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First complaint, need some honest advice! *More pics added* - Page 4

post #46 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:33pm
indeed, a glass of wine helps everything =)

Also don't be too worried about not listing the site for the cakes, a google search turns up more "Kathy's Kakes" then I like to scour for credit =P
The images did have her watermark, so no biggie IMHO.

Your cake is lovely! The bride (as someone mentioned earlier) might be having "wedding let-down" kinda like that Christmas/holiday let-down we're all left with at the end of a big holiday season.
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post #47 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:34pm
OOPS! alex_98 is my son. I need to check the log in before i reply icon_redface.gif
Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends.
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Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise can not see all ends.
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post #48 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:37pm
[quote="tatania199"]
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShirleyW

Quote:
Originally Posted by peacockplace

Quote:
Originally Posted by cakesbyjess

I think your cake is GORGEOUS. I have never seen a wedding cake in that configuration, and I LOVE IT!!!!




It is actually a version of a cake did in her book Colette's Wedding Cakes.

You are right, it is a Colette design and I am happuy to see her get recognized for it. But the two photos posted were Kathys Kakes and she should have been credited as well. In fact the photos should not have been posted, but a link to her website would have worked.



Oh.

Wow.

I didn't actually know it was a Colette Peter's cake. I've never actually seen Kathy's website. I posted the pictures that the bride gave me for context with my issue. I certainly didn't imply that the design was mine. I mean, I posted the original pictures, pictures that have the name of the person whose cakes these are. So, doesn't that make it pretty obvious that these lovely cakes were the creation of Kathy's Kakes? I'm so confused? icon_cry.gif

I guess I didn't know there were more specific rules than that. I'm feeling like I was reprimanded, but I don't really know what I did wrong?

Wow. Now I have another reason to feel horrible about this design. icon_cry.gif



Ok that is just about enough of that. You have NOTHING to feel badly for, yes Colette did this cake and so did Kathy, and so did you and so did ( I can only assume) a whole slew of other people who bought her book. You CAN NOT be expected to give thanks to every darn person who ever did this cake before you, that is just silly. So do not worry your self over that nonesense.
As far as this bridezilla is concerned I agree with someone else suggestion abotu calling her, or better yet metting with her in person. You do not want someone walking away feeling badly about your cake but at the same time I have a feeling she thought this out very carefully and is looking to get some money back. I'd bet you anything she sent similar letters to her florist, and her caterrer and dj and etc etc.
Your cake is beautiful and you desever full price for it. Do not offer her any money back instead offer her a discount on her next purchase. I can almost gaurentee once she realizes she is not getting any cash from you her attitude will change. Again you have NOTHING to feel badly about...she on the other hand does. Chin up and keep us posted.
"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination."
Oscar Wilde
www.lovebitespastryshop.com
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"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from lack of imagination."
Oscar Wilde
www.lovebitespastryshop.com
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post #49 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:44pm
You have done a good job. Don't let anyone ruffle your feathers. Some people have to rain on peoples parades. I do agree that color can change alot of how a cake comes out. Perhaps in the near future you could draw the cake and design with the customers color choices, that way they can get a truer perspective of what it will look like. I would not offer a refund, but perhaps a gift certificate for a future cake, just to keep some peace. As far as design, anybody that is a serious decorater knows whose original design it was, I think we all give credit where credit is due.
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post #50 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:48pm
OMG! YOUR CAKE IS AMAZING!! LIFT YOUR CHIN UP! THAT WAS AN AMAZING UNDERTAKING! YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB!!! YOU GOT IT DONE AND IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!

I agree about the calling her! I think that she paid too much and that she needed some money back! How far after the wedding did she send this email?? Sounds like she spent too much on the wedding plus the honeymoon and didn't get enough back in PRESENTS!

CALL HER! Write down everything you need to say! It is not dumb to do this! It just keeps your thoughts straight for what you want to say!!
Like put : Q1: What part of the cake was dry?
Scenario 1: The royal icing...explain this, stick to what we talked about
Scenario 2: The cake....explain this.....ETC.
etc., etc., etc.

DON'T LET HER TELL YOU ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU DISCUSSED! You need to call her so you can hear her voice and play off her fluctuation in her tone! You were probably right about that was the most expensive thing in the room! You are a cake decorator...you need to get paid for what you did! You could maybe give her a Free cake replication for their 1 year anniversary if you already didn't! But, give her a discount on her next cake if you see fit!

(I CAN NOT BAKE CAKES WHILE i AM ON HERE! i JUST DARK BROWNED MY CAKE! icon_lol.gif )

Feel better! Talk to her! You did an amazing job! thumbs_up.gificon_biggrin.gif
It's not "just" cake...it's my life!
WI State Representative for Icing Smiles...start 'Baking a Difference" today!
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It's not "just" cake...it's my life!
WI State Representative for Icing Smiles...start 'Baking a Difference" today!
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post #51 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:49pm
I wasn't implying that you did anything wrong. I was just saying Colette did it in her book so that anyone who wanted to could look it up. It was also pretty clear that Kathy's Kakes did the others since her name it on both. thumbs_up.gif
My drug of choice is FROSTING!
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My drug of choice is FROSTING!
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post #52 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:50pm
Its beautiful cake....I think people make you think you didnt do a good job so that they can prove that the cake is not moneys worth. Your cake is awesome...you have put all ur effort on the cake...So its worth it. So dont worry about it. People who know your worth will surely keep coming to you. Goodluck.
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post #53 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:50pm
So sorry about that long post! That woman made me mad!

LET ME TALK TO HER!!!
It's not "just" cake...it's my life!
WI State Representative for Icing Smiles...start 'Baking a Difference" today!
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It's not "just" cake...it's my life!
WI State Representative for Icing Smiles...start 'Baking a Difference" today!
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post #54 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:52pm
I think shirley was talking about how all photos are copyrighted. Those pics of kathyskakes are not allowed to be used without her express permission. I realise you didn't know about that and that's fine!! icon_smile.gif

I think she was trying to explain how to get around showing us the pics without infringing on someone's copyright.

Did you know that everytime you take a photo, it is copyrighted to you and only you? Cool huh?! thumbs_up.gif So you can still show us kathykakes' cake photos only the way to do it without breaking any copyright laws is to go to her website, see the cake pic and post the internet link to that page (you know copy then paste from the http bar up the top).

Copyright laws are not something that is advertised and so most people have no idea how they work, so you are not alone icon_lol.gif and don't feel bad, we are all learning on this site and you are NOT in trouble!!

I would love to hear how you deal with this bride, I haven't done wedding cakes yet as I am too scared of all the bridezillas out there, and am hoping to learn from situations like yours.
Also, I could NEVER do a cake as beautiful as yours! lol! icon_redface.gif
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post #55 of 108
7/10/07 at 2:56pm
I don't think you should stress over any aspect of this cake!!
I prefer to dream in fondant and buttercream!
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I prefer to dream in fondant and buttercream!
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post #56 of 108
7/10/07 at 3:04pm
That is a BEAUTIFUL cake! I cannot wait to tackle one now!!!! LOL Chin up. She is probably in the hole after her wedding and is trying to see if she can put her account back in the black. It will be okay. Maybe she complained that the food was dry too. INDYDEBI-have you had any of THOSE?! LOL icon_biggrin.gif

BEAUTIFUL JOB!
Sometimes I wish my hubby were a cookie. Then when he ticked me off I could just bite off his head.
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Sometimes I wish my hubby were a cookie. Then when he ticked me off I could just bite off his head.
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post #57 of 108
7/10/07 at 3:53pm
I think there's been some really great advice in this thread, I think most of us would admit to being perfectionist's when it comes to our creations and it's hard to take in that no matter how hard we try we can't make everyone happy, even though we want to!

Try turning it into a positive learning experience, once you've decided to meet, email, call her, try to take something from that and as hard as it is, try not to take it personally, I know if feels like an attack on all your hard work, on your "baby" of a creation, but sometimes (and I know I need to take my own advice! icon_biggrin.gif ), you need to find the positive out of the negative and build up your reserves for the next time.

Someone else made a really good point, that one person's dry is another person's heaven, personal taste can be hard to quantify. I think it would be worth clarifying some of the issues, like what flavour had she wanted to change to, when did she make that decision, did she tell you verbally, or does she have a copy of the email she sent you as you didn't receive it etc etc, things like that. Then put it to bed and look forward to work on your next new "baby" creation! icon_biggrin.gif
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post #58 of 108
7/10/07 at 4:37pm
Is it possible to talk to the caterer or someone at the reception site that was there that night and see what their impression was? Did the servers pick up bunches of plates with lots of cake that no one ate or were the plates licked clean? Were there leftovers? Did the bride/groom say anything to anyone at that time that they were disappointed?

It may help to have a third party's take on it (you dont have to let the bride know you talked to this person.. it's just so you can get some perspective...)
Princesses wear crowns to remind them that they are beautiful and special because some days it's easy to forget.
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Princesses wear crowns to remind them that they are beautiful and special because some days it's easy to forget.
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post #59 of 108
7/11/07 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, just got a response:

"I understand that you are very proud of your work. But I am sorry, to me (and others who have seen what I wanted) it looked like a cheap version of the cake I asked for. The swirls weren't in straight even lines, they looked very broken and bumpy. It is not just the different colors. And what I meant about the icing is all the royal blue decorative icing would fall off. Even if you had not cut it. Swirls were falling off people's cake and I had wanted to keep one of the styrofoam pieces but when I picked it up, all the trim fell off. When we went to peel the cardboard off the get to a new layer, all the icing came off the top so we had some cake with no icing at all! I am just very dissappointed as the cake I had in mind was very glamorous, one people would remember, but all I hear is how it didnt stay together very well and was kind of dry. I hope this makes more sense."

Okay, I don't really know what to say. I mean, royal icing (any icing, for that matter) is not going to survive being cut. But spontaneously falling off the cake? That stuff is like cement.

I wondering if it wasn't really humid or something? But it would have to be severely humid to affect royal.

I had no idea she intended to keep a dummy tier. I'm not sure what could have been done differently even if I had known? Well, I guess I would have made her one separate one. But for the trim to look good, it needs to be firmly attached and as close as possible to the edges it's trimming, right? So, it's possible that it would not, in fact, survive being picked up and moved around. But, as cake is meant to be eaten, who would expect it to?

The only thing that is disappointing is that when they removed a tier, it peeled some icing off. However, that is the result of a super moist cake. All it requires is careful removal of the upper tier, but it does go towards showing that the cake was most certainly moist. I've never had that problem before? Maybe the staff just whipped the tiers apart?

As to the appearance of the icing - well, I'm no Colette Peters. My piping isn't absolutely perfect, I suppose. But I have a ton of examples on my website of my skill level and feel I did a very good representation of her cake. I'm still proud of my work and believe she got a very accurate version of the cake she wanted for an extremely reasonable price. Truthfully, as has been pointed out, I think the colours made it look cheap.

I don't know how to respond?
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post #60 of 108
7/11/07 at 1:46pm
If the bride thought it looked cheap, she would not have wanted to keep a tier....just my opinion. I had the ugliest flower bouquets in the world for my first wedding and NOBODY kept them!!! That's just silly. I'm not sure what I would do, but I still think she is just trying to get back into the black. Her response just doesn't make sense to me. I think I would offer her to make a lovely fresh dummy tier for her to keep and an anniversary cake...THAT IS IT.
Sometimes I wish my hubby were a cookie. Then when he ticked me off I could just bite off his head.
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Sometimes I wish my hubby were a cookie. Then when he ticked me off I could just bite off his head.
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