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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Birthday cake disaster, what would you do?

156 replies

Cakeybreakyheart · 01/03/2015 21:41

I bought DP a birthday cake for a v special birthday, we didn't have a chance to cut it at his party.

We cut it today to start giving it out to people.

The cake itself looks fab but it's totally inedible. Dry, very very heavy consistency almost bread-like.

It doesn't taste very nice at all and I'm just gutted about it. You really couldn't even force a piece down.

Would you tell the person who made it? I paid over £50.

What would you expect them to say/do?

OP posts:
DarkBlueEyes · 02/03/2015 21:37

I would definitely complain. My wedding cake was a bit dry :( but edible. Any worse and i'd have complained. £50 is a LOT for a cake (I always make my own and can't imagine charging anyone that much for a cake!!!).

MrsTedCrilly · 02/03/2015 21:38

YANBU, like others have said, the most basic requirement is that it's edible! Yes they have used time, effort and ingredients but haven't delivered what was asked for. Feedback is important for businesses.

flanjabelle · 02/03/2015 21:48

That's not on at all, I'm glad you are taking it back. I look forward to hearing their response When they try it.

Original poster
Cakeybreakyheart · 02/03/2015 23:09

We've been offered a refund minus the "late fee" as I ordered it 10 days before the party.

Not sure how much the late fee is as I was just quoted a total price which I was happy with.

TBF they've been very nice but not really sure where to go from here.

I appreciate the work that went into it, but at the end of the day we've been left with no birthday cake.

Would other folks accept a partial refund? I don't want to be unreasonable about it.

OP posts:
backdatednamechange · 02/03/2015 23:18

I wouldn't. Either a new birthday cake (maybe without the design) and partial refund, or no cake and full refund.

InfinitySeven · 02/03/2015 23:20

No. It'd be like paying a late booking fee for a taxi that didn't arrive.

I bought a £40 cake for DPs birthday. It was stunning and delicious, though, so worth it.

AmyElliotDunne · 02/03/2015 23:20

If 10 days is late it might explain why it was so dry!

Tbh, if you get 75% refund and have to swallow a few quid for the privilege of having an inedible cake as a table decoration I'd say that's a reasonable result. You could push for a full refund as you weren't told about any late fees, but bear in mind that the ingredients will have cost a substantial amount (people really underestimate how much it costs to bake even a medium sized cake). I costed out one of those princess type cakes at about £15 just for ingredients by the time you buy fondant, eggs, butter, icing sugar and all the sundry bits and bobs used for decorating.

I know a professional cake maker should offer a better service, but if this is someone trying to make a bit of extra cash from home I'd be inclined to accept a partial (majority) refund and forget about it.

TheIronGnome · 02/03/2015 23:47

I agree with Battery, cakes are a lot more expensive and time consuming to make, it's unbelieveable. The smallest of jobs can take far longer than expected and all that time and equipment/ingredients soon add up.

Op, I'd be tempted to just take the refund they've offered and be done with it tbh!

Original poster
Cakeybreakyheart · 02/03/2015 23:47

It was a special birthday and he's ended up with no cake and the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get (yesterday I was just really upset).

But a partial refund is better than nothing.

I'm a bit torn.

OP posts:
TheIronGnome · 02/03/2015 23:49

A number of years ago I costed up a wedding cake that I made for a friend. It worked out at about £1 per serving. That was ingredients and items such as boards, dowels, ribbons box etc. the cake served 150 people, so £150. That gave me nothing for my time, or delivery of the cake, both of which would normally be added in.

DoJo · 02/03/2015 23:52

I think you need to find out how much they are allocating as a 'late fee' - if it's a fiver, then it's probably worth sucking up, much more than that though and I think it might be worth fighting. You have to consider how much you value your time in chasing this up - there's nothing they can do to fix the real problem of no cake on the big day, so you have to decide what it's worth to you to rectify the issue.

Original poster
Cakeybreakyheart · 02/03/2015 23:52

But I wasn't paying a friend just the cost of the ingredients IronGnome

I expected a cake we could enjoy and share with people, and it was horrible.

I agree the ingredients wouldn't have been cheap.

Do you really think it's fair for them to give me an inedible cake and for me to be out of pocket?

OP posts:
blueberrymuffffin · 03/03/2015 00:13

I'd accept what they're offering, altho I've never heard of a 'late fee' on a cake - think they've made that up!
But this is somebody just trying to make an honest living, they didn't intend to wrip u off or screw you over, it was a genuine mistake.
Honestly it's so expensive to produce a cake they probably made very little on it.
If you had served it up as your dessert at a party I could understand your disappointment more, but didn't u say it was cut the next day?
As somebody else said, see it as a table decoration.

CharityD · 03/03/2015 00:20

I would want a full refund. Where are they digging a 'late fee' out of!

Nanny0gg · 03/03/2015 00:30

As somebody else said, see it as a table decoration.

A £50 table decoration?? Really?

A cake is meant to be eaten. I know someone who makes the most amazing decorated cakes for £50 and they are delicious as well.

The cake was inedible. I don't care how pretty it was, the main purpose of a cake is to be eaten. You need a replacement (even with very plain icing) or a refund.

Original poster
Cakeybreakyheart · 03/03/2015 00:42

Stupidly, we didn't even have the cake on the buffet table as we had so much food there wasn't room.

We (me and DSS) gave it to DP to blow out the candles as a surprise and we put it back in the kitchen to cut it up but just didn't get round to it. So it wasn't even a very expensive table decoration.

We're going to sleep on it.

OP posts:
ZacharyQuack · 03/03/2015 01:08

Can you ask a friend to ring them and ask the price of a same size and type of cake with a similar decoration for more than 10 days away and see what cost they are quoted? That might give you some proof of whether there really was a "late fee" charged to you.

londonrach · 03/03/2015 07:12

Late fee? Whats that. No idea what id go op in your shoes now. Depends on how much the 'late fee' is?

Messygirl · 03/03/2015 07:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Eva50 · 03/03/2015 07:46

If the late fee is £10 or less I would take the refund otherwise I would negotiate. You should really get a full refund but it may be better than any more stress.

TheIronGnome · 03/03/2015 08:48

No op, I have said before that I'm in agreement with you! I was making that point to the people saying how expensive £50 was for a cake. I think your inedible cake is appalling!

I did suggest you take the refund they're offering but clearly you want a full refund, so don't back down then! You don't need anyone else's permission. Let us know how you get on- in your shoes I'd be livid too.

Have you got a picture of the cake?

MTBMummy · 03/03/2015 09:00

I have baked cakes for friends birthdays and weddings, and firstly I have never charged £50, although I do it because I enjoy it, and I don't do it to make money.

But for a cake that's in edible I would definitely give a full refund, I accept that accidents happen, and something I've made successfully 100 times may go wrong, I would never expect anyone to be out of pocket for that, even if it meant swallowing the cost myself

miniavenger · 03/03/2015 09:26

If ten days is too late normally but this and the late fee wasn't mentioned then the fault there is on them. They sound unprofessional to not communicate this. We have a cupcake maker with her own business in the family, she has very clear terms and conditions, contacts and order forms.

Are you sure they are professional? I know she gets a lot of comments about amateurs who make pretty but inedible cakes, along with relief that she is providing a proper service.

I would query this late fee and when it was mentioned to you.

CrystalCove · 03/03/2015 09:38

Honestly it's so expensive to produce a cake they probably made very little on it

It should still be edible though, no matter how little is profit. Im still at a loss how the person that baked and made this didnt know how bad it tasted, as I said there are always off cuts. If this was me and I had tasted it I would have started again. A cake you cant actually eat is useless.

slithytove · 03/03/2015 10:29

I made a 3 tier wedding cake for a friend, 6, 8, 10, inches, different flavours sponge with fondant icing and sugar crafted decorations.

Took about 7 hours mixing, cooking, decorating time. I'm not including time spent letting the crumb coat cool or the icing harden. I am including baking time. Ingredients, Dowels, boards etc. came to £40. Stick in electric and £10 hourly rate, and I'm still only looking at £120 costs. That cake would have cost £350 round here.

Cake tasted bloody fantastic. 80 guests and cake size for 120. None was left.