Comments on: Let them eat cake, but not today!

By: Cathy Medina

Cathy Medina — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:41:28 +0000

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By: Suzy Ogé

Suzy Ogé — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:05:34 +0000

Thanks for your comment Collette. We were weekly customers there for years, so it was not a first impression. The more I work with small businesses, the more I push myself to spend money with the business owners I want to support.

By: Colette

Colette — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 11:27:27 +0000

Hi Suzy,

Can’t believe this is the same bakers! I’ve been a customer for about a year now and although they are not near my home I make the effort to go.
All the staff have been so nice to me from my first visit . They can’t be more helpful despite the fact I still don’t speak Dutch. They offer an explanation when I ask what things are and have even let me taste some of the fabulous Dutch Christmas treats.
I have gone in expecting to buy cakes especially in the summer and they have been sold out, so can understand your frustration.
They say first impressions are lasting but having gotten off on the wrong foot with others in the past don’t they deserve another try?

By: Suzy Ogé

Suzy Ogé — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:51:04 +0000

It was already a big step to mention the business name of the “provider of poor service”, so I am glad you didn’t mention any nicknames here. But thanks to your Twitter Tip, I’ve got it. Actually two could apply in this case.

Sometime soon, I would love to discuss your approach to customer delight?

By: Happy hotelier

Happy hotelier — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:37:14 +0000

Hi Suzy
Missed you today unfortunately.
Next time we meet irl I will disclose a nickname for Mrs Belder:-)

By: Marjolein

Marjolein — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:17:40 +0000

It would have been much harder if she had HAD a great cake and was so unfriendly – you’d have to choose between comfort and conscience

By: Suzy Ogé

Suzy Ogé — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:05:56 +0000

Hi Marjolein,

Thanks for the tip about book ordering! My orders are always much more than 20 euro, so great to know.

Regarding the friendliness factor, the most surprising thing is that she is the business owner, not an hourly paid employee. If she would treat customers better, maybe she could make more cakes every day with confidence that she would sell out? I go out of my way to buy from the ones that value their customers relationships.

Thank you for your comment,
Suzy

By: Marjolein

Marjolein — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:58:34 +0000

She should have been friendlier to you, that ought to be part of the job description imho. Dutch attitude towards customers is not one of our strong suits I’m afraid.

But seen in view of the Dutch hatred for waste & liking for pragmatic business sense it makes sense to make only a few cakes where you can be almost certain that you’d sell them instead of making a whole selection and chucking a lot of them.

If you order English books online you’re actually better off ordering them via amazon.de (if you understand enough german for basic ordering – template of all amazon sites is the same). Their shipping costs are way more friendly (they even ship for free above 20 euro). Play.com sells English books to and charges no shipping costs to the Netherlands.