I was told that for the first time ever today.... Here's the story...

I get a call and an email from a lady asking if I knew how to make cake squares for her son's bridal shower to serve 35. By cake squares, she meant a sheet cake with the individual servings marked and decorated. Anywho, I assured her that I could indeed make cake squares and gave her a price. She called me on Saturday afternoon and wanted to know when she could come for a tasting. I called her back and got her voicemail, and left her a polite message saying that I only do tastings for wedding cakes and cakes with over 100 servings, but that she could purchase a 6" cake or a dozen cupcakes if she desired. She called me back this morning and said, "I got your message, and I would like to swing by to try a cupcake." I explained to her that I am a custom business. I don't have a storefront and everything is made to order, and I don't have cupcakes just sitting around, and I repeated again that she could order a dozen cupcakes or a small cake. She got all pissy and said, "Fine, if this is the way you treat your customers, well I'll just take my business elsewhere." I said, "Oh, do you know other bakeries that offer free cupcakes to anyone ordering a sheet cake?" She hung up. I hope she doesn't call back.

Wow! lol..you were lucky to dodge someone difficult like that..she wouldve only made more trouble later..ugh..loved your last line..lol!

It was probably a blessing in disguise that she decided to go elsewhere. Many people don't understand that not all cake decorators work from a bakery where goods are readily available to try. She probably didn't realize you would have to bake a dozen cupcakes in order for her to try one.

Regardless, she was downright rude. I hope she doesn't call back either.

You did the right thing. Good for you! It stinks that people have to act that way.

How frustrating! The nerve of people! You handled it brilliantly!

I love hearing people's stories where they don't cave, good for you!

I had one almost just like that last week...only she was ordering a larger cake (60 servings) so I was going to give her a personal consult to discuss design, but no tasting....the first consult she didn't "get" my emails so scheduled something over top of it. We rescheduled. (I was too nice.) Then the week of the reschedule she asked for an "assortment" of cakes to taste to help her "make her choice". I said no, not for cakes under 100 servings (its a new rule I made, because it was getting ridiculous).

She was QUITE angry with me......cancelled the consult and "took her business elsewhere". I did try to explain why I could not keep giving out free cake in hopes of getting business but she threw back that I was sarcastic and had horrible customer service.

Shrug. Don't want customers like that anyhow!

Holy cow! That's terrible! Give someone an inch and they'll take a mile! You really handled it well though.

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I had a girl that wanted to come out for a cake tasting. I told her that she could pick three choices of cake and let me know 48 hrs before the tasting. She never bothered to get them to me and calls an hour before the time and wanted to know if we were still on. I told her that she never bothered to get me the cake she wanted to taste!! She said "she forgot??"" Uh, ok. You sincerely forgot or were going to blow me off and decided not to at the last minute?? People!! I swear there is always someone out there that amazes me!

How annoying for you! I'm glad you shared your experience though, as you have answered a question I was mulling over in my head.. "What should be the minimum serves when considering conducting a cake sampling session?" It seems that most decorators are leaning towards only offering samples to customers of orders of potentially 100+ serves. I think I will stick to this rule also.. could get out of hand real quick otherwise. Offering to sell them cupcakes or a small cake is a wonderful idea too

Are there really bakeries that do hand out free cake samples and/or cupcakes for sheet cakes or small cakes? I don't imagine that supermarkets or Costco are giving away free samples, and custom 'to-order' bakers aren't doing it...so who is? Is this just coming from a misinformation about wedding cake tastings?

Lorieleanne,
My mom was helping a friend throw a party and needed around 60 cupcakes. She went into Super target, talked to the bakery lady and the lady said yes we can do that and handed her both a white and chocolate cupcake for free to taste. It may be just that bakery manager. The thing is large stores have the stock to do that. Customers dont understand that custom and home based businesses do not. Someone here on CC offered cake tastings to go using cupcakes made from left over batter. I think she charged a small fee to cover box and ingredients.

I am so glad you thought of something clever to say and got it in there before she hung up! I always think of the clever one-liners after I have hung up!

There is a local supermarket that does the same thing. They went there for a cake tasting and was handed a big box of cake samples. But no one sat down with them or anything like that. Basically shoved off, no customer service. I think most brides would want to talk with the baker or something than just being handed a bunch of cake!

Same thing happened to me a few months ago. A woman emailed about a wedding for 40 guests and requested a consult. Over 100 srvgs receives a complimentary consult tasting and I emailed her back with this info and my usual nice response w/ available consult dates and her options to purchase some cupcakes if she wanted to taste different flavors.

I was read the riot act through two emails from this woman who was so filled with rage. Her point was why is the free consult for people who can apparently afford a larger cake thus a larger wedding. "Why don't the people who don't have a lot of money get it for free". I would have been patient enough to speak with her about it but she up and up lost her marbles. Her emails are now filed in an email folder entitled "Whackjobs".

Business taken elsewhere. Oh, I booked a wedding for her date four days later.

Swedecakes, I love that you have an email folder called Whackjobs! I'm going to have to remember to do that

I had a customer sent me this email a couple of days ago:

Hi found your website by mistake, was wondering if your cakes taste as good as they look. By the way my name is ****** and I live about 23 minutes from you. I would like to come pick up a sample sometime this week. I will be needing a cake for about 25 people for April 1st. Don't want to waste too much money, please let me know when I can pick up my sample.

******

WHAT Found my website by mistake pick up a sample? Don't want to waste too much money When I showed this to my daugther (16) she said, " I didn't know we had a drive-thru"

I tell you, lots of prayers for customers like this

I just deleted the message..... was still in the trash bin of my email and I just had to copy and paste to show you how crazy customers can be Ohhh but then she requested me on Facebook the irony

Y'all are gonna love this... I got an email a few days ago from someone saying they were looking for a baker to do 2-6 6" cakes for a party they are throwing in July. Wanted to know if they could taste my cake first. I emailed back, "You are looking to order six 6" cakes?" And asked about what type of party she was throwing and for how many people. She emails back, "Maybe, it will probably only be two, but might be six cakes". She then told me each would be a different flavor, so she'd like to swing by and pick up 10 (TEN) different cake samples to help her make her decision, because she didn't want to order anything too crazy. No answer to the party type/guest count.

What I wanted to say: "Yeah lady, I'm gonna bake for 2 days so you can taste every cake flavor I make (with buttercream and filling!) and give it to you for free so you maybe might order two 6" cakes?"

My fuse is way too short these days to deal with that. Every email response I tried to type up was one form of snarky, so I kept it simple: "I'm booked in July."

I just learnt something.....AM BOOKED...that should do it for those that get on my nerves. I dont get people that call to say that they need a cake for a party and immediately follow it up by how much will it cost???

you try to explain that you need more details like...how many people are you inviting, what style/design do you want...some get upset that you are asking too many questions and dont want to just tell them the price!!

I'm cracking up reading these stories! I think that people have been watching too many tv shows where the samples are brought out on a tray and the baker scrapes to kiss their feet. I don't think so...

I had a bride who had already done a tasting email me to say that her fiance wanted to taste the vanilla and the chocolate cakes AGAIN. I played Mickey The Dunce and said that I was confused about why he wanted to taste something that was so basic, and that I wasn't having tastings any time soon. She emailed back and wasn't bothered by it, just told me what flavors they wanted. She probably thought that he was being an idiot too.

Love these stories, so entertaining! I totally need an email folder named "Whackjobs". Awesome.

When people called my shop and started with, "How much do you charge for cakes?" my immediate reply was, "If price is your main concern, you will be happier with supermarket cakes." No point in saying anything else.