Well I dont know if you remembermy post about the rich sneaky customer, but the wedding is tomorrow and we're on. She actually changed her mind and had me do the 100 cake balls and the wedding favors (in gallery, im actually quite proud of these ones).
Well first she wanted just 100 cake balls for 12 tables.
Then she wanted 100 cake balls and 55 favors.
Then she asked me to make it 65 favors, but to take the cost of the extra 10 favors off the 100 cake balls. ok fine. (not wanting to go over agreed price.)
Deposit was taken in advance, 50%.
So she calls me today and asks about the favors, I tell her all is going as planned. Then she says she doesnt want me to box the favors as agreen upon, that she will do them herself. ( I know she's thinking she wont pay as much). I tell her sorry, but when it comes to my work i do everything or nothing, and I had already bought the boxes, put them together and labeled them. She said oh ok....Then she asks me to send her a picture of what i made.
Now Ihate it when they do this. We already agreed what it was going to look like. How do you respond to this? No, you cant see a picture?
I always think when they ask for a picture its either to change 1000 things about it, or that in this case she might say no thats not what I wanted and i want my money back.
How do you handle these situations?

I normally do send the pictures. It bothers me too when they ask but I do it anyway. If what you made is what you agreed upon then she can't argue and if she does well you should tell her the remainder of the contracted price or no delivery.

What people ask for pictures before they get the cake? I thought I had all the crazies but it seems like ya'll have a few of them 2...lol, give it a week and I'll have people asking for pics now !

I guess the pansy in my would send them but I would put it in writing (luv me some email) that no changes can be made at this time and remind her that no final payment means no cake balls, of course in nicer more professional terms.

So she got you to make 10 extra favors at no additional cost? Sounds like me, I'm up right now making free zombies

Tell her to come and look at them if she wants to see them. Why? Cause she is ridiculous, not cause I wouldn't do it for a nice csutomer. But then again, a nice customer wouldn't bother. But I think your right. I think she is gonna complain to get some money back. If that's what she does, tell her to late and don't give her crap until she pays the balance.

"I'm sorry, photographs are not a service I provide..." Taking a photo, downloading it, and emailing it just add to the time you put into this. I would make sure when she picks it up or you deliver it, that she signs a release that states everything was "AS ORDERED". She sounds like trouble waiting to happen to me - protect yourself.

Ditto that, you can offer to send her photos AFTER you have delivered, that is what I do as a courtesy, just in case they don't get a nice photo themselves. But doing it beforehand cuts into your time to finish your project for her and therefore would jack up the price. You are not a photographer but provide the dessert. She wants photos, ask her to pay for a photographer

I don't take pictures until I am 100% done, and that is either at the venue (once everything is set-up) or a few hours before delivery time.

Time you don't have time for that and she'll see them when she gets them. sheesh!

The favors are gorgeous and the presentation was very elegant! I was wondering how you keep them upright in the boxes during transport. I couldn't tell if there is some sort of insert or something to keep them in place.

Send her a photo. Of your rear end. With the caption "your lips go HERE".

(sigh) one of those things that you can't do in real life. But it is fun just to think about it, isn't it?

You KNOW how this customer is.... you've had problems with her before. If you send her a pic ahead of time you are opening up to enormous amounts of unwarrented criticism.

After this event, you need to cross her off your list.

It plain sounds exactly like she plans to complain etc..Your cakeballs and favors are Beautiful by the way I would just tell her that you don't send pictures of cakes/favors etc until everything is completed.I mean if we all sent pictures of all our work half done I'm positive no customers would buy!

It really makes me mad when customers get the buyers remorse

Do you make your clients sign a contract? That way they can't try to go somewhere else to get them cheaper. I actually have a bride playing that game as well. She asked for a quote on a cake, she then saw my cupcake wedding cake and really liked it. I then didn't hear from her for a while. Last week she sends me an email saying that they decided that they really want to go with the cupcake wedding cake, and asks if I can email her a pic. I haven't even had a consultation with her. I told her that the pic is on my website if she needs it. I am not going to go out of my way and waste my time to send her a pic that's more clear for her to see. She obviously wants someone else to do it cheaper. After I sent her that reply, she hasn't responded yet.

thanks everyone for your replies and compliments.
To verify, the woman isnt gettingthe extra 10 boxes free, she's just having me take the cost off of her other order (instead of getting 100 cake balls to place on the tables, shes not getting more like 60 cake balls)
And yes Im not going to send her any photo. I'm just going to tell her she can see them when she picks them up. (didnt want to pay delivery fee)On this side of the globe contracts really arent done...I dont know why? They should be. So I feel if i were to introduce something like that people would not order from me and go to the other home bakers who dont do them. The other home bakers dont even take a downpayment, but that is something ive started insisting on. (And even that has got me less orders when they are told they have to come to my house twice, once to pay, once to pick up order)
I'm her only wedding favors and the wedding is tomorrow so if she pisses me off she wont have any for her wedding!
About putting them in the box...
When I dip them in the chocolate I place them in the liner immidiately while theyre still a LITTLE wet. That way they stick to the liner somewhat.
On the bottom side of the liner I used a little bit of double sided tape. I was thinking of using chocolate buit thought it might look messy and melt with the heat.

And im quite surprised that yall say people dont ask you for pics! I've had quite a few ask me and one even wanted step by step photos sms'ed to her cell phone!

Actually when I told one of them that I dont send pictures and she can see it when she picks it up, she replied with it's HER money and she is paying ME and she has the right to see pictures of it before she buys it! (that was before I started taking deposits.) She still bought it after I sent her a pic but had me change a bunch of details. "No I dont like that color ribbon around the basket, change it, well put all your ribbons next to each other and let me pick which color I like...well show me the pot youre going to use ...."

Remember, you are a provding a service, your not a servant. Tell them it is not part of your procedure to send photos even if they are paying you. And as far as step by step photos, they just want to learn how to make them, themselves.

I'm thinkin' this is one place where Cake Wrecks may be causing some problems for decorators. If you see all the "what the bride wanted/what the bride got" horrors on that site, you can start to see why a bride might want to check out the cake before the big day. Some of the cakes delivered by "professionals" as documented on Cake Wrecks are really unbelievable messes. And once that cake is on the table, she's stuck. So, I can see why she might ask. That said, a request for step-by-step progress photos is insane.

I guess I would tell her that she can come, or send somebody to take a photo, but that you're focusing on getting the job done and that you're completely confident that she will love the end result.

Agreeing to send pics not only leaves room for complaint, but that picture now belongs to the customer and if it is a step by step picture then she can use it to "remake" YOUR cake. I would also give the customers a deadline. If you are asking for a 50% deposit, then they will have one week from the date the deposit is paid to cancel the order and recieve a refund...unless it is a last minute refund where all deposits will be forfieted. This way, picture or no picture, the order can either be finished with payment upon pick up or they lose the deposit and still get no cake...

If you ever did send pics you could tell the client they are $100 per pic sent. I understand someone not wanting a cake disaster, but that's when you should show previous work & refer them to those. If that's not good enough I would tell them to find another decorator. I get into a "groove" when decorating a cake & CANNOT stop to take a pic for someone. And what do you do if they say they never got it?

Dear Client,
I am so busy completing yours and other orders that I do not have time to send you a photograph. Rest assured that they are exactly what you ordered and I am confident you will be very happy when you see them at the time of pick-up.
Sincerely,

um, a question...

do you really have three sets of twins?

Hey, I just saw a show on TV yesterday about a woman who had worked at a bakery marrying a pastry chef and they had 3 sets of twins... that's not you, is it?

lol no its not me, Im not living in the Us. But there is a woman out there who has three sets of twins, some people email me thinking I'm her. Her twins I think were all conceived with fertility treatments while mine is genetic. Thanks mom...

And LMAO@ picture of my behind. I might do that one day. I just might.

Well im sorry but if she doesnt like them then Im gonna be shocked because I DO think theyre very nice and the best Ive done so far and if yall say its nice than thats more than enough for me.

I personally only sent pics about 3 times and hated it, so I stopped. It does leave room for complaint. I have a home baker friend who INSISTS on messaging all her customers after they buy her cakes and tries to get me to do it as well (come on three sets! You get feedback this way!) But I just think personally like eveyone said, it opens the door to a complaint and also shows insecurity in my work.

Well I'll post back tomorrow and let you all know what happened with her.

Sounds like it is time to cut a customer loose!

I know that this is a cultural issue where you currently live and work and that deals are made with handshakes and not contracts, so I really commend you on working so hard to protect yourself and your work. I'm shocked that you're not haggled to death when it comes to pricing, too.

I say stick to your guns--no photos, the price is what you state (or what you're willing to haggle down to comfortably), and a deposit or no order.

Your beautiful products speak for themselves.

Good luck with getting your customer base to understand that you work for yourself--not for them--and that offering them options is not a sign of weakness or indecision on your part, but a sign of being a flexible & savvy business woman..............

Rae

If I were you I'd start using a contract or a desciprtion sheet or SOMETHING, even if it isn't normally done. That way you don't have to argue with these people about changing details. If your customers want pictures all the time I'd also add a mention of the $25 per photo fee that you charge, paid in advance before any photos can be sent.

"See a picture before she buys"???

Didn't she already put a deposit down? And get a contract? And hopefully finished paying? Then she already bought. And hopefully she already saw pictures or sketches of your work beforehand, which is why she chose you to do her favors (and I remember your other thread and your cake balls are awesome).

Its dangerous to send photos beforehand because its easy to sit and stare at a photo and find mistakes...plus, I'm a crappy photographer anyway so alot of times my cakes look better in person than they do in a photograph.

Sounds like a weird customer.