Customer Hasn't Paid And Wedding Is On Saturday! Advice?
Business By puddles_gal Updated 14 Sep 2011 , 12:23pm by cakestyles
You CALL her
I AGREE ON THIS ONE TOO! Brides get so busy and possibly she thought she took care of it? Suggest the Paypal since it sounds as if she lives over an hour away (?) and to save her time in travel to send it via paypal.
Please pick up a phone and call. I know you sent an email, but she can always say she didn't get it or see it, or whatever. Phone her and if you can't speak to her, leave a message. Then email her again and tell her you tried to reach her by phone as well. (paper trail).
This is the right way to do it. Remember brides are busy and sometimes scatter brained with all that is going on. Everyone handles things differently. At least try and verbally contact her.
That is the reason you have a contract. For the first time ever, I had to tell a bride today at 2:00 that I had cancelled her wedding cake for this Sunday.
After me giving her an extra 1 1/2 weeks to pay, she promised to come in on Wednesday and didn't, I called 2 more times and left messages with a family member, she still didn't pay.
She called today at 2:00 to ask me about flowers and I had to tell her, just 48 hours before her wedding that it was cancelled due to lack of payment. It just about killed me. However, I have a signed contract, that she has a copy of that states payment is due 2 weeks in advance.
When her fiance called later to discuss the issue further, my husband was able to explain about the contract and that she has a copy of it. Her fiance was very understanding and didn't hold it against us.
I , of course, still felt horrible but business is business and I had done everything possible to reach her. I thank God that I had a signed contract, otherwise, I would be working all night or at least until the early hours of the morning to proect me and my business.
I'm thinking the OP was busy baking which is why she didn't update us.
Tracycakes, that really stinks...I'm sure it bothered you, it would me too. But, you had a contract and that contract was broken by the other party involved.
Thankfully I haven't been faced with a non-payment on a wedding cake or any large event cake yet...I hope I never have to enforce that part of my contract but if the time comes that I'm faced with a similar situation, I would have to.
[quote="cakestyles"
Tracycakes, that really stinks...I'm sure it bothered you, it would me too. But, you had a contract and that contract was broken by the other party involved.
Thankfully I haven't been faced with a non-payment on a wedding cake or any large event cake yet...I hope I never have to enforce that part of my contract but if the time comes that I'm faced with a similar situation, I would have to.[/quote]
I've NEVER had this happen before. In fact, I only started requiring the brides to sign it a few months ago. Since she was a last minute bride, she had signed it.
Yes, it made me sick to my stomach. I felt just horrible but I wasn't going to stay up all night baking and decorating her cake because she failed to do what she was supposed to do.
Just to add to this story, I had a wedding delivery last Monday, Labor Day. The previous Thursday, just 4 days before the reception (they had already gotten married), she called to cancel her cake because they weren't going to have the reception. Yes, the cake was paid for and No, I don't allow refunds after final payment. However, I do plan on giving her back half of the payment (not including the deposit) because I do like her and I've done several cakes for her.
I don't know what's happening with these brides in September, I've never had anything like this. But, business is business. We are in this to make a living, no matter how much we love it, it is a business.
My goodness! I see you're in the South...were they canceling because of a bad weather forecast?
I can't imagine canceling a reception 4 days before since most places require payment upfront nowadays.
It's nice of you to offer a partial refund...had you started making any part of the cake at that point?
I've had a lot more last-minute brides recently. From what I've seen it's a trend for people to book later than they used to, not just for cakes but for a lot of wedding services. Make sure to get the signatures on the contract before you cash retainer fee checks...If you cash the check they can make the argument that you accpeted the job without a contract, if it does come to that.
I had a girl book last month for November, and this week she postponed the wedding. She emailed and said that it was being postponed, and I could just return the deposit to her mother. I wrote back and said that the retainer is non-refundable and non-transferable according to the contract. the contract is there to protect both you and the client, so make sure that your policies are spelled out!
I had a girl book last month for November, and this week she postponed the wedding. She emailed and said that it was being postponed, and I could just return the deposit to her mother. I wrote back and said that the retainer is non-refundable and non-transferable according to the contract. the contract is there to protect both you and the client, so make sure that your policies are spelled out!
So what was her response to that?
I had a girl book last month for November, and this week she postponed the wedding. She emailed and said that it was being postponed, and I could just return the deposit to her mother. I wrote back and said that the retainer is non-refundable and non-transferable according to the contract. the contract is there to protect both you and the client, so make sure that your policies are spelled out!
So what was her response to that?
She didn't answer, but since she has a copy of the contract I'm sure she was aware of it and was just trying to see if I'd return the money. I have no doubt that the other businesses who she cancelled also didn't return any deposits at this point.
I had done a July wedding couple years ago where everything had been paid for, however, when I went to deliver the cake at the reception, there was no one around, no decorations up, nothing!! I doublechecked my appointment book making sure time, place, and date were correct and they were...the couple was getting married at a place that was about 30 miles from the reception so I just thought things may have been running way behind...after an hour I went back home and called her, she told me where she was, the couple had actually split up, the bride left it up to the groom to cancel everything - big mistake - because I wasn't the only one NOT called so things had gone ahead as planned by the businesses, and I told her the cake is paid for its yours, but she said she didn't know what she was going to do with it!! So she told me to keep one of the layers (it was 5 tiers) and she just took the rest...absolutely crazy!!
I had done a July wedding couple years ago where everything had been paid for, however, when I went to deliver the cake at the reception, there was no one around, no decorations up, nothing!! I doublechecked my appointment book making sure time, place, and date were correct and they were...the couple was getting married at a place that was about 30 miles from the reception so I just thought things may have been running way behind...after an hour I went back home and called her, she told me where she was, the couple had actually split up, the bride left it up to the groom to cancel everything - big mistake - because I wasn't the only one NOT called so things had gone ahead as planned by the businesses, and I told her the cake is paid for its yours, but she said she didn't know what she was going to do with it!! So she told me to keep one of the layers (it was 5 tiers) and she just took the rest...absolutely crazy!!
Oh WOW!! That is crazy! Who paid for it?
I recently had to mail my daughter (who lives away at college) a very important piece of mail...I mailed it Priority, with tracking and confirmation of receipt. If it had gotten lost I would have known about it.
I actually updated my contract to require that any mailed payments must be mailed in a manner that included a tracking number. Payments mailed but not rec'd is the same as non-payment. Problems with the post office were not my problem .... they were yours (bride's).
I had a bride swear she mailed me a money order (and those are a holy-terror story in themselves! 
). I'm still waiting on that money order. And that was 3 years ago. 
I recently had to mail my daughter (who lives away at college) a very important piece of mail...I mailed it Priority, with tracking and confirmation of receipt. If it had gotten lost I would have known about it.
I actually updated my contract to require that any mailed payments must be mailed in a manner that included a tracking number. Payments mailed but not rec'd is the same as non-payment. Problems with the post office were not my problem .... they were yours (bride's).
I had a bride swear she mailed me a money order (and those are a holy-terror story in themselves!
). I'm still waiting on that money order. And that was 3 years ago.
I had a money order get mailed for a cake that already had a late payment. They had originally made it out to the florist (accidentally) and scratched it out and put my name. Of course my bank wouldn't take it 
I told them that if I didn't have cash in hand by the end of the next day, the cake was cancelled. The MOG showed up promptly after work the next day with the cash!
[quote="mat5471"]I had done a July wedding couple years ago where everything had been paid for, however, when I went to deliver the cake at the reception, there was no one around, no decorations up, nothing!! I doublechecked my appointment book making sure time, place, and date were correct and they were...the couple was getting married at a place that was about 30 miles from the reception so I just thought things may have been running way behind...quote]
Same thing happened to me, but I found out later that the groom had been cheating on the bride for three years. She found out the previous evening AFTER the rehearsal dinner when the other woman called her and told her. She hadn't seen the groom since then, he must have gone into hiding!
[quote="costumeczar"]
I had done a July wedding couple years ago where everything had been paid for, however, when I went to deliver the cake at the reception, there was no one around, no decorations up, nothing!! I doublechecked my appointment book making sure time, place, and date were correct and they were...the couple was getting married at a place that was about 30 miles from the reception so I just thought things may have been running way behind...quote]
Same thing happened to me, but I found out later that the groom had been cheating on the bride for three years. She found out the previous evening AFTER the rehearsal dinner when the other woman called her and told her. She hadn't seen the groom since then, he must have gone into hiding!
Has anybody seen him? I would have killed him and buried the body, had it been me or my daughter! 
Maybe somebody did it for her? 
[quote="Annabakescakes"]
I had done a July wedding couple years ago where everything had been paid for, however, when I went to deliver the cake at the reception, there was no one around, no decorations up, nothing!! I doublechecked my appointment book making sure time, place, and date were correct and they were...the couple was getting married at a place that was about 30 miles from the reception so I just thought things may have been running way behind...quote]
Same thing happened to me, but I found out later that the groom had been cheating on the bride for three years. She found out the previous evening AFTER the rehearsal dinner when the other woman called her and told her. She hadn't seen the groom since then, he must have gone into hiding!
Has anybody seen him? I would have killed him and buried the body, had it been me or my daughter! Maybe somebody did it for her?
I told her that when she catches him she needed to punch him out, and she said that she planned to
So...I'm patiently waiting to hear the outcome of the OP's situation. Did there end up being cupcakes at Saturday's wedding? Did I miss the update?
Yes, please - put an end to this cliff-hanger! What happened???
Actually the bride had been sending me money but that day she said her 'ex' was actually the one who paid for everything but I just didn't understand how she could have trusted him to take care of things because i did find out later that she ended up getting stuck with flower order and catering part so I just cant imagine how that really had been handled, because if she got stuck with that nothing obviously was cancelled by him and i think as a matter of 'revenge' he did that on purpose so she would get stuck...
I would pick up the phone (rather than email) and have a conversation with her. Reiterate to her the terms of your contract which is quite reasonable. Also give her the options - (in UK we can get money transferred almost immediately into a bank - not sure of USA banking) but I would tell her my business bank details and if she still wanted the order, I would say that I am still prepared to do, (if you are that is...) and say that baking will not go ahead without the money into the bank account. A cheque can easily be cancelled!! Money in the bank is not the same as an uncleared cheque. It is difficult because another friend referred her. Her other option is to drive 1.5 hours and give you cash!! I guess it depends how intricate her design is and whether she can quickly go locally and get the same? For future weddings, would it be reasonable to get a deposit up front - to ensure that your time is booked out and paid for in advance? She has to realise that you are not just sitting around waiting for her order - you are not prepared to be up all night because she did not pay on time - and if you have to work unsocial hours there will be a premium added to her invoice to cover the inconvenience. You could tell her (if you wish) that someone else has booked her baking slot - since she had not confirmed her order by payment. These people need to know this is a true business - and then they (and your friend who referred the bride) will know exactly where you stand!
Lol-sorry everybody! Ok, to make a long story short, I sent her her an email saying she needed to submit payment by the next day, or her order would be null and void and she wouldn't be getting any cupcakes. I also decided to send an email to our mutual friend in the event that she knew anything about what was going on. Yeah, the friend ended up paying me through Paypal at 11pm Wednesday night! She was texting the bride, yet neither her or the bride mentioned whether or not if the cheque was even sent in the mail. So, I'm glad I was paid, but kinda a little too late, you know? Then, I get an email from the bride the next day (Thurs) saying she sent it in the mail and that it should arrive that day. I look, and nothing. So, b/c I was paid, I made the cupcakes, but never had to meet the bride b/c she wasn't there when I delivered them. And, low and behold, a cheque shows up in the mail YESTERDAY, and the postmark on the envelope was for the Friday, a day before the wedding! So apparently I was supposed to make her cupcakes for free and then MAYBE get paid for them later? I understand that people are very busy during wedding time as I was a bride myself a couple of years ago, but "forgetting" to pay your vendors isn't good. Lesson learned- I will be cancelling contracts if final payment hasn't been submitted by the stated date-period!
Lol-sorry everybody! Ok, to make a long story short, I sent her her an email saying she needed to submit payment by the next day, or her order would be null and void and she wouldn't be getting any cupcakes. I also decided to send an email to our mutual friend in the event that she knew anything about what was going on. Yeah, the friend ended up paying me through Paypal at 11pm Wednesday night! She was texting the bride, yet neither her or the bride mentioned whether or not if the cheque was even sent in the mail. So, I'm glad I was paid, but kinda a little too late, you know? Then, I get an email from the bride the next day (Thurs) saying she sent it in the mail and that it should arrive that day. I look, and nothing. So, b/c I was paid, I made the cupcakes, but never had to meet the bride b/c she wasn't there when I delivered them. And, low and behold, a cheque shows up in the mail YESTERDAY, and the postmark on the envelope was for the Friday, a day before the wedding! So apparently I was supposed to make her cupcakes for free and then MAYBE get paid for them later? I understand that people are very busy during wedding time as I was a bride myself a couple of years ago, but "forgetting" to pay your vendors isn't good. Lesson learned- I will be cancelling contracts if final payment hasn't been submitted by the stated date-period!
I'm happy you received payment for this order. Have you thought about changing your final payment due date time schedule?
Mine is 30 days, which is what most vendors in my area require as well.
It gives me a little breathing room.
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