Complaint!

Business By katies135 Updated 8 Mar 2014 , 7:25pm by chocaholikk

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katies135 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 1:26pm
post #1 of 28

ASo I made 2 huge 12" cakes for a birthday party on Saturday which they paid £90 for and the ingredients cost me around £50... the woman has just contacted me saying she was very disappointed as there wasn't enough buttercream and is asking for £45 back? I don't quite know what to do.. This is my first complaint and just seems ridiculous

27 replies
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Godot Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:01pm
post #2 of 28

A90$ per cake?

Do you have any pics?

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BeesKnees578 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:14pm
post #3 of 28

Yes, pics?

 

And 45 back does seem like a lot for just buttercream!

 

Tell her you appreciate the feedback, but don't issue refunds unless the cake was not delivered as promised.  Offer a small credit for a future offer, maybe?  Like $5USD.

 

I am saying this under the assumption that the cake was otherwise acceptable (taste, design, etc.).

 

And was it fondant on the outside?  You should be putting a regular coat under your fondant.

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katies135 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:35pm
post #4 of 28

AHiya, no £90 (sorry from uk!) for both. Which is very good really.. I'm only just starting up. And I did put buttercream under the fondant which she also told me should have been jam! But I've always used buttercream she was satisfied with everything else, when I delivered them she said they were amazing and looked lovely but is now demanding half the money back as she feels there isn't enough buttercream!

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LoveMeSomeCake615 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:43pm
post #5 of 28

So she didn't want buttercream under the fondant, she wanted jam, you used buttercream under the fondant, and she's telling you there wasn't enough buttercream?? Does she mean the filling? Maybe she expected a thicker layer of buttercream fill?

 

Either way it sounds like a pretty ridiculous complaint, and certainly not one that warrants half her money back! If the cake was done the same way you do all of your cakes, and everything else was to her liking, then maybe she doesn't like the way you ice and fill. But that doesn't mean she should get a refund.

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Crazy-Gray Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 2:57pm
post #6 of 28

AHow do you feel about it? do you feel that your cakes are misely on filling?

If so offer her what you are comfortable refunding, if not, if you think this is totally unfounded stand your ground and say you do not offer refunds on such grounds...

If you're torn and not sure maybe give her 6 cupcakes with her next order and a 'thanks for your valued feedback' email.

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katies135 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 3:10pm
post #7 of 28

AWell I decorated it exactly how I decorate all of my cakes and never had any complaints before. She was very difficult when ordering too, everything I asked she said "it's up to you" and "you decide"

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BrandisBaked Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 3:26pm
post #8 of 28

ADeliver her a pound of buttercream. :-)

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TheItalianBaker Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 3:38pm
post #9 of 28

no way she should get money back! 

When I talk to customers I say "it's a tall cake, 4", 3 layers of cake e 2 of filling." 

STOP so they can figure it out by themselves! 

I had a complaint once, because the layers of cake were too thick!!! I mean.. did you hear me talking about the cake or not?

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 5:07pm
post #10 of 28

£90 for 2x 12" cakes is a gift.  And you shouldn't use jam under fondant...she's wrong.  Like the above posters have said, If you feel there was a problem then offer her something like a credit note but £45 is just taking the mick.  I wouldn't justify yourself either as you will be just giving her more ammunition to come back at you.  I'd just say, 'thank you for your comments and I am sorry that you felt there should be more buttercream however this is how my cakes are made.  Unfortunately I cannot offer any refunds in this situation but I would be pleased to provide you with a credit note of £xxx'.  It sounds like she's just after cheaper cake...I had only heard about this happening a lot in the US, sadly it seems to have reached our shores as well :-( 

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ellavanilla Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 8:49pm
post #11 of 28

jam under fondant is the classic way of sticking the fondant on, and it's a very, very thin layer of something like apricot, so that it's flavorless...So if you'd gone with jam she would have gotten less. 

 

"Dear Mrs so and so, 

 

In order to create a smooth and even finish on a fondant covered cake, the amount of buttercream must be limited, as in the cakes I created for you. 

Had I used jam as an undercoating, there would have been even less between the fondant and the cake, as jam is merely a glue to stick the fondant to the cake.

 

In the future, if you wish to have a cake with a higher buttercream to cake ratio, may I suggest you order a buttercream cake with no fondant. 

 

As it stands now, your cakes were done properly and at an extremely low rate, and since the cakes were consumed, I won't be able to refund anything from your purchase. 

 

Sincerely,

Happy Cake Baker"

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liz at sugar Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 9:38pm
post #12 of 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellavanilla 
 

jam under fondant is the classic way of sticking the fondant on, and it's a very, very thin layer of something like apricot, so that it's flavorless...So if you'd gone with jam she would have gotten less. 

 

"Dear Mrs so and so, 

 

In order to create a smooth and even finish on a fondant covered cake, the amount of buttercream must be limited, as in the cakes I created for you. 

Had I used jam as an undercoating, there would have been even less between the fondant and the cake, as jam is merely a glue to stick the fondant to the cake.

 

In the future, if you wish to have a cake with a higher buttercream to cake ratio, may I suggest you order a buttercream cake with no fondant. 

 

As it stands now, your cakes were done properly and at an extremely low rate, and since the cakes were consumed, I won't be able to refund anything from your purchase. 

 

Sincerely,

Happy Cake Baker"

 

The OP should copy this word for word and send it on to your client!

 

Liz

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GigisFreshBaked Posted 3 Mar 2014 , 11:21pm
post #13 of 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellavanilla 
 

jam under fondant is the classic way of sticking the fondant on, and it's a very, very thin layer of something like apricot, so that it's flavorless...So if you'd gone with jam she would have gotten less. 

 

"Dear Mrs so and so, 

 

In order to create a smooth and even finish on a fondant covered cake, the amount of buttercream must be limited, as in the cakes I created for you. 

Had I used jam as an undercoating, there would have been even less between the fondant and the cake, as jam is merely a glue to stick the fondant to the cake.

 

In the future, if you wish to have a cake with a higher buttercream to cake ratio, may I suggest you order a buttercream cake with no fondant. 

 

As it stands now, your cakes were done properly and at an extremely low rate, and since the cakes were consumed, I won't be able to refund anything from your purchase. 

 

Sincerely,

Happy Cake Baker"

That is PERFECT!  Totally agree ... no discount or credit, as she'll never order again anyway and if she did?  You wouldn't want her!  Write the letter! 

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savannahquinn Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 12:18am
post #14 of 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrandisBaked 

Deliver her a pound of buttercream. icon_smile.gif

Ha! love it!

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cakebaby2 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 9:05am
post #15 of 28

AMarks and Spencer's are selling two tier cakes for more than that and you spent fifty on ingredients?

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katies135 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 3:08pm
post #16 of 28

AThat answer is amazing! I've not been doing this long and it was the first complaint I've had and it completely threw me :( and not just on ingredients but including the huge cake box and board too it all came to around £50 :(

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 3:47pm
post #17 of 28

Try not to let it get to you too much.  It may be worth shopping about for your ingrediants though as £50 sounds quite expensive, even if they were very big cakes.  The Sugar Shack does good value boards/boxes...I use them all the time now and delivery is free over £15 :-) I once forgot to order something and had to resort to hobbycraft...they had it buy my goodness, was it expensive!  hth x

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katies135 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 4:43pm
post #18 of 28

AHiya, yeah I do normally try and get things cheaper but this certain lady was being a pain. Every time I asked her what she wanted etc she was like "up to you" "you decide" and was being very unhelpful so I thought there was a chance it was going to fall through and kept putting off paying a deposit so I waited until I'd received the deposit before getting everything so I didn't have time to shop around! :( but will defo look at that website. Out of curiosity do you all get payment up front first or on collection/delivery with a deposit?

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cakesbycathy Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 4:51pm
post #19 of 28

I get payment in full before I do any work on a cake.

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Snowflakebunny23 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 4:53pm
post #20 of 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by katies135 

Hiya, yeah I do normally try and get things cheaper but this certain lady was being a pain. Every time I asked her what she wanted etc she was like "up to you" "you decide" and was being very unhelpful so I thought there was a chance it was going to fall through and kept putting off paying a deposit so I waited until I'd received the deposit before getting everything so I didn't have time to shop around! icon_sad.gif but will defo look at that website. Out of curiosity do you all get payment up front first or on collection/delivery with a deposit?


Makes sense then :-) Sugar Shack is great...but it's amazing how much stuff you 'suddenly realise you need' to make it up to the £15!!  lol.  I take 50% on booking to confirm it (irrespective of the cake type) then the balance is due 4 weeks before the event (or 6 weeks if there's a fruitcake in there).  If something's being booked last minute, I ask for everything upfront unless I know the person very very well.  Is something goes pear-shaped then you shouldn't loose out financially and it's your call as to if you want to refund anything depending on the circumstance. x

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MimiFix Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 4:57pm
post #21 of 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by katies135   Out of curiosity do you all get payment up front first or on collection/delivery with a deposit?

 

Getting a deposit (return customer half payment at least two weeks before due date, new customer payment in full) is basic to running a profitable business. Without that deposit it's too easy for someone to cancel the order without even notifying you.

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AZCouture Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 6:17pm
post #22 of 28

A

Original message sent by MimiFix

Getting a deposit (return customer half payment at least two weeks before due date, new customer payment in full) is basic to running a profitable business. Without that deposit it's too easy for someone to cancel the order without even notifying you.

Heck yes, payment in full before even thinking about cracking that first egg.

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morganchampagne Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 6:46pm
post #23 of 28

AI have been doing well with 50% up front and then I get the remainder of the balance st pick up. Except for weddings which the remainder is due 14 days before the wedding. I haven't had any problems, I try to weed out customers who are trouble, there are signs.

I think in a month or so ill probably go to asking for full payment if its under a certain amount

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LoveMeSomeCake615 Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 7:13pm
post #24 of 28

AAlways full payment up front here too. (50% to book, the rest 1-2 weeks before event date, depending on type of event/size of cake). IMO there's no reason[I] not [/I]to get full payment up front.

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MimiFix Posted 4 Mar 2014 , 7:25pm
post #25 of 28

When I had a retail bakery, all special order cakes were paid in full when ordered. I took a deposit for any cake that came from the display case, so if the customer never showed we could still sell it. But if you have a home-based business, then there's not much you can do with an unpaid order. So it's smart business to get payment in full.

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josweetbaker Posted 5 Mar 2014 , 10:57am
post #26 of 28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellavanilla 
 

jam under fondant is the classic way of sticking the fondant on, and it's a very, very thin layer of something like apricot, so that it's flavorless...So if you'd gone with jam she would have gotten less. 

 

"Dear Mrs so and so, 

 

In order to create a smooth and even finish on a fondant covered cake, the amount of buttercream must be limited, as in the cakes I created for you. 

Had I used jam as an undercoating, there would have been even less between the fondant and the cake, as jam is merely a glue to stick the fondant to the cake.

 

In the future, if you wish to have a cake with a higher buttercream to cake ratio, may I suggest you order a buttercream cake with no fondant. 

 

As it stands now, your cakes were done properly and at an extremely low rate, and since the cakes were consumed, I won't be able to refund anything from your purchase. 

 

Sincerely,

Happy Cake Baker"


well said, done.

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AZCouture Posted 5 Mar 2014 , 2:15pm
post #27 of 28

AI don't use any less buttercream under my fondant...why would you use less? I'd be upset if my pretty cake didn't have more than a smear too.

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chocaholikk Posted 8 Mar 2014 , 7:25pm
post #28 of 28

ASounds like she just wanted the cakes at half the price! She seemed to pack it down well..so its not like she didnt like the cakes...some peoe are shameleas...dont refund anything!

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