Bride HATED the cake! - Page 2

No fight at all. I am totally happy to debate with a smile. That is what open forums should be about. Different opions shared with respect.

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my original response about not letting something go out if you are not happy with it. I would not skip a cake or leave someone without a cake for an event, ever.

The point I was trying to make was about your design & technique. When a customer orders fondant & you are unable to provide a final product that is up to your standards then you may be better off to change to buttercream.

If the technique you are using isnt working & is causing a major problem that ruins the cake then you should stop & change.

The bride probably would have complained anyway, but would this cake have looked better in buttercream? If the fondant work was as bad as the OP stated, then it may have been better to switch to a cleaner look before the cake went out the door.

It only got worse as it went along.

I knew when I posted it not everyone would agree, but I still think if you know in your gut you are putting out a bad product you should stop & fix it.

Even if that means changing away from fondant because your fondant isnt working that day for whatever reason.

Cracked fondant, uneven ribbons and holes to cover may have been avoided if she swicthed to a different plan when it was not meeting her standard.

Then she could have refunded the bride the difference between fondant and buttercream or refunded the whole thing, but there would not be pictures out there of work that showed her in a negative light.

JMHO In this internet world that bride may be sending pix all over of a cake this OP was not happy with and that could hurt business even more. A picture is worth a thousand words.

I say this with the greatest respect of the OP and her feelings. This stinks, but in the end maybe there is a lesson to be gained.

I'm so sorry this happened to you! I'm not in business and the mere thought of wedding cakes makes me nervous. I did one (for free so no stress) and I'm not sure I would do another.

Stay strong - as you said, in 13 yrs, you're awesome if this was your first problem!

ihad one customer tell me my cake was JUST cake art. hahahah why? not because it tasted bad..she said it was delicius and beautiful and everyone loved it..it was JUST cake art because I put the message on the board instead of on the cake (3D cake)

I missed that detail in her email. It was a last minute order and I put the message on the board like I usually do with 3D cakes. JUSt CAKE ART.

My goodness, it's things like this that make me wonder if I really want to get into caking as a profession!!

So sorry this happened to you.

I have never sold a cake, let alone a wedding cake, but how does this sound for a solution for this kind of thing happening to someone....:

Take the cake but when you can see it's not upto scratch, get in contact with the person in charge (MOB/ Maid of Honour etc) and immediately make them aware you aren't happy with it, would they like a full/partial refund etc. This then shows honesty and they will most likely appreciate that you've been upfront, and may even decline the refund thinking the cake is wonderful anyway!! And then you know you've had the chance to say your piece and explain the issues, and won't be sat at home awaiting a nasty call or email?

As I said, I've never done this myself but I imagine as a consumer I would appreciate this initial contact instead of a potentially nasty surprise later in the day.

if it was so terrible why were they raving and gushing over it when they first saw it. my guess it something with the wedding during or after went wrong and by then some of the cake had been consumed. it no longer looked pristine and it just became the focal point of her bad day.

Sounds to me as tho the longer she left contacting you about the cake - the more irrate she got.....and the longer her letter got - the more vicious she spoke.

Honestly - IF the cake was *bad* i doubt a week would have passed before she made contact.

Yes, i am sure it has cut deep -but, you did what you did to rectify that - and you gave a refund.

Take solace in the fact that some days/cakes just go pear shape no matter how hard we try.

Its very easy for us to sit behind our screen and say -
"i would have done ..............a b or c....................."

Like anything in life - unless we are walking that path - we don't know what we would do when *confronted* like that.

Your allowed to feel dented and upset......
But wake up tomorrow and say "i did all that i could do"

Some of us do understand that you don't need tearing down -
You just needed to talk it out.


Bluehue

It's true...it's hard to REALLY say what we would have done. We aren't truly in the stressed situation itself.

Even just reading this thread, I NEVER thought to consider the BC route. Given the fact that the bride was stuck on fondant made it not an option...but, that's an interesting point.

To the OP - how about this? I know it doesn't help you now..but in the future if you have fondant trouble...what about the re-ice & firm up thing. THEN, doing that band around the sides of fondant & then the separate top piece? I've seen that done & with your experience, maybe that would have worked?

I don't really know - I'm just new at fondant covered cakes. But, I love problem solving. So - maybe that could be added to your "bag of tricks"?

Just a thought - try to not worry. People aren't careful with their words anymore. She could have conveyed it a bit more delicately.

That's a bit of a relief I'm sure. That's really great - and from the planner! She's probably seen her share of cakes & tasted them as well.

Good for you!

I think you did the right thing by refunding $$$. I think the most important thing from all of this is figuring out what went wrong. It's important we learn from our mistakes or imperfections. I hope you can figure that out.

I wish you many more beautiful creations and happy customers. Don't let this one get you down.

Jennifer

I hear ya, sista!

We don't get 3 weeks or 3 months to put a cake together

We get 24 hours or less to make a master piece, we can plan ahead, we bake ahead, we can mix up the icing, we can think about it a dozen times - but sometimes we only get one shot to make it right -

How many of us have had a cake that we "not so much like" looked at the clock realized we have hours until delivery.... re-baked cakes... started all over... stayed up all night fixing...

I have been there, and with each one - I have learned lessons (NEVER TRY SOMETHING NEW ON A TIME CRUNCH!) and .... used every tool in your "bag of tricks" to fix the problem(s).

Its all good, and in time... you will redeem yourself - this was not your first time at the Rodeo, and won't be your last! .....Giddy Up

Vicki

I didn't see the cake, but maybe the people who first saw the cake were right, and it was fabulous, then saw your reaction, or your comments and told the bride you were unhappy with it. Bride loves it but cooks up a scheme to get "her" money back, cause she spent too much on the wedding and the rent is due. It could happen.

OP - I'm glad something positive came out of all of that! Sounds like a high maintenance bridezilla.




This is the only think I have to disagree with. They've could've gone straight to their honeymoon like many do. I'd HOPE she wasn't thinking about cake during that time.