ughhhhGHHHH.
Ok, so there is this holiday coming up (today actually) here in the middle east. What they do is all dress up in traditional clothing, have parties, and give each other little goodie bags filled with nuts, seeds, small candies. Well I made my own version of these goodie bags and they went like hotcakes the minute I uploaded the pics. I just added a cake pop to each one.
So one woman booked for today about 2 weeks in advance. Great. She said she didnt want them in a basket, just in a box. Then she smses me a few days ago she wants a basket. fine.
She was supposed to pick this whole arrangement up at 4 pm. I have been smsing and calling her since YESTERDAY. nothing. I sms her today confirming, call her, sms again, call, nothing. At around 6:30 pm I mark her down as a no show.
I then go to my facebook group and send out a message saying i have a basket avialable, within 5 minutes 5 people call me, I reserve it for the first woman who calls. She said she would pick it up 9 pm.
At 7 pm, the origional woman calls me, saying she is coming for her basket. I told her I already promised it to someone else, since she didnt answer any of my messages or calls. "WHAT?? IM ONLY 3 HOURS LATE WHATS THE BIG DEAL?? WE HAD AN AGREEMENT! I GAVE YOU MY WORD I WAS GONN A COME GET IT!!!"
"Mam you didnt answer my calls or smses from yesterday so i assumed you were a no show. Only 2 hours?? if you wanted me to deliver it I would have been there 4 sharp out of respect to you!!!!"
"NO NO I STILL WANT IT NOW WHAT AM I GOING TO DO IM GONNA GO TO THIS PARTY EMPTY HANDED WE HAD A DEAL IM JUST A LITTLE LATE HOW CAN YOU DO THIS TO ME."
sO I TOLD HER I would call the other woman and she can only have it back if the woman was ok with it. She said fine, it was just a last minute thing anyway. I promised her a 20% discount next time and to put her into my giveaway grab bag.
Now here is the woman again, OVER AN HOUR LATE. she sent me an sms saying she was on her way and shes still not here. ughhhh. I dont know now if she really is a no show or shes just friggin lazy and disrespectful. I should have just stuck to my NO and let the other woman have it!!!

Ive never been in this situation before? have you? What is the correct thing to do? hold it even though she is late and hasnt replied to your calls, or let someone else have it? And then when they show uup wanting it? what do you do? Im so glad lady # 2 was nice. I really lucked out.

I have no advice, but I sure hope your day gets better!

Man I feel for you. So sorry this has happened. Have you tried calling the lady again? Maybe you should send her a message and tell her if she doesnt call you back with in 30 minutes you will give the basket away.

Man t his really sucks...sorry your having to go through it.

Omg. What a mess. I don't know--except get paid in advance is an idea for future.

I would call and text her again, give her about another 30 minutes to respond then give it to the other lady. She is the one being rude not you. If you keep waiting it may be too late and you will end up losing money.

I hate people.

Don't hate people. But when I get an order for a cake or something I make them pay in advance and it's NON-refundable! I be damned if i get stiffed I don't play that you would probably see me on the 6 o clock news for acting a damn fool about my money. LOL! So my advice make people pay upfront period!

I know that when I was stationed in Bahrain, especially during holidays, time seemed to have no meaningamon the Bahrainis unless it was dawn or sunset during calls to prayers.

Yep thats basically how it is here. My deliveries are no problem cos I deliver to their homes, but my pick ups are ALWAYS hours late!!! Like they assume I just dont have a life! At least they all called and said they would be late! Unlie her who never answered my calls or messages.
Well she said she was "on her way" like an hour and a half before I smsed her again. I told her if shes not here in 30 minutes that I wont be home and she'll have no order. She eventually showed, I didnt wanna see her so I sent my husband out to give it to her. He said she just shoved the money in his face and left. I guess its a safe assumption the 10 business cards I stuck in there are gonna be chucked in the trash!
Oh, I also referred lady # 2 to another person in the same business, and she later smsed me thanking her, that she got her goodie bags from the other lady.
Downpayments are a bit harder to ask for in this part of the world, but for weddings and huge orders I do ask for them. When woman cant drive (that woman showed up with her chaufer) and we have no addresses it makes things so much harder.
Well ugh glad thats over! These goodie bags are the most money Ive made so far for one event! Woo hoo!

Yeah....ya know, nothing like a good ole' policy of payment ahead of time. Then....there wouldn't be anything to complain about.

nothing worse then waiting around for someone to pick up their cakes...
I deliver wedding cakes only..
other cakes- I have to say out of every 10 cakes only 4 are on time!
the others are at least 30min-1hour late.
One lady didn't come until 4 hours after she said she was coming; the only thing that wasn't bad was I was going to be home all day anyway, but still!

I glad she picked up her goodies!!!
Jodi

What you, and everyone, needs to do is set your business hours. Even if you work from home, you still need to do it. I know someone who does cakes from her home, but she only deals with clients from 10:30 - 4:30 - that's it. You're late ... Too bad, I'm closed (even if I'm in the livingroom, my business is closed). If you were a store front, with posted business hours, would she have been 4 hrs. late? No. And if she was, the doors would have been locked and you long gone. You're not a donut store, open 24/7. Clients can't just show up when it's convenient to them.

alvarez, my god you'd think family would be the last people to do that to you!!! Did she take the strawberries and not pay, or just never showed?!?!!? That is just rude and horrible and unethical. Strawberries arent cheap either!!!! And come on there are so many ways to get a hold of someone these days!!!