Three Hours Late!!! How Do I Prevent This?
Business By jewelykaye Updated 11 Jul 2007 , 8:44pm by jewelykaye
WARNING: This is quite long and a bit of a rant. If you aren't up to the read just skip down to the bottom for the question. 
Okay fortunately I only had 2 cakes on 7/7/07. One being a two tier baby shower cake (blue clothes line- in photos) and the other being a wedding cake (pink ribbon- in photos). The wedding cake was for a bride on a very tight budget. She was actually the first wedding cake I've done for a non-friend so I only made her pay $100. 
I know, I know...way too cheap but I was excited that someone wanted me to...blah blah blah... it will never happen again.
Anywho, I'm in Houston and her wedding was to be in Galveston (about an hour and a half to two hours away). I told her that delivery would be about $100, so she decided that she would have someone pick up the cake. Okay, that's fine.
So finally after going back and forth on whether they want to pick it up Friday or Saturday (the day of the wedding)...they finally decide on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
I was quite happy about this since the other person was to pick up their cake at 10:30 a.m., so I would be done earlier and have time to clean, take a nap and spend some time with the hubbie.
Oh but Nay! 
The groom calls at 12:30 and says they are still in Galveston and need directions and are on the way. Which means they won't show up until (at the earliest) 2:00 (an hour late). Okay that's fine. Around 2:00 he calls and says they stopped in mid-Houston (and I'm far north about 45 mins out) to get a present and they will be their shortly. So I figure okay they will be here about 2:45. I'm think that's kinda crappy but whatever. 2:45 comes and goes as does 3:45 so at 4:00 I give him a call to "ask if their lost" and he states they are almost here. They end up showing up at 4:30pm when they were supposed to show up at 1:00pm!!!! 
Why do they think that is acceptable! That wouldn't have been okay if I would've delivered the cake 3.5 hours late!
Fortunately I didn't have any cakes to deliver or what have you but what if this were to happen down the line when I did? What should I do? Do any of you have a policy or statement in your contract about this? I would like to know. I don't want to have this happen again.
Thanks so much for the help! 
I find that it is pretty much the nature of the beast when you work from home - some people will treat it like you work from a shop, so have regular business hours - "she's a business and will be open all day, so I don't REALLY have to pickup the cake when I said that I would!!"
If you don't want it to happen again, you have a couple of options: either insist on delivering the cake yourself, or tighten up your pickup hours. Mine are from 9am to 12pm on Saturdays (for all weekend pickups) - I usually have to deliver wedding cakes in the afternoon, and Sundays are my family's. Mention that you will not be available for pickup after that time (ie. no one in your home will - I have had people ask if my kids could be there for pickup - NOT!) 
I really suggest that for wedding cakes, you deliver them and not have anyone pick them up. The bridal couple and/or party has enough things to do that day, and running out to pick up a cake just adds to the stress. This couple had way too many last minute things to do that should have been done long ago...they were probably late for their wedding ceremony too - I'm sure that the minister just LOVED that! LOL! 
Good luck in whatever choice you make!
Nicole
I know... it makes you crazy doesn't it!! Been there! I agree with Nicole, you have to confirm delivery time on the front end. Don't lead them to believe you'll be home all day waiting for them! Understandably it's their wedding day, and things happen, but it does stink you wasted your whole Saturday! In the future, set and state your hours. It will help!
I havent' had to deal with the wedding cake situtation yet, though I hope to soon 
For my other cakes though, I usually ask what time they would like to pick it up, and then tell them that time works great, but let them know that I have to be somewhere about an hour after the time they give me. Does that make sense, if they say that they want to pick up at 11:00, I tell them, that will work great, but I have to be somewhere at 12:00. Then they are sure to be here by that time, or they fear they won't get their cake! As far as the wedding cakes go, I think I will insist on delivering, because if something happens to the cake in the hands of someone else, it may reflect badly on my work. I may change my mind when I actually start doing them, but for now, that is my opinion.
I always deliver my cakes so I can make sure they get there in one piece. Extra if I have to drive really far. (gas to expensive) The biggest reason is I really don't care for strangers knowing where I live. Plus I don't have to wait around for people.
That's the thing. They were picking it up from the bakery (originally) but after the second call I just told them to come to the house (it's only 3 mins away). Also, I did confirm the pick up time with her several times. It was all very clear. 
Does anyone have a policy or late charge or time limit?
Thanks!
Well you are essentially a business, albeit out of your home, they should respect the fact that you have a family and kids and can't be up waiting for them...what if they had showed up at midnight or something?! would they have expected the quality to be the same some 12 hours later? If they want quality cake, which I'm sure you provide, they should be quality patrons and hold up their end of the bargain 
Or you could charge a late fee or something if it prevents you from doing something else...$50 an hour that they are late....that "tight" budget would definetly be put to the test... HTH
If you have a contract it would be a good idea to write in a clause about being late. I know day care providers charge something like 10.00 a minute for late pick up. I know kids are not in the same catergory as cakes but you get the idea. Then you hold that cake hostage till they pay late fee.
...Then you hold that cake hostage till they pay late fee.
This made me laugh out loud! Love that suggestion!
I certainly can relate!! I will have customer order a cake for say friday and I think..Okay I need to have it done for friday only to have them show up on Saturday afternoon at 4pm saying they don't need it until 6pm.Grrrrrr...then why do they tell you they need it for that day when they order.I am waiting around all the time for customers to pickup...luckily I really have no where to be.
wow, i have been inconvenienced this way a couple of times too and i didn't think more of it but you guys are absolutely correct! i should mention about prompt pick-up times. once, after doing an all-nighter on a cake, i had to wake up for an 8am pick-up. only they came an hour late! i would've really enjoyed that extra hour of sleep!
so far nothing like this has happened to me but i can see where this would be a pain, like you said especially if you had other things to do.
I don't allow any pick-ups...ESPECIALLY for a wedding. I don't want people at my house and I don't want to wait around all day. I deliver, I will call to let you know I'm on my way- be there or no cake! I have only had one person "forget". I was nice and went back because I wasn't far away when they called.
I always deliver weddings also because my name is on the product and if someone else mishandles it (leaves it out in the Texas heat, etc) it's my backside that gets sued. If the wedding is far I charge extra, but $100 seems pretty high to go from Houston to Galveston. Just set your rates and don't make pick-up an option for weddings.
For other cakes, I have everyone pick up at 10:00 am on Saturday morning so my day will be free after. I emphasize the word "at" 10:00 so they don't think I mean "around" 10:00. I think the other suggestion that you say you need to be somewhere at 11:00 is an excellent one and I think I will start using that line from now on because people do constantly leave you waiting, even with a designated pickup time.
I stipulate a time zone for their cake collection eg 0900am-0930am and that works a treat!
I don't allow any pick-ups...ESPECIALLY for a wedding. I don't want people at my house and I don't want to wait around all day. I deliver, I will call to let you know I'm on my way- be there or no cake! I have only had one person "forget". I was nice and went back because I wasn't far away when they called.
I totally agree with this, and we have a shop. The hours are posted and if you haven't made arrangements with me, I close at a certain time and too bad , so sad.
I have a family I'd like to get to also!
I can understand being 30 mins late when you drive a far distance, but C'mon! 3 hours? all the while they were running errands?
I would've told them that being late was not an option when they called the second time.
Use anything as an excuse. Give your pick ups a 60 min window if you like, but let them know any later than that, they run at their own peril as you have other cakes to deliver on a schedule.
Be firm, just because you work from home doesn't mean you should let people walk all over you!
This hasn't happened to me yet....knock on wood, but I'm sure I'll have to deal with it at some time or another since I work out of my home! I tell folks that if they're picking up cakes they must p/u between 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., no later, or no cake. I tell them I'm unavailable after that time. So, they snooze, they lose. I'm not going to sit around all day waiting for them when I have things to do...like deliver/setup wedding cakes. I also require payment in advance and a signed contract on more elaborate cakes over a certain dollar amount.
Also, make sure p/u time is in your contract with them! I had a lady p/u an already assembled wedding cake (against my advice) all because she didin't want to pay for delivery. I required her to sign a Waiver of Liability before she took the cake. This protects me from the minute she takes the cake and I cannot be held responsible. I guess I can be sued, however, their case would never hold-up due to the agreement. Anywho, she takes the cake, LEAVES it sitting in the car in 90 degree heat for over an hour....and it slid/fell apart. She did call frantic...and basically there was nothing I could do. She took the cake against my advice and she ended up paying another bakery double on short notice to make another!
I think I will definitely take everyone's advice and say they have from 11:00-12:00 to pick up the cake b/c I have to be somewhere at 12:30pm. I just never thought I would have to do that b/c I would never be so inconsiderate to someone like that!
I did advise them against pick: (a) b/c it was 3-tiers, (b) it's a wedding cake and (c) the distance of the drive. When she insisted on p/u I made sure to add a paragraph in my contract about releasing me from liability if they choose to p/u.
I haven't heard from the bride yet (on honeymoon), so I don't know how it went...
Thanks again everyone!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%