What on earth is wrong with some people. I am only a hobby cake decorator, I have two littlies (3 and 10 months) and I am at work until 3pm every day so as you can imagine time is something that I don't have a lot of.

A month or so ago I had a lady book in a birthday cake for SUNDAY 13th June, not a problem. Well anyway, she rings up last night just to clarify the exact time she was going to collect it on SATURDAY. I said "but you booked in for Sunday" and she said "oh yeah, we changed the day of the party, that won't be a problem will it". Me finding it hard to say no was a pushover and said OK but just wanted a whinge because I couldn't believe how inconsiderate that was. Luckily its a pretty simple one but there goes me thinking I had a cruisy Saturday to bake and decorate it. ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Thank goodness you found this out before Friday . Don't you just love the way people expect us to adjust our schedule just because they change theirs?

Two words. Cake Contracts! They cant pull it and get away with it. Because if they want it earlier you have it written in the contract the date and time of delivery or pickup. She changes it past a certain date there are charges involved.
When it hurts their pocket book, its less likely for them to pull this on you. They have to realize that your time is money. Even if your a hobby baker.

I usually don't do contracts for pickups (just deliveries...at least so far) but still I make sure their deposit reserves their date...if they change it, that depends on if their new date is available or not. I would just say "Your deposit reserved THIS date...and any other date is now booked".

They don't have any talent for anything, so it doesn't occur to them; art takes time.

Future, listen to those about contracts...use them for free family/friend cakes as well.

I feel for you, OP! I hate when dates get moved at the last minute - especially being a hobby baker. It's tough enough to cakes into our schedules!

I would love to for my SIL's cakes - she has changed the date for every cake I've done for her this year - usually just giving me a head's up a week before the new date - even after I verify the original date we discussed. That said, I don't think a contract would be taken very well nor followed on her end anyway. As hubby says, I could just not make any more for them, but they're our only nieces and nephews and our nieces start planning their cakes for the next year as soon as their birthday is over! Would hate to let them down.

I'm an attorney by day, so of course I am a huge fan of contracts. If you aren't comfortable with a formal contract, at least have everything documented via e-mail, fax, etc. Even if you never have any problems with customers, it always helps answer any questions or memory lapses that you may have when you are up late at night decorating and everyone else is snoozing away.