Hi,
I really need some advice as to how to handle this situation.
My DH has this cousin who asked me to do her son's cake (for school) last year. Since this was his nephew and we did not get him a gift, I told her it was my gift to him.
This year, this same cousin orders a cake for her daughter (for school for the 10th Jan), a cake for the party that she will be having at home(27th Jan) and a another 'extra' cake for the party at home. Okay so when the 10th came around she came to pick up the cake she did not even ask how much the cake was. When I left the room, I overheard her DH ask her about paying me but she did not say anything to me. The she proceeded to take the cake to the car and just in a casual manner said that I must bill her. Now, the question I have is, how do I do this?
She has called me many times since the 10th and not once did she even ask how much the cakes were and yes she does know that I do this as a business.
How should I approach this situation without causing ill feeling?
Edited to add that I did get her a gift for the party and I did include a discount on the cakes.
TIA
On the 27th, I would hand over a bill with the cakes charged at your regular pricing.
And then reduce it by whatever "Special Family Discount" you choose to give her. Itemise it on the bill as such.
If you have a letter-head, so much the better.
I'm sure you did as good a job for this one as you do for any of your paying customers.... You need to be paid the same too, of course giving the discount at your discretion.
I've learnt one thing, even (or maybe especially) for family, in advance, in writing, give them an estimation of what the cake will cost.
Family is the worst when it comes to paying... Sad but true! And they will usually crib and subtly try to bargain and get you to drop your prices.
As you can tell, I have had some not-so-nice experiences with orders from family.
Hope it works out for yoo,
Karen
Thank you for your advice.
Yes Karen, I have a letterhead type of invoice that I give my clients especially those who order more than one cake at a time.
One more thing.....should I do this when I get there or when I leave. I know this sounds trivial but it's really bothering me.
Oh Oh, I read my last post over and I sound bitter!!!
Are you delivering the cake yourself? And then attending the party?
If so, people at the party will know that you have made the cake, and will probably ask for details. It's better if you can tell them what you charged up-front, after you tell the hostess herself.
I'm a "bite the bullet" type of person, so if I was in in your place I would hand it over along with the cake, and get it over with.
It might be a little uncomfortable, especially if she is not really expecting you to bill her.
On the other hand, she might just be very happy and thank you for doing the cakes, and straight away, hand over the money.
Let's hope it is the second.
All the best,
Karen
Okay, just an update on this situation.
I did a doll cake and a sheet cake for the party. I had the 'legs' of the doll with me and I attached the envelope with the invoice to the packet of the legs.
I was really chicken about giving the bill up front and decided to rather do it after the party. When we were leaving, the mom said "Thank you for everything and let me know what I owe you" in a very by-the-way manner and disappeared. her husband walked with us to the car and I gave him the legs of the doll, with the bill. I did feel aweful doing it but I really did not see another way.
i have not heard from her since and personally I think she is upset. My DH thinks I did the right thing and feels that if she is upset by this then so be it.
Oh well, lesson learnt......NEVER DO CAKES FOR FAMILY WITHOUT THEM KNOWING UP FRONT WHAT IT IS GOING TO COST THEM!!!!
Thanks to everyone who replied.
Regards
SScakes
I had a very similiar situation with a friend I had offered to do her dd b day cake at cost which was nice of me to begin with and the day of the party she had a lot going on and i didnt want to bother her and the next couple times we talked she said oh I have that money for you and I even went over there a couple of times but she never offered and then she started saying she would take me to lunch as a thankyou for the cakes but that never came about ethier and now I cant say hey remember 5 months ago when I made that cake well you still owe me 40 bucks I cant believe family and friends or not that people can expect you to put all that money and heart and time into something and not get paid at very least for the cost of the cake but i've learned my lesson as well just present the invoice up front when planning the design and get payment the second you deliver the cake its uncomfortable but not as bad as thinking your friend/family member took advantage of you.
I guess I was more forward than most when it came to dealing with family. If I wanted to give a cake as a gift I would always let them know at the time of the request that it was my gift to _______. If I wanted them to pay for the supplies and nothing more I would tell them at the time of the request that a rough estimate for supplies for the cake would cost $$$$$ and they could pay when the cake was delivered. I never had problems collecting upon delivery. Lucky or nerve, don't know which but it worked for me. My dh is in a business that he has to give estimates for jobs that he bids on. He has learned to give them a written statement with the total cost and it also has an upfront deposit for supplies. They have to sign the agreement before he starts the job. So far so good. This way everyone knows what is expected of them.
Final update to this situation.
She paid the discounted amount into my account this morning. So I guess this is now over and done with. I do feel that the relationship is strained but I suppose these things happen.
Lots of lessons learnt here and definately I will handle a situation like this differently in the future.
Thanks to everyone who gave advice and thoughts on this.
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