To think a full refund should have been offered

[wowzawoo]

I picked up cake today for DC birthday party - looked gorgeous but it stunk of smoke! The house smelled too but I thought maybe the cake would be okay - but when I checked at home it really smelt strongly.

I messaged the lady and said I thought the cake was wonderful looking but I wouldn't eat it or serve it because of the smell of stale smoke and asked for a refund also said happy to return the cake to her.

She has apologised and said no one smoked around the cake, she said she would refund my money minus the deposit.

Now, I am okay with this because actually I feel sorry for her, clearly she doesn't know how bad her house smells and then in turn the cake. But really I feel she should have offered a full refund.

Aibu to think this? Every time I look at the cake I feel sorry for her and then doubt my thought that she was being unreasonable to, one sell a cake like that and two that she should have offered a full refund.

I am out of pocket because I have lost the deposit and had to go to a supermarket and buy another cake.

Seller sells through FB page and has five stars!

I believe you OP. You should have got a full refund as it was not fit for purpose. I can’t believe there’s any debate about it and I think some people on here are being deliberately obtuse.
I would not be happy serving a cake that smelt of fags, and I would be questioning how long the cake had been sat around for for it to smell so strongly.

This. It beats me how many smokers are in total denial about how much they and stuff around them stinks.

I think you should have returned it then she'd know you weren't just chancing it.

Environmental health need to be contacted. There are many strict rules for catering from a home kitchen

That’s disgusting, I run a cake business from my home and was told very clear by the local authority at the time of inspection that it was unacceptable to have my cats fed or even in my kitchen or let anyone smoke whilst I was baking or decorating (I’m a non smoker btw). Smokers stink and so do their homes. How gross for you!

You should not have to accept the cake and warn this lady that there are rules to follow if you are baking cake she’s to sell from home, and she is breaking these regulations by smoking in the house- food standards agency I think. Full refund!

That’s disgusting. She should definitely give you a full refund. The cake isn’t fit for purpose. Call in environmental health, and maybe also trading standards. And give her a shitty review. What she did is probably illegal.

"Hello, yes I'd like to order a double choc sponge cake with a tractor ted theme please. Oh and pink icing saying happy birthday. And could you make sure you don't use your loo brush as a mixing spoon? Many thanks"

wowzawoo. Honestly, just stop engaging with idiots who think you need to stipulate or check that a food product won’t smell of smoke. Honestly, they’re so cracked their not worth wasting your energy on.

Call her tomorrow, arrange t take the cake back & get your deposit back.

It’s completely unacceptable.

Yes she bought the ingredients & spent time making it, but she completely ignored the Health & Safety rules she is compelled to comply with. Her decision to do so.

...and no, not a chance in hell I’d give that cake to anyone to eat, let alone small children.

It doesn’t matter how things ‘used to be’, these days we have higher standards - that’s a good thing.

You can't prove cigarette aroma from fondant. If the sponge was dry or the cream split you could, but the cigarette smell is just a bit subjective

Of course you can prove that the cake smells.

Cigarette smoke smell is not ‘subjective’.

MrTumbles

Reminds me of my former next door neighbour when I was a kid. Her name was Lillian. My mum used to call her Fag Ash Lil as she would be icing wedding cakes in her kitchen (we could see straight in from our garden)with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and as the ash dropped onto the cake, she would just brush it away........

We used to wonder what they tasted like

Yes- smokers in denial about how much they smell of smoke.

Just that.

YANBU at all. I’d think it obvious that I didn’t want my cake to smell or taste of smoke!

I wasn’t aware food could taste like smoke. My mum smoked a lot when I was a DC, I really don’t recall her spag Bol stinking of smoke .

I think her keeping the deposit is fair enough for her time and effort and also for the ingredients.

Of course a cake can smell of cigarette smoke. Even if the baker didn't smoke around the cake, the smell could have been transferred from her clothing, hair, breath or hands (even after washing).
She should refund the deposit as well.

If anyone grew up with smoke etc then they wouldn't notice food stinking of it as they were in that environment. But smoke stinks and so does everything around it. It makes everything including food/paper/packaging all stink of smoke. Yanbu. That's just disgusting.

I am a smoker. In your situation I would find this unacceptable.
She clearly IS running a business if she advertises on FB. If had been a friend or relative you'd have no recourse.
She should not be allowing people to smoke in an area where food is prepared or stored or where the boxes for the cakes are stored either.
Nicotine settles on every surface it touches.
There will always be people who disagree though..... that's the nature of AIBU I'm afraid 🤔

I had a cleaner who smoked, not in my house obviously but the rooms she had cleaned smelt after she had been which was pretty pointless really.

I personally am surprised at how many people aren't bothered that there has been smoking going on around food. Would you eat in a restaurant where the chef kept lighting up?

It's gross. Yanbu op.

If the cake had lots of intricate stuff on it like fondant flowers etc, it could be the seller sat with it in front of her for hours puffing away while making them and sticking them on. I could well imagine the smoke tainting the cake.

YANBU OP. If she had any integrity she would have offered a full refund, but then it wouldn't have been necessary as she wouldn't have smoked while making something edible!

Is the seller licensed to make cakes at home for sale? She should be. L.A. who issue and inspect beforehand should be made aware. Keep or take the cake to appropriate office as evidence. Would put me of too.

I had a lady who ironed and did it very well in my house. Then she asked to take the ironing pile back to her house and it always came back smelling of cigarette smoke. To a non smoker it was truly horrific - and my children had to wear some of the clothes.

I had to discontinue the arrangement but felt I had let things slide for too long. When I spoke to her she always said she did not smoke and it was a blatant lie.

To be given a child’s birthday cake smelling of tobacco smoke is pretty unacceptable. You did nothing wrong but perhaps should have left the cake with her.

Probably been said but isn’t there rules around selling food and needing hygiene certificates? I certainly wouldn’t buy cake from someone who didn’t hold one/registered for food distribution and I doubt they would be awarded the cert if there is smoking in the house
Could just be me though

I don’t think you can hold a hygiene certificate at home if you own a pet or smoke

Has anyone in their life ever eaten food that smells of cigarette smoke?

Yes. On the apples in my Mother’s fruit bowl. The nicotine would form a strange coating on them that couldn’t be washed off. I think it depends on the level of smoking.