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First Unhappy Customer - Need Advice - Picture included! - Page 7

post #91 of 113
6/4/08 at 10:37am
Thank you Janicecold. That's all I was saying too. That cake was a GREAT DEAL that the customer got.
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post #92 of 113
6/4/08 at 2:04pm
Basically stole the cake? Cheap, whinner? Jeeze if you want to sell yr cake cheap then it's not the customer who is stealing the cake it's you giving it away. Cheap? well how is she supposed to know how much the cake is worth. Whinner? again how is she supposed to know there are different sizes for different occasions. Try thinking like someone who knows nothing about this business. Of course she shudnt get a full refund but a dicsount is in order I believe. And of course she took the cake what else was she supposed to serve? Not like it's a frozen cake from the grocery store and she can just go change it for a bigger one, especially on the day of the party. I still also believe that at a birthday party 99 pct of people look forward to the cake and there is usally a small lunch served so everyone has room for cake. And with all different nationalities and ways of doing a wedding as well as food that is served I'd like to know how the heck wilton came up with this chart. What if you're having a small reception and a cold buffet hmmm lots of room for large piece of cake, or if you are having a dessert buffet hmmm not much room for cake. So yes the customer shud order accordingly but that doesnt mean by the wilton chart since I dont see how they could predict how weddings/parties or going to be arranged. I think your best bet is to give a discount and in future put up a display or chart for cutting cakes. JMHO
Darlene
"A day without baking is a day without sunshine"
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Darlene
"A day without baking is a day without sunshine"
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post #93 of 113
6/4/08 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darcat

I'd like to know how the heck wilton came up with this chart. What if you're having a small reception and a cold buffet hmmm lots of room for large piece of cake, or if you are having a dessert buffet hmmm not much room for cake.



Because a piece of wedding cake is ceremonial not a meal. Back as far as the Roman days, a loaf of bread was broken over the bride's head and the guests scrambled for the crumbs, which represented fertility. So a piece of wedding cake represents a "crumb" of the orignal cake (or loaf of bread) that was shared by the bride and groom.

It's a ceremonial sharing .... it's not a banana split at the Dairy Queen.
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post #94 of 113
6/4/08 at 3:57pm
HA!! I love it Debi!

If you are having apps and cake I will often suggest that they order more servings because people may be hungry for cake.
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post #95 of 113
6/4/08 at 4:00pm
Where are you, OP? I'm curious how this played out.
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post #96 of 113
6/4/08 at 4:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by darcat

Basically stole the cake? Cheap, whinner? Jeeze if you want to sell yr cake cheap then it's not the customer who is stealing the cake it's you giving it away. Cheap? well how is she supposed to know how much the cake is worth. Whinner? again how is she supposed to know there are different sizes for different occasions. Try thinking like someone who knows nothing about this business. Of course she shudnt get a full refund but a dicsount is in order I believe. And of course she took the cake what else was she supposed to serve? Not like it's a frozen cake from the grocery store and she can just go change it for a bigger one, especially on the day of the party. I still also believe that at a birthday party 99 pct of people look forward to the cake and there is usally a small lunch served so everyone has room for cake. And with all different nationalities and ways of doing a wedding as well as food that is served I'd like to know how the heck wilton came up with this chart. What if you're having a small reception and a cold buffet hmmm lots of room for large piece of cake, or if you are having a dessert buffet hmmm not much room for cake. So yes the customer shud order accordingly but that doesnt mean by the wilton chart since I dont see how they could predict how weddings/parties or going to be arranged. I think your best bet is to give a discount and in future put up a display or chart for cutting cakes. JMHO



The serving sizes are a standard, there has to be a way to price something and that's the way it's done. Decorators can't be expected to know who wants what size servings.

If I bought those single serve pudding mixes that Jello has I doubt they'd send me money back if I called to b!#%h because it wasn't my idea of a serving and I didn't bother to read the fine print. This woman might not have had a box to read serving sizes on but she had direct contact with the bakery and could have inquired.
"If we are going to teach 'creation science' as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction." - Judith Hayes
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"If we are going to teach 'creation science' as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction." - Judith Hayes
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post #97 of 113
6/4/08 at 4:40pm
Well I doubt very much that wilton consulted the romans. So that answer doesnt hold water sorry. And how did they come up with servings for other parties. And unlike the jello example this woman didnt see what a slice of cake looked like before she bought so another bad example. I think a lot of bakers on here need to get a reality check and realize that the average customer is not a baker and unless told they have no idea what the heck your procedures are or how you calculate things. So as I said the original op needs to put up a chart or wooden examples like the other bakers have suggested. Unless of course you're all making millions and dont need the business.
Darlene
"A day without baking is a day without sunshine"
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Darlene
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post #98 of 113
6/4/08 at 4:44pm
LOL!!! Indydebi you are too funny!

As for me saying she stole the cake for that price it was a figure of speech of course and never thought that people would get upset over that phrase!!

Most of the people I make cakes for say that they are not serving big pieces because they only get half eaten and with ice cream that is plenty for people to eat. That is just what I have experienced myself!! I mean of course I too would love a big piece of cake but I am not going to expect it!!
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post #99 of 113
6/4/08 at 7:56pm
Yup- just like the reception meal. You get one small chicken breast and a small scoop of rice and 3 springs of broccoli. For many, that is not a meal- except my 85 year old grandma. If you host "big eaters", "Jethros", "my 4 teenage sons", or the like, you double or triple accordingly. I think EVERY consumer knows "suggested serving size" runs small (2.5 ozs. of meat?). It is up to the host if they will provide an "all you can eat trough" or a small (airline size?) portion. And the guest says thank you!

Maybe all should contract/ post sign- " Cake servings sizes are estimated based on ____________ chart, available by request. Specialty cakes, carved cakes, method of slicing, and preparation may affect ultimate serving sizes. Customer understands and accepts these terms, and has order their products accordingly."
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post #100 of 113
6/4/08 at 8:26pm
Okay, so I was telling my kids about this and when I said something about the lady cutting the cake that should serve 20 into 4 huge servings, my 12-yr-old son (i.e. the bottomless pit) said "Oh, I'd like that!"

So don't ask a preteen or a teenager to cut the cake.

Sure, the customer mgiht not be a baker and know exactly how to cut the cake, but if the baker told you that it would serve 20, wouldn't you at least think about how you should cut it to get that many servings? Sounds like she didn't even try to figure it out before she complained.
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post #101 of 113
6/5/08 at 8:12am
This is a good reminder about why it is so important to provide instructions for cutting. Don't invest too much energy in this situation.
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post #102 of 113
6/5/08 at 8:30am
Tastee Bakes,
I am checking back to see how things came out for you. When your customer actually cut the cake, was she able to get more servings than the 10 she had guessed at?
What did you decide to do about this situation?
- Debbie B.
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post #103 of 113
6/5/08 at 10:09am
I am wondering what the outcome was on this one!
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The older I get the smarter my mother gets!
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post #104 of 113
6/5/08 at 11:19am
Okay..here is my take....a 9x13 slab will feed 20..more if they are kids.So you cut it on half and stacked it which still gives you 20 servings!! $23.00 is what she paid....for a 9x13 slab cake in any grocery store it is roughly $21.00 maybe more now since baking ingredients have risen dramatically.There is no way she didn't get her 20 servings unless she "Hacked" the pieces larger which is not your concern or problem.I would politely tell her that the cake ordered was presented and accepted and that the right amount of servings was and is properly calculated.I would only offer her a 10% discount maybe on another cake but that's it!! I know it's easy for others to say "Tell her where to go" but when it's your business...word of mouth can make and/or break you! I state on my website that the slab prices imparticular are based on a 2x2 piece and that if you cut them bigger...it is your problem if you don't have enough.(well not in those words but something to get the point across) Chalk it up as a learning experience and let it go!! It unfortunatley won't be the last PIA customer you have!!
Busy Bakin Kakes For Kids!!!

Mom to Mitchell 11 yrs and Delaney 9 yrs
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Busy Bakin Kakes For Kids!!!

Mom to Mitchell 11 yrs and Delaney 9 yrs
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post #105 of 113
6/5/08 at 11:46am
I think an important point is being missed here.

So you think you're right and your customer is wrong. You can sleep at night. Fine.

What's more important is what your customer thinks and what, if anything, she says about your she-says-it's-too-small cake to her friends and coworkers or whoever.

I'm right/they're wrong feels great but it's "they", not I, whose cash needs to be coming in to the busness, and no matter how right I am, without them I'm not selling.
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