A decimal point error became a €12,400 invoice. Most businesses would dispute it. This bakery threw a party instead.
A small bakery in rural Germany placed an online order for 10 eggs.
Due to a misplaced decimal point in their ordering system, they received 10,000 eggs.
The invoice: €12,400.
Their monthly revenue: around €8,000.
This is the kind of mistake that destroys small businesses. Not because the business did anything malicious — just because they lack the cash buffer to absorb a 155% revenue surprise.
Most SMEs facing this situation follow one of two paths:
- Dispute the order — hire a lawyer, argue it was a system error, refuse payment, damage the relationship with the supplier
- Default — ignore the invoice, let it go to collections, take the credit hit, lose access to the supplier permanently
This bakery chose a third option. And it's worth studying.
What They Did: The Three-Step Playbook
Step 1: Acknowledge Publicly (Day 1)
The bakery posted on their Facebook page:
"We made a big mistake. We ordered 10 eggs and got 10,000. We're a small bakery and we can't afford to waste this. If you have ideas, let us know."
No hiding. No blaming the supplier. No "we're investigating."
Just: we messed up, here's the problem, we need help.
The post got 1,200 shares in 6 hours. Local media picked it up.
Step 2: Turn the Problem Into an Event (Day 2)
Instead of trying to return the eggs or sell them at cost, the bakery announced an "Egg Festival."
One weekend. Every product on the menu would be egg-based:
- Quiches (12 varieties)
- Omelets (custom-order station)
- Cakes and custards
- Egg-based pastries
- Fresh pasta made on-site
Pricing: festival prices, not discount prices. They weren't dumping inventory — they were creating an experience.
4,200 people showed up. The town's population is 3,100.
People drove from neighboring towns. Families made it a day trip. Local media covered it live.
Revenue from the festival: €31,000.
Cost of the eggs: €12,400.
Profit: €18,600.
The eggs were paid off in full, with cash left over to invest in equipment upgrades.
Step 3: Negotiate Payment Terms (Day 3)
While the festival was running, the bakery contacted their egg supplier.
They didn't dispute the order. They didn't ask for the eggs to be taken back.
They said:
"We made a mistake in the order. We're going to pay you in full. But we need payment terms: monthly installments over 6 months, no interest. We'd like to keep working with you after this."
The supplier agreed immediately.
Why? Because the bakery had already demonstrated:
- They weren't trying to get out of paying
- They had a plan to generate the revenue
- They valued the relationship
- They were taking responsibility publicly
Most suppliers would rather have a customer who pays over time than a customer who disputes, lawyers up, and disappears.
Why This Worked: The Psychology
When you acknowledge a mistake publicly, you disarm the victim narrative. If the bakery had gone silent and disputed the invoice privately, the supplier could have positioned them as "a business trying to cheat us." By going public first, the bakery controlled the narrative: "We made a mistake, we're fixing it, and we're being creative about it." Public acknowledgment turns the crowd into your ally. 1,200 shares = 1,200 people who now have a stake in your success.
The Takeaway for B2B Crisis Management
When you're facing an unexpected liability — a disputed invoice, a contract error, a supplier mistake — you have options beyond "dispute or default."
The most effective option is often the one that doesn't involve lawyers:
Turn the problem into an asset.
This doesn't mean "exploit every mistake for publicity." It means:
- Acknowledge the situation transparently
- Ask: "What can we create from this?"
- Negotiate from a position of demonstrated value, not desperation
- Preserve relationships by offering solutions, not excuses
The bakery didn't solve their problem by being right. They solved it by being creative.
And that's a skill worth more than any legal clause.
Facing a disputed invoice or contract issue that's threatening your cash flow? Collecty specializes in relationship-preserving debt recovery and contract negotiation for B2B companies. Learn more at cllcty.com.
Sarah Lindberg
International Operations Lead
Sarah coordinates our global partner network across 160+ countries, ensuring seamless cross-border debt recovery.
