I am SO mad!!! So I had a bride/groom ask me to do their cake - four weeks before their wedding..Not trilled about the short notice, but I say ok. Bride/Groom come to the studio, look at photos, and have a tasting - Great! Finally to the contract. Bride reads carefully and signs. I review the deposit and cake plate set deposit part of the contract, as I do with all my customers. She understands - bring it back, blah....blah...blah....
So I have a place on my contract for the bride to list the responisble party's name and number that will be returning the cake plate sets, adn that they must be returned the TUE. following their wedding day. She (the bride) list herself. I question this and asked her - did she plan on leaving for a honeymoon, etc.....explain that she might list someone else, because it might slip her mind. She ASSURES me that is will be fine - she is going to retun it on the wedding day - on her way home. (It was a 1pm Sat. wedding).
SOOOOOOOOOOO................
Tuesday comes and goes - no cake stand.......I call both numbers and I even send an email on WED., informing her that she now has forfeited her deposit per the contract.
On THURSDAY (at 6:30pm)~ I get a phone call from the father of the bride, whom lives locally. He is returning the stand. However I am not at home - I am at a rehersal dinner setting up a cake. I explain to him (on my cell) that he can leave it on the door step at my house (as my store doesn't have a place for drop offs). He says no problem and ask how will he get the deposit back with me not being at home. I then tell him - the deposit was forfeited after Tue. per the contract the bride signed.
HE THEN starts cursing me and I try several times to politely explain to him. The end of the conversation was me hanging up on him. I didn't have time to argue with him - I was busy.
I got home at 11:34pm to find a trash bag on my home door step. My husband asked me as we approched the door if I left the trash out - I tell him no - I bet it is the cake stand - they left it after all.

WRONG!!!!! It was the top acrylic plate that sits in the base - SHATTERED!!! It was in MORE than 100 pieces and NO BASE!

A GROWN MAN BROKE THE TOP OF MY STAND AND KEPT THE BASE! AGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Since it was so late - I couldn't call the bride. But I did email her what happen and asked that she please call me. I have YET to hear from her or receive an email from her.

My husband refuses for me to call her - which I am not going to. But it is her fault - she should have told her dad to have it back my Tue. The dad said she didn't tell him that and wanted to know why I didn't call him. I explained to him - he was not listed - how was I supposed to know who her dad was??? I never met him before!!!! much less have a phone number for him. I am just in shock and angry. I have NEVER had this happen before. I just didn't know what to do.........so now I have to order a new stand.

THANK GOODNESS FOR CONTRACTS!

Has anyone else had a nightmare like this??? Were you covered by your contract????

I am wondering what else I should add to my contract for future brides....

I haven't had anyone break my stuff and leave it at the door. But don't you charge enough to buy another one? That is the only way you can look at it and vent a little to get over someone stupidly disrespecting you.

This past weekend I had a mom hijack me for a refund because we had the wedding cake at the reception site 8 minutes later than we told her. She said she would tell everyone she knew we gave her poor service. I asked did your cake taste good? Was it the design you ordered? She was happy with everything except she was stressed that the cake was 8 minutes later than she expected. And she thought I should compensate her with $50. The wedding hadn't even started! I said, " So you are going to hijack me if I don't compensate you?" Yes ! I gave her a coupon for a cake up to $50. And now I hate myself, I should have said go ahead!

Lora

MyPastryChef...
I know how you feel. I was lucky the deposit will cover the retail cost of the stand, so I will have to either eat the shipping or the gas to get another one.

OMG! I am fuming mad for you! I cannot believe the nerve of some people. No wonder kids these days are little hellions when they have adults like that showing them how to behave. Burns me up!

Thank God I haven't had to deal with a situation like this yet, but I'm prepared just in case. On my contract, I list the replacement cost of rented items at at least 15% mark-up over the retail price (PLUS tax) that I would pay in a store or online. Sometimes I mark it up even more so I have enough to cover my shipping or gas and the time I spend hunting down that replacement.

What a jerk that man was.

I knew as soon as I started reading about him calling and forefiting the deposit how this was going to turn out. I have delt with so many childish people in my time that it does not suprise me at all.

I hate that happend. I would never tell him that. I would have simply told him that since she paid the deposit and did not list him I would really need to discuss any refund with her after the cake plate was returned.

Definitly mark up on the items that have to be returned and I agree Thank God for contracts.

mypastrychef,

i would have wanted to keep my cake--give her full refund and let her figure out in the next 8 minutes how to get another one in time ...

your pictures on your site would have spoken for themselves....

crazy lady...

Holy crap! I was just looking into buying one of them fancy shmacy metal cake plates cause I finally found one that was reasonable. You mean to tell me people might not return them? What if you had a cake to make and needed your stand? THURSDAY!!!!! I would have blown a gasget! Good for you that your contract covers you. You should be feeling triumphant!

I will definatley make sure to include the retail price + 10% for tax, + 10% for shipping and handling, + 10% for pain and suffering and hope that the amount will be so high that it will be prohibitive.

Good for you and sorry that you had to have that happen to you.

Holy crap! How immature.

If the bride does call, what will you do? I'm just interested to see what your plans are.

Rachel

So, what I'm getting from this story is that he threw a fit and broke the dang'd stand????

GAH! WHAT?!

What a freak-o. Seriously though; Makes you wonder what he'd be like to live with. Jerk.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! Good thing you had the contract.

--Knox--

People make me SO MAD!!! Like a previous post said, no wonder some kids act the they do, when there are adults who act SO immature!! I'm so sorry that happened to you!! Makes me want to never do a wedding cake!

I don't blame you for wanting those things. I think you deserve that and more. I am so sorry this happened to you!

Rachel

Man, that's horrible, some people really need to grow up, and what this man never signed a contract before where he had to leave a deposit!!! It's simply appauling, and kinda makes me glad that I'm not into wedding cakes, not that I wouldn't want to, but it seems like such a hassle...especially when you deal with schmucks like that! Hope your week goes well!

Wow that stinks! Hopefully karma takes care of people like that!

I do agree that he was immature for smashing the stand. But ..and i know i will get some replies from this.....I do think that i would have given the deposit back. Weddings are hectic and sometimes things happen...as long as they return it within the week i would refund it....especially a deposit that covers retail for the stand.

A contract is a contract, is a contract!! I would not have given back the deposit. What if it is the only stand like that she has and needs to plan on that stand for the following weekend?? The BRIDE herself said that she understood the contrat and would return it the day of the wedding herself!! I for one would have INSISTED on an alternate person because that bride was TOTALLY unrealistic in that manner!! This is why I'm not sure I want to do "stranger" wedding cakes! EEGADS!!

good grief! First we've heard of bridezillas, then momzillas now DADzillas? That was so immature! If he rented a saw from Home Depot and didnt get his deposit back would he have bent the saw? Come on now! And I think you're right she's too embarassed to call.

Well, I've dealt with childish people.....but....I think YOURS wins! I'm not too sure that I wouldn't still send the bride a registered letter (keep a copy) and let her know that because your property was WILLFULLY destroyed there could be legal action. Over the top? Yeah, probably. I realize that your contract covers stuff like this, but, you know, maybe people just need to be reminded that when they have ANGER ISSUES......they need to learn how to express them! Of course, then you have the issue of the "fruitcake" dad...and he knows where you live. Now is THAT scary or what? Still send the registered letter. Then you have documentation that you tried to contact her regarding this situation.

Just my 2 cents worth but isn't that what the deposit is suppose to do, replace the cake stand if not returned? I mean if I would not get it there on time and lost the deposit I would just keep the cake stand, forgive me if I am wrong. I don't mean to stir up anything but this is how I thought it went. Oh yeah..... and that father should get some anger managment classes.
Judy

I'm sure I would be upset too if that happened to me but I think I might have returned part of the deposit in order to get my stand back. Sort of like charging a late fee. From the dad's perspective, what did he have to gain by not giving you your stand back? He already lost the deposit so he pretty much "bought" it. It was extremely childish of him to break it though and dump it on your doorstep. I guess maybe just count your blessings that you didn't have to deal with him in person. Who knows how he might have blown up if you'd have told him he wasn't getting his deposit back.

Good36 - The deposit is to cover my expense of replacing the stand should the bride return it late. Some of my stands are one of a kinds and therfore I only have 1. If I use it - I need it back immediately...I could have another bride that requested the same stand for the following Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. A lot of decorators don't have multiples of all stands. Again, some are truly one of a kind stands. In this case I only had the one - luckily it is replaceable.

ge978 - If I returned every deposit because they returned my stand when they felt like it - I would have to have five or more of each stand I have. I don't have the space or money for that inventory to be sitting around. If I were a small baker or a home baker that did a few wedding here and there, then I could understand why one would consider returning the deposit. But I do 2-5 weddings a weekend. And I can't rely on people to freely return my equipment.

I would HIGHLY suggest anyone doing wedding cakes on ANY SIZE scale....Have a Contract AND require a Deposit.....

I had no idea, that make sense to me. I am a cake baker for friends and family only. I think I will keep it that way LOL. Thanks for the input, like I said I really had no idea.
Judy

Sorry this happened to you. Some people are such idiots!

Oh Tracy...I am so sorry that you had to deal with that level of immaturity. I am guessing this guy must have been picking up the tab for the wedding and he was at his snapping point. One of those things where it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'm hoping the bride calls you and apologizes, but if not, just know that what goes around comes around! Keep that smile!!

Hi Tracey,
In the first place, I can't believe the bride said she was going to return the stand herself. That for sure was never going to happen.Maybe your contract could be revised & you could take a deposit (the full amount +), in case it never gets returned, and also a late fee deposit. That way you could keep it separated. Just a thought.
June

That'll be scary for me if that happen to me. I wonder if that's the main reason why most bakeries doesn't offer cake stand rental - as they use disposable cakeboard (like a cardboard) and wooden dowels. They wouldn't have to worry about damages or lost.

I remember when my hubby and I came back from our honeymoon, the baker called us to informed that one of the mirrored pillar is missing, so I ended up paying her $25. I didn't get mad or anything like your customer because I signed a contract and I'm assuming it was either stolen or been thrown out by accident while clean up.

It sounds like your bride broke the item and was too embarrassed to return it to you, so she probably thought her Dad would handle it for her.

I agree that the bride shud not get back the deposit. And as for you buy the stand when you forfeit the deposit well that doesnt make sense either cause if you rent a tv or car or movie anything and return it late you get charged late fee and you dont get to keep the item. The only problem is that you told him to leave it on at yr door. He can always claim it was ok when he left it.

I hear small claims court calling Just because they paid a deposit, you have a right to collect for the rest of the items NOT returned and for the cost of REPLACING the item.


GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. What a rotten father. No wonder she got married--maybe just to get away from him!