim they never heard from you (as some of our past tenants have claimed) but when you send a certified letter AND call them there isnt any way for them to claim they never heard from you. Its good to talk to people, hear what they have to say and they like to hear from you too. But you also have to have that paper trail to prove you reached out to talk with them, you didnt blow them off.

Oh and I remember that thread where the baker accused the customer of having grocery store tastes and thats why she didnt like the bakers cake. Which isnt at all true. Maybe the bakers cake stunk. Maybe it really did taste like a big turd. Dont assume youre the G*d of baking and everything that comes out of your oven will taste like heaven. And NEVER tell a client that they have grocery store tastes. Never ever ever ever. Thats so insulting and degrading. Even if its true on their part (Ive got family that would take a Wal-Mart cake over one of mine any day). Doesnt mean I suck, but it also doesnt mean they have something wrong with their pallet. We just like different things. I dont fault them for that. Though I do wonder how on earth they can choke down that sugary glop they call buttercream.

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