Please excuse me if this is the wrong place. I am NOT a cake business, but didn't really know where else to post this, sorry. I just really, really need some help.
I'm just a girl who makes cakes as a hobby. I am not a professional, I have no training. I just enjoy it, and will make cakes for friends and family. I do not make any profit, I just ask for enough money to cover the ingredients plus any extras people want - ribbons, boxes, cake boards etc.
A friend of my boyfriend contacted me asking me to make a cake for her mum. She asked for a chocolate orange cake, the same one I'd made for my boyfriend's birthday that she'd tasted. I agreed, and we agreed on the price. I offered to deliver it to her house on Friday night, but she asked if someone could collect it from my house on Saturday morning, to which I agreed.
I made the cake, it was collected by a lady on Saturday morning, I showed it to her BEFORE she gave me the money. She had said she was happy with it, witnessed by my mum and my boyfriend. I also took pictures of the cake a few minutes before she arrived.
Fast forward to 10pm Monday night, and I get a text from the lady who collected it demanding her money back - saying it was the wrong flavour and that there was jam all over the plate. I explained that the flavour was exactly as my friend requested and there was NO jam in the cake. She then went on to claim the frosting had melted, to which I told her that it was fine before it left my house, when she collected it. She was being very rude and forceful through text, so my boyfriend phoned her (as he's the business head in our relationship) to go through the issues. She was very rude, shouting at him on the phone and threatening to "get her brother in law involved" - whatever that means.
I contacted the friend who had initially requested the cake - she said it was nothing to do with her, she hadn't seen the cake and didn't want to get involved. I explained that I only do orders for friends/family and if I'd known it was for someone else I would never have done it.
I feel very threatened and intimidated by this woman, especially since she knows where I live. I don't want to give a "refund" because I am NOT a business, I made the cake with money out of my own pocket after a friend requested it and there was nothing wrong with the cake when it left my house. She said she threw the cake away and didn't eat it, therefore no longer has it.
This is the cake I made. As you can see, nothing spectacular as I am not a professional and do not claim to be, but it was what my friend requested. The picture was taken just before collection so you can see - no jam on the plate and no melted buttercream. The gold plate is actually my own that I agreed to lend, believing that the order was from my friend.
What should I do? :(
