She loved the cake.

Also, she has no proof that the blossoms were broken by you.... its VERY possible that guests touch the cake before the photography is done.

Also, IMO, photographers have the responsibility to notice little details that might not look good in the final picture. I've noticed photographers in the past taking pictures of what is clearly the back of a cake, or odd angles, etc.... no cake is perfect!!!!!

Your cake is lovely...your customer was satisfied...and your contract states once the cake is delivered in good condition that the agreement is final.

No money back for this one...she's being petty.

Whoa, let's take a step back. The CAKE, ruined her pictureS? Was this cake in every single one of her pictures?? Probably not. Was the cake the focus of every single one of her pictures? I would be more concerned about her ugly face ruining the pictures than a beautiful cake. I wonder if she is trying to return her wedding dress too.

You've got it all covered in your contract. It was a beautiful cake. Hold your ground and stay confident - you are right in this situation, for sure! Good luck with contacting her - I also believe you should email her rather than call since you'll have it in writing that way.

And YES - print the review, or take a picture of it on your computer so you have actual record if she does decide to delete. How ridiculous...I'm sorry you're having to deal with this....and over a FABULOUS cake!

So, the cake "ruined" her photos? What - was it 'photobombing' the posed shots?

Oh, look, there's the bride & groom in their first dance and what's that?!?? OMG, it's the cake sticking up behind them pulling a face!??!?! Oh, yeah - photos are ruined now...bratty cake! Go to your room, er, box!

Srsly?!??! This bride gets NOTHING (but derision from us!).

I second or 356th the suggestion to send an e-mail or letter w/the contract. It sucks for her, but the cake acting scandalously after they took delivery is NOT your problem, nor is it your liability.

Cheers and better brides from here on out!
Wendl

my response:

<name>

Here is the contact information for my attorney, who has been given a copy of the contract agreed to and signed by you, the last page of the contract signed indicating the cake delivered was accepted as proper fulfillment of the order, the on site photos I took of the cake upon completion of set up, and a copy of the positive review you posted on my website. Please direct all further correspondence regarding this matter to my attorney.

Any further direct correspondence with me will be deemed harassment and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Also, any negative comments posted anywhere will be deemed defamation of character and will also be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

<siggy>

(note I did not say dear or any of the other niceties -- she doesn't deserve it.)

I would not take the time to send copy of anything. And I would not respond in any other way.

After emailing that -- would be time for a ...<fill in most favored indulgence!> and then nary a thought more about her.

We have attorney's for a purpose. Make use of them.

Your cake is beautiful.

The photographer can Photoshop whatever she imagines is wrong. That's the photographer's job. If the photographer didn't do it then either she chose the wrong one or there isn't anything wrong. The photographer should still have the raw files so he/she can do it now if necessary.

I'd take a screenshot of the review in case she decides to take this to court. In case you don't know how to do this, look for the print screen key on your keyboard (mine says prt sc and I have to press it at the same time I press the funciton key (mine says fn). Now open up paint and and press the control key (mine says ctrl) and the letter v and the same time. This will paste the screenshot into paint. Save the file and you're done.

Taking a clear photo of your screen may be difficult; that's why I suggest a screenshot. You want something that shows without a doubt this bride posted a rave review and then decided she wanted her money back.

Your cake is beautiful and amazing! An untrained eye wouldn't have noticed the broken flowers. Poor photography doesn't warrant a refund on your part. I say no refund in this case. It was the photographer's job to photoshop any flaws, if possible. From the pictures you attached, there wasn't a bad angle on the cake that would "ruin" her pictures.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the guests touched the cake and broke a couple of flowers. I attended a wedding last weekend where I also did the wedding cake. I was shocked at how a couple of women made an effort to try and damage the bride's cake. They poked at it, put their fingers in the icing, pulled on the ribbon, pulled flowers off of it, and pulled the table linen up and down. It probably happens more than we know.

Have you ever seen Hell's Kitchen when Gordon Ramsay goes over to the wall and bangs his head against it when he's taken all he can of the rampant stupidity in his kitchen? If I were you I'd be banging my head against the wall after listening to that wench on the phone.

Does she really expect you to believe that a broken petal or two on that gorgeous cake detracted from her wedding photos?
She said everything looked perfect, except the cake? Perfection is over-rated; and I predict a trip to divorce court for the little perfectionist.
Another case of the wedding overshadowing the marriage.

Just tell her that nature isn't perfect and you made them like that
to mimic nature!!!!

What is the first thing that comes to mind....That show Bridezilla!!!
All joking aside...your cake is gorgeous. People have just become over fanatical with how perfect their special event should be...too much TV ect making people think that is the way it will be. There is no consideration on how long or hard you worked on that beautiful cake. Life is not perfect and if she has not figured that out yet it won't be long before it rudely slaps her upside her head. Maybe all of the wedding bills are just landing on her desk and she is having buyers remorse and you are the easiest target.
I wish I had advice on what to do but if it were me First I would kindly remind her of her rave reviews of the cake then I might give a very small discount or maybe say I can make a small cake free of charge for you at what ever event you have next...birthday, baby shower etc. OR even just a discount on a future order. In no way shape or form would I refund for a cake that was excepted and eaten and then complained about months after the fact!! If she does not except any of the above she is not worth having as a customer!
Good Luck!
Suzi

First I would like to thank everyone for your input I really do appreciate it...

So here is what happened...

I called her before I read the remarks telling me to email her, thankfully she didn't answer. I then proceeded to write the email and basically said this, in the most polite demeanor as possible although I was having a cocktail of mixed feelings inside. I told her,

"I am sorry for how you feel and I can sympathize if the burden of planning a wedding has been overwhelming to you. Perhaps your wedding wasn't to your expectation, or perhaps you may be feeling some angst of buyers remorse. However given the fact that I have a signed delivery receipt along with pictures of the delivered product, a contract that clearly states my liability ends upon delivery and a rave review from you I have but one conclusion, that I may be the target of your perils and as I have never come across this situation I have forwarded all our correspondence and paperwork from the transaction to my attorney for council. If you have any further complaints or issues you may contact him directly..."

I enclosed his contact information and sent it on its way. Needless to say I have not heard anything back yet... let's hope it stays this way.

Still sad at the situation but... on to the next cake, RIGHT!!!!

B

way to go!!!
Hope you won't be hearing from her anymore!
Jodi

A+ answer that hopefully leads to peaceful times going forward

I don't think it's buyer's remorse. I think it was the fact that the photographer was so costly and he/she took zoomed in photos of an area that included a broken petal or two which, in turn got posted in her file for all her guests to view. Instead of taking it as something that just happens, she overreacted to the less than perfect image of an aspect of her wedding that she attempted to convey as flawless.

What she should've done was contact the freakin' photographer and have him/her remove it, touch it up and replace it or something along those lines since she paid him/her so much money!

"No No honey. The cake was perfect. It was the photographer that took less than perfect photos." LOL

Two thumbs up for you!

Great response! I bet you won't be hearing from her

This woman is out of her mind. That is a very beautiful cake. In fact, I just looked at all of your cakes posted and must say that you're work is fantastic. I personally would not offer her a refund.

First of all, she needs to grow up, take some Midol or get back on her meds.

Second, she doesn't have a leg to stand on. This is just ridiculous. I hope the only other contact you might have with this person is if she calls to apologize. She should be ashamed of herself.

A friend of mine is a photographer on the weekends and has her "real job" during the week. After a wedding on the weekend, she spends HOURS going over each photo and editing every little thing. If your customer had such a fancy photographer, there's no way he would have let a damaged cake slide in the pictures.

BTW, the cake is amazing. I'm so glad you stood up for yourself and stood by your contract!!

I havn't had time to read all the replies, but here goes. No way should you give her any money of further consideration. The cake is beautiful and it looks like to me she is getting her credit card statements and is freaking because she spent more than she thought, and thinks she can recoup some of her losses and you are convienent. Two months is so toooo long for her to get anything back even if your cake was a mess which it is NOT!!!