Issues with a client

Need advice. I've been running my little cake business from my house. Mainly baking for friends. Well I was encouraged to start a Facebook page to sell my cakes so I did. This past weekend I filled an order for a customer. They loved the look of the cake but said it tasted horrible. I did two other cakes with the same mix and the customers said they were wonderful. This customer ordered a 3 tier cake made to look like a Minion with little gum paste minions all over it and 2 dozen cupcakes. I charged her $80 for everything. Usually I try to bake fresh but I knew I had several coming up at once so I had baked a week earlier and frozen these cakes. The cupcakes were baked he night before delivery. It was a heavy cake. When the customer served the cake they said it was wet and tasted nasty then they demanded a full refund. In the meantime the customer's mother-in-law went on Facebook and started ranting about how I over charged her daughter and how white people are like that taking advantage of people all the time etc. it has now become a race issue and I'm being slandered on Facebook. She asked all her friends to comment and said they were going to sue me over all their medical bills. Just as a side note the cake had defrosted for two days before it was assembled so it wasn't frozen and it wasn't wet when it was delivered wet cake cannot stand up to the weight on it and will crumble no matter how much support is inside. Anyway this has become a nightmare for me. She even posted a pic I sent the girl from a week earlier of one of the gum paste minions and comments were made that no wonder the cake was nasty it was started that early. As we all know you can't make gum past decorations overnight and have them dry and hold their shape. All that aside does anyone have any advice for me? I'm so upset about this I'm loosing sleep and have gone so far as to take down my Facebook page.

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Permalink Reply by Darlene McInnis on September 2, 2015 at 9:57am

I realize the price I charged was way under, but our area doesn't support high end prices. I really enjoy challenging myself with different ways to do cake. I've been in business for a little over a year and a half and this is the very first time anyone has had a problem with my cakes. Just about all of my customers are from word of mouth or from tasting a cake I did for someone else, and they are all repeat customers. This still bothers me because I know I was taken advantage of by people with the entitlement mentality, "give me, give me give me and I don't have to work for any of it". Too many people these days have that mentality and don't want to work or pay for anything. I'm sticking to known customers from now on. Yes, it will stifle the business, but then it's not my main source of income. BTW the cake was a 12", 8" and 6"

Jim Ford said:

Hello, I also run a cake business, mostly custom 3D cakes...At this point I would just give the refund and chalk one up to a lesson learned, people who want to take advantage of you will. I pick and choose my client very well and fortunately I haven't run into problems. But to save me grief I would give the refund with a smile and apology...all part of doing business. Don't beat yourself up about it! PS. Don't know the size of your cake, but it seems to me you way undercharged for a 3 tier and 24 cupcakes.

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