Here is the jist of the situation I'm facing:

Bride and groom booked in Dec. 2006
Wedding is in TWO weeks.
Balance is due TOMORROW
Mother of the bride has called saying that they will pay all but (basically
$100 of $600 balance) upon delivery. She says that she needs to be
assured that the cake is pleasing and won't fall apart? WHAT??? Do
you know of any baker worth their salt that does this???
Explained that per the contract her DAUGHTER (not her) signed, she was
well aware of that stipulation in my contract. A contract is just that...
a contract...a binding agreement.
Received an e-mail from the bride last week asking for an extension to
pay the balance. I told her that it needed to be paid 14 days prior to
the wedding date for me to order, etc.
The mother first contacted me YESTERDAY.
Here it is Friday. Balance is due tomorrow. Even if they mailed a payment
it wouldn't be here until mid-week. What should I do? I'm thinking
that I'll contact the bride and tell her to forget it. It's not worth the
hassle. Plus, the contract is between she and I NOT her mother, who
got quite huffy with ME, because I wasn't willing to bend.

Okay, ladies...I need advice. I know what I want to do, but I want your opinions...anyone been here??? I don't want to gain a bad reputation. I've worked too darned hard to build the good reputation that I have. Any thoughts or suggestions are MORE than appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Amy

I'd tell her payment is due by tomorrow or she can find another person to do her cake. This sounds like someone who will complain and try to not pay for the cake.

I agree with you about talking to the bride not the MOB.

Wow, that is really tough. But you are right on every point. You have a binding contract with the BRIDE that the BRIDE agreed to. It sounds like the MOB has been reading Stephi Stewart or something. Tell the bride she needs to hand deliver her payment by tomorrow or she can find someone else to do her cake.

I'm sorry, but that makes my blood boil.

SHE WOULD STAND BY ***MY*** CONTRACT THAT ***SHE*** SIGNED OR SHE WOULD BE GETTING ANOTHER CAKE FROM SOMEONE OTHER THAN ~~ME~~!!!!

That just stinks......people are so ignorant. You stick to your guns lady....I have seen your work, and read comments......THEIR LOSS if they screw this over on YOU!!!

This has never happened to me, but I would say either pay me now, or I am not doing the cake. You can't risk not getting your money. AND she insulted you by saying she wasn't sure if it would be pretty enough and even hold up. I say that it is fine to fire a client if they treat you like that.

I would stick to your contract. If you deviate any then she does not have to make payment in full. It sounds like she (MOB) trying to get out of paying in full. Let the Bride know that payment needs to be paid by COB tomorrow.

no money = no cake.

hmm...

wonder if you can sue them for breach of contract --- loss of income?

after all -- you could have booked another cake for that weekend!

Well, I tell ya what. I saw an episode of Ace of Cakes and they had not received the balance by the deadline of the cake. Duff told the office manager (can't recall her name right now) to contact the client and tell them that due to the fact they had not complied with the contract he had cancelled the order. He is a PROFESSIONAL CAKE PERSON!!

Okay, having said that I know you don't want a bad rep, but, really, this is not YOUR fault. It is the client's. I would call the bride, tell her you need the money tomorrow or you will not be able to do the cake. That simple. If she balks. Refer her to the contract. I BET she comes up with the money.

Beth in KY

I think that you should contact the bride - don't deal with the MOB as she is not your customer. Tell her payment is due tomorrow as per the contract she agreed to and signed.

If you don't stick to your contact protecting yourself from such situations, what is the point to having one?

I make all my brides sign a contract and I even go over it at the consultation so that they completely understand they if payment is not in my hand by the date, there will be no cake delivered - and that's it.

Mom needs to go sit down somewhere. You have a signed contract so she has no leg to stand on with her demands.

Well, if their willing to pay $500 of a $600 cake, give them just that...5/6 of the cake! All joking aside, a contract is just that, a contract. I'd tell them no money by tomorrow, no cake in two weeks. The business of "waiting to see if it's pretty or will fall apart", that's just down right rude. And about the chance of having your reputation ruined, just remember there are two sides to every story!

Like Bethola said about Duff on that episode of Ace of Cakes...those people did NOT receice their cake because they had not paid....

...I mean, she could say anything about the cake to not pay once it was there....
"...oh, it wasn't all that great..."
"...we didn't like the filling..."
"...the decorations were not what we wanted..."

So NO WAY should you deliver without gettin' your money honey!!!

I'm dealing with a mother of the bride currently and I have drilled it into her that if I am not paid the full amount (she's already paid me half) by exactly one month before the wedding then I'm not showing up with the cake and the $$ she already gave me is NOT refundable. She signed a contract agreeing to this and thus far I haven't had a problem (although the due date is Aug. 1st!)

Stick to your guns sweetie and don't back down. Once you appear wishy washy they have you.

Hey Amy.

Don't do it! Not without payment. I recently did a cake for someone in Gastonia and when it was time to pick up for the birthday party....no money. I did manage to get the money out of them weeks later but it just made me so mad. They knew I could not give them the cake...it was an hour before the 7 yr olds birthday party...she would have been crushed.

Please do let us know what you decide to do. I'll be thinking about this all weekend now!

I have never had to deal with this, but you do not have to deal with the MOB. Your contract is with the Bride.
Maybe MOB heard of other people having trouble with their cakes with other decorators and they or she is getting worried.

I say, you contact the bride, tell her that payment is due tomorrow per contract or no cake, end of story.
If she had concerns, she should have brought them up before and not had her mommy do it.
You do not have to deal with children. She is getting married and needs to do things on her own.

No money no cake. End of story!

Are we not all adults here?? It's been a year, not like she could not have made her budget and stuck to it, or maybe that is what she did not do..

Whatever, no need to deal with MOB and if she (MOB) happens to call back, I would be really tempted to say: Do you want to talk to my mommy! NOT!

ARGH, there is no reason for such dehavior.

Good Luck.

Please let us know how this turns out. I hope she pays you, but if she's going to be that way - MOB, I mean - she may try to get her cake for free. It happened when I worked at the bakery that the MOB came in after the wedding and said the cake was dry and she wanted her daughter's money back. Mind you, this was not the person who paid for the cake. Unbeknownst to MOB, the bride came in and raved about the cake, so we knew the MOB was lying and insisting on a full refund. The owner pacified her with a free small cake just to make her go away.

I make all my brides give me a 50% NON refundable deposit before they go on my calendar. They take it pretty seriously when they stand to lose a couple hundred dollars.

Deanna

100 isn't that much. I think MOB may have come across rude. I however, do see her point. Your cakes are nice. I think you will have no problem satisfing your clients, but she doesn't see every cake that you make or how you set up.
You could bring the cake, if she says no, take the cake back and tell them you will keep the 500 and have a nice day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it reads that she'll only pay $100 of the balance owed and then the other $500 after.

No way is that OK!

I read wrong. Heck no, don't do that. She's smoking crack then. I'm a little slow!!!

Don't do it. You have a sighned contract. If you do it, this will set a presidence for them to walk all over you\\. Let us know what you decide to do.

If you don't receive payment per your contract, don't do the cake. I know you are thinking of your reputation, but you must consider this: if you do the cake without payment, what's to stop them from slandering your name in an attempt to get out of paying anyway. You can't please people like this. Furthermore, I'd have no conversation with the MOB.

I agree with everyone else. Don't do the cake if you don't receive payment tomorrow. It sounds like she is going to be trouble and you may never get your money.
Sorry that this happened to you.

a contract is a contract and the bride signed it so the mother shouldn't even be involved. i would say if you don't get the money tomorrow to call and tell them to find another person to bake a wedding cake with 2 weeks notice (not easy to do)
i understand you don't want to get a bad rep and all but you do have the contract to save yourself from people like this. people can make up any excuse not to pay, i've heard so many from both of my businesses.
you will keep your reputation and people will understand if you don't do the cake, it's YOUR business and you run it the way YOU want, don't let other tell you how to do it or you will get trampled on (i learned that the hard way)
Good Luck
Amy

I think since the mom is already talking about shorting you AND questioning the integrity of your cake AND asking for an extension AND getting in something that is none of her business is plenty of grounds to cancel the entire contract, whether or not they pay in full tomorrow. It's not something worth your heartache, time or talent.

IF this all falls apart, and you don't get your money, I would DEFINATELY take them to small claims court........ Inform her of that fact when you talk to her tomorrow.... And if you DO wind up doing the cake, Take LOTS and LOTS of pictures......both at your house and at the venue, and make sure you have someone ( preferably the "Bride") sign off on it upon delivery.....

You know, I was thinking about this a minute ago, and I almost wonder if she is talking to other bakers besides you. Like if she is trying to see which cake she likes best and then chosing THAT one on the day of the wedding, so that she doesn't have to pay for the one she didn't like. Did you have a non competition clause in the contract? Either that, or she is trying to get the cake for free by telling you afterwards that she was unhappy with it. You should totally dump her-something is fishy!

Hubby has worked in direct customer contact position his entire career. I read him this and he said MOB is just HUNTIN' for a reason not to pay. He sees it all the time, to the point that he can predict when they walk in the door that they've decided ahead of time they are going to find SOMETHING wrong to try to weasel out of paying their bill.

Whatever your terms are, they agreed to them and you have it in writing. I'm with Beth .... you stick to your guns and I'll bet you anything they come up with the money. (Be sure the check clears .... even calling their bank to confirm it's a good check.)