Hello fellow cakers, could really do with some second opinions. A bit long, but I hope not too much. Apologies if it is.
We received an order for a chocolate golf birthday cake with one weeks notice. We have a 7 day notice policy so this customer just got the order in time.
The original quote was for £55 for a fully decorated cake with topper. She stated that it was outside her budget, so we redesigned the cake to make it doable for £40. There were several emails back and forth (each more helpful than the last) and she submitted her payment via our online paylink to confirm the booking. On receipt of receiving her order invoice she then informed us that the delivery is to be outside our free delivery zone, which would be an additional £5. As an act of generosity we decided to wave the fee.
Fast forward to the delivery, and we have a nightmare of a day. As the chocolate cake is to be delivered between 2-4pm and we had a delivery at 12noon which got rearranged to another venue last minute, that we were not told about until we got there. Which resulted in the chocolate cake arriving 40mins late. As we were out of office and had no contact number we decided to drive flat out and try to make the delivery as soon as possible. Ideally a courtesy call should have happened, but the customer would not supply a contact number. I was prepared to offer a discount on her next order but she appeared happy and glad to receive the cake.
I then received the below email.
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Customer email:
AI would absolutely call the restaurant. I want to speak to the person who said try couldn't cut it.
Well, I'm sorry that this happened.
I would ask the restaurant to confirm in writing the condition that the server found.
And one question for you: do you own a commercial refrigerated delivery vehicle? do you check the chiller setting against actual temperature? Is it possible that "rock hard" was a fact of refrigeration? (which is not a bad thing at all...merely something that a late delivery could not correct by simply letting the cake sit at room temperature).
But in future, please remember that the potential customer's dislike/refusal of the quoted price has come to be a sure and true red flag in other Cake Central threads, and this has been followed by stopped payments, demands for refund etc.
And we have agreed that the only form of payment is a CLEARED payment: cash at the time of delivery if a credit card transaction or transfer has not cleared YOUR bank. In this day and age, money transfers for commercial transactions happen all 7 days of the week. The timing of the stopped-payment order can be documented by your bank. The total absence of a contact phone number meant that you could not have contacted her about this failed payment...feeshy...very feeshy...
So next time you will not accept a deposit without a phone number that you have called to make sure, right? As well as a complete street "billing" address?
(edited: I took down the CBC link because they only allow their funny stories to be listened to by Canadians)
Umm 12 min I I that podcast & while humorous, no mention of cake delivery
Oops. The funny story is only available inside Canada. Dang. I downloaded that story because it had me in tears the first time I heard it.
Hapless next door neighbour of cake decorator gets stuck in elevator with a cake decorated with a golf course and 4 players (retirement party). He is stuck in elevator for 9+ hours and eats most of cake to keep from starving. Emergency phone in elevator is not manned except by a kid who can't find the building among the dozens of phones on that service. Fire department chops down antique door while owner away on vacation, to rescue hapless schmuck...
I would speak with the restaurant before making contact with her.
Sounds to me like the lady with the small budget may not have had a budget at all and would like a free cake.
So sorry this happened to you.
Oh my!!!! that is just AWFUL!!! I do agree with most of whats been said here, as soon as I started reading about your client there were red flags coming up, why would she not give a phone number!!?? you had given her a total of 20£ ( I think) of a discount already between redesigning the cake and not charging for delivery!! I think she's just chancing her luck for a free cake!!
I really would contact the restaurant and find out what happened from someone else before I spoke to her.
If you have never had any problems with that same cake before I would find it extremely strange that it would be inedible, it might not have been to their taste(everyone's different) or a bit dry etc but definitely NOT inedible!!!
But at the end of the day I think if you have to lose the 40£ it might be well worth it to save on the headache,and bad mouthing, and we learn from everything!!
NEVER take an order without a phone number, anything can happen that would make you need to contact the client.
If they don't want to pay for delivery explain that they could have someone pick up the cake.
Do keep us posted as in what happens
Wish the best of luck and everything resolves OK for you, as they say here......It takes all sorts!!!! ;)
Thanks for all the replies. The contacting of the restaurant is one of the first things I would like to do. However, I do not know which one it is. So I will have to contact her first to get the details and the rest of the info then get back to her.
The issue with the payment was a bit close. The funds were withdrawn and received by the online payment company on the Wednesday and were scheduled to be released to us on the Friday. I was hoping that like previous transactions it would have cleared by lunch (hence the scheduled afternoon delivery), when it hadn't I assumed it would be cleared end of day. If it hasn't gone through by today that means she stopped payment on Friday before the inedible cake was delivered.
vehicle is a standard family car and was only in it for 20-25 minutes at temperatures of Frosty January England weather. As we didn't take her cake with us on the previous delivery (to prevent it drying out or getting damaged) we had to drive back to pick it up and go straight there.
As the delivery was to a well known tourist spot in the area where she worked the lack of phone number did not seem out of place. But we will be demanding it in future.
I have a feeling that the cake has been left uncovered/refrigerated for 3 days before being served. Which means, as we bake from scratch and use no preservatives or gumming agents will make the cake lose moisture and dry out.
i'll keep you posted
I wouldn't bother going to the hassle of finding out which restaurant.
I once had something similar with regards to the cake....
As it happens, a mutual friend (ie my friend and friend of the customer) was at the party, and she told me how lovely the cake was (taste-wise)
I sent the customer an email along the following lines.
Dear X
I am so sorry to hear that you were unhappy with the cake. This is the same recipe that I have always used and have had many compliments. Indeed, I have never had a complaint about it before.
Unfortunately, as you disposed of the cake, I'm sure you understand that I am unable to investigate your complaint further.
Yours sincerely
Did I understand correctly that the delivery was 3 days before the party? Why did she want it so much earlier than the event? Also, a cake can take HOURS to come back to room temp before serving... I doubt there was anything wrong with your cake. Probably something wrong with your customer!
I wouldn't bother going to the hassle of finding out which restaurant.
I once had something similar with regards to the cake....
As it happens, a mutual friend (ie my friend and friend of the customer) was at the party, and she told me how lovely the cake was (taste-wise)
I sent the customer an email along the following lines.
Dear X
I am so sorry to hear that you were unhappy with the cake. This is the same recipe that I have always used and have had many compliments. Indeed, I have never had a complaint about it before.
Unfortunately, as you disposed of the cake, I'm sure you understand that I am unable to investigate your complaint further.
Yours sincerely
Did I understand correctly that the delivery was 3 days before the party? Why did she want it so much earlier than the event? Also, a cake can take HOURS to come back to room temp before serving... I doubt there was anything wrong with your cake. Probably something wrong with your customer!
Thanks for your response Relznik, From what I can tell from her email I am only assuming the cake was for the Sunday. That is why I would like her to clarify when it was due to be served. As it was baked Wednesday evening, decorated Thursday for Friday delivery.
Your email extract is pretty much what I had in mind to tell her when she finally responds. Without having the cake back, our hands are tied. I can't see giving a discount off her next order being an option.
What a horrible situation - but I'm certain this is just a manipulative, brass-necked scrooge and the likelihood of it being your fault is minimal in my opinion!!
I think you really have two options - 1) roll over and give her what she wants to make her go away and next time she orders you are always fully booked. This is (unfortunately IMHO) common in customer services and she has probably received such treatment before and gotten away with it which is why I personally prefer option 2) State that without a sample stored in an appropriate manor and returned to yourself promptly you will not be offering any recompense.
If you are confident in your recipe; stand by it and politely ignore the fireworks when they come.
Have you considered a cake contract outlining a ‘displeasure: sample return policy’ etc? I’m just about to post a thread asking if an emailed contract is sufficient as it’s more convenient than a hand signed one for my business, if so that might be something you could look into for the future?
Best of luck, don't let her bully you out of your money!
Thanks for all the replies. The contacting of the restaurant is one of the first things I would like to do. However, I do not know which one it is. So I will have to contact her first to get the details and the rest of the info then get back to her.
The issue with the payment was a bit close. The funds were withdrawn and received by the online payment company on the Wednesday and were scheduled to be released to us on the Friday. I was hoping that like previous transactions it would have cleared by lunch (hence the scheduled afternoon delivery), when it hadn't I assumed it would be cleared end of day. If it hasn't gone through by today that means she stopped payment on Friday before the inedible cake was delivered.
vehicle is a standard family car and was only in it for 20-25 minutes at temperatures of Frosty January England weather. As we didn't take her cake with us on the previous delivery (to prevent it drying out or getting damaged) we had to drive back to pick it up and go straight there.
As the delivery was to a well known tourist spot in the area where she worked the lack of phone number did not seem out of place. But we will be demanding it in future.
I have a feeling that the cake has been left uncovered/refrigerated for 3 days before being served. Which means, as we bake from scratch and use no preservatives or gumming agents will make the cake lose moisture and dry out.
i'll keep you posted
Well don't bother about the restaurant. We all assumed that the delivery was to the venue.
Regardless of where the venue was: Once the customer has signed receipt of the cake, it is HER job to keep it fresh if she chooses not to consume it on the day she revceived it. Maybe an information sheet from your business on the shelf life and proper storage of your cakes would help in future.
The truly important issue is that this customer stopped payment on the day that she personally took possession of her custom cake. That's called THEFT.
Talk to your bank. They may seek a release of those funds to you when you show them a signed receipt from the customer.
You should also be able to contact the online payment company to advise them of the signed delivery so that they can release the funds. If this customer has a track record of stopping payments, they cannot tell you so but they can certainly flag her account...and call merchants in future when another stop payment order is issued.
If I read everything correctly you baked a cake for a Friday delivery assuming the cake would be eaten that same day. But the client didn't serve the cake until Sunday. So, the cake was delivered to the client who then kept the cake for two days. The client's brother then had a restaurant serve the cake which was supposed to be discovered as hard and dry.
My 2 cents...
Did you ask the date of the party or just for a delivery date?
Was there anything in an email, on your website or contract telling the client cake must be returned to be inspected if they request a refund?
It sounds like the client bought the cake but wasn't at the restaurant when the cake was served, that she is getting the info from her brother and not first hand. If that is so, did the brother know that the cake needed to be saved to get a refund?
Did you give the client specific instruction s as to how to store the cake? If so, did the instructions include storage for several days?
Personally, I think bakers assume people will save left over cake to show bring back but if I buy something that doesn't taste good I pitch it. And a cake might not be discovered as unedible until after it has need completely cut and served. What should a host do, go around taking the slices back from guests so she can return them?
Since you don't know the restaurant that served the cake I don't think you should ask the client for the name. You will basically be telling the client you don't believe them and want a second opinion. If you already knew which restaurant, then I would suggest calling them before you replied to the email.
You may want to consider a refund. Between the cake being delivered late and the cake being made early (early because I am assuming only a delivery date was asked for and not the servue date) I would refund the money and be done with it.
Now, if she stopped payment before she received the cake - or really served the cake since her complaint is the cake and not the late delivery - that is a whole different story. If that is the case I would point it out to her and ask what is going on. I am all for holding someone's feet to the fire if they are lying and I can prove it.
Thanks for the newer responses, it really helps with the frustration of the situation. This is the smallest and lowest cost cake we have taken on and seems to be taking up more of our time. lol
With the payment of the order. It is only a hunch at the moment, as it is unusual that this is the only payment that is taking a little longer than norm. According to the payment company the funds are waiting to be transferred to our account, but they too thought it was strange that they have not cleared in the stated time and should hopefully be completed today. The terms and conditions on our website do state that any refunds will require the return of the goods.
will be doing a help sheet for storage and a portion cutting guide for future orders.
Cusomer
email reply below
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Thanks for the newer responses, it really helps with the frustration of the situation. This is the smallest and lowest cost cake we have taken on and seems to be taking up more of our time. lol
With the payment of the order. It is only a hunch at the moment, as it is unusual that this is the only payment that is taking a little longer than norm. According to the payment company the funds are waiting to be transferred to our account, but they too thought it was strange that they have not cleared in the stated time and should hopefully be completed today. The terms and conditions on our website do state that any refunds will require the return of the goods.
will be doing a help sheet for storage and a portion cutting guide for future orders.
Cusomer
email reply below
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Is this the email your client sent to you?? how can she say "if I had received a call" when she didnt provide you with a phone number!!!
I really think she's just a time waster trying to get a cake for free.
I would basically just politely reply saying that since she got rid of the cake your hands are thight, and you apologise if she wasnt happy with it, but as someone else said if she ever does contact you again to make a booking you are booked up!!
Personally, I think bakers assume people will save left over cake to show bring back but if I buy something that doesn't taste good I pitch it. And a cake might not be discovered as unedible until after it has need completely cut and served. What should a host do, go around taking the slices back from guests so she can return them?
In Canada, it is well known that "bad" food items must be returned with original container to the point of sale with a proof of purchase. If you pitch "bad" food then you cannot ask for a refund/replacement. In a restaurant, if you taste something "bad" then you are required to return the dish to the kitchen at once--if you continue to eat, then you don't have a claim for a "refund".
I suspect there are similar regulations in other countries too. The reason for the original container being returned is that it is usually inspected for contamination, proper seal, etc. Most commercial products have a factory and batch code which is used for mass recalls if necessary. We have all heard the news reports about those.
Those of us who work in regulated regions are well aware that many venues simply do not accept outside food (or only from a certified kitchen) to avoid the issue of improper storage.
Something similar applies to serving custom catered foods. Yes if a cake filling has fermented (for example), then one really does take all the slices back with apologies. In a restaurant, one then quietly asks the manager to serve another dessert from the restaurant's own kitchen. One then IMMEDIATELY contacts the provider to ask how to proceed. The labelling requirements in many recent cottage food laws ensure that the contact information is right there on the immediate package.
I am troubled by the totally convoluted nature of this order from start to finish: haggling, ordering just before deadline, requiring delivery days before event, stagnated payment--these have all been initiated by the customer in this case and they add up to something that smells like a piece of fish left on the counter for three days.
Thanks for the newer responses, it really helps with the frustration of the situation. This is the smallest and lowest cost cake we have taken on and seems to be taking up more of our time. lol
With the payment of the order. It is only a hunch at the moment, as it is unusual that this is the only payment that is taking a little longer than norm. According to the payment company the funds are waiting to be transferred to our account, but they too thought it was strange that they have not cleared in the stated time and should hopefully be completed today. The terms and conditions on our website do state that any refunds will require the return of the goods.
will be doing a help sheet for storage and a portion cutting guide for future orders.
Cusomer
email reply below
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Dear PITA Customer
I must point out that you declined to provide me with a phone number and therefore I was unable to call ahead to let you know that I would be slightly late. Once again, however, I do apologise for my delay in getting to you.
However, the fact remains that as all the cake was disposed of, I am unable to investigate your claims any further.
I am sorry I am able to help you any further on this occasion.
Yours sincerely
Cake Maker Who Wasn't Born Yesterday.
Do not leave yourself open for any more come back. Get your point across to her that you're not going to roll over and give her her money back. Let's be honest, at this stage, you've lost her as a customer now. Even if you were to give her a full refund, she's going to bad mouth you. So don't pay her to do so!
I have had a few retail businesses and always tried for 110% customer satisfaction. I know all to well that a complaint is like a punch to the gut, and a double punch when you have went out of your way to satisfy them buy giving discounts and waiving fees.
But no matter the case, and even if they lie to your face, The Customer Is Always Right. That is not to say become a repeat victim to this customer, satisfy them, cut your losses and never have them as a customer again.
When people come to me trying to change my business policy's and practices, it is a huge red flag and I pass on their order.
Live and Learn, Take Care.
Jimmy
Dear PITA Customer
I must point out that you declined to provide me with a phone number and therefore I was unable to call ahead to let you know that I would be slightly late. Once again, however, I do apologise for my delay in getting to you.
However, the fact remains that as all the cake was disposed of, I am unable to investigate your claims any further.
I am sorry I am able to help you any further on this occasion.
Yours sincerely
Cake Maker Who Wasn't Born Yesterday.
Do not leave yourself open for any more come back. Get your point across to her that you're not going to roll over and give her her money back. Let's be honest, at this stage, you've lost her as a customer now. Even if you were to give her a full refund, she's going to bad mouth you. So don't pay her to do so!
perfect, relznik
one of my favorite customer service supervisor we-are-finished-here lines is, "is there anything else i can help you with?'
and you can say it straight up with a little smile in your voice not sarcastic (even though sarcasm would be my first choice ;) and boy is it effective
In Canada, it is well known that "bad" food items must be returned with original container to the point of sale with a proof of purchase. If you pitch "bad" food then you cannot ask for a refund/replacement. In a restaurant, if you taste something "bad" then you are required to return the dish to the kitchen at once--if you continue to eat, then you don't have a claim for a "refund".
I suspect there are similar regulations in other countries too. The reason for the original container being returned is that it is usually inspected for contamination, proper seal, etc. Most commercial products have a factory and batch code which is used for mass recalls if necessary. We have all heard the news reports about those.
Those of us who work in regulated regions are well aware that many venues simply do not accept outside food (or only from a certified kitchen) to avoid the issue of improper storage.
Something similar applies to serving custom catered foods. Yes if a cake filling has fermented (for example), then one really does take all the slices back with apologies. In a restaurant, one then quietly asks the manager to serve another dessert from the restaurant's own kitchen. One then IMMEDIATELY contacts the provider to ask how to proceed. The labelling requirements in many recent cottage food laws ensure that the contact information is right there on the immediate package.
Was the person that ordered the cake at the restaurant? It doesn't sound like it. It seems that the brother of the person that ordered the cake had the restaurant dispose of the cake. If that is the case, he probably didn't know his sister would want a refund or what was required for that to happen.
€40 is what $60? Just refund it and never take an order from this person again.
And, BakingIrene, I know the purpose of having the items returned. But if I served bad cake at a dinner party I would be so embarrassed I would throw the cake away in a hurry to pretend it didn't happen. At a restaurant, when it is food prepared by them, is a different story. It is easy to prove I didn't do something wrong, store the food wrong...when I am eating right there.
Further developments
Payment finally received (wahey) - odd that out of all our orders this one took the longest. Great replies above, how tempting to send them unedited.
Had a quick word with the manager at the restaurant, a little bit hesitant to talk about it as he did not want to get involved. Assured them that it would not be passed on. Turns out that, the cake was kept in a carrier bag and not a box as originally stated. Not ideal for the 1 hour drive to the venue. The cake was not cut or handled by the staff but by the members of the party, also not as originally stated. Who then asked the waitress to discard all of the cake as they did not like the taste.
Apart from the delivery incident, which I would have waived the delivery fee if it was charged in the first place as we WERE late. We had done everything as normal. So it is very strange that this cake was not up to standard. Maybe they are used to the store bought variety,
I'm very glad that you got paid.
I have had experience of delays of 15 minutes for transactions when a bank is doing monthly accounts. Heck it sometimes takes all of 15 minutes for an international wire transaction... but several days is an indication that something else happened. The fact that the payment was released as soon as you called (implying that a proof of purchase existed) is a good sign.
So live and learn...some of us get this lesson early and some of us get it later.
I'm very glad that you got paid.
I have had experience of delays of 15 minutes for transactions when a bank is doing monthly accounts. Heck it sometimes takes all of 15 minutes for an international wire transaction... but several days is an indication that something else happened. The fact that the payment was released as soon as you called (implying that a proof of purchase existed) is a good sign.
So live and learn...some of us get this lesson early and some of us get it later.
The payment we use is gocardless.com. I found the admin cost paypal were charging was a little much. Where as these only take 1% admin fee with a limit of £2.00 per transaction. The only downside compared to paypal is they are not as quick to process the payments. Usually within 7 days. All previous payments have been dealt with between 5-6 days, That's why it felt strange seeing this one take over a week.
Further developments
Payment finally received (wahey) - odd that out of all our orders this one took the longest. Great replies above, how tempting to send them unedited.
Had a quick word with the manager at the restaurant, a little bit hesitant to talk about it as he did not want to get involved. Assured them that it would not be passed on. Turns out that, the cake was kept in a carrier bag and not a box as originally stated. Not ideal for the 1 hour drive to the venue. The cake was not cut or handled by the staff but by the members of the party, also not as originally stated. Who then asked the waitress to discard all of the cake as they did not like the taste.
Apart from the delivery incident, which I would have waived the delivery fee if it was charged in the first place as we WERE late. We had done everything as normal. So it is very strange that this cake was not up to standard. Maybe they are used to the store bought variety,
I hope this is the end of it, but watch your account. I had someone steal a cake after the funds were put in my account. They claimed it as a fraudulent charge and the money was taken out of my account. I provided documentation that a cake had indeed been purchased and then the money was put back. About 3 weeks later it was taken back out again. This person turned out to be good at credit card fraud and after that there was nothing I could do. The address I had for her turned out to be a monster sized apartment complex. She had purposely not given her bank an apartment number. They told me that since it was processed online and not swiped, there was nothing I could do. The police don't care. It was thankfully only a $200 cake, so there's no point in wasting anymore time on it.
So now, I'm asking to see the customer's card and and driver's license.
I hope this is the end of it, but watch your account. I had someone steal a cake after the funds were put in my account. They claimed it as a fraudulent charge and the money was taken out of my account. I provided documentation that a cake had indeed been purchased and then the money was put back. About 3 weeks later it was taken back out again. This person turned out to be good at credit card fraud and after that there was nothing I could do. The address I had for her turned out to be a monster sized apartment complex. She had purposely not given her bank an apartment number. They told me that since it was processed online and not swiped, there was nothing I could do. The police don't care. It was thankfully only a $200 cake, so there's no point in wasting anymore time on it.
So now, I'm asking to see the customer's card and and driver's license.
Wow I cant believe the lenghts some ppl go to for a free cake!!!! its shocking you cant really trust anybody now a days, can you?
Thanks again for all the feedback. It has been a great help over the last couple of frustrating days. This will go down as a learning experience on how not to budge on your own policies, as even a little wiggle room over the length of the ordering process can quickly build up to be a major hassle.
The customer was emailed yesterday and as of yet has not replied (knock on wood). So hopefully that should be the end of it. The email I sent is below. In case it is of any use of reference for others. Thanks again, to all those who contributed to this thread. Extra special thanks to relznik for your example letters.You may spot some of your handy work below. :)
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P.I.T.A Customer
Your comments have been dually noted, but we must point out that you did not provide us with a contact number and therefore we were unable to call ahead to let you know that we would be slightly late. Once again, however, I do apologise for the delay in getting to you.
In regards to your comments regarding the service you received, I believe that we were more than accommodating in making you a cake, and keeping it within your budget. To then be told after the booking of the order that the delivery was to be in #########. Outside of our area of free delivery, we decided to waive the fee, again to keep your order within your budget.
Also, I would like to add that your payment was not released from your bank to our online payment company until the Friday evening and transferred to ourselves end of day Monday 4th. To ensure that you had a cake for your brother's Birthday we broke our policy of delivery without receiving full payment and delivered your cake in good faith.
In regards to the cake, it is the same chocolate sponge recipe that we have always used and have had many compliments from our customers Indeed, we have never had a complaint about it before and have had frequent reorders.
Unfortunately, as you have disposed of the cake, I am sure you understand I am unable to investigate your complaint further.
I am sorry I am unable to help you any more on this occasion.
Yours sincerely
Hopefully relieved Cake Shop
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I think that's perfect.
It's professional, without being rude or aggressive. However, it also lets her know you're not willing to be a pushover (especially when you've done nothing wrong).
It's very easy for me to be so confident ... after all, it's not my complaint.
When I had the complaint I felt sick and tearful for about 2 days until it was sorted. My customer did reply to the email I sent, telling her I couldn't investigate further - she said "I understand, but I won't be recommending you to anyone." Well, let's be honest. WHO in their right mind is honestly going to say to friends "I had a cake from xyz company... It was dry as cardboard but it's OK, because she gave me some money back... You should use order from them, too". NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. In reality, it would have been "I ordered a cake from xyz company and had to complain and get some money back because it was really dry." Who's going to place an order after a recommendation like that, eh?
Hope it all goes away now and you can carry on with nicer customers!
Suzanne x
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