08/15/2026
A lesson learned from a recent custom-order experience
We’ve sat on this situation for quite some time and had no intention of discussing it publicly. We respect that every customer is entitled to their own opinion and experience. However, now that this customer has chosen to publicly speak negatively about our business, we feel it’s appropriate to share some context—not to identify or attack anyone, but to remind people that there are always two sides to a situation.
We completed a custom cupcake order for a gender reveal. The total was $116, including only a $20 custom-design fee. Before production, the customer received the invoice and approved the order through written messages, responding, “It looks perfect, thanks!” The invoice stated “bumble bee theme.” Her inspiration photos included bees, and she specifically said she was not particular about the fondant decorations and loved the honeycomb pieces and beehive-style frosting. At pickup, she saw the completed order and signed the invoice.
Approximately 26 hours later, after the cupcakes had been served, she requested an $80 refund. In her message, she referred to the order as costing “$160, $80 per dozen,” when the actual total was clearly $116. She was requesting $80 because she felt that was what the order was worth. Customers are absolutely free to decide whether our pricing is appropriate for them, but that decision is made when they receive our quote and choose whether to place the order—not after accepting a completed custom order and taking it to their event.
She also stated that she had just under half the cupcakes remaining. When asked to return them for inspection, she brought back approximately 4–6 cupcakes. She also told our employee she had 26 guests and was supposed to have 26 cupcakes, although our documented order was clearly for 24 (two dozen).
The remaining cupcakes had been stored in a cardboard, non-airtight box for more than two full days outside our possession. We inspected and sampled them, and they weren’t even as dry as we would reasonably expect cupcakes to be after sitting in those conditions for that length of time.
The customer disputed the full $116 charge as “Goods/Services Not as Described.” We submitted the invoice, written approvals, messages, inspiration photos, and other documentation available to us to Square. The dispute was ultimately decided in the customer’s favor.
The dispute was initiated almost three weeks after the order. Unfortunately, by that point we had misplaced the signed copy of the invoice from pickup and were unable to provide it as part of our evidence. As a result of this experience, we now retain signed invoices in a dedicated file for at least one year.
We have since learned that chargebacks are ultimately handled through the card network and the cardholder’s issuing bank. Even when a merchant provides documentation supporting their case, the final outcome is determined through the issuing bank’s dispute process, rather than by the merchant or Square. We were surprised by how little control a small business ultimately has over that decision.
As a small business, that outcome honestly feels like a form of legalized robbery. We provided the agreed-upon product, the customer approved the design, accepted the finished order, and served it at her event, yet the entire payment was ultimately taken back through the dispute process.
And while $116 may not seem like a huge amount to some people, every dollar matters to a small business. There are real people behind that $116—people who spent time mixing, baking, decorating, packaging, communicating with customers, and making the order happen. In this case, an employee was paid wages to do much of the work involved in creating this custom order. There are also ingredient costs, supplies, overhead, and countless hours of work that don’t disappear just because a payment is later reversed. When a small business loses payment for an order that has already been produced and delivered, that loss is absorbed by the business and ultimately affects the people behind it.
We also want to be clear that we are not claiming we are perfect. We are human, and there have absolutely been times when we have made mistakes. When we are genuinely in the wrong, we own it and have offered or issued refunds when appropriate. What is difficult about this situation is that we had extensive documentation supporting our side and still lost the full payment.
We’re sharing this because we believe our community deserves context before forming an opinion based on one side of a situation. We will continue to stand behind our work, treat our customers respectfully, and learn from every experience as we grow our small business.
Thank you to everyone who continues to support 350 Degrees Bake Shop. 🩷🩵
