First Time Someone Has Complained On A Cake Of Mine?

Business By shorn0099 Updated 25 Oct 2013 , 5:52pm by BrandisBaked

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shorn0099 Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:21pm
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AI'm not sure what I did wrong... She sent a picture and I altered the size to serve the amount of people she needed. She met me in public and was so excited and then went to her car and texted me about 5 minutes later saying this "(1/2) Hey are you still here....I know I said dat I liked da cake however I really don't... can we negotiate something because it really doesn't look like da picture I sent u n I don't think it's worth da $45...I just didn't want 2 seem ungrateful or offend u". The only problem that happened was the fondant folded a tiny bit and the bottom on the side but it wasn't that noticeable but i am no proffesional I work out of my house. I cut her a huge deal considering she asked me to do it last minute the night before! What does everyone think of this situation? Here are some pictures..[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3123457/width/200/height/400[/IMG]

122 replies
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matthewkyrankelly Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:36pm
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Well executed.  Very well done.  The letters could have been a little cleaner at the edges.

 

However, with only 24 hours notice and you only charged $45?  You should really have a minimum price for something like that. She got a bargain.  Other than the cleaning up the letters, the work is good.

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Norasmom Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:40pm
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You charged appropriately, many would charge more!

She is cheap, plain and simple.

so email her back u r chp.

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Cakespirations Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:43pm
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I agree, the only thing I see is the letters could be a little cleaner. outside of that, for short notice it looks amazing. She got a rocking booty-licious deal ;)

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Cakespirations Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:44pm
post #5 of 123

Quote:

Originally Posted by Norasmom 
 

You charged appropriately, many would charge more!

She is cheap, plain and simple.

so email her back u r chp.

 

:-D

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shorn0099 Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:54pm
post #6 of 123

AThank you! I agree the letters were ehhh.. It was 2 in the morning and I was exhausted! Haha

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shorn0099 Posted 19 Oct 2013 , 11:56pm
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AI ended giving her $10 back too just to keep her from complaining and leaving happy. However my husband was extremely upset that I did that!

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MBalaska Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 12:01am
post #8 of 123
Quote:
Originally Posted by shorn0099 
........"" can we negotiate something because it really doesn't look like da picture I sent u n I don't think it's worth da $45.......

translation: "I conned you into making a cake that looks like a buttox, now give it to me REAL CHEAP, cause I know you can't sell it to anyone else, and you won't throw it away after all the time & money & energy that I know you put into it."

 

hmmmmm I would have declined her offer and taken a big bite out of her butt cake right in front of her.  then said  'Yummy this is delicious cake."

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kikiandkyle Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 1:12am
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AWhen you market yourself as a cheap baker you will get cheap clients. People who want as much as possible for as little as possible. Grocery store prices are only going to attract people who should be buying their cake at the grocery store.

Do yourself a favor and get a little more respect for yourself and your time. Was that $10 you had left over after paying your expenses really worth staying up until 2am for? Would you accept $1 an hour as a wage from any other employer?

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BrandisBaked Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 1:45am
post #10 of 123

AIf it was supposed to be a booty cake and not a booby cake, I can see why she would not be happy. However if it was in fact a set of knockers, I'd say you did a pretty good job.

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SweetCarolines Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 1:54am
post #11 of 123

Ugh. Instead of giving her the $10 you should've used that money to buy her a dictionary. 

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JWinslow Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 3:15am
post #12 of 123

Quote:

Originally Posted by SweetCarolines 
 

Ugh. Instead of giving her the $10 you should've used that money to buy her a dictionary. 


LOL!  ;-D

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cakefat Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 3:56am
post #13 of 123

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorn0099 

"(1/2) Hey are you still here....I know I said dat I liked da cake however I really don't... can we negotiate something because it really doesn't look like da picture I sent u n I don't think it's worth da $45...I just didn't want 2 seem ungrateful or offend u". 

 

Just based upon her text above and her clear refusal to use (or learn) proper language, spelling, grammar, etc... I would not have given her any refund. 

 

Besides it was only $45. How could you have earned any profit at all?

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shorn0099 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 4:16am
post #14 of 123

A[@]kikiandkyle[/@] I couldn't agree with you more. I feel really stupid for doing it, I just didn't want to argue. My husband had to walk away because he was so upset with me for doing it. I have learned my lesson though! Thank you everyone, I have felt really discouraged after this incident and you all have made me feel so much better!

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kikiandkyle Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 4:19am
post #15 of 123

AI didn't mean to sound so harsh! But I'm glad you got the point. I know it's hard to turn down work but not all work is profitable.

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morganchampagne Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 4:34am
post #16 of 123

AI know how this is going to sound but I'm going to say it anyway.

Having a minimum order amount keeps away riff raft like that. Consider doing that when you redo your pricing structure

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BrandisBaked Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 4:41am
post #17 of 123

ASo just out of curiosity, was it supposed to be boobs or a butt?

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shorn0099 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 5:11am
post #18 of 123

AIt's a butt...

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maybenot Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 5:37am
post #19 of 123

And it most certainly looks like a butt and it's very well done....

 

Your customer was being a yutz and had no right to complain.

 

I'd have said, "Yes, I'm still here.  Please come back with the cake so that we can work this out."

 

I doubt that she'd have come back, but if she did, I'd have taken the cake, handed her back the $45 and cut myself a slice right in front of her.

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IowaBaker Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 5:56am
post #20 of 123

Quote:

Originally Posted by maybenot 

I'd have said, "Yes, I'm still here.  Please come back with the cake so that we can work this out."

 

I doubt that she'd have come back, but if she did, I'd have taken the cake, handed her back the $45 and cut myself a slice right in front of her.

Yes, this! I think she just wanted a discount. That was a very rush order and you did a very good job in a very short time. I wouldn't do that for her again. Next time she can go to the grocery store bakery.

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cakestomuch Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 7:00am
post #21 of 123

AIf I was your husband I would also be very upset. You probably worked for about $2.00 an hour. Would you work at a regular job for this pay? I would never have given her back any money. She probably knew that you could not sell it to anyone else, but she also wouldn't have such a nice cake for the party. You would not want her friends as customers so if she was to bad mouth you it would be a blessing in disguise. They are probably as cheap as her. Also you don't want to be known as the cheap cake lady. In this business you have to grow a backbone and stand up for yourself. Good luck in the future.

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rebecca67e Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 7:18am
post #22 of 123

blah....some people...

 

can we see a pic of the original that she sent you? just out of curiosity :-) I think your cake is nicely done.

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wendelynb Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 8:15am
post #23 of 123

A[SIZE=3][/SIZE]i thought that you did a nice job on her cake, I do agree with the others about the lettering but with so little notice she is lucky to have found anyone other than a grocery store that would accommodate such short turn around. I think I know why she didn't go to a grocery store though, most if them won't do that type of cake, they stick with the catalogued themes and are somewhat limited in how creative they can be partly due to the difficulty in pricing highly customized cakes, with 1/2 dozen people taking orders the interpretation on difficulty is relative to that person and there is no consistency. Maybe the person that takes your order is a decorator, maybe they work in the deli who knows. This is not due to lack of creativity or know how of staff by any means but more restricted by policy. They also wouldn't usually do the more risqué type of thing, at least I've never seen one in a grocery store book :). As for your cake, and this is just my thoughts and humble opinion which have nothing to do with the quality but more a design comment/suggestion. I'm not sure but I think that "the butt" possibly could have used a bit of lower back attached to it to further the butt look rather than boob-age. I guess that would make it the "baby got back" cake :-D. I am only stating that strictly as constructive criticism for next time because I know without a doubt that would mean more product, and more cost that she no doubt wouldn't have paid for and/or possibly approved from the beginning. That being said, I think your cake was nicely done, it's obvious that it took some time and effort to give her something that you would put your name on and she would be proud to present. I think it's highly unlikely that you will ever see/hear from her again which I am sure breaks your heart. If you did I think that I would as politely as I could muster, I would tell her that there is no way that you would have time to do her cake, you've had so much positive feedback from your customers that business is booming and it would be impossible to fit her in. There are people in this world that no matter what you would have done or given her, she would have found a reason to complain and try to get something for nothing. These are the same people that raise cain in absolutely everything they do for their personal gain no matter the cost of others, and are the very same ones responsible for frivolous lawsuits. They likely have no skills of their own and therefore no sense of pride in what they do because what they do is constantly strive to perfect the art of complaint.

Don't sell yourself short, keep working towards your goal of being as good as you can be and continue growing a lucrative business doing what you love. I know being a business owner, that it's easier to keep one disgruntled customer happy than constantly defending yourself all over the internet because she has posted her negative feedback in every business rating phone book site you can find on the internet. So, did you do the right thing...possibly, it's impossible to say from a business standpoint. By doing what you did; did you earn a customer by not having negative feedback posted somewhere/likely everywhere? It will drive you insane letting people get over on you like that, look at the comments of others and how upset they were to hear of your experience. Just a thought but maybe looking at it from a damage control perspective helps (?). We can't rely solely on our loyal customers to support our businesses if we want it to grow; there are after all only so many birthdays and special occasions. For the record, you do nice work and did a nice job on her cake and as frustrating as it may be I think you probably did the right thing. Sometimes you have to just let it go and know who not to do business with in the future. Remember when these things happen we gain experience. Experience after all should equal knowledge. Just my [S]$.02[S] piggy bank worth :)[/S][/S]

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wendelynb Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 8:19am
post #24 of 123

A[SIZE=3][/SIZE]One more thing and I promise I will shut up. Where did she come from, was she a referral or do you have a storefront and she was a walk in off the street or what ? And I too would love to see what her example looked like.

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BrandisBaked Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 1:05pm
post #25 of 123

AOk, I'm just trying to be real with the OP. The cake she made looks like boobs, not a butt. There is no tailbone or back. The fondant looks smooth and if it were supposed to be boobs, I would see no problem with the cake. However, if the customer ordered a butt cake, I can see why she didn't like it. It doesn't look like a butt.

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Godot Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 2:04pm
post #26 of 123

ANope, it doesn't look like a bum at all. It's a good job, but boobs it is.

To the OP, please stop disrespecting yourself, your time and your skills - start charging more than a pittance. Your hubs was right to be POd.

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Claire138 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 2:19pm
post #27 of 123

Quote:

Originally Posted by morganchampagne 

I know how this is going to sound but I'm going to say it anyway.

Having a minimum order amount keeps away riff raft like that. Consider doing that when you redo your pricing structure
 

 

I agree.

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shorn0099 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 2:31pm
post #28 of 123

A[IMG]http://cakecentral.com/content/type/61/id/3123761/width/200/height/400[/IMG]p Here is the original.. I thought it looked like a butt since she wanted no lower back to it at all and those were the only pans I had and for the time she told me. I could not run out all over looking it was 7pm the day before. Oh well... I tried and learned from this experience...

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wilsonkl33 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 2:53pm
post #29 of 123

i think people always want something for nothing. i have had someone do that to me said they loved the cake did not even pay me then texted me the next day saying she did not like it. it was a two teir hello kitty fondant cake i was so upset i just said no charge like she was ever intending on paying me. i think this lady should have told you to your face so that you could explain to her that you already cut her a huge deal and did it last minute. i am sorry but a bakery shop would have charged her wayyyyyyyyyy more for last  minute request at least. i still think you should get paid for your services

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remnant3333 Posted 20 Oct 2013 , 3:24pm
post #30 of 123

I would put her and any of her friends on the "no cake for you" list!!! You did a pretty good job for last minute notice and the cake looked great!!! You definitely do not need clients such as her or her friends!!!

Like someone said you probably made nothing on that one!! Just use this as a learning curb not to get caught in a trap like that again!!!

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