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groom called off wedding 4 days before the date, now what - Page 2

post #16 of 73
7/19/11 at 11:42am
the bride's a fool...she should have taken the cake as contracted for and thrown one hellava "dodged that bullet" party. Any guy who waits til 4 days before the big day to realize this wasn't for him isn't a guy she should want anyway.
No license or insurance. Put lead wires in cakes, never wash hands, cake boards are used cardboard. No contracts cause I can't read or write. No lawyer cause I'm judgment proof. I bake with old mix boxes found behind Walmart. Now about my question
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No license or insurance. Put lead wires in cakes, never wash hands, cake boards are used cardboard. No contracts cause I can't read or write. No lawyer cause I'm judgment proof. I bake with old mix boxes found behind Walmart. Now about my question
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post #17 of 73
7/19/11 at 12:08pm
4 days out I would not refund anything. I would say, I am so sorry, as the contract states, no refund is given in the event of a cancellation. However, you do still have me booked for a cake for this week which has already been shopped for and I am happy to still make you a cake. We can change the colors or something to accommodate...

I don't know what you purchased or how specific or re-usable it is, so offering a full credit for what she paid on future cakes may still put you out on product.
Alison
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Alison
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post #18 of 73
7/19/11 at 12:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cookiemama2

I'd love to see it decorated like a divorce cake! With the groon topper laying in a puddle of blood and its neck broken!



Maybe the bride got caught with the best man?
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post #19 of 73
7/19/11 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by southerncross

the bride's a fool...she should have taken the cake as contracted for and thrown one hellava "dodged that bullet" party. Any guy who waits til 4 days before the big day to realize this wasn't for him isn't a guy she should want anyway.




Exactly!!

It's a shame but with only 4 days notice, she's kinda outta luck. As much as you can be sympathic, you cannot rebook the date and make up that profit, and she's is unfortunately out.

The mother is trying to get any monies back. She knows she's not getting money from the caterer (who has probably already bought the food), the band (another that cannot rebook), the florist (who has already purchased flowers), or any other vendor.

One of those hard life lessons.
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post #20 of 73
7/19/11 at 12:30pm
My husbands cousin was to marry her high school sweetheart. They planned a HUGE wedding, booked with all the best of the best in the city. Her parents went all out for this thing. Im not sure how close to the date it was but she decided not to marry him. No idea why, she just didnt want to go through with it. They did contact all the vendors to see if they could get some of their money back and they did in some cases. But the majority of the people they booked with stuck to their contracts and kept their money. The last I heard her very expensive wedding dress was listed on Craigs list. I felt bad for her but better to make the decision now before you take the vows and it cost you a little then to wait until after the wedding and it cost you a small fortune to go through a divorce.

I would give back whatever you could, like the cost of the ingredients. Maybe give her a line of credit with you with super strict stipulations. But I wouldnt refund all her money. You deserve to be paid for your time, what little work you have put into it and missed opportunities for other orders on that day. You need to get paid too.
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post #21 of 73
7/19/11 at 1:05pm
Unfortunately, I personally went through a similar situation, where my wedding was called off two weeks before the wedding date. We lost all of our money with the vendors, per our contracts. However, per my contract with the florist, if (hopefully, when) I plan a wedding again, I will not need to make another initial deposit with the florist, because they will apply the initial deposit from my cancelled wedding. Now, I lost all of the other payments that I made to the florist prior to my final payment, but still, I thought it was nice way to handle it. And, if I ever plan another wedding, I will be sure to use this same florist, since I already have my initial deposit covered with them.
Check out my cake blog at: http://adventuresofacakediva.com
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Check out my cake blog at: http://adventuresofacakediva.com
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post #22 of 73
7/19/11 at 1:08pm
You don't have to refund anything, cause of your contract. But I agree if you give 25% back, it will help with you look good in the long run. I wouldn't offer another cake, cause you are out on this cake and you don't know how this will play it. Heck, tell them no refund, but they can still have the cake if they want. It is paid for. But everyone will understand if you keep everything.
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post #23 of 73
7/19/11 at 1:10pm
What an a$$ this guy is huh? I mean, I'm sure he was having second thoughts a month ago, he couldn't have done it then?

As far as the refund goes, I wouldn't refund anything but I would still offer to make her the cake for this weekend...not a future date.

My reasoning is....you'll end up losing money in the long run if you offer her a credit to use with you at a later date, because on that date you'll be tied up with "this" order which means turning down additional revenue.

GOD I hope this never happens to me. I feel for you, it's a tough position to be in.
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post #24 of 73
7/19/11 at 3:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cookiemama2

I agree about not giving her her money back.
But you could offer to make her the cake anyway ( for that day , not some time in the future ).
She could donate it, enjoy it with her family, ...

I'd love to see it decorated like a divorce cake! With the groon topper laying in a puddle of blood and its neck broken!



Wow, that's harsh. Bitter, table for one?
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post #25 of 73
7/19/11 at 3:09pm
You sound like a really nice person for wanting to give back some of the money BUT I would urge you to reconsider:

1. You don't want to make exceptions to your contract. Word can get around about that sort of thing. The contract is to protect you in the event something like this happens and you have purchased supplies, turned down other cake orders, re-arranged your schedule etc.

2. If you turned down other cakes, then think about those losses before you return any money.

Maybe you can give her a 'voucher' or gift cert for some cupcakes or a small cake for some later date in lieu of returning money.
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post #26 of 73
7/19/11 at 3:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dchockeyguy

Quote:
Originally Posted by cookiemama2

I agree about not giving her her money back.
But you could offer to make her the cake anyway ( for that day , not some time in the future ).
She could donate it, enjoy it with her family, ...

I'd love to see it decorated like a divorce cake! With the groon topper laying in a puddle of blood and its neck broken!



Wow, that's harsh. Bitter, table for one?



Well the concept is fun, I've seen some hilarious divorce cakes, but I would be willing to be that groom called the wedding off because fo something the bride did!
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post #27 of 73
7/19/11 at 3:21pm
I'm sure that they ultimately understand that they had contracts with you and the other vendors for the now-cancelled wedding, but are just calling around to see if they can recoup some of their losses. I wonder how much they really are expecting. You know how sometimes you ask just to see what happens but you don't really expect much of anything?

This seems to be a perfect example of how the line between personal relationship and business relationship can blur in this business. We feel personal attachments to clients because we are trying to make their perfect cake, incorporating what they like, what they want, who they are as individuals and couples. But ultimately a baker's relationship with a client is a business relationship. With a lot of other vendors, you don't even notice that line because it is all just business, like paying for rental tables and chairs. Though you feel bad and can refund some money as you feel comfortable, it really is a business relationship just like a rental company and should be treated as one, for your own protection and peace of mind in the long run.

Though, I must admit, I would have a hard time not giving her a little something...
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post #28 of 73
7/19/11 at 3:31pm
I'll be the skeptic here. The MOB said the groom called it off but maybe the bride was the one who called it off. The MOB may have thought there would be more sympathy if she said the groom is the " bad guy " here. I'm NOT saying thats what happened but ....hmmmm maybe.

But I do think you owe her a cake on the original date.

I wouldn't give her a refund. I sell wine & Champagne to brides for weddings and when they order cases of a product I don't usually carry or sell much of I always have a contract and get pre-payment. By law in my state I can't send wines back to the distributor. It only took one instance of a six case order for $30. per bottle wine for a party that was cancelled. They wanted me to refund the $$. I explained the law and told them to save it or drink it now. But the wine belonged to them.
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post #29 of 73
7/19/11 at 4:06pm
I agree with PP that you shouldn't refund them as you have turned away business to dedicate your time to them. If it were me in your situation, I would explain that as everything has been ordered and arranged that you cannot refund them. I would then offer them the exact same cake (tiers/flavours/servings etc), but with a different design, if they wanted a different design. I would tell them that they can have input on the new design but since it depends on what equipment you have, that you have the final say. You then have the opportunity to try out something new if you wanted and they still get the cake which they have payed for.
I wouldn't offer them a cake for in the future on another date as that would inconvenience you. They could want it in 6 months time and your situation might not be the same eg you could raise your prices or the basic cost of ingredients could go up.
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post #30 of 73
7/19/11 at 4:11pm
I recently had a wedding called of by the groom the morning of. I already had the cakes made and ready to deliver. I delivered them to the groom and that was that.

The really sad thing is, he didn't like carrot cake and that is what the entire wedding cake was. At least the grooms cake was chocolate icon_smile.gif


Don't feel guilty, you don't owe them money back.
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