Hey everyone!
I hope im doing this right bc I'm new to the forum. Lol
So long story short I have a customer who says the cake is pretty but she doesn't like the taste. So she's disappointed. Ok, it happens.
So I've been very nice and have offered to either give her some money back or discount a future order if she would like to try me again.
She responds with sending me pictures of a cake she got in the past and says she paid the same amount ...etc etc...not really the point, I think.
Anyway so my question is this-
What would y'all charge for this cake- all decos hand cut, fudge filling, 25 servings. I know we all price differently but I don't feel she was overcharged so I just wanted to get y'all's input. She paid $130 total for this cake.
Also- how would y'all handle it? What would you offer back as a refund? Price point.
I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY HELP YALL CAN GIVE ME.
Thank you SOOOO much!!!!
What she paid on something else is totally irrelevant to this situation, so I don't know what her point is there. As far as the price she did pay for the cake. $130 is ballpark range for what it would go for around where I live. Did she return any of the cake? Did she serve it and it's all gone?
I agree with what ypierce said. If she paid $130 and took possession of the cake, then the price is not an issue. And sending you pictures of some other cake is irrelevant.
As far as a refund goes, did she return any of the cake? If she says she didn't like the taste, but still ate it all, I probably wouldn't offer a refund. That's like going to a restaurant, eating a whole meal, and then asking for a refund because you didn't like it. You paid for food and ate it. Done deal. If she returned some of the cake, on the other hand, then I would probably offer some sort of refund.
Do you have any sort of contract or signed agreement? If you're selling cakes, it's always a good idea to have a clear refund policy that you can point to for any unsatisfied customers.
Ypierce82- thank you so much for your response!!!
She did not return any of the cake- and all of the cake is served and gone!
As far as the cake she sent- I was alittle confused on that as well. :-(
It sounds like she's suddenly decided after the fact that she's overspent on this party and now wants to claw back some of the expenses? Why else would she be sending you photo's of other cakes she's bought...it's totally irrelevant; unless you are just trying to get a big discount after the fact and using the excuse of "O it didn't taste good" as a last resort excuse. I'd just flat out offer a discount on her next order, she's trying to scam you.
I've never had anyone do this after the fact; but I have had people try to place an order and show me some cake they got from xyz unlicensed baker in my area for whatever price they think they should pay for a high end cake.
Firstly glazencakes are the 2 cake pictures posted the cake you made the customer, or the picture of the cake customer sent you? Taste is subjective. What you like, I may not. If customer ordered, for example chocolate cake, with chocolate buttercream filling, and that’s what you made, then you filled your obligation. And you pretty much have your answer, all the cake was consumed. So sorry, no refund. Customer has a right to her opinion, and I would try and accommodate fo her taste if she ordered again. Unfortunately you offered customer money back, which, in my opinion is a big mistake. As I said, cake was consumed, you did your job. You worked hard for your money, why should you refund when the cake was eaten and enjoyed. And, you also don’t know if this customer is just spinning a tale to get some sort of refund. A lot of that happening lately. This is where a good contract comes in. Everything and anything to do with the cake is spelled out. From design, colours, flavours, cake size, date due, delivery or pickup, the agreed to price, with deposit and final payment. Personally, this is just my opinion, I would contact your customer and say, respectfully, after giving this matter much thought, you’re disappointed ( don’t say your sorry, you have nothing to be sorry about ) she wasn’t happy with the taste. But since all the cake was eaten, the cake was obviously good. So therefore, there is nothing to refund, as you filled your agreement. If she would care to order a cake again you can work on a flavour or a taste she might prefer.
And ps: If that Peppa Pig was the cake you made, awesome job. And I would have charged minimum $200 for that cake.
Mmmmmm yeah, for me, there would be no reason to issue a refund, partial or otherwise. Most often times it is buyers remorse, and the easiest way to try and get money back is to say they didn't like the taste, the color was off, no one liked it (yet there is nothing for them to return lol) Hopefully someone can give you a tactful way to respond to her because I lack it in instances like this
You guys have been such a huge help!! I really appreciate all of you!!
Jchuck- yes the Peppa pig cake is the cake I made for her. I didn't want to post a picture of the cake she sent me because it's someone else's work and I feel that may not be right of me. :-) Thank you so much for your compliment!!
I think y'all are right!! I need to def come up with a good contract that has everything listed!!! So it's right there! No questions asked!! Black and White! :-)
I did offer her a refund! Ugh! I wish I hadn't now that I have read all of your input! I honestly just wanted to try and make her happy and hope that she wouldn't bad mouth me or leave a bad review. Although I'm learning- you can't make everyone happy! No matter what you do!!
Gingerlocks- I actually wondered the same thing!!!! Lol!
Y'all have been so great!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!
Well glazencakes you learned a valuable lesson, which is never a waste. So now you’re prepared, and it won’t happen again. And on the flipside, you’re worried about customer bad mouthing you. But she can also tell other how easily she got money back for a minor complaint. So get workin on a contract girl. There’s several good websites to help you make a contract. Posted an example.
Jchuck, your reply didn't show up until after I posted and refreshed, but I read it once everything reloaded. How much of a refund did you offer? You didn't offer to refund the entire amount, did you? Clients can be difficult for no reason sometimes lol but definitely come up with a contract that lays it all out, and highlight it when going over it with the customer. Your cake is super cute, and I love how you were able to put 2 designs together and make it look cohesive.
Ypierce82- Thank you SO MUCH!!! And, absolutely not!! Honestly I haven't refunded anything yet and I'm not sure what to offer her. :-(
I will def be getting a contract made up ASAP!
Jchuck- thank you so much for including that link!!!! It's awesome!
Y'all are WONDERFUL!!!!!!! Ty!!!!!!!
You're so welcome! I would offer $0.00 lol
I would probably just offer a % off of a future order. I just don't think "I didn't like it" is a good enough reason, but ultimately, it is your decision, and you have to come up with what you're comfortable with (but not 100%)
Your cake is as cute as can be and, like June, I would have charged more. I agree that absolutely no refund is due, but since you have already offered but did not specify an amount, I suggest you refund $10.00. You can tell her that, under the circumstances, with all of the cake having been eaten, you cannot justify more of a discount.
Don't worry about her opinion or future orders. You don't need customers like her in your life anyway.
SandraSmiley- thank you so much! You are absolutely right!!! She is def not a customer I am not going to keep! ;-)
Ypierce- lol!!!!! I wish I hadn't of told her I'd refund some of her money before getting y'all's responses!!! Lol!!
I told my husband "maybe I'll just refund $30 and he said ummm NO! Refund like $10!!" Which is exactly what Sandrasmiley said! Lol!
So I'll probably go with something like $15 ad hope that makes her happy!!! Doubt it!! Lol!! But oh well!!!! ;-)
Don't worry about whether or not she is happy! She is trying to cheat you! She ordered the cake, you quoted a fair price, you delivered a beautiful cake, the entire cake was consumed???? $10.00 and she can like it or lump it, not your problem.
Also, I don't think she should ask for a refund. After the cake is eaten is way too late to try saying she thought you charged too much. The cake is adorable. I'm betting she figured that saying she didn't think it tasted good would be a quick way to get you to give her some or even all of her money back.
I wouldn’t refund if the cake was eaten.
I also hate to be that person, too, but in case you weren’t aware, you cannot legally sell any cakes with a copyrighted image that you made unless you had permission or used a licensed figurine. A lot of people do get away with it, but you can get in trouble for it.
glazencakes - I always go by the "whoever gets the cake pays for it" rule. If the customer takes delivery and serves/eats the cake, they pay for it. If they return the cake to you or refuse delivery, you pay for it (refund). Since the customer had no cake to return to you, they get no money back. Any discount on a future order is at your discretion, but no money.
I like the idea of giving her 10% back - nice even figure that makes sense if you are offering a refund. I would also reiterate that it is a goodwill gesture and not an apology for a job poorly done.
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