The best question is, what would you do if you didn't get the cake you ordered?

Personally, I would be gracious because people are around and not everybody needs to know there was a problem. However, in the next day or so, I would expect to address the issue and get my money back.

If I were the customer and I did not get a 3 tiered topsy turvy cake as ordered, I would be completely disappointed and want a full refund. If you apologized and refunded my money, I would do business with you in the future. If not, I'd find another baker.

I look at it the same way as the rest of these ladies. You should give a partial refund. I realize that you worked extra hard on it to get something there for him, but it's not what he ordered, and was a grocery store cake that you slapped fondant on. It's not his fault that it ended up toppling over. And once you got there, he had people to serve cake to, it's not like he could refuse it, he had to take what you brought him. It wasnt at all what he ordered, or the quality that he expected (grocery store cake). He definately shouldnt be expected to pay your extra expenses for the cakes you got at the grocery store. ...I think you should give him a 50% discount for it.

I guess I feel like if I ordered something from someone, I expect it to be what I ordered. Say it was a wedding dress that I ordered from a dressmaker, and they ended up dragging it in the mud on the way to the ceremony, and had to rush back an hour before my wedding and get something off the rack and slap some shiny sequins on it, that does NOT make it what I ordered. And just because they brought something to me so I'd have something, and it was harder on them and cost them extra, does not make it right for them to still charge me for it. It was their responsibility to get it to me in good order and have it be what I ordered.

ok im doing my first topsy turvy tomorrow. i still dont think u understand what everyone is trying to say about it being "off center". the holes in the cakes need to be exactly in the center. next time try this.... if u do a 10", a 8" and a 6"- trace the 8 and 6 inch pans on parchment. when u bake the 10" place the 8" parchment dead center and maybe trace the 8"with toothpick pricks or something so u know that its right in the middle of the cake. THEN cut the hole out to put the cake in. do the same with the 6". get it? its confusing, i know... but i really think it would help for the next time. GRAVITY IS A B*TCH!!! lol

First of all I want to say...I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Of course, I'm a newbie at cake decorating. BUT I'm a newbie to cakes and bakeries. Twelve years ago when my son turned 1 I ordered a special Mickey Mouse cake with a Donald Duck smash cake. Needless to say...they did not look anything like Mickey or Donald. When my dad brought them home I was so upset and FURIOUS!! I only had 1 hour before the party and the cakes looked like my 1 year old had made them. I called the bakery and said sorry no refund. So we had to deal with it and eat it. OH my goodness!

Well needless to say I took pictures of the cakes and had the pictures of what they were supposed to be and I showed them to everyone I could....making sure that none of my family, friends, or friends of my friends would do business there again.

I really think you should offer a full refund and see what they say. He may be okay with it and say let's do blah..blah..blah. It may cost you some money, but at least it won't cause any bad advertisement for you. It would probably be good advertisement...say she takes care of her customers...go to her for your cake needs.

Sorry so long, but I've been on your customers end before.

Good luck!!

I can sympathise with you, having had my own topsy turvey cake (for my husband's birthday) fall over last week.

However, if it were a cake that I had ordered, then yes, I would expect a full refund. I think it's a risk a business has to accept - if you don't deliver the agreed specification, the customer has the right to a refund in line with the variation. In this case, I think the variation was enough to warrant a complete refund for that cake.

Well, I totally freaked out when it happened. My husband was there, though, and totally calm. He was the one who said to get something there, anything I could, and to get to the store, buy a cake, and decorate it. When I got back to the house, he had already cleaned off all my flowers and cake board, and was trying to get my fondant ready. He even smoothed out the frosting on the cakes for me. How sweet is that?
Thanks for all the advice. I have sent him 2 emails, one right after I got back from delivery, and another yesterday, asking him when a convienient time to call would be. I guess if he doesn't write back, I will bite the bullet and call him this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes!

I think the fairest amount to give back would be the difference between what you would charge for a topsy-turvy and the value of what you actually delivered to him. He sounds like an easy-going guy and I bet he'll be very understanding, and you will of course be calm and professional--no throwing up in his presence I think you handled the dreadful situation very well, and I personally have learned a great deal from your horrible ordeal, so thanks!! And good luck when talking to him!

Well, I too, am very sorry for your experience...it's a nightmare! But I have to agree with offering him some money back. You can ask him what he feels would be fair, and IF he says all, then assume all as a loss. I am willing to bet that he'll be glad you at least showed up with something (and didn't just buy something at a store pre-decorated). I think 1/2 would be reasonable. If my bakery had messed up my wedding cake I would have been very upset. If they screwed up my son's baptism cake, no so big a deal...(they sort of did, by the way). But you are saving your business by offering him a refund (which he may not take). Your reputation is worth far more than the loss, in my opinion. But I agree that your ability to save the situation was fantastic, and your first cake was very pretty. I haven't done a topsy-turvy cake, but I can agree that part of the problem was where you cut into the first cake. Your daisies are beautiful, and I hope he will at least take that into consideration. Please let us know how it goes, and best of luck to you!

I am so sorry that this happened to you.. I know you will do right by your customer. Call him.. don't make him call you.. and do it sooner than later. I know that I would be gracious that you got a cake to the party, but I would definitely expect you to call me and work this out. I'd be willing to bet that he won't want a full refund, but I'd offer it.

As for your topsy-turvy woes.. I agree with the pervious posters in that your cake was more than a bit off center. When you make the well you have to account for the frosting and fondant. So your well for a tier that is 6" at the bottom unfrosted will be atleast 6.5 inches. If it wasn't and you placed the cake in the well it would automatically be 1/4-1/2 inches off center and that much more with each tier you place on top of that. ((hugs)) It will get easier the more you practice.

I think you did a wonderful job getting him a cake in no time flat so that he wouldn't be out of a cake for hsi party and I know he

I would offer the profit. I would tell him that I'd give him the cake at cost, and a discount on his next order.

What a horrible thing to have happened, I think you handled it well.

I totally understad about you not being able to afford to give him a refund. However, that is not HIS problem. Even though you gave your best attempt to fix it, the bottom line is you did not deliver the cake he paid you for.
My suggestion would be to tell him that you are refunding the full amount of the daisy cake. If he is laidback about it and only wants a partial or no refund, then great. But if you are doing this as a business, then you need to be prepared to eat the costs and any potential profits when a mistake is made on your part.

I have to agree with those who think the man deserves a full refund. I know how it feels when money is tight and you have to eat your mistake (pun intended) but that's irrelevant in your customer's eyes. Chin up..all of us have to learn from our mistakes.

I don't think there is a way to describe that sinking feeling you get when you hear the sound of cake crumbling. You would think cake would not make much noise when it falls, but omg it is loud to us bakers!

I had a similar experience with a topsy turvy cake. On my way to deliver it half of the front broke off.

I gave the customer half off, and appologized like crazy. I explained that fillings, frosting and fondant all react to high humidity and that accidents are sometimes unavoidable.

She was very nice about it, but I didn't make another cake for weeks. And I certainly will never make a topsy turvy cake.

Im so so sorry you had to go thru all the hard work of making it then the stress of what to do with it! You handled it very well.

Hi Summernoelle,

Since I am not a professional decorator....I will speak from a customer standpoint. I saw your Sushi cake in the gallery. It is fantastic! I would not expect any refund at all for that. You gave him what he asked for. As for the second Daisy cake....I would expect a partial refund. They did get a cake, I see that you are a talented decorator so I am sure that you gave him something acceptable, but if it wasnt what he asked for or paid for then I would feel a partial refund is appropriate. We all make mistakes or have random bad incidents happen. It sounds like he is reasonable too. If you came to me and said "sorry....no refunds at all"...then it would be my right to go to another bakery in the future. It sounds as if customer service is important to you but also keeping in mind that you have a responsiblity to your buisness too. You will make the right decision....keep focused on your talent!

Its better to save face and lose money.It sucks either way!!
But by doing that it shows good faith and that your someone he would do business again with.

on a second note....Did you refridgerate the cake for at least 24 hours before delivery?

i too had a MAJOR CAKE MELTDOWN this weekend with a darn topsy turvy!!!! first time ever this happened to me....anyway, they ended up getting a two tier cake instead of a three....i offered the bride to refund her money....and they were so gracious and understanding...they wouldn't hear of it....even though they got all three cakes....of course the middle was in the back and was served when they cut the cake....that is still not what they ordered...i too made that middle tier cake 2 times....but in the end it just wouldn't stay up...i also, can't afford to give the money back and had to fork out money to make that cake again....but i still had to offer them something!!!! and as i said before they declined and loved the cake anyways!!! just offer something....most of the time people are very understanding!!!!!! sorry that happened to you...i feel your pain....as a matter of fact i am in pain today...so sore.....i guess from the stress of having to double time it!!!!! you handled it great!!! but do offer something!!!!!!

[quote="Pamela5"]
She was very nice about it, but I didn't make another cake for weeks. quote]

OMG, I don't even want to go into my kitchen! I have gotten 3 calls today for cakes, and turned them all down. What is wrong with me? A week ago, I was so excited about cakes, and today I just want to leave a message on my VM that says "On Vacation". There was one woman who called me today, and was so super demanding, that I almost told her "No cake for YOU!" Of course I didn't, but my attitude is not so great right now.

I say give him the refund of the tt cake. Did he get what he ordered--nope. Plain and simple. he did not get what he ordered. And personally, he may not want to use you again so giving him a gift certificate for another cake or half off is not fair to him. I personally hate gift cards b/c I always spend more than what they are worth. He may not want to give you anymore business. Your cakes may be spectacular and yes, things happen, but bottom line--you did not deliver so to speak. Sorry, not trying to sound harsh, been married to a lawyer for 10yrs and was headed to law school (so I thought) when I was dreaming of carreers in high school--lol. Also thought about being a dr--so don't go asking any med questions--lol

eta--just looked at your gallery picts and you do very nice work--love the blue with (brown) scrolls cake.

Poor Darlin!

Been there done that. Topsy turvey's are just difficult. My very first one had problems, and it was for a wedding. Small home wedding, but still. As soon as I got home the phone rang and back I had to go. Disassembled and repaired with skewers and such, reassembled. (All in a really HOT house and with quite an audience.) I offered to refund whatever they wanted and they were insulted, refused completely, and continue to order all their cakes from me. Just a few weeks ago, I had the bottom tier of a 3 tier crumble and no time to do anything for it. Salvaged the top ones, and said I wouldn't accept payment for it. A week later, I got a check in the mail for 1/2 the cake. Which I humbly and graciously accepted, and didn't expect. Also, have taken orders for future cakes from her as well. People can surprise us. But I do have to agree that you should offer the refund. At least half and if he asks for more, I'd give it. And as much as it sucks to loose money on a cake, gaining a loyal client for being willing to at least try to make that loss, is a great thing. I'm anxious to hear what he says, please let us know and remember to climb back on that horse when you fall off. You'll remember why you love riding it! (((Hugs))) and keep your chin up!

Shoot I had to edit to say, you're sushi cake is fantastic! And I agree with the center being off. AND I would definitely recommend a center dowel next time. Your original cake was gorgeous!

I would just talk to him and see what he says. If you don't think he will want a refund, just give him a gift certificate like the other ladies suggested. I completetly understand how you feel about not wanting to do anymore cakes. I was in a place like that last week. I had done two wedding cakes the past two weeks. Though I feel I did my best, I was just not happy with the work. I didn't answer the phone either for a couple of days. But the cake I did this weekend turned out beautifully, and now I'm loving cake decorating again. It was just a bad experience. Practice your topsy turvey's a couple of times, and you'll be good to go. You do great work, so don't let it get you down.

Michele

Well, I haven't heard a word from him, and I've tried to contact him 3 times.
What now? Should I mail him an apology with a voucher for a cake that costs the same? ($150?)

I'd mail him a refund.

Are you only using e-mail to contact him? If you are, you should probably call instead. Lots of people don't always check their e-mail every day.

I'd call - get a dialogue started.

A cake voucher that has to be redeemed with you is NOT the same as a cash refund, which is what this customer is entitled to.

I agree he is entitled to that. But do I give it to him if he doesn't ask for it?
I still haven't gotten a hold of him.
I had the idea of making him a 9 inch cake in the flavors he ordered, along with the voucher and a note, and just delivering it to him, like I would a normally deliver. Bad idea?