Today I delivered a 5 tier wedding cake (bottom 2 were dummies). The bride requested the round layers be a staircase design all flush in the back. That is how I designed and set up the cake at 1;45pm... I get a phone call @ 5:15 moments after the reception started from a frantic bride who said she was told the cake was going to fall. From how it was explained the cake seemed to be slipping backwards from the top down.

I could not come to fix it as I flew in town for the day to set up and was at the airport minutes from boarding my flight. I tried my best to explain to the husband that the cake should be moved a bit to the center as possible to avoid any toppling.

Keep in mind each tier had internal support pillars and the cakes were on footed plates that fit into these. I'm unsure as to how or why the cake would have toppled or began leaning. Needless to say the groom advised he moved the top two tiers to the center and it seemed fine minus cosmetic issues from moving.

Do you think I should offer some form of refund for the cake? Or how would I rectify the situation? Any advise is welcome!

Too bad they could not take a pic with a cell phone or something? Are they sure they didn't forget that they wanted everything flush in the back?

If it had been me, I would have asked them to send a picture to my phone so I could see what they were talking about. It almost sounds like they had no idea that the cake tiers were to be aligned in the back in a staircase design. Ask for pictures of the "sliding" cake before and after they moved the tiers to "correct" the problem.

It's possible the only problem was their ignorance.

Never OFFER a refund unless you see the problem and it was your fault. Wait for them to ask for one. And always ask for proof. Sometimes a guest at the wedding will bump the table or some other not-YOUR-fault issue is the cause of the cake problem. You have no idea the number of threads on here about people who manufacture problems with the cake and then ask for refunds just to compensate the cost of the wedding... call it"buyer's remorse" for want of a better term. If you feel they are justified in asking for compensation, offer a free anniversary cake or a discount on another cake for another occasion. Do NOT give them their money back.

Just my opinion of course.

I'm thinking if it was really starting to topple over...that the process of moving the "top two tiers to the center" would have finished the job. Because they were able to move it, that tells me it had to have been fairly stable.

Whatever they did it it must have made it look awful...wow how upsetting....