I have a customer that has changed her mind 7 times on her cupcake/cake order for her daughter's birthday. I eventually had to put a time limit on her changing the order and finally the day came for picking up the cupcakes. She loved them, but while she was picking them up she completely changed the cake order due in 2 weeks--theme, colors, everything. What gets into people??
Setting boundaries is one of the hardest--and one of most necessary--things that we must do as social human beings.
Sadly, many people now seem to think that boundaries are being "mean".......well, that's just tough.
I tell people that ALL details must be set in stone no less than 14 days before an order is completed. If the order has complex details like figures and/or flowers--things that must be made in advance & dried--sometimes I tell them 30 days--AND I DON'T BACK DOWN.
Maybe it's because we seem to have so many last minute choices in life now that people think EVERYTHING can be changed with a moment's notice. You just have to let them know that it's not the case with cake orders.
In your case, I'd tell her that once she makes these changes, there will be no further changes without a $50 change order completed, paid in CASH, in full, before the change is noted on the original order. NO KIDDING.
Rae
Setting boundaries is one of the hardest--and one of most necessary--things that we must do as social human beings.
Sadly, many people now seem to think that boundaries are being "mean".......well, that's just tough.
I tell people that ALL details must be set in stone no less than 14 days before an order is completed. If the order has complex details like figures and/or flowers--things that must be made in advance & dried--sometimes I tell them 30 days--AND I DON'T BACK DOWN.
Maybe it's because we seem to have so many last minute choices in life now that people think EVERYTHING can be changed with a moment's notice. You just have to let them know that it's not the case with cake orders.
In your case, I'd tell her that once she makes these changes, there will be no further changes without a $50 change order completed, paid in CASH, in full, before the change is noted on the original order. NO KIDDING.
Rae
Wow. And my kids call me the funsucker.
Wow. And my kids call me the funsucker.
Glad to hear it!
Maybe you'll be as fortunate as I am to have bright, great kids who look normal, know how to have a great time without being drunk, drugged, or breaking the law, don't participate in lots of drama, & know how to be kind to others.
Oh, and who have wonderful relationships with me and my DH, as well as, in one case, a good marriage and fine parenting skills. The other one is in his final year of pharmacy school.
Rae
The parents that tend to be called "funsuckers" tend to have pretty well rounded children. That's just from what I have seen, so please, nobody take that any kind of way. You just never know now a days on CC.
My point, exactly. In most life situations, when you eliminate confusion about who in in charge of what, you usually have a fine end result.
I was the recipient of many a dirty look from my kids, other kids, and other parents when I made it clear that there were boundaries that WOULD be respected, BUT, I knew that it would pay off in spades when they grew up.
I never wanted to be my young children's friend. I was their parent & I took that duty seriously. They always knew who was the boss and the lines were clear.
The lines were slowly erased as they approached adulthood and now, we're peers. DH & I are just the ones with more years in.
I'm a lucky, lucky woman. It's nice to see what was, at times, hard work pay off--not just for us, but for THEM.
Rae
I know this is off subject, but I just feel really good about people saying parents and not "friends" with their kids. This does not mean you do not have a relationship with your child, cause some do interpret it that way, but that you just have a set of standards and expectations. I have friends that HAVE been friends with their children and it just has not turned out well. And like Blakes said, when they become adults, the realtionship does evolve into more of a peer relationship, but I am still mom.
And to the OP, I know we got off track here, but it is the same thing, setting boundaries. Final payment, final details, on my contract last minute changes may inccur fees, period, and there is STILL a date were they can't make any changes after. A caterer I work with actually has a fee for everytime she has to sit down with you and change your menu, after you have a finalized contract. Time is money and even reading someone's e-mail and responding is time.
Now now, guys, I'm sure the OP would rather hear about things conducive to her original question 
OP, it seems like you've already heard the best (and probably only feasible) suggestion, I just hope you don't have to USE that changes cut off date too often, and that the majority of your customers are pleasant and understanding. Despite popular belief, I think those kind of people ARE in the majority, but the frustrating, annoying, difficult ones stick in our minds far more than the easy ones. Take care!
I have a customer that has changed her mind 7 times on her cupcake/cake order for her daughter's birthday. I eventually had to put a time limit on her changing the order and finally the day came for picking up the cupcakes. She loved them, but while she was picking them up she completely changed the cake order due in 2 weeks--theme, colors, everything. What gets into people??
I don't take the order until they are CERTAIN they know what they want. I then give them ONE option -- by such and such a date all changes are final. PERIOD. This gives me enough time to reasonably change the entire cake if I need to (unless it's something so totally different -- like a 2-tiered round to a 5 tiered gumpaste flower infested tower.) But they know where I stand and there's NO ROOM for debate. I've also turned down orders, telling the customer "when you decide what you want, you call me." I don't have the time for "well I don't know... maybe... oh I don't know..." BAH!!
Now now, guys, I'm sure the OP would rather hear about things conducive to her original question
And that's exactly what the OP got
A cautionary tale with the moral: when you eliminate confusion about who in in charge of what, you usually have a fine end result.
Oh, and it's OK to go a bit off topic. It doesn't hurt anyone, especially when reading between the lines there's a perfectly good answer to the original question. Just a little brain exercise.
Customers.....kids...baker......parent......sadly,very similar sometimes
Rae
Oh I completely agree about going off topic - I'm certainly the culprit of doing it more times than I could count - but it started off sounding rather snide (could just be one of the down sides of the internet, of course!), and not like the kind of thing to start getting into on a forum of any kind, regardless of the topic. I do apologise if I read the comments in entirely the wrong way, though 
Oh I completely agree about going off topic - I'm certainly the culprit of doing it more times than I could count - but it started off sounding rather snide (could just be one of the down sides of the internet, of course!), and not like the kind of thing to start getting into on a forum of any kind, regardless of the topic. I do apologise if I read the comments in entirely the wrong way, though
I think this is my fault. I've always been told I have a warped way of looking at things and a strange sense of humor and sometimes it just pops out. I'm very aware that it doesn't translate well into written form, so I really try to keep it out of my posts. 
Oh I completely agree about going off topic - I'm certainly the culprit of doing it more times than I could count - but it started off sounding rather snide (could just be one of the down sides of the internet, of course!), and not like the kind of thing to start getting into on a forum of any kind, regardless of the topic. I do apologise if I read the comments in entirely the wrong way, though
Really? Can I just ask what part sounded snide? I really want to know. I am now being selective on what I answer and careful how I answer, and it still may have sounded snide? 
So I really do want to know.
Sorry Op. I don't mena to keep your thread off track, but at this point I am trying to figure out what is going on CC, before I decide to leave again.
It wasn't you at all, QTCakes. The messages that made me feel a bit 'woah O_o;' were the one from BlakesCakes, in response to jgifford's "Wow. And my kids call me the funsucker." comment, and jgifferd's response to that, and just those two comments in particular. It came across as a kind of, I don't know... one-upmanship? It sounded like the beginning of an argument I've heard far too many times when children and parenting are brought up, and it worried me slightly! It just seemed like a funny thing to get into on a thread initially for customers changing their ideas. I'm glad nobody meant anything to sound the way I read it!
Oh I completely agree about going off topic - I'm certainly the culprit of doing it more times than I could count - but it started off sounding rather snide (could just be one of the down sides of the internet, of course!), and not like the kind of thing to start getting into on a forum of any kind, regardless of the topic. I do apologise if I read the comments in entirely the wrong way, though
Oh, that's OK. You'll get the hang of it once you've been around here for awhile 
We discuss all kinds of side topics when the mood strikes. It's always the reader's choice to hit the back button or to not follow a post, right?
Apology accepted.
Rae
Kids, don't make me turn this car around and go home! LOL
You catch on fast!
Off post; my kids hated me..... so I knew I was doing something right. Now they luv me. Just ask 'em.
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