Help!! Customer Is Complaining Before She Even Gets The Cake!
Decorating By JenHCakes Updated 11 Feb 2013 , 2:33am by DeliciousDesserts
I understand that (now). But I was directing that message to those who thought my predicament funny, amusing, or those who thought my price too low. They do not understand that I am not out to make money, I am making memories.
Then you should say so at the beginning of your post. Many bakers on here struggle with pricing and when you presented your 'predicament' it sounded like you did this all the time and those who know what goes into producing cake art were letting you know you were underpricing yourself for the work you were doing. And then there's the subject of the CFL. Now you know. I don't believe I saw anyone laughing at you...merely concern that you were putting yourself out there and letting others take advantage of your situation. I think some proper advice was given...some do it tongue in cheek. Take it for what it is--well meaning advice from people who know what they're talking about and have experienced much of what you have.
I just want to stand up and say that my left breast is also larger than my right, by just a bit, and my daughter had the biggest little baby feet I ever saw, so I think the cake fine! And I agree with all the people that said it is way under priced. ;-)
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Original message sent by cakeyouverymuch
To the OP,
Just to put things in perspective: You're out $35 for product (actually ptobably $40 with the redo) and she paid you $50 (after you took off $10 for the re-do). You claim to have 7 hours in before the redo, so say a total of eight hours of work . . . . for $10 dollars?? And I'm guessing you didn't take into account your fuel costs to shop for your products, your electricity costs to bake the cake and keep the lights on while you worked and reworked the cake, your electrcity and water costs for clean up, your costs for the cake board and the fuel you used to go buy it, your fuel costs to deliver the cake. . . . . etc. . . . etc. . . . etc.
How much are you paying your other two customers to take their cakes off your hands?
I took offense to this, maybe I am sensitive but the last sentence wasn't called for. I asked how I should have handled the complaint, redo it, discount the price, give it to her, what ever would have answered my question.
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Original message sent by Annabakescakes
I just want to stand up and say that my left breast is also larger than my right, by just a bit, and my daughter had the biggest little baby feet I ever saw, so I think the cake fine! And I agree with all the people that said it is way under priced. ;-)
I think your cake looks great. The only reason it might look like one side is bigger is because the decoration is not exactly the same.
APlease know that I, for one, did not ridicule or make fun of you. I didn't even mean to make fun of the potential client who thought she could purchase this cake for $50.
My comments I her were humorous, by I meant them. I'm also very serious that those were my words to her.
I think most of us started in this industry because we like bakin or decorating or both. While we all want to help make someones day special, There is a big difference between doing this for enjoyment or stress relief & doing it for money.
As AZCoutre requested, please quote those whom you think we're ridiculing or making fun of you.
Wow I think I will delete mt account. I asked a simple question and instead have been the butt of everyone's jokes. I grew up watching my grandmother bake wedding cakes, those are actually the only memories I have. When I bake I feel like for those 7 hours I am with her again. I was baking this cake for a friends sister, whom I don't know that well, I wanted to help make her day special. I understand I should have charged more, thank you to those of you who made fun of me for it. I was unaware that Delaware did not have a cottage law, thank you (seriously). And I will continue baking for my two children, family, and close friends. I am a single unemployed mother who bakes to release stress and have memories of times I wish I could go back to and be frozen. Maybe some should remember that this forum is to help not ridicule.
To the OP,
Just to put things in perspective: You're out $35 for product (actually ptobably $40 with the redo) and she paid you $50 (after you took off $10 for the re-do). You claim to have 7 hours in before the redo, so say a total of eight hours of work . . . . for $10 dollars?? And I'm guessing you didn't take into account your fuel costs to shop for your products, your electricity costs to bake the cake and keep the lights on while you worked and reworked the cake, your electrcity and water costs for clean up, your costs for the cake board and the fuel you used to go buy it, your fuel costs to deliver the cake. . . . . etc. . . . etc. . . . etc.
How much are you paying your other two customers to take their cakes off your hands?
I grew up baking and making cakes from childhood. My grandmother also was a great baker, she had time to teach me some stuff before she died when I was 10.
When I first began making cakes for friends, there were a few mothers who took me aside and told me very seriously that I was to make sure that I charged the full price for my cakes. They told me that I was never ever to sell myself short...even though they knew I really liked baking.
I cannot tell the OP how important it was for me to hear that. I was able to reassure these people that I was charging the right prices.
So would you please read the message from cakeyouverymuch as it was meant: sincerely. Yes you are giving those cakes away. When you charge for cakes, then you should pay yourself the minimum wage...or give the cake as an outright gift. The person who complained about your excellent cake is not your friend--they are being very disrespectful of your good work.
I think using the word customer and asking how to handle what sounded like a business transaction was what led people to think you were doing this as a business, rather than as a hobby. I don't think people were making fun of you, they were trying to help you run your supposed business in a more profitable way.
Hopefully your friend enjoyed her cake, and will have more manners next time a friend does her a favor, if she expects to be treated like a paying customer she should become one.
AI calmed my self down and re read the posts. I am sorry for getting hot headed. I guess I am overly sensitive, especially when it comes to something family and I shared. I could have worded my original post differently. [IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/2917493/width/200/height/400[/IMG] I spoke to my friend again, this is the cake redone, and she is so happy with this one that she is paying me $100 for the unconvincing and problems. I told her that I would no longer be able to except money. As I don't want to go to jail. So things with her worked out. I want to apologize to all of you for exploding :-( I usually am not like that. I hope I didn't upset anyone, and thank you for your compliments. I didn't go to school or classes, I get a picture or idea and wing it lol. So its nice to here that I don't suck too bad lol.
that is a nice cake there!
and you should check to see what exactly the consequences are for baking and selling in a non-cottage food law state. AZ has one now, but before it was 'illegal' but only in the sense that if they found you, they would ask you to cease operations. If you had a cupcake stand at the park, they could ask you to leave based on not having a permit to sell commercially produced food, but there actually was no fine attached to the 'offense'. Certainly not 'going to jail' for it. Not being legal and being illegal with possible prosecution are two different things. I spoke to the county Health Department worker who did the inspection on the commercial kitchen i was in at the time and she said that they didn't have the time or manpower to actually try to shut down home bakers (the people selling meat tamales in parking lots were a greater concern). I guess if one were making people sick and there were great complaints and it was a public health hazard, then something would be done.
On the other hand, some states (like California and Texas, i believe) impose fines for selling food not produced in an inspected, commercial kitchen.
Of course the benefits of being an 'above the board' baker far outweigh the negatives, but one should always know the risks of what you are doing and be able to make your own decisions on it based on what is right for you.
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Original message sent by JenHCakes
I couldn't find any consequences but I did find a PDF form to be exempt. so I will check into that.
[ATTACHMENT=329] (33k. pdf file)[/ATTACHMENT]
If anyone lives in delaware her is the PDF file.
On the other hand, some states (like California and Texas, i believe) impose fines for selling food not produced in an inspected, commercial kitchen.
Texas has a cottage food law that permits selling baked goods from home without having an inspected kitchen. I'm not too sure on California's since their CFL was just recently passed.
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Original message sent by ibeeflower
Texas has a cottage food law that permits selling baked goods from home without having an inspected kitchen. I'm not too sure on California's since their CFL was just recently passed.
You won't go to jail for running an unlicensed home bakery (unless there is significant tax evasion involved), fines and being shut down are typically the worst of it. The issue of liability is potentially much more serious, since if you are unlicensed you can't get business liability coverage and all of your assets are at risk in case of a health issue or any lawsuit that requires paying for a legal defense (even if you win). That's one reason why it's so important to stick to close friends and family who presumably won't sue you if there is a problem.
ATake the money!!!
I find belly cakes horrifying, but you did a great job.
I guess she spoke to a chef and he quoted her a price of $375! She ended up loving it and paid me extra so in the end all is good. I know I wouldn't pay over $200 for a cake because I would probably make it myself lol. This cake was a pain in my you know what, but I am happy with the final product. Now on to Angry bird cupcakes for my nephew lol. At least they are easy!
I don't think anyone was ridiculing you...but keep in mind when you don't charge enough for your cakes, and undercut other cake decorators or shops in your community, you are hurting the cake industry in your area as a whole by diminishing the custom cakes value. It's something I never thought about until someone pointed it out to me here...now my prices are more in line with the industry in my area. I'm still not as expensive as the cake stores (as I don't have the overhead they do) but I'm close. I charged $120.00 for this cake, along with a dozen cupcakes.
Ducky, that cake is ADORABLE!
You made excellent points of undercutting others.
I just wanted to remind you that you do have some of the similar overhead costs. You pay more for electricity, gas, & water. You still have advertising costs. You probably have at least one room dedicated to cake stuff. That's rent. More importantly, you do not have purchasing power. You pay a great deal more for ingredients than most brick & mortar locations. You also have to spend time & gas to go get them since most places (Dawn foods, Sysco, etc.) won't deliver to residential locations.
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