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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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Original poster

To demand a full refund?

49 replies

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:31

DD’s first birthday on Tuesday, we celebrated on Saturday as then the whole family could be together. Friday night I travelled 9 miles and collected a giant cupcake that had been made for her. In the car on the way home (I drove as carefully as possible) it collapsed on one side. No huge drama, , we pushed the top back on and shifted it round so we could do photos. Obviously DD doesnt care at this age so I didn’t worry.

However when we cut into the cake, it was so dry it was almost inedible. Even the older dc’s (6 and 8) didn’t want to eat it.

So today (Sunday) I took the cake back and asked the cake maker to taste it. She attempted to suggest I was responsible for the cake breaking in the car (but this was obviously down to the cake being so dry) I again informed her that the cake being inedible was the issue, not the collapse and said it tasted like it had been baked a week ago. She defended herself and I just left. Frankly I don’t want to argue with her, I just wanted her to try it, see how dry it was and refund me. Which she did. HALF of the £30 I had paid because I had ‘returned half the cake’

AIBU to say this is totally unreasonable? That for a product I could not use and for the inconvenience of having to drive the cake back and forth but not enjoy it, I should receive a full refund?

I honestly can’t believe the gall of someone admitting the product isn’t up to scratch but refusing to issue a full refund.

OP posts:

dovehandwash · 22/07/2018 13:33

YANBU

But I think you'd be better of just leaving it this time OP. The cake maker should of refunded you in full but is clearly just a massive sh*t.

Is there any way you could leave cake maker a bad review?

DontTouchTheMoustache · 22/07/2018 13:36

Agree with Dove, she is being ridiculous but it's not going to be worth the time and energy trying to get a full refund. Give honest and fair feedback on a review if you can.

ichifanny · 22/07/2018 13:37

Was she a cake making business or just someone set up in her own kitchen making cakes , I think of you you use a non professional then you can’t expect decent customer service to be honest and it’s very hard to enforce that .

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:37

I’ve given her the benefit of the doubt and explained that actually she’s still charging me for an unusable product. She said I should have returned it on Friday (I picked it up at 17.30 Friday night) or returned the whole cake. I asked her if I should fish the slices out of the bin.

I honestly can’t believe her. I am a sole trader too and I would never EVER question refunding a client if they were unable to use the product they had bought.

OP posts:

Sheldonoscopy · 22/07/2018 13:38

I had the same without the collapse. Cake maker had come highly recommended from several sources so when we bit into the cake I was shocked. It was so dry it was like eating cardboard. Even my stepdad who will eat almost anything refused to eat it saying it was inedible.

I contacted her and sent pics, asked her to meet me to taste it. She refused. I made it quite clear that if she wanted to be treated like a business (aimed at opening a bakery if I remember correctly) she needed to be able to accept when an order had been messed up.
She met me, refunded me and in front of me put the cake in the nearest bin. Fair enough.

Shame, cause when people asked how it was I had to be honest and say it looked fab- but it wasn’t able to be eaten due to the dryness. She’d had quite a lot of business in my place of work, so I felt bad. But if we’d been able to eat it, we would have! I love cake!

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:38

I’ve asked her to really go away and think about whether she wants someone to have this experience of her service

I await her response

OP posts:

ichifanny · 22/07/2018 13:40

Sorry you can expect decent customer service but the likelihood of getting that is unlikely as they will be out of pocket on ingredients and feel some sort of aggravation at having to refund , someone professional would suck up the cost of the loss .

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:40

Sheldon

Yes it is a shame, I really don’t want to get into some war with this cake maker but I will not lie about terrible service.

It’s one thing to cock up an order but another to expect your clients to pay for it

OP posts:

ToadOfSadness · 22/07/2018 13:44

Could you take the slices out of the bin and give them to her, she will then know that no one could eat them?

My experiences of cake makers have been similar, always dry, and one celebration cake looked really nice but was dry as sawdust and had a truly revolting flavour. I wonder if they freeze them, or over process the mix.

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:47

Toad

It’s a 18 mile round trip, I’d rather not go back.

She has just refunded me with the following message;

No of course I don't want you to take it out of the bin! I think I've been more than reasonable however I can see you will only be happy with a full refund and I find your manor very confrontational.
I will send you the rest of the payment
Thank you for your custom

OP posts:

ziggiestardust · 22/07/2018 13:48

YANBU but I’m not sure I’ve ever had a professionally made cake I’ve been impressed with the actual taste of. It’s always been quite hard & dry, I doubt I will pay for one for my DC’s birthday again.

troodiedoo · 22/07/2018 13:50

Lol very PA! Glad you've got your refund though.

FissionChips · 22/07/2018 13:53

I’ve no idea why people don’t just buy from the supermarket for children’s party cakes, full of preservatives to keep it moist, nice designs and cheap.

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 13:57

Fission

Really not interested in lots of preservatives.

I think that the basis of a cake maker should be that they can actually make a good cake!!

My experience hasn’t been great though

OP posts:

ToadOfSadness · 22/07/2018 13:59

Sorry, hadn't noticed the distance, a photo would have been proof though, however she obviously realised her cake was shit and has refunded you but won't admit it was shit, and by her attitude you need fell no guilt at still telling people her cake was shit.

swingofthings · 22/07/2018 13:59

She does have a point though, you only brought half of the cake back, it isn't out of the imagination to believe that some people ate it even if they didn't enjoy it much.

I think if you were expecting a full refund, you should have indeed brought the pieces only half eaten, you would have got more of a case then. As it is, I think it was reasonable to give you half the money back.

ToadOfSadness · 22/07/2018 14:00

I still wonder though, why these cakes are always so dry, does anyone know? Is it to stop them being soggy when they are decorated because it is not a good move to produce cakes that could be used as those fake ones that used to be in shop windows to advertise decorations?

swingofthings · 22/07/2018 14:01

Alternatively, you must have realised as you cut it that it was very dry, so you could have taken a video pressing on it and saying at this stage that you were not happy with the cake and intended to bring it back for a full refund and text her to let her know you'd be there to return it rather than let people eat it.

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 14:02

swings

Sorry but I provided enough cake to make it very clear that it wasn’t edible.

She even wrote;

Hello. I have sent you a refund of 50% as you returned 50% of the cake. I have tested the cake and it is a little drier than I would have expected however it is now 2 days later so I have no way of knowing what it was like on Friday. I'm sorry that the cake did not meet your expectation I do hope you find this to be a satisfactory resolution

So she even admits the cake is dry.

I told her to cut right into the middle, where air couldn’t affect the test.

You have to remember it’s been less than 48 hours since I collected the cake. If the cake is ‘dry’ after that amount of time, it’s clear not my fault

[Edited by MNHQ to remove RL names]

OP posts:

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 14:03

swing. Actually I wanted to enjoy my daughter getting her birthday presents and what not.

Are you mental?

OP posts:

niknac1 · 22/07/2018 14:09

For good customer services go to someone like Waitrose. I had s similar experience and they refunded and didn’t argue.

Original poster

CantankerousCamel · 22/07/2018 14:10

Niknac Waitrose had a few hedgehog cakes for £6 yesterday and I was gutted I had not just got one of them!!

OP posts:

MikeUniformMike · 22/07/2018 14:11

You live in a manor? I think she meant manner.
Seriously, i'd just let it go now, but if you have an opportunity to review her cakes you can give your opinion there.

DarlingNikita · 22/07/2018 14:11

I think YANBU and she's been very grudging. I wouldn't bother with her business again.

Do you know there's a real name in your post of 14:02:22? Just in case you'd rather stay totally anonymous.

troodiedoo · 22/07/2018 14:11

I bought my dd1 a beautiful looking cake from asda but it was horrible. I think looking good on social media was their main objective.

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