Grrrr Bad Client!! Still No Payment
Decorating By moydear77 Updated 16 Sep 2006 , 3:47pm by paxpuella
1.New client orders cake.
2.Cake made and delivered
3.Called client to see how cake was and sent email.
4.Deposited check
5 Days later email received everything was great and I have a new customer
6.Customer check bounces and I am charged a $5.00 fee
7.Left message and sent email to client.
8.Days later she emails and says oh my I lost my checkbook. Says she will send a cashiers check
9. Week later still no check
OK I am sooooo mad about this. I have never had this happen to me before. I am fine with all the lagal stuff here in Minnesota. We can sell cakes but just cannot advertise. What is wrong with people?
OMG, and it's so beautiful!! I feel so bad for you. God knows that we do this for more than the money, but it feels like crap to do such beautiful work and get nothing. I hope you everything works out. I have had some doozies for customers here lately and I'm thankful that I turned them down. The same thing probably would have happened to me.
Your cake is gorgeaus! Did the lady sign a agreement about payment?
I'm not sure how far you are willing to go but you could take her to small claims court, contact parallegal to get advise. have a lawyer write a letter and scare her.I only except cash, sad to say but you can't trust people.
No but I have emails with her saying she was going to pay me for the cake. Believe small claims has crossed my mind but I would think that people no better.
cassandra cakes
So true what you said. I am so miffed about all this.
Thanks for the kind words it really helps make me feel better about all this!
Sorry you're going through all this. I can empathize, I went through the same thing with my western wedding cake. A certified cheque was supposed to be left at the hall for me when I set up the cake,,,,,,nothing. After 2 hours of phoning around finally get the brother, who says he'll be right down with the cheque. He arrives with a post dated cheque, from someone I don't even know!!, not the bride!! Dilemma.......leave the cake?, or take it all down & ruin the bride's day? (not that she was worried about ruining mine!) Anyway, left cake, & you guessed it. cheque was rubber. Still trying to get paid. Hope you don't have to go to court to get your money, but darn it anyway, you deserve it!!! Your cake is absolutely gorgeous! 
GOOD LUCK & don't let this discourage you from selling more cakes. You're very talented & deserve paid credit. Don't know why people order cakes if they can't afford them!! 
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREEEEEEEEEEGIN" CHECKS!
CASH ONLY BUSINESS
and if you can get the credit card terminal, better!
say it again ...
no checks, no checks, no checks.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
CHECKS!!!!!!!!!
whew...glad I got that out...
Tee hee
RisqueBusiness
You crack me up!!! First time in seven years.....come on what is wrong with people!!! I just do not get it!! Thanks for putting a smile on my face.
glad I made you crack a smile! My job here on earth is done for today anyway!
I enjoy hearing that I made someone happy...lol
eighter by entering a room or leaving...it doesn't matter...happiness is in short supply so take it were you get it..lol
I'm at the store just waiting for stragglers to come in and pick up their cakes, so I can go home....take of my cheesy sneakers..put my tired, achy , stinky feet up...and grab a cup of iced coffee and the latest blockbuster book.
I'll take a shower later on tonight...after I resucitate the cats...hahah!
( they faint from the sneakers!!!)
nah, I use plenty of hot water, soap , detergent and powder!
I just have to make another comment. I have a daycare and people really seem to have a problem when it comes to paying for a service. That's why I only except cash when it comes to kids or cakes. 
For the record so nobody get's the wrong idea" I love my kids "
... cheque. He arrives with a post dated cheque, from someone I don't even know!!, not the bride!! Dilemma.......leave the cake?, or take it all down & ruin the bride's day? (not that she was worried about ruining mine!).
Take the cake. I have left with the cake when payment wasn't to be exchanged. It is kind of funny to see them scramble for the money but I don't B.S.
The only checks I accept are ones that are local enough to where I can cash it at their bank the same day and let them worry about it if its bad.
Usually I accept prepayment through Paypal, and sometimes I allow Paypal deposits and then cash/local check balance upon pickup.
Miranda, are those bubbles blown sugar also? what did you do to them to make them sparkle?
Miranda is my daughter's name!!
i am so sorry this happened to you.... i really want to know why people have to do that.....
some advice: ask for payment when you deliver -- no money - no cake!
it is so simple and people should expect this... you don't go anywhere else and pick up items and tell them you'll send them a check.
Just have to say - I adore your cake. Do tell how you made the bubbles and curls! I'm assuming the curls are thin strips of paste but the bubbles - are they fondant or blown sugar?
As for this stingy horrid person. I just can't believe you've had to go through this. I don't know how it works in the states but in the UK we have small claims court and you have to pay 10% of the money you're owed to get it back. So if she owes you £50 you take her to court, it costs you a £5. I'd do it - and we're all behind you if you do!
Havent read all the replies but here is what you can do. Call her bank and say "I have a check I need to know if there are funds available for it?" They will ask you for her name and bank account and the amount of the check. If funds are available they will tell you yes. If they are available drive to the nearest branch of that bank and they will cash it for you in person. You will be out the $5 bounced check fee but will have your payment for the cake.
Too bad for her if it's messes up her checking account. Sucks to be her.
Edited to add it doesn't matter if your bank stamped on it do not redeposit or whatever, her bank will honor it. I do this all the time where I work.
Miranda, are those bubbles blown sugar also? what did you do to them to make them sparkle?
Miranda is my daughter's name!!
Miranda was the clients daughters name-That was fondant and yes all sugar bubbles. I airbrushed them with super pearl and alcohol-I really liked that cake!!
MaryAnn
Thanks everyone!
The bubbles and spirals are all pulled/blown sugar. The bubbles have been dicussed a ton but I am not really a follower! I use a sports ball pump that is long and hard plastic to do all my bubbles. I do the spirals by pulling a bit of soft sugar and wrap around a plastic tube. Super easy. The sugar just needs to be soft enough to pull without breaking. I can go into more detail like boiling sugar and stuff if you want so let me know. There is a ton of tutorials on sugar and when I try to explain it, well it may as well be a foreign language!!
Just have to say - I adore your cake. Do tell how you made the bubbles and curls! I'm assuming the curls are thin strips of paste but the bubbles - are they fondant or blown sugar?
As for this stingy horrid person. I just can't believe you've had to go through this. I don't know how it works in the states but in the UK we have small claims court and you have to pay 10% of the money you're owed to get it back. So if she owes you £50 you take her to court, it costs you a £5. I'd do it - and we're all behind you if you do!
I adore your cakes too-We could trade tons of notes I am sure of it!!
well my too cents is to send here a letter hopefully a law firm if you knwo one that she has xxmany day to send the money or you will be going to court and that give a bounce check can be charged double if the courts say so at least here in calif they can.
well my too cents is to send here a letter hopefully a law firm if you knwo one that she has xxmany day to send the money or you will be going to court and that give a bounce check can be charged double if the courts say so at least here in calif they can.
That just recently happened to me! I don't usually take checks unless it's someone I know or from a regular customer. Well, this one was from a woman who has ordered about a dozen cakes from me in the past. It was just a $10 cake, no big deal - yeah right?!? Her check bounced and my bank charged me a $10 fee. I emailed her, but of course, no response. My bank sent an electronic copy for me to cash, which I will now do at her bank. But of course, I'm still out 10 bucks!!! I should have a legal kitchen within the next few months, so until then I just have to put this one under "learning experience".
Sorry this happened to you!!! Your cake is beautiful!
So I got another email today. She says she put it in the mail yesterday ---well see. She had a very busy week with school and work and writing a check and blah blah blah....
OK I am being mean but really it not like I did not take the time to make the cake for her right!!!
I have to agree that the cake was gorgeous. I have been wanting to try blown and pulled sugar. my dh's eyes just glaze when i start to talk about it. It sucks when people have to be poopheads about the money. It isn't even like you didn't TELL them how much it was going to cost... I don't have a "legal" bakery or anything, but i have sold cakes to friends and those are the WORST! because you're friends (at least mine) they make me the lowest priority to pay, and then try to make me feel guilty for even charging them! Oh well.
I say go & find em & chop off fingers till you get all your money. Show up with a meat cleaver and watch how fast they'll move! (maybe to call the police, so you'll have to act fast!)
I have to agree that the cake was gorgeous. I have been wanting to try blown and pulled sugar. my dh's eyes just glaze when i start to talk about it. It sucks when people have to be poopheads about the money. It isn't even like you didn't TELL them how much it was going to cost... I don't have a "legal" bakery or anything, but i have sold cakes to friends and those are the WORST! because you're friends (at least mine) they make me the lowest priority to pay, and then try to make me feel guilty for even charging them! Oh well.
I say go & find em & chop off fingers till you get all your money. Show up with a meat cleaver and watch how fast they'll move! (maybe to call the police, so you'll have to act fast!)
I love you guys! I feel better already! The thing that just gets me is I took a lot of time to do this cake on top of everything else I do. It's not like I sit around all day doing nothing! It was prioirty for me to deliver a cake that she requested-The least you can do is give me a check that does not bounce.
I have paypal actually. I have it set though so it draws a percetage because I was doing a ton of ebay at one point. Oh well cash I guess unless I know them!
[quote="lilypie"]i have sold cakes to friends and those are the WORST! because you're friends (at least mine) they make me the lowest priority to pay, and then try to make me feel guilty for even charging them!
Ditto. Even my family, (not immediate) cousins and so on, seem to expect them to be free 
How does that work for the rest of you? I charge brothers only supply cost, dad is free of course, cousins and so on I still only charge a little more than cost. I still have to ASK for the payment 90% of time, because, they forget 
WHATEVER.
I hope your payments makes it! If it helpeasy the pain, my father-in-law bounce a check to me my bank charge me $25. and best of all, the dillhole has loads of money. He said he was shuffling $$ to different accounts and got messed up. Alrighty then.
Anyway, crossin my fingers in Indiana.
A bounced check is theft of services. No if's, and's or but's about it. Bouncing a check is illegal.
The laws about how to go about collecting on a bad check differ from state to state/city to city so check with your local court system what might be needed.
I have only had to deal with it once or twice, but our county attorney's office was awesome about it (one was even from another state). They take bad checks seriously here.
If it were me, knowing my local requirements for collecting on bad checks, I'd send this lady a certified letter with return receipt requested (so you can prove she actually got it) and let her know that if a cashier's check in the amount of the original check plus the bad check fee isn't recieved within the next 7 business days you will have no choice but to contact the local court system (whomever handles bad checks in your area) for them to handle.
And for future business purposes make a note on your order forms or contracts that a Returned check fee of $XX.XX will be charged on all returned checks.
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