GRRR.....I MADE what she wanted!

I think you did a great job and it's just unfortunate that there was a difference in what was expected.
It's the art of consultation. Sometimes our idea of what's being said and the other person's are completely different. I know I keep mentioning my hair business in my posts...LOL...but it's the same there. My idea of a bob, or a shag, or even what an inch is....might be completely off from what it is the client wants. That's where lots of questions to clarify and pictures help a ton. Just to be sure we're on the same page. I'm amazed often at how different the picture is they show me from what the image in my head was from their description.
Same goes here...draw a sketch or ask tons of questions til you're sure you are both picturing the same result. Saves you time and makes the customer happy.
Its a good lesson learned. **the cake looks great though**

I think the cake looks great!

I've recently had to add some narrative to my FAQ page to define "what is a buffet"? To me, it's a no brainer ..... a buffet is where you get in line, pick up your plate, and you, the guest, scoops out your food as you go thru the line. My pricing is based on this concept.

However. ..... I've had a few (2-3) couples who think a buffet is a cafeteria line .... the guests to thru a line and my staff scoops out the food and puts it on the guest's plate. This takes more people ergo higher labor costs.

So now I've had to explain the difference so there is no misunderstanding (even tho' to me, if I use the term "buffet", that should explain it all! )

You must have one heck of a Safeway there. The ones around here won't do anything that doesn't come out of a printer, then airbrush some color around it. This is a really nice cake.

All I can say is ask questions,then ask again and then one more time to make sure. I do custom jewelry and you wouldn't believe how hard it is for people to realize to that if they want a wedding band to fit perfectly with their Engagement ring that they have to leave there Eng ring to have a wax carved!

It must be going around! My first "stranger" cake I had the same thing happen. She said "it wasnt her vision". This girl had no fricken idea what the heck she wanted. She had 60 emails to me between Friday and Wednesday and the cake was due on Saturday. Then after finally deciding on the flavor,and design then she starts freaking out because she didnt hear from me in a day! Im like "you have to give me time to make it!!" Then she wants a picture of it on Friday night. So no kidding, at 4 am Im emailing her a picture of this thing. So I get up and find out she has already called my house three times by 9am knowing fully well I was up all night. So she says its beautiful and so cuttteee were her exact words. So after changing the meeting place several times and showing up over 45 minutes late at it, she picks up the cake. Then she is trying to shove it in back of a Landrover that has the entire back decked out with subwoofer speakers! So she rushes off and thanks me. Get an email the next day saying how "disappointed" she was. That it wasnt her "vision" and she was embarrassed by the cake! Make a long story short, I told her to get lost. She was looking for a way to get a refund. If she was so dissappointed she would of said something when she saw the picture.
People are people. Your not going to please everyone all the time. You will die trying. You did your best and you gave her what you thought she wanted. Move on. Lesson learned. Dont sweat it! One thing I realized by working with the public, their are nuts out there and their are nice people. Your bound to get one of the nuts once in a while.

Wow, could she be any ruder? If she wanted a "sculpted" cake she should have said so. Nice of her to throw the blame on you instead of herself. I would have thought the same thing. Next time try sending a picture of something similar to avoid confusion. HTH
mary-ann

Whether it is or isn't what she wanted I think you did a great job on the cake! Chalk it up to experience - next time you will know to ask if the customer wants a sculpted cake. I probably would have made the same type of cake unless the customer specifically stated the cake was to be shaped like a jersey.

I would refer her to indydebi for her next cake

Oh brother! If this was a wedding, she'd be a Bridezilla deluxe! "RUINED" the birthday? The memories will "Never be right"? Oh Puh-lease!!! Can we get any MORE dramatic over this cake that the kid probably loved and it was probably only MOM who was making a big freakin' deal over it?

Ya know .... sometimes I have this sneaking little feeling that I've built some kind of reputation with you all!

I have to say, if someone said to me, "I want a cake that looks like a jersey", I'd immediately know they were talking about a sculpted cake. If they said, "I'd like a cake with a picture of a jersey on it", I'd have done what you did. I've learned to pay very close attention to not only WHAT people say, but HOW they say it.

Cake looks great, tho...