Urgent! Need client advice before pickup!

Unfortunately, you cannot charge for the second cake. You agreed to sell/deliver one complete cake. So if it took several trial, mistakes, accidents, whatever you want to call it...you have to deliver a perfect cake. That said, you discounting the next will go along way in mending fences. Both you and her will walk away proud. Her for picking the right decorator who will follow thru and deliver! You, for having the clients that will keep returning and bring many more clients! Sorry that it may cost you time and material, but it really is worth it. We have all learned the hard way at times ...wish you the best!

I would still charge something.  You didn't offer to do another cake for free, they asked you to make another cake.  Otherwise, had they not asked, I would have tried to fix the pirate ship cake best I could and given them that for free!  I did that once on a 3 tier topsy turvy cake ~ all buttercream, center support broke, cake slid off in the box smashing the sides.  I fixed as best I could, and they picked it up for no charge.  What else was as I gonna do but trash it?  Bt to have to make another cake, start to finish, yes I'd recoup my cost on that one.  They would still have to fork over some $ even if they went to the grocery store and picked up another cake.

yes of course charge her for it

and i would try & salvage what's left of the the pirate ship to put together the next cake for her

 

carve out the 'cake' inside the ship--ice it & toss on the decor

 

and charge her yes you should imo

why would you charge her for the second cake? I wouldnt accept a fallen apart cake. Your mistakes not hers.

No way should you charge for the second cake.  It not her fault that you did not deliver what was promised.  It's not what she wanted originally. 

maybe--i mean what fell apart--fondant fell off or cake disintegrated & cracked all over??

 

when you called and told her it's all over--y'all were even at that point--both of you are disappointed and she's not out money but you're out for the lot of it

 

done

 

she orders another cake--game on--

 

work even more for free if you want but i firmly would not

 

if you can't charge her then why do it

 

in my opinion--charge her for a cake not a sculpture

 

looks like a hot topic

This. The cost of baking a new simple BC cake and transferring the decorations is trivial and not worth further damaging your relationship with this customer.

If I was the customer and was told that I would have to pay for the second cake when I arrived, I would probably leave without paying and pick up a cake at Costco instead anyway.

It is not her fault that the OP did not make her sign a contract. If she is in it for business (or whatever) a client ordered something and it is NOT being delivered. The OP should have offered a simple cake from the start. The client is out of a cake, at this point it doesnt matter what the OP is out, esspecially if she doesnt make it right.

Just trying to understand in case I find myself in a similar situation.  Since the customer never paid for the first cake which fell apart, they will get the second cake for free.  So there is no charge for either cake or will the customer pay a discounted price of the first cake?  I'm not sure I understand why the customer should get a cake for no charge at all.  I would think discounting the cake since it was not what was ordered would be good, at least enough to cover the ingredients of the second cake.
 

she is getting it free becasue it is no where near what she originally ordered. In this case as a customer, I am not going to pay for something I didnt want in the first place. And YES I would just go down the street to walmart at that point, becasue the service would be about that same IMO, if I was charged.

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There's also the fact that you agreed to make the second cake over the phone without discussing price. The time to ask about a price was when you were talking to the customer and negotiating a solution, not when the customer shows up to pick up the cake (when she is presumably on the way to the party and would have to scramble at the last minute to find a replacement).

Thanks Motherofgrace, that seems reasonable when explained!
 

no problem :) I am just trying to look at it from both sides

 

OP/ Any baker- Made a mistake, and should make it right

 

Customer- Is only looking for a solution and wants what they ordered

 

:)