Need Help With Delivery Question
Business By CakesbyMichele Updated 27 May 2016 , 5:39pm by rollingstone
So I wanted to see what everyone thought of this situation and if I'm handling it right or not. I'll try to keep it short. I got an order a couple months ago from a woman in England. I'm in NY. Through the course of the emails she kept saying that someone would pick up the cake. The day before the pick up, the person who was going to get the cake called me. I found out she was an hour and half away from me. She seemed a little put off and I agreed to meet her at the mall instead of her trying to find my location and said she would meet me the next morning. Next morning, she never shows, never answers her phone. I contact the person who ordered and she came back saying that the woman was sick and could I deliver. I stated this was out of my delivery range and could someone else come get the cake. It goes back and forth a few days with the woman saying she would pick up on Saturday, saying she called me when she didn't, etc. I finally tell the woman who ordered that I would freeze the cake and let me know when someone could come get the cake. Well, it's been over a month so I reach out again and ask if anyone was coming to get the cake or did they want me to donate it. I get an email stating they want the cake but need me to deliver it. I've explained several times to them that it is out of my delivery range, I'm a single person run shop and can't go out that far. Am I wrong? I just don't know what to do with this. Keep telling them I can't deliver? Never was delivery brought up in the whole ordering process. I was told someone would pick the cake up. Help! I don't know what to tell this woman and the situation has me completely stressed!
I think I would just write this one off...it sounds too fishy to me. They could even be planning to do you bodily harm! If I read your post right, quite a bit of time has passed and surely the event for which the cake was intended has past as well. I'd donate it and let that be the end of it....you've gone out of your way already to try to accomodate this order.
I thought the same thing too! What would happen if I went there (which I'm not going to do) Yes, this was for a birthday in April so it has long passed. Fortunately, they did pay for the whole cake up front through PayPal. I guess that's the only thing keeping me hanging on to this order as I feel like they paid for the cake but I don't feel I need to deliver it to them.
wow that would stress me out too -- I think I'd notify that a storage fee is now in effect that if they want the cake they have to pay $10 a week in storage and right now it stands at x amount from x date
or you could do one or two dollars a day for storage
seriously that would make me miserable --
I'd also include a cut off date like three months sounds good
best to you -- sorry that happened
My day job is at a police department and this certainly sounds scammish to me. The only thing not screaming out a full scam is that you've been paid. I would definitely not deliver it. Maybe determine what overnight shipping would be through fedex or something like that and if they want it, they can pay for it plus all of the packaging, along with signing a waiver advising it may not hold up during delivery.
I would just forget about these people and donate the cake to someone who will appreciate it!! At least you got paid for it!!
Do you have a signed contract? If it has pick up instructions/ agreement, you are fine.
I would contact them one last time, in all methods you have (email, voice mail, etc) and leave the same massage at each:
"You ordered a cake on __________ to pick up on __________. Due to difficulty on YOUR part to pick up the cake, I attempted a delivery at ___________Mall which generated a no-show from your pick up person. Per your instructions, I have frozen the cake and you have yet to make arrangements to pick it up. It is occupying valuable freezer space that I can no longer dedicate to your storage. If you, or your appointed representative do not pick up the cake by __________ (insert date--- 3 days out?) by _______PM (insert time) at ____________(insert address), I will assume you are abandoning the cake you bought and will donate it or dispose of it."
That's it- no apologies, no way out...pick it up, or else...
PS. Proof of delivery is an issue to paypal. I would hate for them to be able to reverse the charge because they never got the product....you know?
Send them the letter @johnson6ofus wrote, it covers everything. If they try to reverse the paypal charge you might be out the money because paypal is very customer-biased, but the letter and all of your email evidence (I assume you have this stuff in writing somewhere) will help.
Yes, that is a great statement to send. Thanks @johnson6ofus I don't have a signed contract as we were communicating through email. I went through the email chain and never once did she ask for delivery. She stated that her fiance would pick up the cake. I did send another email yesterday that stated again that it was out of my delivery range and the cake needed to be picked up. I will resend another stating the above. I didn't know that about Paypal. Hopefully, that doesn't happen. There has been no mention thus far about any money returned. Fingers crossed! Thanks for all the helpful suggestions/support, etc. I will keep you posted on how this concludes (hopefully soon!)
paypal is a real pia -- but my random thought is -- what if you contact them first, paypal that is -- you are definitely having an issue with a transaction -- but sure the vendor is often the one dinged but if you can find a listening human being instead of some of the chilly lizards i've dealt with... just a thought -- no offense to lizards
This is really suspicious. Should the client decide they want the cake and agree to pick it up I would meet them in a public area and take someone with me.
I don't know if I am "really suspicious" or "freaked out".......I bet they are just planning to use it as a paypal reverse the charge complaint.
Who doesn't get the cake they ordered? What happened to the event it was bought for?
I just feel bad for OP who may be out the $$$$ later......
I agree with K8Memphis! I would contact Paypal first. Maybe thru email so that there is proof. Hopefully they can make a note so that no charges can be reversed.
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