Should I Give Her All Money Back
Decorating By pattycakes55d Updated 20 Jul 2010 , 9:15am by allaboutcakeuk
I re-read the OP post. As I a understood it, she did not let the customer know ahead of time. She stated that before the customer had a chance to say anything, she offered her the discounted price. Put yourself in the customer's shoes...she is at the baker's getting ready to pick up her cake that she probably was looking forward to (anyone willing to pay get a custom made cake over a Wal-Mart cake usually is). Her event was probably that day, and she is needing a cake. Yes, she can go to Walmart and get a cake that they already had made and had them put a pooh figure on it, but what if she didn't have time? Who knows? That is making a decision under duress IMHO.
Is the OP telling the truth on the condition of the cake before it left, probably. However, she now has a very upset customer who is going to bad mouth her and do what she can to get a refund. As a business owner myself, this is one time I would give her the $65 and be rid of her.
Yeah, I re-read it too, and you're right. Dunno where I got that 
I can totally accept that from a business pov giving the refund to shut her up(even though I don't think it will)but I'm still not sure where I stand on the issue of her taking the cake when she obviously wasn't happy with it, serving it, and then asking for her money back.
Even if you get it home and find out that not only is it the wrong design, but it's also dry and falling over? Sure, you may be technically correct in what you say. But forcing her to pay for a cake that is the wrong design, falling over, cracked and dry, just because she agreed to the wrong design under duress, that again, you caused her, is not good customer service in my opinion. And she'll be much more apt to spread bad word of mouth about that than about the fact that you delivered a bad cake in the midst of a personal crisis.
I think the responses here would have been completely different if everything about the change in design were omitted. The cake fell over AFTER she took it? Her problem. It didn't feed 40? You used the industry standard chart to determine how big the cake would be. She didn't order enough. Her problem. It was dry? Did she save any for you to check? No? Her problem.
I've seen these types of threads about a million times here and the above seems to be the consensus among most who answer.
If it were only that the design fell short but everything else was perfect, would she still deserve a refund?
Thanks for all your opinions. It was a cake for a little girl and the theme was pooh. I agree with the person who talked about Tinkerbell. Those figures make the cake I think and that's why I gave the generous reduction to begin with. The little girl was waiting to see her special cake and won't understand. I didn't pay attention to recommendations here on CC on having a contract for something other than a wedding cake. I am naive in thinking that everyone is fair and I don't need one. I didn't want the customer to feel that she wasn't trusted by signing the contract so I waived it. For the sake of a customer I didn't take care of me. I could have taken a pic if I had purchased new batteries, but I didn't have time so I said to myself. This situation could have been way less if I had those things in place first. I wonder if there is someone who would be generous in sharing your contract and sign off sheet, I would be forever grateful. I hope newbies are reading this thread.
ok hear we go. While I slept this customer went and plastered Facebook with comments and pics of the cake. She didn't even wait an hour for my response. My thought is to reply by saying on facebook that: " there are many aspects of this order that people are not aware of and I ask that you do not form an opinion based on not having all the information. I have not blocked this customer as I have nothing to hide." I don't think it would be wise to go into details. What should I do? I guess I don't need to send a cheque (ha ha).
There are some people emailing me telling me its ok don't worry. One bride sent me a pm telling me her cake was beautiful and tasted out of this world. I'm still quite upset about all this.
She wouldn't remove any of what she said if you did send her a check so that is why I say she was fishing for money...
How unfortunate. After reading all the posts, I can see everyone's side, but no one was ever going to come out of this a winner. OP did not say what her emergency was, but emergencies and business don't mix. My opinion (honed over 30 years of medical equipment sales and deliveries to very sick people with very emotionally charged attitudes), is that if I could not "deliver", then they were not charged. OP, I'd chalk this up to experience and be grateful years from now that you learned all these hard lessons on a birthday cake, not a massive wedding order.
I personally would contact them by email (for PROOF of what was said and the date and any responses by them).
Say you will refund the entire amount because you wish all your customers to be pleased with your services and products regardless of the situation. Mail them a cashier's check and keep a copy of the check and mailing receipt and received by customer receipt. IF any customers ever mention they saw this on Facebook, you can show them your professional response.
Any bad press this family can spread will be small and forgotten soon enough.
Hope your emergency came out ok. You will be ok, too. It's always hard when people attack you personally when you feel you've gone above and beyond.
I am relatively new to this site so I rarely offer comments, but I do have a strong background in marketing. Consider this rule when dealing with an upset customer... an unsatisfied customer tells approximately 30 people how you wronged them. A satisfied customer tells approximately 10 people how great you were. So it takes three happy customers to counter one dissatisfied customer and that only puts you right back at square one before the three great cakes. Whether you are right or wrong, the damage done to your business by an upset customer is very hard to overcome. But on the plus side, when you finally satisfy that unhappy customer, she will tell people how you made everything right. Bottom line, the old saying is a wise one, "The customer is always right", if you want your business to grow. For mistakes out of your control, make sure the client is aware of all possible cake mishaps with a signed contract. An informed customer is more likely to accept what part is her fault.
I think this answer is simple. They asked for a certain cake, and you did not deliver! Your personal problems should not become their problems! They should have said something upon pick-up, but either way, you would have been stuck with a lot of time wasted on a cake.
If you are going to make custom cakes, you need to make sure you come through. I wouldn't have given it a second thought, they could have gone anywhere to get a cake with flowers, but they came to you. Even if it's inconvenient, you need to keep up your goodwill with your customers if you want to be successful.
I didn't read all the posts...but contact should have definitely been made to the customer when the emergency happened...and choices given re. the cake. If I ordered a Pooh and Eeyore cake, and I showed up and it just had flowers on it...I would be upset, especially for a "high end" cake.
If I had a family emergency to where I could not finish the cake I would do this:
First I would ask a cake friend to finish for me, and collect the remainder of the payment for themselves.
If I had no cake friend, I would call the client and explain the problem. I would ask the client if they wanted to have a full refund and go buy a last minute cake somewhere...or if they wanted the cake "as is", maybe with flowers added, and maybe they could go buy figurines or something for the cake....and they would not get a refund BUT they would not owe any more money.
That way they know and understand what is going on, and they have the opportunity to decide how they want to manage the situation.
I'd also give them a coupon for a future percent off another cake, so that they have the chance to get a cake done right, rather than with an emergency involved.
Honestly I feel that in this case, the customer does, actually, deserve a full refund.
This might be harsh, and I will say I do not know what happened, or what your emergency was, but as far as Im concerned unless someone has been sent to hospital with SEVERE injuries, passed away, or is in the process of such demise, then the cake should be delivered as it was contracted, or agreed apon. If you were working on someones tax return, you wouldnt be able to hand it in half done and still expect your pay for completing it. I remember someone on here saying if your going to do this professionally, and if your charging for your product, you are considering yourself as a professional, then you have to conduct yourself as such. which means, come hell or high water, you deliver what you got paid for.
Having said that, of you had photos of what it looked like when it left your hands, then theres no problems, because yoyucan prove that it was fine when it left. And as for the taste, there is no left over product so it cant have been too bad.
Take it as a learning curve, give the money back, and take photos from now on CLICK CLICK CLICK. it only takes seconds!
I didn't read all the posts...but contact should have definitely been made to the customer when the emergency happened...and choices given re. the cake. If I ordered a Pooh and Eeyore cake, and I showed up and it just had flowers on it...I would be upset, especially for a "high end" cake.
If I had a family emergency to where I could not finish the cake I would do this:
First I would ask a cake friend to finish for me, and collect the remainder of the payment for themselves.
If I had no cake friend, I would call the client and explain the problem. I would ask the client if they wanted to have a full refund and go buy a last minute cake somewhere...or if they wanted the cake "as is", maybe with flowers added, and maybe they could go buy figurines or something for the cake....and they would not get a refund BUT they would not owe any more money.
That way they know and understand what is going on, and they have the opportunity to decide how they want to manage the situation.
I'd also give them a coupon for a future percent off another cake, so that they have the chance to get a cake done right, rather than with an emergency involved.
Honestly I feel that in this case, the customer does, actually, deserve a full refund.
Having a back up decorator is a very good idea for anyone who is doing this as a business Kitagirl. I have a couple of other decorators in my area that I have networked with. They have helped me out when I was hospitalized for pneumonia back in the fall and couldn't finish a couple of orders. I also do the same for them also.
This has been a very interesting thread to read. Was there any contact before the cake was picked up that the figures would not be on the cake? If not, this is not the cake that she ordered. Did they eat all of the cake even though "it was dry"? Why did they eat all of the cake if it was too dry?
Would you get a refund from WalMart if you accepted the cake, took it home, and ate the entire cake? Wouldn't you @ least have to return the dry cake to get your money back?
I would give the full refund just to get them out of your hair. It I were the recipient of this cake I would be very upset that the figures weren't on there as promised. I may have accepted the cake as well if it looked nice and it were last minute. The only amount that I would be willing to pay would be the cost of the ingredients IF the cake was consumed.
I did contact the customer on the phone to inform them. Yes the cake was eaten. Last night, I received a telephone call from the customer threatening to come to my house and get her money back no matter what. Now this is getting scary. I will contact the customer today via email and agree to give back $65. (She and her friends) will need to agree to cease any and all actions against me immediately. By cashing the cheque she agrees that this is full payment and releases me of any and all obligations. A question, do other home bakers have customers come for pick up at your residence? I would be interested in hearing what you do.
DO NOT let this woman come to your house!!
First of all since she threatened you I personally would not refund the money and call the police but that's up to you.
Tell her you will send her refund certified mail so that she has to sign for it.
I would think you need to tell her that you will agree to refund her money but she needs to agree to remove her Facebook stuff. Offer her a gift certificate and apologize for not producing a cake that was up to her expectations. Put it behind you and lesson learned.
I am one of those people who expects what I was promised when I pay a professional to deliver something better than ordinary. We can't forget that she had a party to host and no cake was not an option. I would have taken the cake only because I was in bind. After stewing over it, I probably would have demanded my money back, and I wouldn't stop until I had it back legally.
DO NOT let this woman come to your house!!
First of all since she threatened you I personally would not refund the money and call the police but that's up to you.
Tell her you will send her refund certified mail so that she has to sign for it.
I have to agree with this. Call me paranoid (hey, I was married to a cop for years) but I'd be heading down to the local police station to file a report if she's making threats. She may not have spoken a direct threat like "I'm going to come beat the dog doo out of you" but she's implying threatening behavior. At the very least I'd be creating a paper trail with the authorities just in case things get dicey down the road.
I never have customers come to my home.
First off, it's zoned residential where I live and I don't want to have any issues with neighbor complaints. If I don't deliver directly to the venue, I meet customers at a central location such as a coffee shop.
Secondly....again, call me paranoid but I look at it as a safety issue. I would rather not have random strangers able to come 'round where I sleep, ya know?
In your case - send a full refund via certified mail with signature required. Don't attach conditions - she's going to be badmouthing you no matter what you do or don't do. It's unfortunate, but you weren't able to deliver what was ordered and she is due a refund. Don't look at it as caving in to her demands; look at it as the right thing to do.
And file a statement/report with the police. Please. Better to be safe than sorry.
Since this has escalated, I'd recommend these steps as mentioned earlier:
ALL communication from you by E-mail only (emails serve as proof of both conversations). If they left a phone message, SAVE it!
Say only: "The entire amount tendered is being refunded, $65, because I wish all my customers to be pleased with my services and products regardless of the situation."
E-mail them that a cashier's check or money order if bank closed [NOT a personal check or business check] has been mailed at the post office and if they wish they may verify mailing online with the postal service. Keep a copy of the check and mailing receipt and confirmation of receipt by customer.
Do the above ASAP with no conditions, then take a long warm bath with bubbles and a cold drink nearby to relax yourself! Good luck!
I think this seems to be getting exaggerated... it seems as though the women threatened to hurt her business' reputation... not hurt the baker! I would not call it a "threat" if she says she will come get the money... she just feels she needs her money back, and I agree. Police is not necessary! Just give her back her money!
Actually, she did threaten to come to the baker's home to "get the money, no matter what". This was after she posted bad things on the baker's Facebook page. This customer is acting hostile and the quote comes off as a threat.
ETA: quote was from last post on the previous page.
No way in Hades I would give her back any money. She is not going to stop saying nasty things about you if you do give it back. If you feel that you need to I would do as someone else said and add up the ingredients and remove that from what you give her. Let her know you will mail it to her and if she shows up at your door, I would call the police. I hate when bullies get their way.
I wouldn't let her come to your house, she doesn't seem like the type of person that I would want her to know where I live. 
Maybe certified letter in the mail or you can meet her somewhere.
I hope this will satisfy her and then you can wash your hands of her for good!
Jodi
Huh. I'm surprised no one mentioned that unless the OP got permission from the copywrite owner, the cake could not have been legally made. Therefore, no contract was possible, I believe because the contract would not have been legal.
Still, give the crazy back her moolah, file a police report.
Huh. I'm surprised no one mentioned that unless the OP got permission from the copywrite owner, the cake could not have been legally made. Therefore, no contract was possible, I believe because the contract would not have been legal.
Still, give the crazy back her moolah, file a police report.
Its because its not the topic of the conversation...if the OP is wondering about copyrights, she can look it up. 
Sorry, I thought I might have typed in a way that would be taken wrong. I wasn't trying to start a copywrite debate.
What I meant is that because of the copywrite issue I don't think either side would "win" in court. This is just from watching those tv shows with judges, though. If you enter into an illegal contract, it's not really a contract because of the illegality.
Of course the lady is mad, you didn't deliver the cake as ordered. Perhaps she took the cake in the first place because a) she doesn't like face to face confrontation b) she needed a cake c) she already paid a lot of money for it.
You also should not be making and selling copyrighted images w/o permission.
As far as the cake being dry, perhaps it did NOT get all eaten despite being 'dry', perhaps they all tossed their pieces in the trash.
I'm not saying it was dry, just suggesting that maybe there wasn't any to return.
Would you have believed her if she had returned a piece of cake? I'm sure there would've been reasons you could've denied that as well, like it was left out all day and/or night uncovered. I am not sure I would've believed someone who returned cake unless I completely trusted him/her.
Block her off your FB. That option is there for a reason.
Personal emergencies stink, but it was business, and you should've done the cake as requested.
That being said, hopefully you worked it out and are done with it.
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