Running a small bakery is full of sweet surprises but every now and then, you get a taste of something bitter. When Mark and I started My Baker, we expected long hours, creative challenges, and the occasional baking disaster.
What we didn’t expect was fraud.
The Chargeback That Stung
In our early months, we received an order for a beautiful two-tier Boss Baby inspired cake. It was detailed, bespoke, and one of our proudest creations. The customer was polite, communication smooth, and the cake was delivered without a hitch.
Then, a few weeks later, came the dreaded email:
Chargeback issued – unauthorised transaction.
The card used had been stolen. The real cardholder disputed the purchase, and just like that , we lost the payment and got hit with extra Shopify fees. For a small new bakery, that hurt.
A few days later, as we were trying to make sense of it all, we searched online out of curiosity.
And there it was : our Boss Baby inspired cake, proudly displayed on Instagram at a birthday party.
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That moment stung. Someone had stolen from us and flaunted our work for likes. It was a painful but unforgettable lesson in how vulnerable small businesses can be online.
Déjà Vu: The Mermaid Cake Request
Fast forward about a year later… a new order pinged through for our Mermaid Cake.
Different name, same number, same email.
We couldn’t believe it, the same person who had scammed us before was back!
We contacted the police and even offered to stage a fake delivery so they could catch her in the act. Two officers visited our home but explained they didn’t have the resources for an operation like that and advised us to report it online.
So, we decided to take matters into our own hands.
Operation Mermaid Cake – Revenge, My Baker Style
Armed with a polystyrene dummy, a few cups of sand, and a bucket of buttercream, we got to work.
We decorated it just like our signature Mermaid Cake shimmering pink, lilac tails, seashells, and drips. From the outside, it looked flawless. Inside? A crunchy surprise.
Then came the finishing touch: a handwritten note inside the box.
“When your child asks why they have a polystyrene cake,
tell them you're a thief! By the way you’ve been reported to the police.
You still owe us for the Boss Baby cake.”
We even slipped in a cheeky Scarface image captioned:
“Maybe be with the cake crime now? It doesn’t end well.”
That evening, we boxed it up, delivered it, and walked away smiling.
The Sweetest Justice
This time, we didn’t need social media to confirm anything we already knew who we were dealing with.
It wasn’t about revenge as much as it was about reclaiming a little dignity (and humour) after a hard lesson in our early business journey.
And yes it felt very satisfying!
Lessons Learnt
Running a small business teaches you more than recipes and icing techniques, it teaches resilience, resourcefulness, and a dash of wit.
From this wild episode, we learnt to:
• Verify new orders: double-check details for large or last-minute requests.
• Trust your instincts: if something feels off, it probably is.
• Protect your business - use fraud-prevention tools and keep clear documentation.
• Keep your sense of humour, sometimes laughter (and a little bit of sand) is the best medicine.
Because in the world of baking as in business the best revenge is served with creativity, confidence, and maybe just a sprinkle of sass.