So Tired Of Stupid Customers

Decorating By reginaherrin Updated 2 Apr 2012 , 1:53pm by kel58

reginaherrin Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
reginaherrin Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 4:26pm
post #1 of 27

I am tired of stupid people calling for a quote on a cake for so many people and after I quote the price they ask how big the cake is. Once I tell them of course they say, "oh that's too small". I just got one person call that wants a purse on top of a box and I told her I would not recommend doing the purse in cake cause she doesn't need that much cake, but of course she has to have it cake as well. I had another customer yesterday that already had a picture of a 3 tier cake she wants but only needs it to feed 30 people and doesn't want to spend over 150 even though the cake she wants has tons of rhinestone chain, a fake tier riser, shoes, shooting stars and a purse. And she still thought the 6,8 & 10" tiers were too small. I just had to vent a little, sorry so long.

26 replies
indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 4:42pm
post #2 of 27

My favorite story is the guy (who worked at a food distributor!) ask me for a price for a "full sheet cake". As is my usual practice, I responded with "how many people will it need to feed?" He said ......

are you ready?

"Ten"

TEN????? icon_eek.gif

I said, "Then why do you want to pay for enough cake for 100 people?"

I guess when we quote them a cake for 50 people and they ask how big that is, we could respond with "its big enough to serve 50 people." icon_rolleyes.gif

cakedout Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cakedout Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 4:58pm
post #3 of 27

Maybe it was for 10 guys that eat cake pieces the same size as my hubby and son do! icon_lol.gificon_wink.gif

Unlimited Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Unlimited Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 5:14pm
post #4 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by indydebi

I guess when we quote them a cake for 50 people and they ask how big that is, we could respond with "its big enough to serve 50 people." icon_rolleyes.gif



Exactly! thumbs_up.gif

Kitagrl Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Kitagrl Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 5:17pm
post #5 of 27

I get a lot of people who tell me how many tiers they want instead of how many guests they want to feed. It goes both ways too...some of them want two tiers to feed 80 people and some want four tiers to feed 30 people. Funny.

indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 5:27pm
post #6 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kitagrl

I get a lot of people who tell me how many tiers they want instead of how many guests they want to feed. It goes both ways too...some of them want two tiers to feed 80 people and some want four tiers to feed 30 people. Funny.


Decades ago, in my first year of making wedding cakes, I quickly figured out a response to "How much for a 3-tiered cake?" I'd ask them, "3 tiers to serve 30 or 3 tiers to serve 300? That will make a little difference in the price!"

reginaherrin Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
reginaherrin Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 6:27pm
post #7 of 27

I guess people don't know that cake tiers come in many different sizes that feed different amounts of people. I have had to do the cowboys stadium on a 14" pan to feed 5 people. And they thought it was too small when they picked the cake up even though they almost couldn't fit it in their truck. Sheet cakes are the worst. People don't realize how many people the feed and so I get a lot of people wanting 1/2 or full sheets to feed 30 or so.

indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 6:34pm
post #8 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by reginaherrin

.... I get a lot of people wanting 1/2 or full sheets to feed 30 or so.


I think they just don't know how big a "half" sheet is. Folks ask me for a price for a "half" sheet and I'll ask them, "How big of a cake IS that?" and they tell me they have no idea. They are just using the lingo without knowing what it is.

Then there are those who think their little 9x13 is a "sheet" cake, so if they need one to feed 6, they want a "half" sheet, thinking they are requesting a 9x6. icon_eek.gif Oh brother!

costumeczar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
costumeczar Posted 20 Apr 2011 , 8:37pm
post #9 of 27

I just sold a $450 cake to someone who insisited on buying it instead of a small cake to feed the 30 people she needed to feed. She knew that it would be way too much cake, but she didn't care. Make sure that you're not talking your customer into a smaller cake if they really want a bigger one!

cheatize Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
cheatize Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 2:09am
post #10 of 27

I recently had someone get a bit huffy with me about sheet cakes. She said she wanted a sheet cake. I asked her how many servings she needed. She replied with, "I know I need a sheet cake!" I then explained to her that people have differing ideas on the size of a sheet cake and they could mean 9X13, etc.... and that a full sheet cake would serve 100. She then told me, "I need 50 servings, so whatever size that is."

I really wanted to say, "Do you realize you almost paid twice as much and had twice as much cake as you needed?" Ordering the correct amount of servings is one of the ways I "save" my customers money. icon_smile.gif

kater82 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kater82 Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 2:37am
post #11 of 27

"I am tired of stupid people calling for a quote on a cake."


I would not call them stupid. They are just uneducated. I worked as a vet tech for a few years. There were lots of uneducated pet owners but I couldn't really blame them. Someone is not stupid if they dont know about a subject. Ni eve yes.....

jason_kraft Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
jason_kraft Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 2:54am
post #12 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by kater82

"I am tired of stupid people calling for a quote on a cake."


I would not call them stupid. They are just uneducated. I worked as a vet tech for a few years. There were lots of uneducated pet owners but I couldn't really blame them. Someone is not stupid if they dont know about a subject. Ni eve yes.....



I was about to post almost the same thing...just because someone does not share your specialized knowledge doesn't make them stupid. That "stupid" customer probably has specialized knowledge of their own that you wouldn't have a clue about.

I realize this is a vent, but even when venting it's still important to respect your customers.

grandmomof1 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
grandmomof1 Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 3:06am
post #13 of 27

I had someone call me the other day and said she was wanting a 2-tier cake. When I asked how many she needed to feed, she said four. Ummm. She didn't want to spend $75 either.

yummy_in_my_tummy Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
yummy_in_my_tummy Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 3:35am
post #14 of 27

I think that it's not necessarily that they're "stupid" or un-educated, it's that they're often snotty and rude when you try to explain to them that they are asking for a $125 cake that will feed 40 people when they're really looking for an 8" round that will feed a fraction of that. It's one thing to call and say "this is what I'm looking for, what can we do", but it's a completely different story when they call with no idea what they're talking about and then they are offended when you try to help them.

CWR41 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
CWR41 Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 3:54am
post #15 of 27

There's a big difference between naive and stupid. I have customers that are too stupid to read the information that's in front of them... okay, maybe that's lazy, but when you read it back to them word for word, they admit they were too stupid for not noticing it in the first place.

ShaunPepe Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
ShaunPepe Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 1:39pm
post #16 of 27

I think that it's stupid that the topic of conversation here has switched to the poster's choice of name to refer to her customers in a vent rather than why she posted in the first place.

WykdGud Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
WykdGud Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 3:14pm
post #17 of 27

Hmmmm... I would never be STUPID enough to insult my customers on a public forum when I have so much identifying information posted (real name and business website). Guess we all have our moments, eh? icon_smile.gif

klutzy_baker Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
klutzy_baker Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 4:11pm
post #18 of 27

I think it might be frustrating telling someone that the cake they want is going to feed 300 people when they only need to feed 50 people...and you are trying to do them a favor by having them buy what they need...idk.

But if you are my family, a 9 inch double layer cake only feeds 8. Honestly!! I brought a 9 inch double layer cake and started to cut into reasonable pieces and my mom said, "is that all you're going to give me?"

So it might be a matter of perception...or appetite? LOL!!

costumeczar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
costumeczar Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 6:48pm
post #19 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by klutzy_baker

I think it might be frustrating telling someone that the cake they want is going to feed 300 people when they only need to feed 50 people...and you are trying to do them a favor by having them buy what they need...idk.

But if you are my family, a 9 inch double layer cake only feeds 8. Honestly!! I brought a 9 inch double layer cake and started to cut into reasonable pieces and my mom said, "is that all you're going to give me?"

So it might be a matter of perception...or appetite? LOL!!




My friend gave me the same argument, and I told her that just because you eat one piece that's huge it doesn't mean that you had one serving. You probably just ate three or four servings at once. That's something that people should also keep in mind. You need to tell people how big one serving is. There are a lot of people who cut giant slices of cake and call it one serving even if it isn't.

It's like I tell my 15-yo son. Just because you CAN eat the entire pizza, it doesn't mean that it's one piece icon_rolleyes.gif

indydebi Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
indydebi Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 6:53pm
post #20 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by costumeczar

It's like I tell my 15-yo son. Just because you CAN eat the entire pizza, it doesn't mean that it's one piece icon_rolleyes.gif


icon_lol.gificon_lol.gif classic!! Luv it!!!

Sangriacupcake Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
Sangriacupcake Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 7:31pm
post #21 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by kater82

"I am tired of stupid people calling for a quote on a cake."


I would not call them stupid. They are just uneducated. I worked as a vet tech for a few years. There were lots of uneducated pet owners but I couldn't really blame them. Someone is not stupid if they dont know about a subject. Ni eve yes.....


I was about to post almost the same thing...just because someone does not share your specialized knowledge doesn't make them stupid. That "stupid" customer probably has specialized knowledge of their own that you wouldn't have a clue about.

I realize this is a vent, but even when venting it's still important to respect your customers.




thumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif

klutzy_baker Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
klutzy_baker Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 7:44pm
post #22 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by costumeczar

Quote:
Originally Posted by klutzy_baker

I think it might be frustrating telling someone that the cake they want is going to feed 300 people when they only need to feed 50 people...and you are trying to do them a favor by having them buy what they need...idk.

But if you are my family, a 9 inch double layer cake only feeds 8. Honestly!! I brought a 9 inch double layer cake and started to cut into reasonable pieces and my mom said, "is that all you're going to give me?"

So it might be a matter of perception...or appetite? LOL!!



My friend gave me the same argument, and I told her that just because you eat one piece that's huge it doesn't mean that you had one serving. You probably just ate three or four servings at once. That's something that people should also keep in mind. You need to tell people how big one serving is. There are a lot of people who cut giant slices of cake and call it one serving even if it isn't.

It's like I tell my 15-yo son. Just because you CAN eat the entire pizza, it doesn't mean that it's one piece icon_rolleyes.gif




I completely share in your philosophy. hehe!!

I think what I was saying is that many people have the mindset that when they eat something, it has to be enormous. It seems like no matter where you go out to eat portions are huge. So when you tell a person contrary to what they envision, I think that they are a bit shocked....and possibly a bit miffed. As if they are not getting what they are entitled to..

That's not how I feel. I like small portions...I wish things would be smaller.
I'm not sure if I made sense. icon_redface.gif

costumeczar Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
costumeczar Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 10:06pm
post #23 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by klutzy_baker

Quote:
Originally Posted by costumeczar

Quote:
Originally Posted by klutzy_baker

I think it might be frustrating telling someone that the cake they want is going to feed 300 people when they only need to feed 50 people...and you are trying to do them a favor by having them buy what they need...idk.

But if you are my family, a 9 inch double layer cake only feeds 8. Honestly!! I brought a 9 inch double layer cake and started to cut into reasonable pieces and my mom said, "is that all you're going to give me?"

So it might be a matter of perception...or appetite? LOL!!



My friend gave me the same argument, and I told her that just because you eat one piece that's huge it doesn't mean that you had one serving. You probably just ate three or four servings at once. That's something that people should also keep in mind. You need to tell people how big one serving is. There are a lot of people who cut giant slices of cake and call it one serving even if it isn't.

It's like I tell my 15-yo son. Just because you CAN eat the entire pizza, it doesn't mean that it's one piece icon_rolleyes.gif



I completely share in your philosophy. hehe!!

I think what I was saying is that many people have the mindset that when they eat something, it has to be enormous. It seems like no matter where you go out to eat portions are huge. So when you tell a person contrary to what they envision, I think that they are a bit shocked....and possibly a bit miffed. As if they are not getting what they are entitled to..

That's not how I feel. I like small portions...I wish things would be smaller.
I'm not sure if I made sense. icon_redface.gif




That makes total sense, but a lot of people have no sense icon_rolleyes.gif

RedRoxx Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
RedRoxx Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 10:15pm
post #24 of 27

If you need some laughs after dealing with these calls read Notalwaysright.com

scp1127 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
scp1127 Posted 21 Apr 2011 , 11:44pm
post #25 of 27

I call the serving size "an industry standard unit of measure". I then explain the size and let the customer determine the amount based on that information. In other word, this is how it is charged. Now, how much would you like?

I am working on a cake for thirty people. It is three tiers, 10", 8", 6". This is what the customer wants. Don't discount the fact that there are customers who buy what they want. They have hefty disposable incomes and would not appreciate being told how to spend it.

By the way, unless you are a doctor, we are all "stupid customers" to our physicians. I am sure that cake pricing is not high on the list of the average consumer's continuing education.

warchild Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
warchild Posted 22 Apr 2011 , 12:17am
post #26 of 27
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sangriacupcake

Quote:
Originally Posted by jason_kraft

Quote:
Originally Posted by kater82

"I am tired of stupid people calling for a quote on a cake."


I would not call them stupid. They are just uneducated. I worked as a vet tech for a few years. There were lots of uneducated pet owners but I couldn't really blame them. Someone is not stupid if they dont know about a subject. Ni eve yes.....


I was about to post almost the same thing...just because someone does not share your specialized knowledge doesn't make them stupid. That "stupid" customer probably has specialized knowledge of their own that you wouldn't have a clue about.

I realize this is a vent, but even when venting it's still important to respect your customers.



thumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gifthumbs_up.gif





Agree. This is the cake decorating forum that anyone visiting CC can read. Being upset at customers that don't understand serving sizes, cake sizes etc is one thing, calling them stupid for not knowing these things on a public cake decorating forum is another. What if a prospective customer reads this thread and notices the decorator they were thinking of choosing, refers to her customers as stupid?

The Subject line with the word Stupid Customers caught my attention right away, as I'm sure it will catch many "lurkers" attention as well. That could cause problems for the OP in the long run. Far fetched perhaps, but its something I've always been taught to careful of. "Watch what you say about others or it could come back to haunt you."

Just my opinion here.
It might be wiser to post customer vents in the lounge as the lounge forum is not visible unless you're a registered member of CC. I was a lurker of CC for 3 years before registering and lo and behold, as soon as I signed up, I could see the members only lounge forum.

kel58 Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
kel58 Posted 2 Apr 2012 , 1:53pm
post #27 of 27

I realize this is an old post but its true. Potential customers can easily find this thread. I'm a member but I was googling try to find the best way to make a tiny tiered cake for a friend and guess what came up? This. I totally understand the frustration but maybe just a different choice of words next time.

Quote by @%username% on %date%

%body%