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Help with a upset customer - Page 3

post #31 of 50
10/3/07 at 2:27pm
My delivery policy also states that delivery is based on Mapquest's time and directions with a starting zip code of xxxxx. Again, with the thought of "they don't know anything about a wedding cake", someone MIGHT be able to drive it in 30 minutes .... but with a wedding cake in the back?

(I drive WAY different when there's no cake in there with me!) icon_redface.gif
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post #32 of 50
10/3/07 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by maeliza

Sorry about your problems with this bride. I am surprised that you did not Yahoo the directions from point A to point B. Even though most directions from the internet are not completely correct, it would have given you a better idea of how far your deliver was. Just a suggestion for next time. Also air conditioning in the vehicle would have helped for melting issue. I'm in Texas and normally were two shirts when deliving because the vehicle is sooo cold, blowing the air in the vehicle so high. Maybe offer a refund with a FREE cake for her next event of her choosing, (i.e. Christmas, birthday, etc.) up to a half sheet cake size, with a time limit must be used by Feb 2008. When people feel like you are going out of your way to make them happy that is what customer service means. Sometimes I think we forget that people matter. Yes, maybe her expectations were too high and she did not explain the distance correctly and the cake was eaten (no complaints on taste), but she is the customer and cannot get that day back. Do you think the cake was looking great? I haven't heard your opinion on what the cake looked like.



I love the cake but I didnt like the color of the icing. But for my second wedding cake I LOVE IT!
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post #33 of 50
10/3/07 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Quote:

If it was just a border and it was corrected, I still dont know if that justifies a refund or really considered damaged.



Oh I agree completely. If the damage was fixed, there's no issue. I repair all sorts of mistakes on my cakes before the customer sees them. icon_lol.gif

I have a clause as well about conditions that may affect the cake once I've delivered it, but to me, it's my problem to handle until I've delivered the cake. If it's 110 outside, I'm responsible for making sure that cake stays cool until it gets where it's going.

I don't think I'd get any customer to agree that if their cake melts in the heat before it's delivered, it's their problem.
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post #34 of 50
10/3/07 at 4:06pm
I don't know about you guys but I'm thinking that if I didn't like a cake that I paid good money for - especially if it didn't meet my expectations - I would have taken a picture - good or bad - just to present to the decorator as part of my complaint.

I don't really have an opinion on refunding money because I don't have a backbone yet. I rarely charge more than supplies for my cakes (if that) - LOL. I'm hoping all things will work out and both parties can reach an agreement. Please keep us informed.


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post #35 of 50
10/3/07 at 4:15pm
Thread Starter 
I have sent a copy of the letter to the customer. I have learn alot from this site. As of now I would have a contract and I will put the tiers together at the place of the event. Thanks for all of your help. P.S. I think she would ask for some of her money back.
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post #36 of 50
10/3/07 at 4:32pm
[quote="justme50"]
Quote:
Quote:

Oh I agree completely. If the damage was fixed, there's no issue. I repair all sorts of mistakes on my cakes before the customer sees them. icon_lol.gif



Heck, I had one where the container of stainless steel dinner knives fell onto the cake during delivery! Fortunately, the dowels in the the tier supported the container so the worst that happened was one of the corners was mashed a little (well, more than a little but less than "OH MY GOD!"). Put that corner in the back and covered it with flowers when I got there ... the groom was there when I was setting it up and he saw it. icon_surprised.gif But I told him what happened and that no one would be able to see it by the time I was done. It was no problem....they loved it.

Mistakes get fixed all the time.
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post #37 of 50
10/3/07 at 4:51pm
I say you may need to give her a partial refund but not the entire amount. If you are new to this, then you have started with the hardest thing to do...wedding cakes. I've been decorating cakes for about 2 years now and I've only done 2 wedding cakes and those were for family. I would still be scared to take on a job for someone I didn't know.
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post #38 of 50
10/3/07 at 11:51pm
Thread Starter 
This is her reply

cerobs

I'm not asking for a full refund as I realize even if it was not
satisfactory you did furnish a product. I am at a complete lose as to
why
my wedding cake did not look anything like the picture and our
agreement.
And I'm not sure what your talking regarding the air conditioning as
the
entire establishment was comfortably air conditioned the entire time;
as a
matter of fact we quickly moved the cake tables directly over air vents
to
prevent further melting of both cakes. If the cake layers had been
transported individually damage may have been lessened.

I strongly feel a refund of half of my monies is a fair compromise

Ladies, what do you think?
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post #39 of 50
10/4/07 at 12:03am
When the bride said "no cake-cutting picture was taken" did she mean NOT ONE single picture was taken of the cake at all at the reception?

I believe it would be helpful if she would send you a picture of the "melted" cake to verify her complaint.

It would also give us a better idea of what she is talking about - the cake you made being so different from the pictured cake she wanted - if we could see the picture of the cake she wanted, side by side with the cake she says she got, we could you give a better opinion.

At the moment, we only have her word to go on, and no other proof.
Anna (105 lbs lost since June 1, 2009)
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Anna (105 lbs lost since June 1, 2009)
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post #40 of 50
10/4/07 at 12:15am
Thread Starter 
if I have to I will give her half of her money for the wedding cake. The wedding cake was $220.00.
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post #41 of 50
10/4/07 at 1:12am
Without photos (of what is was supposed to look like and what it did look like) it's tough to accurately determine exactly how valid her complaint may be.

That said I am firmly in the camp of "if the bride isn't happy, they pay nothing" so I would refund 100% of her money.

Best of luck with whatever you end up doing!
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post #42 of 50
10/4/07 at 3:17am
I agree with the others who say that without pictures it's impossible to know.


If you delivered a cake that looked very close to what she ordered, that wasn't obviously damaged in any way, you owe her nothing. If you didn't you owe her a refund. How much of a refund depends on how much damage and how different the cake was than she ordered.


But in this case, you don't have pictures to prove your cake was what it should have been so I'd say satisfy the customer and give her the refund she asked for. Consider it a lesson learned. Next time take pictures of the cake the minute you get it delivered.
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post #43 of 50
10/4/07 at 5:13am
The lady sounds like she's being reasonable...she even said that she doesnt want a refund in full because she did get a cake, but that her cake was not what she wanted.

At least refund her half. It is hard to give advice without seeing the cake, but it sounds like there were a few problems.
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post #44 of 50
10/4/07 at 5:19am
Please let us know what happens.

We learn a lot of things when situations like this happen... So, this experience will only make you stronger and will help you in the future on what thinigs to look out for...

good luck! thumbs_up.gif
Its always about cake!!
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Its always about cake!!
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post #45 of 50
10/4/07 at 5:36am
So all this is basically your word against hers since there was no photo taken of the cake.

The only real proff we have is things you've said for example,
1)you said in your first post it was a 2 hour drive w/ 90 degree weather so obvioulsy the cakes were melted like she said. Melted icing would also make repairing damaged areas hard.(though she told you it was 30 minutes even 30 minutes in 90 weather will be hard on an iced cake.-Really it is your responsabilty as the decorator to check weather, make your vehcile super cold and to verify that air condition was at the place which she is saying there was.)
2)you said in one of your replies that the color was off...you didn't like that outcome so that makes it understandabale that the bride would be upset. WE all know wedding days are important and the cake is the center of everything at the reception.

Just going off of those 2 things alone I personally would admit my mistakes, learn a lot of lessons from this and refund her her money.
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I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.
Philippians 4:13 KJV
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