Delivered a cake yesterday and the mom cake in today (bride was "too upset to come in" so she sat in the car) to complain. The cake I delivered had each tier airbrushed black at the bottom fading to blue in the middle fading to white at the top. Apparently the bride wanted the black just at the bottom of the cake fading up those colors for the entire cake, not each tier. The contract language could be interpreted either way and I took the order over 6 months ago - but I think they are right. How much would you refund/gift certificate credit? (cake served 100 for $735)

ps. I just wanna say also that this cake was the ONLY disaster cake I have ever had - my assistant hit the brakes too hard and the whole thing toppled (not a structural issue, an entire complete cake laying on it's side issue). We had to remake the entire cake (thank goodness we had sponge on hand for other orders!) in an hour flat and then transport it an hour away.... I got it in place about 5 minutes before the ceremony ended and people filed in. So kinda disappointing to hear this after saving the day in such a big way yesterday - she doesn't know how lucky she was to have a cake at all!!

Dang Kory....I don't know. I'm eager to hear what is suggested, or you come up with. Great save though, and bummer to the refund issue!

Kinda laughing at the "too upset so she's in the car" crap though....puhleaze!

I know, right??

Yeah, Kory, I was shocked when I saw the subject line and that you had started the thread. "no way Kory has bad cakes!"

Did they indicate what they wanted? When they go on and on, I use the line "I obviously can't go back and make this 100% right for you and I wish I could. So what can I do to help make this right for you?" Some will ask for the whole thing back (at which point we now have a starting point for the negotiation! ) and some will ask for a much lower amount than you were thinking.

Ditto the "pul-leaze" on the too-upset-and-had-to-wait-in-the-car crap.

Is that all she had to complain about? I can see where she would be upset but is she demanding a refund (full or partial) if that was the only thing about the cake she had a problem with, I would not issue a full refund, and lesson learned always draw a sketch and notes in detail, 6 mos is a long time to remember. I am sure we will all encounter this as some point and time. You got a double whammy on this one, i am soooo sorry, Good Luck

Yeah right she was so upset! To me it's just aother bride trying to recoup her losses, starting with the cakelady.

I wasn't here when the mom came by, just got the message from my assistants. Apparently she is busy today and asked that I call her tomorrow. As far as I know, this is the only component that they complained about. I think I will ask her what I can do to make it better and see where where she goes from there. My gut reaction is either 10% as refund plus 10% as gift certificate ($75 each) or just a $100 gift certificate.

And yeah, GottaLuvCake, I do usually draw a sketch but this one was so simple... or so I thought! Lesson learned.

Cake delivered yesterday, mom comes in today with bride in car too upset to move....ummmm shouldn't the bride be somewhere with her new husband, not with her mother whining about cake. Anyway I just wanted to say Good Luck and I hope it goes away soon!!!

I totally agree, when I got married, the day after the last thing I was thinking about was the cake.......come on now!! I would have to say it sounds like mommy is trying to get some money back from an easy place (prob. in her mind) to start. I hope it turns out well for you and that you don't lose too much on the cake.
Once again though, what bride is thinking about complaining about the cake the day after the wedding?! Also just a afterthought, if "she" is that upset about the cake that they are wanting a refund how are they too busy today? I know if it was me, I'd be there front and center not saying I was too busy......JMO!

Unbelievable, the length some people will go to! I'd have thought on the day after her wedding she would go home to her new HUSBAND, finish unwrapping all those generous gifts from her guests, finish packing for her honeymoon & start her new life! There are more important things than the colours on a cake... My suggestion is perhaps give 10% as you said to avoid her mother bad mouthing you & a mental note that no matter how simple, draw a sketch & get the client to sign it off?

I wasn't going to say anything but the poor bride seems to be copping a hammering here. About the colours, Kory went back to the contract and can see that they were probably right and that she may have confused herself because it was over 6 mths ago - understandable mistake, but not the bride's fault. She was able to save the day with a second cake after the first one hit the floor but again, that wasn't the bride's fault. Had the assistant not hit the brakes too hard and the cake arrived when she had originally planned for it to, she may have found out then that it wasn't right and might have been able to use that time to remake the correct cake for them.

I think everyone should put themselves in the position of the bride first. If the cake means a lot to you and you walk in and it doesn't look like you wanted and you paid over $700 for it, I think you'd be upset too. The overall finish is quite different to what she had asked for. I know I would have been teary about that and that I quite possibly would have stayed in the car because I was too upset. I find personally I am more interested in the appearance of the cake rather than the taste. My wedding cake was dry but I didn't really care - it looked the way I wanted and we had dessert as part of our meal package so the cake was just something extra for the guests to eat if they wanted.

As for she should be with her husband, how many threads have I read on here where people say that if the bride was that upset about the cake, she would have contacted you the day after, not 2 weeks later? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Kory you seem to very reasonable and have tried very hard to make the bride's wedding with this cake. I think asking her what she wants is a good way of dealing with it like you have already said. Just put yourself in her position and think what would make you feel better and go from there.

I would offer 10% refund. That's all. Did they eat the cake? If it was unacceptable, why did they eat it? If they still had a cake to eat then they have to pay for that much alone!

Well said Melnick another thing we might learn from this is to touch base a couple weeks b4 cake is due to make sure everything is right. Just a thought

Ok this is what I sent to her. Haven't heard back yet.

I was recently informed that there was a problem with the coloring on your cake. Below you will find the order agreement that we went off of when completing your cake. Unfortunately, the wording was not specific enough and could be determined to go either way (one fade for the whole cake or one fade per tier). Thinking back, I do remember us discussing the single fade and I apologize greatly for the mix up. If I could go back and make the change I would, but of course that is impossible. What can I do to help make this right for you?

KoryAK, that was a perfect email, IMHO. neither offensive nor defensive, but open and welcoming and understanding. I hope this has a happy ending (as best it can anyway).

Well said Kory!

K this is what she sent back:


Hi Kory,
I just don't know where to go with this. When we met I was very specific about the coloring of the cake. The entire wedding was planned around the cake, pictures were scheduled around the delivery time and this was my gift to my husband. I brought in the pictures of his bike to show how the fade was on the original work. You had even told me the number of tiers wouldn't matter in the overall look because we were doing the single fade. I brought two people with me to make sure I got the point across that I wanted a single fade to mimic his bike. When we left your bakery all three of us were under the impression everyone had agreed to a single fade. Looking back on my wedding day that should be the happiest day of my life all I can remember is how nothing went right because my main focus point was so wrong. The bike's on the top weren't even glued on the mirror, they fell off and just by chance someone was there to catch them but if no one had been there they'd be broken too. Honestly when I did get to see the cake I cried. There was supposed to be a big unveiling to my husband but it didn't get to happen because the cake was late, and when he did get to see it I had to explain that it was supposed to be the colors of his bike and that the tier fading was supposed to be one fade over the cake because he didn't see it. There is nothing that can be done to go back and change it I understand that but had I known from the beginning that this is how my wedding day was going to turn out I would never have paid for that. I don't mean to attack you, the actual cake tasted great, it just wasn't right in any other way. We paid a lot of money for the cake and paid everything before we got to see the final product because I trusted your bakery, I just wish it would've lived up to the price we paid. I don't know how we can make this right but we are open to any suggestions you may have.
<Bride>


And then this is what I just sent back:


At the time ordering I did understand that there was supposed to be one fade. The error arose because of my ambiguous wording in my notes and on the order agreement and the length of time that passed between the discussion and the completion of your order. Certainly none of that was your fault; it is our error and I apologize.

I also want to apologize for the delay in the delivery. As I spoke with your mother, I left the exact details of our problems out so as not to add any additional stress on the wedding day. I am sorry to say that my delivery driver had to slam on the brakes mid-delivery and the cake was damaged. It was rushed back to the bakery in the hopes that it could be repaired, but it could not. Our entire team pitched in and the cake that you received was an entirely new one. Again, completely not your fault or problem, but I want you to know that our lateness was not because we didn't care about you or your order or didn't understand the importance of your wedding day timing. That was the first time anything like this had happened to us.

I am sorry that there was almost a problem on the topper but any edible/temporary glue would not have been clear and would have shown through the bikes and looked unattractive. It is not our practice to do any permanent gluing unless it is specifically requested since the topper is often a permanent keepsake.

It is always our intent to deliver the best product possible and exactly as ordered and I'm sorry that this did not happen in this instance. We would like a chance to prove our quality to you and will be mailing you a $200 gift certificate.

I hope this settles it for her. I think too many people are too fixated on the details instead of the purpose of the wedding day. We had lots of things happen around our wedding, and just took it in stride. 26 years later, I can't even remember what my cake looked like!

Life happens. If she let this "ruin" her day, if the cake was the "main focus", then I hate to think where they are headed.

I'm sorry.....but a $200 gift certificate wouldn't cut it with me in that situation. She had very specific reasons for wanting the cake colored the way she ordered it. It sounds like she went to extraordinary lengths to be assured you understood how special this cake was supposed to be. I know how I feel when I think of a perfect surprise for someone I love. She was trying to make some magic for her groom and her surprise was ruined. Maybe she was too focused on that detail, but wasn't having that detail perfect why she paid $7.35 a serving???? It wasn't just for the taste of the cake.

I'm not saying she should get all her money back, but it should be money back, not a gift certificate.

JMO

Jodie

I am in australia, and have no real wedding cake experience, but I feel for the bride. Just because the cake may not be one persons idea of "the most important thing in the world", doesn't mean it is not the brides. Especially if they designed other elements around it. It would have been an eye-sore (even if only to the bride). After all, the bride is the client, and what she thinks is a priority is the only opinion that counts. If she prioritises the symbolism of the cake then so be it.

In my opinion (and I don't mean any disrespect, I know your cakes are fantastic!), this cake is faulty as it is not what was ordered, and the decorator acknowledged that. So any faulty item is subject to a full refund, even if it became apparent that it was faulty after payment. This is true in Australia anyway.

Personally, I would not want to go back to a service provider, no matter how experienced or tasty their product, if I had an issue with one of their products. So the gift certificate would be a null issue.

Sorry if I come across rude, I don't mean to, but just seeing it from the brides point of view. If this happened to her dress, say it was ivory instead of the white she ordered, wouldn't she be entitled to a refund? Or the flowers were the wrong color..same deal..too late to get replacements, but I wouldn't want to pay if I didn't get what I asked for. So why is it different for the cake?

I think I would refund 50%. In my mind, the cake's value is 50% design and 50% edibility. They got their 50% edibility. They got to eat and enjoy a good tasting cake. But they didn't get the design they paid for, so that's how I see it.

I thought the bride's e-mail showed a lot of restraint. If I paid $700 for a cake and didn't get the look I ordered, I'd be pretty hot under the collar myself.

I really do feel for you. What a nightmare. A call from an unhappy customer is something I truly dread in life.

I totally feel for the bride too. I put the ball in her court for the "make it right", but she punted it back into mine. I can see all the perspectives and reasonings, I just had to pick a place to start. I'm not going to send anything out until I get an approval or a rebuttal from them, just needed a starting point. This is my nightmare!

a) bad situation, well handled by you, KoryAK

b) re -- "elsewhere day after" -- not in this day and age where the wedding is often a mere formality after months or years of "living together" -- which by my generation (at least this is what we were taught and I still believe) is really "living in sin"

c) "it is focal point" -- when will brides learn that the cake is NOT the focal point but a pretty and very temporary decoration???? the focal point should be the commitment to a loving spouse and long life together. further -- yep, it's eye-candy for a few brief moments (really now, who as a guest, except present company, truly pays any long term attention to the cake?? most more interested in other things (gossip, trash talking, the open bar, the cheese plate, etc.) and then it's true "value" is revealed -- how good it tastes. -- we're there to eat it not turn it into a living memorial to the wedding.

d) "in the car" -- can we spell in all caps, bright red flashing neon letters SPOILED ROTTEN!

e) "my gift to my husband" -- when will the Venus side "get it" - the Mars side likes things it can keep as gifts -- just like Venus side likes diamonds! -- tho' give Mars side things like accessories for the bike, tools, tech toys, etc. Yes, the cake is a nice temporary gift -- but that's just it -- it's temporary --- give Mars something that will be there day after day (come on now, remember Mars is the side that will hold on to a fav. t-shirt for 20 years if at all possible!) and further more -- is the best gift of continuing love and understanding -- ::cue Tammy Wynette:: -- that you will Stand By Your Man?

And besides, the color issue is a matter of interpretation. Sure Kory remembers that being discussed but 6 months ago.

I can remember tons of stuff being discussed 6 months ago--wait no I can't I'm over 50-- but I mean it's not like she got red roses and a fountain she did get everything except one part of one detail.

I love the way Kory is handling this--remember she's already out for two cakes here--due to circumstances beyond anyone's control where she valiantly and near seamlessly stepped up to the plate.

Not to mention that it's 'different' to give the brides cake to the groom--that's why we have groom's cakes and why we buy real gifts for our new husbands--not re-gift, well she was actually re-caking. What is that about.

I was going to comment on all this but I will just say to Kory that I am very sorry this happened to you. Even the best have bad/hard days sometimes.

You are great at making cakes and a good business woman, don't let this get you down. I think you are handling yourself in a very professional and classy manner. I hope it is over soon so that you can move on to do what you do best.

I remember an old saying, something like "you can't please all the people all the time". Keep your head up!