How Would You Handle This - Should I Give A Complete Refund?
Decorating By howsweet Updated 8 Sep 2010 , 7:28pm by neelycharmed
I don't get why anyone wouldn't think this customer should get a full refund on her cuppie order? She got something completely different than what she ordered, and shouldn't have to pay for them, regardless of whether she ate them or not.
Yes! I read over and over on this forum about how "stupid" and "cheap" and "ignorant" customers are, and those threads often generate dozens of indignant responses. Yet a cake decorator makes a major mistake, and some think it's not a big deal. Leah-s has said often enough that when a custom cake order is clearly messed up with no time to fix it, a refund is due and "the check should have already been in the mail."
In all fairness, giving a full refund is NOT necessary. Yes, she did the wrong flavor but everything else was correct. If she did a totally different design AND the wrong flavor, then yes, a full refund is in order. And I am putting myself in the customer's shoes. I honestly might be a little upset--although disappointed is more what I think I'd be...(I love chocolate), but if everything looked good (and let's face it, it's the OUTSIDE of a cupcake that makes the main impression), then I think a 25% refund and a gift certificate for something down the road is enough. I, like many others here, also think I would ask the customer first what she thinks would make it right. I can almost guarantee she won't ask for a full refund--and honestly, she shouldn't.
$230 for 18 cupcakes and 15 cookies??? She requested chocolate NOT vanilla..i say refund the entire amount of the cupcakes. If i'm gonna pay this much money I better get what I ordered. I cant believe that there are people saying that if they ate it..then she should not refund anything...what choice did they have?
I agree with the 25% refund and future gift certificate. Don't give in and give her the entire amount. If she said that she had to run out and buy chocolate cupcakes to replace the ones you made and she returned them to you then yes a full refund would be due but she didn't they ate them. Like I said we all have bad days and make mistakes and this one wasn't major.
All I know is if I found a person on this planet that would pay me that much money for a dozen and a half cupcakes & a dozen and a half cookies I would give them whatever they wanted, especially if it was my mistake. Sheesh--customers like that don't grow on trees ya know!
We are all human and make mistakes. This mistake wasn't life threatening so I don't see why she should come out of pocket if the lady served her product. Yes she got the flavor wrong but in the end they were beautiful. If you purchase something from the store and you don't like it your return it you wouldn't keep it. I think a partial refund and future discount is fare. I really doubt the flavor of the cupcake ruined her party.
I respectively and completely disagree with this from a customer stand point. Of course it probably didn't ruin her party but that's not the point. OP's mistake left this customer with no other option but to serve what she had which wasn't what she ordered. In this case it should be left up to the customer on what she wants refunded. OP will probably find if left up to the customer often times they ask for less than what we think they will. Yes, we all make mistakes but sometimes they are costly. JMO
All I know is if I found a person on this planet that would pay me that much money for a dozen and a half cupcakes & a dozen and a half cookies I would give them whatever they wanted, especially if it was my mistake. Sheesh--customers like that don't grow on trees ya know!
I agree 100%! I've NEVER had a customer willing to pay that much! Besides, the refund is the right thing to do.
If they ate the product then it must have been good.
It isn't a question of if the product is good, or how beautifully it was decorated. The question is did the customer get what they ordered...and in this case, they did not. Full refund of the cupcake cost is definitely in order.
All I know is if I found a person on this planet that would pay me that much money for a dozen and a half cupcakes & a dozen and a half cookies I would give them whatever they wanted, especially if it was my mistake. Sheesh--customers like that don't grow on trees ya know!
Im with you sister!!! i cant believe that there are people actually saying give her 25% off her next order. The customer did not get what she ordered...PERIOD...I think she should get ALL of the money back for the cupcakes, regardless weather they ate the cupcakes or not.
What if the customer promise to pay in cash and shows up to pay you with foodstamps...LOL is still money right..but that't not what you wanted right!!
I know I'm new and a little dumb when it comes to some of this stuff, but why were 18 cupcakes and 15 cookies $230.00? What would make cupcakes be some much? I understand that fondant and stuff add cost, but $230.00? Sorry just a little confused, I don't mean anything bad by it, just don't know anyone who would pay that much for cupcakes and cookies. However if I had paid that much for that, and my order was messed up where the cupcakes themselves weren't the right flavor, you bet I would expect a full refund.
I Want to see a picture of the cupcakes and cookies plz and yes full refund.
Also, on the "give her a gift certificate/discount on future orders, etc" thing...that just seems so presumptuous to me. Why would she be back? If I payed that much money for a few cuppies and cookies, didn't get anything close to what I ordered (and decor doesn't count here if the cake itself is not right. Granted it's "art", but in the end it's food and that's what's important to some people) , and was only offered a meager discount and then another on a future order, you can rest assured I wouldn't be coming back for that discounted future order. 
Since when is it a good business practice to deny responsibility and leave a customer hanging like that, especially when it was your mistake? Why do you get to say how important of a mistake that was when it wasn't your party or your $230 order that was screwed up? I would never knowingly do business with someone of that mindset.
Also, on the "give her a gift certificate/discount on future orders, etc" thing...that just seems so presumptuous to me. Why would she be back? If I payed that much money for a few cuppies and cookies, didn't get anything close to what I ordered (and decor doesn't count here if the cake itself is not right. Granted it's "art", but in the end it's food and that's what's important to some people) , and was only offered a meager discount and then another on a future order, you can rest assured I wouldn't be coming back for that discounted future order.
Since when is it a good business practice to deny responsibility and leave a customer hanging like that, especially when it was your mistake? Why do you get to say how important of a mistake that was when it wasn't your party or your $230 order that was screwed up? I would never knowingly do business with someone of that mindset.
I agree. It's like saying "You only get the full refund back if you spend some more money with me." Spending $230 on cookies and cupcakes, for me, would be a very special occasion. If you spend that much you expect the sweets to be amazing, both in look and taste. If you pay premium $ and they can't even get the flavor of cake right, why would you order again?
I'd say at least 50% back on the cupcakes. You got it half right because the decor was awesome, but you missed with the flavor big time.
I do agree with pp's that asking, "how can I make this right for you?" might be a good move. Then give her whatever she asks for (up to 100% of the cupcakes, no $ back on the cookies) and add a % off on her next order. Then you'll be seen as going above and beyond to make a wrong right, rather than doing the bare minimum.
I feel like people always look at it from the "bakers" perspective. But what if you were actually the customer here. Would you want a refund? I know I would. What if I personally didn't like vanilla, what if my child was allergic to vanilla? I mean if you wanted some vanilla, wouldn't you order half and half? She wanted chocolate and she paid an extremely high amount to get chocolate.
I don't think $230 is all that much for 18 cupcakes and 15 cookies if you break it down:
Assume $30 for ingredients/supplies (which seems reaonsable to me) that leavbes $200 for 33 individual items to be decorated.
Also I assume the cupcakes were not just iced and sprinkled as you said they had some elegant decorations.
Depending on what you did and also how large the cookies were, say it took you 20 minutes to decorates each piece (which seems reasonable to me if the decorations involved hand made flowers or other fondant/RI/GP items) - this would involve 11 hours on labor. Plus I will guess it took between 1.5 and 2 hrs to prep, bake and clean up the cupcakes and cookies.
For $200 after subtracting the $30 for supplies then equals $6.06 per cupcakes and cookie. Or ~$15/hr assuming she was able to do three items per hour. Some of the cupcake stores charge $3 for a plain BC swirled cupcake so $6 for complicated decorations doesn't seem unreasonable.
All that said , since she gave the customer wrong flavor for the cupcakes I would say it happens (I did this last week with a cake that I was sure was supposed to be vanilla and it was really supposed to be chocolate but fortunately the customer didn't care) and give a refund for the cupcakes if the flavor was that important to the customer. It was an error and write it off.
Would like to know how you resolved this 
Hope it all worked out o.k. 
Jodi
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