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Bad Customer, what would you do?

post #1 of 7
10/6/12 at 9:35pm
Thread Starter 
I have never encountered a customer like this one..not sure how to handle this.

Customer called on Sunday, ordered cake to be p/u on Wed. Cake was to be a Mountain to feed only 4. Charged customer my minimum order of $75 (explained cake would feed around 15 due to the design). Customer called and asked to change the date to Friday, then emailed and changed the date again to Saturday. Saturday comes, customer p/u cake. Customer returns 20min later to say the cake is not like what she wanted. I made said cake just as she described. Then she pulls up my website on her phone, points out a cake I charged $400+ for and says the person that made this cake can not be the same person that made my cake....I was shocked! I offered the customer to return the cake and I would refund $25. I had already spent time and money on the cake not to mention she changed the date on me twice! She got mad and left..with the cake. This evening I receive an email from this customer stating she is concerned for her family's health/safety since I work from home, she wants to see my permits/license. No problem at all as I am the one whom changed the law in the state of Washington....my issue here is how do I get this customer off my back now, I refuse to refund any money since she took the cake and ate it. How have you handled this type of scenario before?
Felicia
www.fhcakes.com
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Felicia
www.fhcakes.com
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post #2 of 7
10/6/12 at 11:07pm
Seems like you've handled everything well, just politely send the customer your license number (and some information about the cottage food law in your state for good measure) and you can consider the matter closed, since the customer did not accept your refund offer.
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The Bakery Business Perspective
An experimental blog with new content every Tuesday!

Recent Articles: The Magic Pricing Formula • Copyright Law
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post #3 of 7
10/6/12 at 11:09pm
May we see the cake?

I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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I would rather make 1 cake for $150, than 3 for $50 each.

The person who works for nothing will always have plenty to do!

My sarcasm is good-humored. People generally really like me, in person ;-) 

Licensed, inspected, insured, home-based commercial...

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post #4 of 7
10/7/12 at 1:05am
I had one customer like that. She pulled up in a car worth less than the cake. It was last minute because her baker was in the hospital because her boyfriend broke her jaw. Yeah, great group. She told me her car ac went out that day (it was hot) and with buying the second cake, she could not get it fixed. The cake was $300 CASH!!!

Of course, even though I have a guarantee, she didn't call for two days, said the cake was completely inedible and everyone spit it out and threw it away. The part she saved had been left out uncovered. So no proof.

It was Warren Brown's yellow cake, my basic yellow cake. It is the only cake we eat with no buttercream at home.

I told her that if she feels that strongly, please make a copy of my satisfaction guarantee on my site and take that to the magistrate's office where she can file in small claims court. Then I went out and spent the money.

Then they posted some negative posts on my facebook. I kindly informed them that they were welcomed to post whatever they wanted on their facebook, but my attorney would file against each of them separately if they did not stop on mine. It stopped.

Sometimes you just have to call their bluff.
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post #5 of 7
10/7/12 at 7:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FH_Cakes

Customer called on Sunday, ordered cake to be p/u on Wed. Cake was to be a Mountain to feed only 4. Charged customer my minimum order of $75 (explained cake would feed around 15 due to the design)



You have to ask yourself, why a cake for 4 that they knew would cost $75??? Sometimes it is useful to say "sorry, I'm all booked up" when the order (like this one) just doesn't add up.

The other thing that I would do is ALWAYS confirm by email with a copy to myself. Never mind if this is somebody next door...it's a business courtesy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by FH_Cakes

Saturday comes, customer p/u cake. Customer returns 20min later to say the cake is not like what she wanted.

Sanitary regulations generally prohibit customers from returning open food items. She inspected before accepting the cake...that is the end of her BS about appearance etc. She declined to inspect your premises or license at the point of purchase--doesn't that protect you from somebody who is looking for a reason to skip payment?

I mean, if there was an illness, the Board of Health would be required to review the matter with you, wouldn't they? And Boards of Health do bacterial testing, right? The present state of the art is to do DNA on any bacteria found because that is proof of origin.

Now I hope that your packaging complied with all local regulations like list of ingredients and other info required for labels so that this jerk has no shred of legitimate complaint. Sit tight and do nothing at all for now, except to email her your license number.

This customer has put herself onto your "do not bake for" list. Ditto for anybody that mentions her name...
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post #6 of 7
10/12/12 at 2:27pm
I had someone pay $35 (plus tax) for a single serve cake for a child. I don't think asking for a small cake should be any kind of warning.
PSA: There are laws that regulate the sale of food items - these laws are different in each state/county. Please familiarize yourself with your local laws before selling your amazing baked goods.
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PSA: There are laws that regulate the sale of food items - these laws are different in each state/county. Please familiarize yourself with your local laws before selling your amazing baked goods.
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post #7 of 7
10/12/12 at 2:46pm
........Boards of Health do bacterial testing, right?........

Not that I know of icon_sad.gif I have had a bakery in two states and never had any 'bacterial testing' done that I'm aware of.
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