My First Complaint- How To Handle
Business By sambugjoebear Updated 20 May 2010 , 4:36am by andreamen1
I think you handled this very professionally. There will be times when things happen, especially when you deal with the public, so we all need to be prepared for them. I would let it be now, don't have her come in and bring the cake, who knows what she would do in your shop when she got there.
I think people are so used to sucky grocery store cakes, that they don't know what good actually is. I tried the WASC recipe myself, and didn't care for it personally...I wouldn't say it was horrible, just not my liking...I think that is what happened...or the hubby got involved and said, "you paid what for that cake?" LOL
I wouldn't offer a refund either, maybe a coupon for a % off a next order, but I would even be weary of that...if you couldn't please her the first time, what is to say you will please her a second...and nothing spreads quicker than bad word of mouth...I would just apologize, and leave it at that...I have only in 13 years had one complaint, and it came from a lady that ordered a flavor combo that I told her would not work, and honestly I think wouldn't make a good combo...she insisted...and then called me and said that was the worst cake she had ever had 
. I told her to look at her invoice where I had mentioned and noted that I did not recommend this combo..I told her I was sorry that she did not enjoy the cake, and maybe next time to try something else, or ask me for suggestions 
...never heard from her again...I refused to offer a refund( although she didn't ask for one) for something I told her would be horrible together;.....
Some people are just out to get something for nothing...I too would not get the teacher/sister/other person involved...like i said I would offer an apology email and let it go and leave it at that....
Wow, how horrible of her. People now a days are so use to returning stuff. I use to work at a grocery store. Its rediculas how many things people return because they just need the extra money or don't want it, etc.
Even if she did not like it, how could she be so rude about it. I could see letting you know about the problem, but to be honest I would not of offered a refund. A coupon would have been great which you tried, but it sounds to me like she wanted a free cake. A full sheet is $50 at a grocery store...what size cake was this?
I personally HATE WASC, but never thought it would be bad enough to call a bakery and demand my money back.
I'll try the store credit and see how that goes over with her. I'd really like a 2nd chance to redeem myself. I know that I don't bake horribly (I'm sure my family and friends would have told me that a long time ago if I did-they're honest to a fault like that lol).
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Just write something like this:
Dear Ms. X,
I'm sorry to hear that you weren't happy with the cake. I do use a different recipe than grocery stores, so if you're used to the texture of those cakes the recipe that I use may taste different. I did have an opportunity to taste the cake scraps while I was shaping your cake, and there wasn't anything wrong with them, so it may have been a difference in the texture that you're used to.
I'd like to offer you a coupon for XXXXX that you can redeem for another cake in the future. Please let me know if and when you'd like to use it, and I'll make another cake for you at no charge.
Then send her a coupon with an expiration date on it in big red letters. If she doesn't use it, too bad.
love it!!!
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