Criticism is pouring in against a customer who demanded a refund for double the cost of a cake he purchased, claiming that a strand of hair was found in it.
On the 26th, a post from a self-employed person who received a complaint from a customer about a strand of hair found in a cake was posted on an online self-employed community titled, “It’s painful because I am the owner.”
The owner shared, “A man who seemed to be in his 40s or 50s called and started speaking in a tone full of complaints as soon as I picked up the phone. I apologized profusely and told him the hair seemed to have gotten in during the baking process. I offered to handle it as he wished, suggesting an exchange or a refund.”
The customer then asked, “How much is the cake?” and when the owner said it was 35,000 won (about $30), the customer demanded the owner send 70,000 won (about $60), which is double the cost of the cake.
The owner continued in her post, “I was taken aback when he said it as if it were a given, and I told him, ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t send you the money. I can refund your money, and although it might be inconvenient, I can also provide a new cake.'”
However, the customer warned, “If you don’t send me 70,000 won, I won’t take the money, and I’ll post it on the internet.”
The owner shared that her heart was racing, writing to her community of fellow entrepreneurs who also understood how much a bad review can impact sales. She continued, “I could send the 70,000 won. But honestly, I was so angry, and it felt like this wasn’t his first time doing something like this. So I couldn’t do it.”
When the owner’s husband took over the phone call, the customer threatened with, “I’ve recorded our conversation,” “I know someone at the Food and Drug Administration,” and “How many square feet is your store?”
The owner said, “I kept saying it wouldn’t work, but he wouldn’t hang up and kept telling me to send the 35,000 won, so I did. He also told me to send a text saying I would give him another cake, so I did that too. He told me that I should apologize in person in cases like this and to ‘just wait and see’ before hanging up.”
She added, “I understand that it was my mistake and I need to be careful about hair getting in the products, but I don’t think it had to go this far. My heart was racing, and I was shocked that there were people like this. I’m scared of what he might do if he comes in person.”
rong@news1.kr
