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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to only partially refund...

103 replies

NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 11:50

ok so...

i make cakes as a hobby and only charge for materials and maybe another £10 on top. i had an order request in november from a girl who works with my sister and she kept changing her mind on what she wanted. she wanted her cake for todays date.

i sent her a message in febuary confirming details and she sent me a picture of a cake she had seen and said she wanted this one (lilac icing, 1 tier with 24 cupcakes) i told her this would be £65 as materials for what she wanted amounted to around £55 factoring in electric to bake and petrol to run around buying things and she agreed to this price and wanted to pay there and then.

i made the cake, spent 2 days (evenings after work) baking and decorating it to how she has asked going from the pic she sent and put my own take on it (it really does look nice too)

she asked for a pic this morning before i was taking it to her house (15 miles away) this afternoon and she says she doesnt like it, the lilac is not the colour she wanted, she wants pink and she wants a 3 tier pink icing...nothing AT ALL like the sample pic she sent me...

i then received a call from her dad who proceeded to threaten me and said either i give a full refund with compensation or he will "sort you out, im warning you" (his exact words) and then sue me for the refundHmm

at this stage i had already offered a 50% refund but said i was not willing to refund the full amount just because she had changed her mind. alot of the original messages between myself and the girl had been via my facebook cake profile page and due to issues with FB i cant see the original messages (hate FB!) and messages were relayed between my sister and the girl and myself as she wouldnt contact me (mobile phone) herself...

so i suppose what im asking is, given the above info, if you were me, what would you do and AIBU to say no to giving a full refund?

TIA and sorry about the long message on such a petty issue as cake...

OP posts:
Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:08

gnome thats what i have found too... i have a woman who always tries to barter me down on priceHmm

callisto thanks for you comment, its good to consider both sides of the coin. although its not a "business deal" (or at least i dont consider it to be one) as i have said and regardless of how the conversation is held that doesnt give anyone the right to threaten me over a cake...the customer is also NOT always right...

this kind of thing puts me off considering ever expanding my "hobby" into a business...

OP posts:
RabidEchidna · 23/03/2012 13:11

Good lord how old is she 3?
She sounds a right brat, and her dad is an arsehole.

Both sound simple

chocolatebuttin22 · 23/03/2012 13:14

Working in retail te customer is not always right, most of the time they are wrong but u just have to humour them.
If you want to keep it as a hobby only take orders face to face and only go with friends or people you can trust etc. Make a simple order form clarifying specfic details and have both sign it, then hopefully any futher situations will not occur xx

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:19

rabid shes 21 so i can understand that its an important/special day and the cake should be what she wanted etc i made it nicer than the pic she sent (IMO and the opinion of everyone who has seen it) and she has changed her mind againHmm

OP posts:
Charleymouse · 23/03/2012 13:20

Nomore just being nosey but can we see the cake it souns delish. and her pic so we can laugh at her childish outburst
I wonder if she has asked for what she wanted but her parents wanted something more trad and they are not getting what they want. I mean who changes 1 tier and cupcakes into a 3 tier.

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:21

i was thinking about order forms etc last week so maybe its time i worked one out...i have been doing this for 2 years and this is the first time i have ever had a complaint...

OP posts:
Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:22

charley i will upload the pics in a secSmile

OP posts:
Charleymouse · 23/03/2012 13:25

Brill! Nosey emoticon. Have you agreed now on a partial refund? I would be hopping mad if I were you. If it is so important to her she should have been clear on exactly what she wanted.

Ratbagcatbag · 23/03/2012 13:27

Ok as I'm useless how do I see pics of the cake that your uploading (it may make me feel better as I'm off sick and sulking and I lurveeeee Cake Grin)

Tryharder · 23/03/2012 13:31

Well, in reality, I would probably refund her half just for a quiet life. But please, please, please go to the police and report the Dad. Who the actual fuck do people think they are? He needs to be reined in, sharpish.

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:35

i have uploads 2 pics first is her one second is mine...sorry my pic is dark and on the side...i will be taking it down later though...

OP posts:
PurpleRomanesco · 23/03/2012 13:36

In all fairness they are two completely different cakes...

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:38

i agree they are quite different but they are the same colours she was asking for and her picture was a busy mess. i said to her it wouldnt be exactly the same unless she specifically wanted it to be and she said she will leave it up to me and then moans when its different than what she had imagined...

OP posts:
Teeb · 23/03/2012 13:39

I think your cake looks really lovely, but it is very different to the original pic she sent.

Groovee · 23/03/2012 13:41

Well if she wanted the exact cake she should have gone to the original maker of her picture and probably find it costs a lot more than £65. She sounds like a spoilt brat who gets daddy to fight her battles.

Ratbagcatbag · 23/03/2012 13:42

I can see simalirities, I think your cake is much more tastefully done though, I really like your version! Yummy - Have a cake and coffee morning tomorrow!

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:45

thanksSmile it looks rather nice in person too (if i do say so myself) im tempted to have a cupcake with a cuppa now...

OP posts:
emsyj · 23/03/2012 13:49

Oooh I just saw from your profile that you're in Liverpool, I'm only across the water - give me the cupcakes!!!! And don't refund her.

I think you do need to be clear with people about 'interpretation' and not copying other designs. Why not do it 'properly' as a business? Set up a Facebook business page and upload pics, then think about doing some simple terms and conditions to set out your obligations and rights on each sale.

Callisto the materials to make this type of cake are phenomenally expensive - a friend made my wedding cake and it cost over £130 just for the cake ingredients and the icing. I think if you don't do this stuff yourself, you just don't have any clue how expensive it all is which is why the (several) friends (and my sister) I have who make cakes for people find that it's really hard to get people to pay even what it costs to make them. Sorry but the materials really are that expensive, even for quite a modest-sized cake.

kipperandtiger · 23/03/2012 13:51

OP - some businesses charge a non-refundable deposit for that reason. I would stick to the fifty per cent, and discuss with your local police about the father who has been making threats (the cake and the threats are two separate issues - the father cannot by law make intimidating physical threats like this regardless of how wronged he feels about his ....for goodness sake, £65. M & S would charge over £100 for what you've described - and they do take nonrefundable deposits.) Best

kipperandtiger · 23/03/2012 13:51

Best of luck, hope it all works out ok.

HairyLemon · 23/03/2012 13:53

I LOVE your version, the original version looks shit

She sounds like a right little madam, getting her Dad to ring FFS, how old is she 9?

ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 23/03/2012 13:56

Cant you just take the dolly mixture of the wires and put them on some shitty sticks for her? And if she still doesn't want it then no refund. As it was an informal non-business arrangement and she gave you the money she has no reason to get it back whether or not you had make the cake. She takes the risk buying a cutprice cake not through a legitimate business. Ignore her and do not refund. And think about setting up as a sole trader :-)

HipHopOpotomus · 23/03/2012 13:57

Your cake looks fab!!

Reading this reminds me of problems we have here at work (not cake or even food related). It's always the jobs where no money is concerned that = the biggest problems/hassles/work/nightmares. Can smell them coming now.

I wouldn't refund her at all - she ordered a cake, you delivered.

Enjoy your tea & cake!

Original poster
NoMoreMarbles · 23/03/2012 13:59

emsyj i am in liverpoolSmile DH has said he will happily "help" with dispatching the cupcakesGrin i can see us eating ALOT of cake in the next few days...good job i like cake (bang goes the diet though...)

i have toyed with the idea of registering it as a business but im not sure i want to make the commitment of running a 'proper' business IYSWIM i would rather make it as a one stop party planning kind of thing (my mum makes cards and invites and my sister and MIL do buffets all we need is ballons and flowers and we are there...)

OP posts:
HappyCamel · 23/03/2012 14:09

I'd say you need to be careful. You dont think of it as a business but you're taking orders from strangers, manufacturing a product and exchanging it for money, you also have a website that is advertising. Youve got HSE risk because you're kitchen needs assessing for hygiene certification, you need a basic food hygiene certificate and you should be paying tax on your profit. Even if you make a loss it's still a business. You don't need to go ltd company though, you could be a sole trader.

I'd get it sorted before someone makes trouble for you.

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