I'm sorry, but I really need to vent... I had a cake order for a woman (I'll refrain from calling her a 'lady', because I don't think she qualifies as that) to be completed this week. Unfortunately my eldest daughter got a stomach bug last night and I came down with it this morning, so I sent her a facebook message telling her that I was sorry, but I had to cancel her cake and explained the circumstances. Now, I appreciate that this would maybe mess with her plans, but I didn't expect that her response would be so snotty! She called me a 'waste of time' and 'thanked' me for letting her down. I replied that I couldn't help being ill and would she really accept and eat a cake that had been prepared by someone who was suffering from sickness and diarrhea? I then deleted her off my cake facebook page and blocked her from contacting me again. Ok, I realise that this was probably a bit harsh, but dammit, I'm sick - I don't need her abuse and I'm not gonna take it! 
[deep breath!]
Ok, I'm good now - thanks for listening! 
Sorry you had to go through this! Some people just don't understand ~ life happens! I think some people have the expectation that we bakers have a huge contingent of employees behind us, really to jump in and finish a cake if something happens to us. The just don't understand that we are generally one-person shops, and when sickness or emergencies happen, we are basically shut down for a while. I am always afraid that I will leave a bride hanging, due to sickenss, a devestating car wreck, or something similar ~ but unless you have someone who can jump in and finish your work, I don't see how to avoid it!
This woman sounds mean tempered and self-absorbed. Don't let her interfere with you getting healthy!
She probably would have preferred for you to make her the cake, then when she had the stomach bug she could sue you. Some people have no compassion what so ever. Ok fair enough it's left her in the lurch & I can see her disappointment but there's no need to be so nasty, you're really ill. It's not like you planned on this. I'm sure you would have preferred not to be sick or your daughter but that's life what can you do. There's a lot of it about at the moment, they shut my local hospital to visitors last week because of it.
I always dread when anyone I know gets sick just in case I get it, I've been lucky so far but I know it'll happen one day 
Hope you & your daughter are feeling better soon 
Thank you Starkie. You're absolutely right, it is just me - I'm a stay and bake at home mum (in the UK) and I don't have anyone else to stand in for me. I don't cancel cakes on a whim (Lord knows I need the money!) but I'm not willing to let anyone else get sick or risk my food license and reputation just so that she doesn't get inconvenienced!
My problem is that I'm over-sensitive. Stuff like this gets to me and I tend to stew over it - I know, stupid, right? lol
You did let that woman down! I know that even if I get sick I still
have to work. I've worked sick many times. I remember one time leaving a reception venue after delivering a wedding cake and getting sick in my van. It's not the customers problem you aren't feeling well. I'd be angry if I was her too.
She probably would have preferred for you to make her the cake, then when she had the stomach bug she could sue you. Some people have no compassion what so ever. Ok fair enough it's left her in the lurch & I can see her disappointment but there's no need to be so nasty, you're really ill. It's not like you planned on this. I'm sure you would have preferred not to be sick or your daughter but that's life what can you do. There's a lot of it about at the moment, they shut my local hospital to visitors last week because of it.
I always dread when anyone I know gets sick just in case I get it, I've been lucky so far but I know it'll happen one day
Hope you & your daughter are feeling better soon
There's a lot of it here, too! Whereabouts are you? If you're close, maybe we should buddy up!
I just clicked on your profile and had to have a giggle to myself - the pic on your profile page is your VW Camper van cake, which is the cake that I just had to cancel! lol.
You did let that woman down! I know that even if I get sick I still
have to work. I've worked sick many times. I remember one time leaving a reception venue after delivering a wedding cake and getting sick in my van. It's not the customers problem you aren't feeling well. I'd be angry if I was her too.
So you'd bake and decorate a cake whilst you had sickness and diarrhea? Really?
You did let that woman down! I know that even if I get sick I still
have to work. I've worked sick many times. I remember one time leaving a reception venue after delivering a wedding cake and getting sick in my van. It's not the customers problem you aren't feeling well. I'd be angry if I was her too.
Are you kidding me there's sick & there's sick. This is not a 9 to 5 office job you're working with food that peple have got to eat. She had diarreah how on earth could she prepare food for anyone. I'm glad she was responsable enough to say no. This is how these things spread so fast because of people's irresponsability.
I'm not surprised you're sick all the while if this is how you work.
You did let that woman down! I know that even if I get sick I still
have to work. I've worked sick many times. I remember one time leaving a reception venue after delivering a wedding cake and getting sick in my van. It's not the customers problem you aren't feeling well. I'd be angry if I was her too.
I think if you're throwing up and have diarrhea then you shouldn't be making cakes for people. I, personally, wouldn't want to eat a cake prepared by someone that is this ill. Parts of the USA's health department are campaigning to stop foodborne illnesses due to food workers being ill when preparing food, so I definately wouldn't be baking for the public if I was this ill.
Great now the forum's ganging up on me lol I posted & got an error. Now it's posted several times & won't let me delete arrgh
Maybe I'm contagious online too and the forum got sick!
There's a lot of it here, too! Whereabouts are you? If you're close, maybe we should buddy up!
I just clicked on your profile and had to have a giggle to myself - the pic on your profile page is your VW Camper van cake, which is the cake that I just had to cancel! lol.
How funny (but I guess not really) That'd be great I'm in Walsall. I have an uncle in Telford, he lives in Priorslee.[/quote]
Maybe I'm contagious online too and the forum got sick! no it's just me chaos follows me everywhere
Jeez! I just had another snotty message off her! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN!!? She said that it was a 'lame excuse' and that 'there's always something wrong with you'. I don't even know this woman!!! How can she possibly make a comment like that?!
I'm a bit miffed at facebook - I thought I'd blocked her
Jeez! I just had another snotty message off her! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WOMAN!!? She said that it was a 'lame excuse' and that 'there's always something wrong with you'. I don't even know this woman!!! How can she possibly make a comment like that?!
I'm a bit miffed at facebook - I thought I'd blocked her
If I were you I'd be extremely tempted to send back a smarta$$ message telling her if she was really that determined to be exposed to your germs she is welcome to come on over to your house and you'll gladly share some germs with her so she can share in the wonderful experience of a stomach bug with diarrhea. Really, really tempted lol. I caught a stomach virus in December that almost had me in the emergency room from dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea. I literally slept on the bathroom floor because every time I moved or spoke it caused me to vomit again. I don't think I have ever been that sick before in my life. Hope you feel better soon!
I was extremely tempted! I felt like telling her where to get off, but I reigned in my temper, put my professional hat on and told her that I didn't appreciate her personal comments, that I'd had every intention of doing her cake - that I'd spent time designing it and baked it last night, but threw it away this morning. I then gave her a list of other bakers in the area that 'I hoped would be able to help her', but told her that I wouldn't be replying to any more of her (badly spelled) abusive messages.
Now, if you'll excuse me... I need to go back to the bathroom.. quickly!
I guess it depends on the degree of sickness. I've never worked when I was that deathly sick or had a fever. I think it's important to have a back up plan so that we don't disappoint our customers. Not only are they going to be upset and angry, but they'll never call you again for letting them down.
I just cancelled my SIL to be shower cake due to being ill and running a temperature of 102. You should never bake when you are contagious, that is a wonderful way to spread it. I live in VA and they shut down our hospital to visitor also and they are asking that if you have a doctors appointment (well baby check up or just a regular check up) and are not sick to not come in. It is running rampant here and I will not be responsible for spreading it farther.
"You did let that woman down! I know that even if I get sick I still
have to work. I've worked sick many times. I remember one time leaving a reception venue after delivering a wedding cake and getting sick in my van. It's not the customers problem you aren't feeling well. I'd be angry if I was her too."
I'm sorry but there is no way that I would be any sort of appreciative of any baker that made a cake for me while they were sick. I don't want to get sick and I certainly would be pretty cranked if I showed up to pick up a cake and the baker was extremely ill.
I'm sure the woman was disappointed but it's not the end of the world and her abusive behaviour is appalling. I have a few contacts that I plan to have as back up so if I get sick or something happens I can get them to finish the cake or do it for me.
To the original poster - I hope you feel better soon and you absolutely did the right thing!
Well I think you did the right thing, its life and stuff happens. You could not of forseen that when you took the order. She would have tried to sue the pants off you if she got sick too. I appreciate her dissapointment but there was no need for rudeness or getting personal. So what if you lost other orders from her. She sounds like a PITA anyhow.
Hope you and your daughter are feeling better.
OP-you should definintely get a list of other decorators and network with them so that when life happens and you get sick you can call fellow decorators to help you out or to refer customers to. While you did the responsible thing in not making the cake while sick- next time, I would call the client in person to explain - and not FB message her. On the computer, people feel they can be bolder and b1tchier than if standing in front of or conversing with their victim. Also, what if she were not on the computer and didn't get your message until right before the party and had no time to plan an alternate desert? That would've been awful for her. I hope for your sake, that all these exchanges were private messages because to a potential customer this whole thing played out on FB wall postings would be very bad marketing!
I'm a bit miffed at facebook - I thought I'd blocked her
On FB, you have to go into your account and block her, deleting her is not enough...I'm not sure what the steps are exactly, but go into your account and maybe privacy??? Play around with it (if you're up to it)...Hope you feel better.
OP-you should definintely get a list of other decorators and network with them so that when life happens and you get sick you can call fellow decorators to help you out or to refer customers to. While you did the responsible thing in not making the cake while sick- next time, I would call the client in person to explain - and not FB message her. On the computer, people feel they can be bolder and b1tchier than if standing in front of or conversing with their victim. Also, what if she were not on the computer and didn't get your message until right before the party and had no time to plan an alternate desert? That would've been awful for her. I hope for your sake, that all these exchanges were private messages because to a potential customer this whole thing played out on FB wall postings would be very bad marketing!
I was just about to post the exact same thing. Definitely don't bake if you are contagious but do speak to your customer as opposed to email or FB.
Thanks guys. Just to let you know that this customer asked for her order to be done via facebook. The reason I sent the message through there, as apposed to calling her was because I was still very sick and not really being in any fit state to call her but I still wanted to give her as much notice as possible.
You're right, I really should get a couple of contacts going - I haven't been in business for very long and this is the first time I have had to cancel on a customer. Can I ask, for those that have back-up bakers, how do you work that? Do you just pass the details over and let them deal with each other, so that they have a new contract with each other? There's may be a price difference as I try to be competitively priced, but I'm not prepared to pick up the extra cost... How does it work?
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