Doesn't it always happen that when you really need it you lose it!! The camera that is!!!

That has happened to me before, not with a cake, but with a VERY important picture!!

Like everyone including myself has said on here, nothing is going to make this bride happy. Even if you were to give her all her money back she is not going to be happy. Some people are just like that and that is very sad!

My family owns quite a few different businesses and I have seen this first hand many times. From my mom's flower shop and people wanting a $150 arrangment for $30. People always want something for nothing. To my dad's granite/marble business where I have seen people pick their own colors out and then gripe that its not right later. Some of them wait up to 6 months to say the color is wrong and then expect you to give them new granite for free!! I could go on about people being picky I have grown up hearing about them!!

Sometimes you just can't please people. This happens to be your time to not being able to please her no matter what you do.

Again I say stand your ground she deserves no more than what she has already gotten.

Kristin

No more refund, take the money that she would like you to refund, and buy a camera with it! She got a cake, they ate the cake, she got a refund, she cashed the check. If she wants to go to small claims court so be it, there is nothing you can do about it, I believe that if that occurs you will win.

Even if you pay her what she wants, who is to say she still won't slam your business every chance she gets? I don't think she will ever be happy. I'm sorry you are going through this and I hope it gets resolved as painlessly as possible. I don't know what I would do in your case.

Did you have a signed contract with her?

If so, what were the terms? If not, you are at the mercy of the BBB or judge in small claims.

Personally, I'd love for it to go to small claims...she would lose.

Since there was an issue, you offered restitution for it. She accepted the restitution as a means of resolution. Once she did that her case is null and void. You cannot reopen the case and ask for more. By cashing your check she was accepting the new contract for you making good on the issues. End of story.

I agree with what others have stated here. Make sure you let the BBB know the whole story. Even without pictures, once they learn of her acceptance of your restitution that will pretty much end it for her. She may still go around bad mouthing you, but in the end, I believe she will be doing that anyway. She is one of these people that feel entitled and entitled people feel that the world owes them, no matter what.

Unfortunately there are many, many people in this world with that kind of an attitude. Sometimes a reality check or two help with their attitudes, but not always.

By the way, your cakes are lovely and even the best decorators run into issues now and then.

Just curious as to whatever happened with this situation.

What a nightmare Melody!!! I think given the time lasped between cashing the check and now is more than enough. Does not seem that small claims will help her either. I think she's SOL.

I say keep the money, send the final notes to BBB, and then send her an offical note from your lawyer telling her to back off in nice legal terms.

Either way she will be making complaints with or without the money.

Keep us posted, and maybe revise your contract to cover stuff like this.

this is exactly what my contract says:

CSS will endeavor to deliver and set up your wedding cake in a timely fashion as you ordered. In the case of an unavoidable accident and CSS unable to deliver the cake(s) (such as a car accident on the way to the event site) CSS will refund the entire amount of your cake only. In the event that a tier is damaged beyond repair due to an accident, the amount of that tier only will be refunded.

I added this clause in because the 1st year I did cakes, I had a 4 tier cake with "sand" icing. The 8" hex cake was so soft it kept falling apart. I made an executive decision not put it on the stack of cakes because I was afraid it wouldn't hold the weight. I iced the 8" cake and it was sitting behind the wedding cake so they could still eat it. I informed the MIL and said I would refund the amount of the tier to the bride. The Thursday after the wedding we all evac'ed for Hurricane Rita and were gone 3 weeks. (this included everyone in 3 counties!) I tried for 2 months after we returned to get ahold of the bride. Finally was able to get ahold of her and she was so gracious and said she loved her cake and it was so NOT a problem. I offered her a free 8" cake for any celebration she needed. She said she would call if she needed a cake in the future. She was such a lovely person.

I added this clause because poop happens. I have fortunately NEVER had this kind of poop happen again and it was the one and only time I have ever had problems with a cake. Fortunately, my bride was a charming and lovely person and not a witch like this girl.
Hugs my dear...and be like Rhett Butler told Scarlett O'Hara

"the dogs may bark but your caravan keeps on rolling"

Keep your caravan rolling and don't let this dog stop you.

In the case of an unavoidable accident and CSS unable to deliver the cake(s) (such as a car accident on the way to the event site) CSS will refund the entire amount of your cake only. In the event that a tier is damaged beyond repair due to an accident, the amount of that tier only will be refunded.
Denise- I have something like that in my cake contract... You have to cover so much and I've never had an issue, but its good to know that its there.

I would not, I repeat, NOT give a penny to the bride!!

Does anyone know what ended up happening with the BBB on this one? Regardless, you know some people will never be happy. That is THEIR unfortunate circumstance!!!! Can you imagine how depressing life would be if you were that hard to please? You'd be pissed ALL the time!!! Better to let this one go and focus on more positive pursuits. Good luck!

I think you did the right thing from the beginning. You gave her half of her money back because you unfortunately, the cake didn't turn out the way she wanted it (or the way you wanted it) to.

You definitely need to keep the other half of the money. You still made the cake and used all of those supplies and the electricity. You definitely deserve something, considering they ate all the cake!

Anyway, send in the picures, emails, check, and all records that you have including the contract. It will all turn out ok in the end. =o)

update!!!

I wrote a letter to the BBB stating the facts. stating that I had refunded 1/2 of the entire cake cost because of the 8" tier. she also accused me of being a fraud, and I stated that was slanderous.
the BBB forwarded the letter to the bride, and I never heard back from her, case was closed.

I've found out that some brides are pita no matter what.
I've had one complain about a cake because the groom told me to ice the cake in the wrong color. she wanted her money back. durh.

then I had a customer who wanted me to use bright colors and "be creative" on the graduation cake she ordered. then she didn't like it because it didn't match the picture she never showed me or didn't mention. duh. I told her, next time you have something in paticular in mind, SHOW ME THE PICTURE and we could be on the same page.

some people, after being in business for a while, nothing surprises me anymore.

melody