| Author |
Message |
AlamoSweets
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Jan 11, 2006
Posts: 1053
Location: San Antonio, Texas
|
 Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:20 pm |
  |
A Mother ordered a birthday cake for her 8 year old daughter and on her way to pick it up she called and said, "I told you about my daughter having a nut allergy didn't I?". Of course she had not and I made the WASC and I also put almond flavoring in my buttercream. That was at 12:00 and the party was at 5:00. I told her that I would try to get a small on done for her without any almond flavoring in time. I told her it would be a 6 inch. She said she would pay me and please make it an 8 inch. I was able to get one out covered with the same fondant (thank goodness I had some left over) and cut out flowers. I called her back at 2:30 to pick both up and she said she couldn't because she was across town. She said her husand could pick them up in his Hummer. I suggested that the Hummer might be too rough to transport the cakes in and I ended up telling her I would drive across town to deliver them. When I was about to leave she paid me only for the large cake and gave me a 5% tip. I left without addressing the problem of not paying the second cake and delivery because we were in the middle of everyone and felt that we had worked so well together and she was so thankful that I had come through for her that I could invoice her without a problem. BOY WAS I WRONG! When she received the invoice she demanded a full refund because the cake wasn't what she ordered!?!?! She wanted buttercream frosting but the image of the example cake was covered with fondant and I told her that and that there would be a base of BC under the fondant and a filling of BC between the layers. She was excited about the design and confirmed the order. She kept calling the second cake a replacement cake when it wasn't a replacement but a second one that she had requested. Of course I didn't refund her anything and told her I would cancel the second invoice and chalk it up as a lesson learned that when someone says they will pay for something that doesn't mean they actually will. I also told her that I wouldn't let her discourage me from continuing to help a customer when a problem arises so that their daughter could have a birthday cake that she could eat. I also told her that I rely on the Mother's to tell me if there is such a deadly allery (as she called it) to nuts to insure there wouldn't be any in the cake. Thank goodness I presented her with a thorough list of ingredients and had her sign off on them to release me of any responsibility should her daughter have a reaction. I did this in case she ate anything else and tried to blame the cake for the reaction. Sorry this is so long but beware and ask if there is any allergies! I surely will in the future! |
|
|
      |
 |
|
|
|
antonia74
Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:29 pm |
|
You'd think a mother would have stressed such an important allergy first on the phone!  That's her carelessness, not yours. It's not as if waiters come to the table and inquire about any allergies you might have neglected to mention and THEN take your order. That's the customer's responsibility to ask or to mention them beforehand!
Good thinking to get her to sign off of the ingredients list. Cover your @ss, smart girl.  |
|
|
|
|
|
SugaredUp
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 16, 2008
Posts: 215
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:29 pm |
|
|
|
|
|
keyshia
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Posts: 217
Location: Utah, by way of CA
Birthday: Jun 07
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:34 pm |
|
Oh that totally sucks that she gave you a hard time! As a mom with a child with nut allergies, I don't even order him anything...if I can't see the packaging or make it myself, he doesn't get it...that's just for my own peace of mind...
Just a little side note...I recently learned that Almond extract doesn't actually have almonds in it? I didn't know it until the lady at the cake store I went to said that she has people come in all the time and ask about things and that is what she was told. Sure enough, I went home and looked on the bottle and it mentions NOTHING about almonds (at least the Mccormick's)...the vanilla and lemon both say that they ahve vanilla and lemon? Go figure...though I'm still a wuss...I only use imitation.  |
|
|
|
|
|
antonia74
Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:39 pm |
|
Speaking of that Keyshia, a customer who happened to be a nurse AND had a nut allergy told me one time that almonds aren't actually nuts...they are "seeds", so when people tell you they have nut allergies you don't have to worry about almond oil/extract/marzipan, etc anyway.
Is that true??  Perhaps you know some more info? |
|
|
|
|
|
lisa78332
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2006
Posts: 72
Location: TX
Birthday: Jan 31
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:45 pm |
|
i think that rather than go on a hunch, you should ask a doctor about it, instead of a nurse. I'd rather be safe than sorry. It can be deadly, and I would hate to be responsible for anything happening. |
|
|
 |
|
|
cakeconfections
Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 24, 2005
Posts: 533
Location: NW Suburb of Chicago, IL
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:46 pm |
|
| antonia74 wrote: | Speaking of that Keyshia, a customer who happened to be a nurse AND had a nut allergy told me one time that almonds aren't actually nuts...they are "seeds", so when people tell you they have nut allergies you don't have to worry about almond oil/extract/marzipan, etc anyway.
Is that true?? Perhaps you know some more info? |
I am not a nurse or anything like that but I did just do a search on almonds and nut allergies. An almond is infact a tree nut and can cause a reactions. The sites also warned against such things as almond paste. |
|
|
  |
|
|
lisa78332
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2006
Posts: 72
Location: TX
Birthday: Jan 31
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 6:49 pm |
|
|
|
|
|
keyshia
Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 23, 2007
Posts: 217
Location: Utah, by way of CA
Birthday: Jun 07
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:04 pm |
|
I agree that speaking to a doctor would be the best thing. I know that previously, my son was only allergic specifically to Walnuts, Pecans (both tree nuts) and Peanuts (in their own classification because technically they are legumes). We were told to avoid all nuts, which we did...when I took my son for repeat testing, he is now specifically allergic to 9 different nuts (including Almonds and Coconut...which technically is a fruit, but is in the nut panel). Like I said, after learning of my own child's allergies, I decided not to allow him to eat food prepared by others...as well meaning as some can be, they may not be well versed on cross contamination and some people have different levels of what will make them react...my thinking is that it's better safe than sorry.
Although...when I did specifically ask the allergist about almond extract, they couldn't tell me  Like I said, I'd rather be safe than sorry!
OH and it's possible for some people to only be allergic to peanuts and not tree nuts...soooo...that opens a whole other ballpark. |
|
|
|
|
|
pinkbiz
Regular Member
Joined: Sep 11, 2007
Posts: 126
Location: Puerto Rico
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:05 pm |
|
it was not your fault that she did not metion that IMPORTANT fact...so im glad you didn't refund |
|
|
|
|
|
twooten173
Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 520
Location: Steeler Country
Birthday: May 06
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:07 pm |
|
You did the right thing. I wouldn't worry about it. The universe has a way of settling things like this! |
|
|
|
|
|
matwogirls
Regular Member
Joined: Jan 28, 2008
Posts: 188
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:08 pm |
|
| antonia74 wrote: | Speaking of that Keyshia, a customer who happened to be a nurse AND had a nut allergy told me one time that almonds aren't actually nuts...they are "seeds", so when people tell you they have nut allergies you don't have to worry about almond oil/extract/marzipan, etc anyway.
Is that true?? Perhaps you know some more info? |
My husband is allergic to nuts. Specifically tree nuts. This is all but peanuts. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pignolias), pistachio nuts and walnuts.
As a mother of a child with allergies I also would not order from someone if I did not read all the ingredients labels that the person was using, or if I did not know for sure that they understood how easy it is to cross contaminate.
So this is NOT your fault. And shame on that mom.
Janice |
|
|
|
|
|
DebBTX
Frequent Member
Joined: Dec 25, 2007
Posts: 313
Location: Texas
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:53 pm |
|
You were so smart to have that mom sign off on the ingredients.
I hate that happened to you. She really should have been thankful for you going the extra mile to provide her daughter with something safe to eat. She should have paid you.
-Debbie B. |
|
|
|
|
|
antonia74
Forum Fanatic
Joined: May 06, 2005
Posts: 1989
Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA
Birthday: Aug 08
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:43 pm |
|
Thanks for all the info everyone!
(I'm really glad I didn't believe her then. I thought that even IF almonds weren't risky, they were probably processed in a plant with other forms of nuts at the very least. Now I see she may have been mistaken anyway.  ) |
|
|
|
|
|
ceshell
Forum Fanatic
Joined: Feb 05, 2006
Posts: 1748
Location: Sunny Southern California
Birthday: May 01
|
| Posted:
Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:59 pm |
|
| antonia74 wrote: | | (I'm really glad I didn't believe her then. I thought that even IF almonds weren't risky, they were probably processed in a plant with other forms of nuts at the very least. Now I see she may have been mistaken anyway. ) |
Well I suppose she was right in calling a nut a "seed" because it IS a seed! But that doesn't make it "not a nut."
Humph, did that make any sense?? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
