I just delivered a cake to a woman who has ordered from me before. The cakes need to be gluten-free, because both of her children have gluten allergies. So, my profit on the cake is almost nothing to start with because the ingredients and mix for the gluten-free cake are so expensive. The pictures attched belowe are the cakes. Her daughter got the pink poodle, and I delivered the animal cake this morning. She called be back about 5 minutes after I delivered and said she was disappointed with it because it wasn't as detailed as she was expecting, and she "thought it would be more like her daughter's cake". She also said the grass is falling off of the bottom of the cake. Keep in mind, she PICKED this zoo cake from about 10 examples I provided. She said when she takes the animals off it will "look like I'm serving a plain cake". Hello, you CHOSE this cake!!!! Am I crazy to think this is a strange, unwarranted complaint? I'm going to her house, 30+ minutes away, this afternoon to fix the grass that's falling off because I want her to be satisfied, to the extent I think she will be. This is so frustrating for me!!!!!


[/img]

I think they are both cute you did a really nice job. Actually, I personally prefer the zoo cake - I LOVE your animals. And when people are eating it, they just want a piece of cake - the don't necessarily have to get a part of a "decoration" on each piece so what does it matter anyway?

I think you are going above and beyond to fix the grass. She just sounds like one of those people who will never be satisfied anyway.

I think your zoo animal cake looks perfect. Can't see anything wrong with it. I love it!

She thinks the zoo cake is too PLAIN? She sounds like one someone who isn't happy unless she's finding fault with something. These people take all the joy out of decorating!

Both of the cakes are awesome and I don't see any reason to complain. When you go back to fix the grass, maybe you could bring both pictures for comparision, reminding her which cake she picked. Using the kill 'em with kindness technique, tell her you are very concerened about her happiness and ask her to point out exactly what was wrong, and/or made her unhappy. Also ask her if there are specific "details" she would have done things had she done her own cake.

Hopefully, when she doesn't have an acceptable answer, she will realize 3 things, 1. Your cake is amazing and it looks just like the picture she chose. 2. She hired you to do it for a reason; she doesn't know how to do it herself and 3. Ater she realizes you gave her exactly what she asked for, you still went beyond the call of duty and were very polite about it. She'll be the one left holding the bag so to speak.

I truly hope she will be a happy customer once she see's not so right.

I lOVE The zoo cake, I actually like it alot better then the poodle, she is nuts LOL.

who cares what it looks like when its being served? surely she will let it sit out long enough for all the guests to see and ohhh/ahhh over. i wouldn't even travel to fix the grass. thats such a minor detail, and after all your gas and time, will you still make a profit at all? at best i might offer her 5$ off her next order to make up for it. gas costs upwards of 3$ per gallon now, a 5 dollars off thing will prolly be cheaper, and ensures another cake order from her. [/list]

How much more detail could she want? I think it looks great. Was the grass still intact when you delivered it? If it was it may be falling off due to something she did to it. I wouldn't return to fix it if it was fine when I left her house. That may sound insensitive, but like you said you're hardly profiting anyway.

HELLOOOO!!! Who cares what the cake looks like when it is being cut. It is usually on display (with decorations in tact) during the party for people to see. All people care about at cutting time is getting a big enough piece of cake. Both very cute cakes.

I think both cakes are adorable! I wouldn't make the drive either but can understand your frustration. Some people are never pleased, the drive won't make her happy. Nothing will! You did a great job!

Maybe this woman "remembers" something else. Personally I have done this (not in complaining about something mind you). Nevertheless, maybe she is just having a bad day or simply being picky.
I would do as the others suggested and take the picture with me (the one which she pointed the cake out that she wanted). I would also think twice about taking another order from her!
Just curious, how did the grass fall off....it is all laying down? Your cakes look great to me!!!!!

I know this is off topic but i wanted to know about your gluten free cakes. My MIL can't have gluten and I have tried diffrent brands of cake mixes and scratch recipes but can't find a good gluten free cake that taste good or that anyone wants to eat...ever her. If you would share that would be great.
thanks

I would make sure she knows the extra expense for the gluten free ingredients & let her know that you will need to increase your fee in the future. Take a bag of icing with you and ask her what she would like added to the zoo cake. I think it's perfect as it, but it's her cake & if she wants it all gawdy, then by all means, squirt some more icing on there! lol.

First of all your cakes are awesome. Secondly, not many people offer gluten-free cakes, so she really shouldn't be complaining at all. I wouldn't want to make cakes for her again, some people are never satisfied.

That zoo cake is adorable! My daughter has those same animals, she uses them like flashcards- "what color is the piggie? what sound do piggies make?" anyways, back to the topic...

the woman is insane. I know you probably already told her that you would come back and fix it so it's too late to take it back, but personally I would have gone and fixed it, too. If my cake is falling apart, I would go back for the customer's happiness. Especially if she is a repeat customer.
If you are barely making a profit, its time to raise your prices. Especially on super custom cakes (non-dairy, vegan, non-gluten...) I would take whatever pictures she chose from and ask her specifically what she "thought" she ordered. Not that rudely of course, but show her the example and let her know this is the exact cake she ordered and you delivered.

I love the zoo cake. what is she going to do with the animals when she takes them off the cake? Couldn't she put one on each plate?

Your cakes are awesome! The zoo cake is absolutely PERFECT! Are they colorflow?

They're wooden, from Michael's

I don't think you can hold it against her that you're not making much profit - it was your decision on how much you charged. Saying that, I do think she's being outrageously picky - particularly as she picked out the design and chose not to say anything while you were there. Driving back and fixing the grass is extremely generous of you and I hope she thanks you enough for this. Also the cakes are tiered so they're certainly more that a 'plain cake' even when the figures are picked off. I'd chalk her down as someone not to work with again. Let us know how you get on

Shrug this one off.....the lady is obviously on something! Your cakes are beautiful!

The lady is clearly on crack!!! Your animal cake is FAB-U-LOUS! I really think its the nicer of the 2 cakes. As for you going to fix the cake, thats super nice of you considering her gripes. Its a birthday cake afterall, not a wedding cake, that comes with a touch-up kit when you assemble onsite! I would've told her, well, the grass was intact when I handed it over to you...LOL Hang in there, and chalk it up to some people are never happy unless they are complaining!!! I think you did a wonderful job!

Well, I think your cakes look perfectly beautiful, and certainly, IMO, she had nothing to complain about. Going to fix the grass for her is certainly gracious, and hopefully will show her how much you care about your customers. I don't blame you for being irritated. Unfortunately, in this world, there exist those whom no one can please. I usually just smile, and nod - they'll go away soon.

Tell her not to take the animals/trees off when she cuts it!

I understand about the gluten free, I would charge more for those. You have to recover on the ingredients.
I understand that people who have allergies might feel penalized because of it, but have you tasted the cookies and cakes out there available for people who have gluten allergies. My Goodness, my dog wont even eat them!
She should feel lucky that you can bake for her and her kids. People with allergies usually are, maybe it's because she is not the one with the allergies that she is not as thankful.

I bake gluten free often and I get reimbursed for my ingredients.

Have a lot of recipes, some are easier than others.

As far as the jungle cake, it looks great, maybe you can suggest that she hand out a little animal with each piece of cake. It can be part of their take home loot!
The adults can cope without it if there are not enough!

Keep on Baking and like another cc's mentioned, when you go over to fix the grass (you are going the extra mile and that shows something). You are showing that you are trying to help and she should be grateful. If she is not, it's too bad for her, because who knows if you will want to bake for her next time.

Good Luck

Your cakes look great! You can't satisfy everyone. I see nothing wrong with these cakes, she is lucky to be able to get gluten free cakes.
And you know what? She will probably call again.

Katro, you asked about gluten free mixes. There is a brand called Cherrybrook Kitchen which makes a lot of different mixes aimed at people with various allergies. You would be able to find it at Whole Foods and maybe some better stocked supermarkets.

http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/

I have to agree with the concensus here that the cakes look great. I love the way you did the jungle cake. Very cute. Maybe you can find out what she gives the children for snacks and tell her next time you'll use those items to decorate the cake so she won't have to worry about removing them before serving the cake! See how she reacts to that.

How did you make the animals on the cake?