I Want To Kick This Customer To The Curb (Sorry, Long)
Decorating By pmarks0 Updated 15 Nov 2010 , 11:22pm by Adecakes
I think those posts ARE trying to help her. She said she doesn't want to do the cake, and the "associate" wants a scratch cake (which she doesn't do) - so instead of giving her a box mix (which is what OP DOES), she has a guaranteed "out".
Since many people CAN tell a mix from scratch, and it's NEVER ok to lie about what you are providing to someone who is PAYING for a product (even if it is for costs alone) - she can get out of making the cake that she obviously doesn't want to do to begin with. Problem solved, right? 
Don't lie about the box mix - people can tell the difference (I certainly can). Just tell her that you don't possess the skill required to make scratch cakes well, and as this is important to her, she will need to find another baker. That's the simple truth.
Not everyone can. In fact I have done blind side by side taste tests and 99% of the time they said the box cake was scratch and the scratch cake a box. Their reasoning...the moister the cake then it must be scratch...LOL! You can tell the difference because you are a baker/caker
The average lay person cannot tell the difference.
You still shouldn't lie to your customers, though, If they ask outright then say that you start with a mix if you do. Like some other people said, that could be a good way to get rid of her! I can tell the difference because I bake only scratch. so maybe she can too. 
So, making a 4 inch to eat the next day makes this a 3 tiered cake and, more than just a "50" on top makes this the same cake that you priced to her at $200.00. She has just walked you around the block hoping you would forget!
Um...yeah....THIS 
Great relpy All4Cakes. I agree. Always be honest...It is the only ethical and moral way to get through life. If she refuses to budge on the doctored mix.. perhaps you can suggest some scratch bakers for her. I have to agree that one can tell the difference if you are used to no preservatives and such but again regardless.. the truth is an absolute. Best of luck
sweet and simple, email will get you out of this cake, keep hubby on good terms...
Dear PITA, (or her name..your choice)
Im sorry to inform you but at this time I only make my cakes using box mixes. I dont feel that I can give you the cake that you wish, because I do not have a tried and true scratch recipe that I could substitute for the box mix. I would not want to take the chance of trying a scratch mix that I am not familiar with that could result in your special cake not meeting your desired texutre or flavor. I am so sorry, but perhaps (bakery name here) could help you achieve your special cake.
Happy 50th,
(thank god I am done with you, good ridance, you....) or your name will suffice.. 
Sounds lik your husband thinks "dealing with difficult customers" means being a doormat and living under that silly saying of "the customer is always right".
Tell him that sometimes "dealing with a difficult customer" means telling the customer to go somewhere else.
During our sampling appts, its not just the bride interviewing US to see if she wants to book with us. It's also US interviewing HER to see if we want to work with her too. I've waved bye-bye to more than one bride for this reason.
Actually, Indy, I sort of thought the same initially until started reading him the varous responses I was getting here. He says that he's trying to get me to think as a business person not as a friend (I thought I was actually) but never said I couldn't drop her. He wants me to see it more as potential business with other people who could be attending her party so not to burn the bridge by being rude and have her bad mouth me or something. I'm quite prepared to say cya, but I also don't get a lot of opportunity to make tiered cakes and would appreciate the practice.
Don't lie about the box mix - people can tell the difference (I certainly can). Just tell her that you don't possess the skill required to make scratch cakes well, and as this is important to her, she will need to find another baker. That's the simple truth.
Oh my gosh! I so agree! If nothing else, don't lie about your recipe, this will most definitely come back to bite you! I bake both ways and most of my friends and family prefer the box as a base recipe. You can never go wrong with the truth.
I agree with both of you. I do enjoy baking scratch, but for a vanilla cake that I haven't got a recipe yet that I'm comfortable with. She actually wants marble which I hate making as it is. LOL. I was leaning to just saying "yes it's home made" which it is, and isn't a lie. Rather than stating it's a box mix base.... But perhaps by using one of the many excellent statements by PP, I may own up to using a mix.
But now that it's three tiers (assuming she accepts the new price) I'm thinking I should buy the black and red fondant. If I buy Duff's red and black at Michael's, with a coupon 2lbs will cost $18 each. I figured 1lb of each would be used so I was going to add $18 in the new price.
A couple of thoughts:
1. Don't waste your coupons on her. Use them for something YOU want, and let her pay full price for the fondant.
2. Unless you have a use for the remaining fondant, it will go to waste, and so will your money. If you have to buy two pounds of fondant just for her, she pays for both pounds. Otherwise you're losing money on fondant that you will just have to throw away. And I wouldn't even consider coloring white fondant red and black -- it's very difficult, and it will just make you even more bitter while you work on this awful woman's cake.
3. I very much agree with the other posters who have said that sometimes dealing with a difficult customer means getting rid of them (especially here, where you're not even making any money). I used to work for a guy who would, on very rare occasion, tell PITA customers that they needed to talk to our new customer service manager, Mrs. Waite, first name Helen. Then he would smile really big while he told them they could go to Helen Waite.
Good luck with this one.
LOL I love that "go to Helen Waite"....
I had the same thought about the fondant. I really didn't want to colour it myself, at least not a pound of it.
oh wow...now the posts that are trying to help the OP is going to get lost in the scratch vs. cake mix debate
take it to another thread people!
Actually it is quite relevant as the advice has been given to just make a box cake for the client because well no one can tell the difference anyway. If someone comes in asking for advice and someone else says well just tell her it is scratch and make your doctored box and then justifies it with this claim then you bet I am gonna jump on it as bad advice--not just because it advocates misleading a client but because it is based on a spurious claim. One can address the underlying claim without it turning into a which one is better argument.
I don't understand how you calculated the COST of this cake to be $200. I would have been pissed if I were this woman - if I were told the cake was being done at cost and then told it was that much is ridiculous. I've been doing cakes for years and have my own business, and my COST for a 3 tier cake is under $50 (depending upon what goes into it). Are we talking American dollars here?!?
Not to get defensive here, but yes the cost of the ORIGINAL cake she wanted was $200 which was NOT cake I linked to in an early post but a much more elaborate fondant covered cake with a fresh fruit filling and all necessary supplies required for support. And no, it's not US funds. h
Thank you everyone for your advice and lively chatter. Some of the comments had me laughing. I do enjoy baking from scratch, and right now, only try out new scratch recipes on family. But all other cakes do start with a mix.
I will be replying to her email later this evening addressing her concerns and making some statements. I will be informing her that at this time all of my cakes start with a box mix. I will advise ther that there will be an additional cost of $40 (she paid me $90) for the additional tier as it will be a 12". I'm not even offering to give her a 4/6/8. Her party is for 100 people. The two was a 6/9, so the three will be a 6/9/12. She can take the 6" home. I will reiterate once more, with feeling, that I will not copy the original cake but will use it as inspiration because just as an artist won't copy another artist's work, neither do cakers copy other cakers work. And I will tell her that her flags will be on bamboo skewers stuck either in the top tier or the bottom tier (havent decided yet), there will be the 50 and gumpaste stars on wires as well. And I will be telling her that she needs to make a decision by Labour Day regarding the cake. Period. I am also telling her that any further design changes will be rejected.
I think I'll take a quick look through the business form and see if I can find a contract that I can modify for this specific situation and send it along with my email.
I mentioned in the original post that her party was first booked for Sept 25th but had to be moved to Oct 2 because the hall had double booked. My DH said yesterday, maybe they weren't really double booked but she was giving them the gears too so they bumped her to get rid of her. LOL.
I would just like to say that I turned 50 this year, and I didn't go wacky! I didn't even have a cake!! So, it's not all of us
I just had to add that I am turning 50 a week before her birthday. Because DH and I have a wedding to attend on the 25th which was her original party date, we decided to have something with our friends on the 2nd, which is her new party date. When she informed us of the date and asked if I could still make the cake, I made it clear to DH that we were not going to be attending her party. So when she came over on Sunday to give me the money for the two tiered cake ($90) she asked if we were coming. We said no. She thought that I should change the date of my celebration to attend hers! Uhm, no.
I've told her I will drop the cake off in the afternoon that day. I fully intend to take pictures from all angles of the cake when it's delivered and get her to sign a release that all is well.
I would just like to say that I turned 50 this year, and I didn't go wacky! I didn't even have a cake!! So, it's not all of us
I just had to add that I am turning 50 a week before her birthday. Because DH and I have a wedding to attend on the 25th which was her original party date, we decided to have something with our friends on the 2nd, which is her new party date. When she informed us of the date and asked if I could still make the cake, I made it clear to DH that we were not going to be attending her party. So when she came over on Sunday to give me the money for the two tiered cake ($90) she asked if we were coming. We said no. She thought that I should change the date of my celebration to attend hers! Uhm, no.
I've told her I will drop the cake off in the afternoon that day. I fully intend to take pictures from all angles of the cake when it's delivered and get her to sign a release that all is well.
Good for you!!! You and your DH enjoy your party!!! (But make sure you get those pictures!)
I would just like to say that I turned 50 this year, and I didn't go wacky! I didn't even have a cake!! So, it's not all of us
I just had to add that I am turning 50 a week before her birthday. Because DH and I have a wedding to attend on the 25th which was her original party date, we decided to have something with our friends on the 2nd, which is her new party date. When she informed us of the date and asked if I could still make the cake, I made it clear to DH that we were not going to be attending her party. So when she came over on Sunday to give me the money for the two tiered cake ($90) she asked if we were coming. We said no. She thought that I should change the date of my celebration to attend hers! Uhm, no.
I've told her I will drop the cake off in the afternoon that day. I fully intend to take pictures from all angles of the cake when it's delivered and get her to sign a release that all is well.
Let me get this straight.
- You're turning 50.
- Your DH arranges for you to make a cake with a 50 on top for a "difficult friend" on the day you will be celebrating.
- You, of course, change the day of your celebration.
- What do you know? "friend" suddenly changes her cake day to your new celebration day!
- DH sees you struggling with difficult customer but encourages you to keep the job.
- "friend" really wants you to attend her party with the cake you made with the big 50 on top, arranged by your husband.
Is it me, or does anyone else think OP is being set up for a surprise party? Ordinarily I wouldn't spoil such a thing. But I suspect DH is laughing his butt off every time difficult customer sends you one of her 23 emails. And I think this is a situation where the tables need to be turned. (if you can somehow confirm my suspicion) Maybe make a dummy cake that you drop on the floor during delivery with your DH.
...or maybe I'm just the suspicious type.
Now there's a direction I would have never thought to take!!! But oh wouldn't that be a kick in the a__!!!
That happened to a friend who is a florist. She got a last minute call for bouquet for a 40th birthday. She was miffed but still did it anyway. She threw together was she called "the ugliest thing ever". Well guess what was the table centerpiece for her surprise party that night! Needless to say, she was horrified!!
Is it me, or does anyone else think OP is being set up for a surprise party?
LOL - normally I might think the same thing, except she has been planning this party since March, has had my DH work on music with her. has talked my ear off about her party, has mailed out invitations to everyone. Oh. and is making this all about her. My DH did throw a surprise party for me when I turned 40 and got me good. But he DH I knows that I wouldn't choose red, black and white for a cake for myself with flags on it. But most importantly, he would never involve this person in any thing we do socially. But a reasonable thought.
Don't lie about the box mix - people can tell the difference (I certainly can). Just tell her that you don't possess the skill required to make scratch cakes well, and as this is important to her, she will need to find another baker. That's the simple truth.
Oh my gosh! I so agree! If nothing else, don't lie about your recipe, this will most definitely come back to bite you! I bake both ways and most of my friends and family prefer the box as a base recipe. You can never go wrong with the truth.
I agree with both of you. I do enjoy baking scratch, but for a vanilla cake that I haven't got a recipe yet that I'm comfortable with. She actually wants marble which I hate making as it is. LOL. I was leaning to just saying "yes it's home made" which it is, and isn't a lie. Rather than stating it's a box mix base.... But perhaps by using one of the many excellent statements by PP, I may own up to using a mix.
I see his point, however, if you go forward without a contract and she confuses the order, pricing etc, there is a possibility errors will be made or she'll preceive errors made. That could lead to bad reviews by her. Or because you bend over backward and practically give the cake away, she may tell everyone you're super cheap...and you'll never get what you're worth from then on because everyone else will want that great cake for that great price. If you're interested in seeming professional, a cake contract is the answer.
This has almost been like a soap opera! Can't wait to get to my computer to see the next instalment.
All kidding aside, I wish you luck with the whole thing! What you plan to say in your e-mail to her sounds great. (But don't forget the cake contract!)
Good luck pmarks0!
The simple fact that this is a special day for you is reason enough to say no. I have been on a hiatus with cakes b/c I got absolutely TIRED of the abuse.
The last straw for me was a surprise party we were planning for my mother's retirement and she insisted I make some crazy mini train cake for her co-worker's motherfrom a williams-sonoma pan. I told her no. I was also catering her party. At the last minute I got viral meningitis. I was so happy I stuck to my guns, though she made me feel so horrible I almost stopped all the planning and told my dad to spend the money on a real caterer. And she cried so bad at the party for acting so awful when I told her I couldn't make the cake for her friend.
I used to want to do every cake at cost thinking that I needed the practice. I think this is a fast way to not love doing cakes. Your opportunities will come for sure, and they won't all come with this type of headache.
this might be a little off topic, but this popped into my head as I read this....is it just me or does this happen everywhere? ( more than it should ) But people expect a $1200 for about $200....then they get upset when you tell them that a $200 budget for the design that they want is just not do-able....
I went through a similar incident with a friend of the family who wanted a baby shower cake.....we emailed each other about 10 times over a week period, her mind kept changing...basically she wanted a 4 tier, topsy turvy cake with about 6 hours of working time (not to mention all the gumpaste flowers she wanted) the cake was for 100 ppl and each tier a different flavor. This cake was indeed extravagent...I quoted her well below avg price for a cake that big and detailed.
Once I sent her the final design that met her budget, she changed her mind several times yet again, sent me more pictures, basically trying to combine 6 cakes into one. I had enough and told her to get back to me when she had made up her mind. I was tired of sketching, thinking of new ideas...sheesh....
Come to find out, she went to a different lady, who charged her the exact same price for LESS work and decoration (I was told by one of the family members bc they thought I was going to make the cake and was surprised that I didn't) The only thing I will say about the cake that was on display at the baby shower is, I would NOT have charged that much for the quality of work that was done
I had a VERY similar experience recently. Friend of my daughter wanted a cake for her daughter's first birthday. Dictated all kinds of details... wanted scratch, not box... etc. Cake would have been worth several hundred dollars. She only wanted to spend up to $50. So I made alterations and let her know what I could do for $50. She agreed, but still tried to get more stuff in there. THANK GOODNESS SHE CANCELLED ON ME!!! Decided she really couldn't afford even $50. I hear she had a family member to a cake that was pretty lame. With all the demands she tried to make of me, I surprised she was satisfied with that!
I am not sure who's husband volunteered their services, (maybe indebi) but she made her husband cough up the difference so that he would not volunteer her services again. Seems like you might need to inform your husband that if he is not in your kitchen cleaning up after you and being your assistant, he needs to pay you for your labor with this order.
I would also let her know that any changes made after (XXXX) date will result in an up-charge for changes. It is done in other professions like construction and painting. Once a design has been approved and changes are altered later, you should charge for each change. It stops lot of, letting friends influence your designs.
Remember, you are the artist and no one tells an artist to copy someone else's work. Do what is going to make you proud of your work and you will enjoy your birthday even more.
I am not sure who's husband volunteered their services, (maybe indebi) but she made her husband cough up the difference so that he would not volunteer her services again.
Yep! And here's the story (page 3 .... last post on the page): http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=613591&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=checkbook&&start=30
Indydeb- Hands down best story ever. . .Having hubby pay for his give aways! I love it! My husband says oh if you are already making something can you just whip me up some chocolate mousse for dessert. Oh yah, let me just whip it up for ya! Next time I will charge him for it!
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