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.

I think they stick better and sit better on the cake with buttercream than icing, Lostriver.

I also would have expected black cakes and not realised this would significantly affect the taste (assuming it does). I know you mentioned the buttercream to her but this was at a much later stage and she might have assumed you meant just a little to hold the picture in place.

In my opinion it's a grey area.

Badoom-tish!

PMSL at Pokemon cake 'I would expect Pokemon to be on the outside'. Exactly.

Mind you I didn't have a wedding cake AT ALL. I should probably check if my wedding is legally binding.

but chocolate cake you would expect the inside to be chocolate not the outside. If you google black cupcake recipe (for example) the top results is for a black velvet sponge

Www.cakewreaks.com

YANBU.

Cupcakes as a bake always include icing to me. I have never seen one for sale in a posh cupcake shop without topping.

If you do a google image search (surely a marker for consensus), every single cupcake of the first couple of hundred is iced (apart from some cute ones that are topped to look like burgers, yes really, go have a look).

If someone gave me an uniced cupcake, I would think that it wasn't finished.

However the miscommunication issue was handled, she should have said when collecting that something was wrong. From this point of view I'd not give her a refund BUT for a small business reputation is everything so even though you may not feel you were in the wrong I might try and reach a settlement such as 25% refund - maybe go to 50% if she digs her heels in.

She collected them and paid without commenting so I think a reasonable person would believe that she thought that the contract had been completed to her satisfaction.

My friend makes and sells cupcakes and she does not do coloured ones- just coloured buttercream icing on top, or glace icing with logos or picture on it. Her website says very clearly what you get-and the order form leaves no gaps for misunderstanding.

They are not my idea of a cupcake so I don't buy them.

Lulu to me cupcakes are exactly what your friend makes, I'm curious what your idea is?

Tbh I would have expected the sponge to be black/grey as well (bit like red velvet) BUT I would definitely also have expected there to be frosting in black and grey as well - as you say OP, who has a cupcake without frosting, and where were the toppers supposed to go?

You asked if she wanted them all black buttercream or if she would prefer black and white or black and grey, and she responded. I can see that there might have been some miscommunication, but the word 'buttercream' was mentioned. She's chancing it, and I wouldn't be giving her a refund.

You could go over and see him and his daughter while she's staying, but you won't because you're resentful of their relationship. IMO you've created this situation yourself and he's being really quite normal in regards to his kids. I don't get it, if I'm honest - it's like you're trying to date half a person and ignore the other half of who he is.

Fucksake, wrong thread innit!

"Ruined the day"?! She needs to get a grip!

They sent the wrong cake to my wedding. In the event, I barely noticed.
Mind you, I did start by tripping over my dress and falling flat on my face in front of the neighbours
After that, the cake was just a minor blip on the day.

I too was sent the wrong cake for my wedding day. Don't do what the bakery did to me.

I'm the proud owner of a voucher entitling me to 20% off my next wedding cake.

I did read this as black sponge, then 50 black frosting and 50grey frosting. All of which sounds a bit but if you ask for black cupcakes I would assume that was the spong and you should have checked. Refund wise, she did accept them initially but you need to weigh up how much damage she could do to your business through poor publicity. Perhaps an agreement to do them for cost or 50% refund or something would work.

A good friend of mine has a cake business. She said you can see a mile off the people who will not be happy. People who call and start the conversation with "I need a cake, but nothing too expensive.." And the ones who send a million emails to discuss a couple of boxes of cupcakes. And the ones who offer to bake/supply ingredients to " keep costs down".

It doesn't matter what you have done, she wouldn't have been happy. Chalk it up to experience and carry on. I personally would forward the email that states you don't do coloured sponge, and apologise in a passive-aggressive manner. But I'm childish like that!

Oh Danny!

Does it have a time limit?

Tinkerball - I like flavours and fruit or chocolate or something. Our village T shop makes Apple Crumble cupcakes with custard flavoured buttercream in a hole in the top. They are delicious. They do rhubarb crumble ones as well and spice and fruit ones.

She's trying it on.

I'm the proud owner of a voucher entitling me to 20% off my next wedding cake.

So handy...

Our village T shop makes Apple Crumble cupcakes with custard flavoured buttercream in a hole in the top. They are delicious. They do rhubarb crumble ones as well and spice and fruit ones.

I think I need to know where your village shop is.

I think you might need to bite the bullet and offer some kind of compromise refund as she did ask for black cupcakes. As the experienced cake-maker, perhaps you should have explained to her how black sponge wouldn't work. Whether or not black cupcakes would be distasteful to some of the commenters, it's what she wanted and it's what she actually asked for. Her wedding after all.