Big Screw Up! Customer's, Not Mine!
Decorating By nhbaker Updated 26 Jun 2013 , 5:13pm by Annabakescakes
This is a first for me so I thought I'd share. Long story short -- customer ordered a cake for the wrong date!!!!
My husband called me at work last night in a panic and says "a customer just called and wants to know where her cake is". I was stumped. I told him both cakes I had were for the next day and that I have signed contracts and everything. So I asked my manager if I could call her (I wait tables part time so that's frowned upon). She's answers the phone and says right away "it's my mistake, I gave you the wrong date"
I had the cake carved and iced and ready to cover in fondant, etc. (which I was planning on doing this morning), so I told her my husband could get it to her "as is" and she agreed (it was in the shape of a basketball jersey so nothing too complicated). She asked if she could decorate it somehow. I told her she could do what she wanted as long as people knew I didn't do that part!
She had already paid 50% upon ordering and I didn't feel comfortable charging her the remainder as the cake was unfinished so I only charged her $20 extra.
All night I was worried that I had put the wrong date on the contract and she didn't catch it, so when I got home, I checked my emails from her and from her very first inquiry on SHE gave the wrong date.
Even though it wasn't my bad, it's still hard not to be bothered by it. That and I'm a little worried about what people thought when they saw the cake! It was by no means pretty and who knows what she did to it!
Oh well, one for the books I guess!
AI once had a customer make a big oops too! I was asked to make a custom cake topper a Honda gold wing motorcycle with the bride and groom riding it. The customer was a co- worker so I knew her well, we emailed back and forth several times, she sent me bunches of photos(all of the motorcycle). She want all of the details "just right". Well after a week of working on it the day came for delivery, wedding was next day....I brought the topper to her, she gladly payed me and said she loved it, motorcycle looked like grooms....but she had a funny look on her face. I asked if there was a problem.....she sheepishly said "the couple is African American". She forgot to tell me that small detail! Lol! At that point I didn't really have time to redo it but I offered to try....she said not to worry about it that it was fine. The next week I found out from another coworker that she tried to "fix" it herself.....with a brown crayola marker.......lol! Just shook my head and walked away laughing.
I once had a customer make a big oops too! I was asked to make a custom cake topper a Honda gold wing motorcycle with the bride and groom riding it. The customer was a co- worker so I knew her well, we emailed back and forth several times, she sent me bunches of photos(all of the motorcycle). She want all of the details "just right". Well after a week of working on it the day came for delivery, wedding was next day....I brought the topper to her, she gladly payed me and said she loved it, motorcycle looked like grooms....but she had a funny look on her face. I asked if there was a problem.....she sheepishly said "the couple is African American". She forgot to tell me that small detail! Lol! At that point I didn't really have time to redo it but I offered to try....she said not to worry about it that it was fine. The next week I found out from another coworker that she tried to "fix" it herself.....with a brown crayola marker.......lol! Just shook my head and walked away laughing.
To Funny, that she tried to fix it with a crayon!
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Original message sent by bikemom3
I once had a customer make a big oops too! I was asked to make a custom cake topper a Honda gold wing motorcycle with the bride and groom riding it. The customer was a co- worker so I knew her well, we emailed back and forth several times, she sent me bunches of photos(all of the motorcycle). She want all of the details "just right". Well after a week of working on it the day came for delivery, wedding was next day....I brought the topper to her, she gladly payed me and said she loved it, motorcycle looked like grooms....but she had a funny look on her face. I asked if there was a problem.....she sheepishly said "the couple is African American". She forgot to tell me that small detail! Lol! At that point I didn't really have time to redo it but I offered to try....she said not to worry about it that it was fine. The next week I found out from another coworker that she tried to "fix" it herself.....with a brown crayola marker.......lol! Just shook my head and walked away laughing.
A
Original message sent by bikemom3
I once had a customer make a big oops too! I was asked to make a custom cake topper a Honda gold wing motorcycle with the bride and groom riding it. The customer was a co- worker so I knew her well, we emailed back and forth several times, she sent me bunches of photos(all of the motorcycle). She want all of the details "just right". Well after a week of working on it the day came for delivery, wedding was next day....I brought the topper to her, she gladly payed me and said she loved it, motorcycle looked like grooms....but she had a funny look on her face. I asked if there was a problem.....she sheepishly said "the couple is African American". She forgot to tell me that small detail! Lol! At that point I didn't really have time to redo it but I offered to try....she said not to worry about it that it was fine. The next week I found out from another coworker that she tried to "fix" it herself.....with a brown crayola marker.......lol! Just shook my head and walked away laughing.
No offense, but one of my first questions would be race...I've learned not to assume these things...maybe it's just my military environment though.
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Original message sent by soldiernurse
No offense, but one of my first questions would be race...I've learned not to assume these things...maybe it's just my military environment though.
AN[quote name="bikemom3" url="/t/760065/big-screw-up-customers-not-mine#post_7407446"] I know bad on my part but since I was working in a small not very culturally diverse town the city girl in me forgot to ask that specifically. I did ask her her to let me know any "important details she wanted included" all i got was 12 photos of the motorcycle and a request to add pearls to brides dress! Lol![/quote 12 motorcycle pics no mention of couple :-)
AHahaha oh dear, least next time you will ask even though it wasn't your fault. Can't believe the crayon though OMG!
I've had a client change the date of her wedding and not bother telling me. I also had one give me the wrong date on purpose because I told her I was booked the Saturday of the weekend she was getting married, so she said it was for the Sunday of that weekend. Then she said "oh wow, I don't know how that slipped through, it's really Saturday" when I emailed to confirm details. She turned out to be a raging psycho in every way, too.
I've had a client change the date of her wedding and not bother telling me. I also had one give me the wrong date on purpose because I told her I was booked the Saturday of the weekend she was getting married, so she said it was for the Sunday of that weekend. Then she said "oh wow, I don't know how that slipped through, it's really Saturday" when I emailed to confirm details. She turned out to be a raging psycho in every way, too.
That happened to me 2 weeks ago! I was furious! I asked what time she would be here Sunday, and she says, "Um, actually, it is for Saturday." I could've killed her.
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Original message sent by Godot
Oh - I wanna hear more about the raging psycho.
Oh, you really don't. It involved banning people from my facebook page for spamming me, fake complaints filed with the BBB that I was able to show them came from her and not the person who supposedly wrote them, complaints that I had delivered what she ordered because "the contract doesn't matter" and a bunch of other crap. The worst customer I ever had. But the venue said that she wasn't happy with anything they did either, so it wasn't just me that had to deal with her. For example, she told me that nobody would eat the cake so she wanted a refund from me, then she complained to the venue that they didn't cut big enough pieces for people, so she wanted them to gve her a refund too. So she was mad that the supposedly inedible cake wasn't served in large enough hunks. I guess she didn't think that vendors actually talk to each other to compare notes about psychos.
I had a bride forget to tell me that she had changed her theme color from pink to teal. As I arrived at the venue, the caterers and linen people were setting everything up and it was all in teal. Well I came in carrying a 4 tiered hot pink and black cake. I set it up and before I left I called the bride. No answer so I left a message stating that she forgot to mention the color change. I never heard from her. She realized it was her mistake!
I had a bride forget to tell me that she had changed her theme color from pink to teal. As I arrived at the venue, the caterers and linen people were setting everything up and it was all in teal. Well I came in carrying a 4 tiered hot pink and black cake. I set it up and before I left I called the bride. No answer so I left a message stating that she forgot to mention the color change. I never heard from her. She realized it was her mistake!
Whoops! 2 weeks ago, on my busy weekend, where I also had the "lady" change her date, I had a 3 tier square cake that I was told should have "turquoise" ribbon on it, but when I go to the venue, it was more what I would call Caribbean Blue. It clashed, with the plastic tablecloth, but what can you do?
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