Ive just had a bride told me she is using a different decorator as she got a quote was about half of mine. The bride gave me this decorators website, so I went to have a look. She has different sections on there with just a few cakes, I did a little research and one of the cakes on there comes from an American site. The oher cake styles are so totally different that it just feels to me it was not done by the same person so they might also be "stolen"
She has another section on her website with some VERY amateurish cakes, I think these are done by the same person as you can see the level of expertise and also the background are the same for all the cakes. Im not bashing home or amateur bakers, its just that those people normally dont go and try to do complicated wedding cakes. Now if this is her level there is no way that she did the cakes in the other section and also the cake that the bride wants is quite an advanced cake. Now do I leave it since its the brides decision to go with someone else with or do I contact the bride and tell her that I dont think this person will be able to do her cake? I dont want to come across as a case of sour grapes, but on the other hand this poor woman might end up with a total disaster!

very hard question, but in my opinion, the bride might just thing your being petty.... And we know your not but thats how it might come off. I might be wrong, but the bride might think " oh now shes bashing this decorator just cuz I didnt choose her" And the go with that other one anyways.

Sorry

No, don't say anything. The bride may be about to learn a hard lesson that you get what you pay for.

On the other hand, she may not. But it's not your decision to make.

Just me but I would leave it be. You're right, she'll think that it's sour grapes on your part. Maybe some of those cakes are her "earlier" work & she put it on there to show how she's advanced? But, I don't think I would bother with her. She's made the decision & she has to accept the consequences.

I would'nt say anything, but then again I like it when people get what's coming to them.

For example if the brides wants to be cheap then she's gonna get a cheap cake, that is her fault not yours.
She will learn the all too important lesson of "you get what you pay for".

If the decorator is representing her/himself as something they are not it is only a matter of time before they get busted making a cake wreck and the bride/customer goes after them.

So in the end it will all work itself out and you don' even have to waste any of your time.
But that's what I would do...

IMHO, stay out of it. If you have no concrete proof, why open yourself up to the headache and potential problems. If you believe one pic comes from another site, you could let the site know that their picture is being used. Other than that, the bride made a decision, live and let learn.

I agree, I would leave it alone and let her learn from her own mistakes and "suffer" her own consequences.

If she provided you the website then she had to know you would go to see your 'competition'! I would just offer her your advice. Tell her that things like stolen pictures happen all the time, and that the inconsistency in this other decorators' cakes makes you uncomfortable enough that you wanted to share your concern. She will probably appreciate your professionalism and concern for her.

I wouldn't say anything to the bride at all.

But...if you know where those pictures came from, or even a couple, email the people whose sites those pictures were taken from. They'll email that other decorator and get her to take the pictures down. I did that once, with someone whose ads I was tired of seeing on Craigslist (you know, the kind who are posting like 50 times a day to get their ad to the top) She had some decent cakes on her site and then she had some really distinctive, outstanding ones. It took about ten minutes of looking with google images to figure out where the outstanding cakes were taken from. Then I emailed those bakeries...two of them even sent me copies of the email they sent her, along with her responses, which I enjoyed reading...and after that she had taken down all the photos of cakes that weren't hers.

The one cake that I could find looks like a stock photo, it appears on quite a few websites, she has this exact same cake on her site, down to the car in the background. Im sure thats its legal to have that cake on her site, but it is misleading the brides into thinking that she will be able to make the cakes on there

Some of the other cakes I do recognise, but Im not sure from where. One of them is a 5 tier topsy turvy cake and that is similar to the cake that the bride that contacted me wants.

Im going to let it go tho.

I think I'd be torn too; not knowing whether to let her know or not. However, she has the same access to the same website as you and if she does her research (as all buyers should) then she should be able to see the inconsistencies in the other decorator's pictures too.
It's difficult when you want to help someone but feel you can't for some reason. I feel for you.

I would probably send the bride an email and let her know you wish her well and that you had a look at the website she gave you and that the cakes look beautiful and that she must be popular because you've seen her photos on other people's websites as well LOL

maybe that's bad........sorry!

I agree with the other posters don't tell her. It will look like you are being malicious because you didn't get the order.

Take a deep breath......then LET IT GO! Her wedding...Her decision and MAYBE ultimately Her disaster!

Beth in KY

Yep, leave it and move onto the next PAYING client.

Not your problem anymore, but she's definitely asking for trouble by only evaluating on price.

She'll learn her lesson, too bad it will have to be on the most important day of her life.

I think you should let it go as well. But, I bet you'd like to be a fly on the wall when the cake is delivered!

I agree with most of the ladies and think you shouldn't say anything.

BUT.....

Am I the only one here that wants to see the website? LOL

Don't say anything... people have to learn from their own mistakes. And, once they do, they usually will come to you for their next event.

About a year ago, the daughter of a man I work for occasionally got married. They got their cake from someone else because "It was only $150 for a 5 tier cake." When they told me (after the fact) I was polite, told them they got a MUCH BETTER deal than I could have given them and "oh BTW, you do realize that you served a cake with toxic flowers on it to your guests? I guess that's what happens when you go with the cheapest."

I am making his son's wedding cake.

I would not say a word...

Jen

I wouldn't say anything either.

I love Indydebi's response!!!

I would send her an e-mail saying that you understand her decision, and that you are glad that she is happy with that, and you are looking forward to possibly doing busineness with her in the future, after all, after there is a wedding there is usually a family (wink wink)!

I would definitely say something. If you see someone stepping in front of a bus - you say something, right?!?

And honestly, if this woman gets burned once, why would she be likely to go to the OP next time? She doesn't know if the OP is just as incompetant, right? She's just going to be more leary of home bakers in general and end up at Walmart for her next cake.

I say give the poor gal a heads up. Wouldn't you want someone to give you the same courtesy on your big day?!?

[quote="WykdGud"]I would definitely say something. If you see someone stepping in front of a bus - you say something, right?!?

And honestly, if this woman gets burned once, why would she be likely to go to the OP next time? She doesn't know if the OP is just as incompetant, right? She's just going to be more leary of home bakers in general and end up at Walmart for her next cake.

I say give the poor gal a heads up. Wouldn't you want someone to give you the same courtesy on your big day?!?[/quote]

To me the only way you could really do this successfully is to tell a friend to tell her--if you had a friend in common. But it's not op's responsibility to advise her that 'you don't pay much you don't get much' and if memory serves this is for a topsy turvy?? It's a stupid error in judgment.

But the news coming from a competitor to me it's not wise. I couldn't pull it off and keep the order--I'd 'recuse' myself--I just couldn't say anything.

The bus wreck to the cake wreck is not a valid argument because it would be our civic duty to prevent an accident but the other is meddling to me.

Just a gently opposing opinion

I would say nothing to the lost client and probably contact this other caker's webmaster and let them know that she has photos on her site that dont belong to her. She will be contacted and asked to take them down or she will lose her site. She is most likely take them down. I hate it when people use other bakers' images as their own, but most have no idea that it is wrong.

IMHO you would come off as catty if you said something to the client.