To not want to issue them a refund?

[Onlyjoinedtopost]

I run a cake business, and today I had somebody collect a cake order. 3 tiers, 2 tiers iced with fondant and the middle tier iced with buttercream icing as specifically requested in their original order. As it was fairly last minute, she did a bank transfer of the whole amount when I said only a deposit was necessary and then final payment on the day.

I offered to deliver it as the party was around 40 miles away and I have a special cool box in my car and am also aware of being delicate when delivering a cake as I know I need to be gentle etc. She insisted on collecting it herself, fine by me that’s your personal choice. I advised her to put cake (in heavy duty box) either in the boot or on a flat surface so footwell or something, so it was as flat as possible. She put it on the back seat and put the seatbelt round the box.

She messaged me after she got home to say the cake box slid off the seat onto the floor which crushed the cake to the point it was beyond being saved. She has demanded a full refund as I have ‘ruined the party’. Wibu to not refund her? I am genuinely gutted as I know how upset she must be, but I had taken every step I possibly could to ensure the cake made it in one piece, supportive dowles inside, extra cake boards between each tier, heavy duty cake box, advice about transporting etc

Of course YANBU

No refund. Not one jot your responsibility. To guard against further CFery put in your T & Cs that if cakes are transported by the buyer you have no responsibility for loss or damage sustained after the cake leaves your premises. She is trying it on, massively.

I got 5 reviews from everyone but someone gave me 4 because the book (as in the story, not the condition of the book) wasn't as good as they thought it would be!

Some people are absolute self-obsessed idiots who shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the internet:
"Beautiful, high quality piece of furniture, but my alcove was smaller than I remembered and it didn't fit, so useless - 1-star"
"My dog got to the door before me and shredded it. Completely ruined now - 1-star"

And the not-uncommonly-seen dingbats who don't understand that 5-stars should be the expected norm unless there is actually a reason to deduct any.
"It's a sweeping brush - what more can I say? It works exactly as expected - 3-stars"

If she tried to give you a bad review you can always give a political reply
'I'm so sorry you were unhappy with this purchase. I always offer to deliver the cake myself however on this occasion you declined. I gave you specific advise on how to transport the cake yourself however you decided against this and sadly the beautiful cake suffered the consequences'
If she sent you it all then make sure you keep it, screenshot it if need be.

Apologies if I've missed this. You say she has a very large social media following? How large?

I can see why, as a small business, you would be inclined to just give a refund. I don't think you should be bullied though.

I can see why, as a small business, you would be inclined to just give a refund. I don't think you should be bullied though

I definitely agree with this.

I run a digital marketing company. My advice to clients in situations like this would be: -

"The digital age has meant people are able to manipulate for refunds where previously they wouldn't have had their assumed people power behind them. The only time you should offer a refund is if you were at fault.

Never remove a negative review but reply politely, calmly and address the situation. Let the situation work in your favour."

I always put more credence on negative reviews and how they’re handled. It’s easy to tell if the comments are justified or not and the response tell a lot about the business manager or owner. Don’t be intimidated because of a high social media following, just have a calm and carefully crafted reply ready if needs be.

I agree with JacquesHammer.

Definitely be polite though.

I would be put off if I saw a negative reviewer where the business owner had replied rudely to the customer, even if the customer is clearly at fault.

I agree with a PP's suggestion that you could offer free delivery on a future order as a gesture. I'd only do this if they leave a negative review and you are forced to reply to it though. It's something the customer will probably never take you up on (and even if they do they will have to spend more money with you first), but it looks like a reasonable gesture without admitting fault in any way.

If you already do offer free delivery then simply point this out in your reply.

I saw a post on a facebook local business verty recently which was obviously pre-empting a bad review. it went along the lines of Following a very upset customer recently can I please take the opportunity to remind everyone that (there followed a list of that particular businesses recommendations that their customer had obviosuly ignored).

If she leaves a bad review just reply with screen shots of her admitting that it was her that smashed it.

@PuppyMonkey

My DP runs a decorative glass business.

Is your husband Jake from Sweet Home Alabama?

I like the idea by @AlexanderHamilton to pre-empt any bad reviews or feedback by posting about your delivery advice.

You don't have to say anything about the customer.

Just something along the lines of:

If you buy one of our cakes we recommend you take advantage of our delivery service to ensure your cake reaches it's destination safely.

We transport our cakes using a reinforced cool box to keep them fresh, and we ensure the cake is kept level at all times to minimise the risk of damage.

The delivery service is free / costs £X which covers delivery costs and insurance should the cake be damaged in transit.

If you prefer to collect and transport the cake yourself we do offer all our customers advice on how to do so safely by keeping the cake level, and we also ensure the cake is in a strong box before it leaves us.

We do not advise placing the cake on a car seat for transportation.

We can take no responsibility for any damage to the cake once it is in your possession and it won't be covered by our insurance if it is damaged in transit or otherwise once it has been collected by you.

Get ahead of it. Put a nice, but informative post about saying there was an incident and reminding people when picking up cakes that they need a heavy duty box and to keep it flat at all times, and remind them that you also deliver if need be for their peace of mind! But if they choose not to you're not responsible once the cake has left your care. Then if she leaves a bad review you've already outed it.

Afraid not @ShumpaLumpa

All I can really add is what I do when looking at reviews. If I see almost all 5 and a few 1, I check the 1s. Very often they say things like, this product isn't what I thought it would be...and I think well you were an idiot then weren't you!

If I saw your business had a bad review from someone who had trashed their own cake having ignored the advice of the seller on transportation I would a) think they were a complete idiot b) take your delivery advice more seriously for my own purchase.

So win win.

Don't be afraid of unreasonable bad reviews...they could do more good than harm!

Is your husband Jake from Sweet Home Alabama?

If he is I will be massively jealous.

I'd definitely (sorry if I've misread) get a collection sheet sorted for future customers wanting to risk moving a cake themselves.

YY to this. Shame you have to do that (you could always introduce it with a 'just to protect myself legally' smile), but it's people like this who necessitate the "Water from hot tap is hot", "This packet of nuts contains nuts" and "Do not put your arms through the lion cage" notices.

I saw a post on a facebook local business verty recently which was obviously pre-empting a bad review.

Did this remind anybody else of Father Ted's announcement before the raffle for a new car that they'd rigged for Dougal to win, telling people that "It's not unheard of for the organisers to actually win the raffle, so just to let you know, don't be surprised if it should happen again this evening"

All I can really add is what I do when looking at reviews. If I see almost all 5-stars and a few 1-stars, I check the 1s. Very often they say things like, this product isn't what I thought it would be...and I think well you were an idiot then weren't you!

one bad review out of many good ones wont put anyone off and like i said earlier you reply with the facts and noone will even think shes right

Mebbes this is how she gets free cakes for events, @Onlyjoinedtopost ?

She gets one baker to make her a lovely 🎂. She smashes it, takes a photo, gets a refund.

Thereafter she orders identikit cakes from a range of other bakers, tells them it got smashed, and shows them the photo of the original smashed 🎂?

Cynic, me?

YANBU

I collected my own wedding cake, 2 tiers and did exact same thing! DM and DS helped to stick it back in place, there would have been no way I would have dared asked for a refund due to my driving skills and lack of thought about collecting the cake, i should have taken someone with me to hold it!

Do not refund and tell her she is BU!

Agree with the idea of putting up a post reminding customers how to transport cakes
Safely and stating that you're always happy to deliver for peace of mind.

When spotting a negative review I always take note of how the seller/service provider responds. If you remained polite and professional nobody you will come out if this smelling of roses.

I bet by now her friends and family have told her she's bonkers expecting a refund and she will have already wound her neck in!

She is the type who uses neg refuses to bully refunds out of people and get stuff for free. You can spot these types a mile away on reviews. I wouldn't give her a refund at all but she'll probably try to blackmail you by threatening a bad review. Nowadays people can spot this type of scam, too.

Hi guys! Another further update for you. She has messaged me 8 more times today, asking when she will get her refund. She has also started to message my personal social media accounts as well as my business accounts. One message said “I didn’t even like the cake anyway” so definitely a CF!!