Calling the police because a decorator attempted to take a piece of cake for a picture? Heaven forbid the cops actually have criminals to arrest.
Again, people with no integrity are taking over the world. So sorry you have to go through this.
I wonder if this is the same lady who called 911 because mcdonalds was out of mcnuggets?
Man, some of these brides will do anything to recoup their overspending!!!
I wish you luck with this....I agree, gets statements. Any judge will throw this out of court..
Yeah, she just wanted that big beautifully designed cake to show off and now that the "showing off time" is past she wants her money back.
If she wanted the showpiece well, that cost money! Another trashy brat that thinks she deserves the best 
.
She probably tries to return prom dresses after the prom, too.
The groom's cake was coconut cake with a pineapple filling and coconut buttercream.
She came back this morning to return the base. She called yesterday and told my husband she'd come and would not talk to me, just simply hand me the items get the return check and leave. Well she had the base and not the plates and pillars, so I gave her a partial refund. She began to walk away and notice it wasn't the full amount and questioned me about it. She said the venue told her the cake only had foam boards and wooden dowels. I told her I don't use dowels since there not as stable. She was missing 2 plates and 8 pillars. She kept insisting the venue said it was all disposable foam and dowels. I said no, go back to the venue and talk to them again.
She was much calmer this time and so she apologized for how out of hand yesterday got. She said she talked to her attorney and he advised her to try to settle it herself, but if she needed him, he'd be there for her. She continued that she would be willing to drop the issue with the vanilla caramel cake entirely and just take a full refund of the groom's cake since it was "so special" to him. I restated that since she was so upset about it that at most I would refund was 1/2 the groom's cake price. 1/2 the purpose of the cake was visual and 1/2 was taste and that she had used it and gotten the full effect that she had wanted to visually. I then re-explained to her how square cakes bake. She said if she had known that, she "would have chosen round."!!
I feel like at the end of every consultation appointment I have with a bride I may need to read a few pages of legal disclaimers and cake education, like the voice at the end of car commercials.
Just to throw it out there...in case she actually does call the lawyer and you need to know the technical term for the browning that happens from heat, it is called the Maillard reaction. Just in case you need to go all CSI on the psycho bride!
Maillard Reation... I want to remember this.
-Debbie B.
Is it the same as carmelization--that's what I always call it. It's close to (being) right huh?
the Maillard Reaction isn't quite the same as caramelization. Caramelization is the melting/almost burning of sugar.
The Maillard Reaction occurs when amino acids (in this case, found in gluten, eggs and milk) react with sugars (found in flour and sugar) in the presence of heat. Interestingly enough, the same reaction is what causes meat to brown on the exterior, as well as bread to crust.
Different combinations of heat, sugar and amino acids result in different degrees of the reaction, different flavours and different colours. Different liquid levels will also affect the reaction, as does temperature. The interior of a cake when it is fully cooked reaches about 180F, if I recall correctly. The exterior reaches 300F or more - the temperature at which the Maillard reaction is noticeable.
The longer a cake is baked, the greater the time available for the exterior to reach a higher temperature, hence the darker reaction as the cake pan gets hotter and hotter. You can combat that to some degree by baker larger cakes at lower temperatures, and of course, by using flower nails, rods or heating cores in the cakes to speed up baking.
(thanks to "How To Read A French Fry" by Russ Parsons for refreshing my memory on some of the temperatures, etc - FANTASTIC book if you think the science of cooking and baking is interesting)
Thank you so much.
And I'll add this particle to the pile (of stuff we're learning):
Maillard Reaction (pronounced: may-ARE)
I find it very telling that early on the bride said that she paid more for the cake than her dress. That shows that cost was foremost in her mind and she had buyer's remorse...buying a cake that cost too much and was too big.
Is it just me or are we seeing more and more threads like this? Are brides thinking they can get out of paying for these big ticket wedding items by throwing a fit or complaining about minor issues? Yes, I think 15 page contracts are going to have to be the norm to put a stop to this. You can't get money back for a half-eaten cake, no matter what your complaint.
Why would she need a full refund on a cake that was "So Special" ? And suddenly willing to drop the issue with the wedding cake? Very odd. None of this makes sense. And forgetting the pillars and plates and then blaming it on the venue. The woman is a scattered brain freak. I really hope you give her nothing-you have proof that the inside of that cake was absolutely perfect.
Thankfully she was much calmer. I really can't believe she actually contacted her lawyer; she must do this a lot. I'm curious what else her lawyer told her.
I would find it hard to believe that someone like this "has" a lawyer, unless mommy/daddy have one for their business or something. I mean look around, gang. How many just regular workin' folks "have a lawyer" that they can call willy-nilly with any little thing? Maybe she has one of those pre-paid legal guys or something, but I'm doubting that she actually talked to one. If she did, and if a lawyer actually told her that stuff, it sounds like he just blew her off. Just another scare tactic on her part.
I don't think she did contact a lawyer, I think she is blowing smoke out of her a$$ again. And again she is saying things that the venue did not tell her (about the plates and pillars). She's just trying to get as much money back as she can. Now that she knows you aren't a push over she's going to see just how far she can push you and just how much she can get.
I don't think she did contact a lawyer, I think she is blowing smoke out of her a$$ again. And again she is saying things that the venue did not tell her (about the plates and pillars). She's just trying to get as much money back as she can. Now that she knows you aren't a push over she's going to see just how far she can push you and just how much she can get.
Oh, she absolutely did not contact a lawyer. and if she did, he told her to take a flying leap because it would have to go through small claims since the value is less than $1000.
Aside from the browned edges, there wasn't anything really wrong with the groom's cake right. I mean they didn't serve it or they didn't cut it?
She did not return it to you did she? She didn't leave it there right.
She did call the police on you right?
I know you just wanna be rid of this nightmare but you're refunding half the grooms' cake just to get rid of her?
I'm in a no refund for you mood but I don't have to deal with this person either.
What a miserable wedding she had to have had.
Oh I think that's exactly what a lawyer would tell her. They're salespeople too. I think he meant if a city bus runs over you I'm your man. I think he did an Indy, "Next!"
My opinion. If she did not take 1/2 the price of the groom's cake which I think was way generous of you to offer, then you should just stop communication with her.
If it were me, as long as this has gone on (I know just a few days, but a lot has ensued), the police, the lawyer... the cakes! I would not take her calls or return any more emails. You made your offer, she refused. Let her lawyer up and then get a lawyer to slap a counter suit for your legal fees WHEN you win. Then the couple hundred she wants back will seem like squat when she has to pay for 2 lawyers to have a judge tell her she is a fool.
The cake is beautiful;
Even a round cake will give slightly darker edges;
I teach at Michaels...all wedding season you see people returning massive amounts of artifical flowers, wedding arches, on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. I think some of them actually admit that they purchased it soley for the wedding but don't need it anymore. Personally I could never do that..if I bought something and didn't use it yes. At least the stuff is able to be resold
The lady is a whack job...I bet hubby found out how much she spent on cake and cancelled the honeymoon!
OP - I am so wishing you hadn't given her anything, she is getting exactly what she wanted. This woman knew exactly what she was going to do before the cake was even cut. It's sad that there are these types of people out there. She is wanting something for nothing, and her threats and "lawyer" talk prove it. I seriously doubt she contacted a lawyer, she is telling you whatever she thinks will work to get money.
I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this, but really, I would tell her to take a flying leap.
reading this makes me so mad!
This is one of the reasons why I started a cake contract Covering everything from the cake being on a stable table to the flowers being put on the cake(not my responsiblity if they aren't what they thought)
It keeps me happy.
Hope everything works out...
FYI... I wouldn't give her nothing!!!
I think this could possibly be my ex roomie. She called the cops on me because she had broken some of my stuff and I asked for some money back (believe me, 20$ was more than fair considering she chewed throad the vacuum cord and it didn't work anymore....)
Also, I wouldn't put it past this nut job if she purposely didn't return all the plates and pillars because she was mad. Again, my roomie was mad at me and took the modem cable that belonged to the cable company (of course service was in my name, so I had to pay up....)
I really hope you're not paying 1/2 of the grooms cake back to her ... she refused it when the offer was made, the offer is now not available if it were me. AND, if she did accept it, I'd take that cake back! She only paid for the visual, they she doesn't get to eat it, too. Even if she ordered a dummy for the grooms cake, I'd charge her the same (or maybe a little less because of saving time/utilities for baking. She over-ordered, against your advise. Recomend she donate the uncut grooms cake to the local fire dept. or something. You shouldn't be penalized at all for her bad planning/budget crunch or for her behavior. Would you pay for 1/2 of a stranger's cake for a party you didn't even go to? That's what she wants you to do. Next, she'll ask you for a wedding gift.
She said she talked to her attorney and he advised her to try to settle it herself, but if she needed him, he'd be there for her.
I'm sorry, does anyone's lawyer talk to them that way? "I'm here for you, honey." My bet is the "attorney" is an exasperated neighbor or uncle.
She said she talked to her attorney and he advised her to try to settle it herself, but if she needed him, he'd be there for her.
I'm sorry, does anyone's lawyer talk to them that way? "I'm here for you, honey." My bet is the "attorney" is an exasperated neighbor or uncle.
What I'm sure her attorney said, if she really has one, is that he wouldn't be interested in such a trivial matter (no money for him) and she can file all the paperwork herself, which she won't. I'm sorry, but I'm really sad that you are considering giving her anything. She doesn't deserve it.
she's a total nutjob who ordered more cake then they needed AGAINST the advise of the cake decorator (who is saving them money if they had listened)!! so she got her pretty presentation and now wants money back for the leftovers (and not everyone wants 2 pieces of cakes some people *gasp* don't eat cake-does she want refunds on those servings too?!) rediculous!! people amaze me!!btw the cake has made me very hungry and the best part of the cake are the crunchy outsides (i do trim those too and the family salivates over those itty bitty scraps!!)
Ohh -- telling her to settle it herself sounds like something a sensible lawyer would say. On the other hand, a sensible lawyer also doesn't act until you've paid your retainer, so if she really wants to hand over a thousand dollars and have him take this through small claims court for her (and some people do), he's probably willing to have her money (or as someone suggested, he already has a retainer for her or her parents or a business or something and its just money in the bank for him to deal with this nonsense). She wouldn't have told him that the cake was fine and she was trying to scam the baker, but I imagine he took the burnt cake story with a grain of salt. And Im sure he said a little bit more than just settle it yourself, but his further comments are probably not such as would strike fear in your heart.
I also thought about the loaf of bread comparison. And I also thought that your cake looked DELICIOUS. I am also curious if the browned edges were present on all the tiers of the cake. I assume they would be, but I'm just asking. And if so, funny how the only one that was complained about was the tier that you told her not to order.
I do NOT understand what you said about the grooms cake. It was special to him, so she wants a full refund? That doesnt even make sense. I dont think she should get any refund at all, but if you do give her half back, you are going to insist on receiving the UNTOUCHED grooms cake back, right? And back immediately so that it can be donated somewhere it can be appreciated. I know my husband would have been eating that grooms cake by now. Wow it was so special to him that it was worth absolutely nothing. Gee, hope the compliments keep flowing.
I bet you just have to knock her down a couple more times (examined and photographed cake, called bluff on cops, only partial refund due to missing items, told off about grooms cake), and SHE wont want to deal with YOU anymore and will let it drop.
GOOD LUCK!
You were more then generous with your offer to refund 50% of the uneaten grooms cake.
This woman really has us shaking our heads doesn't she?
Why the heck would she come back again today to return the cake stuff? Wouldn't it have been easier for her to return it yesterday and be done with you? I guess she's not very bright...............
I'm curious about the venue manager...........have you spoken to him/her since the complaint?
I read the whole entire thread with my mouth open. I don't know this lady and I want to punch her in the face.
Your cake looked wonderful on the outside and seemed like it tasted delicious!
You were a bigger person than I was because I would have gotten down and dirty with her, but than again thats not a very professional thing to do! LOL...Hey if she is going to talk dirt might as well give her a REAL reason!
Keep doing what you are doing!
I don't get it. She would "just take a full refund of the groom's cake since it was "so special" to him". Am I missing something here?
Why give her a half-refund for a cake just because she did not cut it at the wedding?
1/2 visual and 1/2 taste? HUH?
No refund of any kind for her.
Her attorney knew a scam when he saw one. He wasn't going to waste his time on that nonsense.
Wow! Reading stuff like this makes me really rething EVER turning my hobby into a business (although I'm a LOOOOONG way from doing that!). I'm sorry you've had to deal with this mess. Your cake had me drooling...it looked so good! I hate that the brat just wasted so much yummy cake and wants YOU to pay for it! I hope it all turns out well soon and you don't have to deal with her ever again!!!
Your cake is beautiful. Maybe the brides sister knows how to push her sisters buttons? She was much calmer without her the next day, and if I recall early on on this saga, it was the sister who relaid the burned cake message to her? They changed the story so often I think she was having buyers remorse and trying to put the screws to you, either way she is a moron. I personally cut away the brown on my cakes because it looks prettier, but sometimes I don't feel like it and they taste just as good tp me. I don't think its a reason for refund at all. I think really I would pay her off and just get rid of her......and never do another cake for any of her relatives or her. What a bridezilla! Sorry you have to go thru this. You do very fine work!
Even with brown cake edges, usually the buttercream and fillings soften everything up really nicely and nothing is really "dry" inside unless the whole cake is already dry, which yours wasn't. It looks yummy! I want some.
What an idiot. The cops thing is what got me. People who call cops over chicken nuggets or leftover cake have way too much time on their hands.
I am sorry you had to deal with this nutjob. And I fully understand you wanting to pony up a partial refund to get her out of your face completely.
What I can't understand is how, when the grooms cake was untouched, did she or her idiot sister determine is was:
(a) burned on the edges, and
(b) inedible ???
Have you received the entire cake back in order to return her 50% of the purchase price?
And finally...I would NOT put ANYTHING that idiot has had in her possession in my mouth, ie. any returned cake I would have to throw out entirely - meaning I have lost 100% on that entire cake, as she would be the type to spit in it (or worse). You cannot even know how the twat has stored it since Saturday, so into the bin it goes. What a freaking waste.
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