AI agree and I applaud you for that. I guess that way of thinking was unprofessional but what you actually did was professional. Offering a refund in this case before the client asks for one would also be the professional thing to do. Too often I've seen folks give less than their best because "whatever is going to happen will happen anyway." The cake is already messed up, why even try? Putting in that extra effort is what sets professional behavior apart from the unprofessional.

In what universe would choosing to "just leave it" have ever been acceptable??????????????????????????????

Surely the thought of doing that NEVER even crossed your mind..........

The implication here is that IF a 100% refund is in order, then you shouldn't have even bothered to try to fix it at all.  I'm wrong about that, aren't I???????????

Refund their money and give them a heartfelt apology.  Don't wait for them to ask or to set an amount--that would be adding insult to injury.

Dear Poor Bride~

First off I want to say how incredibly sorry I am that I wasn't able to deliver the cake I promised. I can only imagine how upsetting it was to not see the cake you expected to see on your day. I hope that the rest of your day was perfect, even if my part wasn't even close. 

I have already sent your refund check in the mail- 100%. I have also enclosed a coupon for an 8" round cake of your choice. I know you may not wish to use it, but I want to be able to make up for the accident in the best way I can. 

Sincerely~

Professional baker who saved part of the cake but really should have used sps.....

I have already offered the refund the day of the wedding to the mother (who paid for it) when she arrived at the horrifying scene! I didn't stop apologizing and will do so again. I have told them to give me a call when the wedding is over and settled down! I am waiting for their call. I did everything in my power that I could. I just thought coming on here someone would pick my spirits up instead of making me feel worse. Thanks for all your time, happy baking to you all!

AI don't think anyone is trying to be hurtful. It is terribly embarrassing and disappointing to you, your reputation as a business and, most importantly, the customer when something like this happens. I am very sorry this happened.

Sps is definitely worth the price to have some piece of mind, whatever support system you use should be factored into your pricing structure for each cake. I charge a rental fee for stands (and if I had an expensive system like cake stackers I would charge for that as well).

Many of the people posting in this forum are successfully running business' so what may seem harsh to you is just sound advice from professionals that I would encourage you to listen to. They will help you learn and grow as a professional. Sometimes you have to step back (as difficult as it may be to seperate yourself from your hard work-much of it is art) and look at these things from another's perspective.

We are in customer service industry.

You fixed what you could, you apologized, and offered a refund. However, the longer you wait to resolve the entire problem (refund and aftermath) the worse it will be. Honestly, I would be grateful the bride or her family didn't throw a huge fit. I don't mean that with any disrespect, just from a customers point of view. I would take the initiative to resolve the problem ASAP. The idea of sending them a check with a note with and coupon is excellent. As someone stated they will remember you going above and beyond to make things right.

Learn from this and move forward, you'll be fine.

AWas someone rude, I'm missing something? Glad to hear of the full refund, sorry for the accident.

I was rude...as usual

ARandom thought: In EVERY thread where a cake fell, I keep seeing "get SPS." Does this mean nobody has ever had a cake boo-boo with SPS? It's that fail-proof?

AI can say that I've never had a problem using SPS.

A

There's no central dowel involved with this setup, as the plates have little nubs that grip the cake board above it, and everything jusr locks into place. Very sturdy.

I'm giving the bride a 100% refund and a free cake! Yes I have been depressed ever since and I guess I was looking for a little pity as I don't run a "business" and I'm just a home baker doing this as a hobby. But enough with that as I'm picking my head up and doing what is right!

Thought.....when I give her the refund should I get her to sign a paper showing there was a refund? She gave me cash for the cake and I am giving her cash back, but she got a receipt when she paid for the cake in the first place. So I was thinking it would be securing my own butt if I did another receipt showing a refund. Does this sound professional or not?

AYou are charging for cakes thus you are in business.

A

You stopped being a hobbyist when you accepted payment for the product. When people pay you for a service or product they're not looking at it as "hobby" spending. It's real, it's a transaction, and they will hold you to the standards they'd hold a brick and mortar business establishment.

That said, having her sign that she got the money is a good idea. You could also create a paper trail by just writing her a check so you avoid any awkwardness. When she cashes the check she has to endorse it on the back so it will show that she cashed the check-- there you have an official document with a signature, on your records and that of a 3rd party.

Thank you for your opinions and I agree with both of you! As far as the cheque is concerned I don't get that back in the mail from the bank. So therefore I thought getting her sign a receipt would be better.

AI don't think anybody gets it in the mail. Most banks make an electronic scanned image of the check for your records. Mine attaches the image to the record of the check cashed so when I click on it I see the image of the check that went through. You can usually find it in your online records if you use electronic banking and manage your account on the internet.

A

I am confused, are you a licensed or certified business? Or are you a hobby baker?

I don't use SPS, but I do use tuffboards, which are a heck of a lot sturdier than cardboard rounds, if that's what you're using. I can assemble buttercream cakes on site no problem, the tuffboards don't bend or shift and there's no cracking of buttercream like you mentioned.

So, so very sorry to hear your tale:(   haven't read all the replies.........But........do know I've been there, done that also.

Yes, it was yrs ago but I know exactly what you went through....all the feeling, nerves etc, etc.

this happened to me a year ago with a fondant cake for a little girls party, I was able to fix it to make it look presentable for pictures, I had done a cake for them before and I the mom was super busy so I agreed to make this cake without a deposit, the day of the delivery the dad offer to pay at least part of the cost because he felt bad for me, I said absolutely not, I can't charge you anything for a wrecked cake, they said they would call me again and sure enough I just made another cake for the little girl about a week ago and I'm making a baby shower cake for her mom next month. I know how  bad you feel because I was in your situation and it feels awful that all that work was for nothing but believe me if they like your work they'll come back, I'm sorry it happen to you and hopefully you'll feel better after you talk to them : )

In regard to not using SPS b/c of cost/deposits, SPS is so inexpensive, I add it to the overall cost of the cake as materials.  Along with the board.  t adds on $25 or so, but worth it in my opinion to not have to deal with tracking the plates/pillars/board down or deal with a deposit.

I dont think anyone was trying to make you feel bad. I think you just feel bad and of course, u are out of your money, which makes you feel worse. But the cake you presented was nice. I think that more than shows that you can function under pressure and you didn't  give up. 

  So, next time, be more mentally prepared for a disaster. Have plenty buttercream on hand and think of all the possible scenarios that can go wrong and then mentally prepare for them, such as covering the smooshed buttercream with a basket weave or a large swirl rose pattern or just a rustic look ……….kinda like it was meant to look like that, but only you and the bride know you were hiding something. And the last cake I did, I put two dowels in it because I was scared and I had 40 miles to drive. I put one straight and one at an angle. It held up………but I was scared to death! I could have very well been in your shoes……….I think I almost was there………..but thank goodness it held up!!!!!

      And the bride is entitled to a full refund. Its not your fault, its not her fault, its just the way it is. And write a formal letter of apology. Be as honest and sincere as you can. It will be fine.