I did a wedding cake and four containers of cake pops for a wedding a couple weeks ago. I have in my contract that the equipment needs to be returned within a week or I keep the security deposit. The wedding cake was delivered to the venue which is 50 miles from my location. I thought I would be nice and help the bride out and save her gas and time and told her she could return the equipment to a friends home where I would be the following week. She was so grateful and said she would do that. I was at this friends and the cake stand and containers had not been retruned. I emailed her to find she was still on her honeymoon and she apologized for not returning them and said she could have someone meet me half way to return them. I said I didn't have time to meet up with someone so to make sure that when she got back to again return them to my friends as I would again be going there. Of course today they again were not here. I called and left a message. She has not returned the call. I have her deposit and am wondering at what point do I cash her check. Her family owns a very reputable business and restaurant. I felt honored that they hired me to do their cake but now I'm bugged because I need this stand for another wedding in 2 weeks and don't have the time or want to spend gas money to go hunting them down. I hope to have her business refer me for other cakes.So I don't want to seem like a nag BUT!!... Dilema, what would you do? And how would you handle this? Thanks for your advice!

I would send her one more friendly e-mail and make one more phone call giving her an exact date that you need the equipment back by.

Explain that you need the equipment for an upcoming event and if you don't have it back you'll need to use her deposit check to purchase replacement equipment. (per your contract)

I would also be sure that she's told she needs to return it to you personally, not the friend's house.

Have you phoned the venue to see if the equipment was left behind?

Cakestyles said:
"Have you phoned the venue to see if the equipment was left behind?"

That could be the case and she doesn't know how to tell.[/quote]

I would cash the check right away, not sure why you didn't cash the deposit check in the first place (and write a check to the customer refunding the deposit when you receive the equipment).

I'm with Jason. Why haven't you cashed the deposit check??

I'm not in business, but i agree with Jason. What's the hangup with cashing this check? It's in your contract that she has a week. She should know that is the consequence of flaking out. Don't stress anymore about it. Cash the check and buy yourself a new stand. I say she's out the money. Business is business.

I know it is at the venue...they own it. but I don't want to take the time to go get it. (50 miles of gas and time)I agree I need to give her one more email and then just cash her check. I have only been doing wedding cake for sale for 2 years so I'm still learning how to deal with these brides. I usually just hold their check. Still bending over backwards for these brides, still working on my confidence level.

Okay now I'm confused.

The venue owns the equipment but you personally accept rental fees for it? Do you in turn rent it from the venue?

I don't take a separate check for my deposits on rental...they pay the balance of their order in full 30 days prior to the event and any fee for renting my stands are included in that amount.

When they return the stand, I write them a check on my business account for the amount of the deposit.

I hope the check you haven't cashed is just for the equipment deposit. I would cash it tomorrow.

I believe OP is saying that the customer owns the venue.

If the agreement in the contract was that the customer drops off the equipment at your home, then they don't get their refund check until they do so.

cakestyles....yes they own an orchard and restaurant and that is where I delivered the cake to. I'm sure the stand and containers are sitting in a back room. She took off on her honeymoon and forget to make arrangements to get me the stand back. I'm just to easy going with these brides I guess. I just hold a deposit check trusting they will return within the week and I give them the check back. NEVER had a problem before this. I sent her an email. So we'll see.

I agree with the others. Cash the check. Now, before she has the opportunity to cancel it (not that she would, but, you just never know).

Get the money in YOUR hot lil hand. Then when she returns the stand, write her one of your checks.

Be fair, have integrity and protect your own interests first.

JMHO. . .

well here's the latest...Bride calls this morningto tell me she is very sorry but she doesn't know where the stand or containers are. She has been in a panic looking for them for the past 3 days. She thinks the caterer may have taken them and they are not returning her call...So I'll be cashing her check and having to order a new stand.

I'm glad she at least called you back. I hope the deposit will cover the cost of replacing your equipment.

Well if she finds the equipment and returns it, you can give her back her deposit (sans any additional funds you paid for the new one), and then you'll have two! It's always good to have a back-up anyway. Oh...and why don't you call the caterers yourself? They might indeed have it.

So I'm getting ready to head out this morning to the bank to cash this security deposit check and reorder a new stand when I get a call from the bride. She said she finally got ahold of the caterer this morning and he said that it was possible that they had the stand. She then goes into work after being gone for two weeks, when she opens her office door there on her desk is the cake stand and containers. Needless to say she wasn't happy with her staff because that was the first place she told them to look but she was relieved to have found them. She will be returning them to me personally tomorrow evening and apologized profusely! Ahhh the drama is over and I have learned a valuable lesson!

Thank you for the update. I'm glad you'll get your equipment back finally.

I recently got an email from one of my brides, asking me why I cashed the equipment deposit check. I never told her I wouldn't, and never requested it be a separate check. I simply said it was due with final payment.

I've never had this question before. She even cancelled a second order she was about to place with me for a shower (for a friend), and I think it is because she's annoyed that I cashed her check!

I know it is slightly OT....I was just reminded of it when the OP mentioned her troubles...I always cash the equip deposit and write them a check when they bring it back. Can't figure how this woman figured differently!

I guess I'm an expert at making friends and influencing people.

Agreeing with previous posts: All checks are cashed immediately. It does you no good to 'hold' a deposit check 'in case' you need it only to find that it's a bad check and now it's too late to get the money.

I had a bride who lived out of state but got married here. My contract called for equipment to be returned by Tuesday following the event. Family gave my silver cake plateau to the best man to return since he lived here. Best man kept it in his car for 2 weeks. Father of bride called asking for his deposit back because "I gave it to the best man in time to have it returned." Uh, how does that affect me? *I* didn't have my plateau back!

Best man FINALLY returned the stand (I was ready to order a new one THAT DAY because I needed it for a wedding the next weekend!) Dad did not get his deposit back. If he believes that giving it the best man equals "returned on time" then he can collect the deposit from the best man. After all, the best man is the reason that dad lost the deposit!

The deposit is not just to insure I got my equpment back. It's to insure that I get it back ON TIME because contrary to what some brides think, they are NOT The only wedding in town this year. The deposit is to insure against any undue expense I have to incur, such as buying a replacement or driving 50 miles to pick it up.