She Hated It!

Decorating By Rosa2745 Updated 9 Oct 2009 , 3:18am by CarolAnn

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Rosa2745 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:34pm
post #1 of 34

Well I had a coworker of my mom's inquire about a cake. (She ended up being my old best friend's mom) She called and wanted to come by and see my album. I felt pretty confident. Well she comes by and shows me the picture of the cake she had in mind. It was three gifts stacked upon each other with bows and lots of fondant accents. I normally used whip frosting (mainly because it's not too sweet). Well she says she hates that frosting and only wants buttercream. Ok I can make it I guess. Well she wanted sample cakes (which she was willing to reimburse me for supplies). She orders a chocolate cake with oreo cream cheese filling and chocolate frosting. I warned her how sweet the combination would be (I don't care she said). She also ordered a white cake with tropic filling (with white buttercream). I used receipes I found here that were very highly rated. Ok so I waste my Saturday morning baking, torting, filling, mixing, and so forth. She comes for her sample cakes. She didn't call...so I say well that's ok. Well my mom calls me yesterday because she asked her neice what she thought about the cakes. She says "Oh, no the white buttercream was too sweet and the chocolate was too chocolatly".
I don't normally make buttercream, but I must admit it was very good. Well she kind of ruined my mood yesterday because I've never had anyone say they didn't like my cakes. My mom says I'm better off because she is too picky. I pretended I didn't care but I must admit she really lowered my confidence. Part of me wants to offer her another sample (using my regular frosting) but the other part of me never wants to see her again. Sorry so long, I really needed to vent. My husband keeps telling me to just let it go but it really bothered me.

33 replies
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peg818 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:37pm
post #2 of 34

tastes are so subjective that you really can't worry about it. Don't waste any more time or money on her.

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rainbow_kisses Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:41pm
post #3 of 34

Sorry you are feeling so upset by the lady but I would say just let her go, you can not please everyone so just make her down as a 'not pleased' and forget about her

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Mensch Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:52pm
post #4 of 34

You can't please everyone. The next customer is just around the corner.

'She' didn't lower your confidence..... you let her.

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matthewkyrankelly Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:54pm
post #5 of 34

Really, don't give it a second thought You can't possibly please everyone's taste. Don't try. I hate fondant, but I know good work and what the best fondant tastes like.

There is bakery around here that is supposed to be the best. Well, they are good at everything but great tasting cake, in my opinion. I sometimes wonder if they got all of their recipes from a war-era, sugar-rationing cookbook. Saltines are almost as sweet. My point is, they should not change their cakes for me. They have an audience, it isn't me.

Ignore her and move on.

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KHalstead Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 5:58pm
post #6 of 34

you know i had something similar happen when I first started selling cakes (not too long ago) I had someone offer to let me sell cakes out of their store front and they already had a cake lady that they thought was going to quit soon (because she was working and going to school on top of the cakes) so they asked if I'd be willing to fill orders if they take them, they get no money from it, they charge what I charge and give me the money (they get the customer into their store and they wind up buying all kinds of balloons and party favors to go with the cake)......so I say, I'm honored you think I'm good enough and I'd love to! Well, after the first 2 cakes I made they asked me to change my cake recipe. Turns out they went to a party where the 2nd cake was served and they said it was too dense, good, but too dense and definitely NOTHING like the other cake lady made (she used JUST cake mix per box directions) so they asked if I could just use cake mixes for the cakes I do for them. Well, I told them NO.....if my name is being given out with these cakes then I want them to be MY cakes. I stuck to my guns, they agreed and started asking customers "do you want a lighter cake or a denser cake" and gave out the orders to each of us accordingly. Well, fast forward a yr. later.....the other lady doesn't get any cake orders from them anymore I get them all.....turns out customers started to inquire who made the last cake we ordered and when they got my name they started to request their cakes be made by me....before long nobody wanted the other lady's cakes!

So moral of the story.....not everyone will LOVE your cakes, but stick to your guns and to your recipes and do what you know and what you're comfortable working with!

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Texas_Rose Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:01pm
post #7 of 34

Don't worry...some people just have a particular idea in their mind of what they want, and even if they can't describe it too well, that's all they want. There's really nothing to feel bad about...you said they were recipes you got here, so it's not like they were your secret recipes that you spent years developing, or anything like that.

But if she comes back for more sample cakes, don't do it.

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Trish43 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:05pm
post #8 of 34

I would not worry so much about her not liking your cake, because if it is one thing i have learned since baking and decorating cakes is learning to accept criticism because you have some who loves your cakes then you have others that do not. So i just let it roll off and take negative comments and make them positive. Sometimes we are our worst critics.lol

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cookiemama2 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:06pm
post #9 of 34

2 Sample cakes , reimburse you for supplies, ...
looks to me like she wanted cheap cakes. I bet she loved them and and had no intention of having you make the stacked cake and told all her friends what a great deal she got /or tricked you.

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Jessica1817 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:06pm
post #10 of 34

I just lost a large order to a couple who disagreed on taste. The bride said she loved my samples, but the groom thought it was too sweet. I've never had that comment--its cake, its supposed to be sweet!!! My husband says not to expect 100% bookings, but I know its hard to hear a negative comment about something you take so personally. The next customer is probably 5 minutes away, don't sweat it thumbs_up.gif

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Metltm Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:07pm
post #11 of 34

Ditto, ditto, ditto. Let her go!

Hopefully, this will turn out to be one of those experiences that help in the future. If another client requests a tasting and chooses flavs you don't think will work, you can make what they've chosen and then offer a sample of the cake with the icing you think would work?!

Just a thought! Good luck! icon_biggrin.gif

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__Jamie__ Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:14pm
post #12 of 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mensch

You can't please everyone. The next customer is just around the corner.

'She' didn't lower your confidence..... you let her.




Yup.

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Mike1394 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:15pm
post #13 of 34

I'm always amazed when someone says it's toooo chocolaty WHAT? It's chocolate it's supposed to be that way.

Write it off to a palate that's as good as a cement slab.

Mike

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Lenette Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:24pm
post #14 of 34

I know it is difficult but let this one go. I have been there and I am not one of those people who are tough as nails and nothing gets to me. Yes, comments from someone else can affect our confidence. So, I empathize with you.

Not everyone is going to love your cake, people have different taste. I have never understood folks saying "it's too sweet". It's dessert for crying out loud! And we won't even go there on "too chocolate-y", sheesh!

Maybe folks are used lower quality (read cheap) stuff, where the flavor is dumbed down. I dunno. You will feel better and there will be people that come along that love your cakes.

Really, I have found that the people that "know" me are the worst!

HUGS to you! icon_smile.gif

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sugalips Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:38pm
post #15 of 34

For my daughter's wedding she had another lady make her cake (Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!) which my daughter said was the best carrot cake she ever had due to a taste sample. I had a piece and, although it was good, I didn't think it was as good as several others I had tasted. This is strickly a matter of one person's taste buds. Don't let it get you in the slightest. As far as "too sweet", what do you think... it's a cake, not a potato chip!!!! icon_mad.gificon_lol.gif

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-K8memphis Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:47pm
post #16 of 34

That's why I hate tastings.

But I mean you Know how it will ruin a perfectly good wedding reception for the cake to be sweet--omg!!!

icon_rolleyes.gif

This customer is pure slinkie material*-- icon_lol.gif

* check Mensch's signature

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CutiePieCakes-Ontario Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 6:51pm
post #17 of 34

Why in the world would you give her an entire cake for a SAMPLE?? A cake tasting is just that ... they get a small taste of your cake, not the whole darn thing!!

I realized that she offered to pay for the ingredients, but you should not have accepted this offer. You should have asked her what she wanted, baked and then offered her only a sampling. For that, you should try to have a set menu of cakes, and not do something specific for every client, otherwise you'll be spending a large amount of money making cakes for samples, and unless you have lots of potential clients, you'll have a lot of cake in your freezer in little tiny squares.

Sorry to say, but you've been had! She just wanted someone to bake the cakes she wanted, and I bet she decorated them herself ... and then claimed she did the whole thing!

Don't ever do this again .... No, really ... DON'T! You're too good to let someone take advantage of you. Just let this go as a lesson learned. Next time, just a few small pieces to sample; not the whole cake.

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Rosa2745 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:21pm
post #18 of 34

Thanks, so much to everyone for your words of encouragement. Only YOU all can understand how I feel. I should have known she was trouble when she started asking for samples. Usually word just gets around by others who have tasted my cakes. She's the first and the last one I will make these "samples" for (2 six inch cakes). If they want to order--great! If they don't--oh well.
I'm so glad I turned her "make me 100 decorated cookies on a stick" down. She probably would have complained that the royal icing would be too sweet too. HA!

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CutiePieCakes-Ontario Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:38pm
post #19 of 34

YEAH FOR YOU!! icon_biggrin.gif

And you certainly did the right thing in turning down her cookies. She probably would say the RI was too sweet ... or take all the credit for them. Either way, goodbye to bad rubbish.

Just remember this incident the next time, and you'll be fine.

BTW: I have to go into work tonight and tell with a 'wicked witch' of a co-worker. Can I borrow your backbone? icon_wink.gif

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janebrophy Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:44pm
post #20 of 34

Is there such a thing as too chocolatey?!?!? For Real?

Wow, I have to agree, that lady was not interested in buying cakes from you right from the beginning...

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CbyA Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:47pm
post #21 of 34

OMG! I hate when people said "oh no, it is to sweet" grrrrrrrr it makes me mad, come on it is a CAKE! daaahhhhhhhhhhh

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makeminepink Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:58pm
post #22 of 34

Sugalips-- that's a hoot! "It's not a potato chip!" Exactly-- too sweet-- too chocolatey???? Good gosh! Be relieved--- be very relieved that she's not going to be your customer! icon_smile.gif

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playingwithsugar Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 7:59pm
post #23 of 34

Shake it off. She's probably not used to homemade icing.

Next customer, please!

Theresa icon_smile.gif

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costumeczar Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 10:37pm
post #24 of 34
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike1394

I'm always amazed when someone says it's toooo chocolaty WHAT? It's chocolate it's supposed to be that way.

Write it off to a palate that's as good as a cement slab.

Mike




Ha ha ha, that's what I was thinking, too!

"This chicken is too chickeny, can you change it? What about this baked potato, it's kind of potato-y. I don't like that. Can you change it?" icon_confused.gif

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kelleym Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 10:54pm
post #25 of 34

A customer who doesn't like your "normal" recipes and demands you make something else - that's kind of like if I decided to go stand at the counter at McDonald's and insist they serve me spaghetti.

Don't change your recipes for anyone. Don't sell recipes you aren't 100% confident with as part of your business image.

She's a con artist.

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GenGen Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 10:58pm
post #26 of 34

my father inlaw just retired (early) and took to baking cakes from a mix and using icing from the tub.. he and my MIL are both going ooh and ahh over the icing etc and i'm like .. its store bought icing..

i think its cause they got so used to my cakes that this being something new and different to them- it tasted good.. yah sure i like some store frostings but i will choose mine over store any time day night etc.. goes w/o saying i guess lol

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Rosa2745 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 11:02pm
post #27 of 34

I probably could have bought a tub of wilton buttercream and she would have been delighted! I should have done that. I would have saved a lot of my time.

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GenGen Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 11:13pm
post #28 of 34

possibly.. i tried that stuff once, bought the big tub of it.. was terrible and didn't work nearly as well as the wilton DIY recipe (standard wilton buttercream recipe that you make yourself) i thought for some reason they would be the same thing.. lol i never bought it again. only bought it as a "time saver" i should have known..i've found many time savers ending up to be time wasters lol

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JCE62108 Posted 6 Oct 2009 , 11:33pm
post #29 of 34

Ah dont feel bad. Im kicking my self right now....again. I have a bad habit of quoting people way too low. I always do because Im so afraid to loose a sale. Im just starting out so Im really trying hard to make a name for myself.

I just agreed to do a 3 tier cake (9,6, and 4) with 12 free cupcakes, 2 free tastings, and free delivery for $110. Im so angry. I originally quoted $160 and she made me nervous saying that was above her price range so I offered a price that was way too low....regreting it the moment I said it.

I really dont want to do these tastings. Im dreading it, actually. Im trying to figure out what to do with all the left over cake!!! I guess maybe I can bake the 6 and 4 inch tiers and freeze it. lol. Hopefully it will be good two months later. icon_sad.gif

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Rosa2745 Posted 8 Oct 2009 , 11:21pm
post #30 of 34

Well maybe there is a happy ending to my story. I was so upset after this lady totally hating my cakes. It was a Tuesday night and I was getting ready to go to bed when the phone rang. It was a sweet lady that attended a bridal shower whom I made a cake for. She said she just loved my mandarin cake and had never had one quite as delicious (it's boxed but doctored). She wanted to order a cake for the following day. I normally don't do cakes that fast but since she only wanted a 10 round with very minimal decoration I agreed. Before you knew it I had the blender on and was whipping away the cake. Due to distance I agreed to meet her half way for pick up. She was so greatful that I had made her such a last minute cake she even gave me more than we had agreed on. Since then I have had four more orders and my confidence is back.
I decided to take everyones advice and stick to what I do best and not allow others to change that. If they want it great, if they don't too bad so sad. Posting a pic of the bridal cake I made for Sunday that the lady absolutely loved! http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1479998

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