Wedding cupcake mishap AIBU bride wants full refund for me wrecking her big day?

[ilovepombears]

I run a home based cake making business a few months ago I had a request from a bride to make 100 black cupcakes for her wedding. She provided the wrappers and black food colouring paste and also black and white photo toppers of the couple as she asked it this would bring the costs down so I deducted this from the bill.

Today is her wedding day and there seems to be a massive miscommunication somewhere along the lines.
Friday I baked all 100 cupcakes and whilst I was waiting for them to cool I text her and asked if she was sure she wanted them all black buttercream or if she would prefer black and white or black and grey. She texted back and said 50 black 50 grey would be ace. I then had another text asking where the buttercream was going. This should of really set off alarm bells. I told her the buttercream would be going on top of each cupcake. No further response.

As the wedding is out of town she came to collect them yesterday. They looked stunning and really complimented her wedding theme. She seemed a bit off when collecting but said she liked them.

Two hours later I receive a text from her saying how dissapointed she is with the cakes and how they are not as disscused as the cakes are white.

I didn't understand where she was coming from so I tried to call but she didn't answer then text to say I have wrecked her wedding.

After a while of toing and froing it transpires what the bride in her head has ordered is 50 black and 50 grey sponge cupcakes as in no buttercream frosting. Where I was suppose to put the picture toppers is still a mystery.

She has seen hundreds of images of my work and I have never produced a nude cupcake. Always have frosting on them.

She has not given me time to rectify the issue. Not that I would as I am not having my name associated with what she thinks she has ordered. Not would I let black sponges out to be eaten as they will taste horrendous but they have so much colour in them can you imagine the additives.

She is now asking for a full refund as I have "screwed up her order" what do I do? I'm my head she has received what she has ordered.

If you guys ordered a black & grey cupcake how would you interoperate that? What she thinks or what I have made her.

[RhubarbAndMustard]

Who wants to eat grey and black sponge? Sounds awful. Think she may be trying it on.

[formerbabe]

I assumed black icing not black sponge!

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Bride is bonkers IMO. I have seen/had coloured cupcakes (i.e. where the sponge is coloured) but I wouldn't assume that was what was requested unless it was specifically discussed. However as you say to get full on black would require so much colouring it would be vile, and presumably if the cakes are in wedding styles cases (i.e. thick metal ones) and covered with buttercream you can't see the sponge anyway? And what the heck were you meant to do with the picture topper thingies?

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Sounds like a miscommunication to me. She wanted black cake, but didnt specify she wanted black sponge, you assumed she meant black buttercream.

Sounds like fault on both sides for not being explicit.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I wouldn't refund. She hasn't explained what she wants properly. You queried what colour the buttercream was to be and you did as she told you. If she doesn't understand what buttercream is then that's not your fault.

[Cornettoninja]

So she wanted black buns/fairy cakes?

I thought the whole point of cupcakes was the humongous load of icing?

I suppose you could apologise for her being upset but you're going to have to be very politely patronising and confirm what is universally expected by the term 'cupcake'.

Privately I'd be thinking the whole cake thing was going south when she was asking people to bite a chunk out of her face but that's by the by really...,

[PortofinoVino]

Well I wouldn't expect black sponge!

[Shinyshoes2]

Yep
She's trying it on I reckon
Tell her ' no ' she's got what she ordered

[ApocalypseThen]

Black cake would be a disgusting and offputting thing to serve - there's no way you could have reasonably deduced that as her order. If you want something that revolting, surely you have to be very specific about what you're looking for?

[SockDrawer]

Its so so difficult when you run your own business as you have to go much further than normal to make customers happy.

I think the fact you told her there was buttercream going on top of the cakes has saved you. You can explain she didn't make her unusual request clear enough, you did tell her there was buttercream going on the cakes and therefore you fulfilled the order as you had thought it should be. But as a goodwill gesture I'd probably still grit my teeth and offer a 50% refund.

[Nerf]

Actually I would have assumed black and grey coloured as opposed to icing. I wouldn't know enough and you would need to explain why that wouldn't work due to taste.

[WelliBeDamned]

Tell her to fuck off. She's just trying it on with you. Who the hell orders cupcakes with no toppings? She's just being a cow. Don't give her any money back.

[LegoAdventCalendar]

She is trying to get them for free. Save her texts. She also took them. No refund for her.

[Lizzylou]

Leave it for now.
Presumably she will enjoy her day, the guests will love her cupcakes and she will get a grip.

[Viviennemary]

I wouldn't have had a clue what she wanted. Would it be an idea to make some sort of tick list on paper to make sure this doesn't happen again. Like colour of sponge. Frosting yes or no. Colour of frosting and so on. And have it all down on paper and then people like this can't mess you about. Hopefully.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Im the same as Nerf. I wouldnt know that they would taste grim, and actually Ive just looked on Pinterest and black sponge cupcakes look really wow!

[raltheraffe]

Is she a goth or something?

I am trying to picture who would order black cakes for a wedding.

I would tell her to do one.

[meltedmonterayjack]

Oh gosh. So am I right in thinking what she wanted were 50 cupcakes made with batter that was grey and 50 with black batter. I agree they'd taste awful if so.

I think it was an order that was open to confusion re exactly what was supposed to be coloured - icing or cake or both.

Can you afford to bear the loss of a full refund just for reputations sake? I'd be worried about her bad mouthing you, so would try to bite my lip and give her the refund and really apologise about the confusion, even though it was probably largely her fault for not being totally clear. If you could be extra nice and apologetic it might be a good (if somewhat, galling) move.

[LegoAdventCalendar]

You told her it was going on top of the cakes. She did not quibble or respond and took the product as presented. No refund. Not a penny.

[Nerf]

She may be having a themed wedding, and I think you should politely email (not text) and apologise for the lack of clarity, offering a 50% reduction. Remember that you can either fight your corner and have her moan about you or you can stop it. I would also add that it hadn't occurred to you that the obvious reduction in taste would not be widely known and that you have now reflected this on your website/FB page.
I would add it to a FAQ type thing - can my cakes be coloured?

[raltheraffe]

I would think a "red cupcake" would be a normal coloured sponge and red buttercream on top.

So she is wrong and taking the piss.

[LegoAdventCalendar]

I wouldn't want the business of her mates, either. No loss there.

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

But OP only mentioned the butterceam when about to ice them.

OP I would expect a cake maker to run through my order at the time of arranging - "so you would like 100 sponge cakes, with black buttercream, and the photos on top?" Then it would have been cleared up.

Those gel courings require such a miniscule amount that surely it wouldnt affect the taste?

[ProfYaffle]

I also agree with Nerf, I'd have assumed she meant coloured sponge as they seem to be quite fashionable atm.