Cake Designers beware!

I recently had an issue arise that I wanted to make my readers aware of. I post this for the people that, although they are new cake designers, they sell cakes to others.

I don't sell my cakes so to speak. I only charge for the ingredients, so that I might get some practice at something I really enjoy doing as a hobby. I can't afford to make all the cakes I make, and I can't eat all the cake I need to make in order to get practice. This is why I do cakes for family and friends and only charge for ingredients. It is a win/win situation for everyone involved.

But recently, I had an incident that crushed me to the core, and I wanted to share it with you for a couple of reasons. First, because I needed a forum to vent my frustration and two, because I would really hate to see this catch someone else unaware as it caught me.

I would like to know what you would do in this situation:

How do you respond to this: 1) "cake customer" orders a cake at last minute, 2) picks up a day early (thank goodness I just finished it), 3) you only charge them for ingredients (someone I know), 4) calls and tells you cake collapsed and they had to buy another cake from Walmart, 5) you find out that this cake (a wedding cake to boot) was not only not collapsed, but also eaten and enjoyed by wedding party. 6) bride cries when she finds out what her friend (the one that ordered the cake) had done and this makes cake maker feel like crap even though she didn't do it intentionally. How should the cake designer respond? Please let me know how you would feel, and how you would respond.

I would also like to add this...the cake "customer" was a family relative who purchased the cake for a "family friend" who was the bride the cake was for. The cake designer found out that the cake didn't collapse and was eaten by the wedding party from the "family friend" at the cake designer's niece's wedding where all three were in attendance. Now "family friend" is upset that "customer" lied to the cake designer about her cake, and cake designer is upset with "customer" because she lied to her. Especially since the "cake designer" can't say anything to the "customer" at her niece's wedding, because she doesn't want to cause a disturbance there.

Sounds like a soap box opera...doesn't it. Well, I just wanted others to be aware that just because a cake is for a family member don't think that everything will go smoothly. Sometimes family members can be the worse people to fix cakes for. I don't have any further contact with the "customer", and I will never make her another cake...ever. I just wanted to vent, and I needed a place to vent. I was very upset by the whole situation since she lied, but she also went around and trashed my cake making skills to everyone. I am new to this whole thing, so I am very self-conscious anyway. When I had this happen, I almost said to the devil with it, I am not making any more cakes. But, I have since calmed down and I try not to let the stupidity of ONE person sway my desire to learn. Wedding cakes are a really big deal, and to think you made a bride do without a wedding cake, or to have to have a chain store bought cake is devistating. I thought I messed up this bride's wedding day, and you can imagine how that made me feel, only to learn that the customer lied to me.

BEWARE!