I had a recent order which was booked last minute, and the customer haggled a lot over the price. She picked up the cake yesterday afternoon, and emailed me last night saying the cake was dry and flavorless and no one finished their piece.
I was shocked, because I got 2 other emails from customers who got their cakes from me yesterday (same cake, same buttercream & fondant) and they were all praise for the taste and design.
I replied to this customer saying I was very surprised she did not like it, and I have never ever received a negative review about the taste and texture of my cakes. I also told her about the positive reviews I got yesterday from the 2 other clients. I told her I stand behind my product and would be happy to make 6 free cupcakes for her, or a small cake, to prove that my cakes cannot be dry and flavorless.
She replied saying she'd rather get her money back as the cake was supposed to be the highlight of the party and they were very disappointed.
I still have the cake scraps from yesterday and they are moist and not dry at all. I am thinking she is trying to get her cake free, as she had bargained over the price back and forth quite a bit.
Should I refund her part of the amount, or just refuse? Thanks!
i just want to say i'm sorry you are going through this--it really sucks
are you going to have her return it to you? maybe as a last resort? stand firm first?
so not cool but part of doing business and why it's vital to be legal so you can stand your ground
Do you have a contract? Does it specify a return policy? Even in the absence of a contract for smaller orders there should be some fine print on your receipt that specifies a return policy based on the return of a product the customer deems inedible, and a refund or "product in exchange" policy. That prempts those who want to have their cake and their money too. No product, no refund.
I'd ask her to return the left over product. If she can't do so, no refund. If she has product to return, you have a starting point from which to go forward.
That is not cool, I am sorry for this.. I think when she said the cake was suppose to be the highlight of the party, yet she ordered it last min would have been a red flag for me. If it was the highlight why wait till the last min to order. You pulled through for her with a cake at last notice and I think your reply was proper.I think what K8 said is good too, ask her for the product back so you can do your own investigation. I would simply say to her
Thank you for making me aware of this issue. In this case in order for me to give a refund I must have some of the product back so I can test my product to make sure of this issue. Can I ask a couple questions 1: how were they stored? 2: what day did you serve them on?
Thank you I look forward to hearing from you to solving this matter
Thanks, cakeyouverymuch! Yes, it does say the following on my invoice -
"We are responsible for preparation and/or delivery, as discussed with customer and any changes to products after pick up/delivery is not our liability. No refunds/exchange/return on edible food products."
So you suggest asking this customer if she has any leftover cake? I am sure she must have thrown it out, or maybe left it uncovered, sitting somewhere, so it could have dried out?
Sounds to me like she just wanted a free cake.
People just don't want to pay for something that just gets consumed by others and leaves them with nothing to show for thier money. Sad, but true.
Thanks IzzySweet! Yes, the fact that she haggled over the price, and is now wanting her money back shows she didn't want to spend any money at all. What should I say to her if she replies saying she threw out the cake?
She had also said that a lady at her bank had heard of me and wanted to try me out, and had asked this customer to tell her how she liked my cake. Will she badmouth me now?
Thanks IzzySweet! Yes, the fact that she haggled over the price, and is now wanting her money back shows she didn't want to spend any money at all. What should I say to her if she replies saying she threw out the cake?
She had also said that a lady at her bank had heard of me and wanted to try me out, and had asked this customer to tell her how she liked my cake. Will she badmouth me now?
If she threw it out you will simply say that you have others from that same bake that went elsewhere that praised the taste and moistness.Without her product you can not do a tasting to find out if the cake was a refundable product.
Walmart or any other store will not give you a refund without returning the clothes or their product..if this girl wants a refund and the cake was dry than she would have kept it to show it to you..So what if she tells the girl at the bank, you have two others from that day that loved your product. It is too bad that you went out of your way to make this last min order for her and this is what you get.sometimes the good people get the crappy end of the stick.
So you suggest asking this customer if she has any leftover cake? I am sure she must have thrown it out, or maybe left it uncovered, sitting somewhere, so it could have dried out?
When I want my money back for a defective product, I normally return said product as proof that it was defective. Why would I expect anybody to simply take my word for it? At this point, 24 hours later, even if she had left it out, the inside should not be dry. There is a clear difference between the outside of a piece of cake which has been left uncovered, and the inside of the same product which has not been exposed to the air.
Did you ask her for the cake back? I mean, if it was so horrible then they must have leftovers for you to taste!! If she still has it and even if she left it uncovered, you can still cut a piece from the middle that wasn't exposed to air.
I hate mean people!! Someone is always wanting something for free!!!
So she replied saying she has the cake, "no one likes it. All that was cut was the day of the party". So I am going to ask her to meet me to get it back. What would be the plan of action now?
Taste the cake in front of her, see if it is dry and refund her the entire amount?
Thanks so much for your guidance, everyone! I haven't had this happen ever!!
Is it dry or did no one like it?? In the beginning she said it was dry, now she has it but nobody liked it hmmm.. if it is not dry it is not your fault anymore..if you taste it and it does not taste off (make sure you go for a piece right smack dab in the middle) then sorry she got what she paid for.
Here are her exact words pasted below from 3 separate email responses:
the texture & taste was no good. It was dry & flavorless and the fondant wad hard a chewy...no one finished their piece
We would rather have our money back. We were so disappointed! The cake was the main part of the party & when kids do not eat the cake you know something is wrong. im sorry this happend but you can understand how we feel.
no one likes it. All that was cut was day of party.
So I will taste it in front of her, and if it is not dry, tell her that I do not find it dry, and give her back the cake or get it back with me, and tell her I cannot refund her the money. I have a feeling she will start arguing with me right there, in the parking lot! Not sure how to handle this.....
bring your invoice with you because it states your policy. did she sign anything on the invoice? If it is not dry nothing should be refunded. Kids hate fondant and that would be her fault for ordering it. For children's parties I would talk them out of fondant. When it comes to kids ( I have many lol) if the first bite is yucky for them the hole cake is bad in their minds.It is rare you find a child that likes fondant.
Yes, I give the customer their copy of the invoice that states the policy that I mentioned earlier, and they also sign a delivery waiver taking responsibility for the cake.
If the cake is not dry, I will tell her that I cannot refund anything. If it is dry, how much should I refund?
Anyone? please advise! :) If the cake is indeed dry, (which I don't think it will), or if she starts arguing and fighting, should I refund, and how much? The order was $58 total.
Depends on how much is gone. It is easy for me to say that no one ate it. I feel for you here because of the situation especially because she has tripped over her own words with it being the center of attention but yet forgetting to order it till last min. The cake was only $58 question is did you deliver it? what was the cost of ingredients? How much time was put into this last min order?
i mean it all depends on how she kept it since the party too--it might be dry now
if it was a bad cake you should refund it all
if it was not a bad cake then...
i'm sorry this is over $58??? dang!
anyhow if it was not a bad cake then
- stand your ground even if she hyperventilates
- then offer her anything between 10% and 25% in order to protect your own self -- to keep your bp from sky rocketing
chances are she won't like those percentages so be prepared
i mean it all depends on how she kept it since the party too--it might be dry now
if it was a bad cake you should refund it all
if it was not a bad cake then...
i'm sorry this is over $58??? dang!
anyhow if it was not a bad cake then
- stand your ground even if she hyperventilates
- then offer her anything between 10% and 25% in order to protect your own self -- to keep your bp from sky rocketing
chances are she won't like those percentages so be prepared
I would have to agree...but my Italian self wants to slap this customer on the back of the head like my mama use to do to us.
Umm, maybe no one came to her party because she is a witch, with a B, and that it why there is cake left over. Yesterday was my daughter's party, and we had 1 girl here. Last year she handed out 14 invitations and 12 girls came, so I only gave her 8 this year, and she handed out 5. If I had ordered a cake, maybe I would be upset...
That's what I am thinking Kate.... depending on how she stored the cake, it might be dry now.... and yeah, I think she'll get into arguing and trying to prove her point.
I did spend time on the fondant details on the characters, I'll keep the 10-25% range in mind. Thank you so very much for all the help!!!
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