Happy Birthday, Pepsi Man! & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #267

March 22, 2022 / 58 Comments

Yesterday was Ralph’s birthday so for the next 5 1/2 weeks I am the mother of 9 and 10 year old boys. We celebrated on Saturday with a small party that did not go at as planned but resulted in Ralph getting three separate birthday parties.

All Ralph wanted to do for his party was play virtual reality with his friends and family so we booked a party at Zero Latency Virtual Reality in our local mall. You can have 8 players per game and it is kind of pricey ranging from $30-50 for 30 minutes of playtime per person). Our 8 players were to be 4 adults and 4 children pitted against one another in a game of bigs versus littles. I didn’t even want to play but I was getting excited about it and ready for some laughs. But the party gods seemed to have other plans.

When we arrived at our designated time, gamers ahead of us had gotten delayed which delayed us by about 15 minutes. Initially, this was no big deal except within that short time frame of waiting, a crazy thunderstorm moved over the area and knocked out the internet. As the staff diligently worked on restoring the system so they could resume play and get our party started, they were also serving the adults complimentary beers and handling the situation in the best way possible.

The few times that the kids have played here, management and staff are always super friendly and accommodating. But I had no idea how friendly and accommodating until a prepaid birthday party at $350 goes awry. So accommodating, in fact, that I really do feel obligated to share with you about a business that does not fool around when it comes to making something right.

After about an hour, it became clear that the internet would not likely be restored that night and everyone was getting tired and hungry from the waiting so we pulled the plug on the VR part of the party. Our initial $350 charge was immediately credited back to our account and we were given $200 in gift cards to bring the kids back to play. We were absolutely tickled with this generous offer to make it right and Ralph basically gets a second birthday party (without the cake and presents though).

As far as I was concerned, Zero Latency made it better than right and we were happy customers. However, early the next morning, I received a text message from them apologizing for the internet outage and asking me to check my email where they also sent me a gift card voucher for $350 to reschedule Ralph’s party. So now he gets three! And Zero Latency VR gets much respect on a job well done! Now I just have to figure how to coordinate the players again. That is the biggest challenge of all.

Back to the party though. We headed to our house for pizza and cake and then the 4 kids just hung out and played video games for the rest of the night, seemingly unfazed by the canceled VR experience. But now they all get to go twice!

Our birthday party traditions are to keep things small and low key with a fun experience sometimes thrown in. I don’t buy special birthday decorations, I don’t have a party games planned, and I don’t give gift bags full of meaningless junk to party guests. But I do splurge on my children’s cake requests each birthday and Miss Monica at EuropeCakes is a cake magician in meeting their unique requests.

Ralph’s specific cake request this year was “a chocolate cake with cherry filling that looks like a Pepsi can and says, “Happy Birthday, Pepsi Man!’” So that is exactly the order I placed and this is what Monica created. It’s so fun and as always incredibly delicious!

Here are some of the other cakes that Miss Monica has made for our celebrations:

As for birthday gifts, it’s all about video games so Ralph received a bunch of Robux gift cards and some games and gaming accessories. His next obsession after video games is chocolate and he has been nagging for months for Feastables which are the chocolate bars sold by his favorite YouTuber, Mr. Beast. Gramma got him the big box of bars and I was supposed to intercept it and gift wrap it but I failed and Ralph found the box on the porch first. He came tearing down into my messy basement freaking out so I guess I was off the hook for gift wrapping. We called Gramma on video and opened it on the spot!

FYI, it’s really good chocolate and it is made with all organic ingredients that you can pronounce! The original chocolate bar has only 4 ingredients: sugar cane, cocoa bean, cocoa butter, and sunflower lecithin. Yum.

Despite a thunderstorm and internet issues, everyone seemed happy and tired at the end of the night. Going to bed happy and tired after your birthday party means it was a pretty decent party!

Happy Birthday, Pepsi Man!

(By the way, I have no idea why Pepsi Man or what any of this even means. But Pepsi Man it is!)

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I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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58 Comments

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 22, 2022 at 8:35 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Nancy! He is very much looking forward to going to play again! And without the adults, he may even get to go 3 extra times. We have enough for 12 games now so he can take 3 friends and go play 3 more times!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Kellyann Rohr

    March 22, 2022 at 6:44 am Reply

    Wow, I cannot believe the customer service – that is incredible! And the cake? It is amazing. I love how you handle parties, I don’t know when the whole idea of a birthday party got so out of hand. Those chocolate bars sound incredible too – Ralphie has good taste!
    xo,
    Kellyann

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 22, 2022 at 8:34 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Kellyann! I am so impressed with the customer service and I am always impressed with Miss Monica’s cake art! I have no idea when kids’ parties got so crazy. We never had crazy parties when I was a kid so I never did that for my kids either. In fact, up until 2020, I didn’t even have separate parties for them. With their birthdays being 5 1/2 weeks apart, I would just schedule a party for both right in the middle which is perfect because it usually happens during spring break. They had all the same friends up until then anyway so one joint party worked best for this momma and the boys always had fun! Easy peasy, birthday breezy!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • Barb Hegreberg

      March 28, 2022 at 9:47 am Reply

      Love that the kids took it in stride! That shows that you (and the other parents) are doing a wonderful job!

      Simple low key parties were always our kids favorites!

      Have a wonderful week!

      Yay for free gaming!!

      • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

        March 29, 2022 at 5:35 am Reply

        Thanks so much, Barb! My kids are very flexible, take-things-in-stride kids, thankfully! That comes from Army living, I think. If you can’t roll with the flow, Army life would be way too difficult! I hope your week is off to a great start!

        xoxo
        Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 22, 2022 at 8:40 am Reply

      Pamela, thanks so much! I absolutely agree with you. I am a firm believer that everything is exactly as it should be and whatever happens, happens for a reason even if we don’t always know what that reason is. That perspective is actually what makes us very welcome patrons in business establishments! We don’t fret or get annoyed about circumstances. We just accept what is and roll with it. That approach has honestly never failed me! And yes, pizza and cake is my birthday party go-to! Throw in a bag or two of chips and the kids are thrilled and it’s super easy for me!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 22, 2022 at 8:37 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Jennifer! I always have to share when I receive such great service! People are so quick to share the negative experiences but rarely the positive ones. I like to only share the positive ones!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Bojana Krienke

    March 22, 2022 at 8:46 am Reply

    Happy birthday Ralph! It sounds like you and the children were also very good customers and understood that little could be done in the moment. Also, good on that buisness!!!! I am beyond impressed and it does derserve to be mentioned! I feel like in the states customer service is much better than it is here in my province. Our customer service has really slipped and its too bad. Anyway, that cake is absoultely amazing and by the sounds of it, it would have tasted just as good.

    bosbodaciousblog.blogspot.ca

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 22, 2022 at 9:45 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Bo! The kids were really great about it. The older two walked around the mall for a bit, enjoying a taste of independence, while the younger two were permitted to venture off alone (within my eyesight from a bench), also enjoying a taste of independence. Good customer service is hard to come by these days anywhere, I think! That’s why it’s important to sing the praises of the places that offer it! Have a great day, my friend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • jess jannenga

    March 22, 2022 at 9:20 am Reply

    We always had parties growing up that were low key too. Friends over, a birthday cake, we’d play musical chairs or some other games. Always great memories. I am sure Ralphie will remember this and his friends and that was great of the company to reimburse and give gift cards, thats what you want to do for customers! Love the cake, so neat !
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

  • Patrick Weseman

    March 22, 2022 at 1:40 pm Reply

    That is so cool that they it made right by you and your family. It restores my faith in things. Happy Birthday to your kiddo.

    Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 23, 2022 at 6:22 am Reply

      Oh my gosh, Patrick, it totally restores my faith in humanity! There are lots of good, decent, kind people still in the world. In fact, I like to believe that is most people. We just get overshadowed because the less kind people are so loud about everything! LOL

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Christina Morley

    March 22, 2022 at 2:39 pm Reply

    First, a big Happy Birthday to Ralph (cool cake)! And, second, that was awesome customer service and I’m glad you could give them a shout-out on your blog. Wishing you a great week!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 23, 2022 at 6:18 am Reply

      Thank you, Maureen! Ralph is perfectly content with getting to go back and play VR twice now! I am he one who has to figure out all the scheduling details. Twice. Ha. And yes, the cake is delicious! We have a lot leftover so I have been eating every day. Not good. But oh so good!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Carol

    March 22, 2022 at 6:23 pm Reply

    The cake looks awesome! And, it’s so gratifying to know that the virtual reality gaming business stepped up and did the right thing — plus more! I’m sure you’ll go back numerous times in the future. Thanks for hosting the link-up, and thank you for participating in Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 12.
    Carol
    http://www.scribblingboomer.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 23, 2022 at 6:16 am Reply

      Thanks, Carol! Even before this happened at the VR place, I was going to write a post about it because my kids love going there and they really are very friendly and have great customer service. They only opened in our mall a little over a year ago and they are doing so well that they are expanding to a second floor and all kinds of other cool stuff. Then this happened and I had to give them some public acknowledgement for a job well done!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Ashley

    March 22, 2022 at 7:30 pm Reply

    Aww, happy belated birthday to Ralph! And what a CAKE! Amazing!

    I’m so impressed with the way the staff at the VR place handled the thunderstorm/delayed party situation- I’m sure it was super stressful and a bit of a bummer to have had to cancel that night, but with the voucher and the gift cards to come back, Ralph and his friends are sure to be pros!

    -Ashley

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 23, 2022 at 6:07 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Ashley! I still cannot get over how generous they were in handling this situation. And so I am generous back and giving major shout outs! Haha. It is a really cool place if you are into VR. The kids said it’s super real! And they have two large monitors outside where you can watch the game as the players see it and then watch the actual players in human form running around this big empty room crashing into each other, flailing their arms about meaninglessly. It’s pretty funny to watch! I will definitely try to share some pictures of it once we get back to play.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Marsha Banks

    March 22, 2022 at 10:56 pm Reply

    Happy Birthday, Ralph! Isn’t it funny how resilient kids can be? But, wowza! That is definitely customer service in a big way! I hope Ralph and friends have a wonderful time celebrating all of his birthdays! That cake is amazing, too! My granddaughter thinks I can make any kind of cake imaginable. And, each year, it is the biggest Pinterest fail…but we all have a giggle and a memory!

    Thanks for the link party, Shelbee!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 23, 2022 at 5:58 am Reply

      Marsha, thanks so much! I just laughed out loud at your cake making comment! The best part of it is that your granddaughter thinks that highly of you and I bet she loves your cakes way more than any Pinterest-famous cake. I tell my kids all the time that the best homemade things have a little bit of love and probably a little bit of spit baked right in!

      I am so impressed with this VR place that I have been telling everyone! And honestly, I was super impressed the very first time I took my kids there. While they were playing, I spent the entire time talking with the owner and he seems like one of those really nice, decent, hardworking, upstanding people who is just trying to bring something fun and joyful to our desolate part of the world. More business owners should follow that example!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Joanne

    March 23, 2022 at 10:16 am Reply

    I LOVE that cake! What a bummer about the change of plans but I completely agreed that the company handled it like champs. You can not beat customer service like that.

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 24, 2022 at 7:35 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Joanne! Miss Monica has never failed to meet a cake challenge that we have presented to her! Now I need to schedule some game times for these boys. But we have another kid birthday party next weekend. ’Tis the season when all the school birthday party invitations start coming home!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Michelle

    March 24, 2022 at 9:50 am Reply

    Happy birthday, Pepsi Man! That cake is amazing! Monica is so talented. And wow about the virtual game business! They definitely went above and beyond – especially given they don’t control the weather. Sounds like there is lots of great virtual fun coming Ralph’s way.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      March 25, 2022 at 8:51 am Reply

      Thanks, Michelle! Monica is the best! Archie and I are now brainstorming the challenge he is going to give to her for his birthday cake. I was thinking the same thing about he VR place…it wasn’t even their error, it was the weather and the internet. Honestly, I really only expected my money to be refunded and we would reschedule it. The $200 gift cards were super cool and more than enough. I really didn’t expect even more than that! But hey, at least they did the good thing for people who pay it forward!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Laurie

    March 31, 2022 at 9:14 pm Reply

    Sounds like a great time, even if it didn’t work out as planned. That was super generous of the management!

    Fun and talented cake-decorator!

    Thanks for sharing at the Sunday Sunshine Blog Hop

    Laurie

  • Barbara

    April 4, 2022 at 10:22 pm Reply

    Shelbee, you have the best birthday parties!!!!! I love your son’s birthday story and how they couldn’t do the game that night and it was really cool of the location to give you your money back and THEN comp a free night of play to boot! Very classy!!! Happy to have featured your post and of course I know you knew already. 🙂 (#340 Share Your Style)

    Happy Monday evening to you all,
    Barb 🙂

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      April 5, 2022 at 5:32 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Barb! You are so sweet! My kids start Spring Break this weekend so we are planning some game time during the break. I have already asked a few kids who aren’t traveling for the break to join us. It should be fun especially since I don’t have to do any of the party stuff this time! I just have to drive the kids to the mall and then sit and watch them or go off shopping by myself! Haha. Have a wonderful week ahead, my friend, and thank you for the feature!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

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