I've been running my home based bakery for a few years now and this is a first for me. I have a general rule that any cake over $75 needs to have a deposit, but up to that, customers can pay upon pickup. I have recently been emailing with a potential client about a cake for her daughters birthday. During this email chain, I started to feel like this person may not be very reliable and decided that even though her cake only came to $50, I would ask for payment in full, up front. He cake is due to be delivered on Thursday and I have not yet received payment, even though I have emailed and tried to get payment from her. She makes excuses that she does not have any credit cards or a debit card to pay with. She supposedly does not have checks either or uses PayPal. She even asked me to come pick up her boyfriend to take him to the bank so he could get the money. I find this to be highly suspicious and unprofessional.

My question is, how do I nicely tell her that she will not be getting this cake if I do not receive payment by Tuesday evening. I don't want to be mean and have her give me a bad review, but I do not trust that this woman will pay me when I deliver the cake. Any suggestions to protect myself and my reputation?

y'know it's a crap shoot --you're danged if you do and danged if you don't -- oh and you gotta deliver it too -- i'd just write her and say -- 'regrettably, due to non-payment your cake order is cancelled' i'd just send it today and if she can figure out how to get you the money then you can decide if you want to go forward when you're looking at the green stuff -- because you'll eliminate the whole pins and needles thing of waiting and waiting and waiting -- this way the ball's in her court and the matter is clear cut and settled for you -- done --

this is your second post in three years? things are going well then    don't be a stranger 

Its funny, I've had other issue before and I always forget about this place. I need to post more. you guys are great!

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Ohhh my spidey senses are tinggling.. Let this one go..

I'm thinking SHOW ME THE MONEY!  You have to take the boyfriend to the bank to get the money - definitely dodgy.

I am facing a similar situation right now. I have a customer who ordered a custom designed Great Gatsby themed wedding cake for October 4th yes next week:) She ordered it two months ago, paid the customary retainer fee, but her balance was due to be paid by 9/20 and she still has not paid the balance. I have had to buy special molds for this cake and am reluctant to start actually working on the gum paste decorations (which need several days to dry) until she pays her balance.

I emailed her last week and she assured me she would send a check asap- but I still haven't received it. How do I tactfully tell her she is losing her retainer (which is in her contract) and not getting her wedding cake if she doesn't pay soon.....

Ya'll are just too nice.  There's no need to queston this or worry about being tactful.  These "customers" are the ones disrespecting you and jerking you around.  No need to be nice to people like that.

"Per our signed contract, non-payment by  (date) results in forfeiture of your retainer and cancellation of the production of a cake for your event."

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AIf a customer does not have the ability to pay for a custom cake immediately, when it's that low of a price anyways, they aren't your customer. Period. Chasing people for fifty lousy dollars....

The cake I'm making has a $557 balance due.... I will email her today and take Leah's suggestion:)

I had to email a bride this week to say that if I didn't receive payment by that afternoon there wouldn't be a wedding cake. Interestingly enough, about half an hour after I left messages at every phone number I had in her contact info,  the payment showed up.

What gets me about the OP's original post is the thing about not wanting to be mean. It isn't "mean" to ask to be paid for your work. It isn't "mean" to want to make a profit on a business. I took my cat to get his claws cut yesterday and I didn't think about how mean they were to charge me for it. When I filled up my gas tank I didn't think about how mean they were to make me pay (well maybe a little, but you get the point.)

If you're running  a business, don't put up with any funny business. You're not there to be nice to people, you're there to perform a service and provide a product that they PAY FOR.

That's another BIG mistake I see a lot, and Im NOT referring to you @Rosie93095 , because I don't know the amount (yet). But in general, when I see people referring to retainers/deposits of piddly amounts like $25 or even $50 for cakes that are going to be hundreds of dollars, that's no bueno. 

A retainer/deposit needs to be large enough that it will hurt the customer to just walk away from the order, should they find themselves no longer in need of your services for whatever reason. I can see people walking away from an order if all they had invested in it so far was $25 to $50, even more, really. If they put down $250 on a $500 cake, it's doubtful that they're going to disappear. 

On that note, another mistake that people make is to take too much in advance and go spend it right away without taking note of their own refund policies. I only do a $100 retainer because I don't want to hold that much money in my bank account for months to a year. Since there's a section in my contract that allows for a full refund of the retainer if I drop dead, I leave the retainers in my account until the cake is done. I rarely have trouble with anyone not paying, I think I've had to chase down two people in 15 years. $25 or $50 is too low IMO but I don't think you need to take 50% unless you want to. And don't take the money out until the cake is delivered in one piece.

Oh I believe it!

OMG!

Reminds me of a story I read very recently on a Facebook cake group. Whether this is true or not, I don't know. So this decorator took a last minute, like as in the night before the cake was due, last minute order. Apparently when it was time for the customer to come pick it up, they were a no show. So this decorator packed up the cake, drove over to the house, and asked for payment. 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.  

Really? You're a dumb bunny first off for taking an order without FULL payment before even turning the oven on, and then you pull an embarrassing stunt like that? Good luck with future work with an immature reaction like that. 

It may have, it may have just been what she wanted to do, but either way, the likes and "atta girls" that she received for her story was atrocious. 

Hey @costumeczar , you quoted my post but left out the awesomely huge OMG! What gives?

OP, She's yanking your chain and deep down you know it or your spidey sense wouldn't be going off like crazy.  She has every excuse in the book AND she wants you to drive the boyfriend to get money?  Frankly, that's the biggest load of BS I've heard in a long time.

Email her or call and tell her since she has not paid so she will not be getting a cake.  Just keep repeating it until she gets the message.  Honestly, even if she did bring you cash payment if full within the hour I would still turn down the order seeing how sketchy the whole situation is.

And for the Great Gatsby wedding... you need to call AND email AND text the client and tell her per her contract since she has not made her payment on time she is NOT getting a wedding cake.  Tell her she has forfeited her deposit and wish her luck finding another baker.  Offer her the chance to bring you the final payment in CASH within 24 hours.  And don't do ANY work until you get the money.

Yep, yep, yep, @cakesbycathy , you broke it down, no nonsense style! 

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I generally quote the part I'm referring to and edit out the rest [SIZE=7]hahahaha[/SIZE]

She put down a $200 retainer. That is my customary for a cake over $400. Otherwise I just require 50%.

Like costumczar, I keep the money in the account until the cake is delivered just in case something horrible on my end happens.  The mold I bought for this cake , I can definitely use for future cakes, so it is just a business expense, but I definitely won't start working on the deco or cake until I get paid. Sent out email, and voice mail message today, still waiting to hear from the bride..... I will give her 24 hours then let her know the order is cancelled..