To not want to issue them a refund?

[Onlyjoinedtopost]

I run a cake business, and today I had somebody collect a cake order. 3 tiers, 2 tiers iced with fondant and the middle tier iced with buttercream icing as specifically requested in their original order. As it was fairly last minute, she did a bank transfer of the whole amount when I said only a deposit was necessary and then final payment on the day.

I offered to deliver it as the party was around 40 miles away and I have a special cool box in my car and am also aware of being delicate when delivering a cake as I know I need to be gentle etc. She insisted on collecting it herself, fine by me that’s your personal choice. I advised her to put cake (in heavy duty box) either in the boot or on a flat surface so footwell or something, so it was as flat as possible. She put it on the back seat and put the seatbelt round the box.

She messaged me after she got home to say the cake box slid off the seat onto the floor which crushed the cake to the point it was beyond being saved. She has demanded a full refund as I have ‘ruined the party’. Wibu to not refund her? I am genuinely gutted as I know how upset she must be, but I had taken every step I possibly could to ensure the cake made it in one piece, supportive dowles inside, extra cake boards between each tier, heavy duty cake box, advice about transporting etc

Have you responded to her OP?

Have you replied to her messages?

Well if you ignore an angry customer, they’re not going to go for a spa day to calm down will they?

Bit unprofessional to completely ignore her.

What a CF!!!!!!!!!

At the weekend I bought some lovely vintage champagne glasses from a market stall. Literally less than an hour later, as I was walking through my front door, I dropped them.

I'm totally going back to the stallholder to ask for a refund.

Have you actually responded to her? You don't have to give her a refund but you should reply.

Send her a letter from your solicitor stating that it's not your fault that she DROPPED the cake and you won't be issuing a refund. And to stop any further contact as it'll be regarded as harassment. She's chancing her luck, hoping that she'll harass you enough for a refund.

She is a CF. I would do as suggested and put up a pre-emptive message.

You offered to deliver, she refused. Her decision, she takes the consequences. In your position i wouldn‘t even consider refunding.

I collect pottery. I often wonder why when I am pretty clumsy as a rule. Haven’t broken anything yet though, which I put down to luck but if I did I would be totally at fault. I wouldn’t be crying back to the seller that I’d broken it!

Have you answered her yet? Some great responses on this thread.

Missing: 1 Cheeky Fucker.
Dinstinctive features: Doesn’t like cake.
If found please return to me. I’ll bloody deal with her.

Don’t refund her OP. 🍰

An American clothing and outerwear company called L.L.Bean used to have a very generous return policy. If an item failed to meet your expectations you could return it at any time. Their goods are very well made (they're a direct competitor to Lands End) so I never returned anything I bought there, but it was nice to know that I could.

Of course eventually, the cheeky fuckers and piss takers ruined it. People were buying 20 year old clothes at church sales for almost nothing, then demanding a replacement. In one famous case a woman had an 18 year old ski jacket which she wanted replaced. Why? Because she had burned a hole in the sleeve with her cigarette. So the company finally had to put an end to their policy because the CF's were robbing them blind. And then, the CF's got mad about it and sued.

L.L. Bean Just Changed Its Return Policy and People Are Furious

My point is that no good goes unpunished and you have to draw a line for the CF's, who ruin things for everyone.

We bought an expensive car which started to slide and melt after being transported in a hot car. It would never have occurred to me to blame the cake maker.

No refund due. She declined your offer to deliver. You gave advice for self transport. It's her fault.

There's nothing to say that even if you refund her she won't still leave a bad review. I'd take the chance and if she leaves an untruthful review, simply reply correcting the factual errors.

I look at all reviews when buying from a company and would be more suspicious of a company with all 5star reviews then there being a few lesser ones. Nobody can please everybody.

I have a friend who has a cake business too - she always offers to take the cake to the venue and set it up - also to add the final decorations and ensure the condition of the cake for the event. You have offered yourself, your transport with coolbox facilities and your time - you didn't mention a fee for this but your customer declined. Absolutely not your fault - she's just very upset and feeling a trifle foolish!!

Have you seen the 'ruined' cake? I've had people come back to me after the wedding saying the hat I made was totally wrong and they never wore it, full refund please. My eye. The client did the damage, the responsibility is hers. No refund.

I look at all reviews and if most are 4 or 5 stars then the occasional 1 or 2 stars doesn't matter. You should act professionally and reply to her but make it clear there will be no refund.

In future, if someone has a big following and you're worried about future business, then insist you deliver so as to avoid this happening.

Fellow cake maker! Do you have anything in your contract about once it leaves your hands you aren't responsible for anything that happens to it (barring structural issues that can actually be proven)? You should, if you don't.

Refer her to this text. If you're feeling generous, offer a discount on her next order. Do not refund.

The seatbelt has made me

Has she said why she thinks it’s your fault? She’s being weird.

Onlyjoined sounds like your woman is related to somebody who I dealt with a few years ago when I worked at a certain HP company that deals with stupidly large tv's etc for the professionally unemployed( I do realise other people shop there but they are few and faaar between and working for the company opened my eyes a lot to the sort of people who really do exist outside of a channel five reality show)... when I worked for them they used to insist on delivery as a 55/60/70" top of the range tv is large, heavy and expensive and as they haven't paid for it, it technically still belongs to the company. Some idiot refused point blank to wait a few days for delivery and pay the delivery charge and had a massive tantrum in the shop until he got his own way, took it home, tried to wall mount it, the tv fell straight off the wall and smashed obviously and damn me if the odious little prick didn't come storming back into the shop screaming and shouting the odds until we replaced it free of fricking charge.... which the idiot in charge did only for me to try and recover when said OLP had not made a single bloody payment on it!

Definitely a CF! Do not give her a refund!!

I’m a home baker and transporting cakes to parties is the part of baking I despise, she was mad not to take you up on the offer of delivery.

I actually think the seat/seatbelt thing does work, it certainly has for me. I tend to use the front seat so I can keep an eye, cake well supported with dowels that go right through the boards so pin the whole cake together, cake in cake box, cake box in heavy duty storage box that won’t bend under seatbelt, rolled up towels under box to ensure seat is level, then belt round the whole thing to secure in place.

I find it easier than the boot where it’s likwly to slide around.

Anyway, YANBU. Her driving must be awful. It’s her fault and her fault alone, she is being ridiculous.

What a cheek. Definitely not your problem. She didn’t listen to your advice or accept your offer of help to deliver the cake. It’s her problem and I wouldn’t give it another thought if I were you. Whatever was she thinking? How stupid to put a seatbelt round a cake.

Have you replied to her at all?
She does need to be told that she’s not entitled to a refund.
I wouldn’t worry about a bad review anyone reading it would agree that it’s not your fault.