Hi, I have a small wedding cake business in the UK. I've just received an email from a bride who's cake i delivered this morning saying she's very unhappy as i have placed the sugar flower arrangement on the top of the bottom tier rather than on the very top tier as discussed. She's right, looking back at my notes we did discuss this. I feel so awful that she's upset on her wedding day. It's completely my fault i think i just went into auto pilot. I have no excuse for getting it wrong. I've emailed back to say i'm very sorry and i hope it hasn't put too much of a dampner on her day, and that did she want to discuss some sort of refund on Monday.
Any advice? Do i offer a full refund? The cake will still be eaten it is just a design error there's nothing wrong with the actual cake.
Thanks...
Do you have a separate price for the sugar flowers? Maybe refund her that portion of the price of the cake and give her a free anniversary cake. I totally get the auto pilot thing. I recently made three cakes for an anniversary party. Two of them were supposed to be 10 inch + 6 inch. For some reason I did 8 inch + 6 inch. I didn't even realize it until the next day. We all make mistakes. The important thing is that there was a cake for her on her day. And I'm sure the design you presented her with was lovely as well. Due to my recent error, I've started a cake journal where I write down, in one place, all the details we discuss. With info coming in from texts, calls, messenger, etc... I needed something in one spot. (((hugs)))
wow -- it seems like a small booboo -- but for her to call on her wedding day is pretty significant -- yes a little refund i'd start with 10% and go as high as 20% but anymore than that and i'm gonna get pissed off -- i mean if it was me being you --
i wouldn't feel too bad -- it's cake -- mistakes happen -- you are owning it --send her 10% -- you already said you were sorry -- you could even send it now and call her monday to let her know --
here's what you don't do -- do Not let her go off on you -- tell her you can continue talking if we continue in a civil tone -- but that you will need to hang up if she continues in that tone -- you are not her whipping post -- no cussing either -- do not let that happen -- after the warning -- just say i'm respectfully hanging up now -- close the call -- done -- send her 10% and be done with it -- don't rehash it over and over either -- you'll be haunting yourself -- do not over apologize either --
you're owning it and being responsible -- that is the best you can do -- and you're good for that
yeah re-read your orders too before during and after-- like whatthedogate said -- because of course we keep all our cake info in one spot, wtdg 
I really don't think she'll be happy with just the flower refund :( I'll see what reply i get. The cake was beautiful, i'll try and attach a picture. I think i was so focussed on getting the bottom tier design right the flowers just went out my head. I usually do draw on a rough sketch where the flowers are to go but for some reason i didn't.
Wow! Your cake is beautiful and very well made! I too would offer 10% and a free small future cake.
i mean you have to do what you feel is best but a full refund is a giant rip off -- not everybody is all birds are singing bell's are ringing on their wedding day -- but i mean she's got the time and energy to take a swipe at you for a minor booboo when her cake looks like perfection anyhow?
i mean "very unhappy" about flowers?
cakes have two purposes of course -- focal point of reception and dessert -- clearly she has it for dessert -- that's 50& of her/your money -- and be advised this is about MONEY not feelings -- she's going to play on your feelings though -- count on it -- but this is about money -- you keeping what you deserve and her spending too much on her wedding day -- and looking to whine to get some back --
and like i said you have to do what you think is best but anything more than 50% is ripping yourself off -- 10% should be quite sufficient -- 20% is extravagant -- i would not make/offer her another cake because i would not invite a thief to do business with me again --
best to you == please let us know what you do
i want to influence you with one more thought -- all feelings aside -- picture yourself in a court of law -- how much would refund would a judge rule on for a discount on an infraction like this?
and of course there's no price on your peace of mind but you said you have a business -- so the money part is the business side
The cake is absolutely beautiful! One thing too, she may be super upset but anything more than a 10-20% refund for an error like that is expecting too much on her part. Offer the 10%, be willing to go up to 15-20% (if you’re comfortable with that) and then it’s up to her to accept it and move on. Was it exactly like she wanted? No. And that’s what the refund is to accommodate her for. Anything more from you should not be expected. And who knows after a couple of days maybe she won’t be as upset.... at least we can hope for that :)
good luck and let us know how it goes!
I agree with what others have said. It may not be exactly what she asked for, but it’s still a perfectly good, beautiful cake. Any of the guests will look at that and think that it’s perfect. It’s not like you delivered a damaged cake or anything like that. It’s still going to look great during the reception and probably taste great, too.
I think that bride is crazy! That cake is gorgeous! So what if the flowers are on the bottom tier rather than the top?? It's a minor design snafu... each tier looks fab, the cake as a whole looks beautiful and in proportion. I can't believe she took time out of her wedding day to email you about it! Good luck to her hubby, she sounds like a lot of hard work!
I agree with me_me1! I think I know how the flowers wound up on top of the bottom tier....that is where they should be! No way would the arrangement placed on top have set off the cake as well as your placement. This cake is stunning!
Lbean76 that cake is amazing, beautiful, stunning. I agree with Sandra that the flowers look great right where they are. Probably after she is on her post wedding high, and after tons and tons of people compliment her on the cake (design and flavor) she will calm down. In summary...you cake=wow!
She texted you ON HER WEDDING DAY to whine about a perfectly gorgeous cake---that would have looked unbalanced and weighted down had the flowers been put on the top???
OMG, what is wrong with people today?
Yes, you made a small mistake--that actually turned out for the best.
Personally, I'd love to read a bad review that began with, "Well, my wedding day was ruined because the flowers on my cake were on the bottom tier, rather than the top. Look at this absolute piece of garbage--don't you all agree that it should have been the one thing that threw me into a complete tizzy before I had to walk down the aisle? And when people came up to me to tell me how gorgeous the cake was, I just had to explain to them why it was perfectly awful. I don't know why they kept telling me otherwise, or just walked away shaking their heads, but I'm going to ruin the baker. She owes me!"
I suppose you could give her a teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy refund..5-10%, but don't offer another cake. Let her go.
My wedding cake was to have pale aubergine flowers with bridesmaids in dresses of the same color [it was 1980, so cut me some slack]. When I arrived at the venue before the wedding, I found a cake with bright blue flowers and bridesmaids in bright magenta............I cried. Why? Because these were NOT small mistakes [the baker was given a swatch of material to match]--and because we'd gone way over budget on the cake. Did I complain to the baker? NO We cut and enjoyed the cake. Did I not pay, or ask for a refund? NO And now, when something is obviously not right, my husband and I will look at each other, laugh, and say, "They're BLUE!"
Mike and my wedding cake, which was ordered by my MIL (because she said I couldn't possibly make my own cake???), had fresh roses and ivy stuck all over it, in the frosting - yuck! That being said, after we picked the ferns out of our teeth, we realized that the cake was absolutely delicious. Did we complain? Oh heck no! We carried the left overs on our honeymoon, continued picking ferns out of our teeth and enjoyed every bite.
It would have taken a whole lot more than any cake - or none - to ruin our wedding day!
just one note here -- just because the perfectly proportioned flower spray looks fantastic that this very able and artistic caker designed for the bottom -- doesn't mean the one she should have designed for the top tier wouldn't have looked as great -- it's still a booboo -- albeit it a gorgeous booboo --
so usually people let stuff like this slide -- but not this chick so far -- hopefully this bride will wake up -- but i mean that was her dream cake she paid for -- 10% is the fairest of them all if she presses it --
So we have an outcome. The customer emailed to say when was the best time to bring my cake stand back as she'd paid a deposit on it. The email was very pleasant so i think much like a few of you had already said, she'd calmed down and probably put things into a little perspective. I said that if i was out to just put it by the porch and to email me with her account details so that i could issue her stand deposit back. After i'd popped out i came home to find the stand sitting in the box. She emailed again with her bank details and said they didn't want any money back but as they wanted to save the top tier with the top flowers could i re create that for them to have photographed. She was also very complimentary of the flowers and said they were just like the flowers in her bouquet. She'd also had lots of compliments from her guests that the cake was delicious.
Thanks for being there when i was in a panic everyone you're all the best xxx
Thank goodness it was just a case of nerves! A great ending for everyone!
Yay, glad to hear a happy and very reasonable ending. :)
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