I have had several customers/clients who have not paid me for cakes that were delivered .........it just happens that they were not at the party yet....and I felt VERY uncomfortable "hanging around" to get paid..........

Has anyone ever sent a bill to a client?

No...but I sure would in this case!!! That is exactly why I don't deliver unless it is a wedding cake and I require that to be paid in full 2 weeks before the wedding!! I offer pick up only...with 2 small kids and a city of 1 million....I would lose money.I really hope you get all your payments that these clients owe you.You deserve it.Maybe the next client that wants delivery you could confirm that they will be there at the party (or someone to pay you) so you don't feel uncomfortable waiting for payment.

If there was a specific mention of the price when the cake was ordered, I would definitely send the bill. If it was not paid, the next time they called for a cake, I would let them know that I was not available. I have never had a client not pay, but I have never been in your position. Good luck, I hope you get your money!

There would be no future orders done for these clients by me...
NO PAYMENT=No longer a customer!

I just wish more people felt uncomfortable taking advantage of their cake decorators!

I'd send a bill. I would not take any more orders from that client until I had been paid and I'd always collect in advance or upon pick-up from them in the future.

I try to collect payment prior to delivery. For wedding cakes I collect half at time of order and half 1 week prior to delivery. All other cakes, 100% payment due at time of order. Just makes it easier on both parties, with no confusion, that way you can drop off the cake and leave.

I would send a bill - they got the cake you should get payment. If it were me, next time someone orders a cake to be delivered I would have them pay up front.

Absolutely send them a bill! (and a phone call, and a second notice...)

A similar conversation was in another thread, and the advice given there was that you should NEVER leave your goods if you haven't been paid! If you get there and there isn't $$ waiting for you, the cake leaves when you do! If you're going to do them a favour and wait for a few minutes, then aren't you nice! (Just make sure you are clear when you accept the order that this is how your business operates so there are no hard feelings.)

These people wouldn't dream of ordering a pizza, then tell the delivery driver that the guy who ordered the pizza isn't here now, so just leave the pizza and he'll pay you next week! you have a LOT more invested in your goods than a pizza parlour ever did!

I would look into using a merchant account so you can just charge their credit card when they order--that way you know you'll be paid. PayPal.com has very cheap options.

Think of how these customers would feel if you didn't have the cake to the reception hall until AFTER the reception had started. Same difference!

Debbi

I think you should call the customers and politely ask them if they would like to send you a check...or if they live in your area...you could meet somewhere conveinient. I usually always collect payment when I deliver unless I am giving them the cake for free.

I did a groom's cake a couple of months ago and the bride told me that she would send me a check the week of the wedding. I had not recieved the check and phoned her...she told me she put it in the mail and was sorry she had waited so late to mail it. I delivered the cake anyway...and the next week went by with no check. I called and left a really nice message that I did not get the check...I told her I wanted to confirm that I had given her the correct address...I got the check 2 days later. I think if you take a nice initiative at first...you will hopefully get good results. I think we all have to live and learn.

I can't believe people would even do that, and not pay for the cake. I would definitly either say someone needs to pay for the cake(I m sure one of the owners is at the house, or do they invite people and go away?someone is entertaining the people at the party ) or i ll wait 10 min in my car, if i don't get my money i ll take that cake and leave, if i m gonne and they still want the cake i ll charge them double, take it or leave it if someone takes your work for granted then i don't need them as futur colients. IF they don't have a cake for the party, then it's no longer a party anymore it'll be their loss

When you go to deliver a cake...you can remind them of their total so they will get out the checkbook.

Maybe you can bring an invoice with you when you deliver the cakes..this way you don't have to send the bill. Some people just need that extra nudge.

1) I'd say do whatever is needed to get your payment for delivering the requested cake. You kept up your end of the bargain, they need to keep theirs up too. And don't take any sob stories at this point. It's pleasant but firm requests to be paid.

2) New rules: No more delivering. Except for wedding cakes which typically require a fair more work transporting and setting up, all other cakes can be picked up at your place by the person buying it and the money then gets exchanged for the goods. If they can't get there themselves, then it's their responsibility to arrange for someone involved in their function to show up, pay for the cake and take it away. If they can't get the cash together, it's not your duty to spot them for it until next week. You can't get the cake back. So get the money up front.

You are not a delivery service nor are you a banking service, you're a cake decorator. You make cake, they pay you and arrange for the pick up. It's a pretty normal way of working, millions of other businesses do just that.

Would WalMart or Costco allow someone to walk out their store with a cake without paying for it? Of course not so why should you?

Good analogies about the pizza delivery person and WalMart stores. I hadn't thought about it like that but it's so true!

I deal with this problem all the time, not in the cake business but in my primary job. It is really sad but most people will try anything to not pay their bill. The best way to avoid any problems is payment in full at the time the order is placed, this way you are covered, you can focus on the creative process of making the cakse and not worry about the accounts receivable reports because there won't be any. This is just my opinion!

Good luck, I hope you get your money! You deserve it!

If it is a large cake, ask for a 50% deposit then the other 50% is required upon delivery. They can make arrangements to give the check to someone they know will be at the party. That is just plain rude, since you laid out all the money and labor for the cakes. If you need to hang out, that is what you should do. I wouldn't even take the cake out of the car until you had check in hand. Also, to encourage people to pick-up their cakes as oppose to delivery, I let them know up front that their is a delivery charge, and it is usually close to the price of their cake!

All my cakes/desserts, if not paid in advance, are COD..I learned the hard way! Good luck to you!