Picture Looked Like Client Dropped The Cake!
Decorating By StacyR Updated 12 Apr 2011 , 5:51pm by StacyR
I took a picture before delivering the 3 tiered cake and it was great. I delivered it and she was over the top excited. She said it was even more beautiful than she imagined. I just saw a picture of it on someone else's facebook page and it looks like they dropped it or dropped something on it! The middle tier is crushed and looks completely messed up. I used the SPS system faithfully so I know it wasn't the contruction.
My question is, should I contact her and ask what happened or just hold my breath and see if she contacts me? I really hate that my cake is represented like that in her pictures. No one has commented on her picture yet. So frustrating!
Personally, I would contact her to ask what happened. Is there any way possible you could post the two pics so we can see too?
Great idea. It's the last picture I uploaded. The pink/purple/red circus cake. The second picture is one I captured from the friend's page. I'm so sad!
YIKES! That cake was adorable with all the flags and everything! Something bad definitely happened. No flag, smushed middle tier, fondant ball border askew, monkey pitched forward...yikes!
I wouldn't be able to *not* contact my client if I saw a picture of one of my cakes damaged like that. At least you know your support didn't fail!
I don't know, I hate to say it, but it looks more like it's collapsing to me. Of course someone could have bumped it or something...but it looks less like something dropped on it and more like it's falling in on itself. I hope that's not the case...it's a cute cake!
I don't know, I hate to say it, but it looks more like it's collapsing to me. Of course someone could have bumped it or something...but it looks less like something dropped on it and more like it's falling in on itself. I hope that's not the case...it's a cute cake!
It is a wonderfully creative cake, but I tend to agree with this one.
I held a perfect square of paper on my screen to aline with the top and bottom (to assure a 90 degree angle) to see how straight the sides are, and it does seem the cake is leaning to the left on the middle tier (top of the tier overhangs the bottom of the tier a bit); looks like a bulge on the right side of the middle tier.
It could be just the angle of the photo, though. 'coz if you used sps, that's pretty stable. 
I just luv the open tent on the top tier. You did a great job on that.
If you look at the bottom of the middles tier, though, some of the beading is missing and you can see how the bottom of the cake is kind of mussed. And in your picture the points on the bottom tier are nice and sharp but in the other photo they are also messed up and not as precise. Just my opinion, but I agree with you. It looks like something happened to the cake. Maybe someone bumped into it and they tried to fix it themselves.
I'm thinking... that they started to take the cake apart to eat, when they realized they didn't take a picture of the table set up?
Just giving you another thought process, so you don't stress yourself out
The picture on Facebook, is that where you placed the cake when you delivered it? If not then they might have dropped it. If it is, then it could be a structural issue. It looks to be outdoors, is it particularly warm where you are? Could the cake be melting? Or it could very well be like Shanali said, they started to take it apart and then realized they hadn't taken a picture yet so they tried to put it back together.
It's not the same location. I delivered it to the home of the birthday child, as mom requested, and she mentioned then that she was transporting it to the party location. I reminded her to make sure it was level and to drive carefully. I know I'm a complete wreck when delivering. I hope she was just as careful as I am.
laceycakes, good catch on those missing beads! I totally missed that.
It's not the same location. I delivered it to the home of the birthday child, as mom requested, and she mentioned then that she was transporting it to the party location. I reminded her to make sure it was level and to drive carefully. I know I'm a complete wreck when delivering. I hope she was just as careful as I am.
Ohhhhh! That's a new fly in the ointment! With that info, I would say the client had some "influence" on the final look of the cake.
Looks like it was tipped and the second tier with the name Ariana was tipped backwards and pulled away from the cake board(dark gap at bottom of cake).The back is smooshed in(almost if a hand was pressed on it to "catch" it from falling. The flags are gone(with the fall I would guess" and a ball popped off (probably hit the floor and unusable)when the cake tipped over. SPS probably saved it from being a total disaster.
They have it balanced on a box for height. My guess it was hit and tipped someone was there and "caught" it and this is what they recovered.
inquire about the cake pic but don't pony up, let the story play out. My guess their fault not your.
See, this is where I do my darndest to insist that the cake be delivered by me to it's final destination with anything other than a single tiered cake. Other people have no clue when it comes to the care a cake needs, no matter how much you try to tell them!
See, this is where I do my darndest to insist that the cake be delivered by me to it's final destination with anything other than a single tiered cake. Other people have no clue when it comes to the care a cake needs, no matter how much you try to tell them!
Absolutely.
Looking at pic one and two I don't think it had to do with your support. In photo one, the cake seems to be leaning a little forward and left but in photo two, the cake had to have been tipped back from the way the gap is on the middle tier. If it was your support then the cake would have continued falling forward thus would not have made the gap on the middle tier. It would have slid forward, creating bulging but in the photo the bulging is mainly in the back side. Relax, I think she would have contacted you if she thought it was your fault. She is probably not wanting to call you because she knows how hard you worked on the cake. I'd wait a week and give her a call just to make sure she was happy with the cake. At that time she will probably tell you what happened.
Relax, I think she would have contacted you if she thought it was your fault. She is probably not wanting to call you because she knows how hard you worked on the cake. I'd wait a week and give her a call just to make sure she was happy with the cake. At that time she will probably tell you what happened.
I agree with this. I know I would of called the decorator right away and would not of posted pics on FB.
I would not call her.If she did not drive carefully or set it down carefully then it is entirely her fault and I would not give any refund what so ever..Let it play out and see if she calls wanting a refund....Then send her the pic you found on facebook and then pic you took before you left it...Case closed...
I agree with kiddiekakes, you used a support system and the cake was fine when you delivered. If you contact her it may open up a can of worms, wait and see if she contacts you.
Don't open any can of worms. She paid, you delivered, deal done. Leave well enough alone...
They have not contacted you because the problem was their fault. Leave well enouch alone
Wait, however had that will be, until you hear from them, don't 'start anything'.
I do have to agree w/the mention that the center tier was not perfect. It is leaning just a bit and seems to have a slight bulge on the right side. However, that does NOT mean the cake collasped. It could have lead to the falling apart when they did not handle it with 'kid gloves'.
IMO if it was something you did & the cake collapsed the customer would have called you & been very upset. Just with all the detail you put into the cake I know they paid a pretty penny for it. I know I would have called from the moment it messed up. But this didn't happen you didn't receive a call reason...It was something the customer did & therefore there was no need to ask for a refund...Hope that makes sense.
If you call the customer you are opening yourself up for a huge headache. Deposit the check & keep going. You did a wonderful job. Now on to the next one 
Definitely do not contact them. You would surely open up a can of worms if you did that. No news is good news. Why stir some drama up if you don't have to. Absolutley adorable cake, by the way!
Did they mention the decorator on fb, that is my only concern is that that people will think you made it that way. You would think they would have mentioned something about an accident when they posted it. If they didn't say your name, I would let it go. I'm sure they did something when they delivered the cake, had a few of those myself when I have let other people deliver, now I only deliver my cakes. I am getting more trusting with the sps system. I delivered a cake last weekend, and that thing was solid as a rock, so maybe I'll let them deliver if I use the sps, but it so upsetting when you work so hard, and then people don't know how to drive with a cake in the car.
I'm just so brash, I would have posted something like "what the the hell did you to that cake???"
I would venture that it was a wild kid (you know the one...he/she came to all of our kids' parties) lol
Definitely, definitely, definitely contact her regarding this because your reputation is on the line...from your original photo, you pay attention to detail, so I am sure it was not a construction matter...it appears to be a "destruction" issue... I would say to her that you saw the picture and knew something had to have happened AFTER your delivery to her...if you used the SPS, do you not have to get it back? She will know it was not your construction...
Great job, BTW! Let us know the "rest of the story"
Aside from the discussion of how the cake came to be in that condition, if you're worried that them having that photo on their facebook makes your work look bad then could you either email her your photo of the cake (do it with a 'Hope your event went well, here's a photo I took of your cake, I thought you might like a copy for your album' or whatever, and leave it at that) and hope she loads it on facebook, which would better represent your skills to her friends, OR could you load your photo onto your facebook and tag her in it, which all her FB friends will see. I can understand why you wouldn't be happy with her having her photo up for all to see!
Aside from the discussion of how the cake came to be in that condition, if you're worried that them having that photo on their facebook makes your work look bad then could you either email her your photo of the cake (do it with a 'Hope your event went well, here's a photo I took of your cake, I thought you might like a copy for your album' or whatever, and leave it at that) and hope she loads it on facebook, which would better represent your skills to her friends, OR could you load your photo onto your facebook and tag her in it, which all her FB friends will see. I can understand why you wouldn't be happy with her having her photo up for all to see!
Oo, I like that! Good one.
Well, it's Tuesday and I've heard nothing. I guess you were all right. My friend hadn't tagged anyone in her picture, by the way. It was just a quick mobile upload of the entire dessert table. I am not "friends" with the client, so I have no idea what is happening on her page.
I took every word to heart, though, and I'm ordering my Agbay today. My cakes do need work in being perfectly level. I'm learning to take constructive criticism and I really appreciate your honesty about the flaws in the cake. You guys are the best!
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