That Final Demand Takes The Cake

(My company caters to a very wealthy clientele. We sell very high-end food items on our website and as such, we partner with businesses across the country who fulfill these orders. It is Christmas Eve, and I receive a call from a lady who breathlessly advises:)

Caller: “I have just witnessed the [Courier] delivery man throwing the box containing my Red Velvet Cake, and now the cake is ruined!”

(Instead of contacting the courier for remedy, she has angrily called us.)

Caller: “Do you know how important this cake is to the party I am throwing tonight?! Do you know how many of Who’s Who in Dallas will be in attendance?”

Me: “I am sorry, no, I do not know the answer to either of those questions. I can offer you a full refund on your purchase price, despite the fact that it is technically not a service failure of our business.”

Caller: “I will accept the refund, but what about my cake?”

Me: “I apologize, as it is now early afternoon on Christmas Eve, and we do not offer same-day delivery on gourmet items.”

Caller: *yelling* “I. WANT. MY. CAKE! I. WANT. MY. CAKE!”

Me: “I would be happy to send you a replacement cake on the 27th of December, but it is now beyond my ability to get a cake sent to you in time for your party tonight.”

Caller: “Oh, no. This is unacceptable. You, young lady, will be coming to my home to bake a cake for my party. Do you have a pen to write down my address?”

(I must admit that, given my pent-up frustration, I deigned to let out a laugh. This was NOT appropriate behavior on my part. Inevitably, she demanded to speak to a manager. I jotted down the order number so that I could look later to see how the situation was handled. Apparently, my company caters to the wealthy so much, that the manager called the very bakery that we partnered with in the city she lived in and as it turns out, this bakery was only ten minutes away from her home! I was left scratching my head as to why she would order a cake via a website that doubles the price of such an item, when she could have just as easily sent her “help” to get it in the first place! So, the manager arranged to rush a courier over to the bakery, because even though they did have one Red Velvet Cake left, they would be closing in half an hour. My company not only paid for the courier service, but also at company expense paid for the replacement cake. Remember, I had already refunded her $125 for the cake ruined by the careless or angry delivery dude. I was contacted later that day by my manager and given a bit of a slap on the wrist for my utterance of laughter at her demand that I would be coming to her home to bake a cake. Apparently, however, they had reviewed the recording of the call and said that they certainly understood why spontaneous laughter had erupted. The moral of this story is that there is a major luxury retailer based out of Dallas, Texas that will not only allow you to get away with bad behavior, but will also apparently reward you for it.)