I am new to my home based business and just had the strangest client. She contacted me and wanted a boy baby shower cake for her first grandchild. She wanted cake samples. I make my cakes fresh to order so I offered cupcakes……6 for 12 dollars with 3 flavours of buttercream. She wanted them immediately so I had them ready the next day.
She loved them and raved and raved.
During the weeks leading up to the shower, she texted me daily, asking if i found a baby figurine and kept sending me new pictures of her desired cake design she found on the internet. She was somewhat annoying telling me every detail of her lifestory, but I was very nice and accomodated all of her texts and calls.
The day she picked up the cake ( I wasnt home)…..my husband said she didnt look too excited. She called me and said it was beautiful and thanked me. That was it. Two days after the shower she had not texted even once. I was curious. I texted her and asked her how the shower went ( after all I knew everything about her family and life at that point).
To make a long story short she said the cake was beautifully made BUT " it was a disappointment……no one ate it…..it didnt look appetizing ( cause she requested me colour the cake layers blue)……..the cake was dry…..had no flavor…..frosting and filling was overpowering sweet…." She said " it was a beautiful cake just not edible". She said she felt she had to give me a honest report because I had to learn from my mistakes and "eventually someone may sue".
Now. I am not perfect. We all make mistakes. However. My cousin was visiting with her husband from out of country and he ate every scrap of that cake I cut off and even was upset I threw the crumbs away. When I told them ( cause every one in my house ate the leftover cake, filling and frosting) they had a look of absolute shock that she said that and staight out said she was lying. Now, i know they are family……..but MY family have no problem saying " that taste bad" and not eat it.
She did not ask for her money back…….which I was waiting for. Has any one had this experience? What would motivate her to make such complaints about every aspect of the cake?
I would be more upset if I knew her claims were founded……but I know that ALL those complaints are not true, so Im not very upset.
Why would she bring up the sue word. What could I get sued for in this case?
The psychology of food may have had something to do with her reaction. Who knows.
However, blue food constantly wins the ‘least appetizing’ food prize according to psych studies. It's just not appetizing or appealing to people.
It is an adorable cake, so I'd suspect there is something else going on. Good Luck with this puzzle, hope you find the answer so you can be done with this frustration and continue with successful baking.
I would put her on the "no cake for you" list. Sorry that you are having to deal with this customer. I think everyone at one time has dealt with people who are a pain in the you know what!! If you had people in the family tasting the cake and you know it was not dry then I would not worry about what this customer has to say. BTW, your cake is beautiful and very cute!!! Let us know if they try to get money back from you. Looks like you spent a lot of time on that cake!! It's got to be frustrating for you!! Hang in there.
The cake is very well done. I will say that if you dyed the cake batter (is that correct) that can change the flavor. Some people can taste it and some cannot. I can't ever taste it but my friend's husband always can. Everyone has a different idea of sweet! Don't let it insult you, the cake is lovely.
I thought the blue cake was not going to be good, so I marbled it blue so it wont be so odd. Guess that didnt work either. It was her insistence that it be blue. Next time I decided that I will refuse to color the layers and the cake will stay the colour its supposed to!!!
And no requests for her money back…….yet. Its been a week, so maybe she wont. The subtle "sue" threat was odd. Did any of you ever get that?
well it can take the average lawyer a while to get the papers drawn up -- just kidding just kidding just kidding
i think it was a case of bluers buyers remorse -- she seemed to have a lot built up into this experience sharing so much personal information and contacting you so much -- it sounds like she just got carried away on ordering a cake -- and felt let down afterwards --
if no one ate it how did they know it tasted too sweet although flavorless and was dry --
also i never call a client for a highlight of the event -- no news is good news -- but hopefully this is over and you can dust the flour off your hands and put it firmly behind you
She's a nut job. Just forget about her and move on. Don't let crazies ruin you.
I've marbled colored batter--light pink all the way to 7 shade of neon rainbow. It doesn't significantly change the flavor or texture.
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I would be more upset if I knew her claims were founded……but I know that ALL those complaints are not true, so Im not very upset.
this is the most important thing ^^^ good for you
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to press your buttons
it's a very nice cake -- and you were more than patient with her -- time's up -- next!
Thats what I was thinking, I think she thought her contribution of the cake was going to get her more " Im the better grandmother points". I think at the end she really was disappointed that it really is just cake……and sometimes at showers, there are so many desserts that people generally dont really eat much of the shower cake. Thank all of you for your encouragement. I did learn alot from this experience so it was worth it!!
AI think that cake is adorable, I would be in heaven to get a cake like this!!! I would just let it go. Win some, you lose some.
Overall, the cake's design is beautiful. I'm sorry about your bad experience with a really picky customer. I doubt the cake isn't "edible", as what the customers said. I'm sure she was only exaggerating due to her disappointment. I'm glad you handled that situation well.
Pffft. She just sounds like a control freak. Too much nitpicking ahead of time, the urge to tell you everything that was wrong "for your own good" afterward, it just sounds like someone who likes to be the authority on everything. If you know that nothing was wrong with the cake don't worry about it, and definitely put her on the no cake for you list.
Beautiful cake!!!
I cannot even begin to tell you the number of events I have been to in which no one eats dessert, even when incredible ones are offered. Sometimes people are simply too full from dinner.
If this was a baby shower, a lot of women don't eat dessert in front of each other…weirdo's yes, but I see it again and again…Some women in certain social circles are totally afraid of appearing that they actually eat. I swear, I see it…
If this were a bunch of guys the cake would be eaten…blue color and all.
So don't despair, and DON'T refund her money, you provided what she requested. Inform her as such, let her know that as it is a dessert people do indeed get too full from the meal.
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I cannot even begin to tell you the number of events I have been to in which no one eats dessert, even when incredible ones are offered. Sometimes people are simply too full from dinner.
Agreed. And they never seem to cut the first piece, I started cutting a piece and sitting it ready to eat on a plate to get it started at home parties for adults.
My guess is that if you are a scratch baker that they are used to boxed mixes. I'm sure your cake was great, but if you are used to one and get the other, there can be a bit of a shock. I've had people call me really concerned about ordering a dry cake after getting cakes from scratch bakers (that I know are really good bakers). They end up liking my doctored cake mix recipes, so I think that's the difference. Don't let it get to you.
So here's the thing... Even if she's exaggerating, there has to be some truth in her complaints. I'd like to think that her complaint was probably 90% false but as a businesswoman, you HAVE to take note of the even 10% truth. Never stop improving your recipes. I've changed mine at least 12 times in the 5 years I've been at it. Don't go all left field but figure out how to make it better. Also, I ditto on the no follow up. If they hated it, they'd let you know immediately. Be confident in your work and know that it's excellent. (those scraps are proof!)
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My guess is that if you are a scratch baker that they are used to boxed mixes. I'm sure your cake was great, but if you are used to one and get the other, there can be a bit of a shock. I've had people call me really concerned about ordering a dry cake after getting cakes from scratch bakers (that I know are really good bakers). They end up liking my doctored cake mix recipes, so I think that's the difference. Don't let it get to you.
That's a really good point frosted moon, and of course it works the other way too. If you are used to a beautiful fresh scratch cake baked with real ingredients that have never seen a factory a mouthful of chemicals will repeat on your taste buds like a bad dose of heartburn.
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I totally agree with the posts to your issue - you did a fabulous job and I would not do another cake for her. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, people just are not going to be happy with your efforts. The cake is beautiful. I would have been thrilled to have it at my event. You mentioned that you marbled it and that she insisted on blue. By marbling, it would not have had an overpowering taste (if any) from the color and it was her insistence that the layers had blue anything in them.
Good job on the cake! Don't let this throw you. You are an excellent decorator!
I can totally relate!! I've had customers just like that!
A bride recently who was "SO excited!!!" about everything about her wedding especially the cake! I made it to her specifics, delivered what I thought was a perfect cake. Exactly what she asked for.
After the wedding I got a FB text " Oh the cake was wonderful everyone loved it Thanks so much! ...except you didn't put raspberry filling in it" I was so disappointed!"
(Heart sinks!)
I sprinted (5'4" 220) to my file and grabbed the order. NO mention of Raspberry filling. So I contacted her to apologize, (because that's what I do no matter if it's her mistake or mine) and told her I don't remember in our hour together..about rasp fill...etc. She ends up with a free 6" cake for the future. Taken care of.
A week later I get a call from..
the Wedding Venue " Did you get a call from"..the bride about the cake?
me: Yes I did and gave her a free cake...
Long story short She complained, near as I could tell, to every vendor about something! Prob looking for free stuff!
Some people WILL NOT be pleased. It's a problem on the inside. You could hand them a gold bar and it wouldn't be good enough.
Let people/comments like that just roll off. You did your utmost.
That cake was Beautiful!
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