I think it's amazing that they would have 100 people for (what I think) is a kid's birthday? That's a huge party.

l: Waterlily I am so GLAD you snatched that cake back! You are so right for calling their bluff. I think they definetly didn't think you would do that and were trying to figure out how to get a cake for free. I would have love to see how that looked going from a beautiful custom cake to some store sheet cakes. And some poeple have HUGE kid's parties, our family being one of them...and we got 7 kids!!!

So the mother wasted the daughter's money? That's weird.
Was this a credit card down payment?

Hope this doesn't come back & bite.

nope cash given. I did have paper work on details of order and showed the mother but she gave it no mind. I did everything needed to justify what they paid, what was agreed upon, and what was owed.

The mother pretty much did throw $50 away and still got nothing for it.

That's a great deal for such a beautiful cake!! Some people don't know a great deal when it hits them in the face!

Tinygoose, lol, the $50 was down payment for cake. I always ask for 1/2 or so of total price when booking a cake, it is non refundable if they cancel order or in this case refuse to pay balance. It's mainly for materials used on cake. I just lost out on time that I didn't get paid for.

$50 bucks?!?!?! If thats half the deposit, do I really want to know for a fact what this beautiful cake cost?!?!?!? It sounds like they got a GREAT deal.

Way to go Waterlily! That serves them right. Your cake was awesome and I'm pretty sure the birthday boy was sad when you took the cake away. Some people just don't understand everything... Anyway, glad you made some other birthday boy happy.

Your cake was gorgeous!! What flipping idiots! I'm glad that another birthday boy got to enjoy your cake. I'm proud of you!

I think walking out with your cake and your head held high makes them look even stupider (is that a word?) It shows you are proud of your work and wont be bullied. If it were me and I got a phone call after the fact they'd be on hold for a few minutes while I contained my laughter.

I worked a private 21st once where the parents totally scrimped on the food (i'm talking under catered by at least half), but had the cash to pay a full troop of Brazillian Dancers to come in and do a show! They then had the nerve to walk around and blame us and the agency I work for, who organised the staff to serve and had nothing to do with the food. I asked to be paid and promptly left along with 5 or 6 others!

People who dont do food - have no idea!

Tinygoose, unfortunately, I can barely get paid what I charge around here without charging more for my work. Believe me I would love to charge $3.00 to $4 a serving for even just a buttercream cake no fondant work, but that would just be ridiculous around here. the average rate for custom cakes around here is $2.50 for buttercream and $3 for fondant. Even then this is considered to be pricey in my neck of the woods.

What part of Texas are you in?

Far west Tx. El Paso to be exact. I guess with the border being so close there is always someone willing to do the job for less. Not trying to offend anyone, I am 3rd generation mexican american but around here it's the truth. We are having to educate the public about the time investment it takes to pull off some of the cakes they ask for let alone the cost of ingredients. Around here you are lucky to find any job that pays more than $10 an hour with or without a college degree. That in itself should tell you why I charge what I do for my work.

I am east of Dallas and it is the same here. Our biggest store is walmart, so that is where most people go for everything including cake. So trying to compete with that is going to be he**. You would be lucky to make $10 an hour here and that would only come after being at the same company for many years (walmart would still take longer) or having a degree. Most people drive the hour to Dallas (including my husband) which bites.

I hope it works out

This may have been asked already, and if it was I apologize for repeating it, but, did the brother pay you in cash or check? Just curiuous. If it had been a check you know they would have put a stop payment on it before you reached your car.

Your cake is beautiful and I think you did absolutely the right thing. Maybe it will let the next person know that a contract is a contract.

o.k. i am going to play devil's advocate here. in a way...i can see how the mother believed that the cake wouldn't feed 50 people. she probably didn't know what standard you were going by. i don't think a party cake that size would serve 50 because people expect party cake slices to be bigger than wedding cake slices. did you go by the wilton's wedding cake slices?? maybe that was her problem?

You did the right thing; you called their bluff. I bet if you turned around as you were leaving you would have seen them watching you with their jaws dropped. Also, I get the feeling that even if you had walked away with the money and left the cake, you would have heard back from them that the cake was not good or some sort of post-party complaint just to try again to get some kind of refund. P.S. - your cake is terrific!!!