Hi Guys,
I had a customer to send me an email complaint today. I made a Pooh Cake for her, 2 dozen cupcakes (1 dozen yellow and 1 dozen vanilla). I also threw in a FREE 6 inch smash cake. Well, as I boxed up Pooh this morning, he turned a little orange. When I met the customer, I showed it to her, and she did not say anything about it. She said that it was fine and ask me how he turned orange. I told her that icing turns darker as time progresses. She then came back and said, well i thought I ordered one dozen cupcakes in chocolate. I showed her the order form and told her that she said that she was not ready for her daughter to have chocolate per our conversation. She acted like she could not remember. Anyway, she paid me and left. He mom was with her by the way. This was at 10:00 this morning. It is now 2:24pm and she wants to complain. What do you think I should do? If she wanted me to remake the Pooh cake when I met her, I would have done so since her party is tomorrow, but she did not say anything. I would have made it tonight after I had gotten off of work from my dayjob; but she did not say anything.
I am going to meet her to pick up the cake. I am going to remake it tonight and she will meet me to pick it up tomorrow since her daughter's party is late tomorrow afternoon. Word of mouth can hurt a business and I don't like my customers being upset and spreading a bad word about my business.
Thanks guys
Benisha
I am sorry you're having so much trouble with this woman. You are kinder than I would be as I wouldn't remake the cake. Have you done things for her before? Was she a referral from a previous client?
She is a new customer. She saw my advertisement. She just emailed me thanking me for offering the remake, but now she wants to know if she can bring me the cake back tomorrow. I politely replied "no" and told her that I need it back today.
What is she complaining about, the color of Pooh or the cupcake flavor? My advise is to see what she is upset about and how upset. DON'T just go offer her something. She may just need to sit down after the party and vent and hear you apologize. Neither item sounds like it ruined her party. Absolute worst case scenario, I would offer her a gift certificate for future use for an amount equal to the issue. I have a policy that I don't give money back unless there is some horrendous issue that would prevent the cake from being served/eaten. I haven't had to tackle this issue because no one has had that type of complaint, YET!
Good luck!
Hey Guys,
She just emailed me saying
"I run a home daycare and have children until 5:30, the cake is currently in the fridge and I have not touched it. I am not understanding why you need it back today and I can not exchange it with you tomorrow morning?"
What would you do or say now? I am displaying good customer service and good business practices here by meeting her and remaking it? She is trying to take my arm and leg...
Benisha
I'm guessing you're planning on scraping the icing off the cake and reicing and redecorating it, right? She's thinking you're baking an entirely new cake for her, so in her mind, she's just trading the old cake for a brand new cake, which is why she doesn't understand.
If the issue is the colour could you not use the same cake and remove the orange and replace with red?
Unless a flaw is really glaringly obvious I don't point it out. A little darker Pooh...that's really just subjective. If you hadn't pointed it out she may not have ever said anything. Then, if she did mention it, you say that the colors tend to get deeper and richer as they sit...not in an apologetic way, but in a matter-of-fact way. You are being way more reasonable than she is, but since you've already acknowledged there's a problem I don't see how you can get out of it. I can't imagine how a Pooh cake being a little orange would make it unacceptable. Some people are never happy.
Tell her it's a time thing. You need time to fix the cake. If you can't get it today then I guess she is keeping the cake she has. And unless you are just ruining orders left & right, I wouldn't worry too much about word of mouth. You can not make everyone happy all the time.
So did Pooh turn orange or his shirt? I mean there's no reason to bake a whole new one--scrape it off and redo the color or just air brush the right color or something.
Just tell her those are your terms to redo the cake. That you're not going through twice as much work without receiving the cake back when she could have made these arrangements from the get go. But still there's no reason to re-bake.
If she insists, ask her why she didn't express these reservations at the beginning.
I just emailed her back and told her again, that she is getting a brand new cake and that I needed the original cake back in order to do a remake. If she can't get the cake to me by 4:30 then she is SOL. I am sorry folks, but I feel like I have done all I can in this situation. I have compromised. And then, I would have to drive 30 miles back here tomorrow to bring her the new cake. I met her today about 2 miles from my dayjob when she picked up the cake. I live 30 miles from work. This would mean I have to burn gas to come back here tomorrow.
Yaaaaaa, I stood my ground guys. She justed emailed
"I can leave now and meet you in about 20 mins if that works?
I told her that works for me. I am 2 miles away and will see you in 20 mins.
I thought she could not leave because she has an in home daycare???
Thanks Guys for your support here, it means alot to me.
Exactly why you dictate your business and not your customerst. 
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