I have a group of 3 sisters who order cake from me freauently. Sister #1 has ordered 2 cakes, sister 2 has ordered 6 or 7 and sister 3 has ordered too many to count. Anyway, sister 1 ordered a 3 tier cake (8,10, and 12 in)-each cake a different flavor and a different filling. She was suppose to come pick up but then sister 3 offered to pick up for her since she knew where I lived. I won't deliver to them because they are very inconsiderate of my time and are never on time!! When sister 3 gets here to pick up she has to put the cake in the trunk. As she is helping load the cake we lift it over the edge of the trunk and then she roughly puts down her side like it is a sack of potatoes-all as I am saying "be carefull it is heavy, put it down carefully". The cake tilts and each tier hits her side of the box since I am still holding and trying to gently lower it. She doesn't say"oh sorry, oops, " or anything to acknowledge that she tilted the cake, just "Oh look this side got smushed a little" I hold my tongue and just say, "Well it would look worse if I try to fix it and it is the back of the cake and no one will probably notice." I had several other cakes and I was so mad I just wanted her gone. I worked on that cake a while!! I called my husband when she left and told him the story and told him that the cake might possible fall if the supports also tilted with the cake since the cake was very heavy. Well to make a long story , short the bottom tier did fall. Sister 2 and 3 said they tried to call but it didn't show it on the caller id. They didn't bring the cake back for me to see or try to fix. I take off Sunday and Monday from cake. Sister # 2 had ordered a cake for the next weekend and left me a message on Sunday to call her about the cake. They know I don't do cake(or phone calls or e-mail about cake on Sun or Mon.). I assumed it was about her cake because I still don't know the cake fell. Finally sister 2 e-mails and wants to check on her cake and tell me that sister 1 is upset that her cake fell and doesn't want a refund or anything but is upset and could she maybe just have a discount and I can apply it to sister 2s cake. Then sister 3 leaves message that cake fell. I tell them that untill I hear from sister 1 I wont do anything. Sister 2 tells me its ok, she talked to sister 1 and it is ok to give her her sisters discount. I say no, have to hear from sister1. Finally on Thursday sister 1 e-mails that the cake fell because I didn't put in enough support on the bottom tier, and wants a partial refund-for a cake that fell on Sat!! This is the first time I am hearing from the sister who ordered and payed for the cake!! The sister who dropped the cake obviously didn't tell her she dropped her side of the cake. Should I tell her her sister dropped it and I feel that was the cause of the bottom tier falling and not give a discount?? Or do I tell her why I think it fell and then tell her I will give a small refund just because they are such frequent customers but not because I feel I am at fault. I haven't even decided if I will even take any more orders from the 3 again( they are pains- never on time to meet me when I deliver, always want more for less $, etc). I am just not sure of the best way to respond! Sorry I rambled and this is so long!!

Well, yes I'd definitely ask Sis 1 if she realized that other Sis partially dropped the cake.

And two, please start using SPS. It would have held in that situation.

I thnk you should give a partial refund. I think yo will be on thin ice if you mention that her sis is the cause. I would make a definate point to tell her that once it is their car, it is their responabilitly. You are not responsible when it leaves your hands.

You have no way of knowing how careful, or apparently not, she was. If she handled it that poorly in front of you, there is no telling how she drove.

This happened to me today, sorta. I do monogramming and was putting a name on the back of a hat. The man spoke next to no English. I spelled it out to him, after he wrote it, and he agreed. Well, turns out the L I read back was a T, that was not a T in his writing. (no crossed line-anywhere) It really ticks me off. It is one thing if I hadn't read it back to him, but come on.

Wow Cakemom, they sound like nightmares. I am a stickler about being on time, as soon as I read that I thought "oh goodness, run"...I am not sure I would say "it was your sister who busted the cake" but I would mention that it is not recommended that cake travels in a trunk, ever! (I transport mine like precious cargo on the floor in the front in a secure box lol)...I think that if you do not want to deal with these 3 any more you might just say "I am not responsible, it was in your sisters trunk when the damage occurred", assuming there is a signed contract that says "once it leaves ____ it is no longer responsibility of ____ bakery"
But...if they generate a decent amount of business, and are worth the headache and indigestion they give you, maybe you can offer her a small refund on her next order.
I do this for fun but my family owns a restaurant and we deal with PITA people all the time, sometimes its a business choice to deal with their crap and sometimes its better for your sanity to say goodbye and let them go, there are other people who will love your cakes and treat them kindly and put them in the front of the car, not the trunk...good luck let us know what you decide to do!

Thanks for the replies. Leahs, I am definitly going to look in to the SPS!! I have been meaning to look into it and when this happened I thought of the SPS and wondered if it would have prevented it!! Thanks, I will let yall know what I decide to say and her respponse!!

When sister 3 gets here to pick up she has to put the cake in the trunk. As she is helping load the cake we lift it over the edge of the trunk and then she roughly puts down her side like it is a sack of potatoes-all as I am saying "be carefull it is heavy, put it down carefully". The cake tilts and each tier hits her side of the box since I am still holding and trying to gently lower it.

They didn't bring the cake back for me to see or try to fix.

1. TRUNK--never,never,never, especially in TX
2. NON-PAYER DRIVING CAKE IN TRUNK, so "who cares how I drive"???
3. NO TIMELY CALL ABOUT FIXING OR REFUNDING--no biggie until it looks like maybe I can get a few bucks off other sister's cake????????

Nope, no refund or discount--not your fault, don't know what happened after it left your hands, know that sister created beginning of the demise and hasn't had the guts to admit it to other sister, inconsiderate of your time (this costs YOU $$$$), seem like the types to make a "habit" of wanting discounts now that they know you're willing to take responsibility for problems not of your making............................


Rae

"Now, was this damage in addition to the damage caused when your sister dropped the cake really hard in the trunk?"

No way would I be the fall guy because sis didn't 'fess up to being the one who caused damage to the cake. Since she just "plopped" it down in the trunk, she obviously could care less about being careful with it, which would lead me to question her driving with cake in trunk.

And cake in trunk? Nuh-uh.

Here is a thread where I've posted stories from another bakery's website on what happens when people transport their own cake: http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-617953-man.html