Just lock it already, it's gone way off topic, and people are busy getting their tail feathers all bunched up. The internet offers way too much freedom to be insulting and snide with no consequences. It's easy to bash someone from behind a computer screen, but if this discussion was being had face to face I would hope people would display more tact and decency than what is being shown here, regardless of business or hobby status. (sigh)
Just lock it already, it's gone way off topic, and people are busy getting their tail feathers all bunched up. The internet offers way too much freedom to be insulting and snide with no consequences. It's easy to bash someone from behind a computer screen, but if this discussion was being had face to face I would hope people would display more tact and decency than what is being shown here, regardless of business or hobby status. (sigh)
Yes, as soon as the mod is able to get online and receive my PM, it will be locked.
Again, THIS is what I have a problem with. TOTALLY uncalled for in a forum that is supposed to be here to help other decorators - not chastise and chide them insinuating that the CC police are "on to them". Laughable!
Seriously? An illegal baker under minds what legal bakers do. It's insulting.
And I don't want to help someone who can't even take what I do seriously enough to get legal.
If you love making cakes and want to sell them, do it right. Or don't do it at all.
Amen and Amen
Just lock it already, it's gone way off topic, and people are busy getting their tail feathers all bunched up. The internet offers way too much freedom to be insulting and snide with no consequences. It's easy to bash someone from behind a computer screen, but if this discussion was being had face to face I would hope people would display more tact and decency than what is being shown here, regardless of business or hobby status. (sigh)
Yes, as soon as the mod is able to get online and receive my PM, it will be locked.
Yep, I'm sure Barney Fife and the big jingly ring of keys will be along any moment to censor any real conversation or opinions that occur here. Bright and shiny! Puppies and rainbows!
Just lock it already, it's gone way off topic, and people are busy getting their tail feathers all bunched up. The internet offers way too much freedom to be insulting and snide with no consequences. It's easy to bash someone from behind a computer screen, but if this discussion was being had face to face I would hope people would display more tact and decency than what is being shown here, regardless of business or hobby status. (sigh)
Yes, as soon as the mod is able to get online and receive my PM, it will be locked.
Yep, I'm sure Barney Fife and the big jingly ring of keys will be along any moment to censor any real conversation or opinions that occur here. Bright and shiny! Puppies and rainbows!
The problem is, the thread started by pointing out a problem, and certain posters blew it out of proportion, misunderstood it, and it ended up in the same gutter as so many other threads, with people mad and upset over something that wasn't even the original point of the thread.
In the spirit of debate, what are the components that make one a "professional"?
DO you need school to be a pro? 30 years experience? What do ya need to reach that "pro" status?
I've been a freelance makeup artist for a while. I know what sets me apart from the "youtube boomers". And this is what I liken this Pro VS Newb feud to.
According to the various contest rules I've been involved in - the second you receive payment for a cake, you are a professional. Well, semi-pro at the very least. Having a license doesn't make you a professional in those instances. That's like saying anyone who is not a member of SAG cannot call himself an actor. Crazy!
This is what I miss about the other site that is closing down. I miss it so much. It was about all decorating. Not about whether you are legal or not. It is absolutely NONE of my business if the gal selling across the country is legal unless she asks about it. I don't think that was this site was made for. Wasn't it created so we could all learn cake decorating from each other? I've posted how-to questions that have never been answered. But let someone mention this topic and everyone has an opinion. It's so sad. I would have posted those questions on the other site and within no time would have very nice answers from very high end decorators.
I believe there is a forum section on being legal here on CC, right?. Other than there - this topic should not ever be mentioned anywhere else. Heck, I posted a question about cupcakes and it was moved to the cupcake area within minutes. MINUTES! Why isn't this crap moved immediately or locked?
I just want to ask decorating questions and have my questions answered. If I want questions on legalities, I'll go to the legal section - or better yet, contact my local officials. The most we should ever say on this subject is contact your local officials. That should be our only position on a forum such as this.
Anyone asks a question on how to do something - if I know the answer I will offer. I will not ask them if they are legal and frankly, I don't care. I am legal... and I still don't care. Their risk is not my risk. I want a forum that addresses how to decorate and nicely direct the person to their local officials - only if asked.
I honestly see NO NEED for this to be locked. I enjoy reading opinions and am so sick of "censoring". Is this site based in China? I thought this was America, lanf of free speach whether you like it or not.
I happen to agree whole heartedly with the OP and with from srcatch and SPC11... I don't and I don't see that anyone was being catty except for sunshine whatever.
I believe there is a forum section on being legal here on CC, right?. Other than there - this topic should not ever be mentioned anywhere else. Heck, I posted a question about cupcakes and it was moved to the cupcake area within minutes. MINUTES! Why isn't this crap moved immediately or locked?
I just want to ask decorating questions and have my questions answered. If I want questions on legalities, I'll go to the legal section - or better yet, contact my local officials. The most we should ever say on this subject is contact your local officials. That should be our only position on a forum such as this.
As have many others, you've missed the point. This thread WASN'T about legal or not. Unfortunately it's just a topic that came up when people were slinging accusations and others defending themselves.
Ugh.
I don't recall anyone saying anything about anyone person in particular, but the subjects do unfortunately tie in together. Most often it is someone who isn't professional who is posting those types of compliant the OP was talking about.
Someone who has gone into business that required following rules and procedures, licensing, inspections, insurance... do tend to take all aspects of their business more seriously, because they have had to to even get started. But that's not to say that's the norm in any case. There are many in here who do bake from home are allowed to and act extremely professional.
But yes if you took on making a certain cake design and the customer isn't happy there are a couple things to consider. Are the details and colors the customer wanted/ordered? Is the finished cake a clean and neat/pretty cake(for the design)? And you should always take off your rose colored glasses and grab your cake balls when looking at that part of it realistically and asking for feedback from anyone.
Hey guys don't shoot me... but I really want to know what you do when in a face to face group conversation in real life when the conversation naturally strays of coarse from the original topic as conversations do...?
Get miffed and turn around and walk away or stay and be part of the ongoing conversation?
I'm just wondering if I missed the memo that says all posts must stay exactly related to the original topic and no differing opinions or comparisons will be tolerated.
Because that is what it is starting to feel like. And it's usually people who don't want to hear the truth about their topic or question that start saying your off topic, stay on topic, we aren't talking about that...
In life conversations can go around some benders and some just fritter out after the person is answered. It depends on who is there and what their opinions are and how they express those opinions to the group...
You can really never expect a group discussion to not wonder around a bit. It's only natural for human nature.
And you should always take off your rose colored glasses and grab your cake balls when looking at that part of it realistically and asking for feedback from anyone.
YESSS!!!! Thank you!
I say we start a pact to bump this thread and keep it at the top of the forum for a while.
Please don't use bump it's an outdated method of keeping topics on the homepage....
The homepage gives visitors to CC a quick overview of topics currently being discussed. However, Jackie & Heath never intended members to be glued to the homepage waiting for the limited number of viewable topics to change.
Rather, using "view posts since last visit" allows members to view ALL the topics/posts made or discussed since your last CC visit - not just the posts entered since you logged on. (Why wait for 10 topics to change when you can view up to several hundred topics!)
I seriously didn't know that button existed (view posts since last visit). Thanks! 
Whether you're in business or not, your final product will depend a great deal on your character and level of self-expectation. I'm NOT in business, have no desire to be in business, and REALLY do only bake for fam/friends. And "friend" doesn't mean friend of a friend, business associate of my spouse, etc. It really means personal friend lol .
Anyhoo, about a year ago I did a HUGE cake for a dear friend as a gift for her housewarming party. It was a 12" round, topped with a double-barrel 9" round, topped with a 6" round. The cake came out stunning. Ivory buttercream, black anemones, black scrollwork...one of the prettiest cakes I'd done. So I load this big sucker up and start the journey to her house.
Unbeknownst to me, the road leading to her house was under MAJOR construction. As in, scraped down to the bumpy ribs, graveled, and full of ruts and holes. Like, for miles. So I'm driving like 4 mph, not caring about the line of cars behind me, but it does no good. By the time I arrive at her house, the bottom tier is a cracked mess.
I bring it in, remove the two top tiers and redecorate them on the cake base. We slice up the 12" tier and plate it. NO ONE knows about the disaster except me and my friend. She was so gracious, telling me it was no big deal, she was grateful for the cake etc. But I was in tears. I'd promised her a big beautiful cake and delivered a cracked mess.
I made her next cake and went way over the top. I know what she likes, and was able to make the cake crazy-special for the event. I went above and beyond what she was expecting. I did this because, even though I received no money for the disaster-cake, I will not accept it from myself to deliver a sub-par product with no restitution. No matter what.
Money aside, skill level aside, any time you agree with someone else to provide something, you either provide it or make it right. To me, it's a matter of integrity, personal or professional.
By the way, that was the last tiered cake I did before switching to SPS. Lesson learned lol .
I see both sides...but here's my method of thinking (saves alot of stress)-If you dont wash my booty or pay my bills-I dont care what you think about me...SO having said that-let's ALL (no matter what your status as a caker is) GO EAT A PIECE OF CAKE BECAUSE CAKE IS "Happy"
Whether you're in business or not, your final product will depend a great deal on your character and level of self-expectation. I'm NOT in business, have no desire to be in business, and REALLY do only bake for fam/friends. And "friend" doesn't mean friend of a friend, business associate of my spouse, etc. It really means personal friend lol .
Anyhoo, about a year ago I did a HUGE cake for a dear friend as a gift for her housewarming party. It was a 12" round, topped with a double-barrel 9" round, topped with a 6" round. The cake came out stunning. Ivory buttercream, black anemones, black scrollwork...one of the prettiest cakes I'd done. So I load this big sucker up and start the journey to her house.
Unbeknownst to me, the road leading to her house was under MAJOR construction. As in, scraped down to the bumpy ribs, graveled, and full of ruts and holes. Like, for miles. So I'm driving like 4 mph, not caring about the line of cars behind me, but it does no good. By the time I arrive at her house, the bottom tier is a cracked mess.
I bring it in, remove the two top tiers and redecorate them on the cake base. We slice up the 12" tier and plate it. NO ONE knows about the disaster except me and my friend. She was so gracious, telling me it was no big deal, she was grateful for the cake etc. But I was in tears. I'd promised her a big beautiful cake and delivered a cracked mess.
I made her next cake and went way over the top. I know what she likes, and was able to make the cake crazy-special for the event. I went above and beyond what she was expecting. I did this because, even though I received no money for the disaster-cake, I will not accept it from myself to deliver a sub-par product with no restitution. No matter what.
Money aside, skill level aside, any time you agree with someone else to provide something, you either provide it or make it right. To me, it's a matter of integrity, personal or professional.
By the way, that was the last tiered cake I did before switching to SPS. Lesson learned lol .
Exactly! I don't care if someone is legal or getting paid or illegal or doing it for free. If you don't deliver what is promised and the customer is not happy, whether it was paid for or not, stop bitching about how ungrateful they are and fix it! Somehow!!
Whether you're in business or not, your final product will depend a great deal on your character and level of self-expectation.
Wise words.
Some people don't care as much as others. And that isn't bad necessarily. Just a fact. It only makes a difference when you project those expectations onto someone else.
When you have a customer, your expectations have to be their expectations. Otherwise, you'll be happy and they won't be.
Right...we aren't talking about how long you've been doing this or anything! I'm just talking about some of these posts where they say "My cake was perfect and then the customer picked it up and BAM it crashed in their car, it must have been my horrible customer's horrible driving..." And then they post pictures and the cake was clearly precarious to begin with....
I guess I'm not bashing anyone AT ALL but if there are posters who run their business that way (blaming customers for flawed work) then I am bashing their business practices..... I'm just saying....let's not blame our customers if our work is not right.
Obviously there are going to be customers who will be nasty even if our work IS right...I'm not talking about those. But those are gonna be really rare.
At the end of the day people should own the situation they are in and be responsible for their actions, and not try to fake it in front of people who know better. No respect can come from that.
Ironically, I had this article in draft form before this topic came up here on CC. It's an EXACT example of what sadsmile is saying .... "Own your mistake":
http://cateritsimple.blogspot.com/2011/05/customer-service-own-your-mistake.html
Thanks, Indy. My feelings exactly. I always tell people, mistakes don't bother me. It's how it's handle that bothers (or doesn't bother) me.
And if you really want to see me get riled - just tell me, "I'm sorry you feel that way," or, "if that's how you want to look at it." Those are not apologies at all.
I'm nice until I hear those stupid words from the business I'm trying to resolve an issue with.
Thanks, Indy. My feelings exactly. I always tell people, mistakes don't bother me. It's how it's handle that bothers (or doesn't bother) me.
And if you really want to see me get riled - just tell me, "I'm sorry you feel that way," or, "if that's how you want to look at it." Those are not apologies at all.
I'm nice until I hear those stupid words from the business I'm trying to resolve an issue with.
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