Just got an email from a customer wanting to know if her deposit would be returned after she paid the remaining balance of her order.
Good grief! I always say it applies toward the purchase price, just in case, but I have never had anyone ask.
The answer is "no." You could ask her why she thinks she would get her deposit back, since it's part of the cost of her cake.........
AThere's nothing wrong with giving her the deposit back, you would just need to adjust the balance due to include the deposit. Just hand her the deposit in cash and she can hand it right back to you along with the rest of the balance. :D
A]
Original message sent by Annabakescakes
Good grief! I always say it applies toward the purchase price, just in case, but I have never had anyone ask.
^^^^Ditto
Or sure if she wants to complicate things give her a deposit back like Jason suggested adjust your cost.
Maybe she's confused, is she trying to rent a cake?!
AActually - technically a deposit IS something that is returned.
Use the word 'retainer' instead.
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Original message sent by Godot
Actually - technically a deposit IS something that is returned.
I sure wish the seller thought that when I put down a 3% earnest money deposit on my house. Deposits are only returned if they are indicated as refundable deposits in the contract and the relevant conditions are met.
I sure wish the seller thought that when I put down a 3% earnest money deposit on my house. Deposits are only returned if they are indicated as refundable deposits in the contract and the relevant conditions are met.
Godot is right, though, my attorney said that you should use the word "retainer" if you don't intend to give the money back under any circumstances. "Deposit" can be interpreted as something that's put down against the cost of a finished product, and if they cancel and don't get the finished product the customer can argue that they should get the deposit back. If you say "retainer" then it's implied that the fee is to secure your services as well, so it isn't necessarily refundable. But I'm sure that someone with a weasely attorney could argue it either way if they wanted to take it that far.
My deposits are fully refundable right up until 8 weeks prior to the event. So far I've had one customer confused about it. Correct or not, I'm pretty sure if I started calling it a retainer, I'd start having more confused people.
My deposits are fully refundable right up until 8 weeks prior to the event. So far I've had one customer confused about it. Correct or not, I'm pretty sure if I started calling it a retainer, I'd start having more confused people.
Confused people is one thing there will never be a shortage of.
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Original message sent by costumeczar
Godot is right, though, my attorney said that you should use the word "retainer" if you don't intend to give the money back under any circumstances.
Or "nonrefundable deposit".
Although technically a deposit is to be given back people put deposits on things all the time with the assumption that the deposit goes towards the total cost of the product or service that you are receiving or using, for example a deposit on a holiday is not given back while you are on holiday or a deposit on a car is not returned when you pick up and pay the balance of money owing for the car.
That is very funny (love the face palm analogy). You could tell her that the deposit is refundable but the balance owing on the cake is the same as when you first quoted it so she will still have to give you that money plus any remaining outstanding balance.
Honestly I think some people do not connect their brain to their mouth before they speak, this girl sounds like hers might still be parked in neutral.
It may be helpful to explain in your contract that the balance owing is the total cost minus the deposit.
Thanks for the laugh.
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Original message sent by bubs1stbirthday
Although technically a deposit is to be given back people put deposits on things all the time with the assumption that the deposit goes towards the total cost of the product or service that you are receiving or using, for example a deposit on a holiday is not given back while you are on holiday or a deposit on a car is not returned when you pick up and pay the balance of money owing for the car.
That is very funny (love the face palm analogy). You could tell her that the deposit is refundable but the balance owing on the cake is the same as when you first quoted it so she will still have to give you that money plus any remaining outstanding balance.
Honestly I think some people do not connect their brain to their mouth before they speak,[B] this girl sounds like hers might still be parked in neutral. [/B]
It may be helpful to explain in your contract that the balance owing is the total cost minus the deposit.
Thanks for the laugh.
Bahahahahahaaaaahhhahaha!!!
That's true. No matter what you do there's always the odd exception. Like that person who decided I sold her a dummy cake and didn't think to try cutting into to it just in case she might find that chocolate cake she'd ordered.
AQuote: Originally Posted by costumeczar View Post
Confused people is one thing there will never be a shortage of.
That's true. No matter what you do there's always the odd exception. Like that person who decided I sold her a dummy cake and didn't think to try cutting into to it just in case she might find that chocolate cake she'd ordered.
This cracks me up every time I think of it and I was telling someone about it just yesterday!
A
Original message sent by howsweet
That's true. No matter what you do there's always the odd exception. Like that person who decided I sold her a dummy cake and didn't think to try cutting into to it just in case she might find that chocolate cake she'd ordered.
I remember that one...I'll add the woman who complained that all I did to decorate a beach cake was to "throw some real shells on it." I told her they were all made out of sugar and hand painted, and she was silent for a minute then said "well, I didn't get to eat any of them."
Edited to add: I should have said "madam, your IQ is not my problem."
Edited to add: I should have said "madam, your IQ is not my problem."
At that pint I think I would have wondered if their IQ was either their shoe size or room temperature.
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