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Confidence taking a blow

post #1 of 3
3/20/12 at 10:00am
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So I have just relaunched my business in NYC and I am use to always getting compliments. I have people here that love my cookies and cupcakes and have gotten no complaints. The last two orders I have taken have been not so good. I made a cream cheese pound cake for someone. She wanted Marachino cherries in it that is what I did. I baked it in a tube pan and I also baked a few as cupcakes. My mom and I tasted the cupcakes and they were very good. My mom loved them and she is very picky and judgemental. She told me they were very good and she wanted more. I was supposed to take the cake to church for the customer and she was running late so my husband had to take it to her house. He had to walk up like 6 flights of stairs. My mom asked her a few days later how was her cake and she said it was DRY! She said that she ate half of it and threw it away. My hurt just sank. I don't know what I did wrong. My mom offered her something else and she just said not thank you. I am so hurt bc when I tasted the cake it was amazing. The second order I took was for cupcakes and they tasted great buy it wasn't necessarily what the customer wanted it to look like. I had never met with her and it was a rush order. I asked her to send me a pic of what she wanted and she never did. My husband took her the order and she just looked at them and said oh they look good. I never heard from her if she liked them so now I'm super worried. I'm thinking that I'm not doing so good with orders and don't know what to do. Has anyone else ever felt like this?
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post #2 of 3
3/20/12 at 5:36pm
Take a deep breath! Just because someone doesn't gush about a cake, doesn't mean they don't like it. You know that people in general like your product, so I wouldn't worry about it. As for the dry cake, maybe there was something outside your control going on, or maybe they customer was trying to get money back. Who knows. Stand tall! You know you have a great product, so just keep baking, and finding the customers who love and appreciate you!
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post #3 of 3
3/20/12 at 10:50pm
Just an idea that may help in the future...

When a customer asks for something I don't make, I either say no, or, if I have enough time and it is something I could possibly put on my menu, I take the order. I never sell something I haven't made.

In pound cakes, it took me about four tries to get the right taste by adding fresh peaches to an already good recipe.

Cakes bake differently than cupcakes. If your oven decided to suddenly go out of calibration, you may have had a slightly drier cake. You won't know it until you bake a cake for personal use or someone complains.

So my real advice is to not put yourself in this position. It isn't worth it. Look at all of the trouble and stress. I know you wish you said no to the order. Stick to what is in your comfort zone.

My next suggestion is to have a refund policy. I have a full satisfaction guarantee. I'll fix it even if they didn't like the taste. That small amount of money isn't worth the negative word-of-mouth. On my site, people have to check my terms box. It is very explicit on how to return a cake for a refund. It is fair and easy on both parties. Look at it and maybe you can use some of it.

If it was me, I would return the money and the person for another chance to make her a great cake. It is a proven fact that a dissatisfied customer who feels that she/he has had the problem solved is the best spokesperson for your company.

This is eventually going to happen to all of us, so don't let it get you down for too long. And you are reacting the way we all would. Good luck!!!
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