My First Disaster! 6-Tier Cake And 4Th Tier Fell Apart!
Decorating By adknight Updated 28 Aug 2007 , 8:20pm by Hollyanna70
I am not sure what happened with this cake, other than something terrible. I delivered and set up a 6-tier anniversary cake at noon on Sunday for a 2:00 event. By 1:30 the 4th tier was collapsing and taking the rest of the cake with it! Each tier was doweled properly including dowels through the middle of the cake.
The people hosting the event did manage to save it, and it was eaten. However, I want to do something to apologize to the customer and thank her for being so nice about it, but I just don't know what to do. I only charged her $350 for a cake to feed 250 people, but I feel like I should do SOMETHING to make it up to her! Any advice?
Thank you in advance!
~Amber
Wow! I am really sorry to hear that! Was it hot outside? That is the only thing I could think that could effect it! Maybe a change in climate? I am not sure...so sorry.
IF you want to make it up to them tell them you'll make a single cake for free for their next anniversary, duplicating the top tier maybe. I am assuming that the next one is not a big numbered one!? That way they know you are wanting to make it up to them and you still get them to get cake from you!
If the cake was intact and stable when you left, and the room was cool, then I'd say something happened to it, not something you did. Did you take a picture after you completed the setup?
Is it possible that someone tried to move the cake after you left, or perhaps someone ran/bumped hard into the table (kids playing, whatever)? Even scooting the table to another location would destablize it. Was the cake table in front of a window, so that the sun could make it too warm?
Other than just the heat of summer, that's all I can think of.
A free small cake for a future occasion is all I would do, if the cake was intact when I left it.
If they were very nice about it, there's a good chance it was something someone there did.
Still, just in case, I would do as suggested and offer a free small cake for an anniversary, or maybe 10% off their next purchase or something. Chances are, the next purchase will be just a small birthday cake or something (hopefully).
Good luck, and I'm very sorry to hear about your cake.
Holly
Step0nmi
It was hot outside (we have been 95 or higher for several weeks now), but the event was inside and nice and cool.
Sugarfrosted
The cake was standing intact when I left, but looking at the pictures, it was leaning to the right a little (not enough to make me think the whole cake would have fallen)! I don't think they were trying to move it, but I wasn't there (as badly as I wanted to stay to make sure nothing happened, I didn't) so I don't know for sure.
Hollyanna70
She was very nice, but she was very nice throughout the whole process. She wasn't going to call me about the cake problem until her sister insisted, and her sister insisted because she knew I was just getting started at this and wanted me to know so it hopefully wouldn't happen in the future.
Thank you everyone for your responses. I am going to give her my offer tonight and be done. This was my first and hopefully last (but probably not) disaster, so I just want to move on!
~adknight
Well, I'm glad she's understanding about it. There are some good people left out there, and I'm glad she was very nice because that's just the type of person she is. 
I'm sure anything you decide will be fine. She sounds reasonable. I'm glad things are working out for the best.
Good luck!!
Holly
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%