Sounds like she recognized your number, and was avoiding your call. Good for you, not being fooled by this one!

For stuff like this, I have a Paypal account so that I insist they pay right away, and I know that there is money in there.

You have no idea how happy I am to hear that you cancelled the cake. Every time I read these threads on CC where the cake decorator fails to stand up for herself, I get so mad - mainly because I know I would likely be doing the same damn thing, and we need to learn that we are not put on this earth to bend over backwards for people that disrespects us!

good for you for standing up for yourself. Forget the guilt, it's totally not your problem.

I was thinking of wording a policy for orders placed after the final payment deadline (for me it's 2 weeks b4 wedding)

I just got a call from my planner - she finally got a return call from the planner who has failed to make payment....... she acted like all was fine.

I just got a reply to my email:

Alicia,

I mailed out the payment on last friday. And I spoke to you this week and told you that. I assumed that you had the payment since you did not call me again. Will you please move forth and make my cake. I will be in Richmond on tomorrow and will gladly bring a second check with me.

xxx xxxxxxx


How do I nicely tell her to kiss off?

You re-itterate what you said originally. That a check will do you absolutely no good at this point in time and you do not have time to start baking her cake now that her date is only 2 days out.

Tell her that you do not bake until you have the money in your account to pay for the supplies. She was well aware that this was a last minute order and that you would need her to expedite the payment process to move forward. They failed to do this so you aren't making the cake.

Of course she acts like it's all normal - she likely runs all her projects this poorly, and it IS normal for her.

Starting even a simple cake 24 hours before delivery is heartache. I can't believe her - she's a real piece of work! If you DO agree to make it...demand cash, and an extra late fee for the rush now. Then never-ever-ever-ever agree to work with this chick again! Shady lady alert!

And thanks for sharing your story...we all love to follow how these play out! Best of luck!!

I agree with everybody.. No payment on hand no money...I dont work this hard for free..
Edna

Oh I have a headache!!!!! Ok lesson learned - never take a last minute cake with out cash in hand period end of sentence.

She has called my planner twice now since I have posted ranting and raving she assumed I had received payment because I hadn't contacted her. Am I missing the boat on this one, was it my responsibility to call her daily and keep her informed that I had not received payment? I honestly don't think so, I see it as poor planning on her part, after being told Tues night no money had arrived she should have called. She has YET to call and talk to me instead it's highschool all over again. She calls my planner my planner calls me and so forth. I feel bad for my planner having to deal with this crap.

I'm really irritated and am trying to think of what nicely to say no and not to come off as a total B....tch.

Just tell her that its too late.
If you take this on- even if u double the amount of money in cash- your gonna have such a huge headache.

its not worth it.
Just tell her that its too late.

OK New Update:

o just talked to my planner again as this other planner now has called her yet again. so she had made the comment to my planner that now she was going to have to try to find someone on a thurs evening to make her cake for sat. I just got off the phone with my planner again and now the deal is she has one of her bakers down from where she is located doing it and from what I understand they were going to be doing it she just had to transport it. hmmmmmmmm she already had a baker scheduled to do it I'll bet 100 dollars I NEVER receive a check.


A very important lesson has been learned and I will shout this to all of those out in CC land - Stand Your Ground Ladies/Gentlemen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU'RE worried about looking like a B*tch????

Let's see ... here's how the story goes:

"I called this cake lady at the very last minute to do a wedding cake. She unselfishly agreed and I finally got a check mailed to her. She never rec'd it. I didn't sent the check priority mail or any other method where it could be tracked ... and what the heck, she can't PROVE that I actually mailed it or not anyway!..... she does tell me Tuesday before the wedding that the check isnt' there yet. I dont' worry about it and tell her "well, I mailed it". No I dont' follow up to make sure she gets the money, because that HER problem, right? So when she STILL doesn't have any money in her hand for this wedding cake 2 days before the wedding, this woman threatens to NOT make a cake that she has NOT been paid to do yet! Can you believe the nerve of some people??"

And her friends walk away shaking their heads ......

And YOU'RE worried about looking bad in this story?????

Aww hon...bottomline is that you STILL don't have money in hand for this thing. As far as she knows, you have told her no. I'd reply to simply restate that there is not enough time, you will not be doing it, and that she needs to spend energy getting some decent sheetcakes for her client's 'big day'.

edit: I'm glad you are free of it....and Debi is right, you ain't the one looking bad in all this...believe me!!!

Here's a hug for ya <HUG>, you deserve it!!!

Tanja

Please let us know if that check ever comes in!
(which I'm sure it won't) Good for you!

I had someone email me 6:15 Tueday NIGHT looking for pricing/size info. and she needed a football graduation cake for her son. Thank you - and then - PS I need it for Saturday morning.

SERIOUSLY!!! PS????? No mention of how she heard from me (I only work word of mouth), NOTHING! No asking if I had time, sorry short notice, nothing!

So I am happy and ready to send off - Thanks but not thanks, already booked, etc... and DH says well maybe she doesn't need anything big, yada yada...

So he gets me feeling guilty, I spend time finding 2 easy designs I could do for her without making myself crazy with the other cakes that are booked, send her a super nice email early Wednesday morning cause I was out Tuesday night (even though the whole time I have BAD vibes from her email). I get an email back from her at 11:00 Wednesday morning - thanks but no thanks, I already booked another cake, will keep you in mind. AAARRRRGGH!!! I was SO MAD I did not go with my gut! Plus I asked her how she heard of me and said it was a friend of a friend of someone I did a cake for and even got the kid's name wrong.

I WILL remember her next time and won't be making a cake for her, I just had a bad feeling from the beginning, I think her friend just wanted to know how much the other people paid for their cake. I should have gone with my gut - and next time I WILL!

YOU GO GIRL! Good for you!!

I'm highly doubtful myself that I will ever see the check. She had already had this other baker booked, meaning she had already paid them and thought she could get a freebie from me , that I am almost 99% sure of.

There has been no mention by her of well when you do get the check this is what I want you to do with it - so that right there tells me she never sent it.

Standing your ground is a hard thing to do when your new - you almost feel like you need to do whatever it takes to get yourself out there meanwhile getting walked all over just for the sake of trying to please the customer. So it was hard for me to stand my ground I was afraid I was making a mistake, but now with everything that has taken place I am glad I did exactly what I did.

Glad it worked out and the stress is off of you. It is hard to tell people no, but sometimes it's the only thing to do.

Have great stress-less weekend!!!!

Glad that worked out in the end! Sounds like she was after free cake!

Ok so I know that she already has her baker lined up.

I just received this email from her:

Alicia,

Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to agree to make the cake I needed for this weekend. I assumed that since you did not call or email me on Wednesday that you had received my check. I too understand policies and vendor relationship and how KEY they can be in our industry. I would of appreciated a communication giving me time to try and make other arrangements before you cancelled my order.






Are you kidding me????? Do I even respond to this??????

NO!!!!!!!!!

Yes, reply and be business like. No emotion. Explain to her that you were advising her of the issues. I'd even say that you were sorry that the check got lost and that you could not do business this time. Something like wouldn't you just know the single most important piece of mail in the county and it gets lost--Murphy strikes again! But be very pro about this.

It's way hard to do this kind of work--stress levels go nuclear sometimes huh. She sure might have been robbing peter to pay paul and then again someday you might receive a wrinkled dirty ragged well traveled envelope with a check in it who knows. Err on the side of professionalism. You won't be sorry.

You couldn't conduct business under those terms but you can make nice now. It is to your advantage to do so.

I haven't replied to her email and it's going to be awhile before doing so so I can do exactly what you said, keep the emotion out of it. Right now I am to irritated for the simple high school antics that she started last evening now to this additional email - she never did call me but called my planner oh probably about 6 or 7 times with in a matter of an hour or so last evening.

No way. That lady is a serious b**ch. You called her Tuesday, and Thursday. If she was at all professional, she would have checked with you Wednesday, to make sure it was received!

My blood is totally boiling for you.

I would need to calm down, and then write a very tearse, 2 line email that you had not received the payment.

When you calm down enough to reply- Im already in a weird mood and reading this just got me all agitated-
I would also make sure to mention in your professional reply to her, that you did contact her- give dates and times, left her messages, and that she should have called you instead of the other planner.

ok i need to go calm down now

Don't reply. You've already stated your case and told her there will be no cake and the issue is closed. Anything further is just pointless arguing. Remember - "Never wrestle with a pig - you just get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it."

I agree with Kelleym and southerncake. I would NOT reply to her last e-mail because there's nothing left to discuss. You already stated your position, and your business relationship ended when you cancelled the order. Nothing she says now changes that, so any further communication will just deteriorate into mudslinging. Who needs that? GOOD JOB standing your ground.

Hit delete and move on. Not worth a reply, because she might reply back to THAT one and you will be in this position all over again.

Also - her writiing skills are terrible! It's "would HAVE" not "would OF" - what a DOPE!

hahaha I have to say you ladies are the BESTTTTTT (yup love the gramatical's on that one)......

I have to say that some of you have been so supportive, and yes there has been some scolding by a few (I haven't been scolded since I was a child!) but even with that I have listened and followed the advice given. If I didn't want it or wasn't going to take it to heart I never would have posted in the forum the circumstances.

I'm new and every day is a learning experience for me. This with your guidance help and support has helped me grow a bit of a back bone and understand where to draw the line.

I thank each and everyone of you even those who scolded....lol It didn't hurt my feelings because what I was looking for was sound advice and guidance.

Even with this last email the part of me that doesn't want to let her have the last word has sat back and read all of the advice and quite frankly now that I've calmed down a scosh (not much though...lol) your right. She is trying to get under my skin and I won't allow it. I am hoping what I have been through will be helpful to others that come across the same or similar situations.

Poor planning on her part does not make an emergency on mine!!!!! Maybe I should get that tatoo'ed on my forehead....lmao

Thank you ladies you certainly are the best!!