Why Tho? I want to support local businesses, but flaky cake baker makes me rethink this stance

To Lizzy,

Although I am struggling here, I truly want to help small companies in my town. A local baker sent a vanilla lemon cake instead of the chocolate raspberry cake I ordered for my mom’s birthday last year, but the cake was still wonderful. She excused herself by saying that she had tried her best to remember all the instructions before her computer died when I texted her to ask what had happened.

For my mom’s birthday this year, I purchased a cake again because I wanted to give her another chance. This time, she texted me hours before she was meant to deliver it, saying she would have to give me a refund since she forgot to create the cake and her computer died.

What’s happening? Given how unprofessional she is and how strangely identical her explanations are, should I tell her that I will never again receive a cake from her?

Daughter Without Cake

Dear Daughter Without Cake,

Oh no! This individual appears to be having a lot of trouble staying composed.

Although I do feel sorry for this woman, not everyone is cut out for the challenges of running a business. She has made serious errors twice. I doubt I would have placed another order with her after the first one, when she made the cake entirely incorrect. However, you did. You gave her another chance, which was nice of you, but she blew it.

What do you owe her, then?

You owe her nothing, in my opinion, unless you know her personally.

Accept the reimbursement and move on.

I can see why you might want to explain to her how she made a mistake and why you won’t be going back, but is it really necessary? Hearing it from you won’t help her much if she doesn’t understand how she went wrong. She may become defensive or upset, and you don’t need to waste your time on that.

Or she is aware of her mistakes and keeps making them. She did the right thing in one way: she gave you a refund, so at least you won’t lose any money and she won’t profit from this circumstance.

One option is to wait a week or two, give it some thought, and then post a straightforward, emotionless review on Google or Yelp.

In every other case, you should move on. However, the concept of engaging with small local companies should not be tarnished by this experience. Find another small baker to purchase cakes from, but perhaps this time check online reviews before placing your order.

I wish you luck!

Lizzy

Do you have a pressing question? My email address is [email protected]. Alternatively, you may use this Google form to ask me a question in complete anonymity.

See Why Tho? for additional information.