APicking up on what costumeczar and AZ said about deposits, I know somebody who put a £20 deposit down on a £350 wedding cake from a shop. A few weeks later she was told about a cheap cake lady who'd make the same cake for £175. She got her cake from the cheap cake lady and didn't bother getting in touch with the cake shop to cancel. Even with the £20 deposit she lost, her cake would only cost her £195 instead of £350. (It ended up costing more than that but that's another story).If the deposit had been £150 she might have thought twice.
Quote:Originally Posted by AZCouture
The customer didn't have the full amount, so the decorator said that was fine, took what they did have,, stuck her hand in the cake to dig a chunk out, tossed the cake on the ground, and walked off laughing. 
This is one of the most horrific stories I have ever heard; Dear Lord! She can kiss her business goodbye once people hear about this..and she'll be the one telling them about it no doubt; and then be completely mystified when people stop placing orders..
I don't take this anecdote too seriously. It was posted in a Facebook cake group where questionable stories and unprofessional comments often surface. For me, @AZCouture's post highlights that these types of stories only help denigrate the business of cake decorating.
While I enjoyed the rest of everyone's comments about getting paid - which is clearly why you are in business - the flashing light that went off in my head is
NEVER DRIVE A STRANGER! That idea sent a chill up my spine! There is no amount of money worth that.
And please - listen to your 'spidey sense'.
Good luck with your future business!
Take care,
T
It was stated "She supposedly does not have checks either or uses PayPal." As we all know anyone who has used PayPal has to have a credit card in order to pay them. So this customer is definitely lying about not having a charge card of some sort.
Let us know how she reacts to your telling her you are canceling without the rest of the payment. Good luck!!
so what happened, ladies? I'm dying to know who was paid and who wasn't!
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What I am going to suggest is going to make me sound like a paranoid skitzo..bbuutt; has it crossed your mind that she's a rival decorator in your town? I only say this because there was a woman in my town who (what a start up cheep cake lady), but she was placing orders with other decorators and then flaking out when it came time to pick up/pay..she tried it with me, but I require a deposit and the story from her sounds very similar to yours.."O I don't have Internet" "No credit card" "Can you please just not take a deposit, you have my world I'll pay in full when I pick up"..and after some miraculous emails (considering she had no Internet), I googled her info, and sure enough she did cakes. Apparently she had done it to a few people, and they actually made cakes for her..and she of course never picked up. I think it was like some sort of sabotage in her mind I don't know..maybe she has the same mindset as my local crazy cake lady?
This happened to me the second week I officially opened my business. A person added me on fb, asked for a cake saying I made her one last year.
She called, texted, emailed me several times for all the details, it was "only" $60 so I didn't ask for a deposit.
She never showed up.. I called her like 10 times, no response.. then next day she wrote me on fb saying she got in a car accident!!! anyway, long story short, I found out this person was sent by my ex boss to damage me, she also stole all my cake pictures from my fb and uploaded them on their business page. Even my PERSONAL pictures! food I made at my home for my friends!!!
So now I ask for deposit even for $5.
Not paid yet, but I did get a frantic call from the bride guaranteeing that I will be paid within 24hours...will let you know how it goes tomorrow
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Original message sent by maisie73
Picking up on what costumeczar and AZ said about deposits, I know somebody who put a £20 deposit down on a £350 wedding cake from a shop. A few weeks later she was told about a cheap cake lady who'd make the same cake for £175. She got her cake from the cheap cake lady and didn't bother getting in touch with the cake shop to cancel. Even with the £20 deposit she lost, her cake would only cost her £195 instead of £350. (It ended up costing more than that but that's another story).If the deposit had been £150 she might have thought twice.
Ooohh.. I'd love to hear that part of the story!! ;)
A
Original message sent by theresaf
While I enjoyed the rest of everyone's comments about getting paid - which is clearly why you are in business - the flashing light that went off in my head is NEVER DRIVE A STRANGER! That idea sent a chill up my spine! There is no amount of money worth that. And please - listen to your 'spidey sense'. Good luck with your future business! Take care, T
AHappy to oblige mattyestscakes. It's a good story actually, a nice bit of cake karma.
A month or so before the wedding the cake shop started ringing the bride, they obviously wanted the balance paying and probably wondered what was going on because they hadn't seen the bride since she paid the deposit. The bride just ignored their calls.
(The brides sister (my friend) got in touch with them, told them the bride was having her cake from somewhere else and apologised for her sisters behaviour. My friend felt terrible, her sister had told her she'd cancelled the cake shop order so when she found out she hadn't she tried to get her sister to speak to the cake shop but sister flat refused.)
The bride was paying cheap cake lady £10 here, £20 there in the run up to the wedding. The day before the wedding cheap cake lady rang the bride asking for the balance to be paid or she wouldn't have a cake. The bride said she'd already paid the full amount. Cheap cake lady said there was £65 outstanding. They were ringing each other, arguing all day and the bride was getting increasingly upset. The upshot of it was there was no contract, no receipts, no record of any payment. The groom ended up taking the £65 to cheap cake lady when it dawned on them it was the only way they were going to have a cake at the wedding the next day. Add to that the £20 topper they had to provide for cheap cake lady's cake and they didn't save much at all. The cake looked lovely but was dry and tasteless, the bride was in tears the day before her wedding and she could never go back to the cake shop she'd treated so badly again.
Cake karma. :-)
I have yet to hear from this "customer" even after I contacted her. No payment, no cake and now I have a day off tomorrow. Thanks for all the advice bakers, I appreciate it. With updated policies in place, hopefully it will be clearer from now on.
Quote:
Quote:Originally Posted by AZCouture
The customer didn't have the full amount, so the decorator said that was fine, took what they did have,, stuck her hand in the cake to dig a chunk out, tossed the cake on the ground, and walked off laughing.
This is rediculous and really unprofessional. I can't believe that baker did that. Wow. 
Yeah! I got paid today, so I will start working on the wedding cake for next Saturday. I think she got worried I would cancel her.
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Original message sent by Rosie93095
Yeah! I got paid today, so I will start working on the wedding cake for next Saturday. I think she got worried I would cancel her.
The "there will not be a cake if i don't receive payment" call really gets results!
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