I had my first cust complaint a week ago and can't stop dwelling on it. It was about my red velvet, a recipe I had tried before on my own and thought was fine. The issue is, I never ate RV cake before so I had nothing to compare it to.

The complaint was:

"The people that did have it, said it was a beautiful cake, very artistic. But, they found the actual cake/and rice crispie squares a little dry and not fresh. Also, it wasn't actual red velvet cake, it was too bright red and was not moist."

Now for one I told them the RKT lid (gift box cake) was more decorative than meant to be eaten, as well as the bow and "tissue paper". My cake was made the day prior to pickup so it was indeed fresh.

I gave him a 50% discount on his next cake.

I just can't move on? It's weighing me down!!!

Since then I made the most recent 3 cakes and had 3 VERY happy custs. The top layer of one of those cakes was a new RV recipe and they said it was delicious. Yet I can't get over this.

Awe, I'm sorry. It bugs me how some things that should just be common sense (like the box top being more for decoration) to some people just go right over their heads.

I think you were more than generous in offering a 50% discount, especially when you yourself had approved of the recipe you used. Some people just complain for the sake of complaining. Try not to beat yourself up over it. You did you part and then some.

Just a thought. Was this someone you know? I've been reading recently about so many customers complaining to get out of paying for a cake.

Red Velvet is a tough one... there are so many opinions about it. Some people feel that it should be a chocolate flavored cake that is red, others feel that it should be bright red and that the chocolate added should just bring out flavors, but not be identifiable in and of itself. I really would discount the "too red" statement... it's in the eye of the beholder.

As for the cake and rice krispies being dry: if you make scratch, and they were more used to box cakes, then they may have interpreted the different "mouth-feel" to dryness. I use a simple syrup on al my scratch cakes, but never on doctored mixes. As for the cereal parts, be specific about them being edible, but not intended to be eaten. I tend to think they are dry when they have been used as a structural medium... not what they are right out of the pan!

Everyone's pallet is different and maybe they were expecting something else.You are never going to be able to satisfy all customer's 100% of the time.You offered a refund/discount on the next order..That is all you can do..I once had a woman say that my cake was raw in the middle underneath..Well I know darn well it wasn't as I had torted it to add the centre filling and I always look first to make sure but I mean I have been baking for years and I know when a cake is done or not....I think when the cake was cooling it kinda got a bit gooey..I find that any kind of box mix white cake does that even when you cool it completely the bottom always seems a bit gooey from the condensation when you go to use it but it is not raw.

Red Velvet is always tough... ask 10 different people what it should look/taste like you will get 10 different answers. Unfortunately you can't make everyone happy all the time, people have different perceptions about how things should taste, the texture etc. I once had a customer complain that my buttercream wasn't fresh (which I make fresh daily) and she said she knew it wasn't fresh because oot had a crust on it- (needless to say I use a crusting BC). When I get a complaint and feel it could be waranted I give discounts or partial refunds, but one wiith no merit just get a "sorry you were not satisfied" and I leave it with that.

Maybe he just wasn't use to the texture/taste of RV? I had a request for one, made a sample so I would know what it was like (I had never made one before). I personally didn't like the texture much, but the customer loved it. I thought it was almost like a corn bread consistency so yes it was dryer. I wouldn't worry about it and that's good to know about people complaining just to get out of paying. I personally always sample the taste of any cut offs of a cake that I have and a little of the icing so I know exactly what each cake tastes like. Just an idea for next time if you have any cake cut offs.

I use Cakeman Raven's for two reasons. It is a crowd-pleaser and it is moist. I do make several adjustments to the recipe. I think it is more flavorful and the icing I use tastes more like butter and cream cheese than powdered sugar. The combination really is a winner. Just be careful making cakes you haven't tested. I hate chocolate and I have a bakery. Before I opened, I realized that in all my years of baking, I had never made a chocolate cake. If I was bringing dessert, why would I bring something I didn't like? I spent time testing recipes before I opened. If someone asks me for something I haven't made, I need enough time to research it and experiment. I only do this if I want to add it to my menu. Otherwise, I just say, "no".

Thanks guys, you made me feel a lot better!

I actually searched "moist red velvet" after this and found a recipe for oil. I used it for the next RV request and they loved it so I feel better about it. Since then I also made a ton of different cakes to test them LOL...

I just need to grow a thicker skin!

If you think the person was sincere in the complaint, you were not wrong. I haven't had it happen, but if someone does not like even the flavor, I offer a refund. People will spread goodwill in those situations. But if it was a scam, you can usually tel.