I will also bring up the issue of the lack of instructions on the products to my supervisor. I guess that one didn't occur to me, but most everything is explained in the yearbooks. In the last few years with this big cake decorating boom and everyone wanting to learn, more professional type products have been made available to the home decorator, through Wilton. Since Wilton has just started manufacturing some of these, you can't always expect them to be perfect.
This doesn't make sense.
If they have the time to design and manufacture metal and/or plastic doodads, they for sure have the time to write and have copied small sets of instructions to be included as part of the doodads' packaging.
Customers shouldn't need to buy the yearbook separately in order to get simple instructions on how to use the tools they've already paid for.
It's very nice of you to defend your employers, but IMO you're making things worse rather than better. "You're demanding too much of the product" isn't something most customers want to hear.
I totally agree with that part. I think there should be instructions attached. All the character pans have instructions. I have overlooked the fact that there aren't instructions on newer products because of my level of experience. I already know what a product is for when it comes out. Plus it is explained to us instructors at our annual meeting so that we are able to promote them in class. I am sorry those of you who haven't taken a class haven't gotten this info or those who took it a long time ago don't have the info. You are right, that is not fair, but like I said, I personally overlooked that one. That is one of the reasons for the yearbook. To keep you updated on new products. A yearbook is cheaper than taking the classes all over. I'm not saying you have to retake the classes to find out about new product, though. You can always call your former instructor, or if you haven't taken a class, talk to an instructor in your area. Wilton's website also has info on products as well as a discussion forum. If you want to know what a product is for or how it should be used, there are plenty of people on there who have used it that could tell you. That won't cost you anything. I'm sorry Wilton didn't include instructions, but I would be happy to address that with Wilton. You all should be happy that I am also taking the time to find out from my supervisor about recent manufacturing issues, plans to redevelop commonly disliked products, and bring up any other issues so I can share that information with you. I would like to help you all out since I have those types of contacts. I don't like to hear when people are unhappy, I like to try to make it better. I also don't like when people jump to conclusions without seeing the other side or trying to find the information they need. I just think we could all be a little nicer about it.
I also agree there are different sides to the story per say. I understand where you are coming from. Thanks for going to bat for us people who don't have the money or can't find the books to explain how things are suppose to be used. Ya sometimes we get our panties in a wad like my grandma use to say over things. Maybe that is just something she came up with but it still gets me 
When humans feel threatened we thrash out. When we had a bad day it could be the mail man that brought you a bill that has a disconnect that you forgot about. And you just want to ripe his head off cause you don't have the money to pay the bill. Or you lost a cake on your floor cause of a turntable and it was suppose to be delivered in a few hours for a B-Day and you want to kill your husband for being to loud when you were decorating the cake. Sometimes we aren't nice 
Cause human nature is to have emotions about things that bug us. We try to use caution but sometimes PMS or life just get you and you lash out. We all just need to figure out how to fix what is wrong. And go on tomorrow is always another day to fix what you messed up the day before
I have to say that I try to buy Wilton big stuff only when I have a 40 or 50% coupon. I went to an ICES convention when it was in Nashville and was able to buy many good quality products at rock bottom prices. I bought a wonderful turn table there for 50 bucks that tilts and things don't fall off.
Many Wilton product are "cheap" but not inexpensive and even though I am mainly a home baker I deserve to have good quality products also .The Wilton classes give you a very basic understanding but you have to go out and and get more indepth classes on your own. You won't find those classes at Michaels or Joann. Even the classes at Wilton are not always the greatest. I have heard that personally from people that have taken classes there including instructors. I will continue to look for better products also as I better myself. I may never be a "professional cake decorator " with my own shop but what I do put out hopefully will be the best that I can do. As a Registered Nurse in Critical Care my life is stressful and Cakes are soothing to me (decorating and eating). So on with life and cake decorating!!
i agree that wilton classes at michael's is pretty much the only option in my town. and i stumbled across this site because i wanted inspiration to take the "assigned" course cake and put my own spin on it and that's exactly what this site has provided. this site amazed me and i shared freely with everyone in my wilton courses. my complaint is that my instructor wasn't too keen on that however she herself would reccomend companies that she had more success with. in fact she even teaches her own special project classes at michael's that aren't wilton related. anyway - just happy that this site exists for all the knowledge i gained that only furthered what i've learned from wilton.
..... You can always call your former instructor, or if you haven't taken a class, talk to an instructor in your area. Wilton's website also has info on products as well as a discussion forum.
Wilton products are sold in Australia, but there are NO Wilton Classes here.
Nati
So If I read this thread correctly, according to the thread author, it's okay if I don't like a product, but I should just be nice about it and not vent my anger and frustrations in an angry way?
Lady, if you want to live your life looking through rose colored glasses that's fine, but don't come into a forum, which is here primarily as a "soapbox" and tell us that we shouldn't call a piece of crap a piece of crap.
When I spend money on something that on the box claims to be a superior product (as almost every Wilton product claims on it's packaging) and not only does it not work as it's supposed to, but it actually ends up messing up a cake into which I have poured additional money as well as a lot of time blood sweat and tears, is it really so surprising that I don't have a pretty strong opinion on the product that didn't live up to it's promise?
Tools are supposed to make our lives easier. Period. When they make our lives more difficult they are no longer a tool (except maybe of the devil). When I spend money on a tool, and I don't get a tool, I'm at best disappointed, at worst, totally ticked off. How mad I get usually depends on how much I spent and how much damage the "tool" did on it's way to the garbage can.
I don't think I'm a bad person, or that me expressing my anger at a product is a bad thing. Given how much use Wilton products get (mainly because of their availability, not their quality) it's a pretty safe bet there are a few angry people out there who had a wedding cake that flopped because the fondant tasted awful, or the leveller kept ripping their cake to pieces.
When I'm baking, my fiance and daughter will both tell you it can be a tense environment in the kitchen. I put myself under pressure when I bake because I feel my reputation is constantly on the line with every cake I bake. What cake business I get is by word of mouth so for me the end result is crucial. When I feel like my reputation is being put at stake by an inanimate object, it can get nasty. That's just the way it is.
I think a lot of home bakers feel the same way, and that's why we are all here at this site together... we know how it feels. My fiance cannot for the life of him understand how a cake leveller can ruin my day or even week. But I bet there are people on this site that can totally understand it. So I choose to express that here.
If I have a problem with a product, sometimes I call the company. Usually I just throw it away. It depends on my level of investment. But since we are all using the same products and sharing experiences, it will usually come out on this forum if I have an experience that was either especially pleasant or unpleasant. That's why I come here. I will continue to come here and share my opinions on things.
And, if it's a piece of crap you can sure count on me to call it a piece of crap...
Let me start off by saying that I'm a Wilton Instructor, a new one at that. I don't have a problem with people coming here and complaining about a product. But, I do have a problem with people complaining about products when they never bother to contact the company and then complain the company doesn't do anything about it. If any company gets a few complaints about a product that they produce millions of they probably won't do anything. After all no matter what is being produced there are going to be a few lemons (and I've had my share of lemons!). But, if eveyrone who had a problem would complain the company might be able to better see how big the problem is and work to change it.
That being said, what I like about Wilton products is that I can get them easily. If I run out of color, I can run off to one of many stores and even walmart in the middle of the night to get some. I don't have a cake store nearby to go and check out different products. I have yet to buy anything from the internet because the things I might buy cost too much to ship. So for my occasional baking I'm more than happy with Wilton things. Now, if I had a cake store nearby I would most likely go and try some of the other things and possibly like them more and use them instead. But the fact remains that in a 5 mile radius I have probably 10 different stores that carry wilton products LOL.
I think it's great that people can come here and voice whatever opinion they have. I think it's great that newbies can get ideas here. If you hate a wilton product than by all means come and let us know, just please let the company know too. Maybe we can affect some change for those less than ideal products.
I disagree that you should not be able to complain about a product if you have not contacted the company. If a company is going to put a product on the market, they better test it first. That is their responsibility. If I make a cake that looks horrible or tastes horrible, I do appreciate it if a client mentions it to me, but the reality is that a lot of the people who eat the cake will not say anything to the hostess or me. But my cake was bad and those people probably won't be coming to me for anymore cakes.
It is the seller's responsibility to ensure quality. The consumer will only respond to how well the seller fulfills their responsibility.
Wilton is always going on about how quality their products are. The should back it up. If the product is drfective that should come out in testing. If they see there is a problem with the product in testing, as a manufacturer of quality products they should take steps to correct it BEFORE they start taking peoples' money for potentially defective items.
I have a full time job, a kid (and a fiance that can be calssified as a second child) I am in real estate school AND I bake cakes out of my kitchen. I don't have time to spend a good half hour of my life calling a 1-800-number to tell a company their products dont work.
Wilton claims they have quality products and we believe them, so we give them our money. It is our choice to give them our money, and it is their choice to offer quality products. If they stop choosing to offer quality products, I will choose to stop giving them my money for them. As far as my opinion goes, I am entitled to one.
I already have a job, I'm not trying to be part of Wilton's market research. They know far more than I do about making cakes, and if they don't then they should perhaps rethink the business they are in.
If I had not seen Wilton demonstrated at the Sydney Royal Easter Show I probably would not be cake decorating today. Wilton products are extremely expensive for us to buy here in Australia so I have to admit that I go for a cheaper version here .
I attended a Cake Seminar last weekend and one part was a work shop on piping roses. The person who was demonstrating said you can make these rose on a tooth pick but can't use them to decorate your small cakes. Uummm, you think so so I proceeded to pipe my wilton way roses direct onto the cake while she was watching me. as she had been trained by her mother who was a Cake Decorating teacher she learned the Australian way to pipe on a toothpick.
Everyone else attending the demonstration had to use the roses she made and I had my own (Wilton Way) of which I was proud. She too was impressed.
I guess what i am saying is there is a place for everything and its up to the indvidual who and what they choose. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated and you can choose for yourself if you take it or not.
I think the jest of this whole topic is HOW to voice an opinion. I agree with
ckdcr8r - there are ways to go about using your right to "free speech". You can offer an opinion of a product with out being nasty about it, and still get your point across. When I read a rant about someone who obviously doesn't like a product - the way that person posts (and especially the words used) has a direct effect on whether I even will take what they said to heart. If there is a lot of language that is undesirable used (i.e. crap, $%&*, POS, etc....) I will more than likely draw an opinion of that person rather than the product they are complaining about.
There is a place and a market for all kinds of products - if you don't like something about a particular product.....don't use it! You can tell others of your experience ~ but being tactful when you do sure carries a lot more weight IMO.
Remember folks cannot see facial expressions or the like on the internet.....we only have the words you have typed to go on. The only thing writing "nasty" comments does is reflect on you.
"2 Turntables. Trim 'n Turn: the "cheapy" plastic one. This turntable is very durable, very versitile, and lasts forever. It will actually support 100 lbs. of cake. It is the most popular for beginning decorators. BEGINNERS. People just starting out or people who do not decorate much. What is a turntable? One of the most essential decorating tools there is. if it spins and spins smoothly, it is a good turntable. Tilting Turntable: Some of you have had issues with the locking mechanism not staying in place. I spoke with my supervisor on this and she said at the beginning of production, there were problems with this as well as the non slip surface not working as well as they would have liked with all cake board surfaces. The tables were pulled and the issue had been addressed and as far as she knew, fixed. "
Great that they fixed the problem, but what about the MANY people that bought ones that don't work! Do I hear anything about a refund? 
I am a newbie and have enough smarts to know that people post their opinions about the product. But when you have so many people saying the SAME thing about a particular product, then it has to be correct. I have never felt that someone was "bashing" Wilton just letting us know about some products that aren't as good as other brands.
I totally agree with that part. I think there should be instructions attached. All the character pans have instructions. I have overlooked the fact that there aren't instructions on newer products because of my level of experience. I already know what a product is for when it comes out. Plus it is explained to us instructors at our annual meeting so that we are able to promote them in class. I am sorry those of you who haven't taken a class haven't gotten this info or those who took it a long time ago don't have the info. You are right, that is not fair, but like I said, I personally overlooked that one. That is one of the reasons for the yearbook. To keep you updated on new products. A yearbook is cheaper than taking the classes all over. I'm not saying you have to retake the classes to find out about new product, though. You can always call your former instructor, or if you haven't taken a class, talk to an instructor in your area. Wilton's website also has info on products as well as a discussion forum. If you want to know what a product is for or how it should be used, there are plenty of people on there who have used it that could tell you. That won't cost you anything. I'm sorry Wilton didn't include instructions, but I would be happy to address that with Wilton. You all should be happy that I am also taking the time to find out from my supervisor about recent manufacturing issues, plans to redevelop commonly disliked products, and bring up any other issues so I can share that information with you. I would like to help you all out since I have those types of contacts. I don't like to hear when people are unhappy, I like to try to make it better. I also don't like when people jump to conclusions without seeing the other side or trying to find the information they need. I just think we could all be a little nicer about it.
Okay, am I reading right that you're basically saying "okay, there aren't instructions on the package, that's not right BUT there are other ways to find out how to use said product"???? Since when should I have to go anywhere other than the products packaging to obtain instructions? That's the FIRST place I should go, and the instructions should be there. The forums/yearbooks/internets are great if I have additional questions. But, what about the cake decorator that doesn't have internet access, maybe not even a phone and can't afford the additional expense of a yearbook??? What are they supposed to do, wing it??
My thoughts are, just as you have the right to express your opinion, I have the right to express mine. If my opinion is that a certain product is a piece of crap then I reserve the right to call it as such. After all, it's my opinion based on my experience. You can bet your sweet bippie if I buy something that breaks upon first use or simply doesn't do what it's advertised to do....yea, I'll let everyone know it's a piece of crap. That goes for ANYTHING I purchase.
When I began baking cakes for my children--a lifetime ago--I bought my cakes pans from the Grocery Store of all places. Then as my interest and ability increased, I purchased Wilton pans. Now that I bake cakes for sale, I only buy MagicLine pans. We have newbies here on CC just starting their baking interests and the Wilton products are adequate for a beginner's skill. I think what Wilton is missing out on is understanding the advanced skill level we "goldies" are working at and haven't kept their R&D up to the standards required to satisfy our needs. I buy most of my products and supplies at cake suppliers. As I become more professional in my own decorating, I am disappointed that Wilton has not. To put a product on the market such as their fondant, knowing that there is a taste problem and excusing it because "most people will not eat it anyway" really harms the company's image. But this afternoon I emailed Wilton with a question on one of their tips and I received an answer almost immediately. What other company would support such a service? So I'm just saying, Wilton is a strong partner in learning the skills we all have come to be passionate about.
Well I think maybe one of the Wilson top guys should have a look at this thread lol maybe they will open their eyes and take notice. I see that they still havnt changed that yukky fondant hmmm maybe this century? I see that when other companies have defected equipment they do a recall and offer a rebate or such for the corrected version hmm think that might happen? Although from everyone's complaints about some of this stuff maybe I should say "crappy fondant" personally I dont find that word too harsh and it seems to sum up the product quite adaquatley. I dont work or represent Wilson I am just a lowly consumer so I can and will call a spade by a spade as I said earlier if you were standing in my kitchen when I had a mishap with a wilson product believe me the adjective would have a lot more explicit than crappy.
I'm not going to get on either bandwagon and defend or not defend Wilton- a) that's not the point of my post, and b) I don't have enough experience with cake decorating OR Wilton to be able to fairly be able to say the product was solely at fault and there were no outside factors affecting results, like family breathing down neck, being tired, having other things on the brain, etc.
Freedom of speech is great. Sharing opinions from everyone in different walks of life and levels of skill and experience to be able to learn and grow from is invaluable- and we are truly lucky to have the internet in that regard to have the ability to have this great pool of talent and experience todraw from, share, learn, grow.
Critiquing/reviewing a product or service is beneficial to prospective customers (on the point of 'sharing experiences on various products and their quality to save someone else from blowing money etc etc) is really only effective to that person if the whole story is there and if the real 'whys' are included and if it's a fair critique based on all other similar products (ie complaining that the new hydrogen car doesnt go as fast as the Mustang in the garage)
The other aspect of that point - yes we are human and have emotions and I thank God every day for that. While I think anyone on the planet has a CHOICE to behave or speak or act any way they want to, I think part of growing up is being able to cry or punch a hole in the wall at our catastrophes without being nasty or abusive to people- the intended parties or not. The business you professionals are in of cake decorating is high stress, (I understand fully in my field), the stress level is high, deadlines, creative people are perfectionists, or tend to be, and planning ahead to avoid stress is mostly or often not possible when things have to be done on a certain schedule or in a certain order.
I am more of a trial and error person myself. I like to research what I'm about to embark on from all angles, see what's out there, what tools I need, what tools are out there, what I should have for my level of experience etc, and learn by doing. The feedback I've seen in here that offers the full experience, like including ones level of experience, outside factors, why this didnt work, what the oven was at, what recipe I used etc, are really invaluable for making sound choices 
The final note (sorry for being so long lol- I guess I've pretty much tagged myself that way already lol).
It is the seller's responsibility to ensure quality. The consumer will only respond to how well the seller fulfills their responsibility.
Companies have responsibilities yes, but customers have the final power and responsibility. Without people giving feedback and/or purchasing a company's product, they are no longer in business. Simple law of supply and demand.Companies recall products all the time. It is not viable for them to act on a handful of complaints. It's hard to see that as being fair when you are not in the shoes of the company (I'm not getting on Wilton bandwagon, Im talking about business practicess/running a business period). If you take 5 minutes to call the (appropriate of course) channels and file a complaint about a product, and a few thousand or more other people do the same. That will get noticed. Once a product is on the shelf, Joe or Jane CEO has no way of knowing the testing they did that produced smiles in the testing phase and in the forum group feedback prior to launching is the same result in my home or your home, unless I provide feedback. Simple as that.
I'm just explaining how consumer power works. Use it. If you (generic) want to know how to lodge a complaint and get heard, do the research, pick up a book, call the customer service and ask who to talk to. Without bashing or ranting with a bunch of expletives of course. The higher up you go the better obviously.
Consumer power is effective and essential to customer satisfaction as well as the success of a business. People boycott products all the time.- (Example, Northern European countries started boycotting British Columbia lumber imports years ago for our grotesque logging practices and the companies had to start taking notice because well that leaves a huge dent in the profit margin when millions of dollars of your product do not sell)
Sorry, while I appreciate the space here on this site and elsehwere for people to express themselves,. I just get so sick of generally over the years people not taking a proactive role in what they spend time and money on. If Wilton had 10 customers and 2 people complained, they'd keep on doingw hat they're doing. If 8 people complained/took boycott or other action they'd have to take notice.
Let me turn this around and say if 1 customer complained about a cake one might chalk it up to whatever (Bridezilla seems to get used a lot). If 10 customers in a row complained, it would not be sound business practice to not look at making improvements. Like if I tell someone their cake is too sweet, quite likely to the 'normal' taster, it's just fine because I just dont like eating things that are too sweet. If 9 other people said it was too sweet also. Well you get the drift.
Edited to add: And if a company does not heed that feedback and make improvements, then why would you support them further? We know not all companies do but then again someone said they still have a huge market share- because consumers are not using their power obviously 
Darcat, that would be "Wilton" let's don't criticize the poor Wilson company LOL.
ROFLMAO! 
"Wilton-bashing" occurs because Wilton makes products that people want to bash.....
Some of Wilton's products suck.... it's a fact. When you take a poll and the vast majority says they are dissatisfied with a product, you can no longer call it 'operator error'.
The tilting turntable is a $60 piece of garbage...for those who it has worked beautifully for, I applaud you because I almost threw mine out the window.....oh, wait... it wouldn't have done anything to the window because it was PLASTIC! It would have broken and the window would have laughed at it
The fondant tastes like chemical nastiness...and it stinks....literally. There is a weird and disgusting odor that is more than obvious the second you break the seal on that silver package...... I use this w/ a coupon for 'practice' roses that even the dog won't eat. Doesn't bother me... but I would never use it on something people will actually put in their mouths.
Wilton is like the 'cake" version of Microsoft.... they were the only game in town for a long, long time. Wilton is good for a beginner and some of their items come in quite handy even for the advance decorator.... and some of their stuff is crap.
I will be dam*% if I am going to keep quiet when they continue to manufacture and advertise products that do not do what they are supposed to! I am not going to whisper quietly my dissatisfaction because they 'helped so many people and they are the only ones who offer classes and some of their other products really work - blah, blah, blah.' Some are good and some are bad...simply as that. I don't care how old and established a company is.... you start doing more bad business than good business and you will go out of business. Wilton still corners the market on newbie bakers so they will no doubt, live long and prosper. 
As for KA, I hate them for cakes but love them for frosting....
whata ya gonna do? I have 2 standing mixers - everybodies happy
i am a relative beginner to the bake world. i do decorate for people for $$$. Guess what, half the people i know LOVE the wilton class bc. if you look, it's almost exactly like the faux fondant recipe on THIS site. Personally, i put butter and crisco in my recipe. anyway. i've never had a BIG issue with any wilton product. i think that the first post is right- they are products for beginners or the mom who wants to make her kids cakes, not for someone cranking out 10 cakes a week or more. the average person doesn't want to order expensive pans ONLINe that they'll use 2 times. now i do love the americolor , much less mess but wilton's pans have served me well, as well as other staples, such as cake boards, boxes ( don't do enough to order off line and have 50 boxes of just one size laying around) i've never tried the wilton tilting table, and i am afraid to buy it due to the comments, but i have their small spinning table and it's worked just fine for my small cake layers. There's always going to be people unhappy with a certain product/place. just like sugarcraft-i've ordered off there many times with no problems and they called me personally once just to double check on an order i had placed and to let me know an item was on back order and they would ship later at no additional cost. i just think more people, unfortunatly take the time to criticize vs. compliment
Koolaidstains.....where in Indy do you live. You can get some cake stuff at Mrs B's in Speedway. I don't know how far away you are though from Speedway. Another option is a "road trip" to Ft Wayne to Country Kitchen Sweet Art. You can buy boxes in bulk or by themselves. They hold classes up there too.
Where are you teaching? Joanns or Michaels?
This is a great forum and I must say even though I am still very new and raw at cake decorating I started out with Wilton pans. They are good for starters but I have started buying Magicline pans which I love because they are nice heavy duty pans. Your edges turn out great. Just like everything we start off with what we can afford and move up to better quality as our income and expertise improves. (you may buy your first furniture from a second hand store then move up to Quality brands like Lexington or Natuzzi) We all have to start somewhere but if there is a product that is not to your liking and you have a problem with it ....call or write the company. I was a restaurant mgr before I was a nurse and I always tell people that We will never know if something is wrong unless you tell us. If you say everything if fine when it really isn't then you not only do the business a disservice you do yourself a disservice. I say we all write Wilton to tell them how disappointing their fondant is. If thousands of CC posters write the company then how can they ignore that!
oceanspitfire, quadcrew, and koolaidstains, an anyone else on other pages, thanks for having my back on this one. Ever since I have been reading these responses, it seems everyone wants to kick that can of worms I opened. 
I really appreciate the consumer power info that oceanspitfire provided. This is so true. I said it earlier, if you complain, it does not mean it will be fixed tomorrow, but it also does not mean they are not listening. And as far as refunds or recalls, just where do you think you are going to find out about such things? Wilton doesn't have product registry so that they can inform you of a recall. Have you ever asked Wilton for a refund? If it is too late to return the product to the retailer, send it back to the manufacturer. Yeah, they are not perfect, no one is and you can't please everyone. I am sorry I got my panties all up in a wad about this. I know Wilton is going to take most customer flack because they are the most available. I was just trying to make a point that we should take a more proactive vs. reactive roll about the things we buy. I'm sure the majority of the angry or nasty posts came in the heat of a stressful cake moment and just needed to release the tension by tapping the life out of the keyboard. 
Fine. Continue to do so if you wish. Just don't expect everyone to jump on your bandwagon. If you want to organize a lynch mob for fondant, I am sure you could get several signatures for your petition. Just let them know. They need to know. They will continue what they are doing until there is a large enough group of consumers that are unhappy. Complaining on the fourm is great for our benefit, but it will not solve your problems. I am sure Wilton knows the rumor is that their fondant sucks, but they need to be told directly, not from he-said-she-said. If you think you don't have time to be part of Wilton's market research, well they are no different from any other company. They rely on the ones who spend their money on and use their products to provide honest feedback in order to improve, or not to improve the product. It is our responsibility as consumers. If you are not happy, go to the source. It's the only way to get results. But you are always welcome to share your experiences with the rest of us. As an instructor, I would be happy to do some of the legwork for you in finding out about products, since I have access to those contacts, but still, I am only one person.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%